tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578738778365296172024-02-06T18:18:46.650-08:00Jim's FearFilm. Music. Laughs. (FML)MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.comBlogger528125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-11404706410356385422015-01-20T12:55:00.000-08:002015-01-20T12:59:24.251-08:00Top 5 Films of 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2014/10/movie-review-birdman.html" target="_blank"><i>Birdman (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)</i></a> - directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu<br />
<i><br />Birdman</i> has everything. It's the one film from 2014 that has all the 'best of the year' bases covered. Great performances from an all star cast, tons of laughs, some dark introspective drama, suspense, a unique and infectious musical score, uncanny cinematography and technical wizardry, there's even random bouts of CGI rendered superhero carnage. By all accounts, this movie should appeal to everyone. It's also one of the most original and refreshingly bizarre films I've seen. Who would have thought that a flick about a washed up movie star trying to make it big on Broadway would prove so damn entertaining? I sure as hell didn't...but love being surprised now and again. <br />
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<a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2014/11/movie-review-nightcrawler.html" target="_blank"><i>Nightcrawler</i></a> - directed by Dan Gilroy<br />
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Jake Gyllenhaal was robbed. The all knowing Academy might have snubbed him in the best actor category but Gyllenhaal's work in <i>Nightcrawler</i> goes beyond all the best of the year stuff, it's one for the ages. In fact the only other performance that comes close to matching Gyllenhaal's manically intense portrayal of Louis Bloom, is Gyllenhaal's other scene stealing turn in <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2014/04/movie-review-enemy.html" target="_blank"><i>Enemy</i></a> where he plays two characters. The man's only real competition is himself! <i>Nightcrawler </i>is a dark and morose little movie that manages to titillate and horrify at the same time. Dan Gilroy's script and Robert Elswitt's gorgeous camera work, coupled with Gyllenhaal's performance of a lifetime, make's <i>Nightcrawler</i> one of the best, and most underrated films of the year. <br />
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<a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2014/07/movie-review-boyhood.html" target="_blank"><i>Boyhood</i></a> - directed by Richard Linklater<br />
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Richard Linklater knows how to get you. He perfected the art time lapse cinema with his <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2013/06/movie-review-before-midnight.html" target="_blank"><i>Before </i></a>trilogy, seducing audiences into an epic love/romance saga twenty years in the making. Turns out<i>, </i>Linklater was just warming up. He spent the past decade plus secretly working on <i>Boyhood</i>, the definitive millennial coming of age story that films it's young star growing from age six to eighteen. It may seem like a novelty, but <i>Boyhood</i> is really a remarkable, spellbinding piece of cinema that should be seen by everyone at least once in their lives. <br />
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<a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2015/01/movie-review-inherent-vice.html" target="_blank"><i>Inherent Vice</i></a> - directed by Paul Thomas Anderson<br />
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Joaquin Phoenix is Paul Thomas Anderson's new de facto partner in hi-jinx and I love it. Although the film's setting and comedic tone are light years removed from their previous collaboration, like <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2012/09/movie-review-master.html" target="_blank"><i>The Master</i></a>, <i>Inherent Vice </i>is a hazy, meandering slab of celluloid that focuses more on feelz and atmosphere than plot. There's more dick jokes in <i>Inherent Vice</i> though, that's for sure. Yes, I wish the film was a bit more streamlined and coherent at times [of course that's more a slight at Pynchon's source material than anything] but with Robert Elswitt's dream like visuals [two awesome DP jobs this year and the Academy snubs him why?!] and Josh Brolin's sublimely hammed up performance as Big Foot, I really didn't care that much and just went along with the ride. <br />
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<a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2015/01/movie-review-whiplash.html" target="_blank"><i>Whiplash</i></a> - directed by Damien Chazelle<br />
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Drum sex, the movie. If you have more than a passing interest in music or film then you should try your hardest to see <i>Whiplash</i> in theaters. If you have a deep rooted passion for both, then Damien Chazelle's firebrand debut film is required viewing! As both a<a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/search/label/DrumTHRONE" target="_blank"> drumming </a>and movie geek, I was on the edge of my seat throughout <i>Whiplash</i>. I might have loathed Miles Teller in <i><a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2013/09/movie-review-spectacular-now.html" target="_blank">The Spectacular Now</a></i>, but he's nothing short of amazing in this one. Then there's J.K. Simmons' terrifyingly brilliant work as the band leader from hell. Simmons' delivery of Chazelle's rapid fire dialogue, is genius plain and simple. There's no doubt that <i>Whiplash</i> is a <i>Rocky </i>or <i>Reservoir Dogs</i> caliber debut film that will be talked about for years to come. <br />
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<u><b>*HONORABLE MENTIONS*</b></u><br />
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Lots of good flicks came out this past year. I should have posted a top 10 list
for all the great stuff I saw, but for the sake of continuity,
kept the top 5 tradition going. Anyways, here are the rest of my
favorite films from 2014:<br />
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<a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2014/05/movie-review-palo-alto.html" target="_blank"><i>Palo Alto</i></a><br />
Gia Coppola's debut film is a dreamy ode to the wistless days of high school. The visuals and the soundtrack are intoxicating.<br />
<a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2014/07/movie-review-snowpiercer.html" target="_blank"><i><br />Snowpiercer</i></a><br />
Wild and wacky sci-fi that doesn't blatantly insult your intelligence, Snowpiercer is a head scratching thrill ride that makes you think and squirm at the same time. <br />
<a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2014/10/movie-review-gone-girl.html" target="_blank"><i><br />Gone Girl</i></a><br />
The first act drags a bit but once Fincher rolls up his sleeves in the middle, <i>Gone Girl</i> becomes a brilliant thriller. <br />
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<a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2014/04/movie-review-captain-america-winter.html" target="_blank"><i>Captain America: The Winter Soldier</i></a><br />
Marvel turned lame ass Captain America into the coolest Bourne/Bond/Batman crushing badass around. It's a miracle.<br />
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<a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2014/11/movie-review-john-wick.html" target="_blank"><i>John Wick</i></a><br />
He's back. John Wi...er, Keanu Reeves is back in the greatest 80's action film since the Reagan administration. The film's body count and classic one liners are phenomenal. <br />
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Check my <a href="http://letterboxd.com/ferocious_fetus/" target="_blank">Letterboxd</a> profile for all things film related and reviews of my entire top ten.MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-73255031135210350682015-01-11T15:42:00.000-08:002015-01-11T15:42:11.187-08:00Movie Review: Whiplash<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><br />Whiplash</i>, the dazzling debut film from writer/director Damien Chazelle, is undoubtedly the most intense and nerve-racking movie of the year. Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons deliver performances of a lifetime and Chazelle proves to be just as virtuosic behind the camera as the musicians/characters in the film. <br />
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Teller stars as Andrew Neiman, a fresh faced, first year student at the finest music academy in NYC. He's a nineteen year old drum prodigy who yearns to be "one of the greats." His drive is noticed early on by the school's infamous head conductor, Terence Fletcher (Simmons), who's notorious for pushing his students beyond the edge of sanity to achieve results. What happens next is a mind blowing update of the classic unstoppable force vs immoveable object troupe, or Tom vs Jerry, Itchy vs Scratchy...pick your poison. Neiman's unbridled passion for his craft, coupled with Fletcher's blood lust for immortality amongst the pantheons of jazz greats, results in a terrifying onscreen rivalry that slowly but surely morphs into the weirdest buddy picture of modern cinema. Neiman and Fletcher may be at odds but as the film progresses we see that they are really just two sides of the same OCD riddled coin. Can the student surpass the teacher, or will he be decapitated by flying objects during rehearsal? Imagine Anakin Skywalker being trained by Lee Ermey from <i>Full Metal Jacket</i> instead of Obi-wan and you'll start see what <i>Whiplash</i> is all about.<br />
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The film's opening scene foreshadows the rest of the movie. Neiman is practicing alone in an empty classroom and then Fletcher pops in and talks some trash to motivate him. That's basically the entire film in a nutshell. It's amazing how such simple story, with a minimal supporting cast, can prove so captivating in the long run. Chazelle's script, inspired by his own experiences at music school, is sharp and packed to the brim with band geek jargon [TEMPO TEMPO TEMPO] and nods to jazz legends; just as his choice of cuts and closeups really beefs up the tension during the already insanely intense performance sequences. Throw in J.K. Simmon's mind blowing, career defining performance and you've got not only one the best films of the year, but one of the best debut films ever. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7d_jQycdQGo" width="560"></iframe>MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-9583570854745303122015-01-11T12:24:00.000-08:002015-01-11T12:24:01.215-08:00Movie Review: Inherent Vice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Paul Thomas Anderson and Joaquin Phoenix, together again in a hilarious 1970's caper film? Sign me up. <br />
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<i>Inherent Vice</i> is another slab of thought provoking and gut-busting genius courtesy of PTA [<i>The Master, There Will Be Blood, Boogie Nights</i>], that continues his illustrious love affair with both Southern California locales, and weird fucking people in general. The film, adapted from Thomas Pynchon's head trip novel of the same name, follows hippie turned private eye "Doc" Sportello, as he bumbles through Los Angeles trying to crack an increasingly bizarre and convoluted missing persons case. Doc, played by a mega amped Phoenix, falls down a rabbit hole or weirdness, getting mixed up with the LAPD, neo-Nazi bikers, black power gang members, real estate moguls, happy ending girls, a shadowy international drug cartel and totally cracked out dentists. Trying to decipher <i>Inherent Vice</i>'s plot is an effort in futility. It's like trying to ride a tornado, it's just not gonna happen. <br /><br />
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Some people might be put off by the film's lack of coherence. I myself couldn't help but feel disappointed with its haphazard plot as I first walked out of the theater. But the more I thought about the picture and digested the whole experience, the more I wanted to back for seconds. Like all of PTA's movies, <i>Inherent Vice</i> literally screams out for repeated viewings [anyone else see <i>There Will Be Blood </i>three times at the cinema? Anyone?]. <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2012/09/movie-review-master.html" target="_blank"><i>The Master</i></a> was a fairly ethereal film that focused less on traditional narrative and more on feeling and tone.<i> Inherent Vice</i> follows a similar path, but while<i> The Master </i>was big on drama and had a somber, underlying tone, <i>Inherent Vice</i> is big on zany irreverence and is all about bombast. <br />
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Phoenix leads an all-star cast of over the top caricatures who deliver confusing bouts of exposition and side splitting laughs by the boat load. Josh Brolin is genius as Bigfoot, Doc's reluctant ally on the LAPD who spends half the film trying to make his life a living hell. Martin Short's cameo is pure comedic gold and Doc's uber hot girlfriend Shasta, played by newcomer Katherine Waterston, is a surf girl fantasy come true. Brilliant performances, gorgeous camera work [<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005696/" target="_blank">Robert Elswit </a>& PTA are a match made in heaven], an awesome soundtrack and lots of laughs,<i> Inherent Vice </i>creates a beautifully hazy cinematic experience. Just don't be so uptight about the plot you'll be okay. Right on.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/OUZgOQ186-A" width="560"></iframe>MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-24764942323840519562014-12-08T14:42:00.001-08:002014-12-08T14:42:53.275-08:00Movie Review: Horrible Bosses 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Nobody will argue that <i>Horrible Bosses 2</i> is an original or poignant film. In fact most people are probably wondering why they even bothered with a sequel. Not I however. I love me some dumb lolz and <i>Horrible Bosses 2</i> brings the lowbrow humor in spades. <br />
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Last time, our heroes Nick, Kurt and Dale [Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day] hatched a zany scheme to kill their tyrannical employers that didn't work out so well but brought lots of cheap laughs and crazy hijinks to the big screen. It's pretty much the same deal here, only instead of plotting a series of murders, they've decided to go the kidnapping route. It's like the running gag from this years<i> <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2014/06/movie-review-22-jump-street.html" target="_blank">22 Jump Street</a></i> where they keep referring to the plot of the last movie, "Just like last time." Nick is still the only guy with common sense, Kurt is still a raging horn dog and Dale is the totally loveable but oh so wild miscreant. In fact the villain in this one is less twisted than any of the three 'horrible bosses' from the first film. Sure he's a douche-y cut throat business man, but there are millions of those dudes out in the world. This sort of makes the gang's plot to kidnap his son a feel a little contrived...but who cares? Shit is funny!<br />
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From the opening scene it's clear that this movie gives no fucks whatsoever. I don't know if they even had a script because the whole thing feels like a gloriously long improve session between the cast. Yes it's so super raunchy, crude and repetitive but, as a former twelve year old boy I can appreciate the lost art of juvenile, potty humor. The past decade of <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2014/05/movie-review-neighbors.html" target="_blank">smart ass yet sanitized, Judd Apatow branded comedies</a> has left a void in my heart. It's refreshing to see stupid comedy excel at being both. <br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/VDqmhPBf424" width="560"></iframe>MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-46710657752704571812014-12-07T16:29:00.003-08:002014-12-07T16:39:13.513-08:00Movie Review: The Hunger Games- Mockingjay (Part 1)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The latest installment of <i>The Hunger Games</i> movie franchise is easily the darkest film of the year. I'm not talking about the film's content either [although it's pretty grim itself]. No, I mean the picture quality is literally black as midnight. Lots of scenes take place in secret underground bunkers or inside abandoned buildings and it makes for one of the muddiest pictures I've ever seen. Be prepared to squint and grimace slightly while watching this one. Of course the film's ridiculously forced love triangle and sheer lazy directing/camera work might have you doing that anyways.<br />
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What's my beef with <i>The Hunger Games</i> you ask? In case you missed my <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2013/12/movie-review-hunger-games-catching-fire.html" target="_blank">evisceration of the last film</a>, I'll summarize by saying they're just way too bland for my liking. <i>Mockingjay</i> 1.0 falls victim to the same troubles that plagued <i>Catching Fire</i>, and suffers from some new mistakes as well. The script is still a big bag of "meh" [as most films adapted from 'Young Adult' fiction tend to be] but <i>Mockingjay</i> lacks the dazzling set pieces that propelled the first two films. Jennifer Law...er, Katniss, is no longer a wee young lass trapped inside the games. That means no more crazy fight sequences or wacky costumes from the Capitol. Now Katniss is transitioning into the role of freedom fighter and hanging out with the resistance in their less than glamorous subterranean headquarters. Because <i>Mockingjay</i> was divided into two films to maximize profits, that means all the "cool" stuff is being saved for the series finally, which leaves nothing but exposition and Jennifer Lawrence making "OMG" faces every five minutes in this one. <br />
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The lame script and, you know...lack of any real climax, could have been countered by some crafty camera work or truly standout performances. <i>Mockingjay</i> 1.0 has none of that. <i><a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2014/11/movie-review-john-wick.html" target="_blank">John Wick</a></i> might be the most cliched movie ever made; yet the directors counter the banality of it's plot with awesome camera tricks and direction that keeps the audience engaged. <i>Mockingjay</i> is by comparison...a snoozefest. The fact that Julianne Moore and Philp Seymour Hoffman share multiple scenes together, which constitutes an Amber Waves & Scotty J. <i>Boogie Nights</i> reunion, is <i>The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 1</i>'s only saving grace. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/3PkkHsuMrho" width="560"></iframe>MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-19391942429034166732014-11-14T13:01:00.000-08:002014-12-01T15:55:40.602-08:00Movie Review: Dumb and Dumber To<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jam008/Dumb-and-DUmber-to-movie-poster1-930x1441_zps7a1975c8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jam008/Dumb-and-DUmber-to-movie-poster1-930x1441_zps7a1975c8.jpg" height="400" width="257" /></a></div>
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<i>Dumb and Dumber To</i> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">is a real thing. Sure
it’s fifteen years too late and an obvious nostalgia cash grab…but it exists.
The how’s and whys aren’t important, to fans of the original, who grew up under
the sage tutelage of Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunn, there’s only one thing
they care about regarding this ill-timed sequel: does it suck? Will the
pristine legacy of the original be sullied by this…you get the picture. <br />
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://timedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/dumbdumber.jpeg?w=1100" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://timedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/dumbdumber.jpeg?w=1100" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<br />So what’s the verdict? <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dumb and Dumber To</i>
isn’t a total abomination. It’s not as hilarious as it’s predecessor, but it does
provide few big laughs of its own and stays true to the spirit of the original.
Or in other words: “WE LANDED ON THE MOON!”<br />
<br />
The movie takes place twenty years after the fiasco in Aspen, where that little
filly Mary Swanson broke ol’ Lloyd’s heart. He’s been recovering in a convalescent
hospital for the past two decades in a state of catatonia. Harry stops by every
week to check on his pal and help take care of him until…nevermind. Nobody
cares about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dumb and Dumber To</i>’s
plot. The only thing that matters is that Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels still have
amazing chemistry together. The movie really struggles in the first act because
we, and Lloyd, have twenty years’ worth of catching up to do and exposition has
never been the Farrelly Brothers’ strong point, but once our heroes get into
their groove, it starts to feel like old times again which is really all anyone
wants to see.<br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dumb and Dumber To</i> isn’t a complete
travesty and with beer/nostalgia goggles on it might actually be hilarious. I’m
not quite sure but, it brought a smile to this overtly cynical ol’ bastard’s
face.</span><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/lGXHVlEklgQ" width="560"></iframe>MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-73553759703756763462014-11-13T12:35:00.002-08:002014-12-01T15:55:26.307-08:00Movie Review: Nightcrawler<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jam008/Nightcrawler_PayoffPoster_zps77ba75a2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jam008/Nightcrawler_PayoffPoster_zps77ba75a2.jpg" height="400" width="255" /></a></div>
Jake Gyllenhaal is a fucking mad man. His outstanding, tour de force
performance in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nightcrawler</i> will be
talked about for ages and will further reinforce this point. We’ve seen traces
of brilliance throughout his career [<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Brokeback
Mountain</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">End of Watch</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Prisoners</i>], and we all know Gyllenhaal
is at his best playing weirdoes [<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Donnie
Darko</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zodiac</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Enemy</i>] and not the pretty boy leading
man stuff he’s dabbled with in the past [<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Prince
of Persia</i>…get outta here]. Now we’ve finally been blessed with Jake going
full on uber creep/psycho with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nightcrawler</i>,
in what is easily the most startling and mesmerizing performance of his career.<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://cdn.indiewire.com/dims4/INDIEWIRE/1af6989/2147483647/thumbnail/680x478/quality/75/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fd1oi7t5trwfj5d.cloudfront.net%2Feb%2F76%2Fe5372d61487ca10b12a48f7ecee6%2Fnightcrawler-nc-02606-r-crop-rgb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.indiewire.com/dims4/INDIEWIRE/1af6989/2147483647/thumbnail/680x478/quality/75/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fd1oi7t5trwfj5d.cloudfront.net%2Feb%2F76%2Fe5372d61487ca10b12a48f7ecee6%2Fnightcrawler-nc-02606-r-crop-rgb.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Gyllenhaal stars as Louis Bloom, a reclusive conman who roams the streets of
Los Angeles trying to scrape out a living, applying for odd jobs here and
there, stealing and occasionally assaulting/robbing people. You know, the
usual. After witnessing a fiery accident on the freeway one evening and seeing
a pair of opportunistic freelance news videographers record the scene, Bloom finally
finds his niche in life. Gyllenhaal’s character is a sociopath who lives alone,
despises people and but simultaneously yearns for success and validation. Imagine
the Grinch with Asperger’s and a violent streak and you’ll start to see the
picture. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nightcrawler</i> does two things
and does them both rather well, it showcases the seedy seed of the cutthroat local
news scene, and is a fascinating character study unlike anything we’ve seen
since Daniel Plainview in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">There Will Be
Blood</i>. Ruthless, greedy, conniving misanthropes who will stop at nothing to
achieve their goals, Louis Bloom and Daniel Plainview are veritable peas in a
pod, just as Gyllenhaal’s all-encompassing performance is reminiscent of Daniel
Day-Lewis’ Oscar winning role. <br />
<br />
First time director Dan Gilroy has crafted a wicked character piece about an
utterly wicked individual, up there with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Taxi
Driver</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American Psycho</i>. He’s
also put together one hell of an ode to Los Angeles. Yes, we’ve got Hollywood
in our backyards and all, but very few films seem to capture the LA vibe the way
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nightcrawler</i> does [see: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Collateral</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Training Day</i>, etc]. Gilroy is a longtime screenwriter who also
wrote <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nightcrawler</i>’s script, and he maneuvers
the camera in such way that proves he knows the ins and outs of this story like
the back of his hand. There are dozens of knuckle gripping moments in this
film, along with a wild chase scene at the end that blows all that overdone <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fast And The Furious</i> stuff away, which
makes <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nightcrawler</i> one of the
weirdest and most exciting films of the year. Gyllenhaal’s performance is worth
the admission price alone, good thing the rest of the movie is pretty rad
itself. <br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/1lEdwqwOttg" width="560"></iframe>MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-9296262548665550592014-11-13T12:21:00.000-08:002014-12-01T15:58:11.994-08:00Movie Review: John Wick<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>John
Wick</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">
is as close to a perfect action film as we’re gonna get in 21<sup>st</sup>
Hollywood. Embrace it. As the fine folks at <i>Ruthless Reviews</i> have already
illustrated in their<a href="http://www.ruthlessreviews.com/the-ruthless-guide-to-80s-action/" target="_blank"> official Guide to 80’s Action</a>, the glory days of the
mindless action romp peaked during the Reagan years. When story arcs and even
special effects took a backseat to the glory of mindless [borderline
homoerotic] carnage; when buff dudes named Arnold, Sly and Jean-Claude could
frolic shirtless onscreen and punch/mud wrestle/murder tons of random faceless
enemies. The Soviets, the drug cartels, even ninjas, whoever messed with our
grizzled protagonists where going to get their asses handed to them for the
next ninety minutes of brainless, but oh so awesome, super violent fun. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://screeninvasion.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/JW_06691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://screeninvasion.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/JW_06691.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">John Wick</i> is an unabashed genre flick
that harkens back to the glory days of 80’s style overindulgence. Keanu Reeves
stars in the film’s titular role, playing a retired hitman who is thrust back
into the murder scene, after some random thugs with mafia connections steal his
car and worse, kill his dog. That’s it. That’s the whole plot right there. In
typical 80’s action form, John Wick is a widow morning the loss of his dead
wife. Like the Reagan administration itself, the women of 80’s action movies
didn’t really do much, other than get in the way of Hulkamania inspired alpha
male mayhem. The ladies are either dead, kidnapped or somewhere just off camera
screaming for rescue [or pleasure], and only serve as a catalyst for
unadulterated vengeance. Reeves [aka Neo, aka Johnny Utah, aka Johnny Mnemonic and
whatever his name was in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Speed</i>] is no
stranger to the action genre and he plays his character to perfection. Arnold
said “I’ll be back” in 1984 and changed the world forever. Keanu says “Yeah,
I’m thinking I’m back!” thirty years later and 80's action fiends piss themselves with joy.<br />
<br />
Stuntmen turned directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski are the true heroes
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">John Wick</i>. Their years as stunt
doubles to the stars [Stahelski was Reeve’s double on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Matrix</i>] and master fight choreographers made them beyond
qualified to handle directing duties this time around. The fight scenes and gun
battles are fluid and mesmerizing. No shaky cam or ADD editing to mask what’s
going on, we see Keanu kick ass and sprout one-liners like the gods of 80’s
action films before him. If you like popcorn, headshots, and listening to Keanu
Reeve’s world weary voice in THX surround, go see <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">John Wick</i> ASAP.</span>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/2AUmvWm5ZDQ" width="560"></iframe>
MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-12605071905274547512014-11-07T12:05:00.001-08:002014-11-07T12:10:24.286-08:00Movie Review: Interstellar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/custom/Blog_Images/interstellar3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/custom/Blog_Images/interstellar3.jpg" height="400" width="255" /></a></div>
Christopher Nolan is back folks. The acclaimed director’s new sci-fi,
space exploration epic, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Interstellar</i>,
is finally upon us. The hype behind this film has been ginormous to say the
least. Shot in IMAX 70mm…on actual film! Features minimal CGI! Uses man made
sets and practical effects! Academy award winning cast! Etc. etc. Does the film
actually deliver? Kind of. <br />
<br />
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Matthew Mcconaughey stars as “Cooper,” a former NASA test pilot marooned on a
slowly decaying American farmstead. In the not too distant future,
Earth has had enough of mankind’s shit and ravaged the environment with a
deadly wave of blight and dust storms, causing massive crop failures and respiratory
problems up the wazoo. Our time on Earth is running low, and humans toil about
their increasingly miserable lives trying to get by. Cooper begrudgingly raises
his two children on his dying farm, mourning his dead wife, and extinguished
dreams of exploring the stars. But thankfully, his genius daughter’s pet ghost
tasks them on a crazy errand that reunites Cooper with the remnants of what
used to be NASA, who’ve been literally hiding in his back yard the entire time,
hatching a plan to save the human race: move to a new galaxy. Yes, you read
that correctly. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://imageserver.moviepilot.com/-ef118340-ea83-469a-bf9e-58800b56e569.jpeg?width=2048&height=1152" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://imageserver.moviepilot.com/-ef118340-ea83-469a-bf9e-58800b56e569.jpeg?width=2048&height=1152" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">wut?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br />Interstellar</i> could have been a great
film, instead of just a good one. Unfortunately, it’s beyond convoluted plot and
insistence on ham-fisted melodrama takes the film down several pegs. The ‘wow,
I can’t believe what I’m seeing!’ sense of awe that Nolan’s visuals instill throughout
the film, gives way to a ‘wow…I can’t believe this is what I’m seeing,’ lament,
stemming from the mediocre script. The film is long and ambitious but
surprisingly, despite the ‘lol wut?’ problems with the plot, doesn’t feel like
an eternity while watching. Maybe that’s because the film crams what should
have been twelve hours of screen content into a mere three [we got off easy if
you think about that way]. <br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Interstellar</i>’s ensemble cast turns out
to be film’s saving grace. With so much trippy NASA jargon and space talk
thrown around and tons of eye rolling exposition being spoon fed to the
audience, it’s the actor’s stellar [eh eh?] performances that keeps the movie
from collapsing in on itself. Matthew Mcconaughey’s character Cooper might be written
as the dumbest astronaut ever [he needs diagrams to explain how wormholes work],
but his performance is unyielding throughout. He spouts that dialogue, no
matter how painful, like it was the word of God [or Nolan]. In fact, the scene
where he watches messages from his family on Earth is some truly powerful stuff and one of
the highlights of the entire film. Anne Hathaway is billed as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Interstellar</i>’s other big star, but
Jessica Chastain is the movie's real leading lady. Hathaway isn’t bad per se…even
though her character is written so, but Chastain’s performance is just miles
beyond hers. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://hollywoodpopcandy.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/o-jessica-chastain-interstellar-facebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://hollywoodpopcandy.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/o-jessica-chastain-interstellar-facebook.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the real MVP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br />Interstellar </i>is three hours of bizarre
entertainment. If you can ignore the bloated plot and relish some solid acting
and cool visuals you’ll probably have fun. It was refreshing to watch a sci-fi
film with real people and not a massive CGI cartoon, just as it was cool to see
Nolan finally play with a new cinematographer for a change [hello Hoyte van
Hoytema, nice work dude]. There’s some really gripping, suspenseful scenes that
almost make up for the bang your head against the wall stupid ones. This movie
would have been a sweet ass summer time blockbuster, but since it came out in
fall and is surrounded but tons of, you know, good movies; it just doesn’t hold
up as well in comparison.
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Rt2LHkSwdPQ" width="560"></iframe>MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-20377725358301694882014-10-21T14:45:00.000-07:002014-10-21T14:45:44.708-07:00Movie Review: Birdman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.joesdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/birdman-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.joesdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/birdman-poster.jpg" height="400" width="255" /></a></div>
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</div>
<i>Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) </i>is the wildest, most dazzling piece of cinema you'll see all year. Director Alejandro G. Inarritu's film about a washed-up Hollywood star trying to forge a comeback on Broadway is equal parts hilarious, gripping, and for movie nerds, flat out exhilarating.<br />
<br />
Michael Keaton stars as Riggan Thomson, a has-been celebrity who once ruled the box office as Birdman, the first true super hero blockbuster of the modern era. He's spent the past two decades living in the shadow of his past glories and is ready to kick start the next phase of his career, only this time he pines for validation and legitimacy as a serious stage actor. Of course things go awry shortly before Riggan's play is set to open and the madness that is <i>Birdman</i> starts to unfold. <br />
<br />
Inarritu's choice of casting is the first, obvious stroke of genius with his new film. Michael Keaton of <i>Batman</i> acclaim, starring as the once mighty Birdman? Check. Edward "<a href="http://movieline.com/2010/07/11/marvel-to-norton-sorry-but-youre-kind-of-a-jerk/" target="_blank">Marvel's arch nemesis</a>" Norton playing a notoriously eccentric and difficult actor? Check. Zach Galifianakis, Emma Stone, Andrea Riseborough and Naomi Watts, they're all brilliant. The film's commentary on modern society's notions of fame, viral internet culture and critique of what truly constitutes "art" are done masterfully. Riggan may be a delusional old narcissistic hack, but as the film's extended title hints, there's something strangely likeable about that. Writing, directing and starring in his first Broadway show, the man is either overtly ambitious, or insane. When he's levitating and having existential shouting matches with his repressed Birdman alter ego, you assume it's the latter, but in Inarritu's dazzling cinematic magic carpet ride, you never can tell.<br />
<br />
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<br />
All the buzz behind <i>Birdman</i> stems from the film's manic energy. Inarritu and cinematographer/magician Emmanuel Lubezki [<i>Gravity</i>, <i>Tree of Life</i>, <i>Children of Men</i>] shot Birdman so that the entire film resembles one gargantuan extended take. This creates an unwavering sense of urgency that, coupled with the film's amazing jazz percussion score, gives the impression that the movie will fly off the rails at any moment...then of course, you know, it actually does. The way the camera maneuvers through the tight hallways and huge expanses of the theater's stage and captures the cast's unbroken diatribes in real time, it's like Christmas for film geeks, bored to death of the CGI crap fests we're subjected too every summer. Keaton's performance is so visceral and frenetic, while Inarritu's grip on the reigns is lax enough to feel both entertaining, and unnerving. When Riggan's dark alter ego starts to rear his head, when the percussive back beat transforms into a ticking time bomb, when the camera spins and reveals explosions littering the sky, I half expected Beetljuice to leap onscreen and shout, "C'mon!" like it was 1988 allover again. That's how wildly surreal and intense things get.<br />
<br />
Go see <i>Birdman</i> if you're a fan of movies. Period. They'll be talking about and dissecting this one for years to come. <br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/YPaGMgFYWWg" width="560"></iframe>MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-76404684082945268492014-10-17T17:34:00.002-07:002014-10-17T17:34:54.267-07:00Movie Review: Fury<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.fatmovieguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Fury-Movie-Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.fatmovieguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Fury-Movie-Poster.jpg" height="400" width="270" /></a></div>
America's last "just" war, the most important and destructive event of the twentieth century, however you want to classify the Second World War, there's no denying that it was kind of a big deal. In the decades following VJ Day, due in part to Soviet paranoia and atomic guilt, American culture has lionized the exploits of our "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greatest_Generation" target="_blank">Greatest Generation</a>" to mythic proportions. You can thank Hollywood for that one. The studios cranked out glowing propaganda films during the war, and dozens of heroic action flicks in the seventy years that followed. With that being said, it figures that a brazen filmmaker like David Ayer would craft a WWII film unlike any other.<br />
<br />
<i>Fury</i> is the story of a grizzled American tank crew during the final days of the war in Europe. Brad Pitt stars as "Wardaddy," the unit's stoic leader who has led his men through bloody campaigns in Africa, France and now, Nazi Germany itself. With Berlin in their sights and the war's end imminent, both sides become desperate to accomplish their objectives. Atrocities are committed, morality is thrown out the window and save for the bonds of loyalty and brotherhood established within the cold world of their tank, humanity is a foreign concept to the boys fighting alongside Wardaddy. "Wait until you see it," Shia LaBeouf's Bible toting character warns, "What a man can do to another man."<br /><br />And the shit they do in this film is gruesome.<br />
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Since bolting onto the scene with his script for <i>Training Day</i>, David Ayer has made a name for himself delivering <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2012/10/movie-review-end-of-watch.html" target="_blank">poignant action thrillers</a>. His movies are more than just dudes shooting guns and mindless violence. <i>Fury</i> is hands down, Ayer's best film yet. The emotionally charged chemistry between the cast, the film's hefty "War is Hell" narrative and the mind boggling levels of carnage depicted on camera delivers maximum, jaw dropping intensity. A woman sitting next to me in the theater literally jumped out of her seat during an unexpected sniper attack, and audible gasps where heard when flashes of mangled body parts and immolated soldiers appeared onscreen. This film doesn't mince words or images. There are no champions of virtue or bigger picture heroics in <i>Fury</i>, instead Ayer's film displays a jarring immediacy and gritty realism that highlights the genuine horrors of combat, and the frustrating futility of war itself. We won the battle? Great...too bad all my buddies are dead. What did they die for? A bridge? A road? Great. We're abandoning this spot and moving out in fifteen minutes. Mount up. <br />
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Imagine a film as unyiedlingly visceral as the Omaha Beach scene in <i>Saving Private Ryan</i>, but without the eye glistening sentimentality attached to Spielberg's much acclaim epic. Instead, you're given a candid, almost intrusive, fly on the wall perspective that refrains from glorifying, or whitewashing the exploits of American soldiers during the brutal end days of the European theatre. Ayer's film is loaded with extraordinary performances, blazing action set pieces, and successfully hammers it's point across in spades. War is hell, no matter the era or circumstance. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/SyRCJ96Gtgk" width="560"></iframe>MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-13942660624109438882014-10-17T12:53:00.002-07:002014-10-17T12:54:17.876-07:00STOP TALKING ABOUT EBOLA<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Ryo1m1j428D2rCXKT-i2MkFhevDTWsYAT1lOe_0dn66OeUxPjqQMhhcTpEr2FEGpacQ3fJRLMlgnAPEfsc3R8LJRIwCVuyTI1t3NWTPZoTxyoo9HGczyMTuTKdt32hJ5FqWl4BjQXRez/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Ryo1m1j428D2rCXKT-i2MkFhevDTWsYAT1lOe_0dn66OeUxPjqQMhhcTpEr2FEGpacQ3fJRLMlgnAPEfsc3R8LJRIwCVuyTI1t3NWTPZoTxyoo9HGczyMTuTKdt32hJ5FqWl4BjQXRez/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Facebook intellectuals</td></tr>
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If you live in West Africa, Ebola is a real and terrifying threat. If you live in the United States, you're more likely to get struck by lightning, eaten by a shark or nail Jennifer Lawrence than catch the dreaded virus. Stop freaking out, stop propelling the heinous culture of fear and ignorance that is destroying our society, but most importantly...stop spamming my social media feeds with your asinine bullshit. The sanctity of our Facebook walls is meant for important things [like links to my blog].<br />
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Here is some helpful reading material for you Homer Simpson types, ready to barricade yourselves indoors due to your irrational fear of some Ebola toting <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYzSHynBeh4" target="_blank">boogeyman (or boogeymen)</a>. <br />
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<a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/10/02/352983774/no-seriously-how-contagious-is-ebola" target="_blank">link 1</a><br />
<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2014/10/16/ebolas-very-contagious-ebolas-also-hard-to-catch-confused-heres-how-to-understand/" target="_blank">link 2</a><br />
<a href="http://www.salon.com/2014/10/04/ebola_the_heart_of_darkness_and_the_epidemic_of_fear/" target="_blank">link 3</a><br />
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<b>TLDR</b>:<br />
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Ebola is spread through bodily fluids. It's most contagious when victims show signs of infection aka; are projectile vomiting and shooting explosive diarrhea. Fetishes aside, if you refrain from drinking piss or maybe hold off on your regularly scheduled satanic blood sacrifice for the next month or so...you should be just fine. <br />
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<b>Xenophobes</b>: <br />
Africa is scary. They have lions and pirates and AIDS [oh my] and they even <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2013/11/movie-review-captain-phillips.html" target="_blank">tried to kill Tom Hanks</a>! Now they've got the Ebola and they're gonna spread their apocalyptic cooties to the Heartland via airplanes. Quarantine the continent! Block all travel to and from and just close your eyes really hard until the danger passes. Sounds great...until you discover that would only make things WORSE. <br />
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Finally, you <b>Conspiracy Nuts</b>:<br />
Governments do a lot of shady things [hai Iraq!], but unleashing biological nightmares like Ebola is probably not one of them. It goes back to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutual_assured_destruction" target="_blank">MAD doctrine</a>. The idea of Mutually Assured Destruction is why no one actually uses nuclear weapons, because you fuck around with those things and everyone loses. Imperialistic wars w/ American canon fodder = good for business. Biological pandemic that kills humanity = bad. <br />
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Ebola is a serious and horrifying thing going on in Africa. This outbreak has more to do with the lack of healthcare infrastructure and education levels [washing the contaminated corpses cuz 'muh social/religious traditions'] in these Third World countries than the virus itself. More people will die from the flu in the USA then Ebola. Chill out. Educate yourselves and stop spamming my feeds! <br />
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I'll leave you with some words of wisdom from Fox News of all places. Fox "WAR ON EVERYTHING" News. Think about that one. <br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Z2KBfynW09I" width="560"></iframe>MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-85542664637188000282014-10-08T08:30:00.000-07:002014-10-08T08:30:00.111-07:00Movie Review: Gone Girl<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Gone Girl </i>is the latest in director David Fincher's long line of grim, who done it, procedural flicks and as of now, stands tall as one of the best films of the year. Adapted from Gillian Flynn's uber popular novel of the same name, <i>Gone Girl</i> is a dark and thoroughly engrossing nail bitter, loaded with stellar performances, gorgeous cinematography and tons of jaw dropping moments, stemming from both the film's roller coaster plot, and the sheer technical brilliance displayed by it's director. <br />
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Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike star as Nick and Amy, the most fucked up cinematic couple of recent memory. Things start off great for the pair; two young, hip urban professionals, gallivanting around New York City without a care in the world. They're kind of smarmy faux intellectuals, who seem to spend more time having sex in public than actually working for a living. The good times come to a screeching halt however when a series of Great Recession sized problems derails their sexy, yuppie dream life. They both lose their slick writing jobs, Amy's trust fund runs dry and Nick's mother comes down with stage four cancer back home in Missouri. The couple leave the city defeated and move down to the sticks to care for Nicks dying mother...and that's when the fun begins. By the time we catch up with them on their five year anniversary, the loving spark in their relationship has transformed into a five alarm blaze of spite and resentment. Amy suddenly goes missing and ol' Nick becomes the prime suspect in her disappearance. <br />
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Between Flynn's screenplay and Fincher's uncanny eye, <i>Gone Girl</i> is a veritable stimulation overload. Affleck and Pike bring their characters to life with intense passion, but Pike as "the Amazing Amy" walks away with the MVP trophy on this one. She rattles through Flynn's rapid fire dialogue with ease while giving off that patented, tortured Fincher-esque vibe that is utterly entrancing. Kim Dickens shines as the small town detective assigned the case, equal parts skeptic and hardass, while even Tyler Perry excels as Nick's celebrity defense attorney. Who'd have seen that one coming huh? Fincher's posse from <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2010/10/movie-review-social-network.html" target="_blank"><i>The Social Network</i> </a>returns to help spruce<i> Gone Girl</i> up to Oscar frontrunner levels. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' score is as unnerving as the film's characters just as Jeff Cronenweth's cinematography is stunning as usual. Really, I don't think you'll see a more beautiful murder scene than in <i>Gone Girl.</i> That's Fincher for you though. The man who brought strap-on knife dildos, orange juice laced napalm and frosty Swedish sodomy to the big screen has just done it again, with semen releasing box cutters. <br />
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Sound weird? Cause it is! This movie is literally one giant head trip. The film opens with a shot of Nick caressing the back of Amy's skull, wondering just what the hell is going on inside. <i>Gone Girl</i>'s first act does sort of drag a bit, feeling like a lethargic version of last year's <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2013/10/movie-review-prisoners.html" target="_blank"><i>Prisoners</i></a> and actually had me worried for a second, then the second act takes a hard left turn and launches the film into high gear. Forget everything you think you know about Amy and Nick, about traditional crime and noir flicks, even about Fincher because when <i>Gone Girl</i> goes off the rails there's no stopping this twisted psychological train wreck. This is some of Fincher's spryest directing in years, it's wild, terrifying and in a weird way, channels the spirit of Tyler Durden with some of the most unreliable narration since the Project Mayhem days, guaranteed to leave you squirming on the edge of your seat until the very end. <br />
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<i>Gone Girl</i>, it's David Fincher doing what he does best...thoroughly fucking with his audience. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QZsF7IRTgMQ" width="560"></iframe>MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-40411516633216005532014-10-02T17:50:00.001-07:002014-10-02T22:24:52.470-07:00The Fall 2014 Moive Guide<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FALL 2014 Movie Guide</td></tr>
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Hey Bloggers. It's been a while huh? This two month lapse in posting has been my longest absence...ever. I've been kinda busy this year, trying my hand at legit music journalism, writing for <a href="http://newnoisemagazine.com/show-review-interpol-fox-theater-pomona/" target="_blank"><i>New Noise Magazine</i> </a>and recently, joining up with<a href="http://www.metalinjection.net/lists/10-defunct-bands-that-need-to-come-back" target="_blank"> Metal Injection</a> as well.<br />
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I've also added a link to my not so fancy <a href="http://jimsfear.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">tumblr profile</a>, where ya'll can keep tabs on the concert photography (and other random stuff) I've been shooting lately. <br />
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This blog will still be my primary outlet for digesting films and ranting about entertainment, political and lolz-y stuff. Things have been quiet around here mostly because there hasn't been any decent movies out lately. Of course it's Fall now, which means all the "good" movies are about to flood the theaters just in time for Oscar season. Here's a rundown on the flicks I'm the most hyped about for the end 2014. Some Oscar bait melodramas, some lowbrow action/comedies, and the usual weird stuff I love so much. Enjoy.<br />
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<i>Gone Girl </i>-Oct. 3.<br />
Fincher's latest bleak,
who done it procedural, kicks the Fall season off tomorrow with a bang.
Ben Affleck has never been my favorite leading man, but if anyone can
force a great performance out of him, it's David "1,000 takes" Fincher. <br />
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<i>Birdman </i>- Oct. 17<br />
Michael Keaton plays a fading star, once celebrated for playing an iconic character: He's Birdman.
Sound familiar? It's like art intimating life and it looks truly bizarre
in all the best ways. <br />
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<i>John Wick </i>- Oct. 24<br />
No joke, this movie looks cheesy as hell...but I'm hoping for a "it's so bad it's good" type deal here. Like <i><a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2012/10/movie-review-dredd.html" target="_blank">Dredd</a> </i>or <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2013/04/movie-review-pain-and-gain_27.html" target="_blank"><i>Pain & Gain</i></a>. Either way, the trailer makes it seem like Keanu Reeves is reenacting the lobby shootout in <i>The Matrix</i> for two hours and I kind of love it. <br />
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<i>Nightcrawler </i>- Oct. 31<br />
The homie Jake Gyllenhaal has played weirdos in <i><a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2013/10/movie-review-prisoners.html" target="_blank">Prisoners</a> </i>and <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2014/04/movie-review-enemy.html" target="_blank"><i>Enemy</i></a>, but he finally goes full on nutcase in <i>Nightcrawler</i>. Gyllenhaal's creep factor is off the charts in this trailer and pretty much sells the entire flick. <br />
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<i>Interstellar</i>- Nov. 7 <br />
The latest spectacle from
Christopher Nolan is almost upon us. We can expect a gargantuan run
time, a booming Hans Zimmer score to bludgeon our emotions, and gorgeous
cinematography. Hopefully he puts a little more TLC into this one then
he did in <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2012/07/movie-review-dark-knight-rises.html" target="_blank"><i>The Dark Knight Rises</i></a>. Please.<br />
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<i>A Most Violent Year</i>- Nov. 12<br />
Oscar Issac channeling vintage Al Pacino? Jessica Chastain being infallible as usual? SOLD.<br />
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<i>Fury</i>- Nov. 14<br />
Sometimes I think David Ayer makes movies exclusively for me. The trailer for <i>Fury</i> further reinforces this notion. Brad Pitt killing Nazis in a non-animated feature (<i>Inglorious Basterds</i>
was a cartoon right?) is pretty much a done deal. Ayer's knack for
<a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2012/10/movie-review-end-of-watch.html" target="_blank">realistic dialogue, white knuckle tension and gnarly violence</a> makes this
film a must see. <br />
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<i>Horrible Bosses 2</i>- Nov. 26<br />
The <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2011/07/movie-review-horrible-bosses.html" target="_blank">first film was such a pleasant surprise</a> that I have no choice but to check out the sequel. I
doubt this movie will go completely off the rails like<i><a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2014/06/movie-review-22-jump-street.html" target="_blank"> 22 Jump Street</a> </i>did earlier this year, but I'm sure the lolz will be plentiful nonetheless. <br />
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<i>Inherent Vice </i>- Dec. 12<br />
PTA returns from Mt. Olympus
with yet another masterpiece. Excuse the fanboy-ism. Some of you might
remember me frothing at the mouth waiting for <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2012/09/movie-review-master.html" target="_blank">The Master</a>, it's kind of
like that all over again. Paul Thomas Anderson's latest film is his
first lighthearted movie in ages, and looks like a cross between <i>Boogie Nights</i> and <i>The Big Lebowski</i>. I CAN'T WAIT.<br />
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<i>Exodus</i>: <i>Gods and Kings </i>- Dec. 12<br />
The fact that
Ridley Scott is pushing 80 and still cranking out epic movies like this
is insane. The man behind<i> Gladiator </i>and<i> Kingdom of Heaven</i> brings us yet
another ancient period piece, but with more CGI magic à la<a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2012/06/movie-review-prometheus.html" target="_blank"> <i>Prometheus</i></a> than ever before. I doubt anything will be as looney as Aronofsky's incestious,<i> Lord of the Rings</i> take on <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2014/04/movie-review-noah.html" target="_blank"><i>Noah</i></a>, but this still looks pretty out there. Plus Christian Bale. <br />
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<i>Unbroken</i>- Dec. 25<br />
Based on true story type films can either be great (<a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2013/12/movie-review-12-years-slave.html" target="_blank"><i>12 Years A Slave</i></a>) or schlock fests (<a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2014/01/movie-review-lone-survivor.html" target="_blank"><i>Lone Survivor</i></a>). I'm not sure where Angelina Jolie's new film will land, but the real story of Olympic athlete turned WWII POW <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Zamperini" target="_blank">Louis Zamperini</a>, is friggin amazing and deserves to be seen out of respect for the dude alone. <br />
<br />MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-23301709134529810202014-08-04T11:28:00.000-07:002014-08-04T11:28:01.531-07:00Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><br />Guardians of the Galaxy </i>is easily Marvel Studios' riskiest venture to date. Everyone says the company took a chance on the first <i>Iron Man</i> film, which featured a non-mutant/wall crawling protagonist and whose star was best remembered for stints in jail at the time, but <i>Guardians</i> was a gamble of gargantuan proportions. Say what you will about the popularity of Iron Man (or Thor or Cap) pre-MCU, there's no denying that the Avengers' roster is far more recognizable to the average person than the C-tier characters in<i> Guardians</i>. The fact that Marvel transformed this,<i> The Bad News Bears/Little Giants</i> of super hero squads into such an awesome sci-fi film is astounding.<br />
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This is technically a super hero, "comic book," movie, but <i>Guardians of the Galaxy</i> feels akin to a light hearted<i> Star Wars</i>, more western/space opera than sermonizing caped crusaders. The film follows a bunch of scruffy looking thieves, bounty hunters, assassins ( nerf herders?) and a giant tree /Wookie, who reluctantly band together in order to stop an intergalactic zealot called Ronan The Accuser, from acquiring an infinity stone and using it to ethnic cleanse an entire planet. At first, Lonestar is only in it for the space bucks but overtime, he slowly starts to care for Princess Vespa and the rest of the gang. By the time they join forces with Star Command and engage Zurg's TIE fighters in an epic aerial dog fight on Naboo, they've become a fully functional and kick ass team. <br />
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Yes, it's all a hodgepodge of older sci-fi themes and plot devices Frankenstein-ed together...who cares. From the moment the movie's insane 1970's pop rock soundtrack kicks in, you know you're in for one wild, and thoroughly entertaining ride. <i>Guardians of the Galaxy</i> has so much irreverent humor and face peeling action sequences it will leave even the most ardent popcorn junkie in awe. Aside from the infinity stone connection and an appearance from a certain mega evil villain, <i>Guardians</i> has nothing to do with the rest of the MCU films. What it does have however, is a talking raccoon brandishing a machine gun and a shit ton of laughs. Honestly, I feel like this is the best action-comedy since <i>Rush Hour</i>. There's explosions and CGI critters doing all sorts of fantastical stuff, but there's also copious amounts of lolz and yuk yuk moments that had me rolling in my seat. Most of the laughs are shared by Chris Pratt's dopey Star Lord and Bradley Cooper's rambunctious Rocket Raccoon. They're like Abott & Costello in space. WWE superstar turned actor, Batista, and current Na'vi & USS Enterprise crew member Zoe Saldana both deliver some unexpected laughs ["pelvic wizardry" has now entered the pop culture lexicon] while Vin Diesel's Swamp-Thing with a heart of gold character Groot turns in one of the most touching performances of the entire movie....and he's a talking CGI tree that says about three words. <br />
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Sound ridiculous? It is...but it's damn entertaining. The sweeping score (plus 70's pop rock), Rocket's lifelike CGI, the costumes and wide array of bright, trippy colors onscreen, the entire cast's great performances and superb dialogue, not to mention all the geeky Marvel Comics references thrown in for fanboys [<u><b>NOTE</b></u>:<b><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> never in a million years did I think anyone other than fellow dorks would learn about The Kree Empire, the Nova Corps. or fucking Celestials...but here they are in the number one movie in the country. Excuse me while my brain explodes</span></b>], director James Gunn has crafted one of Marvel's best films and puts on a veritable masterclass in summer action/blockbuster filmmaking. I simply can't recommend <i>Guardians of the Galaxy</i> enough. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/89q_HH-3ghk" width="560"></iframe>MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-68182534964556159352014-07-26T16:47:00.000-07:002014-07-26T16:50:31.031-07:00Movie Review: Snowpiercer <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Snowpiercer </i>is easily the most unique and entertaining sci-fi action flick since <i>Pacific Rim</i>. Comparing the two movies would be pretty pointless however, <i>Pacific Rim</i> was a blockbuster homage to B-rated kaiju films of old and was purposely campy. Although adapted from a French graphic novel, <i>Snowpiercer </i>feels fresh and excitingly original. While watching the film's many action spectacles and curve ball plot twists, I couldn't help but remember my first viewing of <i>The Matrix</i>. Snowpiercer is nowhere near as complex or self serious as Neo's <a href="http://www.sparknotes.com/film/matrix/section1.rhtml" target="_blank"><i>Simulacra and Simulation</i></a> inspired computer madness, it's just a damn thrilling movie<i> </i>that found me sitting on the edge of my seat and smiling ear to ear throughout its duration. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">do not fuck w/ Captain America: EVER</td></tr>
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The film takes place in the not too distant future, where a failed global warming experiment backfires and ends up freezing the entire planet, killing all life in the process. The last remnants of humanity live on a globe crossing train called, the Snowpiercer. For the survivors, Earth and the outside world no longer exist, their only reality is the train. Like in our current times however, life on the Snowpiercer sucks if you ain't in the top 1%. The huddled masses in the back of the bus/train are living all the worst post apocalyptic dystopian cliches, while the fat cats in the front stroke their beards and sniff hallucinogenic toxic waste til their hearts' content. Chris Evans leads a rag tag rebellion on board who try to overtake the engine and end their life of squalor and misery. <br />
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Director Bong Joon-ho has created the perfect storm of drama, action and over the top absurdity in this flick. The film's all-star cast (John Hurt, Korean star Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, Octavia Spencer Jamie Bell, Alison Pill, Ed Harris and fucking Captain America himself) serve up amazing performances which anchor this film's otherwise flimsy premise to some much needed reality. The violence depicted onscreen is both jarring and titillating. People drop like flies in this movie and it seems like each death is gnarlier than the last. Finally, the set design and costumes of each train car makes the protagonists journey feel like something out of <i>Alice and Wonderland</i>. The film shifts gears from scenes with awesomely done stylized violence, to somber depressing ass drama, to laughably over the top zaniness and it somehow all works. If you're looking for an intelligent alternative to the <i>Transformers</i> type drivel we're spoon fed every summer, you cannot go wrong with <i>Snowpiercer</i>.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/bFpfJNiUDpY" width="560"></iframe>MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-9582064461233214942014-07-26T15:10:00.000-07:002014-07-26T15:10:23.209-07:00Movie Review: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you enjoyed 2011's <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2011/08/movie-review-rise-of-planet-of-apes.html" target="_blank"><i>Rise of the Planet of the Apes</i></a>, you're going to friggin love this new installment of the<i> Apes</i> franchise.<i> Dawn of the Planet of the Ape</i>s is one of those rare sequels that just annihilates the original in every possible way, like<i> Empire Strikes Back</i> or <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2014/04/movie-review-captain-america-winter.html" target="_blank"><i>The Winter Soldier</i></a> from earlier this year. The first film had a lot of ground to cover and although it was thoroughly entertaining, felt a tad rushed overall. You see the apes being experimented on, watched James Franco (because he always plays James Franco) raise Caesar, yadda yadda yadda, ape revolt in the streets and a civilization ending virus begins spreading. That's a lot of ground they had to cover. Part two doesn't suffer from this, <i>Dawn of the Apes</i> takes place ten years after the events of the first film and is an entirely self contained, world building phenomenon of a film. That, and there's talking apes with machine guns on horseback.<br />
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So the simian flu virus has wiped out most of humanity. Caesar and his gang of genetically enhanced apes live in the forests outside San Fransisco, hunting, learning and generally building a pretty chill primate civilization. That is until, they encounter some desperate humans in the woods one day, pitting the wants, needs and personalities of each species at odds with one another. This leads to both external and internal conflicts between apes and human alike. I don't want to spoil the plot because the less you know about the film the better, just hold on for the most surprising film of the summer.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HAIL CAESAR</td></tr>
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I jokingly implied that Andy Serkis should have received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Caesar in the first film. Now, I'm dead serious...Andy Serkis deserves a best actor nod. Caesar is by far, the most complex, charismatic and down right coolest protagonist I've seen in a big budget Hollywood tentpole film in ages...and he's a CGI chimpanzee for Christ's sake! He's not the only badass this time around either. Advances in motion capture technology, and the plot device where pretty much all the humans are dead, allows for Dawn of the Apes to focus on, you guessed, even more apes! Caesar has a family and a (kind of a wussy) son, they have a little ape school led by Maurice the giant/genius orangutan from the first film and then, there's Koba. He's the freaky looking ape from <i>Rise</i>, with visible scars from years of being abused and experimented on by humans. Well homeboy is back with a vengeance in <i>Dawn of the Apes</i>. He goes from victim of circumstance to full on super villain rather remarkably. Again, I'm trying to keep the plot under wraps as much as possible here, but there is some serious philosophical pondering and straight up historical allusions going on in this film [<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_fire" target="_blank">Reichstag fire</a> anyone?], plus it also has talking apes with machine guns on horseback. It literally has everything. <br />
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MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-84000642525356867722014-07-11T13:57:00.001-07:002014-07-14T01:23:52.361-07:00Movie Review: Boyhood<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Boyhood</i>...best of the year or best of the decade? I don't know but Richard Linklater's newest film is unlike anything I've ever seen before. A true marvel of filmmaking.<br />
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<i>Boyhood</i> is Linklater's decade plus passion project about coming of age in modern America. Filmed intermittently over a period of twelve years, the movie follows the life of a Texas boy named Mason Jr. from age six to eighteen. You watch him grow before your eyes in a stunning display of time lapse cinema. Linklater captures the subtle joys and debilitating hardships of life, as Mason, his family and the entire county changes throughout the 2000's. Watching this defenseless tike clad in Dragon Ball Z pajamas suddenly transform into a functioning adult before your eyes is simply mind blowing.<br />
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The plot is irreverent. It's just life. <i>Boyhood</i> avoids all the milestone/hallmark moments we've seen in other movies. The awkward first kiss, learning to drive, graduating high school, that's all been done before.<i> Boyhood</i> focuses on the in-between; those fleeting, ephemeral moments that make up most of our real lives. While the plot might not be compelling in a "traditional" sense, the cast deserves some serious accolades. They all invested such huge portions of their lives into this project, as the film's runtime winds down and the years pile up, their attachment to their characters and their legit vulnerability onscreen is uncanny. Patricia Arquette delivers the performance of her career, playing Mason's continually struggling mother. Ethan Hawke and Linklater are just<a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2013/06/movie-review-before-midnight.html" target="_blank"> peas and carrots</a> at this point. Watching Hawke slowly transform from the hip weekend dad to full blown middle aged family man was like getting smacked by all three incarnations of Jesse from the <i>Before Sunrise</i> films at once. Of course you can't forget the boy of <i>Boyhood</i> himself, Ellar Coltrane<i>. </i>Although his body [and hairstyles] changes throughout, his remarkably consistent performance never waivers. Somewhere along the way this wide eyed boy obsessed with elves and sorcery becomes an introspective photographer, bent on capturing the magic of everyday life with his camera. Good luck trying to pinpoint when this transformation takes place. Things just happen and time just flies by. <br />
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Also, for anyone under 30, <i>Boyhood</i> should prove to be quite the nostalgia trip to the wonderfully strange world of the early millennium. The movie's rockin' zeitgeist soundtrack serves as the film's main demarcation points and really anchors the characters to a specific time. Except for the McCain scene. No music needed there. <br />
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In short, this movie is phenomenal and Richard Linklater is unstoppable. Go see it. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Y0oX0xiwOv8" width="560"></iframe>MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-4108688097688815872014-06-30T13:23:00.000-07:002014-07-14T01:25:28.489-07:00Movie Review: Edge of Tomorrow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Tom Cruise finally makes a rad movie again...and no one seems to care. Bummer. <br />
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Yes, I've chastised some of Tom's most recent films, like the uber repetitive <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2012/01/movie-review-mission-impossible-ghost.html" target="_blank"><i>Mission Impossible: Ghost Protoco</i>l </a>and the sci-fi clusterfuck that was<a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2013/04/movie-review-oblivion.html" target="_blank"> <i>Oblivion</i></a>, but that doesn't mean I'm rooting for the man to fail. In fact, there was a time when I was a huge Tom Cruise fan. His output between 1988 and 1999 is pretty much unfuckwithable.<i> Rain Man, A Few Good Men, Interview with the Vampire, Jerry Maguire, Magnolia</i> to name a few. That's the Tom Cruise I grew up watching. The cunning, fast talking everyman who charmed the shit out of audiences. I'd say he hit his stride in 2004's <i>Collateral</i>, playing the cold as ice hitman Vincent. This role combined all the best elements of Tom Cruise's cinematic repertoire, the Type A personality rambler and his impressive physical work from years as a Hollywood "action star." He should have gone out on top in 2004 and hung up his holster after that film. Instead, Cruise seemed determined to cement himself as a legit action icon with botched/bloated sci-fi attempts and action/thriller type flicks (<i>War of the Worlds</i>, <i>Knight and Day</i>, two more<i> Mission Impossible</i> sequels, etc etc). You had a good run Tom, but you're 5'7 and 51 years old now buddy, nobody buys the rugged action hero schtick anymore. <br />
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That being said,<i> Edge of Tomorrow</i> is a rollicking, special effects driven extravaganza and one of the most entertaining "action" films I've seen in forever, easily Tom Cruise's best film in years. You know why he's so good here? Because he's<i> not</i> the aging try hard hero character we've seen him recycling through for the past decade. Instead, Cruise is back to his quirky, quasi-sleazy 90's self again. He plays a military public relations/media officer who gets thrown into the middle of a raging war zone and does what any normal person would do: he panics, he tries to talk his way out of it, and he dies. He dies a lot actually. <i>Edge of Tomorrow</i> turns the usual Tom Cruise sci-fi action premise on it's head, his amazingly gorgeous co-star Emily Blunt is battle hardened soldier while ol' Tom is the bumbling Wile E. Coyote figure who dies more than a dozen or so gruesomely hilarious deaths. <br />
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The film's plot is kind of irrelevant, this movie is all about watching Cruise yuck it up on screen again. He's clever and does his best onscreen ranting since "show me the money." There's some big war between humans and vague alien invaders (who look like Transformers rip offs) that can somehow manipulate time. Cruise's character dies in combat at the start of the film but somehow gains access to the aliens cosmic reset button that allows him to be reincarnated everyday and learn from his previous battlefield mistakes. It's best not to think about it really, just turn off your brain and watch old school Tom Cruise light up the screen like it's 1996 all over again. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/vw61gCe2oqI" width="560"></iframe>MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-12137853019685838122014-06-25T10:58:00.000-07:002014-06-25T11:04:30.856-07:00under-covers: Suicidal Tendencies / Body CountBack when I maintained this blog on a regular basis, I had a column called <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/search/label/Covers" target="_blank">under-covers,</a> that showcased…you guessed it, ridiculous cover songs. The weirder
the better was my motto. Anyways, flash forward to present day and I stumble
across a song that’s not necessarily a cover, but a modern day re-imagining of a
classic 80’s hardcore/thrash anthem that made me pull the Under-cover’s tag out
of retirement. Check it out.<br />
<u><br />THE ORIGINAL:</u><br /><br />
<b>Suicidal Tendencies</b> were one of the seminal underground bands of the 1980’s.
They were one of the few acts that skate punks and metal heads could agree upon
without murdering each other. The band’s frenzied musical output helped foster the cross pollination [<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossover_thrash">aka:
crossover</a>] of the genres extreme music weirdos like myself enjoy today. Their
1983 song “Institutionalized” is easily their biggest hit, ever. It’s a timeless
jam about teenage alienation… and fiending for a cold Pepsi.<br />
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How cool was that? Spoken word styling mixed with circle pit goodness. My 10<sup>th</sup>
grade English teacher played that in class when the dregs of the public school
system failed to bring anything for “analyze song lyrics” day at school. Mind
blowing stuff for a padawan metal kid. <br />
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<u>THE COVER:</u><br /><br />Here’s the new version brought to you by the freshly resurrected rap-metal
juggernaut, Body Count, led by the one and only: Ice-T. If you didn’t know
about Ice-T’s stint as gangsta rap pioneer turned heavy metal frontman and one
time adversary of George H.W. Bush, you need to watch the dude’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M1eKkX9VS0">Behind The Music</a> ASAP.
You’ll never watch <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Law & Order: SVU</i>
the same way again. <br />
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Musically, “Institutionalized 2014” stays pretty true to the original. The
beefed up production and Ernie C’s precision shredding pushes the track more
toward the metal side than Suicidal’s crossover middle ground, but still keeps
the manic vibe of the original. The major difference here is Ice-T’s post millennium
lyrical overall. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mike Muir’s diatribe
against parental authority from the classic version is genius, but Ice M.F. T
is no slouch either. His modernized take down of our increasingly politically
correct, technologically dependent society is like everything else the man touches,
pure gold. Goddamn vegans. <br />
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Ultimately, the original "Institutionalized" will always win out in the end. It's just such a rad song and partially why I love Pepsi so much. That being said, Body Count's 2014 adaptation is probably the perfect cover, will haunt me every time I get my Call of Duty on, and cements Ice-T's status as being all around awesome for a whole new generation. MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-30695506519665330852014-06-17T12:02:00.000-07:002014-06-17T12:02:00.614-07:00Movie Review: The Fault In Our Stars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I went into this movie with a quasi-open mind. I say "quasi" because if anything, my reverence for author/YouTube personality John Green [the dude who wrote the book the movie is based on ] made me partially biased toward liking the film regardless. Well, the verdict is in...<i>The Fault In Our Stars</i> isn't a horrible film, it's just jumbled mess. <br />
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Shailene Woodley stars as Hazel, a bright but cynical teenager dealing with the fallout of childhood cancer. She's on some experimental drug treatment that has saved her life thus far, but left her with some serious health problems and understandably, causes her to mope around the house all bummed out. One day at recovery group [note: ALL cinematic recovery groups need a Marla Singer type, least they turn to drivel], she meets Augustus Waters (Ansel Elgort...what a name), the dashing, recovering cancer patient/manic pixie dream guy she's been secretly longing for. The manic pixie dream girl trope is turned on it's head in this case, because in <i>The Fault In Our Stars</i>, it's a <i>guy</i> who appears outta nowhere with the sole purpose of whimsically teaching/entertaining the female protagonist to change her life and force a uber dramatic character arc upon them. Great job guys. <a href="http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/07/manic-pixie-dream-girl-has-died.html" target="_blank">Hadn't seen that one before</a>. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Thought's on my soliloquy? Do share them?!" said no teenager: EVER.</td></tr>
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Anyways, the film follows these young starry eyed teens as they deal with the two most tear inducing topics in existence, love and death. Seriously, I wouldn't be surprised if this film received secret financing from Kleenex. It's so overtly sentimental that it kind of rides a weird wave between cheesy and offensive. The <i>Twilight</i> fans might kill me, but the romance portion of the film is what really holds <i>The Fault In Our Stars </i>back. It's so cheesy and preposterous, normal humans don't speak like these kids, that it breaks my heart to say this may be more of a knock against John Green's source material than the film itself. That being said, most of the cast is pretty weak sauce, save for Woodley, who was the saving grace in last year's teen shitfest <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2013/09/movie-review-spectacular-now.html" target="_blank"><i>The</i> <i>Spectacular Now</i></a>, Willem Dafoe (who's good in everything) and my homie Nat Wolf from <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2014/05/movie-review-palo-alto.html" target="_blank"><i>Palo Alto</i></a> who steals every scene he's in. Everyone else is pure Lifetime Movie of the Week territory. Heartthrob Augustus included. <br />
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<i>The Fault In Our Stars </i>does put an interesting spin on these kid's health issues. The elephant in the room with most movies is addressed front and center here, making the cancer drama elements the strongest of the film. How these young characters deal with these weighty life and death issues, while battling hormones, is what salvages this movie from being a complete cheese fest. Even then, there's still cringe worthy elements thrown in that disrupt otherwise, touching moments [<b>SPOILER:</b> sick girl may or may not be able to jet set off to Europe and meet a reclusive international celebrity because of illness. Boo-fucking-hoo. You're alive and that shit should be the least of your worries. Real people who can't afford legit medical care might not give a care about yo bourgeois problems: end rant]. Like I said before, the movie isn't horrible, it's just a hit-and-miss, jumbled mess. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/9ItBvH5J6ss" width="560"></iframe>MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-33372546730415320552014-06-16T15:33:00.001-07:002014-06-17T12:01:42.496-07:00Movie Review: 22 Jump Street<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's no secret, most movie sequels suck. For every <i>The Empire Strikes Back</i> or<i> Godfather II</i>, there are thousands of uninspired, schlock fest flicks like <i>Son of The Mask, The Hangover Part II & III, </i>or the inevitable <i>Transformers 6: War of the Hybrids</i>. It's like Mel Brooks said in <i>Space Balls</i>, "we'll meet again in Space Balls 2: The Search For More Money." Anyways...with that in mind, it pleases me to announce that <i>22 Jump Street</i> doesn't suck. In fact, the film is almost as side splittingly funny as it's predecessor and because this sequel is perhaps, the most meta/self aware film since <i>Wayne's World</i>, it's even more ridiculously entertaining in it's own right. <br />
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Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are back as the same <i>Police Academy</i> rejects we saw in <i>21 Jump Street</i>, but this time they get sent to college. That's it. The plot is basically the same as the last film and everyone in the movie knows it [more on the film's hyper self awareness later]. The major difference this time around is the film's larger budget allows the <i>22 Jump Street</i> cast to go full on 80's action, buddy cop parody, meaning much more chaos, destruction and lulz-y shenanigans.They also take the subtle homoerotic undertones of dude flicks (<i>Predator</i>, <i>Lethal Weapon</i>, etc etc) to amazing new heights. Like before, Hill and Tatum's bromance is the heart of the film but now it's like a legit same sex civil union and it's hilarious. Jonah Hill may be the certified comic relief but seriously, Channing Tatum steals every scene he's in. He doesn't have as many great "AP chemistry bitch" lines like in the original, but he's still a one man wrecking crew when it comes to lulz and physical comedy. He and Ice Cube deliver the biggest laughs in the film. One scene in particular between the two of them that I dare not spoil, had me and just about everyone else in the theater ROFL. For real.<br />
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So back to all the meta/self aware stuff. Yes, perhaps the best part about <i>22 Jump Street</i> is how often it takes shots at itself. It's a dumb sequel making fun of other dumb sequels. Hill cracks jokes about Tatum's own failed action hero attempt with <i>White House Down</i>, Ice Cube repeatedly alludes to the film's budget, no one in the movie believes Hill and Tatum are college age students and hammers them with old man jokes, and seemingly everyone enjoys pointing out that this <i>Jump Street's</i> plot is "just like last time." It's all so zany and self aware, they do everything short of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTaN6wyMwCY" target="_blank">breaking the 4th wall</a> onscreen. I half expected Ferris Bueller to pop and start talking to the camera at one point. Sure, the recycled plot and over the top self awareness could be considered a sign of lazy writing, but it's executed oh so well, it's exceptional delivery makes up for it. In fact, keeping tabs on all the film's in-jokes is almost as entertaining as the movie itself. <i>22 Jump Street </i>is not the most original film in existence [a sequel of a reboot/adaptation] but in a weird way, it is sort of reinventing the wheel. <br />
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MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-71255115069251730022014-05-23T18:43:00.000-07:002014-05-29T12:18:40.345-07:00Movie Review: X-Men- Days of Future Past<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ok. Here it comes. I've decided to break this post into two parts. First, is my review of <i>X-Men: Days of Future Past</i>, the film. Second...my geek rant about the X-Men films troubled continuity. Read at your own risk.<br />
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The Review:<br />
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<i>X-Men: Days of Future Past</i> is a thoroughly entertaining summer action flick. This epic time travel extravaganza features gnarly battle sequences with members from both the original and <i>First Class</i> casts, in two different timelines. Director Bryan Singer finally introduces some large scale, CGI rendered carnage into the X-Men cinematic universe while maintaining his amazing knack for intense, character driven drama. Best of all, the <i>Back To The Future</i>-ish time travel paradoxes that take place in this film successfully undo all the godawful damage that <i>X-Men: The Last Stand</i> and <i>X-Men Origins: Wolverine </i>did to the franchise which is really all the hardcore fans cared about in the first place. <br />
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<i><br />Days of Future Past </i>doesn't take too long setting up the back story to catch any casual viewers up to speed. The film assumes you're already well versed in Singer's first two X-films and Matthew Vaughn's 2011 reboot, <i>X-Men: First Class</i>, and kind of ignores Bret Ratner's disastrous film and the last two solo Wolverine flicks (and rightfully so). Giant mutant hunting robots called Sentinels have turned on their human creators and all but taken over the world in a bleak Terminator-esqe dystopian future. A group of mutant rebels led by some former X-Men decide to send one of their team some 50 years back in time to stop a certain assassination from occurring that would erase their dismal reality and bloody war with Sentinels from existence. Of course Wolverine gets sent back because his healing factor...he already lived during that time...because he's Hugh Jackman and they need their best/most bankable star in the movie. Same deal with Mystique, Jennifer Lawrence becomes a huge Academy Award winning star and all of a sudden her character becomes the linchpin to the film's plot. It's okay though, Lawrence and Jackman are great in their roles, but the real draws are James McAvoy as young Professor X and my homie Michael Fassbender as young Magneto. The chemistry between these two is just insane and their performances are the film's biggest draw. The anguish in McAvoy's face in his strung out, Lt. Dan 1970's version of Xavier was an unexpected surprise but finally seeing Fassbender in full on Magneto regalia was the absolute highlight of the film. <br />
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Yeah, there are some odd plot holes that stick out like a sore thumb (Kitty Pryde's phasing powers relate to time traveling how? When did Wolverine get his adamantium claws back?) and the middle act sort of drags for a bit before the dual timeline Sentinel battle kicks off into overdrive in the end, but overall this is the best X-Men film since <i>X-2</i> and the big pay off rests in the film's epilogue where all the damage from <i>The Last Stand</i> is wiped clean. <br />
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The Rant (warning- <u><b>SPOILERS</b></u>-): <br />
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Next to<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Phoenix_Saga" target="_blank"> T<i>he Dark Phoenix Saga</i></a>, <i>Days of Future Past</i> is considered the holy grail of classic X-Men comic book stories. Since <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hamvx0huBzs" target="_blank">Brett Ratner famously dropped the ball with Phoenix in *shudders* <i>X-Men: The Last Stand</i></a>, many felt like this <i>Days of Future Past</i> flick would be the last chance to get a legit X-Men story adapted to the big screen (before the original cast who've been doing these films since the Clinton Administration get too old and/or die). Well, sad news for you dudes because <i>Days of Future Past</i> is not a successful comic book adaptation ala <i>The Avengers</i> or any one of Marvel Studios' recent films. No, <i>X-Men: Days of Future Past </i>doesn't have the luxury of telling it's own unique and vibrant story, instead this film had one job and one job only: to retcon the fucked beyond fucked continuity of the <i>X-Men</i> franchise. Thankfully Bryan Singer's new mutant fest sweeps up most of the mess us fans have been crying over for the past decade but even <i>Days of Future Past </i>and it's magical back from the grave epilogue (Cyclops and Jean are back, suck it Ratner) can't fix the myriad of problems with the X-Men films.<br />
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First, the series is just old. As much as we like fooling ourselves into thinking otherwise, time waits for no man. <i>X-Men</i> came out FOURTEEN YEARS AGO. That's pre- 9/11, back when Hollywood was still jocking <i>The Matrix</i> (black leather uniforms anyone?). Although Singer did a good job depicting the X-Men's Civil Right's like drama to the big screen (bigotry, discrimination, fear, etc), the man is simply not cut out for sprawling action set pieces. Now that he's taken the reigns of the X-universe once again, <i>Days of Future Past </i>still feels grounded in the same small framed early millennium shackles of the first film. Not that the action in this movie is bad, it's just that by now, after the barrage of Marvel Studio's films of recent memory, we've all seen better. <br />
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Also, as great as Singer is with character development and fleshing out great performances from his actors, he's still "meh" on respecting the comic book source material and thus, the very spirit of the X-Men characters. Take Quicksilver for example. Despite his asinine costume, the dude provides some great comic relief and steals the first half of the film. Too bad he's nothing like his comic counterpart and Singer's decision to throw Quicksilver into the fray now (as a teen in the 1970's) only further messes with the continuity he's tasked with restoring (he's shown with a younger sister who is clearly NOT his twin, The Scarlet Witch, and his dad Magneto must have had him when he was about 17 years old himself, before the events in <i>First Class</i>...wut?). <br />
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It's an endless cycle of WTF-ism that just boggle the mind (Apparently Beast develops a serum that blocks mutant powers making them human in the 1970's but he doesn't seem to remember this in the 2000's when that "mutant cure" drug is the focal point of <i>Last Stand</i>. Isn't Wolverine supposed to be in Vietnam with his bro Sabretooth during the early 70's? How is Trask's character played by Peter Dinklage when he's played by Bill Duke in the first trilogy?). <i>Days of Future Past</i> does an adequate job of straightening most of the mess up, but the damage is just too problematic and the film suffers as a result of it. Maybe <i>X-Men: Apocalypse</i> will be the film we've all been waiting for? Finally free to move beyond the Xavier/Magneto ideological battle we've seen since 2000. <br />
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<br />MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-38598132541643225522014-05-22T11:52:00.000-07:002014-05-22T11:52:42.949-07:00Movie Review: Palo Alto<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><br />Palo Alto</i> could have been a horrible, train wreck of a movie. If handled like a straightforward teenage melodrama, this might have ended up as nothing more than <i>Lifetime</i> movie of the week/soap opera posturing. Thankfully, first time director Gia Coppola has crafted an unconventionally brilliant coming of age film. <i>Palo Alto</i> doesn't circumvent the cliches of the "high school" film genre, instead it embraces and smothers them in a dreamy haze until they're almost unrecognizable. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statutory---wha? </td></tr>
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Emma Roberts stars as April, the cute but frustrated anti-<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manic_Pixie_Dream_Girl" target="_blank">pixie dream girl</a>, who floats adrift the halls of her suburban Palo Alto high school. She's smart, athletic and compared to her self involved friends and family, responsible. She's young but realizes something is missing from her mundane, privileged upper middle class life. Jack Kilmer plays Teddy, a brooding young artistic soul who secretly longs for her but is too shy and/or stoned to act. Teddy's best friend is a borderline psychotic named Fred (Nat Wolf) who drags him further down the path of drugs and debauchery. Judging by their personalities and how they gawk at one another, it's all but given that April and Teddy are perfect for each other<i>. Palo Alto</i> isn't a lovey-dovey teen romance though, instead the film follows the pair's missed connection and how they fill the void in their hearts with dangerous actions and unsavory people. Teddy has trouble with the law, April falls for her sleazy soccer coach (the always sleazy James Franco), its bad decisions 101 until the two can finally, hopefully, set each other straight. <br />
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<br />Of course none of this is revolutionary. We've all seen dumb horny kids act like dumb horny kids in high school movies before (drinking, partying, rebelling, fucking pies, etc.) but the way Coppola shapes this otherwise, kind of generic story, is truly breathtaking. <i>Palo Alto </i>meanders and moseys along in a gloriously ethereal way. The film's gorgeous, portrait like cinematography and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdcs196lo-o" target="_blank">Devonte Hynes' brilliant dream pop soundtrack</a> coaxes you further down the rabbit hole, while the rookie cast's passionate yet surprisingly low key performances (except for Fred, he's fucking nuts) seal the deal. Some might argue that <i>Palo Alto</i> doesn't go anywhere, that it's a case of all style and no substance. Well, that's kind of the point. I see the film as a reflection of a typical teenagers life. There are highs and lows but not everyone's high school experience is an exciting three act set piece with a convenient climax and resolution. Most teens do have crazy and memorable stories to tell but by and large they spend their days just existing in that awkward post-child/pre-adulthood limbo that is high school. <i>Palo Alto</i> isn't meant to dramatize another self important angsty story, instead it masterfully depicts the mood and atmosphere of said limbo that we all (supposedly) graduated from at one point or another in our lives. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/NPW52cF7g1c" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><br />*NOTE*<br />I'm serious, this could have been the worst movie ever but thankfully Gia Coppola's genetics came through and gifted us with an awesome film (<a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2013/09/movie-review-spectacular-now.html" target="_blank"><i>The Spectacular Now</i></a>: abort yourself<i>. </i>please). <i>Palo Alto </i>isn't just an oddball ode to emo lust and weed binges, it's also an example of Hollywood nepotism done right.<br /><br />Val Kilmer's son Jack stars with Julia Robert's niece Emma, in a film directed by Francis Ford Coppola's granddaughter, adapted from a story written by the eldest Franco brother (because there's two now...I guess). See how that could have totally sucked? Thank god none of the Smith's offspring were involved. MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1557873877836529617.post-29310688128192463432014-05-21T11:56:00.000-07:002014-05-21T16:35:49.787-07:00Movie Review: Neighbors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><br />Neighbors</i> is a funny film. But barely. It's also mind numbingly unoriginal. And not barely...but astoundingly so. To the point where I wondered if the execs who approved the script had ever seen a rated R comedy in their entire lives? Compared to Seth Rogen's last film <a href="http://jimsfear.blogspot.com/2013/07/movie-review-this-is-end.html" target="_blank"><i>This Is The End</i></a>, <i>Neighbors</i> felt like a rushed, half baked cash grab. I honestly chuckled at a few of the film's gags, and occasionally might have LOL'd once or twice, but spent most of the movie's run time laughing at how uninspired and repetitive <i>Neighbors </i>truly is.<br />
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Seth Rogen plays the same character he's been doing since 2007's <i>Knocked Up</i> and Zac Efron is cast against type as a uber masculine frat bro. You can already see where this is going right? The fat vs buff, old vs young, professional vs college lifestyle clashes are funny for all of five minutes. Maybe if we hadn't already seen a lifetime's worth of the same recycled dick/fart/weed jokes from previous Seth Rogen flicks they might have had a larger impact. Judd Apatow might not have had a hand in this film, but his disciples sure as hell did (from the director to the producers and movie's star) and as a result, <i>Neighbor</i>'s reeks of his signature, sanitized, yuppified, Starbucks ready brand of comedy. Seth Rogen grumbles and complains, white dudes reference rap songs and get jiggy onscreen, everyone act's like 13 year old kids for a bit, everything works out hunky dory in the end. Wash, rinse, repeat. <br />
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There are a few bright spots in <i>Neighbors</i>, where the clouds part and the comedy gods grant us a few moments of levity. The always gorgeous Rose Byrne brings a few laughs and is actually kind of mesmerizing when she's on her Project Mayhem-ish mission to wreak havoc inside the frat house party. Comedian turned actor Jerrod Carmichael literally steals every scene he's in and young Craig Robets' epic portrayal of a sniveling fraternity pledge known only as "ass juice" provides some of the best laughs of the entire film. The rest of the movie is just outlandish buffoonery and empty pop culture references that I'm almost positive fly over the heads of the film's target audience. I mean seriously, how many of today's teens and swaggy college age viewers raised on twitter will even get those De Niro and Pacino references the members of Delta throw around, hell the whole joke is that the Delta's don't get them either.<br />
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Maybe the joke is on me because <i>Neighbor</i>'s cleaned up at the box office recently. If you want cheap, easy laughs then <i>Neighbors</i> is a sure thing. Just don't expect anything the least bit original. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/VHbBlYUOPXE" width="560"></iframe>MRanthropehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16047550302113035054noreply@blogger.com2