Oblivion

Director: Joseph Kosinski
Writer: Karl Gajdusek, Michael Arndt
Starring: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Olga Kurylenko

Plot: After a war with invaders from another planet, Earth is uninhabitable. A clean up crew is left behind to oversee the removal of natural resources before the remaining humans head off to their new home called on a colony called Titan.

Rate It: (0 -3 guys)

Adam:

Scotty:

Griff:

So what did you think? 

Adam – I enjoyed the look of the film quite a bit.  The sets and gizmos all looked top notch.  Similarly, there was plenty of action to keep folks entertained.  On the downside this film was extremely derivative and you could see the twists and turns coming from a mile away.  An entertaining Sci-Fi film for folks that don’t like to think to much that probably would not stand up to repeat viewings very well.

Scotty - This film is visually stunning but utterly boring.  Oblivion had all the bells and whistles of a sci-fi extravaganza but the story and characters were forgettable.  I continue to struggle with Tom Cruise and his way of reenacting past characters for future roles and the story lacked anything new, not a terrible film but certainly not memorable.

Griff – Well visually it was pretty good but that can only take you just so far. Eventually you are going to have to rely on some story and that is where things fall apart. The plot, the characters, the twists, all of it has been done before in other movies. It all plays out like a bad pilot for some new series on ABC this fall.

Any thoughts before you saw the movie? 

Adam – I was in the mood for a little Tom Cruise so why not check this out.  Besides there was nothing else at the theater worth watching.

Scotty -I was not looking forward to this one.  When Morgan Freeman was playing his best Morpheus in the trailer I knew I could be in for a trip to the movies that could be terrible.

Griff – This looked real bad and it’s placement before the summer blockbusters tells me that the studios didn’t think much of it either.

Did you think this movie was fresh and/or innovative? 

Adam – Not in the least bit.  The script cobbled together about ten different Sci-Fi film plots and video games then regurgitated them up on the screen.  If it was not for the stunning visuals I would have dinged this film even more than I did.

Scotty - Worst innovation ever, take Top Gun, The Matrix, and Wall-e, and Total Recall, mix them all up and Oblivion happens.

Griff – Take the best elements (and some bad elements as well) of a dozen or so other better sci-fi movies. Put them in the cup, shake them up, and yell “Yahtzee!” cause you just made a movie.

Did you think the script was well written? 

Adam – If you had never seen a Sci-Fi film before I could see where you might think the script was well done.

Scotty – The script was poor and the first hour was slow.  Oblivion struggled to become its’ own movie as it rips and tears from all other films and finds its’ identity with about a half hour left.

Griff - It’s not the worst thing in the world but it is pretty fare from great as well. This is the plain white toast of sci-fi movies. It is going to keep you going but nobody is excited to be eating it.

Was there a performance you really liked or really hated? 

Adam – Morgan Freeman looks good in cape.  I also enjoyed the brief screen time that Nikolaj Coster-Waldau had.  I am turning into a big fan of the King Slayer.

Scotty -I did not like or hate anyone, I thought they all were just okay.

Griff - It was a real shame to see Nikolaj Coster Waldau in this movie and have him have such a small role. I think having him in the lead role would have been a better choice and made for a more interesting movie. Morgan Freeman seemed like he was sleeping walking through this movie. Andrea Riseborough had a nice little performance and was probably the most interesting character. Also, I would like to mention that Olga Kurylenko is very attractive.

Do you remember a song from the film?

Adam – Yes, but not in a good way. Can we all agree to never have that Procol Harum tune Whiter Shade of Pale in any film for the rest of eternity?  Check out this site devoted to documenting just such occurrences http://procolharum.com/phfilms.htm

Scotty -“Ramble On” by Led Zeppelin

Griff - I believe they played some Zeppelin

What was your favorite line? 

Adam – “Are you an effective team?”

Scotty – “I am Jack Harper. And I am home.”

Griff – “Are you an effective team?”

What would have made this a better movie?

Adam - I would have rather seen at least a third of this film devoted to struggle of the “Scavs”  More screen time for Freeman and Coster-Waldau would have made for a much more interesting film.

Scotty – Oblivion needed to find itself earlier in the film, I honestly could not wait for the finale and when it finally came I enjoyed the spectacle.

Griff - This movie was just plain generic from start to finish. I know it’s difficult not to borrow from other ideas but everything here is rehashed tired old plots. It makes for a watchable but not overly enjoyable film.

Is it worth seeing in the theater? Or could you have waited for the DVD/Stream?

Adam - Save your cash, nothing special here that you can’t watch at home on your couch in a few months.

Scotty -If you have to see it see it in IMAX or the theater.  The special effects are truly the only thing worth watching.

Griff – Wait for this to show up on TNT or HBO but don’t waste your hard earned money on it.

What other movies would you recommend if someone enjoyed this film? 

Adam – Hmm lets see what films does this Oblivion rip off?  You can see the films that inspired the script by watching Wall-E, La Jette, Planet of the Apes,  and Alien, I could probably think of a few more films to add to this list as well.  Why not play some Fallout when you finish watching those film to see some of the visual inspirations in video game form.

Scotty – The Matrix, 2001 Space Odyssey, Wall-E, to be honest if you enjoyed this sci-fi film you would probably like any sci-fi film.

Griff - I am going to throw out a couple of odd sci-fi choices here. A couple of picks off the beaten path. (Both of which I have reviewed in the past…) Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970) – Way ahead of it’s time and War Games pretty much stole directly from this movie and then Silent Running (1972) with the exceptional character actor Bruce Dern. This one is a bit of slow mover but with amazing visuals and great story.

Any final thoughts on this movie? 

Adam – While this film is not terrible it is certainly not excellent either.  At best this is a mildly interesting film with above average visuals.   A better title for this cinematic doppelganger would have been “Obvious.”

Scotty – Oblivion lacks much of what makes a movie good; the story is a total retread of really good sci-fi films, the pacing struggles, especially in the beginning, and the characters are forgettable.  That being said it is visually stunning and the last half hour was enjoyable at some level.  I kind of wish I could do a mind wipe after watching it, actually you do not even need a mind wipe it wipes itself from your mind and that is the problem with the film.

Griff - Oblivion is a watchable but utterly forgettable entry to the genre. This is the kind of movie you can fall asleep watching on some lazy Sunday afternoon. I don’t think anyone will walk away from this thinking it was terrible but you aren’t going to recommend it at the water cooler either.

Disney recently had a ceremony to announce the newest member of the Disney Princess crew.  Merida from last years hit film Brave, joined the likes of Cinderella and Snow White in the pantheon of princesses.  Congratulations Merida you have finally hit the big time.  Hmmm, wait a minute I don’t seem to see Merida in this photo accompanying the press release from Disney.

O there she is, she just went on the grapefruit diet, got a boob job, tummy tuck, a new chin, nose, eyeballs and had her mane tamed.  Thank goodness, who would want to look at some sort of tomboy princess.  The last thing young girls need is a role model that is strong, self-confident, and self rescuing, running around the woods shooting a bow.  I mean those are things that boys should aspire to, not girls.  How is any woman who does not conform to Disney Princess standards expected to find  her prince charming?

For some reason, a bunch of angry women folk seem to have not gotten the message about the proper role model for women.  You would think they would be too busy cleaning and making sandwiches to care about such things.  They have gone so far as to form a petition to make Disney change Merida back to her former self.  You know the way the artists portrayed her in the film that made 237 million dollars.  I was actually shocked to discover that these delicate flowers even knew how to use the internet, but here is the petition if you want to check it out  click me.

I am so glad that the executives at Disney put to rest the silly notions that some people had gotten from the film Brave.  Many critics and viewers obviously misunderstood the message of the film.  How anyone could watch Brave and think that the message of the film was that you should be comfortable in your own skin and not feel obliged to conform to societal norms no matter how ridiculous, is beyond me.  I mean just look at all the trouble the Merida caused her family by refusing to become  a sex slave in an arranged marriage.  The last thing we need is a bunch of self-empowered women running around thinking that they can make their own decisions about their lives and bodies.

Now get in the kitchen and make me a sandwich!

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.:  I know that is not a trailer for a film, but instead a trailer for a new TV show.  I see a few familiar super heroes in this clip, but something tells me that the actors from the films are not going to be showing up on the small screen.  Other than Clark Gregg reprising his role as Agent Coulson.  Hey welcome back to the world of the living Agent Coulson.  This show has the involvement of Joss Whedon, but I am not sure if he is producing, directing, writing or just cashing checks on this project.  Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will debut this fall on ABC.  I plan on at least watching the first episode.

The Wall:  This film is slowly making its way around the European film festival circuit.  A woman finds herself cut off from society but an invisible wall.  Seems like a sort of Sci-Fi forced re-visitation of Thoureau’s Walden. Or maybe it is all in her head and is simply a metaphor for a persons struggle to remain human in the face of a highly technologically advanced society.  Not sure when we will find out what the film is really about as it has no general release date. However, the trailer has me intrigued.

Red Band Trailer Alert:  not for the easily offended

Hammer of the Gods:   Wait a minute this is not a Led Zeppelin biopic.  This looks more like someone has been watching a lot of Game of Thrones on HBO go.  Anyhow, the trailer looks like a pretty good sword and maybe sorcery type film.  This might end up being worth a watch especially if you played a lot of Dungeons and Dragons when you were a wee lad.  This film will be available for streaming on May 30th prior to its July 5th release date in the U.S.

Captain Phillips: Tom Hanks breaks out his best Boston accent in this maritime thriller about modern-day piracy.  Will this be the film that garners Hanks another Oscar?  I can’t say for sure that will be the case but based on the trailer this film looks intense.  Sadly I don’t think there will be any swashbuckling in this true tale of what happens when Somali pirates capture a U.S. freighter and mess with Navy Seals.  This film is still off in the horizon as it is currently scheduled for an October 11th general release.

So we have 3 films and one television show to view and discuss this week.  Of these I am most interested in viewing Captain Phillips and not just because it features Hanks doing his John Kennedy impersonation.  Which of these trailers seem the most interesting to you?

Fact: Brando didn’t put any fruit in his beer.

Only 3 releases to discuss this week a drama, a comedy and a horror film.

First up we have

Cloud Atlas

At the time of its’ release there was a lot of Oscar talk and hype but after people got into see it that dissipated. I have no urge to see this one but I am sure I will at some point.

next up we have

Texas Chainsaw 3D

The original was and is a classic, I did not get a chance to see this one in the theater but would have if I had the chance.  The thing about 3D is once it is out of the theater, unless you have a 3D tv, you kind miss the boat.  I will check this out some night though.

and finally we have

A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III

I have heard very little about this but it does star Charlie Sheen, it about some rich guy who loses love and fantasizes about revenge.  Any thoughts from our readers would be appreciated.

That’s it that’s all

Welcome to this week’s installment of “It Came from the Bargain Bin.” After picking this week’s film from the depths of The Bin I wasn’t sure what or who the focus should be on, I mean, besides the film at hand of course. You see, the dilemma is that there are two cinematic, dare I say icons, that are both interesting subjects to serve as focal points for this week’s review. One of the subjects being Mr. Johnny Depp whose work over the years I admire and respect. On the other hand we have Mr. John Waters who, to me, represents the ideology of this particular segment. Not that I’m out to shock people but there is something about the concept of just doing it for the enjoyment of doing it and not giving a rat’s ass about being “politically correct” but being the complete opposite of politically correct that I feel represents John Waters’ movies and the reviews from The Bargain Bin as well. Don’t get me wrong Johnny Depp does represent this concept as well but, lets face it, John Waters IS this concept. From the notoriously shocking “Pink Flamingos” starring the late shockstar transvestite “Divine” to one of Mr. Waters’ bigger hits “Hairspray” John Waters has always made movies that were wildly original without concern for acceptance and you have to respect that. I could go on further about Mr. Waters but that would take up an entire segment on it’s own so lets get to this weeks review. This week’s review is of the 1990 John Waters musical starring Johnny Depp and of course the notorious Traci Lords along with Ricki Lake.

Cry Baby

Starring: Johnny Depp, Amy Locane, and Iggy Pop
Writer: John Waters
Director: John Waters
Reviewed by: Joe Sikes

It’s 1954 and it’s Polio Vaccination Day for the seniors at the local Baltimore high school. Meet the “Drapes” or you may know them better as “Greasers”: Mona “Hatchet Face” Malnorowski whose nickname serves her due to her retched facial disfigurement and she is always brandishing a large blade to help get her point across. Wanda Woodward (Traci Lords) is the blonde bombshell who has a taste for pain. Milton Hackett (Darren E. Burrows) is the rebellious son of radical religious activists who can’t accept their son’s choice of lifestyle. Pepper Walker is the pregnant teen sister with attitude of the leader of this leather clad band of misfits, Wade “Cry Baby” Walker whose the tough guy that ain’t afraid to cry, yet he only cries one tear and the chicks can’t help but go ga ga over this. One girl in particular, Allison Vernon-Williams (Amy Locane) who just so happens to be the girlfriend of clean cut  ”Square”, Baldwin (Stephen Mailer), decides out loud that she is ”so tired of being good” and approaches “Cry Baby” and his gang after school with hopes of acceptance to the dismay of her uptight but caring grandmother. At first Cry Baby’s followers reject the thought of a square becoming a greaser but when the crew realizes that Cry Baby has fallen for Allison they accept this inevitability due to their respect and love for their leader. Allison is not the only girl that wants to be Cry Baby’s main squeeze. Lenora Frigid (Kim Webb) is ready and willing to let Cry Baby get to second base on the first date and isn’t exactly shy about announcing her intentions only to be painfully rejected publicly. It’s Allison who Cry Baby wants and he makes this clear to Allison and her disappointed grandmother when he professes his love for her at the local talent show run by Allison’s grandmother. When Baldwin expresses his disapproval by punching Cry Baby, Cry Baby returns the favor and steals his new main squeeze away to “Turkey Point” or as Allison’s grandmother refers to it “The Redneck Riviera” where all the Drapes call home.

At Turkey Point, Allison and Cry Baby perform beautiful music together on stage, along with the Drapes rock band, and bowl the audience over. During a make out session after the performance Allison and Cry Baby discover that they are both orphans. Allison’s parents died in separate plane crashes at the same time and Cry Baby’s ole man was “The Alphabet Bomber” who was put to death, along with Cry Baby’s mother due to being guilty by association. Cry Baby sheds only one single tear to prove to the executioners that they didn’t kill his spirit and must do something rotten everyday to avenge the loss of his parents. After opening up to Allison, jealous Baldwin and his Square mates start a riot at Turkey Point leading to Lenora Frigid announcing to Allison that she is carrying Cry Baby’s baby and subsequently, Cry Baby and his gang’s arrest.

In court the Drapes receive a reality slap from the judge. Pepper and Cry Baby get the hardest slap in the face when Pepper loses custody of her children and Cry Baby is sentenced to The Maryland Training School for Boys until he is twenty one even after Allison’s grandmother pleads for clemency from the judge for Cry Baby after seeing that the boy she once despised actually has real musical talent, good manners, and the granddaughter she cares for really does love him. Nonetheless it’s off to lock up for Cry Baby and while incarcerated Allison and her grandmother learn from the press that Cry Baby has announced his engagement to Lenora Frigid, the mother of Cry Baby’s unborn child. Allison’s grandmother refuses to believe that the love of her granddaughter’s life would do such a thing and tries to convince Allison of this. Heartbroken, Allison gives in to Baldwin and accepts his invitation to sing with him at the new theme park opening in Maryland. Not only does Allison accept the invite, she and Baldwin announce this on the radio and Baldwin states that he is and always will be a better singer than the riot starting jailbird. When Cry Baby hears of this on the radio in lock-up he realizes that he must break out and prove that he is the better singer and win back the love of his Allison. Will Cry Baby break out of “The Big House?” Will Cry Baby prove he is the better singer? Will love conquer all? Will the Drapes overcome and show the Squares that Allison belongs with them? There’s only one way to find out the answers to these questions and that is to……………………. watch the damn movie, of course.

Cry Baby is a light hearted tasteful film in comparison to John Waters’ earlier gross out shock films like “Mondo Trasho” and “Pink Flamingos.” Being a little more mainstream fortunately worked out well for Mr. Waters. Although Cry Baby wasn’t exactly a money machine in the Box Office it has since achieved cult status which I have a feeling is more important to the eccentric Mr. Waters. Maybe Cry Baby isn’t the most original movie ever made but it has the classic Waters combination of camp and trash that seems to work in odd harmony with the fifties theme that echoes classics like “Rebel Without A Cause” and “Jailhouse Rock.” In true John Waters form the misfits are victorious proving that it’s more than okay to be different. In fact you can’t help but recognize that John Waters insists upon going to the beat of your own drum and he certainly has always done that. I give Cry Baby 2 and 1/2 Drapes. Check this one out if you haven’t already. Even the musical numbers are good.

Iron Man 3 

Director: Shane Black
Writer: Drew Pearce, Shane Black
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle

Plot: A terrorist known as the Manadrin launches a personal attack on Tony Stark that leaves him searching for answers.

Rate It: (0 -3 Guys)

Adam:

Scotty:

Griff:

So what did you think?  

Adam – Plenty of action and explosions if you are into that kind of thing, Downey delivers some funny one liners.  A lame villain, Iron Man fireworks, goofy subplots and a poor story drag down the film to the level of mildly entertaining summer time fun.

Scotty - Overall Iron Man 3 delivered a decent viewing experience but it was far from what I was hoping for, the story was a bit slow and I felt some of it was a bit over the top, even for a high budget action flick.  There were moments of humor and incredible action but there were also plenty of moments of boredom and blah.

Griff – Iron Man 3 is a nice segue into the summer action movies. Plenty of action, some great special effects and genuinely funny moments. But, like most movies of this ilk, it doesn’t hold up well to inspection. If you go in just looking for some good escapist action, you will not be disappointed.

Any thoughts before you saw the movie? 

Adam – It has got to be better than Iron Man 2.  Will this be the film where they explore Starks alcoholism?  Will Marvel introduce some new characters from its enormous stable of characters in this movie? How crazy and evil is the Mandarin going to be?

Scotty – I was excited to get into the summer blockbuster swing and hoping for an Avengers like experience.

Griff – To be honest I was pretty ambivalent about this one. I saw it had a decent rating and I enjoyed the first two films but I just wasn’t fired up for this one for some reason.

Did you think this movie was fresh and/or innovative? 

Adam – Getting a chance to check out the numerous Iron Man Armor types was pretty nerd-tastic. This film benefits from a lot of pent up fan goodwill.  I wanted to love the film before even walking into the theater but there is not much new or innovative to be seen in this one.

Scotty - Some interesting plot twists and some cool technology used throughout.  That being said it is tough to be too innovative when it is the 3^rd of the series but it did what it could.

Griff – It is tough to say that this is fresh when we are talking about Iron Man 3. It does do some interesting things with the character though and the cgi was top notch.

Did you think the script was well written? 

Adam – A sleek veneer of coolness  and bombastic special effects can’t hide the fact that the film is empty at its core.  The scriptwriters also made the asinine decision to devote a lot of time to that old standby; introduce the cute superfluous kid to interact with the hero.  A few portions of this film also drift precariously into MacGyver territory.  Also without giving away any spoilers, the film includes a really lame MacGuffin.

Scotty – I thought the script was decent but I had some real issues with Pepper’s storyline, the best writing was with the interactions with the kid in Tennessee and the brief interactions with The Mandarin.

Griff - I liked that they spent some time separating the man from the costume. They focused on Stark as an individual and he was forced to figure some things out without the help of Iron Man. I thought this made for some of the more interesting aspects of the film.

Was there a performance you really liked or really hated? 

Adam – Downey was solid in his believable performance as Stark/Iron Man.  His Impeccable timing and comedic delivery helped to buoys the film.  I would like to point out that I did not hate Gwyneth Paltrow in this movie which was a refreshing change.

Scotty – Not a fan of Gwyneth Paltrow here and I actually thought that this was Robert Downey’s weakest performance as Tony Stark.   What seemed like a natural fit in the first two seemed a bit forced here.  I did, however like Kingsley as The Mandarin and thought Guy Peirce was a decent bad guy, not as loathsome as Peirce’s role in Lawless but still done well.

Griff - I am not a Gwyneth hater like the other guys and thought she did a nice job again as Pepper. Robert Downey is Iron Man as far as I am concerned and I can’t see anyone else in the role. Guy Peirce is a great actor but I haven’t been happy with his choices lately and this role here isn’t doing anything to change my mind. Where is the guy that was  in Memento? Also I have a small crush on Rebecca Hall ever since Vicky Cristina Barcelona so I always enjoy seeing her in a movie.

Do you remember a song from the film?

Adam -  They played Jingle Bells about ten times in the film and I don’t think I heard a decent version once.  If you are going to have Jingle Bells in your film you better go with  Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters.  No one wore a cardigan better or sang the tune with such aplomb than Bing Fucking Crosby.

Scotty - Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Griff - I have to go with Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Eiffel 65

What was your favorite line? 

Adam – “Walk away from that, you son of a bitch!”

Scotty – “I don’t even like working here, they are so weird”

Griff – “Dads leave. No need to be such a pussy about it.”

What would have made this a better movie?

Adam - better script, a legitimate villain, cut down on the goofy subplots, not turning the Iron Man armor into a fireworks display, resisting the urge to sink the film into a swamp of Spielberg schmaltz and sentimentality to just pick a few issues off the top of my head.

Scotty – The first act was a little slow and the tie up at the end seemed a little hokey, so fixing that may have made the film better.

Griff - There are some huge holes in the plot and some actions that make no sense. It’s a sequel so everything has to be bigger and larger by law but they could have spent a little more money on working through the plot and little less on CGI.

Is it worth seeing in the theater? Or could you have waited for the DVD/Stream?

Adam - It is a good two hours of mildly entertaining fun at the the theater.

Scotty – If you like the series then get out to see it in the theater, I saw it in 3D but I think it was not necessary.

Griff – It’s a spectacle and the first of the summer blockbusters. They are meant to be seen in the theater.

What other movies would you recommend if someone enjoyed this film? 

Adam – My favorite super hero film is The Watchmen (2009) and V for Vendetta (2005) is a good watch as well.

Scotty – Of course the other 2 Iron Man’s and also any other Avengers film.

Griff - Last years Avengers movie is good choice since it has some loose tie-ins with this movie. I always like to throw in an oldie so how about the original Superman movie from way back in 1978?

Any final thoughts on this movie? 

Adam – Two quick things, stick around for the super long credits to get a look at a bonus scene featuring Bruce Banner and Tony Stark.  Not sure if everyone spotted it but there is an easter egg where Man-Thing’s evil wife makes an appearance in the film as one of the AIM agents (Brandt).  Does this mean Marvel has a Man-Thing film in the works?  Would that mean that they might also make a Werewolf by Night and or a Morbius The living Vampire film?  I for one hope so.

Scotty – I was a little let down with Iron Man 3, It was action packed at times and a decent watch but I was far from enthralled with the film.  There were fewer laughs than the others and as I stated earlier, Pepper’s storyline was hokey.   I am not saying that the film is not worth a watch but do not go in thinking it is going to blow your mind; at least it did not blow my mind.

Griff - If you don’t spend a lot of time examining the plot, (and you shouldn’t) you will have a good time with Iron Man 3. It is pretty much what you would expect from the third installment from the franchise. This film isn’t going to wow anyone beyond belief but it’s not going to disappoint fans of the franchise either.

Sad news yesterday about the passing of legendary special effects artist Ray Harryhausen at 92 years young.  He was the creator of a stop motion animation style that he called dynaminaiton.  In an age filled with CGI, 3D, bells and whistles which are accomplished via computers and keyboards his old school style is sorely missing.   Harryhausen was a pioneer in his field and many of his films continue to be highly popular.  The list of films he worked on include Mighty Joe Young, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Jason and the Argonauts and perhaps his most well-known film 1981′s Clash of the Titans.

I have many found memories of sitting around on a Saturday afternoon watching Harryhausen animated films with my brother.  Check out this amazing clip containing every creature Harryhausen animated in his career.

I would love to see Michael Bay try to pull off some of these shots without the use of CGI.  The world is a little bit less cool with the passing of Harryhausen, but his work will live on to entertain and inspire future generations.  I know my boy has already seen a few of his films and was especially excited about the fighting skeleton warriors.  So much so that we had to have a sword battle at the film’s conclusion.

Here is a DVD you can pick up all about Ray Harryhausen and his contributions to film.  Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan.   Another film you might want to check out is Sci-Fi Boys which I recently watched on Netflix.  The film focuses on the contributions of the pioneers in special effects and science fiction.

Have you seen any of these Harryhausen films?  If so which is your favorite?  Lastly can you think of any other films where the special effects really blew you away when you first saw them.  I am going to throw out Star Wars for my pick, as the special effects in that film left me stunned when I first watched it at the theater when I was 6.

Going to roll the dice and mix it up a little today.  This week we are going to take a look at the trailers for the films currently in the top 5 spots on the IMDB top 250 films.  You can check out the full list on IMDB right here.  Are these the top five films of all time?  Have you seen all five of these films?  How far along are you in watching all 250 films on the IMDB list?  Do the trailers for these films do the movies justice?  Is this the laziest Tremendous Trailer Trash Tuesday post of all time?  All these questions and more can be discussed in the comments section.

#5 The Good the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

#4 Pulp Fiction (1994)

#3 The Godfather 2 (1974)

The Godfather (1972)

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Would these be my choices for the top five films of all time?  I am not sure about that, but I am a big fan of every one of these films.  In my mind the IMDB top 250 is a bit slanted toward more modern films.  Interesting that Coppola was able to crank out two Godfather films in a span of two years.   Was there a stronger year for films in recent memory than 1994?  Pulp Fiction and Shawshank Redemption lost to Forrest Gump for best picture that year.  So have you seen these five films?  Would they be in your top 5, top 10?   Have you watched all 250 films on the IMDB list?

Casablanca would probably be in my top 5.  Well, ok my top 10, it is so hard to choose.

So I managed to sucker, I mean persuade another blogger to do our work for us.  Or rather I should say, contribute a guest post to our site.  Chris Widdop, the man behind the site This is Madness! was nice enough to offer to write a review for us.  After you finish checking out this review please head on over to his site and check out some of his other reviews, follow his site and say hi.  I have been reading his blog for a few months now and it never fails to entertain and inform.  Click your mouse right here:  This is Madness!.

The Place Beyond The Pines (2013)

So I’m sitting here thinking of a movie to review for this site when suddenly it hits me: What better movie to review for 3 Guys 1 Movie than one that is itself 1 movie split into 3 very distinct parts? And so with that, let’s take a look at The Place Beyond the Pines.

This is a story about having to deal with the decisions we make, for better or worse, and how those decisions can continue to effect the lives of those around us for generations to come. And it’s very interesting seeing how the stories begin to parallel each other in ways, almost as if these actions were all an inescapable fate. The movie is slickly shot with long takes and incredible performances that really ground you into their world. And while each segment might not be perfect, this is a movie that highlights the imperfections of people who are just trying to do good, so in that sense, it actually kinda works.

As I said, the movie is split into three different sections that focus on different characters. First, we start off with Ryan Gosling’s story and follow along solely from his point of view until Bradley Cooper’s character becomes involved, in which case we then shift over to his point of view and watch as his story plays out. We then finish things up by jumping ahead a few years for the final segment of the movie. It’s an interesting way to play out the story, and I actually liked it overall for the most part, though there are moments where the film feels a bit disjointed due to this narrative format.

So first, let’s start with Ryan Gosling’s story. Basically, he’s a motorcycle stuntman in a traveling circus who, upon returning to town, learns that an old fling of his had recently given birth to his child. Upon learning this, Gosling quits his job in order to stick around and try and provide for the kid, but it’s not too long before desperation sets in and he finds himself turning to a career of bank robbery. This first segment is by far the strongest of the three, and starts this movie off on a very powerful note. And Gosling delivers the kind of performance we’ve come to expect from him, giving a very raw and real feel to the movie.

We’re also treated to some truly awesome chase scenes during this section. We’ve been getting some especially good car chases in certain movies as of late, such as Drive and Jack Reacher, and the chases here definitely reach that level of quality. It’s really thrilling stuff, made especially so by the clarity on display that makes you feel the rush, like you’re right there in the middle of the action yourself.

The next segment focuses on Bradley Cooper, who plays a cop who finds himself straddling the legal lines as well after he becomes involved with the case against Ryan Gosling. Where I’d say that Gosling’s segment had a more thrilling feel to it, Cooper’s dials things down to a more somber level. Things get a lot more tense, and Cooper adds an emotional depth with his phenomenal performance. Seriously, good as he was in Silver Linings Playbook, he absolutely kills it in this role. He’s just able to convey so much of his struggle to us at times without even saying a word, which really impressed the hell out of me.

We then jump ahead in time for the third and final segment, which is pretty much the result of both Gosling’s and Cooper’s actions in the prior two. However, this segment also happens to be the weakest of the three. It’s definitely the most choppy feeling, as it changes point of view a few times before finally settling in, where as the first two segments were clearly locked onto their main stars from the get-go. And while the actors here did a good enough job in their roles, I never found myself really attaching to or caring all that much about these new characters. And the mood of this segment also has a bit of an immature feel to it in comparison, though considering the shift in focus to a much younger cast, I suppose that’s appropriate. Yet, that said, while I wouldn’t necessarily call this segment bad, it doesn’t maintain the level of quality that had been established up to this point, and so it ends the movie on somewhat of a deflated note as a result, which is a bit of a shame.

I would say the movie’s biggest issue, though, would have to be its running time. At about two and a half hours in length, this is a long movie, and it’s one where you definitely feel it. And the fact that each subsequent segment of the movie decreases in quality just that much from the one preceding it certainly doesn’t help matters, either. And yet, despite its long length, the performances here are all so enthralling that they keep you engaged all throughout, and at no point in time does the movie ever actually feel boring.

But, as I said before, the imperfections almost work in this movie’s favor, given the themes involved. Sure, it could have definitely been tightened up, but even as is, despite its inconsistent quality and overly long length, this is still a really good movie worth checking out, highlighted by some seriously great performances. So don’t make the mistake of missing out on this flick, ’cause who knows whose life that’ll effect as a result!

Thanks so much Chris for stepping up to the plate as a guest blogger for this review.  If any of our other readers feel like contributing a post for our guest bloggers feature just drop us a line at 3guys1movie@gmail.com with guest post in the subject line.  Please don’t forget to head on over to This is Madness! and let Chris know you heard about his fine film blog from 3 Guys 1 Movie.

The Lammy Award for Best Rating System winner was announced today and our blog was judged by our peers to have the best rating system.  We would like to thank all of our loyal readers, our family members for putting up with our film watching/blogging and fellow LAMB members who voted for us for in the category of Best Rating System.  This is the first LAMMY that our site has won and we are all pretty excited about it.  Plenty of other great blogs were also nominated in this category.  Congratulations to runner-up Terry Malloy’s Pigeon Coop, and the other nominees French Toast Sunday, Today I Watched A Movie and The Cinematic Katzenjammer.  We look forward to hearing about the other winners in every category.

You can check out The Lamb right here for all the details regarding the winners in other categories as they are announced.

Here is the announcement video for Best Rating System.