On today’s episode of the Movie Lovers Podcast, podcast producer Theresa Quinones, Katherine, and Chris review Escobar: Paradise Lost, Inside Out, and discuss everything film related. Put us in your ear, and enjoy! And don’t forget to Watch More Film! Check us out on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to us on iTunes under the Movie Lovers Podcast. Reviews and comments are much appreciated.

Pre-recorded 7/2015

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Manual Chapter:

00:00:00 – Movie Lovers Podcast Theme Song
00:00:11 – Introduction and Shoutouts
00:01:57 – Official Trailer for Escobar: Paradise Lost
00:04:18 – Review of Escobar: Paradise Lost
00:47:45 – Films We Watched Segment
01:01:00 – Review of Inside Out
01:27:00 – End Song

Credits:

00:00:00 – 00:00:11 — Movie Lovers Podcast Theme Song by Logan Olberg
00:01:57 – 00:04:18 – Official Trailer for Escobar: Paradise Lost
01:01:00 – 01:32:00 — Escobar: Paradise Lost Soundtrack Track

On today’s episode of the Movie Lovers Podcast, Randall Unger from TheMovieNetwork.com, Katherine, and Chris review What We Do In The Shadows and discuss everything about the vampire comedy genre. Topics include thoughts on watching trailers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Fright Night. Put us in your ear, and enjoy! And don’t forget to Watch More Film! Check us out on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to us on iTunes under the Movie Lovers Podcast. Reviews and comments are much appreciated.

Visit FilmsWeWatched.com
Follow us on Twitter
Like our Facebook Fanpage
Subscribe to us on iTunes (and please give us a review)

Manual Chapter:

00:00:00 – Movie Lovers Podcast Theme Song
00:01:02 – Introduction and Shoutouts
00:01:33 – Official International Trailer
00:04:06 – Review of What We Do in the Shadows and Discussions
00:57:54 – End Song

Credits:

00:00:41 – 00:01:02 — Movie Lovers Podcast Theme Song by Logan Olberg
00:01:33 – 00:04:06 – Official International Trailer for What We Do In The Shadows
00:57:54 – 00:59:19 — Norma Tanega – You’re Dead

On today’s episode of the Movie Lovers Podcast, Randall Unger from TheMovieNetwork.com and Kevin Mosquera stop by to review Avengers: Age of Ultron and discuss everything about the superhero genre. Topics include the future of DC, George Clooney’s nipples, and who would make the perfect Riddler. We conclude with our Films We Watched segment, talking about The Sitter, Hot Fuzz, Mad Max: Fury Road, among other films. Put us in your ear, and enjoy! And don’t forget to Watch More Film! Check us out on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to us on iTunes under the Movie Lovers Podcast. Reviews and comments are much appreciated. And please excuse my snoring Bulldog…

Visit FilmsWeWatched.com
Follow us on Twitter
Like our Facebook Fanpage
Subscribe to us on iTunes (and please give us a review)

Manual Chapter:

00:00:00 – Movie Lovers Podcast Theme Song
00:00:11 – Introduction and Shoutouts
00:01:33 – Official Trailer for Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron
00:03:32 – Review of Avenger’s: Age of Ultron and Discussions
02:21:03 – End Song

Credits:

00:00:41 – 00:01:19 — Movie Lovers Podcast Theme Song by Logan Olberg
00:01:33 – 00:03:32 – Official Trailer for Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron
02:21:03 – 02:24:19 — Batman Forever Soundtrack – Method Man – The Riddler

On today’s episode of the Movie Lovers Podcast, Chris discusses action movies with fellow SoundonSight contributor Shane Ramirez in part of the monthly project, 100 Essential Action Scenes. This week we discuss the best foot and car chase scenes selected by our S.O.S. contributors along with those that did not make the cut. From Bourne Identity to Ben Hur, we talk everything action, along with our thoughts on Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, and films that are on our list of shame. Put us in your ear, and enjoy! And don’t forget to Watch More Film! Check us out on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to us on iTunes under the Movie Lovers Podcast. Reviews and comments are much appreciated.

Visit FilmsWeWatched.com
Follow us on Twitter
Like our Facebook Fanpage
Subscribe to us on iTunes (and please give us a review)

Manual Chapter:

00:00:41 – Movie Lovers Podcast Theme Song
00:01:47 – Essential Action Movies: Foot Chase Scenes
00:49:27 – Essential Action Movies: Car Chase Scenes
01:16:47 – End Song

Credits:

00:00:41 – 00:01:19 — Movie Lovers Podcast Theme Song by Logan Olberg
1:16:47 – 1:19:04 — The Matrix Soundtrack – Propellerheads – Spybreak!

Waves

In Don Gerardo Frasco’s Waves, the notion of a peaceful island spirals into a cacophony of frustration and despair, when two old friends try to rekindle their love for one another. With every scene and line of dialogue that unravels itself, new challenges are surfaced by our main characters to confront within the confines of their crumbling haven. The triumph of Frasco’s Waves is the director’s ability to enrapture the trouble that exists in paradise. Sure the Philippines look beautiful, but when propped up again the anguish of lies and mistrust, only appear as an awkward unreachable dream for our disillusioned secret lovers.

Our main characters are limited with setup, yet details illuminate as their background unfolds throughout the course of the film. Here is a story about a Filipino man (Baron Geisler) and an American model (Ilona Struzik), who find love in New York City and decide to pursue their love after years apart.

The film takes place on an indulgent private island, best suited for a romantic honeymoon. From crystal clear coves to white sandy beaches, the magnificent landscape acts more like a backdrop than a character in of itself. When compared to urban scenic films, like Manhattan or Swim Little Fish Swim, the chaos of New York City almost parallels and compliments the hysteria plaguing Isaac (Woody Allen) or Leeward (Dustin Guy Defa). Yet in Waves, the beauty of the island almost contradicts the ugliness of emotions Ross (Baron Geisler) and Sofia (Ilona Struzik) have to endure. The island hints at a fairly tale ending, only to be swept up by a tidal wave of separation.

Some of the wider panoramic shots, especially those that bring out the hidden beauties of the Philippines, are keenly reminiscent of Scott Cohen’s 2014 Seattle International Film Festival jury winner Red Knot, an underwhelming drama that is both stunning and elegant. Similarities continue, like the contrast of plot (couples tackling ongoing relationship problems) and setting (remote places of tranquility and surreal natural beauty) makes the connections seamless. Grand shots of whale sharks fade in and out of scene, with our protagonist swimming next to the beasts. In any other movie, this would be contrived as adventure and thrill. Yet with our brazed male lead confronting anguish and near depression, it becomes a test of courage and an outcry for life. We can easily replace the shark with a gun or a grenade, and tension couldn’t get anymore suspenseful. Nature becomes a game of Russian roulette, and the dream of life together in paradise becomes an agonizing nightmare.

Frasco’s work as a cinematographer is apparent with his homages to Terrance Malick, but more candid and direct. The director has a pristine knack for filming casual events in a character’s life, and through the slightest change of lightening or scenery, can have it reflect the character’s change in mood and feelings. Sound mixing is another strong suite of the director. Many times in Waves, dialogue delays a few seconds behind sound only to flash back or forth. This too adds to the disconnect the couple is living through.

Ross is an insecure man who drowns his sorrows in whiskey. On the brink of losing Sofia again, he quickly finds an excuse to start drinking again. Geisler plays the role with candid realism, but doesn’t have much material to push him out of his comfort zone. While Ross is firmly grounded in his depression, Sofia, on the other hand, comes across as aloof and indecisive. Struzik, being a model in real life, fits the role while relying on her beauty as part of her performance. Although Struzik isn’t a trained actress, her comfort in playing the role of Sofia comes across as natural and refreshing. One can see why Ross is so fixated with her, yet Sofia’s issues with her husband back in New York City are still unclear. The past is immortalized in the Philippines, yet the present is unattainable. Somber piano scores, akin to the chilling riffs from Jaws and Psycho, are the only indicator that their fatal love affair is destined to fail.

A subtle yet somber romantic drama, Waves is profound in small qualities, finely crafted by script and tone. Without being overbearing and loud, Frasco examines the turbulence of a failing relationship, and does so with grace and honesty.

On today’s episode of the Movie Lovers Podcast, Katherine and Chris discuss Clint Eastwood’s ‘American Sniper’ and their likes and dislikes of the Coen Brothers films with guest Randall Unger from TheMovieNetwork.com. Topics include the transformation of Bradley Cooper, comparisons between other war films like ‘Apocalypse Now,’ ‘Fury,’ and ‘Saving Private Ryan.’ The Movie Lovers Podcast hosts also discuss the agism of Client Eastwood, what Coen Brothers films are the best for a mass audience, and how Bill Murray almost made an animated Coen Brothers film. Put us in your ear, and enjoy! And don’t forget to Watch More Film! Check us out on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to us on iTunes under the Movie Lovers Podcast. Reviews and comments are much appreciated.

Visit FilmsWeWatched.com
Follow us on Twitter
Like our Facebook Fanpage
Subscribe to us on iTunes (and please give us a review)

Manual Chapter:
00:00:00 – TheMovieNetwork.com
00:00:51 – Movie Lovers Podcast Theme Song
00:02:07 – Intro Promotions
00:03:17 – American Sniper Official Trailer
00:05:24 – American Sniper Review
01:05:30 – Coen Brothers Discussion
01:33:28 – End Song

Credits:
0:51 – 2:07 — Movie Lovers Podcast Theme Song by Logan Olberg
3:17 – 5:24 — American Sniper Official Trailer
1:33:28 – 1:36:42 — O Brother, Where Art Thou? Soundtrack –  “I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow” by Soggy Bottom Boys

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 270 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 5 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Inherent Vice

Even if you were not around during the 1970s, Inherent Vice comes across as a faded, nostalgic memory. Being a faithful adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s novel, the film recounts the dying days of the free love era, laced with the look, feel and paraphernalia of the subculture. Anderson’s comedic thriller peppers itself with restless, almost out of place laughter, while dedicating itself to the themes of the early Seventies. One is reminded of private-eye classics such as Roman Polanski’sChinatown and Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye, with traces of Zucker-Abrahams comedies like Airplane! and The Naked Gun. For many, the homage to 1970s filmmaking will be a very real and thrilling look down memory lane. For others, it’ll be a history lesson like no other found in modern day filmmaking.

Larry ‘Doc’ Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix), like so many of the film noir heroes of which 70s Hollywood was trying to preserve and emulate, finds himself running mindlessly around a tight maze of lies and trickery. And like Philip Marlowe, Doc is head over heels in a case he can hardly comprehend, whether or not drugs are playing a contributing factor. An old girlfriend, Shasta (Katherine Waterston), suspects her lover’s wife is plotting to steal his fortune, and she asks Doc to uncover the details. Just when things start to make sense, Shasta and her lover (Owen Wilson) both go missing, and the trail leads Doc to the schooner ‘Golden Fang’, where everything may not be what it seems. With L.A. cop ‘Bigfoot’ Bjornsen (Josh Brolin) hot on his tail, Doc becomes more and more paranoid by the realities he must face, let alone the mounting pot influence.

In hindsight, what the audience receives is an agglomeration of heightened surrealism mixed with a suspension of disbelief. Our point of view is that of Doc’s psyche, no matter how spaced-out and foggy it may seem. With every twist and turn to this layered story, the viewer is unfolding the facts just as quickly as our pothead protagonist.

The comedic tropes are taken just as seriously as the film’s actual plot. When Brolin’s Bigfoot eats a chocolate-covered banana in a homoerotic fashion, it’s Doc’s reaction of pure disgust that makes the moment completely hysterical. When Doc’s face quickly goes deadpan after yelping from seeing a picture of Hope Harlingen’s (Jena Malone) heroin-poisoned daughter, laughter becomes the only suitable reaction to these moments of inappropriate behavior.

Familiar faces, like Reese Witherspoon and Benicio Del Toro, weave in and out of Anderson’s dense fog of a film, while Pynchon’s narration (delivered by Joanna Newsom) muddles the central conflict beyond conceivable recognition – at least on a first viewing. Underneath the constant banter, there is something more to digest. Beyond the pushy gags and nostalgic imagery, there is a story here that can only be sharpened and appropriately acknowledged on a second or third viewing.

Even if judgment is uncertain on an initial rendezvous, one thing’s for sure – this film is special. It’s a special delight for P.T. Anderson fans, since it encapsulates everything we have come to love about his filmography. The film has the madcap antics of Boogie Nights and Punch-Drunk Love, but combined with the historic pristine qualities of The Master and There Will Be Blood. Inherent Vice is the best of both these worlds, and, like many of Anderson’s films, will require multiple viewings to understand just how brilliant it actually is. 

Swim Little Fish Swim

A musician conditioned by his anti-capitalistic beliefs, struggling to make a living for his wife and young daughter, finds hope from a runaway Parisian artist trying to escape the shadows of her famous painter mother. Shot like any other independent film expected from a beginning filmmaker, Lola Bessis’ dramatic comedy branches out and is smartly defined by layers of inner conflict. With New York City playing as the film’s backdrop of emotion, Swim Little Fish Swim can easily fall into today’s better city-based dramadies. It’s relatable in conflict, yet unique in effects. It’s loud in its choices of art and music, yet refreshing when establishing character relationships. There are elements in the film we have not seen on the big screen, and there are elements that feel all too familiar. It’s both large at heart, but small in scope. It’s everything chaotic and silent one would expect from life’s inner toil, making it a direct observation of life in the big city.

After premiering at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival,Swim Little Fish Swimfinally opens theatrically in New York City and on VOD September 19^th and September 26^th in Los Angeles. Set in New York,Swim Little Fish Swimfocuses on the domestic life of Leeward (Dustin Guy Defa) and Mary (Brooke Bloom), a married couple at a standstill crossroads of their relationship. Mary is an overworked nurse trying to find greener pastures of the American dream, while Leeward is a struggling musician settled in his artistic empire state of mind. When Lilas (Bessis), a young French artist trying to make it in the New York scene on her own, moves into the couple’s cramped apartment, their already fragile balance is placed further toward the edge.

Swim Little Fish Swim brilliantly tackles many internal issues without ever feeling preachy neither biting more than it can chew. Bookending the film with Lilas, the film largely deals with her character’s influence on Leeward. Alone, both characters seem to be incompetent in finishing their work. Whether it’s Lilas’ mother trying to pull her back to Paris, or Leeward’s wife Mary trying to knock sense around his immature tendencies, both are better people when together. The caveat about their relationship, and quite refreshing for a film about marriage troubles, is that it stays strictly platonic. Besides casual glances at one another, the film never gives the impression that foul play is the cause of the couple’s rocky marriage. Brooke Bloom superbly grounds the film, forcing Dustin’s Leeward character to realize his childish ways. Subtle cues like nagging reminders for Leeward to callback a commercial gig, a starring glare as Leeward carelessly allows Lilas to stay another night, breath realistic nuisances that can be appreciated by anyone is a long term relationship. Although Bessis plays Lola a bit flat, her presence is a glaring reminder of the extent that she is a third wheel in the lives of Leeward and Mary. Defa plays the role of an egotistic New Yorker with ease and a stone cold look echoing his settled ways.

Art can be seen as a character, much like the city: eccentric and richly distinct. The presence of art is as non-contemporary as one can imagine. Art is captured through experimental video interviews, musicians making music from children’s toys and synthesized lights, to witnessing a colony of nude artists painting by hanging upside-down. Art is a symbol of individuality and separation from reality for our protagonists. It’s what isolates Lila from her mother and clings Leeward to his child-like behaviors. By amplifying the characters interest, it allows the audience to bare witness to a fruitful relationship. Everything good that comes forth by our main characters is mutually acknowledged, enriching the notion that strangers can impact our lives just as much as the people we share them with.

If I Stay

Based on the novel of the same name by Gayle Forman, If I Stay tells the story of Mia Hall (Chloë Grace Moretz). An overachiever, cello enthusiast, and overall good-egg of a daughter, Mia has paved a finite future for herself with Julliard on her horizon. When involved in a head on collision, killing her entire family and leaving her in a coma, she goes through an out-of-body experience and has to decide if she will stay with her rocker boyfriend (Jamie Blackley) and live with her grandparents, or depart with her family and leave everything she’s aspiring to behind. What seems like the same tiresome supernatural melodrama found in YA franchises like Twilight, in actuality, holds up nicely for both the tween dragging their parent and the parent initially being dragged into the theater. All in all, both parties will leave the theater satisfied, but for equally variant reasons.

If I Stay falls comfortably in the safe zone of movie watching happily suitable for all ages. In fact it does so with such self-aware restraint, the film avoids anything particularly shocking one would expect from a near death experience. By going so far left and right of the parent-child relationship, somewhere in between Mia’s parents (Mireille Enos and Joshua Leonard) urging her to stay out late and Mia choosing to play cello over having sex, the film manages to circle itself around and wind up in mediocre territory. Although all actors perform great, with Chloë Grace Moretz stealing dramatic hospital scenes and proving that she is more than the foulmouthed girl from Kick Ass, role reversals are obnoxiously too on the nose. Mireille Enos and Joshua Leonard play go-with-the-flow parents who gave up their punk rocker lifestyle for their children. Mia, finding her passion in playing cello and listening to classical music, is everything her parents were not: a model student and obedient daughter. In a scene where Mia gets stung by a bee, the parents joke and laugh over her new boyfriend sucking the stinger off her hand. What comes across as blatant expository to show how leftwing and hip these X-generation parents are, will surely raise eyebrows for the actual parents in the crowd: which is precisely why the film is quite refreshing.

In a world dominated by silver screen sex and violence, it’s nice to see conflict arise by a protagonist making good decisions. Some may argue, on the other hand, that good decision-making does not fair well for suspenseful filmmaking. For a long time, the motif behind the film’s conflict is “Will Mia get into Julliard?”, spelling out boredom for teens and adults alike. Despite facing death, the tone of the film secures the audience for a happy ending. Never do we feel Mia will not make it out of her coma. She is just too good, too righteous, and the conflict never makes us believe that the good die young.

50 to 1

Written by Faith Conroy and Jim Wilson

Directed by Jim Wilson

USA, 2014

Imagine, if you will, a horse race that starts and finishes in a blink of an eye. We see your choice winner bucking behind the starting gate. His chances of winning are slim to none, fifty to one in fact. You may not know anything about the horse, but you like the sound of his name on the program, and figure you can make some nice cash from a long shot. The gate opens and your horse bellows out the door. Immediately cut to the first bend and he is trailing behind the team. Now, immediately cut to the last and he strides to the finish line by a large margin. Victory is yours, but to what fulfillment? Sure you’re happy that your horse won, and heck, you might have made a serious winning. You probably aren’t thinking about the horse’s underdog story, his unlikely chances of getting into that winner’s circle. For you, it was just a great race. Nothing more. And for Jim Wilson’s 50 to 1, the same sentiment can be shared. The final scenes, which take no more than five minutes of the film’s runtime at best, are good and heartfelt, but cannot makeup for the schlock of its prior one hundred and five minutes. In that regard, the film can simply be called 105 to 5 Minutes and save the audience a huge waste of time.

Harshness aside, the weakness of the film solely rests on its earnestness. 50 to 1 lacks it completely, especially within the setup of its first two acts. Like a thoroughbred, the film stampedes to the finish line. Instead of a slow buildup, cementing relationships and raising tension to a story of which we already know the outcome, what we get is a series of snapshots buckling the plot along. Opening with a bar fight, Chip Woolley (Skeet Ulrich) and Mark Allen (Christian Kane) hit it off in a typical macho bromance. Cut to ten years later, and the bankrupted Woolley happens to see the well-off Allen on TV and pays him a visit. They immediately recognize and click again with each other, and the rest haphazardly falls into place from there. Ultimately, as the story clumsily whips along, the audience is forced to question the integrity of the film’s backstory. We see Woolley down on his luck, yet we never see him hit rock bottom. We see Allen’s success, traveling across country in his private jet, yet how he made his millions is debatable. He is a partier, womanizer, and steers clear of plain rational. Although Christian Kane does a fine job in creating a charming and charismatic portrayal of the cowboy horse owner, Wilson’s direction of Allen comes across as moronic. In a scene where Allen instructs Woolley to travel and see if Mind That Bird is worth buying, despite Woolley’s apprehension, Allen purchases the horse on a whim. This contrast in exposition cheapens the script, adding holes to the pages in multiple points of the film. From the purchase of Mind That Bird to even his qualifications getting into the Kentucky Derby, it seems as thought scenes play as mindless filler than anchored plot points.

50 to 1 is based on the 2009 underdog story of Mind That Bird’s claim to fame at the Kentucky Derby, with his group of misfit cowboy owners. Being an inspired true story, the mere fact that the ending is known, plays to the film’s discredit. With the outcome exposed, a film must rely on strong character relationships and drama. 50 to 1 falls short on both fronts. Films like Captain Phillips or Zero Dark Thirty do a fantastic job in suspending the audience’s belief of the ending, by heightening stakes and tension filled setup throughout the film’s progression. Sure a horserace isn’t as detrimental as a vessel hijacking or assassination military mission, but the balance between hope and failure can prove to be quite gripping. It’ll be easy for audiences to compare 50-1 to Seabiscuit given the context, but what makes Seabiscuit excel is its dedication to setup. We see the struggle of the jockey played by a troubled Tobey Maguire. We see the temperament of Seabiscuit, as he wins and loses races. That balance is always tittering and can break at any given point. Yet with 50-1, that struggle isn’t apparent because it’s not there. Wilson’s only concern is getting the audience to the Derby, even using actual footage to establish the solo importance of the big day. What Wilson doesn’t understand, a staple for all true stories, is that the journey is more important than the destination, because the destination is already discovered.

Notorious for his work as a producer in huge hits like Dances With Wolves and The Bodyguard, Jim Wilson has struggled with smaller budgets in more recent years. Even working with long time collaborator Kevin Costner on 2008’s Swing Vote, proved mediocre by breaking even at the box office. The problem lies in budget. A few filmmakers only work best with a bigger multi-million dollar budget. Francis Ford Coppola, like Jim Wilson, is one of those directors. 2011’s flop, Twixt, is a similar high concept idea gone array. When a writer (Val Kilmer) goes to a small town for his book tour, he finds himself involved in a murder with a young girl. Sounds good on paper, right? Not so much.

With an ultra low budget of seven million dollars, not even an audacious Val Vilmer and smarmy Bruce Dern can save the film’s poor visual effects and contrived script. High concepts do not mix well with a micro budget, unless when practical effects undermine a stellar script. This is why superhero films have national debt level budgets, and filmmakers like Wes Anderson aren’t touching them with fifty-foot poles. A more comparable analogy and success story can be seen with Disney’s Secretariat. With a budget of 30 million dollars, Diane Lane’s story of housewife turned champion horse owner, nearly doubled earnings during its 2010 theatrical run. Even without speculation of whether budgets could have salvaged the disappointment of 50 to 1, the proof is already in the pavement. When push comes to shove, 50 to 1 may conjure up tears and tug on a few heartstrings. Yet when all is set and done, when the credits have ended and you are walking back to your car, ask yourself one question: Was the journey worth it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwV9KljqsFU