Never Mind Pop Film

Hit Me With Your Best Shot #29

2013-05-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

The game where I throw out one of cinema's more obscure quotes and you try to guess it. Readers are currently 20 for 28. Let's see if you can name the film this quote is from:

"Are you talking about monkeys?"

First Still from 'Knight of Cups'

2013-05-15T11:12:00.002-07:00

Two years really makes a difference, doesn't it? Prior to The Tree of Life's release, Terrence Malick was notorious for his long delays between pictures. Something must have awoken something inside the auteur because he has released To the Wonder and has two more films waiting in post-production. Quite the change of pace for a man who had only directed three pictures over 30 years.

Now on PopCircle: Hitmen Movies to Kill For

2013-05-12T12:05:00.000-07:00

Films about assassins can sometimes be trite, but every once in a while a gem comes out. The best flicks that capture these professionals don't just feature killing machines, but fully-fleshed with motivations they keep all to themselves. These characters are fascinating with their natural charisma and yet merciless nature when dealing with others. Characters like Vincent (Tom Cruise) and Anton Chiguhr (Javier Bardem) are oddities in cinema, but their unique behavior makes for compelling viewing.

Check out my list on PopCircle!

Review: The Great Gatsby

2013-05-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

Self-made men like Jay Gatsby have been a fascination of American culture for decades, men like Howard Hughes and Don Draper, men that create veiled versions of themselves available for public consumption. These men raise the ideal of the American dream for all to see. Too often that ideal is so golden that few inspect further to see the pyrite underneath.

During parties Gatsby has a story for every occasion, a drink to offer in both hands and an practiced "old sport" for each party goer. Of the two Gatsbys we see (one private and one public), the private moments captured by Luhrmann offer a stoic man, one with green-tinted regret leering at him in the distance. The house across the water.

Two people live at the residence: Tom Buchanan (gleeful villain, Joel Edgerton), but more importantly to Gatsby, Tom's wife, Daisy (Carey Mulligan).

We are kept at a distance from these characters, the audience views them through the eyes of newcomer Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire). The spectacular parties are taken in with Carraway's wide-eyed wonder, but the more time Nick spends around Daisy, Tom and Gatsby, the more cracks appear in the veneer. As each party brings Daisy and Gatsby together, tragedy comes closer to West Egg.

Very rarely have an actor and a role seemed tailor-made for each other. DiCaprio has similarly crafted his own self-image that is equally as polished as Jay Gatsby's. Both men know the practiced smiles and the rapport that you utilize with others while keeping other feelings locked down. Portions of Gatsby fall flat, but DiCaprio's embodiment as the titular character never ceases to amaze.

The reason why The Great Gatsby didn't work in the 1974 film starring Robert Redford is because previous filmmakers felt the need to rigidly adhere to the source material. When source material is treated with such reverence, the product feels overly sacred and keeps the audience at a distance. Bringing the story to life is difficult because what grips reader about the book is not the dialogue or Carraway's voiceover, it's Fitzgerald's prose that makes the story and prose isn't adaptable.

To make up for that, a sense of style has to be melded into the story.

Baz Luhrmann has been flogged as an auteur with an overly sweet tooth, yet Luhrmann's choice to create an over-the-top Jazz Age America is an intentional decision. This effort is sure to bring Moulin Rouge! to mind, but it is a shot of energy into a summer that lacks a distinct touch. The glitzy and confetti covered world Gatsby and Daisy live in is a hollow one, one made more heart-breaking by the optimism surrounding them.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot #28

2013-05-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

The game where I throw out one of cinema's more obscure quotes and you try to guess it. Readers are currently 20 for 27. Let's see if you can name the film this quote is from:

"You killed him? No, I shot him. Bullets and the fall killed him."

Fox Releases Logo and Synopsis for 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes'

2013-05-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

Badass Digest broke the new logo and synopsis of the Rise of the Planet of the Apes sequel. Production started a few days ago and with any luck the project will capitalize on the intriguing premise set below:

A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth's dominant species.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes stars Gary Oldman, Judy Greer, Keri Russell, Jason Clarke and Andy Serkis as Caesar. Cloverfield director Matt Reeves takes over the reins from Rupert Wyatt.

'Gravity' Poster and Trailer Released

2013-05-08T12:43:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of @WBPictures, this is the first look at Gravity before the release of the trailer of Thursday. Updated: the trailer is below.

Astronauts attempt to return to earth after debris crashes into their space shuttle, leaving them drifting alone in space.

Gravity opens in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D on October 18.

New 'Man of Steel' and 'The World's End' Posters

2013-05-07T09:45:00.000-07:00

Two more posters for some of the summer's most anticipated films. One for Zack Snyder's Man of Steel and the other for Edgar Wright's The World's End. The banner for Man of Steel doesn't reveal much, it's just stylish, but the new poster for World's End reveals a look at the villains previously unseen in any promotional materials. The glowing eyes don't give away enough to say definitively, but could it be aliens?

(Courtesy: IMPAwards.com)

Review: Iron Man 3

2013-05-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is in the middle of a panic of sorts. He is suffering what most would call a crisis of confidence. The Avengers left Stark with a distinct impression that there are, in fact, things he cannot control. The suit won't always be around and Tony has loved ones who are exposed. With Rhodes (Don Cheadle) piloting around the world as Iron Patriot, and Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow, getting her best part yet in the series) running Star Industries, Tony is firmly set in his R&D lab trying to figure out how to keep them all safe.

In the isolation of his fortress, the global reign of terror brought about by The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) is off Tony's radar, panic attacks and insomnia are more present worries. The slightest mention of New York City is enough to send him searching madly for his iron cocoon. Tony being Tony, trouble doesn't stay in his rear-view for long. He finds himself in the middle of a press conference where he gives the world his address and begs the Mandarin to man up and come at him. Lo and behold, trouble knocks on his door. Loudly.

The similarities between Shane Black's last team-up with Robert Downey Jr. (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) are quite instant. The film begins with a voice over and treads back into a more familiar starting point, just like the 2005 release. And the similarities don't end there, every nudge and wink about genre tropes from that film is present in Iron Man 3 as well. Everything is played up for laughs in this sequel and one wonders if there is a spot where Murtaugh comes in to tell everyone "he's too old for this shit" left on the cutting room floor.

At first glance, Black looks like he may scale back the over the top nature antics of Iron Man 2 in favor of a real-world threat like terrorism. Such expectations are lost during the third act as one villain is successfully defanged to the point of laughter and replaced by a much more vanilla nemesis with questionable motives. How much you enjoy this trickery will define the film's reception.

Excess is abound, villains come back from the dead multiple times, seemingly every character in the Iron Man universe has a power or suit of their own. There's just too much of everything. It's a shame considering that Downey is perhaps at his most Tony and left to fend for himself without the crimson and gold for large portions of the film. These moments are where Iron Man 3 shines.

Marvel has effectively made Iron Man into the James Bond franchise of comic book franchises at the film's conclusion. Robert Downey Jr.'s contract is up after this picture and, should he decide to walk away, this film easily serves as a tidy wrapping for this particular interpretation of the character. Though with Avengers 2 looming, it's likely Marvel will back in the dump trucks of cash to bring him back. Hopefully they do, as RDJ says "I am Iron Man" and the franchise would be lost without him.

**1/2 out of ****

Review also published on Film Annex

Hit Me With Your Best Shot #27

2013-05-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

The game where I throw out one of cinema's more obscure quotes and you try to guess it. Readers are currently 19 for 26. Let's see if you can name the film this quote is from:

"Alva, there is no one else in this entire office that I could possibly ask to share such a horrible job. You're the lowest on the totem pole here, Alva. The lowest. Do you realize that? Every other secretary here has been here longer than you, Alva. Every one. And even if there was someone here who was here even one day longer than you, I still wouldn't ask that person to partake in such a miserable job as long as you were around.

2013 Summer Preview

2013-05-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

School will be out soon, the heat is coming and what better way to pass the time in a cool movie theatre? We all know about the big franchise releases this summer: Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, Fast and Furious 6, Man of Steel, The Hangover Part III, but what about some of the lesser-known pictures coming out during the warmest season? Here is your itinerary for what to watch this summer:

Iron Man 3 (May 3rd)

Following the events of The Avengers, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) may believe he faced his largest challenge ever, but The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) threatens to tear Tony's world apart. With his back against the wall, Tony may have to protect his loved ones without his iron suited alter-ego.

Star Trek Into Darkness (May 16th)

Maybe the most anticipated sequel of the year finds Captain Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto) and crew facing their most destructive threat yet in the form of Benedict Cumberbatch. J.J. Abram's is playing things close to the chest, but with the film playing in IMAX, we're in for a blast.

Before Midnight (May 24th)

The third feature in Richard Linklater's series of serendipitous encounters between Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy). Nearly twenty years have passed since they first met in Vienna, is the spark still there nine years following Before Sunset?

Much Ado About Nothing (June 7th)

At first Shakespeare and Joss Whedon may seem like an odd match, that is until the distinct voices of each writer find their way into your head. Whedon regulars like Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof make up the modern retelling of classic comedy about two pairs of lovers with different romantic mindsets and a way with words.

Man of Steel (June 14th)

Superman has had his story told over and over again through various mediums, but Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan aim to make the Man of Steel modern again. The biggest complaint against Superman Returns was that it lacked action and a formidable opponent, judging by the trailers, that won't be a problem at all for Man of Steel.

This Is the End (June 14th)

When a party at James Franco's house turns into the apocalypse (what else is new?), who better to have around than Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride and Jay Baruchel? Those hoping for a Freaks and Geeks reunion will get their wish when a cavalcade of celebrities battle their way across Los Angeles just to survive.

Lone Ranger (July 5th)

In this re-imagining of John Reid's Lone Ranger, Tonto tells the tale of how one U.S. Marshal became a legend. The rapport between Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer and all the money spent during production looks like it went to good use. Gore Verbinski proved he had Western sensibilities with Rango and I look forward to seeing what he could with an actual Cowboy film.

Pacific Rim (July 12th)

Monsters rising from the sea, giant robots being built to battle them, it must be a Guillermo Del Toro picture. Advanced screenings at Comic-Con revealed soaring heights and monsters on a scale unseen before in a blockbuster and all the critical gushing has fans putting this 3D release on many summer watch-lists.

The Conjuring (July 19th)

Typically horror releases don't find their way onto screens until Halloween, but this paranormal investigation will be competing against Red 2 and R.I.P.D. in one of July's busiest weekends.

The World's End (August 23rd)

Edgar Wright's Blood and Cornetto trilogy (Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz) is drawing to a close and how the world will end is this feature is anyone's guess. A group of friends (Pegg, Frost, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine and Eddie Marsan) reunite in an attempt to top their epic pub crawl from 20 years ago and, in the process, become humanity's only hope for survival.

Also published on Film Annex

Now on PopCircle: Not Your Average Rom-Com

2013-04-30T12:31:00.001-07:00

Romantic comedies are a studio-designed template in this day and age. The formula works, so it isn't tinkered with often. Boy and girl meet cute, go on some dates, fall in love, make love, and an argument is manufactured in before the last twenty minutes so that they can declare their love for each other once again. Then along comes a picture like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, it took the template, bent the frame, pulled it back through itself and added some science fiction along the way.

Eternal Sunshine isn't alone though, here are eight other romantic comedies that don't follow the formula. Check out my list on PopCircle!

Chat with Hugh Jackman on Twitter

2013-04-29T18:22:00.000-07:00

Fans of Hugh Jackman get the opportunity to ask about the highly anticipated film The Wolverine from the man himself. The fun starts on Thursday, May 2nd at 12:00 pm ET when you can see Hugh answer your questions via video!

Check out the Twitter pages for Hugh Jackman and The Wolverine here.

Review: Sins of the Father (Place Beyond the Pines)

2013-04-28T15:11:00.002-07:00

It is said that the path to hell is paved with good intentions. In this tale of fathers and sons, hell just may be the best they can hope for.

Luke (Ryan Gosling) lives his life completely uninhibited as a stunt rider in a traveling carnival. Luke being introduced by his profession is an important note, his trade is not a spectator sport for its grace, people watch Luke because each time he steps into that cage, he could die.

This evening in Schenectady is like any other, that is, until he sees Romina (Eva Mendes). The two had a brief, but passionate fling and he hasn't seen her since. He wants to reach out, though it's too little, too late. Luke drops Romina off, yet something keeps him from leaving town. He comes back the next day to find a son he never knew about. The moment he found out he was a father, Luke quits the road.

Money is hard to come by for an out-of-work carnie, he is taken in by an auto mechanic (Ben Mendehlson). Robin has only seen talent like Luke's maybe a handful of times, he rides like lightning. Robin has robbed four banks before, and he stopped before he got caught. He offers his system to Luke, if he wants to provide for his new family, he can do it quickly.

Robbing banks comes with its own set of circumstances. Luke isn't just riding in a steel cage anymore, the ride is not choreographed, and those men waiting for him will put him in prison. Men like Officer Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper).

There is a speed at which movement is impossible to comprehend and the eye is just frantically throwing pieces together. Some would complain that everything is a blur, but the visceral thrill from taking everything at the speed Luke sees is unmatched in white-knuckle intensity. Sean Bobbitt captures these chase scenes beautifully.

Place Beyond the Pines shifts narrative focus several times over the course of the film. Once finished with Luke's story, Derek Cianfrance places Avery under his scope. Avery starts out as a beat cop, but with his family pedigree (his father is a former Supreme Court Justice), that won't be the case for long. If he is to do so, he must navigate the waters of his department, waters filled with sharks like Lt. DeLuca (if there is a face that suggests a lack of morality more than Ray Liotta's, I haven't seen it).

Are some just predetermined to be successes or fuck-ups? Jason (Dane Dehaan) never knew his father, but the paths he and A.J. Cross (Emory Cohen) are about to cross will irrevocably change both families.

Cianfrance could have coasted off the success of Blue Valentine, but with Place Beyond the Pines, he delivers a much more ambitious picture. Instead of capturing the love built and lost between a husband and wife, Cianfrance sweeps the camera over a city and generations of men who enforce the law, men who break it, and those for whom that line is grey.

It's not an indictment, but a well-acted display of whether or not our lives are determined by fate, or our own choices.

****

Review also posted on Film Annex

'Silver Linings Playbook' Alternate Ending

2013-04-26T09:24:00.000-07:00

Sure this ending may not end on the kiss and swell of Elfman's score, but the low-key happenings and humor of this ending strikes me as a good match too.

Courtesy: MTV

Hit Me With Your Best Shot #26

2013-04-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

The game where I throw out one of cinema's more obscure quotes and you try to guess it. Readers are currently 18 for 25. Let's see if you can name the film this quote is from:

"Queens is not New York."

Mother's Day Giveaway

2013-04-25T19:29:00.000-07:00

Mom's are the best and Mother's Day is the day where we finally thank them for all that they do. It's certainly not enough, but spending some time watching one of her favorite films is the perfect way to catch up. To celebrate Mother's Day, Warner Bros. and Partnershub are giving away a copy of A Star is Born (1976) or Cabaret (1972) on blu-ray.
To win one of the films, play guess-the-scene in the app above and leave your score below. The deadline for the contest is May 12th, so leave your scores in the comment section below (with your email if possible).

Review: No

2013-04-22T22:25:00.000-07:00

Over the course of history, some dictators have found themselves made into the antagonists in many a film. Some dictators just fade away into the ether after they are ousted. Augusto Pinochet is one of those men whose evils have gone relatively undocumented. Pinochet was a terrible man, he ranks right up there with Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini as one of history's greatest monsters.

In 1988, military dictator Augusto Pinochet calls for a referendum to decide whether he remain permanently in power. Opposition leaders, sensing an opportunity to give the people their freedom again, handpick a hotshot advertising executive, in the form of René Saavedra (Gael Garcia Bernal), to head their campaign against the dictator.

Really, the plot for No could loosely be summed up as re-imagining the plot of Argo with the staff of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce leading the charge.

Getting an ad campaign off the ground will not be easy. Resources are limited and Pinochet's men keep René's team under constant scrutiny. Eventually, Saavedra and his team conceive of bold advertisements in hopes of winning the election and their freedom from oppression. The spots are not what you would think of at first: mimes, dancing, rainbows, and the message is capped by telling countrymen “Chile, happiness is coming!”

René doesn't take the campaign because of personal political beliefs, he does it for the challenge. The rebellion is better captured by his father or Veronica (Antonia Zegers), an activist with eyes toward a democratic future. Not just her future, but the future of her son with René as well.

At times, René's apathy is a little off-putting. Bernal's portrayal of the man could not be confused with a politically correct icon of a movie about rebellion. One imagines that if he were not being paid for these ads, he may not have done them at all. His inaction is at its worst during a scene where René stands by when Veronica, the mother of his son, is viciously beaten by police officers.

René recoiling from the violence is less a question of his cowardice and a larger symbol of the systemic fear throughout Chile. With a wave of Pinochet's hand, you could disappear forever.

Pablo Larrain captures the conflict with U-matic cameras to give an authentic feel for the time period, but don't confuse this with documentary realism. Larrain takes liberties with the material, but none that feel blatantly false. What Larrain creates in doing so is picture that sells.

Review also published on Film Annex

Marc Webb Tweets Electro Pre-Blueface

2013-04-21T15:21:00.002-07:00

Marc Webb tweeted the first official look at Jamie Foxx in Amazing Spider-man 2 today. Some folks complained about the Avatar look of the other pictures, but it beats the comb-over seen here.
Judging from the background, it looks like Foxx's character has an obsession for the friendly neighborhood web-slinger. A dangerous obsession.

Review: Oblivion

2013-04-20T22:48:00.000-07:00

Not much can be said about Oblivion without spoiling the experience for audiences, too much has been shown already by trailers and television spots. If the premise intrigues you, stop reading, and just go see it in theatres. This review will gladly wait for you.

The year is 2077. Following a war with extra-terrestrials, the Earth is left a shell of its former self. Humans won the war, but only after resorting to nuclear weapons. Monuments like the Statue of Liberty are shattered, half of the land is still radiated and remnants of the alien army litter the land.

Jack (Tom Cruise) and Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) are Earth's last two inhabitants. The two are assigned the responsibility of overseeing security while T.E.T. takes the last of the water from Earth. T.E.T. holds the rest of the survivors awaiting the trip to their next settlement on Titan, if all holds well, Jack and Victoria will join them in two weeks.

Jack is an inquisitive man, he takes a lot of risks and incurs plenty of reminders from Victoria that they only have two weeks left before they join the other survivors on Titan. Jack's dreams bother him, images that he knows he couldn't have experienced plague him constantly and he wonders if these dreams are more than merely an active subconscious.

Their supervisor on T.E.T. greets them every day with a mission statement "are you an effective team?" that poses more as a veiled threat than an actual question. Still, Jack and Victoria monitor drone activity and make sure everything T.E.T. asks for is accomplished, even when the drones almost kill Jack (take from that what you will).

However, Jack's inquisitive nature may cost him more than a few bruises when he comes across the aftermath of a shuttle crash-landing in one of his sectors.

Oblivion, on the surface, may seems like a mash-up of other elements used elsewhere in more famous films, but it provides a solid sci-fi effort for adults in a time period where there are not many. To boot, it will easily serve as a conversation starter on a very divisive issue right now.

Tom Cruise, it was said, is fading as a movie star. His last few films haven't raked in massive amounts of box office dollars, but the authenticity and earnestness that made him famous is still there. Cruise lends to Jack a sense of importance to the many scenes that could have suffered from green screen fatigue. Say whatever you want about the man, but he is a professional first and foremost.

Joseph Kosinski, in just two films, has created a singularly unique vision assisted by gorgeous special effects. The Earth Jack and Victoria see is not the one we are used to, but it could be very easily pass for come whatever may in sixty or so years. Hopefully, an Earth we can avoid.

*** out of ****

Review also published on Film Annex

'Thor: The Dark World' Poster

2013-04-19T12:11:00.002-07:00

USA Today debuted a one-sheet for the upcoming Thor sequel in preparation for the trailer being launched next week. It doesn't reveal much, but it looks great.

Thor: The Dark World hits theatres November 8th.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot #25

2013-04-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

The game where I throw out one of cinema's more obscure quotes and you try to guess it. Readers are currently 17 for 24. Let's see if you can name the film this quote is from:

"Back off, man. I'm a scientist."

You're Officially Invited to PopCircle

2013-04-16T19:37:00.003-07:00

Now is the time I can finally share with you all what I have been doing for the last several months. PopCircle is a new site where you can share all of your favorite movies, televisions shows, books and music with your friends and discover things you haven't seen before!

What sets PopCircle apart from other entertainment sites is that while many sites give you recommendations based on complete strangers (or companies pretending to be real people), PopCircle allows you to get recommendations from friends, families and experts you choose, those whose taste you value.

I was invited this past winter to join PopCircle as a movie expert and I am excited to share my hard work with you readers and fellow bloggers. Along with recomming thousand of movies, the most fun portion of the site is creating collections like "Hitman Movies to Kill For" and "The Cinephile Essentials". The fun is in passing it along though, so please sign up today!

Neon-Lit 'Only God Forgives Poster'

2013-04-16T17:29:00.000-07:00

"Time to meet the devil," I'm not sure if they could have picked anything more ominous sounding. This motion picture will shoot you in the face? Expect violence, expect style and expect a bloodied Ryan Gosling. Only God Forgives hits theatres July 19th.

New Clip from 'Pain and Gain'

2013-04-16T09:31:00.002-07:00

So when all else fails when you pretend to be a police officer, just say you do security for a Christian rock band. Sixty percent of the time it works every time, well, if you're Dwayne Johnson.