schofizzy

We Marched for Women, We Marched for Equality

2017-01-21T17:50:00.002-08:00

I am a son. I am a husband. I am a father. I am an educator. I am a man who marched for women's rights today.

I marched as a showing of support. I marched to model for my children and students how we can demonstrate one of our powers in a democratic society. I marched to demonstrate my frustrations with our newly elected 45th president. A man that has used rhetoric about unifying America while simultaneously demeaning large populations of our beloved country. He has incited violence during his campaign and has yet to vilify the alt-right or neo nazi who feel empowered by his message. He has tried to normalize sexual assault on women. As a son, husband, father, and most importantly a human being I am not okay with men, the media, or our president normalizing sexual assault. I marched today because I don't believe our newly elected president has sufficiently made all women in our country feel safe. You may want to call the Americans who marched today sore losers but that wasn't what this march was about. This was a mandate. Our voices will be heard. Equality isn't a pipe dream. Equality isn't just for the privileged. Equality is for all.

I pledge to resist. I pledge to resist any and all ways our newly elected president chips away at our country's principles and what they represent to so many around the world. He will not undo our democracy. I hope that he does help our economy and all Americans who are hurting economically. I hope that he does unify Americans. I hope he pushes against the hate that has been incited through his campaign and rhetoric. I hope that he begins to make all women feel safe and equally empowered in this wonderful country. I hope that he moves away from the doom and gloom fear mongering. What's great is, he can. People change. Will he is to be determined, so I'll be right here waiting and watching as will millions of others around the country.

While we wait I challenge us all to get more involved on a local level. Do exactly as our new president says, the people need to have control of government. We need to get involved in our school districts and our city councils. Take hold of your communities and states. We need to vote in midterm elections and hold all of our elected representatives accountable at every level. For every person that has told me to "give him a chance" I have absolutely no problem doing that, and while I do I will make sure my community and elected representatives are doing their best to ensure our rights as Americans are not being taken away, restricted, or infringed.

Lastly I want to speak to how wonderful the march was today. It was beautiful to see so many unique individuals voicing their right. It was harmonious marching among others who are willing to let the world know we are here, we will be heard, and we demand equality for all Americans. It felt amazing to see people in real life versus on social media using their voices. It resonated. It was empowering. It was the opposite of apathy. It was progress for millions of voices.

Top 10 of 2016

2017-01-01T12:07:00.000-08:00

As we close the door on each year it is always good to reflect. We all reflect in different ways and on different things, but one thing we all should reflect on is the things in our lives that we can be grateful for. Focus on the positive versus the negative. That doesn't mean to ignore the negative, instead confront it and do away with it. Rid yourself and others of those negatives. That said, let's get on to reflecting all the great movies of 2016!

As an avid movie watcher one way I reflect on the year, what movies I watched. What I liked and disliked. Keeping a running tally of what I'm watching as the year moves on week by week and month by month brings me pleasure. Logging not only what I've seen, but what stood out to me. By the end of the year I generally have a substantial list of standout films that will be narrowed down into a Top 20. This is a process I've done annually since before starting my site in 2008. It is a practice that I intend to continue until the day I die. Not because ranking movies is important, but more so because it allows me a chance to reflect on what called to me over a year. Trends that were noticed. A chance to think about why a particular film spoke to me. What's the value I found in it? These lists are an easy conversation starter along with being a gauge on my taste(s) as an omnivorous movie watcher.

We all have our own rules or qualifications for a year-end list and mine are pretty simple; a film must have had a limited release in New York and Los Angeles for consideration. Yes, this qualification leaves out films ONLY having runs at film festivals or foreign titles that have yet to find U.S. distribution within the calendar year. In 2016 I watched 242 movies, 96 of which are eligible to be included in this list by the qualifications listed above.

Honorable Mentions: One More Time with Feeling, 13th, The Lobster, Swiss Army Man, and Kubo and the Two Strings

10. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

"Rogue One" is one of the best surprises of 2016. "A Star Wars Story" that shifts us away from our usual focus of Jedi and Sith in the Star Wars universe without abandoning the Force. Maybe because it is the first non-episode Star Wars movie? Regardless of my conjecture, I adore the departures away from our prior structure of Star Wars episodes. It's essentially a war movie that played right to the generation of first-person shooter gamers yet still fulfilling to us lifers. There's a central character in Jyn Erso, but it's a brand apart from what we are use to in Luke, Anakin, and now Rey. Her journey feels less about her own future like Luke and his father before him. Instead her journey is more fluid with the ultimate balance of the galaxy. It's one little piece versus a really big piece. That minimalism was incredibly effective for me. Like any good Star Wars movie I loved all the characters. Standouts were Chirrut Imwe, Jyn Erso, and K2-S0. Plus Disney gets major bonus points for giving fans a truly multi-cultural cast. Star Wars ensembles have a knack at working together but I really got a kick out of how this group worked together. Better was how the Force was used to delicately make everything come together versus a Jedi manipulating it. At inception I scoffed at the premise, an entire film based on one sentence from the opening title crawl in "Star Wars: A New Hope"? LOL. Little did I know that a whole movie about stealing the plans to the Death Star would end up being one of my favorite Star Wars movies to date.

09. Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Taika Waititi is one of my favorite up and coming directors. You probably know him best from 2014's "What We Do in the Shadows," a hilarious mocumentary about vampires living in the modern age. "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" marks his fourth feature film and follows a manhunt for a foster child and his uncle in the New Zealand bush. It is a journey movie. It is a coming of age tale. It is endlessly endearing story about a rebellious foster child and a grumpy man building a father and son like relationship. As a father of four it is easy to see why I associated with it, but Waititi's charm and comedic voice really add another layer that makes Hunt for the Wilderpeople a flick just about anyone should fall in love with.

08. Zootopia

This is probably the best piece of storytelling Disney has ever put out. Why? It's progressive. Disney may have excelled at being progressive in animation, but they have struggled with it in storytelling. Sure, Disney has handfuls of excellent stories, but too many of them sold out-dated messages to children, more importantly to girls. "Zootopia" is the exact opposite, it is progressive. Quite frankly it isn't a new story either, it is just a new story for girls. Boys have always been told they can be whatever they wanted, girls on the other hand had a much smaller list to choose from. Our society has unjustly denied rights to women and this film is a small part in righting those generational wrongs. It follows a bunny who wants to be a police officer, something society has deemed impossible. That reminds me of a little historical fact, prior to the Civil War women were not allowed to be nurses. Zootopia is Disney reaching their full potential and it feels great. It is nice to see the House of Mouse releasing stories that are promoting equality while still maintaining that Disney animation we grew up loving.

07. La La Land

One of my all-time favorite musicals is "Singin' in the Rain" and apparently I'm not the only one. "La La Land" is a inspired nod to the Golden Age of Hollywood, Jazz music, following your dreams, and young love that isn't just nostalgia all dressed up. The musical pays tribute to what came before it while also smartly not just copying, it adapts to our modern complexities. It is a movie I'm hard-pressed to find a single complaint about. If I'm really reaching, it's that I'm a little tired of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, but that's incredibly hard to stand firmly behind because they are so undeniably delightful in their roles. In fact, they both shine. I wouldn't be surprised to see a demand for a series of movies with them together. The music throughout La La Land is catchy and works the desired emotions like a charm. The choreography is enchanting and the kind of stuff people will mimic. Combined they had me on the verge of happy tears the entire runtime. I often long for life to be like a musical, where people would just break out in song and we'd all know choreographed dance to go along with the singing and this movie confirmed again, I'm not the only one.

06. Lemonade

The art of making music videos has been refined across my lifetime. Beyoncé changed the game in 2016 with "Lemonade." Lemonade doesn't follow a traditional narrative. Told through 11 chapters, Beyoncé weaves together her emotional and rocky relationship with Jay-Z. In between the 11 tracks she uses excerpts of poetry from Warsan Shire a Somali poet. The album alone is an exceptional piece of art from a pop star who hasn't shared much of her private life. The music, the lyrics, and the visuals are all extremely close to the chest for the pop star. The most personal and raw she's been in her career. Stripped down and pure to emotion. The film adds an entirely new level to the music matching its ferocity, despair, and inner peace journey Beyoncé takes us through. The content hit me on a personal level, mostly from a marital and parental point of view. Listening, seeing, and feeling her ultimate message on marriage, love, and parenting had me sobbing and reflecting how grateful I am for the life I have with my wife and children.

05. Train to Busan

Just when I thought I was bored of zombies, "Train to Busan" comes along and proves me wrong. It might legitimately be my favorite zombie outbreak movie ever. It has a super simple setup with great connectable characters and just chugs full-steam ahead for a totally effective ride (pardon the bad yet necessary pun). A big part of why it works so well is its setting. The train allows the film to feel confined and panic inducing but at same time allows for the idea of hope with each new train station they approach. For a horror film, it is an exceptionally well-rounded. Heart-pounding and terrifying, there's moments of hilarity to alleviate the looming burden of fear, and it unexpectedly hits multiple compelling emotional strides through its main characters protecting and turning on each other. Speaking of turning, watching people turn to zombie in this film is wickedly amusing and once the transformation is complete there is an instantaneous onset of restlessness and hold your breath trepidation. This is one I'll be re-watching more than I should, not to mention one I'll share with any and every so-called zombie fan I come across.

04. Green Room

"Green Room" is the most taut film I watched in 2016. The horror film directed by Jeremy Saulnier follows an East Coast punk band on tour that gets in over their heads after playing a non-scheduled gig at a skinhead venue. What follows is white-knuckle tension at its finest. It is also a perfect reminder that horror movies don't always have to include zombies, paranormal demons, or psychotic killers. They can feature everyday humans that blend into the fabrics of our society and still be just as frightening and gory. Skinheads, who are immediately repulsing and probably aren't a group most of us run into on a regular basis, but they are out there menacing Americans nonetheless. Like most of the other movies in this year's list, the plot is very simple and very straightforward. Trapped in a room surrounded by people who want to kill you, how do you get out? It is a nice change of pace watching a horror movie like Green Room and not questioning every move the assailed make. Why did you go up stairs? Why didn't you run? etc. etc. This movie has its audience so ripe with fear there's never enough time to overthink what's happening or what could have been done different. The audience instead is solely worried about the future of the main characters. Lastly, we can take a little solace in the fact that one of Anton Yelchin's final performances is one of his best.

03. Arrival

Communication is important. Communication is extremely important. "Arrival" illustrates how important communication is through an alien invasion. Being about communication it's not an alien invasion like you'd think. There's no fighting, just talking. Understanding or trying to come to an understanding between two species from two different planets. At the same time it is a beautiful allegory about communication here on our own planet, between our own people, and resolving conflicts between the many nations. What makes this film so special is its layers. Using the easy onion analogy, this film has a lot layers just like an onion. Surface layer is an alien invasion. Below that is a layer about global communication. Under that is a layer about human understanding. The next layer reveals unconditional love. Another layer is about the harmony and balance in our collective lives. These many layers all blend together while working individually. It is absolutely poetic. All that and I haven't even mentioned the aliens, which are incredibly cool. Director Dennis Villeneuve does an impeccable job teaching the audience about the aliens little by little. At the start they are entirely menacing. Their presence would leave anyone shaking with fear. Slowly that fear is replaced with approachability and understanding, soon the alien species feels relatable. Arrival is the best alien encounter movie since "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."

02. Hell or High Water

This is Robin Hood set in modern day West Texas. An authentic look at big money and big oil and how they've preyed on families living on oil rich soil across America. It's the little man sticking it to them through a series of thrilling bank heists. It is also a beautiful tale of brotherhood between two brothers and comradery among two Texas Rangers. It features my favorite performances by an entire cast in 2016. Chris Pine, Jeff Bridges, Ben Foster, and Gil Birmingham all vanish into their roles. Chris Pine in particular earned new respect from me. He delivers his most meaningful performance to date and makes you forget he's mostly done nothing but major studio fare. Taylor Sheridan's script and director David Mackenzie cover racial bickering between two Texas Rangers in a way that isn't offensive, yet it remains a glaring personification of the generational racism in our country. It is a balancing act that they pull off in a very nonchalant fashion. Truth be told the exchanges between Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham are side-splitting funny. Hell or High Water is the best example in 2016 of movie that excels at every fundamental of filmmaking.

01. Sing Street

"Sing Street" is a endearing coming of age movie as well as a history lesson of pop music progression in the 1980s all wrapped into one. The simple setup follows an Irish teen who is moved into a new school and starts a band to impress a girl he has a crush on. It is about finding yourself and finding the best in others. It is about friendship and brotherhood. It is about following your dreams. It is the most upbeat movie of 2016 and puts a smile on my face every time I watch it, think about it, or sing along to its soundtrack. Sing Street furthermore has the best soundtrack of the year both in original songs and licensed material like Duran Duran's "Rio." It is pure happiness.

There you have my Top 10 of 2016. What were your favorites in 2016? Oh and last but not least, happy movie watching in 2017!

Thoughts on Batman v Superman

2016-04-08T20:38:00.001-07:00

For better or worse "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" is out. People around the world have had a chance to see it and react to it. Critics have been very harsh on it while general audiences have given it more favorable scores. As you may have guessed reading this post I too felt like putting my opinion out into the fray. I don't write regularly like I did a few years back for many reasons, yet BvS has left me compelled to get my thoughts out on the film as well as the universe DC and Warner Brothers have built with two films now under the direction of Zack Snyder. Everything below includes massive spoilers, so if you haven't seen the film you may want to steer clear from this post. This is something to read and enjoy following your own viewing(s). This conversation will continue in my own draft but this is how I feel after having seen Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice three times.

First and foremost I gotta say I really enjoyed my experience with this movie. Like so many others I had very high hopes for BvS. Reactions from critics and a few close friends who saw it before I got a chance to led me to adjust my expectations. Expectations really can damage your experience when you set them too high. You set yourself up to be let down. It is real easy to do with beloved characters like Batman and Superman, two characters people hold very close to their hearts. People, myself being one of them, can put themselves in a position to expect too much. This is why I often have to remind myself to watch a movie for what it is, not what I wanted it to be.

Seeing the movie, I had probably the perfect situation, although it didn't initially feel that way. Our family had a vacation planned to New York City to see our oldest son perform at Carnegie Hall with his High School Wind Ensemble in his Senior year. Eeek! What a experience. Downside, it is same time as BvS was set to release.You may be asking where my priorities were, but come on this is Batman fighting Superman! My initial thought was to see BvS before flying out on our red eye to NYC on Thursday night March 24th, but it just wouldn't work. We wouldn't make our flight. Instead we opted to wait till Easter Sunday 27th to see it while in NYC at the second largest IMAX screen in North America at Lincoln Square. An added bonus, Lincoln Square would be running a 70mm IMAX print of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. In the digital age seeing a 70mm print feels like finding a four leaf clover. Plus seeing the highly anticipated movie while on vacation allowed our family some freedom with our reactions. If we all loved it, cool. Then we could all go see more of NYC. If we all hated it, oh well, we could quickly forget about it and go see more of NYC. It was a win win situation being in such a busy city with so much history to see and experience.

My short assessment of the film -- All the right pieces are there, they just are not put together correctly. BvS has huge heroic moments, HUGE. It is has simple motivations that are easily identifiable. It builds off what we already know. It is grim, burden heavy, and layered with dark undertones. DC feels set to tell the burden of being a hero in contrast to Marvel, who is sticking to the fun of it. A contrast that I am very engaged to see play out. Ultimately the film is a success, it just has a few nasty scrapes and bruises that some may not be able to overlook. As for me, take all my money, I'm so ready for more!

*MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD -- READ ONLY IF YOU'VE SEEN THE MOVIE*

This is a Batman movie that happens to use events from "Man of Steel" as its jumping off point. It is not a sequel to Man of Steel. Well that's not true, it is a sequel in the fact that all the characters from Man of Steel are in the movie. At the same time it is not a sequel to MoS, because Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman is a supporting character the entire feature. Like I said, this is a Batman movie that happens to use events from "Man of Steel" as its jumping off point. It is Bruce Wayne and Batman's point of view. Starting with the opening sequence. Taking us back (once again) to the death of Bruce Wayne's parents in a dream sequence. Director Zack Snyder immediately puts his undeniable visual style on display. The opening dream sequence feels like a flashing sign warning people what they are in for, "Be warned, this is a Zack Snyder film and he won't let you forget it!" What's important is the purpose of the dream sequence. It is simple way to plant a seed that will blossom later in the feature.

"THE WORLD MEETS SUPERMAN." The words flash on screen with a certain impact that feels like a punch to the stomach. The audience immediately recognizes we are seeing the Kal-El and Zod fight that destroyed a huge chunk of Metropolis at the end of MoS. This time it is all centered from Bruce Wayne's perspective. This is one of the more thrilling sequences in BvS. Everything from the visuals to Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL's bombastic score add to the impact. The scene was heavily teased in marketing, whether it be trailers or car commercials for the all new JEEP Renegade. Regardless of ads, the scene still holds tremendous weight. The audience gets to see a heroic Bruce Wayne maneuver through the destruction of Metropolis trying to reach Wayne Tower only to see it crumble in the wake of the Kal-El/Zod fight. The destruction caused by these two alien beings pushes Bruce Wayne to become fueled with anger, "bat-mad" if you will. He demands revenge for what has happened.

It should be noted that the first 20 minutes is all re-hash of established material. First being the death of Bruce Wayne's parents which has been done in numerous comics and feature films. The second being the Zod event established in Man of Steel. What is different is the perspective, again, it is all from Bruce Wayne's point of view.

The Zod event in Man of Steel changed the DC comic book world we have known. This is something audiences need to realize and move on versus repeatedly complain about. Their cinematic universe, like I said earlier, is focused on the burden of being a hero. The Zod event is a vessel of that debate. In MoS Clark Kent began a journey towards becoming Superman. That journey was delayed by the Zod event. Clark was forced to fight an alien being from his home planet that he is only beginning to learn about. This is a much younger and inexperienced Superman than we've ever seen on screen before. I don't like calling him Superman yet, to me he's still just Clark. He hasn't embodied what his Kryptonian father set out for him to do. He's still learning. His growth was stunted by Zod. Zod comes to Earth hellbent on finding the Codex and recreating Krypton on Earth. A plan that would kill every human on the planet. Clark is forced to confront and kill Zod in order to save humanity on Earth. Their fight is epic and sees the kind of destruction Americans can only relate with the 9/11 tragedy.

What I find interesting is how the Zod event has been perceived by audiences and the characters within the DC universe. At its core, Zod comes to Earth to end our known humanity, Clark aka Superman stops that, yet he's blamed for not saving everyone. There was collateral damage. Again he stops planet Earth from being destroyed, but doesn't save everyone so people are furious. The "Superman would have saved everyone argument" is a fantasy. It comes from people who probably only have seen the Richard Donner Superman movies and haven't read the comics. It is something that DC isn't concerned in telling us. At least not yet. I do believe we will get a true blue heroic Superman, but it is gonna be a while before we get there. He needs age. He needs history. He needs a legacy. He needs to become a bit of a veteran first. This is also why I believe Man of Steel was titled Man of Steel and not "Superman" because he's not Superman yet. Furthermore, this again isn't a Superman movie despite his name in the title, it is Bruce Wayne's. It is Batman's movie. Who has a legacy. He has a 20-year career. He is a veteran. A veteran who has changed over the years. He's hardened watching as new criminals sprout up like weeds.

The Zod event creates the same motivation for both Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne. Superman represents something they can't control. They each have a god complex and desperately feel like they need control. They HAVE TO find a way to control Superman. Liken it to the United States controlling other countries in the name of protecting our own freedom. What separates Luthor and Wayne is revenge. This isn't about revenge to Luthor. Luthor isn't concerned with the devastation the Zod event created, but more so that it represents something he can't control. Lex will do anything to have that control, and the easiest route to that control is killing Superman err Clark. This alien being represents the only obstacle Lex faces from having his believed world domination. Throughout the feature he is framing Superman and trying to tarnish his image. Luthor wants to strip away how Superman is viewed as a savoir and replace it with fear and anger. Turn a god into a devil if you will. Once his name is tarnished enough, Lex wants to ultimately kill Superman using Kryptonite recovered near the destroyed World Engine in the Indian Ocean.

Let's talk more about Lex Luthor. His character represents the problematic areas of BvS, yet I still really like what the filmmakers and Jesse Eisenberg went for. The negative, Luthor is too much of a puppet master here. He has his hands on nearly everything happening in the two and a half-hour movie. He controls Senators and other Heads of State. He knows who Batman is. He knows who Superman is. He's discovered the Meta-Humans (Aquaman, Cyborg, the Flash, and Wonder Woman). He even appears to have created an insignia for each of the Meta-Humans. He knows way too much. He's pulling the strings on tarnishing Superman's name/legacy. Hell, he's the reason Batman and Superman ultimately fight. He creates Doomsday. He's the link to more baddies that are now on their way. Most of the of ways Luthor is pulling the strings I can tolerate, but some of it is just lazy storytelling. Maybe not so much lazy, just bad. Lex doesn't need to be the reason Batman and Superman fight. Batman already has plenty of reasoning on his own.

The positive side of Lex Luthor. He represents the unfortunate inequality of power in the United States. He represents the ginormous gap between the rich and poor. He illustrates how much power or control the wealthy have within our country. How the wealthy can sway our leaders through their wallets. Luthor is the embodiment of right wing war hawk Republicans who have used events like 9/11 to strip away unalienable rights in the sake of protecting our freedoms. Think of the Patriot Act, a bill which allowed the United States the power to tap any phone they wanted, all for the sake of security. A bill that we've seen applied to other comic book movies too like "Captain America: Winter Soldier" and even before in "The Dark Knight." I love seeing America's political spectrum play out in the DC universe on screen. It makes sense and feels authentic to our current climate. More importantly I appreciate how quickly we've moved into this territory. In contrast we are 13 movies into the Marvel cinematic universe and we are barely going to see a similar situation play out from devastation that happened in movie 6, 9, and 11 (respectively The Avengers, Captain America: Winter Soldier, and The Avengers: Age of Ultron). Zack Snyder didn't turn away from the complaints over all the destruction caused in Man of Steel he wisely used them as motivations moving forward.

Moving on to Bruce Wayne. Like I setup earlier, he is driven by revenge from the Zod event. Wayne witnessed the power of Superman and wrongly fears it. Wayne explains to Alfred, "He has the power to wipe out the entire human race and if we believe that there's even a one-percent chance he is our enemy, we have to take it as an absolute certainty." Wayne desperately needs control. It doesn't matter to him that Superman saved the planet from Zod's plan. From his perspective, that alien poses a threat he cannot control and he must remedy that any way he can. His solution, kill Superman.

In order to kill Superman Bruce Wayne will need to find his weakness. Something that is unclear throughout the film, does Wayne knows how to kill Superman from the start or if he learns it from Lex Luthor's vault of endless files. Early on in the story Wayne tells Alfred he is looking for a smuggler trying to bring a dirty bomb into Gotham, later Wayne reveals that smuggler and dirty bomb are Lex Luthor and Kryptonite. It is clear he uses his detective skills to discover the smuggler is Luthor but there is no indication if he knew the dirty bomb was actually Kryptonite the whole time. Which raises a larger question, if Wayne didn't know it was Kryptonite, how was he planning to kill Superman? Wayne is one of the best detectives in the world. He has the tech and the gadgetry at his disposal to easily shown him explicitly learn that Kryptonite can kill this alien race. There's a scene to this effect for Lex Luthor. Why not Wayne? It would have made a lot more sense to have Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor simultaneously looking for Kryptonite versus him seemingly stumbling upon this information while looking for something else. Ultimately Wayne's detective work is different in Snyder's universe. Hunting down KGBeast all we see is Wayne using a cell phone. Feels more blunt and stunted to some degree. He is still hi-tech, using gadgets and decrypting, but instead of feeling like detective work, it's like your friend directing you to the bathroom.

Bruce Wayne / Batman is handled fairly well. Don't think it is crazy to say that Ben Affleck could quite easily be my favorite actor as Batman since Michael Keaton. I thoroughly enjoyed all his dream/nightmare sequences. They offered Easter Eggs that really worked and didn't feel tacked on (much like the Meta-Human files sequence does). Plus they teased a future for DC without having to have use post-credit sequences. Something that DC seems to be purposefully doing in contrast to Marvel. Pleased we have an aged Batman. This allows him to be weathered. There's wisdom in his 20-year career as a vigilante. He's seen his partner, Robin, die at the hands of the Joker. I love that Wayne clearly points out to Alfred, "We have always been criminals," meaning Batman is no saint in this universe. He's much darker than we've seen him on screen before, but let's be real, not on the page. His tactics may have also turned darker with his age. For instance the bat-brand. In the film we learn he uses a brand on his victims. A news anchor stresses, the brand equals death in prison. Reminds me of government officials not afraid to use torture in finding Osma Bin Laden. The end justifies the means argument. At this point in his career, Wayne feels a good outcome excuses any wrongs done to achieve that good. So when we see him flying the Batwing or driving the Batmobile and he's firing on enemies, those deaths to Wayne are warranted. It is very minor but I also really dig the decision to refer to Batman as the Bat. Perry White is the only character to ever refer to him as "Batman" and even he only says it once.

Complaints that Batman kills in BvS? Having seen the film three times now I'm fairly certain Batman does not directly kill anyone outside of in a nightmare sequence. In the kick-ass Martha rescue sequence, he is certainly vicious, but he doesn't outright kill any of the assailants. I've heard mention of both the Batmobile and Batwing sequences. Batman is certainly firing on Luthor's thugs, but it is all off-screen deaths. There's been implied deaths at the hands of the Batmobile and Batwing before Snyder's version. Burton's Batman dropped bombs and fired gatling guns at Joker's thugs. Nolan's Batman may have shows restraint playing chicken with the Joker and not firing on him, but elsewhere in the that trilogy Batman inexplicably kills plenty of people. Pointing it out now comes across as either lack of knowledge of the character or you just want to create more reasons to not like this movie. Personally, I was far more concerned that Batman really doesn't have any hero (in suit) moments till the Doomsday fight. Worse in that fight he basically hangs out under a rock until he shoots his last Kryptonite gas grenade at Doomsday. Batman should have instead been helping out his new super friends as they fight Doomsday. Throw a batarang or something, sheesh!

Let's spend a little time on Clark Kent. Zack Snyder and others have gone out of their way to make Lois Lane the center of Clark's universe. He will keep her safe at any cost. This shows a couple of things. First, he's young and NOT Superman yet. Second, Clark hasn't gotten over letting his father die. MoS establishes the Kents teach Clark to hide his identity (which he mostly does until Zod forces him out). In the face of a tornado, Jonathan Kent holds his hand up and tells Clark, "No!," because he didn't want the world to know. The Kent's knew that the world wouldn't accept him. Clark doesn't want to cope with losing another person he loves so dearly. He'd be losing one of the only other people in the world who knows he's Superman. Clark is still learning. He is still understanding death. He's learning the burden that comes with being a hero. Much like the new scene with Pa Kent in BvS. In a vision Jonathan Kent tells his son Clark about a heroic moment he had growing up. He tells Clark how saving their farm from a flood led to another farm being swallowed up by the very same flood. The lesson has been largely disregarded and snickered at by critics but the importance is there staring us all in the face. Being a hero takes hard decisions. Some of these decisions will not make everyone happy. Clark is really wrestling with this. He's experienced it first hand. He saved humanity from Zod but was blamed for all the collateral damage. Doing what is right isn't easy and for Clark, who is more human than Kryptonian, coming to peace with that is what we are watching play out on screen. He'll get there, we just need a bit of patience.

Something to add here, this universe is being established at a very low point. Lowest we've seen in comic book movies maybe? The characters are not in any regard happy about their value/position. Take Wayne, he's established as a pretty sour man, and for good reason. His partner was killed, he's spent 20 years fighting crime as a vigilante and isn't satisfied with the results. In one scene we see him wake up and search for a gulp of alcohol. Wayne is at his lowest. Clark too. All he cares about is Lois, he says so a couple times in the movie. His actions however, at least he's saving people around the globe. A montage that I actually really dug. Although, what was with the ship he was pulling? That ship looked like a wreck from the bottom of the ocean. I didn't understand what exactly he was saving there. Regardless of his actions, Clark remains confused how the world has reacted to him. He's doing his absolute best saving humanity and it is not enough for the world, so they point their unappreciative fingers making him the bad guy.

Remember Clark is mostly human sans the powers. His brain and heart are human. The human reaction to all this hate aimed at you when you are doing your best is more than likely negative. We see that struggle in Clark. Finding the balance will eventually lead us to the Superman you've expected from the onset. One can only assume that Zack Snyder wanted to start low with these characters so we can watch them rise. Kind of a nice thing to look forward to also. I'm all in favor of improvement and progress over the course of the universe.

Lois Lane is a mess. The film opens with her stating "I am journalist not a woman" yet 30 seconds later we are back to the Richard Donner Superman movies with her always being saved at any cost. Snyder ineffectively tries to establish Lane as a strong female character but he gives us mixed messages. For instance, in the tub? Really? Did we need nude Lois Lane? Throwing Lois in the tub following a powerful line like "I am journalist not a woman" is a sucker punch. Reminds me of how the world perceives women. You can be a journalist BUT we need you to be beautiful, also we want to see you compromised, you don't mind right? Lane is saved three times in one movie. It goes to show how extremely lazy the film is at times despite being an overall success.

As lazy as BvS can be, the film is also just as over complicated. Let's use Africa as our example since I was just talking Clark Kent and Lois Lane. This sequence is our first reminder that BvS will heavily feature Superman saving Lois Lane at any cost. Lois Lane is investigating an African warlord. She's transported (alongside Jimmy Olsen) to a secret location for an interview. Upon arrival it is revealed that Olsen had a tracking device in his camera revealing their whereabouts to the CIA. Olsen is immediately killed. Following Olsen's death soldiers, more like henchmen, kill everybody outside of Lane and the warlord. Sorry for all you Superman fans that were hoping to see Jimmy Olsen and Clark Kent have banter in future movies, doesn't look like it'll happen. Anyways, moments later Lois Lane has a gun to her head and then you know who shows up. Superman has a stand off with the warlord and knocks him through a brick wall saving Lois from a gunshot to the cranium. We then cut to a Senate hearing where an African woman is explaining how Superman is somehow at fault. Story does a poor job of clarifying what the public is being told. Whether Superman kills the warlord so in turn the warlord's soldiers kill the rest of the villagers OR Superman killed the villagers? The audience clearly sees killing begin BEFORE Superman shows up yet the story wants you to believe he's somehow to blame and it just doesn't jive. We later learn that Africa was designed by Luthor and it was part of his plan to tarnish Superman's image as a savior or a god. It is just over complicated where it doesn't need to be.

A huge portion of the movie that could be cut from the film is the Daily Planet. Clark's story line there is useless. Perry wants him to write about football while Clark wants to do a piece on Gotham's vigilante "The Bat." This research is somehow supposed to give Clark motivation to fight Batman later but it doesn't. Instead it goes nowhere. Lane's side story (the recovered bullet from Africa linking Lex Luthor) is also useless outside of showing Luthor's overarching control in government. One thing that I did like about the Daily Planet sequences, Perry White. He has an exchange with Clark that was a perfect representation of why we haven't seen the Superman everybody expected. He says, "This isn't 1938. Apples don't cost a nickel and the WPA isn't hiring." He's referencing the Great Depression, when Superman was created. A time when people needed a perfect hero. A cookie cutter hero that embodied American values. Something optimistic and peppy in the face of all the harsh times around them. It is a stark reminder this is 2016, the world doesn't allow for perfect heroes anymore. Don't believe that, ask yourself why "Deadpool" is such a hit?

Senator Finch represented a cool idea that we didn't get to see play out. Maybe Superman shouldn't save lives? Raises questions we'd hear in our current political climate. She's the opposing point of view to Lex and Wayne, she wants to talk with Superman. It's too bad we aren't allowed to see where that could have led. Snyder instead uses her to fuel Lex's power. There's complaints over why Superman doesn't recognize the bomb at the Senate hearing and I feel that is complaint is reaching. The easy answer is because his powers are not all on, all the time. They may have been when he was a child, think to the scene in MoS in school, but Clark has learned to refine his powers, control them. More importantly, Superman is actually concerned with how he comes across to the public more than he is safety in that moment. It is also a reminder he's flawed. He's not centered. His burden is on his chest. The scene allows the planet to recognize Superman's fears. They clearly identify Superman didn't blow up the Senate, it was a bomb. Makes him less god-like. Following the attack Superman flees and talking heads ask, "Where is Superman? Why isn't he helping?" Lex has chipped even further away at Superman being a savior to the world. Lex wins here.

Let's get into the title card, where Batman and Superman supposedly duke it out. Earlier I mentioned Lex Luthor being the ultimate reason Batman and Superman fight is not just lazy, but bad. It really is my biggest problem in the movie. That said, if you eliminate Lex from being the one forcing them to fight you remove something that I really loved. "Save Martha." Batman and Superman are forced to fight because Lex Luthor has kidnapped Clark's mother, Martha Kent and will kill her if Superman doesn't bring Lex the head of Batman. Why Luthor wants the head of Batman we can get into later. Superman instead goes to Batman and tries to convince him to help save Martha, but Batman is still batmad over the Zod event and instead he continues antagonizing Superman. Sadly it never feels like two guys fighting. Instead it feels like one guy pushing around another guy who keeps saying, "I don't want to fight you." In other words the payoff isn't as dazzling as we'd all hoped. What dazzled me is what stops their fight. Clark utters the word "Martha." Surprise surprise both Batman and Superman have moms named Martha. I know people found this to be eye rolling but I sobbed. Not just shed a tear, but full-on crying. Emotional tears streaming down my face. What boy doesn't love his mother? Using a motherly link between these two icons felt at the very humanity of us all. Only way to end Bruce Wayne's rage was to recall his mother. Beautiful to the core. Absolutely loved this moment which leaves me twisted. On one hand I think Lex puppeteering this showdown is awful and on the other I was again, very emotional about this endearing moment.

Here's what I would have done; Luthor has no hand in Batman and Superman fighting. Batman instead kidnaps Lois Lane forcing Superman into a fight. It would be easy to show Wayne recognizing that Superman will drop anything to save Lane (Africa sequence). Clark shows up and unsuccessfully stresses he doesn't want to fight Batman. Batman insinuates that he's tortured Lois in order to instigate a real fight and Superman takes the bait. As the fight progresses, Superman gets further irritated by Batman's use of Kryptonite pushing the fight to get vicious. Both men are enraged and can't see past their own fury until Lex unleashes Doomsday forcing them to drop their beef and focus on Doomsday instead. That leaves us able to still get to Wayne trusting Superman in the final act after sacrificing himself versus Doomsday to save humanity.

Doomsday sucks, but so does his comic counterpart. He's designed to do one thing, kill Superman. People that have questioned his drive or motivation, why is he rampaging? He is Zod's reanimated corpse, a being who swore to Kal-El he'd kill him to save the Codex. Zod was created, more rather, designed and modified to protect the Codex in MoS. Lex reanimating his body would trigger the same motivations. We can infer that Lex also told the ship how to modify Zod's corpse once in that ooze. Something simple as "destroy," but there's no outright moment leaving his motivations in question. Doomsday is a bland humanoid with no unit? Not that I needed to see a unit, it is just weird. Is he an Orc? Is he a Ninja Turtle? Is he Supreme Leader Snoke? Very poor design. Left me feeling like Weta Digital didn't put their full efforts into the design and he was done in haste. Not only is Doomsday poorly designed, most of the fight is just a lot of CGI and feels like a four-walled green screen world. It mostly washes over with no impact. Electricity everywhere, explosions, laser eye blasts, yet it is a yawn.

What's not a yawn, Wonder Woman fighting Doomsday. It is the highlight of the bout. Using her power bracelets to deflect Doomsday's blasts really got my blood pumping. Her getting knocked back and looking like it excited her is a such a huge heroic moment I let out an audible cheer along with a "fuck yeah" fist pump. Wonder Woman's powers are evident and I loved seeing her in action. Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL's music for her also really elevates this moment to an unforgettable level. Seeing the DC Trinity (Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman) standing together ready to face-off with Doomsday is also cheer inducing moment, however it could have been even more powerful had WB's marketing department not spoiled the shot in trailers and TV spots. As I said earlier, sadly Batman hangs out under a rock for too much of this fight while Wonder Woman and Superman do all the heavy lifting.

Must mention the Kryptonite spear Bruce Wayne crafts in order to kill Superman. First, it looks like the half-eaten lollipop staff Vitruvius carries around in "The Lego Movie." Second, Bruce Wayne steals the biggest chunk of Kryptonite Earth has discovered and he chooses to create a spear? Huh, seems like an odd choice for a high-tech gadget vigilante to create an archaic spear a caveman could craft out of stone. Third, the minute Wayne reveals the spear you immediately realize this is the tool that will ultimately kill Doomsday. Sadly that realization doesn't hit the super friends until quite a bit of destruction has gone down in Metropolis and Gotham. Destruction of course in desolate areas of Gotham and Metropolis. Fourth, no one ever uses the spear like you would use a spear, meaning no one ever throws it. Well that's not true, people throw it, they throw it away only to later retrieve it. Then there's Lois Lane and the spear. This sequence is tedious. First she throws it away because it is weakening Superman, then she has to go find it because she's realized it is the only way to kill Doomsday. Then of course we have to get all Richard Donner again and have Superman save Lois while she's recovering the spear. Like I said, tedious especially being such a simple archaic tool.

The Nuke. During the early stages of the Doomsday fight, Superman carries Doomsday out of Earth's orbit into space. As they leave the planet the United States wrestles with if they should fire a nuclear weapon at the two Kryptonians. They don't wrestle with the decision for very long because within a span of less than 90 seconds America fires a nuke at Superman and Doomsday. Crazy to think how quickly they do this. It stays inline with the dark undertones this universe has established, plus illustrates the lack of compassion the United Stated has for a being that saved the planet a short 18 months prior.

A minor thing noticed during the Doomsday fight. This DC Cinematic Universe has established Metropolis as Manhattan and Gotham as Brooklyn, in other words right across the East Hudson River from each other. Very weird to make the DC Universe seem so small. I'd always seen Gotham as Chicago and Metropolis as Manhattan. Places with some space between them but I guess that won't be the case here.

Diana Prince (she's never called Wonder Woman), as the film explains, she resurfaces after almost 100 years of hiding in order to recover a picture of herself taken in 1918. Wait, what? For a picture? If she doesn't resurface the picture has no validity. It's been almost 100 years. Life expectancy is no where near that, so why resurface? The answer is so that WB and DC sell tickets for her stand-alone movie due out next year in 2017. Also so we can see the Trinity fight together. Wanting them to stand together before the Justice League movie makes all the sense in the world, but her specific reasoning in BvS for resurfacing is laughable and hard to defend. She doesn't resurface for Meta-Humans? She doesn't resurface for Doomsday? She resurfaces for a picture. Weird. Needed better construction.

Meta-Humans. BvS does establish Aquaman, Cyborg, and the Flash. The three out of the six members we will see Batman recruit in the Justice League movie due out in 2017. The introduction of these characters is handled pretty weakly. Wanye steals information from Luthor, within the information stolen he discovers a series of files containing key information about four Meta-Humans. Files? Couldn't there have been a better way introduce these heroes? Funnier is that it appears Lex created logos for each the Metahumans. Also odd is the way the sequence unfolds. It happens in the build-up of the two big final fights. Batman versus Superman and the Trinity versus Doomsday. Wayne sends Diana Prince the files and before she decides to suit up and join in the fight she reviews these files. Cyborg's setup was my favorite. It shows us the Power Cube. An object that is linked back to Darkseid but also gives Cyborg his powers.

The Flash and Aquaman are easier to nitpick. Flash isn't in any type of suit in the files stolen from Luthor and Aquaman just stares at camera for 30 seconds before swimming off similar to how Superman flies. I want to also talk about the Flash dream Wayne has while decrypting Lex's files. Technically it is not a dream, because Wayne wakes up and see's instead a vision? That's what I'll call it. In the vision Allen yells at Wayne, "You were right about him. Lois is the key." This sequence is there to do two things, confuse us but to also give us a bit of a tease. My brain immediately thought about the recent DC comic run of Injustice: Gods Among Us. In that series the Joker destroys Metropolis and tricks Superman into killing Lois Lane. Following these actions Superman kills the Joker and establishes a world government that he is at the head of leading to Batman calling upon members of the Justice League. Will that come into play following Barry Allen's warning to Bruce Wayne? Will they kill Lois Lane in future? Make Superman go crazy? Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Only time will tell. What is certain, like I said much earlier on in this piece, I appreciate DC trying to set themselves apart from Marvel with no post-credit sequences. To that point, this vision worked a lot better than the Meta-Human files sequence which felt abrupt and lumped in.

Last up, the death of Superman. Something we all should of seen coming the minute Doomsday was revealed in the marketing. Clark sacrifices himself for humanity by killing Doomsday with the Kryptonite spear. I joked earlier that no one throws the spear and I stand by that, but I did like the visual of Clark struggling to fly towards Doomsday with the spear in hand. It also allowed Bruce Wayne full recognition that he doesn't need to fear Superman. That one percent is wiped away. By the end of the feature there's quite a few funeral processions, enough you could count on at least one hand. The death of Superman could also lead us much closer to a true heroic character fans have been longing for. Fingers crossed we won't have to suffer through the black suit upon his return in "Justice League: Part I."

So there you go, there's my full thoughts on BvS. Like I said earlier, all the right pieces are there, they just are not put together correctly. Despite having plenty to gripe or pick part I really do like this movie as a building block for the DC cinematic universe. I do believe people's expectations were too high, but in the context of how deep rooted these two heroes are rooted into American culture it makes sense. They are staples, icons. They stand at the peak of mainstream awareness. That awareness created a level of anticipation/expectations that was difficult to match. Making it even harder, having a polarizing director like Zack Snyder at the helm. His name and vision insights division among fans. One thing about Snyder that is crystal clear, he pours himself into these movies. You can see his passion all over it and I'm so ready for more.

That's not all. Checkout Top 5 Film Ep. 104 - Martha, Martha, Martha for more insight on Batman v Superman:Dawn of Justice. Fire back in the comment section below too, I'd love to hear your thoughts on BvS as well.

Top 10 of 2015

2016-01-10T11:46:00.000-08:00

We all have our own rules or qualifications for a year-end list and mine are pretty simple; a film must have had a limited release in New York and Los Angeles for consideration. Yes, this qualification leaves out films ONLY having runs at film festivals or foreign titles that have yet to find U.S. distribution within the calendar year. In 2015 I watched 320 movies, 106 of which are eligible to be included in this list by the qualifications listed above.

Honorable Mentions: ‘71, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, A Hard Day, Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, and Sicario

10. Tangerine

On paper this flick is a gimmick. Why? Because it is shot entirely on a Apple iPhone 5S. Watching it however, you realize it is so much more than just a gimmick. First, it is portrait of friendship. A buddy comedy between two girlfriends living within a subculture of transgender sextrade in Los Angeles. That sentence will turn off a few cinema goers, however this film is no different than any other buddy comedy. Well, that’s not entirely true, the acts on display within the film may go past your individual boundaries, yet the human emotions on display are 100% the same. Speaking to the comedy, Kitana Kiki Rodriguez is a riot as the co-lead Sin-Dee; a hooker who finds out that her pimp/boyfriend has been cheating on her while she was in jail. Rodriguez brings an energy to Tangerine that can only be described as raw. She pushes the story along with flare that you just can’t take your eyes off of. Her co-star Mya Taylor playing Alexandra is no slouch either. Taylor plays off Rodriguez’s energy in a way that makes the two friends immediately feel familiar to the audience. You can inference their storied history together and that bond gives the feature a level of authenticity not easily created. Second, Tangerine is a portrait of sexuality. The film is unafraid. It is shocking and sincere. One thing I really liked about the direction of the film is it’s breakneck pace, however director Sean Baker knows when to slow things down and take a beat or two. Walking away those moments are the most meaningful to fleshing out the story. Making the movie into to more than just hooker buddy comedy filmed on Santa Monica Boulevard.

09. Bone Tomahawk

Two genres of movies I adore are Horror and Western, put them together and you have a recipe for my interest. Add Kurt Russell and now we are really talking. Bone Tomahawk is perfect blend of authenticity and myth. On the authentic side, the easiest thing to point out is the dialogue. Writer and director S. Craig Zahler went above and beyond penning a script that sounds right out of the 19th century. Dialogue so good that I had to write down numerous lines. Stuff like, “Quiet, mention horses again and I’ll slap you red!” and “It would be mighty nice if the family of the people he killed could watch him go purple on the rope.” Dialogue isn’t the only thing that feels authentic in Bone Tomahawk, briefly, the film follows four men as they ride to rescue a group of captives from cannibals. Their adventure is patient, wise, and steadfast. As these four men push forward tracking the cannibals back to their dwellings the audience feels their plight. Their journey is treacherous and nerve racking at every step. It helps that Zahler filled his cast with actors like Matthew Fox, Patrick Wilson, and Richard Jenkins who can really chew on the excellent dialogue and round out the characters. Russell and Jenkins in particular are highlights of the movie. Russell brings heroism while Jenkins peppers in wisdom and comic relief. Onto the myth of Bone Tomahawk, the cannibals within the film are handled with the utmost precision. They are absolutely terrifying. Zahler builds the tension very effectively between the fear inducing cannibals and the four men tracking them. There are moments where I started holding my breath and felt like I couldn’t let go. Though the western-horror doesn’t shy away from gore, I appreciate the effort on display. It never takes the gore too far. Bone Tomahawk should be a trend setter. It reminds us there's still plenty to mine from the Western genre in film.

08. The Martian

The first science fiction movie in a really long time to make me think science is cool. That may sound stupid, but so much of the sci-fi we see in movies just seems like all-out make believe, where this movie makes the science fiction feel all so real. As the main character says in the movie, “I’m going to science the shit out of this.” Credit a big part of that to the fact this is a survival story more than a sci-fi movie, this is “Cast Away,” it just so happens to take place on Mars versus on an island. Watching as astronaut Mark Watney “science’s the shit out of this” is endlessly engaging. He figures out how to grow potatoes out of his own shit. Not only that, he figures out how to make it rain in order to grow those potatoes fertilized from his own feces. Needless to say, I was absolutely wrapped up in our castaway on Mars as he uses science to survive. Matt Damon is tremendous as Watney. Damon is someone who feels like your friend. He’s, pardon the pun, down to Earth. He’s a guy you’d want to have a beer and go to a baseball game with. More importantly you care about him and you desperately want him to get home safely. The NASA side of things in The Martian is an effective counterbalance to Watney’s white knuckle struggle for survival on Mars, specifically the emotion carried out in the effort for communication between the two of them. Again, it is nice to see real science versus imaginary being used in a science fiction tale for dramatic weight.

07. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

The Force is back and it is in the hands of a character I adore, Rey. Finally we have a female equivalent to Superman on movie screens for boys and girls, men and women alike to enjoy. It’s refreshing that the galaxy far, far away is not only representing equality, but putting equality in the front on full display. Dark were the times following the Prequels but J.J. Abrams and company have restored faith to the galaxy with The Force Awakens. He had a thankless job and did a mighty good one. Ultimately, the film is safe, which felt like a necessity after the last three Star Wars movies. At its best, the sci-fi action adventure does an able job teetering between familiar and brand new. It is a rebooted 2.0 version of the original Star Wars trilogy while also introducing new characters that have the ability to carry the franchise into the future. Abrams has time and time again shown his skill set is high with fostering characters for others to develop and The Force Awakens is just further proof. One more bit of credit I’d like to give Abrams is the cast. Everybody is spot on and I really can’t wait to see these new stars continue to shine in these enticing roles. The Force Awakens is an impressive embodiment of what blockbuster franchises have become. We don’t like that movies bleed into the next movie, even with franchise sequels we’d like the movies stand on their own, yet they don’t. Movies have morphed into simultaneously advertising for the next feature along with being its own movie and here I believe we have an impressive balance of a feature that stands on its own while also advertising for much more. Kudos to Disney for bringing a beloved franchise back into the good graces of the masses.

06. It Follows

My entry point into horror movies was the slasher era. Michael, Jason, Leatherface, Pinhead, and Freddy haunted and stimulated my youth, so I have a soft spot for slashers. Something I’ve been hoping to see revitalized in horror as of late is the slasher subgenre and thankfully writer and director David Robert Mitchell has done so with It Follows. The horror film is a near masterpiece. Mitchell sets STDs as the unstoppable killer. It is ingenious actually, a sexually transmitted disease has no bias or preference. It does not have a grudge, it is not seeking revenge, it merely wants to spread and spread and spread. David Robert Mitchell uses that idea to create an escalator of terror that elegantly creeps towards an outcome that is just as frightening as contracting a STD yourself. Bravo!

05. Creed

I grew up on Rocky. Before ever watching a real boxing match in my teens, I’d seen four Rocky movies as a kid. He’s an icon to me so when I heard they were conceiving a generational story from the world of Rocky Balboa I grew very intrigued. To be painfully honest, I never expected this feature to be very good. It is not only good, it is excellent. Creed stands toe-to-toe alongside the original 1976 “Rocky.” What is so poignant about Creed is that it fully respects there is no Creed without Rocky coming first. It comes from a perspective that not only appreciates, but admires how the generation before modeled for the next generations. Moreover Creed earns high praise for reusing the same formula Rocky did in 1976 while still feeling upgraded for a new generation. You know the material coming at you yet, writer/director Ryan Coogler handedly shows his ability to draw out the right emotions at all the right moments. One wonderful example of the upgrade is a single-take boxing match that tracks Creed into and through the fight. It is a brilliant piece of cinema that I can see influencing future filmmakers watching. Sylvester Stallone deserves a supporting nomination for his return performance as Rocky Balboa. Stallone reminds us he’s always been an actor over an action star. If Michael B. Jordan wasn’t already on your radar, he will be after seeing this movie. Jordan is beyond reproach as Adonis Creed the son of Apollo Creed. Lastly, I like to give credit to the filmmaker’s ability to simultaneously market a sequel to Creed while establishing the future in the Rocky franchise.

04. Cop Car

Biggest surprise of 2015 for me was Cop Car. A film that came out of nowhere, a flick I watched on a whim knowing nothing about it. It is a small story with huge stakes following two kids that find an abandoned cop car and decide to go for a joyride. It is a movie that I want kids and teens to see, mostly because it deals with real complexities they need to think about. Material that under the wrong eye could have quickly turned into an eye-rolling Lifetime special. Most kids wouldn’t come across these situations in real life, however that doesn’t change the fact they should still wrestle with them on their own. Cop Car see-saws between characters who are spontaneous and desperate. There’s an interesting relationship explored under the constraints of this tale and director Jon Watts keeps the audience riding a pulse of tension straight through to the credits. Actors Hays Wellford and newcomer James Freedson-Jackson bring the right energy to roles of the naive kids taking a joyride in a Sheriff’s cruiser. Their dialogue and interactions come across natural and make the film easily connectable to audiences of all ages. Kevin Bacon reminded me what a great character actor he can be. He brings an authenticity to the suspense thriller that makes the tightrope act between spontaneity and desperation unforgettable.

03. The Hateful Eight

Like the other seven, Quentin Tarantino’s eighth feature is another exceptional film to get excited about. Watching it made me think someone dared him to make a three-hour movie in vein of the bar sequence in “Inglourious Basterds,” to which Tarantino one upped them saying he’ll add the long-running joke; a White man, a Black man, and a Mexican walk into a bar. Most notable in is the tension that is created solely through dialogue. Tarantino shows off once again he is a master wordsmith. Second but not any less important to Tarantino’s sensational dialogue, is the collection of characters at play within the mystery, and we probably shouldn’t forget the actors bringing them to life. Tarantino’s dialogue isn’t easy to deliver either and the cast does more than execute. Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, and Walton Goggins specifically do tremendous jobs rounding out a few of the nefarious characters. Demián Bichir is also a standout as Bob. Most of all I'd like to highlight Jennifer Jason Leigh playing the firecracker Daisy Domergue. Leigh is the pulse of Tarantino's story and she sure has a grand time beating along while the men spin their wheels round and round. Having seen the 70mm Roadshow presentation of the feature I think it’s important to point out how special it was to have an overture and intermission watching the film. It made the experience feel all the more grand. Going to the movies should be an experience and it’s special to see a director working so hard to ensure his audiences get that.

02. Mad Max: Fury Road

Still hard to believe after all these years we have a brand new Mad Max adventure, but it’s here and is it ever glorious. Mastermind George Miller returns after thirty years to his post apocalypse universe in colossal fashion. Miller has made his best installment in the franchise to date. What makes the film stand above the rest is a combination of factors, but sitting at the top like a cherry on a sundae is the woman named Furiosa, the female counterpart to Max. Furiosa is another stellar example in 2015 of real equality reaching movies. Fury Road is a healthy dose of action that we haven’t seen much of recently. It is unrelenting and full throttle for nearly the entire run of the film with a pace that hardly allows for you to catch your breath. The practical effects blended with CGI in this action adventure are remarkable. Great to see directors like George Miller, Ridley Scott, and J.J. Abrams making use of more practical effects versus more CGI. The amount of cars constructed in Fury Road is historic, what those vehicles together create on screen is unprecedented and phenomenal. Charlize Theron is the embodiment of a hero as Furiosa. Miller deserves heaps of acclaim for his ability to balance not one but two heroes without the use of much of any dialogue, instead their heroism is all done through cooperation. Tom Hardy aptly fills out the role made famous by Mel Gibson. Like a few other features within my Top 10 list, there’s a generational link that’s respectful of what came before it. Miller in Fury Road has created a hybrid of two of his previous Mad Max installments. He’s morphed “The Road Warrior” and “Beyond Thunderdome” into one perfect piece of cinema.

01. The Revenant

Where to start with Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s latest feature? I adore this western thriller on a number of levels. First of which is time period, as a New West Historian and fanatic, I was ecstatic about the prospect of this tale based on true events. Tales of what pushed and pulled American immigrants out West captivate me, and The Revenant set during the 1820s fur trade in the middle of the American wilderness would be right up my alley. Coinciding with time period is authenticity, writer/director Iñárritu worked extremely hard to ensure genuineness throughout the feature. One example is filming only with natural light, leaving the crew to have days where they were only able to film for maybe forty-five minutes to an hour. While that may sound like a tedious process, the result is stunning cinematography that has the audience nearly feeling the elements like the actors experienced. I’ve read a few dismissive pieces over the lengths the production went to maintain accuracy while filming, calling the film and actors “silly” for their approach but I wholeheartedly disagree, actors are constantly searching for authenticity in their performances. Actors ritually do character studies. They want to become the roles they take on. Now we are going to put them down for the lengths they are willing to undertake for a role? That makes no sense to me. You may scoff and say that Leonardo DiCaprio is chasing another Academy Award but remind yourself how long he’s been at this profession. One can easily infer that DiCaprio wants to challenge himself. Humans challenge themselves regularly, that’s as natural as it comes. If DiCaprio wasn’t challenging himself as an actor, that’s when we should start dismissing his craft. It only seems natural to talk about performances next. If you hadn’t guessed, Leonardo DiCaprio is outstanding. He gives the performance of his adult life. The man certainly puts every ounce of himself into the performance and I for one appreciate the work he did. Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter also deliver noteworthy portrayals. Tom Hardy does an able job playing despicable, there’s not a moment in the progression of the story where he waivers from only looking out for himself. That brings me to my next level of admiration, morality. The Revenant excels at morality so well it feels like a fable. The film’s marketing plays up revenge themes, however the lesson taught over the course of the survival story is a testament to redemption over carrying out an act of revenge. The film parades the importance of the human spirit and shadows the unimaginable grief in betrayal. For as grim and fierce as the thriller feels it is refreshing to realize it is actually a poignant and positive lesson. Beautiful.

That's it, the 10 flicks that in the calendar year of 2015 made the biggest impact on me as a movie watcher. What stood out to you in 2015? Strike back in the comments.

Thoughts on The Force Awakens

2015-12-21T20:22:00.000-08:00

There's a new Star Wars movie out if you hadn't noticed. This started simply as me keeping a running stream of my thoughts on the new Star Wars movie "The Force Awakens" but then I started thinking it would be fun to share it with others who also want to discuss and talk about the latest chapter in Star Wars and its ramification on the saga. Everything below includes massive spoilers, so if you haven't seen the film you may want to steer clear from this post, This is something to read and enjoy following your own viewing(s). Something for us fans to geek out about. Dissecting the story and supposing what may come. This conversation will continue in my own draft but this is how I feel after having seen The Force Awakens twice.

*MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD -- READ ONLY IF YOU'VE SEEN THE MOVIE*

Overall - Safe and very fun. What big budget blockbusters SHOULD feel like. Disney has done a good job in bringing back what we loved about the original Star Wars trilogy. It's big, it's bright and colorful with new characters to get excited about and old friends to give you chills. JJ balances brand new with familiar exceptionally well. Most could call this ANH carbon copy or ANH 2.0 and they wouldn't be wrong necessarily. I don't know that saying that equals something wrong for a new generation. Let's be honest, Disney has a whole new generation to get excited while simultaneously also giving old fans some good faith these movies WON'T be as bad as the prequels.

Light vs dark - Good vs evil. “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” The wrestle between fear and jealousy over patience and wisdom. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack. They are passive. This movie is wise to not explain the force but use its wrestling formula through a number of its characters; the best of which might be Kylo Ren, and Finn to a certain degree (more on that later).

JJ Abrams - JJ says in a recent EW interview, "George [Lucas] dropped you into a story and respected you to infer everything necessary to understand what you need to know.” There's a lot of questions left unanswered in The Force Awakens just like Star Wars did in '77. A movie that released in a period of stand alone films. It teased a saga (that was set in the middle of a galaxy... you get the point) but for all purposes it's a single film, difference with us is we know this is a trilogy. We are now in a period where franchises like Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, Alien, Marvel Studio films, all build off one another. Filmmakers believe that like Abram says, "the appeal is spreading the reveal across the series of films." Harry Potter, Hunger Games, the list goes on and on. JJ has done the same thing Lucas did in 1977. JJ Abrams dropped you into a story and respected you to infer everything necessary to understand what you need to know. JJ said "Everyone who has seen these movies thinks about ‘I am your father …’ and ‘There is another …But neither of those things were in [1977’s original] Star Wars. Star Wars didn’t say Luke was the son of Vader. Star Wars didn’t say Leia was the sister of Luke. You didn’t understand what these references were: the Empire, dark times, Clone Wars. There were these things that were discussed that don’t get explained." JJ has done the same thing with The Force Awakens yet people are piling on him saying it's a weak script. It has holes. Yes! It has holes, they are purposefully there. They are there to tease the next films in the trilogy. A trilogy that's established. A trilogy we've know about for years. A trilogy Disney wants to milk it for ALL it is worth. Why give it all up on the first date? Tease it.

Characters -- Light Side

Rey - The Mary Sue - I'm hearing a lot of people scream about how Luke was failable (to be clear, Lucas relied on having characters to help Luke along at every step of the way; Ben with Tuskan Raiders, in the Cantina. R2 in trash heep) Lucas did a better job utilizing the unit of characters than JJ does in regards to the lead Luke/Rey. Rey wins in every scenario (possibly because she is the ONE true person to bring balance to the galaxy) - I love that we finally have a female Superman on screen. Why is anyone bitching about that? Not naming names, a certain online ego complains about Rey being like Superman. You kinda just immediately nullified your argument by mentioning Superman. People love him. Why can't there be a female equivalent? There's no female Superman; even the female comic and now TV version is named SuperGIRL. Tying into the disposition that women are judged. There's never been one (Mary Sue) and I can list countless white male Gary Stus in cinema. Hell I don't remember many complaining of how flawless Keanu Reeves was as JOHN WICK - About being perfect, it's naive to think Rey is untrained or a n00b. Her story is hidden. She's left on on a planet to fend for herself and gains survival skills. She knows mechanics because those parts bring her the most rations. She knows of Jedi stories or myths because it's real history in HER galaxy. There was a Galactic Civil War and by the wreckage battles happened near and on her planet. Her skills are amplified because she is force sensitive and perhaps the most powerful being in the universe. She is left with Unklar Plutt as a child, Unklar Plutt owns (for the time) the Millennium Falcon. It's not that hard to conceive Rey being left with Plutt knows her way around the hunk of junk. We can infer from her knowledge of wreckage she could possibly even have a flight simulator to explain why she can fly. Despite that first flight is rough even though she pulls off some dope maneuvers. Did people question why Luke blew up the Death Star on his first flight in an X-Wing? Didn't think so. Let's not forget Rey is essentially living meagerly on a deserted planet fending for food. People complaining she's perfect, how do you feel about starving children in Africa? Is their plight super easy? People just love to find reasons to hate. Luckily Taylor Swift all gave us a quick and memorable song to sing right now. Rey is an ultimate badass and I love her. I'm undecided if it matters to me if she's Luke's daughter. My guess is she is. Does she need to be, no. Kinda lame to think all the force in galaxy seems to circulate around the Skywalker family. The prophecy doesn't specifically cite the name Skywalker... it would be okay if Rey is from her own linage that doesn't include the Skywalkers. Am I gonna be mad, when it is revealed that she's a Skywalker? No, I'm probably gonna cheer along with every other fan in the theater. That said, I'd be okay if they took the risk and furthermore I think it would be smart risk.

Poe Dameron - underwritten character or maybe just edited down to feeling that way. Oscar Issac makes this character more than likable, he makes him a new favorite despite very little screen time or connective tissue. He's got swagger and charm. His choices are off. Why does he leave Jakku? How does he know that Finn would complete his mission on Jakku? Are we to infer that he somehow got in communication with the Resistance while on Jakku and they notified him of BB-8 being spotted off Jakku at Maz's bar? This is a beat in storytelling that probably was left on the cutting room floor. Wait there's no cutting room floor anymore. It is in an edit bay or wait this was shot ON FILM, regardless of the holes in his story line, he's a dope character that I want more of.

Finn (FN2187) - off the bat I want to say that I believe the force made FN2187 not shoot anyone on Jakku. That's why Kylo Ren recognized him, he was passive. He was making a good decision and Kylo is wrestling with the light and dark (something we can get into later when we move on to his character). From that point on Finn is like Han in ANH, in that he is mostly looking out for himself. Refine that statement to say he's afraid of what the First Order could do to him. He knows if captured he'll be killed. He also seems to be force sensitive. He's revealed to be a janitor for the First Order. He's battle trained but not tested. He tells Poe "blaster trained" yet he does a decent job wielding Luke's saber. He reminds me of Luke in ANH in that he has characters around him help out. BB-8 agreeing to help him by revealing the location of the Resistance base to Rey, Han shooting the Storm Trooper who almost kills Finn in the battle at Maz's planet, Rey distracts Kylo Ren enough to not fully kill Finn, still Finn is able to handle himself very capably under the circumstances. John Boyega is excellent as Finn. He brings the right amount of conflict to the character. His charm is on point as well. Rey and Finn's love affair is also a nice tease throughout. I want to see that blossom.

BB-8 - flame thumbs up for BB-8 -- this droid is the shit. He is an immediate equivalent to his predecessor droids. I wouldn't be shocked to hear he's people's favorite droid. As Poe Dameron says, he's a one of a kind BB-8 unit. Massive props to the designers of this ingenious droid who is not cgi. Exceptional work. This is where JJ seems to directly copy ANH, BB-8 like R2D2 has the plans necessary to move the story forward. Brings me to a big issue I had with the script and it's mechanics; Maz's Place -- why does Han go there in broad daylight when you know the stakes of BB-8 (most wanted droid in galaxy)? Does Han just not give a shit or is he that stupid? A bar that has all walks of life across the galaxy? Resistance and First Order are alerted immediately. It's an easy choice to move the story forward quickly but it's also feels sloppy. Han Solo was a General of the Rebellion, and he just strolls through some bar so everyone can see him? Lazy.

Han & Chewie - great seeing them back in action. Chewie's bowcaster was fun to see highlighted. Love their entrance. Getting back the Falcon immediately followed by upping ANH with TWO smugglers confronting him about money. Hated the alien chase sequence. Boring sequence that I could see myself skipping through on Blu-Ray. Ford is good as Solo. Like we never missed a beat. He's given a better role in this film too. Sadly it is obvious he's gonna die pretty early on. Ford got his wish from RotJ. His death is a good sequence despite so predictable. Chewie earns great laughs, love the medical sequence "you must be so brave." Wonder if Peter Mayhew did all the work under the mask? Chewie movies swiftly and I'd bet that Mayhew only did some of the slower paced sequences. I'm being an ageist aren't I? Slap my hand please.

Leia - remains the ultimate badass. Her and Han split, we don't really know why, but she doesn't chase after him, she continues fighting the good fight playing a hand in transitioning from the Rebellion to the Resistance. I have a feeling Leia still is going to show us she's got some force sensitivity herself. Carrie Fischer struggles with the performance. There's a reason she's not in it much. Word behind the scenes is they had the hardest time getting what they wanted from her. A lot of her scenes had to be chopped down to simple moments because she wasn't meeting what producers wanted for the scenes. It's too bad. Leia rules but we may never see her full abilities on screen because of rationale that was just laid out. Imagine Leia showing Ben what the Force is all about like it was the hokey pokey? You're father may have not been able to reach you, but i'm your mother and I damn well better show you the power of the FORCE! You'd have to figure a way to make that passive yet assertive, but again I doubt we will ever see that on screen. Maybe a Kylo Ren and Leia showdown though, that's not IMPOSSIBLE.

Characters -- Dark Side

Kylo Ren - more like Crylo Ren. Kylo Ren is the character I feel the most 50/50 about in TFA. He's got incredible presence for 75% of the film. I am against him taking the mask off. It's done to humanize him for sure, but I'm not so sure we needed that just yet. No I want to refine that statement -- I understand Kylo-Ren removing the mask for his scene with HIS father. I'm against him removing it for Rey. I like his lightsaber fits and adore the thumping on his wound. Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering, Kylo Ren needs the suffering emotions to run rampant in order to gain power. A thought had following my two screenings, Kylo Ren had to think killing his father would somehow allow his power to grow but it clearly didn't. His thumping the wound feels necessary for him to fight with any real power following the moment he thought he would achieve a new level. It takes us back to Luke in RotJ when the Emperor wants him to strike down his father completing his turn to the Dark Side. Kylo thought this moment was going to be more than it was. Snoke even backs this notion up by saying go get that fool, I've got to train him better than I thought I would. Afterall Kylo/Ben are Skywalker linage. I'm very intrigued by his back story. Ben Solo. Trained by Luke. What happened between them? What made Ben turn into Kylo? Jokingly is he mad at his dad for sending him off to Jedi training? More serious, was Ben gaining interest in his grandfather's legacy so Leia felt it best if they sent him to Luke to be trained? The latter makes more sense. Han and Leia disagreed on the decision? Han maybe resisted his son being trained as a Jedi? Kylo/Ben's back story is the one that frustrates me post viewing. I wanted to know more. I can infer that he hates his parents and Luke for some reason, but that reasoning is looming over me. Hopefully it is explained in flashback sequences in the next feature. I don't need prequels or a stand alone Ben/Kylo film to explain it. Hell a novelization would be fine.

Supreme Leader Snoke - biggest complaint in the film is Snoke. First is his size. I don't care that he's doing exactly what the Emperor did, Sith Lords train their apprentices in deceptive ways. I don't care we have no clue who he is or how he fits in. Did he help the First Order rise to power during the Galactic Civil War? Did he rear his ugly face following Darth Sidious/the Emperor's death? Probably. Was Sidious just an apprentice to Snoke like Maul to Sidious or Dooku to Sidious or Vader to Sidious? Could be. He is Supreme Leader Snoke just like there's higher ranks in the Jedi Order. I'm okay not knowing that yet, but I hate his size. Second his look, he looks like a goddamn Orc, in the SW galaxy he kind of reminds me of the aliens in AotC that make the clones. He's old, fine, but I wish his look was a bit more exceptional, different, new. That scene where Kylo-Ren and Hux are in front of him complaining is one of my favorites. Ren shows his weakness. Ren shows he's not as powerful as he thinks. It shows the First Order has work to do.

Captain Phasma - same as Poe but less so. Design is radical. Chrome! I'm sure there's more from her in the future. Looks cool but seems like a major push over. Her exchange with Finn is hilarious, I'm in CHARGE, but ultimately she leads troops for the First Order? She gave up so easily. Leia in contrast allowed for her home planet to be blown up NOT to reveal the true location of a rebel base, Phasma has a blaster in her face and she drops the shields without much of a push or a shove. Weird. Underwritten or just not enough time to build her up more here, still she's a pushover for looking so badass.

First Order and General Hux - Went heavy on the Nazis influence; fist pump and all. Very reminiscent of the WWI Memorial Speech Hitler gives in "Triumph of the Will" where he reminds the 150,000 troops the supremacy of the Nazi power. How'd the First Order rise to power? One would assume Snoke is behind their rise in power in the galaxy. Let's be real honest here, the prequels explained a lot of the political reasoning the Empire rose to power, and in abbreviation it sucked, I don't really need the First Order's history in a 2+ hour adventure movie for kids, save that stuff for novelization and extended stuff. I swear if a majority of the stuff people are complaining about being missing was in TFA it would be 4+ hours. Reminder fanboys or adults, this is a four quadrant movie for kids. No, it's for kids. You were a kid and grew up with it and now have an essay of streaming thought going about the film, questions you have, and things you like/dislike, love/hate. Hahaha. Star Wars is so much fun to theorize about. I can't fathom why people are mad about having new questions. General Hux is pretty extreme. I like his sterile and sinister attitude. He's an extreme Reaganite or Tea Partier. Interested how vicious he continues to be. I mean this guy is stoked to watch five planets blown up. That's a huge amount of people. Unfortunately for him the fact that the Star Killer blowing up FIVE planets doesn't hold an ounce of weight to Leia's home planet being blown up in ANH. This is where JJ and comapny could have sought to break apart from the Death Star redo. We get it, it's a planet that can blow shit up. Let's conceive something new. Like Jack says in The Nightmare Before Christmas "try again, don't give up!"

Star Killer - Death Star Part 3 - Bigger Stronger Faster. Boring. Base and core level stuff looks great. Planet that's basically the next version of the Death Star is dumb. One area I really wish they would have not just 2.0'd a ANH, I mean we saw this same stuff in RotJ too. Innovate. This is where something new would be outweigh balancing what we are already familiar with JJ.

Looking Forward - TFA has laid out some nifty groundwork. You could even say it's a little bit of the entire original trilogy and this is just the FIRST movie of three. There's plenty of stuff to be genuinely excited about seeing unfold in this new Star Wars trilogy. (It is super nice to type that sentence and actually be excited again about Star Wars. Dark times were the Prequels and they left me so very wounded.) JJ is a master at birthing characters for others to foster and I believe he's done exactly that with all the new additions. Thank you JJ Abrams and Disney, thank you for restoring my faith in Star Wars. Now keep it up!

You can also hear my full thoughts on"The Force Awakens" on the Top 5 Film podcast.

How did you feel about The Force Awakens? What major questions do you have? Do they undercut your ultimate enjoyment of the film? Strike back in the comments.

In Defense of, Intense Violence

2015-02-13T17:30:00.001-08:00

Today's mainstream movies are plagued by bloodless violence. Violence missing the kind of intensity that stays with you after the fact. How many PG13 movies where alien lifeforms, mutants, heroes and villains alike die without spilling one drop of blood have we seen? While studios are trying to increase their profit margin with ratings that allow kids into theaters without adult supervision this trend, fad or whatever you want to call it is bad for the youth. Audiences need to see death with real impact not death with no impact. They need to see violence that hurts. In defense of intense violence...

On Friday July 17th, 1987 I learned a valuable lesson. At almost 10-years-old my father took me to see Paul Verhoeven's "RoboCop." A film that instead of skirting violence, totally embraces it. The film initially earned itself an X rating because of its intense violence (the theatrical cut is still very R). In the film, Police Officer Alex Murphy is blown to bits by a ruthless gang of criminals and what is left of him becomes an experimental robotic extension of the law named RoboCop. That relentless sequence had me turning my head away from the bloodshed. A scene that sent my heart racing into a panic and clutching my father's arm in reassurance. A scene I will never forget because it was a healthy lesson. A moment that my father may have contemplated why the hell he took his 9-year-old son to see this particular movie. There was no denying how deadly guns are after seeing that. I vividly remember thinking how can this be the start to a movie? Seeing our hero blown to bits was unlike anything my 9-year-old brain had comprehended before. Verhoeven's film let me know, guns weren't something to toy with. They were serious pieces of machinery. Machinery that deserved the utmost care. Guns quickly became a piece of machinery that defined responsibility in my eyes.

Compare the origin of RoboCop 1987 to the 2014 reboot and you'll walk away without any lasting effect. In the reboot, Alex Murphy is blown up by a car bomb. A sequence that features no blood and holds absolutely no trauma. Murphy opens a car door and next thing you know he's inside a hospital being prepped for surgery. In Verhoeven's classic you watch as deadly firepower viciously detaches limbs one by one from Murphy's body, meanwhile in the PG13 remake you see an explosion with an impact that lasts as long as the short bursts of light are on screen. There's no pain whatsoever. The audience doesn't get to see how badly Murphy is injured instead they are just told. Well, technically that isn't entirely true, you do see what's left of Murphy's body in the hospital just before they Frankenstein him into RoboCop. A sequence that is actually halfway interesting, regardless, the audience loses the gravity of Murphy being blown to pieces. They feel nothing.

Let me shift gears for a minute. I'd like to talk about first-person shooter videogames, particularly the big two; Halo and Call of Duty. These are two games that have made millions of dollars and for good reason, they are fun. They provide countless hours of mind numbing gameplay. Gameplay that allows friends and strangers to work collaboratively or independently killing each other. These games have created a generation who know all types of firearm (legal or illegal) and what those weapons are capable of, except there's one huge thing these games missed, the severity of killing. You can kill for hours and hours and it never feels like you are doing anything wrong. All the killing just washes over you with no impact. Put other popular videogames that releases annually under the same scrutiny and the results vary. After playing a game of Madden players feel the pride in victory or the agony of defeat, they don't walk away emotionless. Same can be said for another violent videogame franchise Grand Theft Auto. I have noticed that I can find myself overreacting while driving in real life after hours of gameplay in GTA games. Not that I get out of my car and start senseless beating down other motorists, but my road rage tends to be increased after playing. Back to Call of Duty or Halo, after being killed in those games, a player never feels a true sense of mortality because within seconds they can re-spawn and are right back at the guilt-free killing.

Studios are mimicking the impact-free death in PG13 movies that video games have mastered at an alarming rate. Each year more and more action movies feature bloodless killing. Lets look again at the RoboCop remake for a second, in it Murphy has a program uploaded into what's left of his brain so that he doesn't use moral judgement. In the sequence, the audience sees him kill a dozen armed assailants exactly like a videogame with the result intended, the impact of death is absent. RoboCop feels nothing. Instead it is replaced with focus on skill and efficiency. In a matter of seconds he's killed a dozen people and the audience, like RoboCop, doesn't bat an eye. Another recent example is "Edge of Tomorrow" starring Tom Cruise. In the sci-fi adventure Cruise finds himself re-living the same day repeatedly despite dying during in an invasion reminiscent of the Allied operation on D-Day at Normandy during World War II. While Edge of Tomorrow does a capable job of toying with the videogame generation who are use to the idea of respawning, unfortunately the action fails to leave any impact when death is happening on screen. There's no consequence and I think the lack thereof is beginning to have its effect on the youth growing up watching and playing. They need to see more intense violence.

I'm not saying kids need to watch gratuitous violence, but they do need a movie or two that will shock them and show them the reality of death. Maybe it is a stretch, but I wonder if some of these high school shooters may have thought twice about a mass killing had they seen the reality of death more often than they'd played Halo or seen the latest PG13 action/adventure. Seriously. Yes, I'll pump the brakes a bit because public shooters more than likely have severe mental issues, but that doesn't change the fact they may have benefited from seeing some gun death with serious impact versus the emotionless killing carried out in certain videogames. Audiences need more movies like "Full Metal Jacket," "Die Hard," "Hard Boiled," and "Pulp Fiction." Films that feature gun play or violence audiences remember for the rest of their lives versus forget about the minute the feature is over.

Rating a movie R doesn't automatically equal the kind of impact I'm talking about either. Take two recent R rated features with gun play audiences have been talking about, "Lone Survivor" and "American Sniper." Both feature plenty of violence but only one leaves the kind of impact I'm defending in this piece. Lone Survivor reminds me of Call of Duty. There's plenty of death happening, it is the kind of killing that just washes over the audience. Very little of it holds a lasting impact. The death instead is fixated on camaraderie. Exaggerating the notion that your commitment to your country and your unit will be powerful enough to make death seem unimportant. Biography or not, Lone Survivor is a nice piece of propaganda for folks interested in joining the military, but sadly it is not a very realistic one. On the other hand is American Sniper, a film that too has its own bias, but at least it illustrates the reality death can have on a soldier. It delivers a far more accurate portrayal of what is being asked of the men and women who sacrifice themselves to serve in armed forces. Ultimately American Sniper is a must see for every kid who plays Call of Duty and thought Lone Survivor was awesome.

Studios have a bad tendency to fear releasing movies with R ratings. The line of thinking is an R rating will equal a narrower demographic seeing the product. An argument that tends to be flawed, especially when the R-rated feature is good. When an R-rated feature is good, word of mouth spreads allowing more and more people to see the movie. Take Quentin Tarantino's 2012 film "Django Unchained" for example, an extremely violent western that was well received among critics and general audiences alike. An R-rated feature that didn't open in the No.1 spot at the box office, yet in its third week in theaters it blasted its way up the chart to the No.1 spot. It wasn't a runaway hit but it continued to earn and build buzz. Django Unchained is violent and for good measure, you walk away remembering all the pain and suffering. Plus what's wrong with kids having to wait at little bit before they get to see a movie? There were so many movies I was restricted from seeing as a kid and when I finally got to see them (whether from nagging my parents, sneaking in to see the movie or waiting to see it on home video), the experience seemed all the more fulfilling. Anticipation is important and this generation who has everything at their fingertips could use a bit of waiting.

Back in October of 2014 a group of friends and I went to see the highly buzzed about "John Wick." An action thriller starring Keanu Reeves as a legendary assassin who finds himself coming out of retirement to seek vengeance. My biggest takeaway from the film was its handle on violence with an impact. The kind of stuff you remember. I love that you feel the severity of each and every kill within the 101 minute feature. John Wick was a catalyst for this article. It took me back to the kind of R-rated action movies I grew up watching. Movies like "First Blood," "Bloodsport," and "Aliens," films that didn't shy away from violence but instead glamorize it. Luckily their glamorization unexpectedly (or perhaps purposefully) created an awareness and admiration for the severity of violence. Imagine if Summit Entertainment demanded John Wick be cut to PG13 allowing for more audiences to see it? So much of the film's impact would have been sliced away from it, leaving us with just another action to forget about.

The good news is we can have PG13 violence with impact. A recent example of this is Gwen Stacy's death in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2." Yeah yeah, we all thought the movie was terrible. Critical response aside, I remember hearing kids freaking out in that movie opening weekend. "Mommy, she's dead." Kids sobbing at the loss of a character they fell in love with. Students of mine were still shaken up by her death the following week at school. Something I heard from numerous students, "Mr. S, I can't believe Gwen died. That was so sad. How could they do that?" Just like me back in 1987 watching Verhoeven's RoboCop, those kids learned a valuable lesson about death, and it was PG13. There was impact, a feeling that needs be attached to death in cinema and in videogames more times than not.

Some mention of intense violence on television should be also made. TV series that back up my stance on movies needing intense violence versus bloodless PG13 violence holding no real impact. Take a series like "The Walking Dead" for example, nearly every episode contains plenty of blood. More than any PG13 movie holds. The series doesn't shy away from the impact of death either, instead it rolls around in the intensity and weighs its severity repeatedly. Sure, The Walking Dead airs on cable limiting how many people are seeing it on its air date, but via Netflix and other streaming devices it is a show that people are clamoring to watch more of. Another example is "Hannibal" on NBC. A series I am not caught up with though the episodes / clips I have seen are gruesome and terrifying. Again these are shows that teens and younger are watching regularly and gleaning the realities of violence from movies should follow suit.

Bottom line is intense violence is something audiences need to face and we need more movies that embrace memorable violence versus try to dilute it so a wider demographic can immediately see it. Stop using emotionless violence for the sake of instant profit. In defense of intense violence.

Review - The Duke of Burgundy

2015-01-23T09:23:00.001-08:00

Two lovers test the limits of happiness within their relationship.

Imagine playing out your sexual fantasies repeatedly. Day by day, whatever your carnal desires were, you got. The idea is tantalizing of course. Now imagine your partner. How do they feel about your fantasies? Are they getting the same fulfillment as you? Peter Strickland's "The Duke of Burgundy" is a provoking portrait of pleasure that twists the perception of happiness within the confines of a romantic relationship.

Initially watching as the two women role play with each other is erotic. Their escapades are sophisticated, kinky, and sensual. Director Peter Strickland sets up a very provocative mood through the lover's fantasy however that atmosphere is flipped into intrigue as the fantasy clearly becomes more of a cycle. A shift that sees arousal turn into resentment. As the turn is unveiled, much like layers in an onion, The Duke of Burgundy shows it has far more to talk about than simple carnal pleasures.

The role playing cycle these two lovers are practicing is unhealthy and Strickland does an exceptional job exploring the unhealthy nature of their practices. How it hurts one while fueling the other. There's also a strong component peering into how one lover's desires just seem to never be fulfilled. She's constantly hungry for more, adding new pieces to the game they play. What makes the film more than just a erotic drama is how Strickland examines these practices and their effect on both people in the relationship.

Happiness. Keeping our partners happy takes work. Having been in a committed relationship for 18 years and married for 13 years, I've put in that work. We've both made numerous accommodations to ensure both of us are happy in our relationship. I appreciate that Strickland without having to turn on a neon 'Welcome' sign is able to explore the nature of how important it is to reflect on both sides to a relationship. We all need pleasure and The Duke of Burgundy reminds us we need to make sure our partner is also getting the same pleasure out of the roles we can take on in relationships.

The Duke of Burgundy is concentrated on the cycle. It feels extreme. The audience isn't allowed the privilege to see these two lovers outside of their role playing very often. It is easy to think this is all they do. Role play. Alluring at first, but eventually it becomes tedious. This is a strong statement being made throughout the feature. Role playing could be fun to spice things up every once in a while, but a routine schedule, it becomes a rut. This can be said for nearly anything, not just sex.

The music throughout The Duke of Burgundy is enchanting. The English-Canadian duo Cat's Eyes, who are mostly known for their alternative pop music, created a score that sweeps the audience into another world. Reminiscent of the "Main Title" in Roman Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby," Cat's Eyes have blended melody and fantasy perfectly to match the mood Strickland set in his stimulating drama. A score that will certainly receive plenty of playback in my media devices.

Part of the sophistication in The Duke of Burgundy is established through an appealing wardrobe. From lingerie to regular dress, Andrea Flesch did a flawless job dressing the cast. The lingerie itself is eye-catching. The kind of stuff women would picture themselves wearing and men would want their partners in. I'd call it lust with taste. Lingerie also plays a great deal in the fantasy of their role playing and it is fascinating to watch as the garb begins to change and how those changes reflect the patterns of the lover's game.

Chiara D'Anna and Sidse Babett Knudsen are exceptional together as the lovers. The Duke of Burgundy would feel much different without the talents of these two actresses. Strickland's script doesn't allow for these leads to just bat their eyelids either, there's a range that is demanded of both and they each rise to the level of material.

The Duke of Burgundy is a conversation starter. It is drama that will stay with you. Something that will give you perspective while also tickling the senses. It is erotic and manipulative, but most of all it is consuming.

"The Duke of Burgundy" opens in Friday, January 23rd in New York at the IFC Center and in Los Angeles at Landmark’s Nuart Theatre. The film is also available on Video On Demand (VOD) via your cable providers.

Help 'What We Do in the Shadows' Into Your City

2015-01-16T17:27:00.001-08:00

The Creators of "Flight of the Conchords" and "Eagle vs. Shark" need your help. Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi have a brand new comedy on their hands and they want to give people across America a chance to see it in a darkened theater with a crowd. "What We Do in the Shadows" is currently set for a limited release on February 13th in only Los Angeles and New York City. This Kickstarter intends to expand that number to 70 cities and you could help with as little as $10.

Having seen "What We Do in the Shadows" last year at AFI FEST 2014 I can attest this is a film worth making a trek to see with a crowd in a theater. The "documentary" follows a group of bachelor vampires and is absolutely hysterical. It is laugh-out-loud material that could potentially leave your sides hurting from all the laughter. I'm not the only one who thinks this New Zealand comedy is worth seeing, buzz coming out of Sundance, SXSW, Berlin, and Toronto Film Festival was very high leading up to myself seeing it at AFI FEST last November.

So why should you drop some of your hard earned cash? Exposure. You'd be helping two talented independent filmmakers get their crowd pleasing comedy in more theaters for more audiences to enjoy outside of L.A. and N.Y.C. Living in L.A. I'll have my chance to see it with friends, but I want more people to experience that same satisfaction in other cities around the U.S. so I donated $30. Hopefully more will do the same and my friends in Illinois, Colorado, Texas, Florida, and plenty of other states will get a shot to see it also. This is the kind of film that deserves to be shared and then shared again.

Still not sold? Check out the trailer and see if it gives you a craving for this fresh and comical take on vampires.
Last tidbit, if you haven't seen Taika Waititi's previous stuff like "Boy" or "Eagle vs. Shark" you really ought to, he's super talented.

Source: Kickstarter

In Defense of, Vegetables

2015-01-10T13:23:00.001-08:00

Vegetables get a bad wrap, whether children or adults, all too often you see people turn their nose to vegetables. Why? That's a good question. Perhaps an auto response remembering the years of pureed baby food. Maybe it has something to do with parents nagging children to "eat their vegetables" since their toddlers years, like a mental block that won't allow you to enjoy certain veggies. Whatever it is, it doesn't make sense why people neglect their vegetables and I felt it necessary to spread a little veggie love. In defense of vegetables...

Take a few moments and think, do you eat your vegetables? No seriously, go ahead. I can wait. This article isn't late for anything. What vegetables do you like the most? Do you like them for comfort reasons? For instance I love peas. They remind me of my mom, she always made the best peas. Unlike certain comfort foods, peas don't have to be prepared "mom's way" in order for me to enjoy them. To be honest, my mom used a lot of butter and salt in her peas which isn't healthy. Now when cooking peas, I use olive oil and dill versus butter and salt to season my peas. Same great nostalgia, but healthier.

Okay, back to what veggies do you like the most. What I really mean is, what vegetables do you crave? There's got to be at least one. Think about it. I got a laundry list of veggies I'll devour any day, though what I really tend to crave are leafy like veggies. Stuff like cabbage, bok choy, and brussels sprouts. Yum, just typing that makes me want to bust out the wok, oyster sauce, and start flash firing some bok choy. If you know the veggies you really crave, you're at a good place in becoming far more vegetable tolerant and appreciative.

Next question, do you seek out vegetables in your meals? I don't mean salads. We'll get to those in a minute. Do you build your meals around meats or vegetables? For instance, I'd like some steak, pork, or chicken and build from there or I'd like some artichoke and build from there? You really should be starting with the vegetable. Now I'm no health guru but vegetables should make up a bigger portion of your meal than any meat you put on your plate. Every meal cooked at home we try to have at least two vegetables on the plate. Carrots and broccoli, green beans and corn, bok choy and spinach, brussels sprouts and asparagus. The combinations are endless.

Alright let's talk salads. If I got a nickel for every time I heard someone say I want to eat a healthy lunch, order a salad and then proceed to drown the salad in dressing, I'd have a lot of nickels. Seriously though, eating a salad doesn't immediately make it healthy. Most salads use lettuce with barely any nutrients. Worse, people skimp adding on vegetables but instead top it with meat, croutons, cheese, and dressing. You might as well just eat a cheeseburger at that point. What kind of greens are you having for your salads? Don't just stick to iceberg lettuce. Try to add in one or two nutrient rich greens like spinach or kale with the iceberg. What kind of dressing are you putting on your salad? Have you ever tried simply lemon and salt? Try a plain salad. You know the one you get at every diner in America. Iceberg lettuce and a couple wedges of tomato. Instead of ranch, thousand island or blue cheese try just lemon, salt and pepper. Much healthier than the gallon of ranch dressing you dumped. I had a hard time pulling myself from ranch and blue cheese dressings as I started making more healthier eating choices, but once I did, I find the milk or dairy based dressings overbearing on a salad. Now I prefer vinegar and oil based dressings like a vinaigrette. Something highlighting the veggies versus covering them.

Preparation. Preparation is super important to enjoying veggies. We all have our own quarks. Overcook squash or broccoli and it is likely to make me gag. One method that I think really keeps vegetables full of flavor is blanching. Blanching is an easy process with only a few shorts steps to making great tasting plate for some of the more pesky vegetables to cook. As stated earlier, I'm a big fan of cooking with a wok. Grilling veggies with a little oil and the right seasoning in a wok makes for some tantalizing flavors and dishes. One last thing on preparation, all you butter lovers, try not to use it to cook your veg. Use an oil instead, preferably olive oil or canola oil.

Ugly Vegetables. Have you heard of this movement to reduce food waste in Europe? Apparently farmers throwaway a ton of fruits and vegetables because they are misshaped. In some areas up to 40% of produce is tossed out over retailer's cosmetic standards. These are deformed fruits and vegetables in look not in taste or nutrients who are thrown out over eye appeal. A sad process that is happening everywhere around the world. Europe wanted to stop this wasteful process and started buying inglorious vegetables that didn't meet previous standards, then began selling them at discounted prices. The line of thinking is, why be wasteful and I'm all for it. These are good vegetables that should be feeding us versus being thrown away because they look out of the norm. Start looking into and asking about inglorious vegetables in your local grocery stores.

Vegetables are cool. Think about it, you can plant a seed and eventually you'll have something to eat. Better than meat, there's no killing involved. Unless you like that sort of thing. Not that many sit around worrying about the animals being butchered for their consumption. Nor is this an article saying you shouldn't eat meat. I eat meat. I love meat. Meat. Meat. Meat. Still as much as I love meat, I think we need to be a little more veggie friendly. Try more of them. Try them in new and inventive ways. Invite more than one over for dinner on a regular basis. What I'm trying to say is, eat your vegetables!

Recipe: Here's an easy salad you can try I adore, you'll need cucumbers, fresh garlic clove, bell pepper, salt, pepper, olive oil, chili oil, and sesame oil. Slice cucumbers in quarter inch slices. Peel one clove of garlic and slice the garlic as thin as possible. Chop the bell pepper into bits. Add chopped and sliced veggies to a bowl that can be later sealed and stored in refrigerator. Add two teaspoons of sesame oil and one teaspoon of olive oil. Add salt and pepper. You may also add chili oil or Sriracha sauce for an added kick. Mix and place in refrigerator until chilled. An easy salad to make the night before and take to work for lunch the next day.

15 Anticipated in 2015

2015-01-07T18:03:00.000-08:00

A new year is here which means there's more movies to watch. In order to ready myself for the weekly barrage of movies releasing, I've complied a bunch of films I am eager to see in 2015. Titles that perked my interest for a variety of reasons including; a favorite director or an engaging concept. Below I've ranked 15 I'm highly anticipating seeing along with a brief explanation why they made the list.

15. Triple Nine

John Hillcoat seems to be making movies that are tailor made for my liking. He's a director that has been met with mixed reactions yet I find his eye for storytelling exceptional. Simply put, if he's making a movie, I'm already in line to see it. "Triple Nine" sees Hillcoat working off a script written by newcomer Matt Cook. The concept is one of my favorites, a heist. It follows a group of corrupt cops who are blackmailed into carrying out an impossible heist. Heist movies, when done aptly, can serve as a thrill ride worth taking and this description under the talent of director John Hillcoat should prove to be exactly that. The well-rounded cast includes Kate Winslet, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Gal Gadot, Teresa Palmer, Woody Harrelson, Casey Affleck, and Aaron Paul. Triple Nine is set for a September 11th release. Oh, I almost forgot to add, an extra special reason to be excited; Nick Cave is scoring the crime drama.

14. Jane Got a Gun

This feels like déjà vu and that's because it is, last year "Jane Got a Gun" was also on my anticipated list. The western directed by Gavin O'Connor was shelved last year and now it's finally getting a release in 2015. Gavin O'Connor nabbed my attention in 2011 with his sports drama "Warrior" starring Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton. O'Connor has a handle on emotion that I think will translate well into the western genre. Easy to say I'm hopeful O'Connor has something special on his hands. Natalie Portman stars as Jane, a wife stuck defending her farm from a gang of outlaws hunting down her wounded husband. Joel Edgerton, Ewan McGregor, Noah Emmerich, and Rodrigo Santoro co-star. Jane Got a Gun is set to release September 4th.

13. Pan

Peter Pan is something I've always been fascinated. For example, in high school I wrote fan fiction from the perspective of the Lost Boys in Neverland. Despite my love for Peter Pan, news for this update directed by Joe Wright had me hesitant. Then I saw the hair-raising trailer and my opinion changed in a big way. Its imaginative ideas on a beloved tale have me excited to see how this iconic fantasy plays out. The adventure stars Hugh Jackman as Blackbeard, Rooney Mara as Tiger Lily, Garrett Hedlund as Hook, and Levi Miller as Peter Pan. "Pan" is set for release on July 24th.

12. Midnight Special

Jeff Nichols seized my attention back in 2007 with his directorial debut "Shotgun Stories," since then he's yet to let me down. He's a director highlighting his aesthetic with unique stories and there's real value to uncommon voices working at the caliber Nichols is. "Midnight Special" focuses on a father who is forced to go on the run after learning his son has special powers. Two things come to mind after reading the description. First, that synopsis seems like an interesting story regardless of the director. Second, Nichols back working with a father and son relationship really excites me. Another thing exciting me is Michael Shannon. Shannon who has worked with Nichols in all of his previous three other films is back once again to show off his impressive skills. Joel Edgerton, Kristen Dunst, Adam Driver, and Sam Shepard also star. Midnight Special is set for a November 25th release.

11. Green Room

Jeremy Saulnier's "Blue Ruin" is the kind of movie that will get people talking. It takes territory that has been mined repeatedly and adds a few layers creating a more rare perspective than audiences are used to. Not only that, it is a taut thriller that never lets up. That said, Saulnier's next feature has my attention in a big way. This sounds like it will be a nasty thriller. "Green Room" follows a punk rock band who find themselves stuck in a very dangerous situation after witnessing criminal activity committed by a local group of Pacific Northwest skinheads. Leading the group of skinheads is the talented Patrick Stewart. The image above is intimidating enough, but match it with A.) Saulnier's style and B.) the description of Green Room and you should have a better picture of why it landed a spot on my anticipated list. Green Room is currently filming and hopefully will land itself a release date in the last quarter of 2015 if not before.

10. Tomorrowland

The idea of Disney making a movie out of one of its many rides or themed areas doesn't necessarily get me very excited. Let's shoot straight here, even Disney wishes they could sweep "The Haunted Mansion" with Eddie Murphy under the rug and while Pirates of the Caribbean has made them boat loads of money, only the "Curse of the Black Pearl" is worth its weight in salt. Simply put I'm very weary of attraction based movie making from the House of Mouse. Then Disney released a trailer to "Tomorrowland" and my reservations began to fade away for a couple of reasons. The first of which is the look, Tomorrowland is eye-catching to say the least. It sets up an idea of fantasy and mystery that should be plenty of fun to watch play out. Second is the director. When announced I overlooked the fact that Brad Bird was directing. Though he's only directed one other live-action feature, he has my confidence. Third is the cast, more specifically George Clooney. Clooney is an actor I'd watch in practically anything. Tomorrowland is set for release on May 22nd.

09. Sicario

Denis Villeneuve's "Prisoners" made me take notice, then he put my jaw on the floor with "Enemy." He has quickly become a director worth paying attention to. His latest feature "Sicario" stars Emily Blunt as FBI agent whose ethics are tested when she joins a CIA operation to take down a Mexican cartel boss. Blunt as the lead really perks my interest. We've seen numerous films with the FBI taking down cartel bosses, but very few have been centered around a woman. The crime thriller is being shot by longtime cinematographer Roger Deakins. A name that helps to propel this title as high as it is on this anticipated list. "Sicario" also stars Josh Brolin, Jon Bernthal, and Benicio Del Toro. No release date is set just yet for Sicario, but with the film already in post-production it is likely to see release somewhere in the third or fourth quarters of the year.

08. Pixels

Based off the french short of the same name, "Pixels" sees classic 8-bit arcade characters attack Earth. Yup, iconic characters like Donkey Kong hurling 8-bit barrels at Toronto, Pac-Man devouring San Francisco, Space Invaders looming over Paris, and Centipede attacking London. The comedy adventure directed by Chris Columbus follows a 1980s video game champion (played by Adam Sandler) who is recruited by the military to assemble a team of old arcade friends that will try and save the planet from the invading games. Sounds like "Ghostbusters" meets "Independence Day," right? A comparison that has me grinning from ear-to-ear. Pixels also stars Michelle Monaghan, Peter Dinklage, Josh Gad, Ashley Benson, Kevin James, Jane Krakowski, Sean Bean, and Brian Cox and is set for release on July 24th.

07. The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book has been done to death yet here it sits on my anticipated list for 2015. Some of that has to do with Jon Favreau. He's a director I appreciate. While he's had a few skids along the way, he's got a real passion for storytelling and filmmaking and I can't wait to see what he does with this beloved Rudyard Kipling tale. Another factor in why I'm so excited for this new version is the voice cast. Each of them seem so perfectly chosen. Bill Murray as the playful Baloo, Idris Elba as the ferocious Shere Khan, Scarlett Johansson as the alluring Kaa, Ben Kingsley as the mentoring Bagheera, and Christopher Walken as the kooky King Louie. Now in a phase of CGI technology, past the uncanny valley where motion capture looks real, I'm very curious to see how the jungle and the characters interacting with newcomer Neel Sethi as Mowgli look. One more added factor in pushing "The Jungle Book" onto my anticipated list is Bill Pope behind the camera. Pope is a legendary cinematographer and I'm always pumped to see what he's shooting. The Jungle Book is set for release on October 9th.

06. While We're Young

The last time director Noah Baumbach and actor Ben Stiller got together to make a movie I walked away really satisfied. "While We're Young" has me eager for more of the same gratification. The story follows a middle-aged couple played by Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts whose lives are confused when they meet a likable young couple played by Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried. As you can see from the image above, the often funny Charles Grodin also stars as Stiller's father, which is a nice surprise. While We're Young is set for release on March 27th.

05. Furious 7

The tragic death of Paul Walker forever changed the course of "Furious 7." Now there's a whole carload of emotions being towed by the seventh installment in the franchise. Emotions that are sure to be bittersweet. Before the awful Walker news, anticipation for the next Fast and the Furious action was rampant. Let's refresh our memory, Furious 7 added two big names to an already loaded cast, Jason Statham and Kurt Russell. Statham made a brief appearance in "Fast & Furious 6" but will get a chance to have far more screen time here. Another new name worth mentioning surrounding Furious 7 is the new director James Wan. Pretty exciting to see Wan, who has focused most of his energy in the world of horror, behind the wheel of high-octane action franchise. Furious 7 is slated for a April 3rd release.

04. Spectre

James Bond is the most consistently enjoyable franchise in movie history. Since I was a little kid, every new 007 adventure that released I was eager to see. Even in the years when I wasn't particularly fond of the selected Bond, like Pierce Brosnan, I would be longing to see the next installment. Daniel Craig is my favorite Bond outside of the campy Roger Moore. I know I know, everyone adores Sean Connery. Like Brosnan, Connery had a demeanor that rubbed me the wrong way. Sure he was sophisticated and suave like Bond was supposed to be, but he tended to come across too cocky for my tastes. Craig on the other hand may not have the brown hair, but he fills out the role in a way that makes sense to me, especially in the contemporary setting 007 is now written in. He's dashing but also rugged. He carries himself in a way that doesn't scream he's so cool like Connery always did. Craig's Bond has been through the ringer and that matters to me. "Spectre" will be Craig's fourth appearance as Bond and the second time Sam Mendes directs. Mendes hit all the right strides with his last 007 effort "Skyfall," which helps to put Spectre so high on this list. The cast is exceptional with Christoph Waltz, Monica Bellucci, Léa Seydoux, and Dave Bautista coming in as newcomers to 007 universe. The film will also be welcoming back Naomi Harris as Moneypenny, Ralph Fiennes as M, and Ben Wishaw as Q. Three characters that fans have had a chance to get to know and care about in the last few Bond films with Craig in the lead. As for the plot, the 24th installment sees James Bond discover a sinister organization while a political battle rages over shutting down the secret service in Britain. Spectre is set for release on November 6th.

03. The Force Awakens

Star Wars is back and there's reason to be excited. It seems that Disney wants to make Star Wars great again versus just making a great deal of money. First step in doing that was getting away from the creator and allowing new blood to take the reigns. That new blood for this chapter will be J.J. Abrams. Yup, the guy who rebooted the Star Trek franchise. I've heard fans chant about how it is not fair one director is able to jump from one iconic franchise to the other but for me it only tantalizes. Abrams is a director I value working, even if all of his films house lens flares. Seriously, that's what you are complaining about? Lens flares? You need more to do if that is your primary concern with a movie. Abrams, like me, grew up with Star Wars and wants to resurrect the force for both old fans and new fans alike. He wants to incorporate both traditional effects and CGI effects. He wants to remind us why we love Star Wars so much and I think he's just the guy to do it. Another factor in raising interest and anticipation is having screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan return to put together a script with Abrams. Kasdan of course wrote the best Star Wars feature "The Empire Strikes Back" and fans surely have their fingers crossed this chapter will be just as good if not better. Abrams and company have done a hell of a job in the casting department. They've brought back beloved characters/actors from the original trilogy like Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fischer, Anthony Daniels, and Peter Mayhew. They've also added new faces that only give me further confidence that "The Force Awakens" is on the right path. Actors like John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Issac, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong'o, Daisy Ridley and Max von Sydow. Then there's the trailer, there's only six specific shots in the teaser, however it is a nice table setter. There's definitely some reservations and question marks, but those are questions I am growing impatient waiting to be answered. The Force Awakens is slated for a December 18th release.

02. The Hateful Eight

Quentin Tarantino is back with his eighth feature film and I couldn't be happier. The post-Civil War western has a bit of a flip flop back story. First, the script leaked and Tarantino lashed out. He hastily stated he wouldn't make the movie. After some time mulling over that decision, Tarantino changed his tune and started moving forward with the Wyoming set western that follows a group of bounty hunters trying to find shelter during a blizzard. Tarantino being the extremely passionate storyteller that he is, I can imagine him not being able to let the story go after lashing out, feeling he had to make it. Clearly I'm glad he made that decision having the feature so high on my anticipated list. After "Django Unchained" feelings couldn't be stronger to see Tarantino spend some more time in the western genre and with all the back story to this motion picture I can't help believing Tarantino felt the same. Much of "The Hateful Eight" was written with specific actors in mind and that cast is mighty impressive. It includes Channing Tatum, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Demian Bichir, Walton Goggins, and Bruce Dern along with a few Tarantino regulars like Tim Roth, Samuel L. Jackson, and Michael Madsen. Lastly, it features Kurt Russell as John 'The Hangman' Ruth. The last time Quentin Tarantino and Kurt Russell worked together the result was a joy to watch on screen. Who could ever forget those nachos? Here's to more of Russell eating on screen under the direction of QT. The Hateful Eight is set for a November 13th release.

01. Mad Max: Fury Road

It has been a long time coming. A Mad Max sequel, reboot, update or whatever you want to pitch it as has been rumored for what feels like the better part of the last few decades. Despite a long torturous drought without any new tales from George Miller's apocalyptic wasteland, a new installment is finally here. "Mad Max: Fury Road" looks like we never left the desert landscape even with new faces including a new Max, now played by the talented Tom Hardy. The cast also includes Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult and sees Hugh Keays-Byrne, who played Toecutter in the original "Mad Max," return playing a new villain Immortan Joe. Mad Max is one of those characters that made a dramatic impact on my youth. Miller's stories fixated me on apocalyptic futures in cinema. Something I couldn't shake. If there's an apocalyptic future in a movie, I'm 90% sure I'll be watching that movie. It may seem trivial but it is super awesome to see George Miller directing the fourth installment in the Mad Max franchise. He started this vehicle in 1979 and I love that he's still so passionate about continuing the story of the former Australian policeman. Lastly, I have to mention the two trailers that have been released. They are absolutely incredible and left me utterly impatient for the release. Mad Max: Fury Road opens May 15th.

Five that just missed a spot on 15 Anticipated in 2015: Untitled Steven Spielberg Cold War Project, The Revenant, Avengers: Age of Ultron, That's What I'm Talking About, and The Duke of Burgundy

Titles I'll gladly see in 2015: Spare Parts, Paddington, Still Alice, Mommy, Girlhood, Jupiter Ascending, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Macfarland, USA, Focus, The Lazarus Effect, Little Boy, In the Heart of the Sea, Chappie, Faults, Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension, The Gunman, The Good Dinosaur, Spring, Unfriended, Ex Machina, Rock the Kasbah, Pitch Perfect 2, San Andreas, Insidious Chapter 3, Jurassic World, Inside Out, Magic Mike XXL, Terminator: Genisys, The Gallows, Ant-Man, Trainwreck, Poltergesit, Point Break, The Fantastic Four, Masterminds, Straight Outta Compton, Kitchen Sink, Muck, Criminal, Sinister 2, The Visit, Hotel Transylvania 2, The Walk, Vacation, Crimson Peak, Jem and the Holograms, The Last Witch Hunter, Friday the 13th, Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, Krampus, Mission Impossible 5, The Martian, Sea of Trees, Macbeth, The Voices, Silence, Child 44, and 31.

Being someone who can find an excuse to go to the movies almost every weekend, this list will only balloon larger and larger as the year progresses. Like most years, there's plenty of stuff to get excited about at the movies or via VOD platforms, let's start watching!

Top 10 of 2014

2014-12-31T18:34:00.000-08:00

As an avid movie watcher it is important to reflect on the year. What I've seen. What I liked and disliked. Keeping a running tally of what I'm watching as the year moves on week by week and month by month brings me pleasure. Logging not only what I've seen, but what stood out to me. By the end of the year I generally have a substantial list of standout films that will be narrowed down into a Top 20. This is a process I've done annually since before starting my site in 2008. This is a practice that I intend to continue until the day I die. Not because ranking movies is important, but more so because it allows me a chance to reflect on what called to me over a year. Trends that were noticed. A chance to think about why a particular film spoke to me. What's the value I found in it? These lists are an easy conversation starter along with being a gauge on my taste(s) as an omnivorous movie watcher. Below you'll find my Top 10 of 2014. Enjoy!

We all have our own rules or qualifications for a year-end list and mine are pretty simple, a film must have had a limited release in New York and Los Angeles for consideration. Yes, this qualification leaves out films only having runs at film festivals or foreign titles that have yet to find U.S. distribution within the calendar year. At the time of posting this article I have watched 335 movies in 2014, 140 of which are eligible to be included in this list by the qualifications listed above.

Honorable Mentions: The Missing Picture, The Rover, The Guest, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Gone Girl

10. The Lunchbox

"The Lunchbox" is a crowd pleaser that reminds us all how vital communication is in our lives. Writer and director Ritesh Batra does an excellent job weaving a film that houses an entire cast of full characters with engaging interactions. Interactions that are infectious. Interactions that the audience will want to see more of. It helps that the lead role of Saajan is played by Irrfan Khan, who is always magnetic on screen. Khan's co-stars all deliver well-rounded portrayals that leave the audience wanting the best of each them. The drama has a very alluring nature to both its plot, its characters, and the food being created and consumed throughout. About the food, The Lunchbox hammers home a real passion for food, how good food can affect our lives. Food and the quality of it, has a rejuvenating aspect and this film displays that in beautiful fashion. Not just in the food on display, but more importantly through its main characters. I'll be damned if you don't finish this film and want to eat Indian cuisine immediately or at the very least, eat your own personal comfort food. Like a great restaurant or meal, The Lunchbox is the type of film you'll want to share with others. Like a great story or conversation, it is the type of movie that you will want watch again and again. It is a film about friendship. It is a film about rejuvenation. It is a film about finding pride in our own lives. It is a film about fulfillment. Most of all, it is a film that leaves the audience perfectly satisfied.

09. Obvious Child

The probability of myself having a romantic comedy on my year end Top 10 list is pretty low. It is a genre that I am all too picky about. Romantic comedies tend to be cut and paste stories. Routine and uniform with different faces. "Obvious Child" is instead a fresh and endearing entry to the genre. Something to get excited and tell your friends about. This is a comedy that holds appreciation in its voice. A voice we don't hear from often enough. A female voice. Not a female voice written by a man, but a female. We all know it shows. Why, because it feels genuine and usually has a perspective unmined thoroughly in cinema. It is refreshing to see a female voice hit all the right strides, especially when it is one who doesn't hold back like writer and director Gillian Robespierre. Robespierre is untamed taking the audience from moments of laugh-out-laughter to moments that could find you in tears. There's embraceable value in Obvious Child. It brazenly confronts the realities of unplanned pregnancy and abortion. It is an unconcealed portrayal of an independent woman and I love it. Parts of the story and actions are audacious and unguarded but there's real power in expressing those honest emotions. Actress and comedian Jenny Slate is perfect in the role of Donna. She hysterical and brutally honest. It is theatre that is hard to tell the acting from reality. As if Slate is channeling her own experiences or experiences of friends. It is a natural energy that no man could have ever reached in writing nor in theatrics. Simply put it is candid and convincing portrayal but more so magnetic. A performance that deserves notoriety and acclaims.

08. Locke

Plainly describing "Locke" won't do Steven Knight's breathtaking thriller any justice. It is about a man driving on the highway taking phone calls. See, sounds like a snooze, right? The art of a contained thriller has always intrigued me. How long can a story effectively hold tension in a single contained environment? Few are truly successful at it. Most stories need a second or third location to hold the suspense and tension, Locke however does not. The thriller stays in one location the entire film, inside a BMW. Stunningly, the 85 minute drama holds tension like a mother clinging to her newborn child. It is a white knuckle thrill ride where the lead is driving the speed limit. Tom Hardy delivers a solemn portrayal as Ivan Locke. A businessman bound between a variety of important events, each with their own severity. Knight's powerhouse excels at placing the audience in the middle of empathetic situations. Situations audiences will jolt at but also lean in with interest. Watching Locke conduct and weave through the tasks from the seat of his SUV is a kind of consequential storytelling I didn't expect and must applaud. There are moments in this film where I held my breath worried about an outcome. This is all through the power of dialogue and performance. All that is happening on screen is Ivan Locke talking on speakerphone while driving on the interstate. Locke is an remarkable thrill ride that is not to be missed. Plus a quick lesson on how to build and hold on to suspense and tension in a film.

07. Wild

"Wild" is a sobering adventure of will and spirit that spoke to me on a personal level. From firsthand experience, finding our best isn't easy, however the journey getting there is most certainly worth it. The biographical drama focuses on Cheryl Strayed, a woman who hiked more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail alone. The trek was a planned effort by Cheryl to rescue herself after a downward spiral of drug abuse, adultery, and divorce that followed the death of her mother. Personal and emotional setbacks can be a massive detriment to people and their psyche. They can set people on a nasty path of destruction. A path that sees themselves surrounded by a sea of negativity. Worse yet, drowning over suffering. Wisely Wild doesn't doesn't focus on the negativity in Strayed's life that put her on this 1,100 mile hike. It uses flashbacks that invade her thoughts along her journey motivating and pushing her onward towards her better self. Much like a few other titles in my Top 10, personal redemption fuels this film in a invigorating way. As a California native, on-and-off again hiker, and nature enthusiast I adored watching the cinematography of the Pacific coastline. Cinematographer Yves Bélanger captures some absolutely breathtaking views within the 115 minute drama that deserved to be seen in large format. Reese Witherspoon delivers my favorite performance of her career. Witherspoon is exposed as Cheryl Strayed. The portrayal is raw, though that doesn't take away from the strength and commitment that also rings through in tremendous fashion, because Wild is incredibly empowering. Always nice to have a female driven film with approachable qualities for both men and women alike. This is a story that people need to hear and see.

06. Chef

Much like an onion, "Chef" has a lot of layers to enjoy. First, the food. Everything consumed on screen has your mouth watering and wishing you were eating it right along side the cast. Second, a redemption story. Jon Favreau plays Carl, an executive chef who loses his job over creative differences with the restaurant's owner. Able to now focus on the cuisine he is enthusiastic about, Carl starts a food truck business which in turn brings back the passionate chef he once was. Redemption stories are often sappy and while this film provides ample heartfelt vibes, it never smothers. Third, the father and son relationship. Chef does an excellent job illustrating avid parenting. Writer and director Jon Favreau could have easily played the strained relationship between a father and his son syrupy, instead he effectively uses work ethic to rebuild a bond with his son. That brings us to the fourth layer, work ethic. Favreau did his home work with this film and it shows. There's a work ethic that is on display at every angle. Behind the camera and on screen. Carl teaches his son work ethic throughout while also willfully displaying his own. There's an appreciative tenacity to Favreau's character Carl that warmed me over much like the Cuban sandwiches made repeatedly in the drama. Fifth, technology. Jon Favreau is no stranger to social media and he does an accurate job of incorporating the pitfalls and blessings that come with social media. I couldn't get enough of Carl learning that his Twitter conversation with an online food critic was public along with how seamlessly Favreau edited them into the story's structure and payoff. There are other layers I could peel back, but most of all I want to highlight how much Chef is about good people. Carl is a good man who is teaching his son how to grow into a good man himself. A well told movie about a father who is a good role model for his son is not a bad thing and frankly we need more heart-warming stories like this one on a regular basis.

05. The Babadook

Are you sick of Hollywood's ongoing fascination with ghost stories? "The Babadook" is exactly what you need. The exceptional Australian tale fiddles with current horror trends and elevates itself above the crowd. It houses all the usual tropes to make audiences feel initially comfortable. A family. An old house with creaky hardwood floors. An insuppressible ghost story. Let's not forget a paranormal entity to haunt them. The Babadook then takes those tropes and renovates each into something better than comfort, discussion and admiration. Let's start with the book. First time director Jennifer Kent takes the idea of having a ghost story and turns it into a pop-up book, literally. In the movie, the pop-up book appears on the shelf and Samuel suggests his mother reads it to him before bed. The pair quickly figure out the book is a conjuring to someone named Mister Babadook. As Ameila reads Mister Babadook to her son, fear sets in. Not only on both Samuel and Amelia, but also the audience. The Mister Babadook book used in film is jaw-dropping impressive. The fear of the Babadook is clear cut. Once he manifests his presence is unavoidable. Like the tagline says, if it's in a word or it's in a look, you can't get rid of ... the Babadook. Kent does an able job here teasing and toying with the audience before revealing the tale's true intentions. Essie Davis delivers a paralyzing performance as Amelia, the single mother plagued by the death of her husband. Davis brings a bewildered energy to Amelia that allows the audience to fluently second guess the events unfolding. She is both motherly and inimical. Newcomer Noah Wiseman is adorable as Samuel. Wiseman possesses an instinctive quality in the performance. One where he seems to balance between both bravery and terror with the greatest of ease. Director Jennifer Kent quickly becomes someone to watch after such a potent debut. She is exactly what horror needs from time to time. Someone who comes along and shakes things up with an insightful approach to recycled idea that has become far too trendy.

04. The One I Love

"The One I Love" is the hardest film on my list to talk about freely. What I mean is, it is a movie better talked about after someone has seen it. Once people have seen it, not talking about it is the hard part. There in lies the dilemma, how do you create interest without giving a fair description or without giving away too much? My best answer is to say it is one of the most deceptively simply, yet endlessly complicated movies I have ever seen. Intrigued? I surely hope so, because it is fascinating.

03. Whiplash

First viewing of "Whiplash" I shrugged it off. Came across as nothing more than a heavy handed tale about an educator who pushes too hard on his talented students. Like the cutthroat music teacher, it is an abrasive drama that leaves little room for condolences or pats on the back. Then I watched again and discovered the incredible work ethic on display in writer and director Damien Chazelle's film. In the first viewing, an easy excuse to work ethic was a cheap generalization. Saying something to the effect of, everyone knows that a career as a studio musician is agonizing. Again, the second viewing gave me a much clearer perspective on the film. A more appreciative perspective of the tale if you will. Andrew, fiercely portrayed by Miles Teller, puts himself through the continual excruciating training regiment because he is driven to greatness. He knows he's talented. He's been accepted into the best music school in the United States. He wants to refine, improve, and challenge himself to become like the greats he idolizes. A catalyst for Andrew is an infamous Shaffer Conservatory conductor Terence Fletcher who stimulates the young musician to demand the highest from himself. Fletcher is nasty. He's despicable but he's also respectable. Chazelle's script makes Fletcher easy to sneer at and demonize, yet his intentions to push for a musician's best potential is clear. Leaving plenty room for an argument of how important Fletcher is as an educator. J. K. Simmons is frighteningly confrontational as Terence Fletcher. He knows exactly how to tear someone down and build them right back up again. While the performances are electric so too is the music on display throughout Whiplash. The three main arrangements Whiplash, Caravan, and Upswingin are used effectively so that the music doesn't become routine and leaves you walking out humming. Like most of the other titles on this list, Whiplash is a conversation starter. It is a film that will have people talking about a variety of issues and that stimulation is important to us in our art.

02. Nightcrawler

"Nightcrawler" is a terrifying economic horror built around the values of capitalism Americans hold dear. The idea that a person can start from nothing set high goals and through persistence and hard work they can make themselves into a millionaire. The focus of "Nightcrawler" is Lou Bloom. A desperate man motivated to make something of himself. Bloom says early on in the story, "If you want to win the lottery, who have to be willing to work hard for the money to buy a ticket." From the first frame of the thriller Lou's motivation is apparent. He's like a mad dog behind a fence. Waiting for the next person to bark at walking by, only Bloom sees each person walking by as potential profit. Bloom quickly stumbles into the world of L.A. crime journalism. A fast-paced dangerous group of freelance camera crews who scan the streets of southern California for the most provocative stories and graphic images. A nocturnal bunch who convert victims from ambulance and police sirens into dollars and cents. The combination of Lou Bloom's desperation matched with the dangerous realm of nightcrawling are setup for what becomes one of the realest horror movies this year. This is the kind of horror that is happening on a regular basis, not some maniac killer on the loose or a paranormal ghost haunting families in old houses. Don't believe me, just turn on the nightly news and watch all the stories focusing in on crime, accidents, fires, etc. Remember, incidents that involve violence or death sell the best. Armed with a vehicle, a police scanner, and a camcorder Bloom sets out to make something of himself in the world of nightcrawling. The actions Bloom is willing to take in order to get ahead are what give this film its more terrifying nature. This is magnified by Jake Gyllenhaal's maniacal performance as Lou Bloom. Gyllenhaal has an energy I haven't seen since his wide-eyed enthusiasm in "Bubble Boy." While the roles are completely opposite, they both require a charged performance to truly bring about the values of the character. Gyllenhaal delivers the best male performance of the year as Lou Bloom. It is unforgettable. Nightcrawler isn't just a terrifying horror, it is a beautiful portrait of nocturnal Los Angeles. The cinematography of the moonlight streets in L.A. is hair-raising. Add James Newton Howard's standout score and you should understand why Nightcrawler is such a notable film.

01. Selma

Docu-dramas usually are things I get real excited for. Movies that tell pieces of history for others to see and share. "Selma" is a historical drama or biographical film unlike any other. It is a powerful film with the right approach to telling a very important American story. This is a film I can't wait for everyone to see and talk about. Being a film surrounding Martin Luther King Jr. one would expect that this is a movie about him, when in fact it isn't. It is about the pivotal role Dr. King played in the Selma marches pushing towards the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It is a confrontational movie. A movie illustrating the monumental and difficult actions Americans working towards fundamental rights had to take in order to gain those basic guaranteed rights protected by our Constitution. It is uplifting and agonizing. It is a film that feels as prevalent now as it would have 50 years ago. It is a no punches pulled testimony of the continued fight that went into repairing the damage caused by slavery, reconstruction, and segregation. David Oyelowo channels Martin Luther King Jr. in a truly remarkable way. He's nuanced and comes at the role from a very humbling portrayal. Not as stoic and heroic as history books make him, more like an actor who didn't know he was being filmed, there's honesty on display. Director Ava DuVernay's eye is a big part of what makes Selma a masterpiece. She wisely explores more than what Martin Luther King Jr. did, she explores the whole picture. This leaves issues for audiences to ponder. Questions of what we have left to accomplish truly realizing the principles of the American Constitution. The film is precise in not only giving a meaningful history lesson but placing a sense of duty and importance of continued political action on its audience. Clearly with race issues coming to the surface around this great nation, the battle isn't over.

That's a wrap on 2014. Thanks for reading and feel free to share your own Top 10 of 2014 in the comment section.

In Defense of, Adam Sandler

2014-12-28T14:49:00.001-08:00

There's a lot of dislike for Adam Sandler. He's a polarizing comedian. Not because he's vulgar or crass. Not because he uses controversial material. Mainly because he's a buffoon and has stayed that way for twenty years. If you've seen one of his many movies, you know his comedy is not shooting for much higher than middle school mentality. One thing he has shown over the years is his ginormous heart, and that huge heart has made him into a genuine movie star people should celebrate versus tear down. In defense of Adam Sandler...

I started watching Adam Sandler in middle school on Saturday Night Live in 1990. I bought his records, I attended his comedy concerts and I've seen all of his movies outside of "Just Go with It." Needless to say I have bias towards the longtime funnyman. Do I believe his films to be great pieces of art? Hell to the no. He has plenty of movies I dislike. That said, I do think his comedy serves a worthwhile purpose.

What is that purpose? Little by little Adam Sandler has made a number of movies teaching what it means to be a good person. Now that may seem simplistic and it is. For a very good reason, mass appeal. Sandler's films have mostly been hits that are seen by a wide demographic of people. In other words, movies everyone sees. What is important to note here is the simple messages Sandler hides (mostly in plain sight) in his absurd comedies. He knows full well audiences want a ridiculous comedy, so each time he slips in a simple message like duty and/or acceptance, that can resonate with the wide demographic of audiences his films are reaching on a regular basis.

Let me give you an example; take the stereotypical homophobic high school football player who adores Adam Sandler's early comedies like "Happy Gilmore" and "The Waterboy," then let him later see "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry" or even "Grown Ups 2." Both films deal with homosexuality in an absurd way, yet both confront accepting homosexuality. Nick Swardson's character in Grown Ups 2 is constantly tormented and harassed by all his pals, not because he is gay, but because he's a buffoon like the rest of them. Soon that homophobic football player may become a little more accepting of other people. Maybe. I get it, I am taking a leap here, Adam Sandler movies can teach people to be more accepting. Stay with me, while they may not be a direct cause, they can certainly help the general masses understand what is socially acceptable. Ha, I love typing that sentence. Adam Sandler and his films are little by little teaching the masses what is socially acceptable. Brilliant.

So why is everybody so gosh-darn negative about Adam Sandler? Leading up to his last release "Blended," I remember reading negative pieces about how his films feel like he and friends go off and shoot a movie while on vacation. Read that sentence again, go ahead I'll wait. That meme all my students were saying a year ago, "Why you mad bro?" seems very fitting right now. Why are you mad that an actor who has a long line of successful comedies is going off to vacation destinations like Africa, Hawaii, etc to make movies people will enjoy for under $10? The common response is, because he's better than that. This pompous defense is based off the fact Adam Sandler has from time to time gone beyond his usual shtick in a few dramatic portrayals, most notably "Punch Drunk Love" and "Funny People." Apparently we've become Sandler's mentors deciding that he should focus his efforts on dramatic roles that challenge him versus comedies that appeal to the masses. How high and mighty of us.

I'd like to circle back to my position that Adam Sandler is little by little making movies that teach people what it means to be a better person. Keep up if you can. "Billy Madison" is about getting an education, not a bad idea to learn a few things. "Happy Gilmore" is all about helping family and respecting your elders, unless they are Bob Barker. "Bullet Proof" is about loyalty, something that Sandler holds dear. "The Wedding Singer" is about listening to someone, not that fake bullshit listening most of us do, but honest listening. "The Waterboy" has a few strong messages in it, but here's where accepting people for who they are really starts a trend in Sandler's comedies. "Big Daddy" is all about responsibility, but also a lot about humility. "Little Nicky" brings back both acceptance and loyalty. "Mr. Deeds" hits on community and how important it is to help not just ourselves but the community at large. "Eight Crazy Nights" plays to the same tune as Mr. Deeds. "Anger Management" is another lesson in humility. "50 First Dates" is the ultimate test of love and what you may be willing to do for another person. "The Longest Yard" confronts race. "Click" reminds us that the simple things in life matter. "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry" is focused on social equality. "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" mirrors I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry but with a refined hand on cultural stereotypes. "Bedtime Stories" has charity. "Grown Ups" circles loyalty and friendship again. "Jack and Jill" embraces the happiness of others. "That's My Boy" sees Sandler return to responsibility. "Hotel Transylvania" hits on acceptance again, leaning now more on individuality. "Grown Ups 2" parades duty and a sense of belonging in friendship but also affinity towards family. "Blended" his most recent, focuses on the importance in parenting.

All of the titles listed above in some small way have a social message within them and while they won't end up on the IMDb Top 250 movies of all time list, they have their value. They may not be challenging Adam Sandler for a portrayal that will get him personal acclaim, but instead they are comedies that little by little challenge the audience to change their perception of what is socially acceptable. Is that so bad? Is it necessary to tear down one of the more notable working movie stars in America right now? Because he's not out there making Punch Drunk Love over and over? The answer is no. Whether Adam Sandler is being a funny man, a serious man, a family man, or a movie star he's someone people should be celebrating versus tearing down.

Enthusiasm Awakens for the Force

2014-11-29T09:04:00.001-08:00

In case you didn't know, a new Star Wars movie is coming out in 2015 titled "The Force Awakens" and JJ Abrams is directing it. For some people, this is a really big deal. For others, another Star Wars movie is coming out. The first trailer dropped (in a big way) and I feel it necessary to weigh in. Below I've included my thoughts on not only this new trailer, but a chronicling of my love/hate relationship with all things Star Wars.

I represent a middle ground, a group of Star Wars fans who have grown to be a bit more jaded and cynical about the Star Wars saga. A group of fans who hold the Universe created by George Lucas very close to our hearts. Well, maybe not the whole universe, a but a big part of it. A group who feels stolen from and does not want to acknowledge the prequels. It isn't that I don't love Star Wars, but like someone who was hurt in a relationship, I'm very weary of being hurt again.

I grew up on Star Wars. The typical child who had everything from bed sheets to underwear with Star Wars on it. Born in 1977, I was just a baby when the original film released, regardless once I saw it, it changed me like so many others. The force was strong with this one! My earliest memories of Star Wars come mostly from the toys instead of the movies. Sure sure, I have oodles of memories of watching the movies repeatedly, but the toys provided a true expanded universe where I could play-out what I watched on screen as well as whatever I dreamt up. It wasn't just me playing with these toys either, all of my friends were also fans. My cousins, friends, and I would get together and have massive battles with our figures, vehicles, and playsets. Great memories were formed during these times. Better, a communal bond through our love of Star Wars formed with imagination.

My generation, keep in mind, did not have the simple pleasure of streaming our favorite movies and series whenever we wanted. We couldn't instantly share via social media. Yes, we could re-watch the original trilogy via Betamax, LaserDisc or VHS. We could tell our friends and family about what we saw, but nowhere in the capacity we can today. VHS was my drug of choice. It is easy to forget that not everyone had the luxury of owning a home video player in 1980s, unlike today where it seems everyone has a device that is able to stream. I remember my family having to rent both the player and movies at our local video rental store until 1988, when we got our first VHS player. By that time all three movies in the original trilogy were on VHS and available in a set. The pre-special edition Star Wars VHS set if you will. Friends and I would watch the movies daily. I recall a period of time where a friend and I would try to watch all three movies each day (or as many as we could on school days). This went on for months. Whether at my house or his, we'd watch the movies over and over and over. We learned the movies backwards and forwards. We developed our own language using lines from the original trilogy to imply our emotions. For example when a friend was upset over something, an easy quote would be "Cannot get your ship out?" taken from "The Empire Strikes Back." Another example of a communal bond through a shared love of Star Wars, this time with language.

In 1997, as part of a 20th Anniversary, the Star Wars trilogy was re-released in theaters. The re-release of these titles was huge to me. First, being too young to have seen "Star Wars" or "The Empire Strikes Back" in theaters when they initially released. This became my chance to experience three of my favorite movies in a darkened theater on the big screen as many times as I wanted. Second, there was an unmatched amount of craze around these releases. Fans of Star Wars made these re-release event(s) a real treat for fans of the franchise. Everything from lining-up for hours to buy tickets for the first possible showing, then lining up for hours ahead of that first showing so that you can get the best seat. There were some amazing memories and new friendships started in those lines. An experience that has changed altogether. Today we buy our tickets online. We have the ease of also selecting our seats ahead of time. While I love the ease we have today, you can't deny we have removed the more personal side of waiting in line. Standing side-by-side for hours, if not days to get the best seat. Standing next to other Star Wars fans just as eager as you created something special in the fanbase. This is another, wonderful example of a shared communal bond through Star Wars, now with culture.

The experiences created before seeing the re-releases is much different than the experiences after seeing the Special Edition re-releases. Each film featured updates or enhancements. New shots or sequences added. Some were minor, like the blur under Luke's landspeeder being replaced with a more accurate shadow, while others were very noticeable. For instance, having Han shoot Greedo first in the Mos Eisley cantina, altering one of the more memorable moments in Star Wars lore. Each of these enhancements played a small part in the Star Wars I grew up with changing from just being movies. More so, these re-releases represented me learning (as an adult) the branding of Star Wars and how it had little concern about my fandom. If George Lucas wanted to celebrate "Return of the Jedi" and Star Wars fandom, he wouldn't have added a whole new musical number with CGI performers to the Jabba the Hutt lair sequence. He took a scene that scared little kids (in a good way) and made it an eye-rolling moment.

There's an apparent change that came with Star Wars following 1995. It was the final VHS push to own the original trilogy. From that point on, Star Wars was about expanding and the next phase of the franchise, the Prequels. Hindsight is everything here. I won't lie, there's plenty to enjoy in all three of the Star Wars prequels. Stuff that I enjoyed as each film went into production all the way till it released in theaters. Characters, vehicles, and plot points. That said, I wish they didn't exist. Much like I mentioned with the Special Edition 20th Anniversary re-releases, experiences created before seeing the prequels is much different than the experiences after seeing the prequels. After is total sour grapes.

The prequels represent a huge slide in the wrong direction. First and foremost, the films are overall bad. Fan or not, there's really no arguing this point. Even Lucas knows it. Second, I'm hard pressed to find what qualities they offer outside of branding new toys, school supplies, cartoons, video games, etc. Third, the prequels in three movies, unsuccessfully expand a 10 second lie Obi Wan tells Luke Skywalker about his father. We've all heard the saying "less is more" and the prequels are a blatant example of exactly that. I liked Star Wars better before George Lucas filled in all the backstory. Honestly, all the details about how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader take away from his villainy. Search your feelings, you know this to be true.

The prequels were like a being stuck in an abusive relationship. I just kept coming back for more, regardless of how they treated me. I saw each of the prequels three times on opening day. 100% planned. Regardless of whether the movie was good or not. A tradition I started with "The Phantom Menace" and I decided to follow suit with each of the following prequels, "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith." Who could blame me? The original trilogy before the Special Edition re-releases was so good to us. Like an abuse victim, I kept thinking things would get better. I remember watching The Phantom Menace on second viewing and my brain kept defaulting to how bad the movie was. Instead of returning my tickets for the next two showings, I willingly went back, for the love of Star Wars and making it work.

Thing about abusive relationships, it takes the abused a long time to realize how they are being treated. That moment for me came after all three prequels had released on DVD. I planned an all-day viewing party with friends, all six Star Wars movies in-a-row. During that all-day event, there was no hiding that the prequels offered no redeeming qualities to the original trilogy I grew up with. The prequels only diluted the original trilogy. They provided hilarious laugh track while you watch, but little else. It was then I decided that I would no longer consider the prequels "actual" sequels to the original trilogy. They are expanded universe that is there, but I do not acknowledge them. I believe it was Drew McWeeny over at Hitfix, that suggested we think of the prequels as nothing more than Luke's fever dream in between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, but even that is being nice.

Moving forward, George Lucas tried to eliminate all memory of the original trilogy before the 20th Anniversary Special Edition alterations. Outside of a DVD set that came out in 2008, it is really hard to see true original cuts to the original trilogy. These actions only further infuriated me. This is a period where I only saw was red when it came to Star Wars. Star Wars had become a song that was overplayed on the radio, or in Jabba's lair. It was a trend that everyone was now into. It moved beyond pop culture. What was once special, was longer special to me. It was tainted. Looking at a Darth Vader, I didn't think about how badass he was. How Vader could actually temp the audience to joining the dark side of the force, instead I thought about what cry baby George Lucas made him out to be. There's documentary titled "The People vs. George Lucas" which does an excellent job of illustrating further why I saw nothing but red during this phase of Star Wars.

There's a turning point to this relationship. It begins with, no more George Lucas. That is such a weird thing to type. I don't like typing that. He's created (and tarnished) some of my all time favorite movies. Regardless, Disney came along and purchased the rights to Star Wars from Lucasfilm. In the process, Lucas stepped down having anything to do with future installments of Star Wars. Disney announced that they'd be making a new trilogy. A trilogy that would follow the events of Return of the Jedi. Disney also announced a world of new spin-off movies that would further expand the Star Wars universe. Truth be told, I remain extremely hesitant on all of this news. We are all still in major what if mode, but some strides have been made that seem to be awakening the force inside of this lifelong Star Wars fan.

First step was Disney went out and hired JJ Abrams. I know this move doesn't appease all. Plenty of people have issues with JJ's style, I do not share those sentiments. I like JJ, quite a bit actually. I like what he did with "Star Trek," even if that didn't please a lot of hardcore Trek fans. JJ has always said he's a Star Wars fan and it shows. He's one of the kids who were 8 or 9 when the original Star Wars blew the doors off. Like me, it changed him and now he's making a new installment. An installment now made by that first generation of kids who were affected by Star Wars. A generation who experienced first hand a communal bond between imagination, language, and culture all stemming from Star Wars. It is a great thing to have JJ helming a new piece to the saga.

That brings me to a second important step in the right direction, sequels. Prequels and our need to flesh out the origin of every character we love might be good for business, but it is bad for storytelling. The Force Awakens represents a new future for Star Wars and while the sequel does see a return of old characters like Luke, Han, and Chewie, the teaser released lets the audience immediately know we have new characters to follow. Something that is important to add here is the hiring of screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan, who wrote both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Kasdan feels like another stride in the right direction. He represents a logical bridge from the original trilogy pushing us forward into new adventures. Adventures that will hopefully create new iconic characters along the way.

It is worth mentioning A Force for Change as another piece of positive momentum. The charitable UNICEF initiative from Disney, Lucasfilm, and Bad Robot not only provided a benefit worth supporting, but two videos that created much needed enthusiasm for Star Wars fans wondering how a new movie would shape up. This is another reason why I like JJ Abrams. While it was totally calculated (like all of his marketing moves), I appreciate that he made sure to show that practical effects are being utilized in the seventh Star Wars movie. Doing so was not only a nice gesture towards fans while also rekindling the idea of a communal appreciation for Star Wars but an important one. Fans got a sneak peek at X-Wing being used on set while also donating to a good cause. Donators will be able to proudly wear their Force for Change t-shirts as an identifier to other fans.

Before talking the trailer itself, I want to address the idea of The Force Awakens teaser trailer premiering in theaters. I love this idea. It is awesome that Disney uses Star Wars fandom in a unique way. It calls back to when I was a kid. When trailers debuted in theaters for the first time, not online. It comes from a time JJ knows all too well also. When if you didn't see a trailer, the only consolation was hearing those who had describe it. Plenty complain of JJ's so-called Mystery Box approach. Rest assured he has the interest of fans at heart when he tries to limit what we know about a given film. Less is more. Unfortunately these days, where piracy is rampant, Disney chose to release the 88 second teaser online and theaters simultaneously. The decision did feel like a parent caving little by little after telling their child no, yet it was the right decision. Disney got ahead of any leaked versions and released a full HD version. Whether you made an extra effort to see the trailer in a theater with a group of Star Wars fans or caught it via your social media feed, you saw the best version in that particular format.

About the teaser itself, I found it to be a real nice table setter. The setting and look is familiar, yet we have new characters at the forefront. A cast, which I failed to mention earlier, but is also a nice point of forward momentum Disney seems to have made since purchasing the Star Wars franchise from Lucasfilm. John Boyega is an exceptional talent who is sure to become a household name after the film releases. The same should be said of Adam Driver and Oscar Issacs, who both starred in a recent folk drama by the Coen brothers "Inside Llewyn Davis." There are six specifics shots in the teaser all tied together by a piece of voice-over and some very familiar music. The voice-over sounds like it is Andy Serkis, but I could be mistaken. If I were to pick one shot that grabbed me the most, it has to be actress Daisy Ridley atop of a speeder. Mostly because it seemed like a jab at the pod race in The Phantom Menace. More importantly this sequence showed that A, we have a woman as a central character and B, the look and feel is on point. Of course, seeing a squad of X-Wings moving in formation and the Millennium Falcon dog fighting with Tie-Fighters tantalized just like it was supposed to. This teaser pushed all the right buttons. Simply, it awoke my enthusiasm and it feels great. In fact, let's watch it again right now shall we?

There's an ongoing communal bond Star Wars fans share that is very important. JJ Abrams and company are tapped in to that bond and on the right track. They created an avenue for fans to gather together and share seeing the first footage for The Force Awakens with an eager crowd. Will it payoff? Only time will tell. As stated earlier, I remain very hesitant. We've still got ourselves a year, so I'd pump the brakes. Still, as I've pointed out numerous times previously, Disney seems to want to tap into what made Star Wars great, not what has made Star Wars or Lucasfilm a great deal of money. Which is so freaking important. Partly because they want the Star Wars franchise to make money over a long haul. Also, because they want to excite their fanbase with what seems to be an equal amount of nostalgia and maturity.

More and more, I'm starting to think JJ Abrams is more than able to make a suitable installment into the Star Wars saga. I don't expect him to make a movie that lives up to my childhood. No one can. "That's impossible!" Though I do believe he's capable of making a film that will leave me with a more positive outlook towards the future of Star Wars than the prequels ever did. At least, let's hope so... otherwise

AFI FEST 2014: Day Five

2014-11-25T12:53:00.004-08:00

AFI FEST 2014 is a wrap, 73 features and 45 shorts screened across eight (8) days. This year I highlighted 24 films I found to be a high priority, of those 24 films I caught 15 of them across five (5) days. In order to give a fair amount of coverage to the 15 films viewed, I've broke my festival coverage down by day(s) including a brief review of each feature.

Day Five:

A HARD DAY (KKEUT-KKA-JI GAN-DA)

directed by Kim Seong-hun

Is it weird to find pleasure in someone else's misfortunes? "A Hard Day" is willing to see what you think. Screenwriter and director Kim Seong-hun is hoping you will not only find pleasure in it, he's hoping you'll have blast watching the misfortunes play out. The South Korean thriller strings together a series of unfortunate events following a detective in a bad situation. Each of the events on their own could cause not only a bad day but a bad week, combine them all together and even the strongest willed person is likely to have a nervous breakdown.
A Hard Day uses gallows humor to great effect. The action thriller has its audience eager for things to fall apart. There's stimulation for things to untangle and crumble. The rewards are very titillating. Kim Seong-hun was wise to center the wild tale around a dirty officer. It makes the bad things unravelling around the troubled detective feel less upsetting because, even if he is likable, he is corrupted. Better, Seong-hun pits the main character against another cop who is a massive overachiever when it comes to being crooked and sinister.
A Hard Day is the kind of movie you'll want to see with a primed crowd. It is a provoking thrill ride that triggers a variety of gratifying emotions.

MANOS SUCIAS

directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka

"Manos Sucias" is a powerful portrait of the inhumanity in drug trafficking. There is no regard for human life, only that drugs are being transported and money is being made. Set in the deprived Colombian city of Buenaventura, the stripped down drama follows two estranged brothers who find themselves looking for a quick payday transporting millions of dollars of cocaine. While both brothers take the risk of drug trafficking for chance of a better life, their overall intentions are different. One brother is steadfast on getting out of Buenaventura, while the other brother seems far more enamored with the status and wealth that pop culture associates with the drug trade.

The Colombian thriller based off real-life accounts uses its title very literally. In order to reach your pay day in the drug trade, you are going to get your hands dirty. There's no escaping it. Watching what these two brothers are forced to do is dismal and brutal. They are thrown into an impossible situation and forced to operate off the most essential instinct, survival. Manos Sucias doesn't play around or waste any time. It doesn't break new ground in terms of what it is covering, however it remains focused, compelling, and well worth a viewing.

FISH & CAT (MAHI VA GORBEH)

directed by Shahram Mokri

Two words immediately come to mind when I think about "Fish & Cat," fascinating and frustrating. A film that initially caught my attention with the single-take gimmick. Something that seems to be growing in popularity, and while I've had issues with each new single-take flick I see, I continue to go to see them because the idea is awesome. On top of the single-take gimmick, the Iranian film is advertised as a "slasher." Even AFI FEST described it as a horror comedy in the vein of "Friday the 13th." To summarize, an Iranian single-take slasher film in the vein of Friday the 13th? Uh, yes please. I'm always looking for new perspectives in horror and there's not a whole lot of Iranian single-take slashers going around these days. Unfortunately, what is advertised is not what ends up on screen. What you get is two hours of going in Möbius strip circles. Tracking between a group of college students camping around a lake preparing for a kite-flying festival and two old men who intersect them en route to their friend's house.
Fish & Cat tries to build the advertised horror in a preface of text. The preamble raises suspicion about restaurants in northern Iran who were allegedly serving human meat. Screenwriter and director Shahram Mokri then drops the audience in front of an old restaurant in northern Iran for the starting point. While the prelude is a nice table setter, it is not able to hold the fear or suspicion across the 134 minute film. A big reason why the fear evaporates is not the fascinating circular time element or the menacing old men lurking behind the trees, but the fact that nothing horrific ever plays out. There is set up, there are potential victims, yet each and every one is passed on or forgotten about. Like I said initially, frustrating. There's reason to believe that the two old men are killing off-screen, but without the preamble Fish & Cat would be nothing more than a single-take about two old men taking a walk through a forest in northern Iran. Glad I saw it being a rare cinematic experience, but wow, was it ever a let down.

That's a wrap on my coverage from AFI FEST 2014. In case you missed it, here's coverage from Day One (here), Day Two (here), Day Three (here), and Day Four (here). Look forward to bringing you continued coverage of AFI FEST next year in 2015 and beyond. As always, stay tuned for more...

AFI FEST 2014: Day Four

2014-11-23T22:06:00.002-08:00

AFI FEST 2014 is a wrap, 73 features and 45 shorts screened across eight (8) days. This year I highlighted 24 films I found to be a high priority, of those 24 films I caught 15 of them. In order to give a fair amount of coverage to the 15 films viewed across five (5) days, I've broke my festival coverage down by day(s) including a brief review of each feature.

Day Four:

BLACK COAL, THIN ICE (BAI RI YAN HUO)

directed by Diao Yinan

Diao Yinan's "Black Coal, Thin Ice" is a prime example why I love watching world cinema. First, its structure comes in the form of a familiar shell, a noir crime thriller. Second and more importantly, the components within the shell are from another culture. A wonderful aspect of watching film is seeing and gleaning perspective's from various cultures and voices around the world. Here, the audience is placed into a frigid working class provence within northern China. The dissecting drama spans nearly a decade, at the front is a shamed detective whose career is ruined over an unresolved murder case.
Director and screenwriter Diao Yinan makes atmosphere a priority in Black Coal, Thin Ice. He's concentrated on submersing his audience in the desperation of his murder mystery. The wintry setting easily allows for the bleak narrative to feel icy, while the pulpy plot points and grieved characters compound the thriller into a stinging tale. Fan Liao is excellent as the shamed detective hellbent on solving the case that cost him his career. Opposite Fan Liao's cutting performance, Lun Mei Gwei delivers a studious portrayal of a woman stuck in a very unfortunate situation.
The Chinese title to Black Coal, Thin Ice is "Daylight Fireworks," something director Dia Yinan has stated helps to explain the "difference between reality and fantasy." The American title reflects something real that plays a role in the film, while the Chinese title reflects something fantastic that plays out in the film. The director believes that these two sides together are a way to highlight "what we use to coat ourselves from the cruel side of this real world." The director's explanation of the two titles and how they explain fantasy and reality are ultimately two sides of the same coin is widely engaging. Match that with seeing the film run its course and you have a nice example of my enthusiasm with culture perspective that comes in foreign cinema. Finally, there's plenty of appreciation in the fact Black Coal, Thin Ice while being a recognizable and stirring noir thriller, also delivers a riveting portrait from a pocket of society I might not have otherwise seen.

BUZZARD

directed by Joel Potrykus

A slacker comedy with a brand of humor, that while being very identifiable, isn't for everyone. Writer and director Joel Potrykus weaves a yarn following a twenty-something who swindles his way through life. Marty, an obnoxious temp, given opportunities to succeed at work takes those opportunities in the opposite direction. What follows is a laugh-out-loud downward spiral chronicling the numskulled Marty as he deals with ramifications of his ill-advised actions. Potrykus is fixated on exploring the humor in bitterness and poor decisions throughout "Buzzard." That exploration is where the comedy could be polarizing for audiences. Simply put, the film parades stupidity. Actor Joshua Burge delivers an unbridled performance as Marty. His portrayal not only matches Potrykus's dark sense of humor, but will indubitably keep him working the indie circuit. Buzzard and its airheaded scheme, reminded me of a low-stakes version of Mike Judge's "Office Space" if you will. Where the central characters in Office Space are planning to extort potential millions, Marty is only cheating mere thousands if not even less in Buzzard. Lastly, there's a nice bit of 90s nostalgia thrown in for good measure that original NES Nintendo Entertainment System users and Nightmare on Elm Street fans alike will get a kick out of.

FELT

directed by Jason Banker

"Felt" is an important film. It bravely confronts rape culture and the affect on victims. In a society where men have continually pushed their impulses upon women, it is critical we understand the repercussion those horrific actions will have on the victims. Actress and co-writer Amy Everson delivers the best performance at AFI FEST 2014. She brings a passionate raw energy to the screen that is acute and also delightfully vulgar. She furthermore, has a voice that is very refreshing to see represented on film.
The social drama directed by Jason Banker has plenty to say about trust and intentions within the day-to-day relationships we have in our lives. Everything from friendships to dating. There is a honest and approachable independence on display, but also a very tangible threat of breakdown. Felt uses real-life art that mimics the male form, allowing Amy to take on traditional supremacy or hierarchy associated with it. The suit is used in multiple impending sequences that serve as a mechanism to cope with the trauma haunting Amy. The result is a passionately piercing piece of art that callously flips the rape context. Felt is tell all your friends good. It is the kind of film that will leave you talking and deservedly needs your attention.

That's a wrap on my coverage from Day Four at AFI FEST 2014. Here's my coverage from Day One (here), Day Two (here), and Day Three (here) in case you missed it. Stay tuned for more from AFI FEST 2014...

AFI FEST 2014: Day Three

2014-11-16T19:00:00.000-08:00

AFI FEST 2014 is a wrap, 73 features and 45 shorts screened across eight (8) days. This year I highlighted 24 films I found to be a high priority, of those 24 films I caught 15 of them. In order to give a fair amount of coverage to the 15 films viewed across five (5) days, I've broke my festival coverage down by day(s) including a brief review of each feature.

Day Three:

'71

directed by Yann Demange

"'71" uses the volatile historical setting of an IRA-controlled Belfast to its benefit in the relentless cat and mouse thriller directed by Yann Demange. There's an ounce too much setup in '71 before you get to the meat of the film. The aggressive fugitive tale has book ends that are aimed at generating sympathy. The plight of our central character (aptly portrayed by Jack O'Connell), however is so powerful that those book ends feel unnecessary. The fierce story could have benefitted from a more focused portrait of a soldier thrown into an impossible situation.
Speaking of an impossible situation, Yann Demange delivers the goods once our new recruit and his unit are launched into the middle of unstable Belfast, Ireland. Like the unit, the audience is tossed into a very unsafe situation that goes downhill in a real hurry. Demange is unafraid showing his viewers the stakes in Ireland during this historical location. Families on the front lines willing to die for what they believed in. A far cry from the apathy we see here in the States today. You quickly begin asking yourself, how is anyone supposed to keep the peace under these circumstances? All the while reminding yourself, this is the unit's first day assigned in Belfast.
The performances throughout '71 do a fine job of elevating the already powerful report. Jack O'Connell brings his A game to the portrayal of a new recruit abandoned by his unit in the middle of divided Belfast. It helps that our fugitive is being chased by a number of menacing performances including the always venomous Sean Harris. Conclusively, '71 is an intense portrait that carries its audience through a very graceless period of Irish history.

REALITY (RÉALITÉ)

directed by Quentin Dupieux

If there ever was a director (outside of Michael Bay) where audiences needed to simply just go with it in order to enjoy their movies, it is Quentin Dupieux. His films are usually absurd for the sake of being absurd. His last two features, "Wrong" and "Rubber" are thundering examples of exactly that. It must be pointed out however, this absurdity is with good intention. Writer, director Quentin Dupieux wants his audience to have a good time. In order to do so though, it is probably a good idea for you to not try to rationalize things too much. That being said, here's me trying to make some sense of "Reality." The comedy houses a shared universe between a producer, a director, and an actor. At the center of those three, is a hopeful filmmaker (played by Alain Chabat) assigned with the task of creating an Academy Award winning scream. Meanwhile, the hopeful filmmaker's mind seems to dictate the other three's actions and vice versa. Who is controlling who is mostly unclear. What is clear, is that their lives are intersecting and they are effecting each other in various ways. Many of these incidents are 100% ridiculous and provide a torrent of laughter to any of the audience still participating. Actor Alain Chabat handles Dupieux's odd tale in an whimsical and accommodating nature I found to be bananas. The comedy is deranged, although its lunacy actually has a level of depth and insight on the nature of filmmaking. How much depth, is of course, up to the viewer enduring Dupieux's dream-reality within Reality.

GOODNIGHT MOMMY (ICH SEH ICH SEH)

directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala

Not since "The Sixth Sense" I have sat through a film where I wondered if the filmmaker was hiding (in plain sight) what seemed so obvious. "Goodnight Mommy" follows twins as they suspect their mother has changed for the worse after undergoing plastic surgery. Co-writer and co-directors Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala build the right mood and tension with their quiet thriller, however the film lacks a refinement that could have raised the curious tale out of its own ashes. Elias and Lukas Schwarz are captivating as the mischievous Twins, while Susanne Wuest's portrayal as Mommy matches the unnerving tone. Except the performances are not the issue with this story meant to get under your skin, it is the obvious path it is headed down. The journey is chilling and works very well up to a certain point. Then the expected conclusion is a unfortunate chore to sit through. I found the third act completely unsatisfying despite its desire to please the audience it lured in with the promise of fright. This is not to say the payoff won't work for certain audiences, I just didn't find myself continuously bewitched by a reveal I saw coming from the get-go.

That's a wrap on my coverage from Day Three at AFI FEST 2014. Here's my coverage from Day One (here) and Day Two (here) in case you missed it. Stay tuned for more from AFI FEST 2014...

AFI FEST 2014: Day Two

2014-11-16T16:18:00.003-08:00

AFI FEST 2014 is a wrap, 73 features and 45 shorts screened across eight (8) days. This year I highlighted 24 films I found to be a high priority, of those 24 films I caught 15 of them. In order to give a fair amount of coverage to the 15 films viewed across five (5) days, I've broke my festival coverage down by day(s) including a brief review of each feature.

Day Two:

THE MIDNIGHT SWIM

directed by Sara Adina Smith

"The Midnight Swim" is an interesting and hypnotic piece of filmmaking. Shot in a quasi documentary point-of-view style, the drama takes on a near cinéma vérité approach. Writer and director Sara Adina Smith weaves the story between three sisters each coping with the loss of their mother in their own ways and a local legend surrounding the lake their now deceased mother lived on. Actresses Lindsay Burdge, Jennifer Lafleur and Aleksa Palladino each deliver engaging characterizations that convey the varied individuality amongst siblings. Their collective performances furthermore feel natural to the hierarchy families can often undertake. Smith's approach to mourning is delicately balanced across the three sisters and their instinctive portrayals. There's a stirring harmony between the sisters' bonding and coping I really appreciated.
The Midnight Swim excels at magnetizing mystery. Sara Adina Smith is wise to create a local legend, that while may not sound real, feels like something a local town could have drummed up over the course of a few generations. I found myself reflecting back on local legends we had in my home town; an escaped convict from a nearby prison who tormented and murdered a family, a satanist group who resided way back in Carbon Canyon, or other local legends friends had shared with me over the years from their own home towns. Like those legends I grew up with, the legend of the Seven Sisters Smith creates here is potent and used sparingly enough it doesn't lose its significance.
Walking away there's a refreshing affection that The Midnight Swim doesn't pigeonhole itself in one genre. The film has moving ability to focus on sisters reconciling while simultaneously teetering between reality and fantasy. Sara Adina Smith with her debut feature, proves she has a voice I want to hear more from in cinema.

BLIND

directed by Eskil Vogt

"Blind" is the most absorbing film I watched at AFI FEST 2014. It has a lot to say about our perception of others. Our fears and insecurities of how others perceive us. Also how our imagination and fantasies can get the best of us at times. The film, which won the Berlin International Film Festival, is curt while being sincere. It is equally dismal, hysterical, titillating, and scandalous. It is a triumph to say the least.
Quick judgement could perceive the film as nothing more than another provocative example of misogyny in cinema. That a woman's worth is measured by her ability to cater to the male gaze, but that is selling the award winning script short. Writer and director Eskil Vogt has done a tremendous job crafting a tale about an author, after going blind, that tried to maintain her identity, sanity and memories foremost. Vogt embraces the mindset of a person who is losing grip with their perceptions of reality. Without the use of sight, Ingrid starts to suffer as little things begin to change or slip from her memory. Her memories create new realities or fantasies, that are thrilling to watch play out. People or characters that would have once been fleshed out, now become boiled down into tropes and stereotypes.
Vogt's drama is not fixated on catering to the male's gaze, however it is focused on wrestling with the vulnerability in loss of a sense. A sense that I couldn't imagine losing. I went into this film simply based off the terrifying thought of losing my eyesight. Just like the central character Ingrid, I am a visual person and my perception of what life would be like without that sense, could easily fall prey to my worst fears and insecurities.
Ingrid, sublimely played by Ellen Dorrit Petersen, begins to question not only her own sanity, but another big part in her life; her marriage. Does the loss of her eyesight effect her ability to maintain a happy marriage? A question that seems natural, notably with regards to the state of her marriage and mind of a person who is trapped in a web of pity. Self doubt is sure to set in with the loss of such a powerful sense. Especially with the stakes being so high in their relationship, it only compounds the perception further. Vogt dabbles plenty in the cynicism of vulnerability throughout Blind, although his film ultimately has a charmingly optimistic outlook. Finally, love it or hate it, this is a film that at the very least opens up conversation. It is a film that will have you talking. Talking about relationships, individuality, perception, imagination, reality and how they can all blend together under the right circumstances.

WILD TALES (RELATOS SALVAJES)

directed by Damián Szifron

"Wild Tales" is designed for reaction. Writer and director Damián Szifron cooks up six wild tales that will have audiences reacting in shock and laughter. Wild Tales excels stringing together six stories that are undeniably relatable. A flight on a passenger airplane, a rundown diner, a flat tire, a vehicle being towed, a reckless driver, and a wedding reception. Where these tales go, on the other hand, isn't very rational but strangely comforting. How does one confront an uncomfortable situation? Szifron shows you six times over that sometimes people act irrationally, each amplifying to an unbelievable conclusion.
Wild Tales is the kind of romp that is best seen with a crowd. It is the built for laughs and more than supplies them. While the faint of heart may be weary at the prospect of shock, Szifron's take on social hardships totally makes up for any fears going in. This is a fun two hours even if you are a little squeamish. A perfect "midnight" movie.

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

directed by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement

If you've enjoyed episodes of HBO's "Flight of the Conchords" and aren't nauseated by vampires or werewolves just yet, you are in luck; "What We Do in the Shadows" is a hilarious "documentary" from frequent Kiwi collaborators Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. Much like Christopher Guest's mockumentary films "Best in Show" or "A Mighty Wind," What We Do in the Shadows toys around with a particular group of people, here the subjects are out of touch vampires trying to remain hip in modern society. The entire cast is a riot. Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi have a great comedic sense that lends itself wonderfully to this world. Waititi has moments that are so funny I had to resist from laughing too loudly as to not seem obnoxious in the theater. This is not to say the crowd wasn't also loud, but I felt myself cackling to the point my sides hurt from bits used. Audiences can rest easy knowing they are in the hands of wildly entertaining comedians. Performers that know all about timing and taking a gag for all its worth. These comedic collaborators have audience bursting with laughter while the vampire flat mates squabble over mundane chores like the dishes.
What We Do in the Shadows is set for release early next year at the end of February and I highly recommend seeing it with a group of friends. It is the kind of comedy that you will want to see again and again.

That's a wrap on my coverage from Day Two at AFI FEST 2014. In case you missed it, check out my coverage of Day One here.

AFI FEST 2014: Day One

2014-11-15T22:39:00.000-08:00

THE ABSENT (LOS AUSENTES)

directed by Nicolás Pereda

An extensive opening shot in Nicolás Pereda's "The Absent" is a perfect indication to the pacing he intends to use in the tale of an elderly man confronted with losing his Mexican woodland property. There is an apparent reluctant approach that Pereda utilizes weaving the parable which aptly works in two ways. First, rooting the audience into the plight of the central character. Second, portraying the mundane tasks Eduard carries out over the course the 80 minute drama. Cinematographer Diego Romero Suárez frames each prolonged sequence in a strenuous way that leaves the viewer nested in the environment. While The Absent is quiet and sluggish it does an able job taking the audience through the memories of an aged man. The assertive tale is a reflective and grim portrait of one man's existence living alone in a house on the outskirts of a beach in Mexico.

IT FOLLOWS

directed by David Robert Mitchell

"It Follows" is an escalator of terror. Director David Robert Mitchell shows with his second feature film that he and horror seem to be old friends. There's a timeless aesthetic to Mitchell's films. Much of it, in this film, stems from his clever set dressing and ability to create a melodic ambiance within the Michigan suburb setting. The style lends itself perfectly to the nature of the stalker slasher Mitchell has unfolding on screen. There's tension building immediately from an opening that leaves nothing but questions. Those questions are soon answered, all be them replaced with looming anxiety. The kind of unease that has you suspecting and peaking at every possible inch of the screen.
Based on a reoccurring nightmare director David Robert Mitchell had as a child, the film is a sharp emblem for STDs. In a sense, it is the first STD slasher. The entire cast of It Follows pulls their weight. Rising star Maika Monroe is the right blend of nervous and tenacious as Jay the lead heroine. The beautiful cinematography Mike Gioulakis pulls off should not go unnoticed. His use of moving around a set to build and amplify terror helps to make the film absolutely bone-chilling in certain sequences. Lastly, music by Disasterpeace really adds to the panicking nature of Mitchell's tale. Horror fans will want to make sure they see this one when it releases theatrically next year.

Stay tuned for further breakdown from each day I visited AFI FEST 2014.

AFI FEST 2014: Top Priority

2014-11-06T20:38:00.001-08:00

AFI FEST 2014 kicks off tonight with "A Most Violent Year" directed by J.C. Chandor. The free film festival runs November 6-13, 2014. The Opening Night Gala will serve as the first of 118 films programmed representing 39 countries in this year's festival including (6) Galas/Tributes, (8) Special Screenings, (8) American Independents, (10) New Auteurs, (29) World Cinema, (4) Midnight, (4) Breakthrough, (4) Cinema's Legacy and (45) Short Films. There are 29 films directed/co-directed by women, 16 documentaries, 17 animated films, and 9 official Foreign Language Film Oscar® submissions. Check out a more detailed breakdown of what you can see for free during AFI FEST 2014 below.

Instead of regurgitating everything you can already read in the official AFI FEST 2014 Film Guide on all 73 features, I've decided to give you a breakdown of the 24 films I am considering a top priority at this year's festival. For ease, I have kept everything separated by the same categories AFI FEST already divided the films into. At the top of each section you will find the film(s) that are top priority, below them will be the rest of the films in a given section listed alphabetically. Each film in this comprehensive list includes title, director, country, and synopsis, however the top priority films will have added insight as to why I am so keen on seeing that particular title. NOTE: Nothing against short films, but I've omitted them from coverage in this list.

AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS

BUZZARD

Slacker temp-worker Marty goes into hiding following a slew of self-designed scams in this acidic dark comedy from AFI FEST alum Joel Potrykus. DIR Joel Potrykus. SCR Joel Potrykus. CAST Joshua Burge, Joel Potrykus. USA.
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - I'm a sucker for a dark comedy, throw in a slacker and you've got my attention.

FAULTS

A washed-up expert on mind control accepts an offer to kidnap a young woman from a cult in this assured indie thriller. DIR Riley Stearns. SCR Riley Stearns. CAST Leland Orser, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Beth Grant, Chris Ellis, Lance Reddick, John Gries. USA.
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - Three words: cult, mind control.

FELT

Amy, haunted by a recent trauma, plunges into the world of her art to create an alter ego as a coping mechanism. DIR Jason Banker. SCR Jason Banker & Amy Everson. CAST Amy Everson, Kentucker Audley, Roxanne Knouse, Alanna Reynolds. USA.
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - When the full schedule to AFI FEST 2014 went public I polled friends and followers on the most buzzed films. "Felt" was the most mentioned. It also was noted for being very weird. I like weird, mostly... either way I am in for the ride.

THOU WAST MILD & LOVELY

In this psychosexual drama, a young farm worker's attraction to his boss's daughter unearths dark secrets. DIR Josephine Decker. SCR Josephine Decker & David Barker. CAST Joe Swanberg, Sophie Traub, Robert Longstreet, Kristin Slaysman, Geoff Marslett. USA.
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - This film sounds smutty and I could use a great smutty movie to like. It helps that I like actor Joe Swanberg and would watch pretty much anything he's in.

10,000 KM - Alexandra and Sergi's deeply passionate relationship is tested when it becomes long distance, with computer technology their only medium for communication. DIR Carlos Marques-Marcet. SCR Clara Roquet & Carlos Marques-Marcet. CAST Natalia Tena, David Verdaguer. Spain, USA.

HAPPY VALLEY - The Penn State child sex-abuse scandal, and subsequent downfall of local heroes Joe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky, is examined in this insightful documentary. DIR Amir Bar-Lev. USA.

HEAVEN KNOWS WHAT - The Safdie brothers' third narrative feature explores the lives of three heroin junkies living on the streets of New York City. DIR Benny Safdie & Josh Safdie. SCR Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie. CAST Arielle Holmes, Caleb Landry Jones, Buddy Duress, Necro. USA.

THE VANQUISHING OF THE WITCH BABA YAGA - This essay film finds a fertile metaphor for Eastern Europe's changing relationship with the natural world in the Slavic folktale of witch Baba Yaga. DIR Jessica Oreck. SCR Jessica Oreck. USA, Ukraine, Russia, Poland.

BREAKTHROUGH SELECTIONS

FISH & CAT

Achieved in one stunning long take, this Iranian arthouse slasher follows a group of students in the woods and the sinister crooks they encounter there. DIR Shahram Mokri. SCR Shahram Mokri. CAST Babak Karimi, Saeed Ebrahimifar, Abed Abest, Ainaz Azarhoush, Mona Ahmadi, Neda Jebraieli, Parinaz Tayeb, Samaneh Vafaiee. Iran.
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - More and more we are seeing filmmakers trying one take films and so far I'm willing to continue to see what they have to offer. Adding the slasher component only raises my excitement further to see how "Fish & Cat" turns out.

THE MIDNIGHT SWIM

Three half-sisters try to unlock the mystery of their mother's deep-water disappearance in this unsettling tale, part ghost story and part family drama. DIR Sarah Adina Smith. SCR Sarah Adina Smith. CAST Lindsay Burdge, Aleksa Palladino, Jennifer Lafleur, Ross Partridge, Beth Grant, Michelle Hutchison, Shirley Venard. USA. U.S. Premiere.
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - The synopsis reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode and for that alone I'm intrigued to see what this has to offer.

THE BLUE WAVE (MAVI DALGA) – Deniz and her friends are restless Turkish teenagers, distracted by love interests and ever-changing friendship dynamics, as they await the end of high school. DIR Zeynep Dadak & Merve Kayan. SCR Zeynep Dadak & Merve Kayan. CAST Ayris Alptekin, Onur Saylak, Baris Hacihan. Turkey, Germany, Netherlands, Greece.

MAY ALLAH BLESS FRANCE! (QU'ALLAH BENISSE LA FRANCE!) – French rapper Abd Al Malik adapts his raw memoir chronicling the way religion and hip-hop saved him from the streets. DIR Abd Al Malik. SCR Abd Al Malik. CAST Marc Zinga, Sabrina Ouazani, Larouci Didi, Mickaël Nagenraft, Matteo Falkone, Stéphane Fayette-Mikano. France. U.S. Premiere.

CINEMA'S LEGACY SELECTIONS

CINEMA PARADISO (1989) - A famous Italian film director reflects on his childhood friendship with a local theater projectionist in this must-see classic. DIR Giuseppe Tornatore. SCR Giuseppe Tornatore. CAST Philippe Noiret, Jacques Perrin, Antonella Attili, Enzo Cannavale, Isa Danieli, Leo Gullotta, Marco Leonardi, Pupella Maggio, Agnese Nano, Leopoldo Trieste, Salvatore Cascio. Italy.

LOVE STREAMS (1984) - Centering on a boozy, hedonistic writer and his beleaguered sister, this latter-era film by the great John Cassavetes celebrates its 30th anniversary. DIR John Cassavetes. SCR John Cassavetes. CAST Gena Rowlands, John Cassavetes, Diahnne Abbott, Seymour Cassel, Eddy Donno, Tom Badal, Joan Foley, Jakob Shaw, Al Ruban, Margaret Abbott. USA.

MAGICIAN: THE ASTONISHING LIFE AND WORK OF ORSON WELLES (2014) – Combining extensive filmmaker interviews and rare archival footage, Chuck Workman's documentary takes us through the life of one of cinema's greatest masters: Orson Welles. DIRChuck Workman. USA.

YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW (IERI, OGGI, DOMANI) (1963) - Vittorio De Sica's unique, three-part omnibus film features the mega-watt star coupling of international icons Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. DIR Vittorio De Sica. SCR Eduardo De Filippo, Isabella Quarantotti, Cesare Zavattini, Bella Billa and Lorenza Zanuso. CAST Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, Aldo Giuffrè, Agostino Salvietti, Lino Mattera, Tecla Scarano, Silvia Monelli, Carlo Croccolo, Pasquale Cennamo, Armando Trovajoli. Italy, France.

GALAS

INHERENT VICE

INHERENT VICE is the seventh feature from Academy Award® nominee Paul Thomas Anderson and the first ever film adaptation of a Thomas Pynchon novel. When private eye Doc Sportello's ex-old lady suddenly out of nowhere shows up with a story about her current billionaire land developer boyfriend whom she just happens to be in love with, and a plot by his wife and her boyfriend to kidnap that billionaire and throw him a loony bin...well, easy for her to say. It's the tail end of the psychedelic '60s and paranoia is running the day and Doc knows that "love" is another of those going around at the moment, like "trip" or "groovy," that's being way too overused—except that this one usually leads to trouble. With a cast of characters that includes surfers, hustlers, dopers and rockers, a murderous loan shark, LAPD Detectives, a tenor sax player working undercover, and a mysterious entity knows as the Golden Fang, which may only be a tax dodge set up by some dentist...Part surf noir, part psychedelic romp – all Thomas Pynchon.
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - Paul Thomas Anderson.

FOXCATCHER – FOXCATCHER tells the story of Olympic Gold Medal-winning wrestler Mark Schultz (Tatum), who sees a way out from the shadow of his more celebrated wrestling brother Dave (Ruffalo) and a life of poverty when he is summoned by eccentric multi-millionaire John du Pont (Carell) to move onto his estate and train for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Desperate to gain the respect of his disapproving mother, du Pont begins "coaching" a world-class athletic team and begins to lure Mark into an unhealthy lifestyle and erodes the athlete's already shaky self-esteem. Fueled by du Pont's mercurial personality, increasing paranoia and alienation from the brothers, the trio is propelled towards a tragedy no one could have foreseen. Based on actual events, FOXCATCHER, directed by Bennett Miller, is a gripping and profoundly American story of brotherly love, misguided loyalty, and the corruption and emotional bankruptcy that can accompany great power and wealth.
Thursday, November 13, 2014

THE GAMBLER – Jim Bennett (Academy Award® nominee Mark Wahlberg) is a risk taker. Both an English professor and a high-stakes gambler, Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster (Michael Kenneth Williams) and offers his own life as collateral. Always one step ahead, Bennett pits his creditor against the operator of a gambling ring (Alvin Ing) and leaves his dysfunctional relationship with his wealthy mother (Academy Award® winner Jessica Lange) in his wake. He plays both sides, immersing himself in an illicit, underground world while garnering the attention of Frank (John Goodman), a loan shark with a paternal interest in Bennett's future. As his relationship with a student (Brie Larson) deepens, Bennett must take the ultimate risk for a second chance... World Premiere.
Monday, November 10, 2014

THE HOMESMAN – When three women living on the edge of the American frontier are driven mad by harsh pioneer life, the task of saving them falls to the pious, independent-minded Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank). Transporting the women by covered wagon to Iowa, she soon realizes just how daunting the journey will be, and employs a low-life drifter, George Briggs (Tommy Lee Jones), to join her. The unlikely pair and the three women (Grace Gummer, Miranda Otto, Sonja Richter) head east, where a waiting minister and his wife (Meryl Streep) have offered to take the women in. But the group first must traverse the harsh Nebraska Territories marked by stark beauty, psychological peril and constant threat.
Tuesday, November 11, 2014

A MOST VIOLENT YEAR – Set in 1981, during one of the most crime-ridden winters in New York City’s history, A MOST VIOLENT YEAR follows the lives of Abel and Anna Morales (Isaac and Chastain) as they attempt to capitalize on the American Dream, while the rampant violence, decay, and corruption of the day drag them in and threaten to destroy all they have built. World Premiere.
Thursday, November 6, 2014

MIDNIGHT SELECTIONS

IT FOLLOWS

A group of friends is plagued by a nightmarish supernatural threat in this coming-of-age horror film from AFI FEST alum David Robert Mitchell. DIR David Robert Mitchell. SCR David Robert Mitchell. CAST Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, Olivia Luccardi, Lili Sepe. USA.
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - In 2011 director David Robert Mitchell got my attention in a big way with "The Myth of the American Sleepover," this is his follow-up and I couldn't be more excited. Even better, it is a horror!

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

In this hilarious mockumentary, the undead lives of five flat-mates are thrown into pandemonium when a recently turned hipster tries to join the party. DIR Taika Waititi & Jemaine Clement. SCR Taika Waititi & Jemaine Clement. CAST Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Jonathan Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Stu Rutherford, Jackie Van Beek, Ben Fransham. New Zealand.
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - That poll I talked about earlier, this was the second most commented on film. Jemaine Clement (known most for Flight of the Conchords) stars in this highly anticipated midnight selection.

ALLELUIA – A hustler has the tables turned on him when a besotted con victim becomes his partner in crime in this genre-bending tale of sex and obsession. DIR Fabrice Du Welz. SCR Fabrice Du Welz & Vincent Tavier. CAST Laurent Lucas, Lola Dueñas, Stéphane Bissot, Edith Le Merdy, Anne-Marie Loop, Helena Noguerra, Pili Groyne, David Murgia. France, Belgium.

A HARD DAY (KKEUT-KKA-JI GAN-DA) – When corrupt Detective Ko is involved in a hit-and-run, a chain of events is unleashed that pits him against a diabolical nemesis. DIR Kim Seong-hun. SCR Kim Seong-hun. CAST Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Jin-woong. South Korea.

NEW AUTEURS SELECTIONS

ALIVE (SANDA)

A poor mountain laborer finds himself caught between harrowing dramas playing out at work and at home. DIR Park Jungbum. SCR Park Jungbum. CAST Park Jungbum, Lee Seungyeon, Park Myunghoon, Shin Heatbit. South Korea. US Premiere
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - Going solely off synopsis, this sounds like compelling drama that is right up my alley.

BLIND

A recently blinded woman handles the loss of her sight by writing stories about the world she's beginning to forget. DIR Eskil Vogt. SCR Eskil Vogt. CAST Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Henrik Rafaelsen, Vera Vitali, Marius Kolbenstvedt. Norway, Netherlands.
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - Another synopsis that grabbed my attention. The thought of losing your eyesight is terribly frightening.

GÜEROS

In this playfully energetic debut, three young pranksters embark on a road trip adventure to pay their last respects to their musical hero. DIR Alonso Ruizpalacios. SCR Alonso Ruizpalacios & Gibrán Portela. CAST Tenoch Huerta, Sebastián Aguirre, Ilse Salas, Leonardo Ortizgris. Mexico.
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - Road trip, yes please! I love road trip movies. Add the setting, black and white cinematography and I'm hopeful this debut is as good as it sounds.

SELF MADE (BOREG)

When two young women – one Palestinian and one Israeli – cross paths at a border checkpoint, they experience a magical identity exchange. DIR Shira Geffen. SCR Shira Geffen. CAST Sarah Adler, Samira Saraya. Israel.
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - Magical identity exchange? You have my interest. Are they talking like the old Fred Savage and Judge Reinhold movie "Vice Versa" identity exchange but with an ethnic flip? Regardless, I'm willing to see what happens.

FLAPPING IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE (ÐAP CÁNH GIUA KHÔNG TRUNG) - When Huyen dabbles in prostitution to earn money for an abortion, she meets a mysterious client who takes a tender yet obsessive interest in her pregnancy. DIR Nguyen Hoang Diep. SCR Nguyen Hoang Diep. CAST Nguyen Thuy Anh, Tran Bao Son, Hoang Ha, Pham Tran Thanh Duy. Vietnam, France, Norway, Germany. US Premiere.

RUN - This West African mystic fable follows a young man's trajectory from rainmaker-in-training to fugitive political assassin. DIR Philippe Lacôte. SCR Philippe Lacôte. CAST Abdoul Karim Konaté, Isaach de Bankolé, Reine Sali Coulibaly. Ivory Coast, France.

THE TRIBE (PLEMYA) - This daring film, acted entirely in sign language without the aid of subtitles or voiceover, follows a new student at a corrupt Ukrainian school for the deaf. DIR Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy. SCR Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy. CAST Grigoriy Fesenko, Yana Novikova. Ukraine.

VIKTORIA - Young Viktoria, born without an umbilical cord, is exalted as Bulgaria's "Child of the Future." But when the Communist Party falls, she faces a crisis. DIR Maya Vitkova. SCR Maya Vitkova. CAST Irmena Chichikova, Daria Vitkova, Kalina Vitkova, Mariana Krumova, Dimo Dimov, Georgi Spasov. Bulgaria.

VIOLET - In this visually stunning debut, teen Jesse must readjust to the world and cope with grief after witnessing his friend's murder at a local shopping mall. DIR Bas Devos. SCR Bas Devos. CAST César De Sutter, Raf Walschaerts, Mira Helmer, Brent Minne. Netherlands, Belgium. North American Premiere.

THE WONDERS (LE MERAVIGLIE) - When a television competition comes to the Italian countryside, farmer's daughter Gelsomina sees a way to assert her independence in this mesmerizing tale. DIR Alice Rohrwacher. SCR Alice Rohrwacher. CAST Alexandra Lungu, Sam Louwyck, Alba Rohrwacher, Sabine Timoteo, Monica Bellucci. Italy, Switzerland, Germany.

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

STILL ALICE

Julianne Moore gives a heartbreaking performance as a linguistics professor facing early onset Alzheimer's disease in this festival favorite. DIR Richard Glatzer & Wash Westmoreland. SCR Richard Glatzer & Wash Westmoreland. CAST Julianne Moore, Kristen Stewart, Alec Baldwin, Kate Bosworth, Hunter Parrish. USA.
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - Julianne Moore is an incredible talent and I love watching her show it off. The word heartbreaking has me a tad hesitant to see this film, but I'm guessing with Moore it'll be worth it.

TALES OF THE GRIM SLEEPER

The latest documentary by provacateur Nick Broomfield (AILEEN: LIFE AND DEATH OF A SERIAL KILLER, KURT & COURTNEY) delves into the case of a notorious serial killer who menaced South Central L.A. for more than 25 years. DIR Nick Broomfield. FEATURING Seymour Amster, Pamela Brooks, Nick Broomfield, Christopher Franklin, Nana Gyamfi, Laverne Peters, Margaret Prescod. USA, UK.
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - Serial killer stories have always intrigued me and being a southern California native I remember this story growing up. My grandparents were the biggest worrywarts on the planet and they constantly reminded me of people like this. A documentary is usually a good change of pace at a film festival, so this Nick Broomfield doc immediately grabbed my attention.

TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT (DEUX JOURS, UNE NUIT)

The Cannes Palme d'Or-winning Dardenne brothers return with this tale of a young Belgian mother (Marion Cotillard) who must convince her co-workers to forego their much-needed bonuses in order to keep her job. DIR Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne. SCR Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne. CAST Marion Cotillard, Fabrizio Rongione, Pili Groyne, Simon Caudry. Belgium, Italy, France.
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - This movie won Cannes Palme d'Or, meaning French people really liked it. I kid, I kid. Marion Cotillard is a exceptional actress and this feature from the Dardenne brothers sounds like it will be worth seeing.

CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA – Actress Maria (Juliette Binoche) struggles to return to the stage play that made her famous 20 years earlier, but this time in a different role, and opposite a rising young starlet. DIR Olivier Assayas. SCR Olivier Assayas. CAST Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart, Chloë Grace Moretz, Lars Eidinger. Switzerland, Germany, France.

MERCHANTS OF DOUBT – Oscar® nominee Robert Kenner's (FOOD, INC.) latest documentary focuses on the PR masterminds and spin doctors who are paid to shift blame and delay governmental action on climate change. DIR Robert Kenner. SCR Robert Kenner & Kim Roberts. CAST Naomi Oreskes, Bob Inglis, James Hansen, Stan Glantz, Marc Morano, Patricia Callahan, Sam Roe, Jamy Ian Swiss, John Passacantando. USA.

MOMMY – Xavier Dolan's latest film, selected as Canada's official Oscar® entry, centers on a mother's tumultuous relationship with her teenage son after he returns home from a correctional facility. DIR Xavier Dolan. SCR Xavier Dolan. CAST Anne Dorval, Suzanne Clément, Antoine-Olivier Pilon. Canada.

MR. TURNER – Timothy Spall (in a Cannes Best Actor-winning performance) stars as unconventional, groundbreaking painter J.M.W. Turner in this gorgeous biopic by Mike Leigh. DIR Mike Leigh. SCR Mike Leigh. CAST Timothy Spall, Dorothy Atkinson, Marion Bailey, Paul Jesson, Lesley Manville, Martin Savage. UK.

SAINT LAURENT – Selected as France's official Oscar® entry, this stylish biopic follows the life and career of iconic fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent (Gaspard Ulliel), from 1967 through 1976. DIR Bertrand Bonello. SCR Thomas Bidegain & Bertrand Bonello. CAST Gaspard Ulliel, Aymeline Valade, Jérémie Renier, Léa Seydoux, Louis Garrel, Amira Casar. France.

WORLD CINEMA SELECTIONS

'71

A rookie British soldier (rising star Jack O'Connell) must survive one night in war-torn Belfast at the height of the Troubles in this taut thriller. DIR Yann Demange. SCR Gregory Burke. CAST Jack O'Connell, Paul Anderson, Richard Dormer, Sean Harris, Barry Keoghan, Martin McCann, Charlie Murphy, Sam Reid. UK.
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - I'm a sucker for war movies.

THE ABSENT (LOS AUSENTES)

When an elderly man loses his isolated cabin deep in the Mexican woods, he also loses his grip on reality. DIR Nicolás Pereda. SCR Alejandro Mendoza. CAST Guadalupe Cárdenas, Eduard Fernández, Gabino Rodríguez. Mexico. U.S. Premiere.
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - First, this sounds depressing but really really interesting. Second, I love this image matched with the synopsis and want to see it develop.

BLACK COAL, THIN ICE (BAI RI YAN HUO)

In this Berlin Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner, a down-and-out former detective is lured back to an old murder case when the brutal killer re-emerges. DIR Diao Yinan. SCR Diao Yinan. CAST Liao Fan, Gwei Lun Mei, Wang Xuebing, Wang Jingchun, Yu Ailei, Ni Jingyang. China, Hong Kong. This screening is co-presented by the China Onscreen Biennial 2014 and is the closing night screening of their Los Angeles series.
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - You had me at detective procedural, throw in it won the Berlin Film Festival and you've got me super pumped.

THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY

An amateur butterfly collector and her housekeeper can't get enough of their sadomasochistic games in this phantasmic tale. DIR Peter Strickland. SCR Peter Strickland. CAST Sidse Babett Knudsen, Chiara D'anna. UK.
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - Peter Strickland got my attention with "Berberian Sound Studio" so it is of vital importance I see his next feature.

GOODNIGHT MOMMY (ICH SEH, ICH SEH)

Twin boys fear that their mother, whose face is masked with bandages after plastic surgery, has been subsumed by an evil being. DIR Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala. SCR Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala. CAST Susanne Wuest, Elias Schwarz, Lukas Schwarz. Austria.
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - Back to that poll about buzzed festival movies, "Goodnight Mommy" was another one that received a number of mentions. Plus I really like the imagery for this feature. Not to mention the fun that can be had with the fear children can dream up about their parents.

HAEMOO

Amid a shroud of sea fog, the voyage of a South Korean boat smuggling a group of illegal immigrants turns into a catastrophe. DIR Shim Sung-bo. SCR Shim Sung-bo & Bong Joon-ho. CAST Kim Yoon-seok, Park Yu-chun, Han Ye-ri. South Korea.
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - Buzz around this South Korean thriller is real good and the synopsis has me eagerly awaiting sitting down to see it play out for myself.

MANOS SUCIAS

Brothers Jacobo and Delio agree to transport millions of dollars of cocaine into Panama in this suspenseful portrait of lives forever altered by the drug trade. DIR Josef Kubota Wladyka. SCR Alan Blanco & Josef Kubota Wladyka. CAST Cristian Advincula, Jarlin Martinez, Manuel David Riascos, Hadder Blandon. Colombia, USA.
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - What is it about drug trade movies? Oh yeah, I'm a sucker for them.

OVER YOUR DEAD BODY (KUIME)

Actors rehearsing a classic play find their violent, double-crossing stage roles seeping into real life in a ghost story from Takashi Miike. DIR Takashi Miike. SCR Kikumi Yamagishi. CAST Ebizo Ichikawa, Ko Shibasaki, Hideaki Ito, Miho Nakanishi, Maiko, Toshie Negishi, Hiroshi Katsuno, Ikko Furuya. Japan.
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - Takashi Miike

REALITY (RÉALITÉ)

A cameraman for a TV show is offered a chance to direct in this tapestry of dream logic that slides from one brilliantly bizarre situation to the next. DIR Quentin Dupieux. SCR Quentin Dupieux. CAST Alain Chabat, Jonathan Lambert, Elodie Bouchez, Kyla Kenedy, John Glover, Eric Wareheim, Jon Heder. Belgium, France. North American Premiere.
Why this is a top priority at AFI FEST 2014 - Writer and director Quentin Dupieux has yet to let me down with one of his feature films.

AUGUST WINDS (VENTOS DE AGOSTO) – When a young Brazilian couple makes a discovery in the ocean waters off their small village, they must confront the realities of life and death. DIR Gabriel Mascaro. SCR Gabriel Mascaro & Rachel Ellis. CAST Dandara de Morais, Geová Manoel dos Santos, Maria Salvino dos Santos, Gabriel Mascaro. Brazil.

BREATHE (RESPIRE) – High school student Charlie is sent reeling after her intense friendship with Sarah falls apart in Mélanie Laurent's sophomore feature. DIR Mélanie Laurent. SCR Mélanie Laurent & Julien Lambroschini. CAST Joséphine Japy, Lou de Laâge, Isabelle Carré, Claire Keim. France.

EDEN – Mia Hansen-Løve's 20-year journey through the electronic dance music scene follows DJ Paul, whose love for the turntables stays strong even after the craze has ended. DIR Mia Hansen-Løve. SCR Mia Hansen-Løve & Sven Hansen-Løve. CAST Felix De Givry, Pauline Etienne, Vincent Macaigne, Greta Gerwig, Golshifteh Farahani, Laura Smet, Vincent Lacoste. France.

THE FOOL (DURAK) – A small-town plumber must evacuate a building before its occupants are put in a deadly situation, but citywide corruption makes it nearly impossible to find help. DIR Yury Bykov. SCR Yury Bykov. CAST Artem Bystrov, Natalia Surkova, Dmitry Kulichkov, Ilya Isaev, Maxim Pinsker, Lyubov Rudenko. Russia.

FROM WHAT IS BEFORE (MULA SA KUNG ANO ANG NOON) – Filipino arthouse sensation Lav Diaz's latest epic centers on a coastal village haunted by strange and supernatural occurrences. DIR Lav Diaz. SCR Lav Diaz. CAST Perry Dizon, Roeder Camañag, Hazel Orencio, Karenina Haniel, Joel Saracho, Reynan Abcede, Ching Valdes-Aran, Mailes Kanapi, Ian Lomongo, Noel Sto. Domingo, Evelyn Vargas, Bambi Beltran, Teng Mangansakan. Philippines. U.S. Premiere.

GETT, THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM – Unfolding entirely in a small courtroom, this edge-of-your-seat film follows Viviane Amsalem's tense battle for a divorce in Israel's strict rabbinical court. DIR Ronit Elkabetz & Shlomi Elkabetz. SCR Ronit Elkabetz & Shlomi Elkabetz. CAST Ronit Elkabetz, Menashe Noy, Simon Abkarian, Sasson Gabay , Eli Gorstein, Rami Danon, Roberto Pollack. Israel.

GIRLHOOD (BANDE DE FILLES)
Teenager Marieme drops out of school and finds acceptance with a gang of free-spirited girls, while taking on a new feminine identity. DIR Céline Sciamma. SCR Céline Sciamma. CAST Karidja Touré, Assa Sylla, Lindsay Karamoh, Mariétou Touré. France.

HUMAN CAPITAL (IL CAPITALE UMANO) – The fates of two seemingly unrelated families become increasingly intertwined in this stylish Italian murder mystery. DIR Paolo Virzì. SCR Paolo Virzì, Francesco Bruni and Francesco Piccolo. CAST Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Valeria Golino, Fabrizio Gifuni, Luigi Lo Cascio. Italy.

THE IRON MINISTRY – Three years spent on China's vast train system are distilled into a one-of-a-kind sensory experience in this immersive, formally daring documentary. DIR J.P. Sniadecki. China, USA.

JAUJA - Viggo Mortensen stars as a 19th-century Danish general who must search the unforgiving Patagonian wilderness for his runaway daughter. DIR Lisandro Alonso. SCR Lisandro Alonso & Fabián Casas. CAST Viggo Mortensen, Viilbjork Malling Agger, Ghita Nørby. Argentina, USA, Netherlands, France, Mexico.

LEVIATHAN – In the latest work from Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev, a small-town auto mechanic becomes embroiled in a property dispute with devastating consequences. DIR Andrey Zvyagintsev. SCR Oleg Negin & Andrey Zvyagintsev. CAST Alexey Serebryakov, Elena Lyadova, Vladimir Vdovitchenkov, Roman Madyanov, Anna Ukolova, Alexey Rozin, Sergey Pokhodaev. Russia.

RED ARMY – The Cold War plays out with vivid intensity – on the ice – in this vibrant documentary on the history of the Soviet Union's Red Army hockey team. DIR Gabe Polsky. FEATURING Slava Fetisov, Vladislav Tretiak, Scotty Bowman, Vladimir Pozner. USA, Russia.

THE SALT OF THE EARTH – This documentary on Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado, often referred to as the master of black-and-white photojournalism, is co-directed by filmmaker Wim Wenders and Salgado's son, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado. DIR Wim Wenders & Juliano Ribeiro Salgado. SCR Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, Wim Wenders and David Rosier. France.

SONG OF THE SEA – In this Irish animated film, a brother and sister embark on a magical journey to discover their connection to the mythical selkies. DIR Tomm Moore. SCR Will Collins. CAST Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan, Pat Shortt, Jon Kenny, Liam Hourican, Colm Ó'Snodaigh, Lucy O'Connell, Kevin Swierszcz, David Rawle, Lisa Hannigan. Ireland. U.S. Premiere.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS (KREUZWEG) – Fourteen masterfully composed single-shot scenes tell the story of adolescent Maria, a girl caught between a secular world and the strict religious teachings of her church. DIR Dietrich Brüggemann. SCR Anna Brüggemann & Dietrich Brüggemann. CAST Lea van Acken, Franziska Weisz, Florian Stetter. Germany.

TIMBUKTU – Mauritania's official entry for the Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar® centers on the 2012 Islamic jihadist takeover of northern Mali, and its toll on the region's civilians. DIR Abderrahmane Sissako. SCR Abderrahmane Sissako & Kessen Tall. CAST Ibrahim Ahmed, Toulou Kiki, Abel Jafri, Fatoumata Diawara. France, Mauritania.

TITLI – Young Titli must risk everything to escape his life of abject poverty and intergenerational crime in this assured debut feature. DIR Kanu Behl. SCR Sharat Katariya & Kanu Behl. CAST Ranvir Shorey, Amit Sial, Lalit Behl, Shivani Raghuvanshi, Shashank Arora. India.

TU DORS NICOLE – Nicole trips aimlessly through her post-college summer in this delightfully light and sublime film. DIR Stéphane Lafleur. SCR Stéphane Lafleur. CAST Julianne Côté, Catherine St-Laurent, Francis La Haye, Simon Larouche, Godefroy Reding, Marc-André Grondin. Canada.

VILLA TOUMA – A teenage Palestinian orphan's life is turned upside down when she goes to live in the secluded home of her three aristocrat aunts. DIR Suha Arraf. SCR Suha Arraf. CAST Nisreen Faour, Ula Tabri , Cherien Dabis , Maria Zriek.

WILD TALES (RELATOS SALVAJES) – Characters are pushed to delightfully deranged savagery in this anthology of six sublimely absurd short films. DIR Damián Szifrón. SCR Damián Szifrón. CAST Ricardo Darin, Oscar Martinez, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Érica Rivas, Rita Cortese, Julieta Zylberberg, Dario Grandinetti. Argentina, Spain.

Reminder: While AFI FEST 2014 is currently running November 6-13, if you live in Los Angeles and haven't yet got tickets to some of these films, tickets remain available. The festival does a great job of allotting tickets incrementally so that potential patrons who are determined will get a chance to see a particular movie. In other words, try and keep trying.

Source: AFI FEST

Less Copycatting, More Innovating...

2014-01-20T16:17:00.000-08:00

There's a lack of innovation going on at the movies. Not necessarily in the independent marketplace, but by major studios. 85% of what we see in multiplexes is borrowed, copied, or recycled. For the choosy movie goer you may have been lucky enough to not notice. Maybe you have noticed because you are choosy, and the wave of run-of-the-mill releases hasn't directly affected you, yet... For the rest of us who ride this general release wave of mediocrity year-in and year-out, we've noticed and quite frankly I'm starting to get upset.

This past weekend is a perfect example of the mediocrity. Multiplexes and movie theaters across the States saw four new releases opening wide on the heels of the Academy Award nominee announcements; an action thriller "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit," an animated feature "The Nut Job," a comedy "Ride Along," and a horror movie "Devil's Due." Four different titles that appeal to a wide demographic of movie goers. Part of me believes these titles are a healthy balance to Award season and all the heavy lifting audiences have endured while consuming this year's acclaimed films. People need a chance to enjoy some light-hearted fare, that does nothing more than provide 90+ minutes of escapism. Another part of me calls bullshit on that mentality. Well, part of it. Escapism is a good thing, except we need to demand quality escapism, not the regurgitated slop Hollywood keeps belching out. There's no reason to think that all four of the wide releases this past weekend could have been good to great instead of mediocre to bad.

Ride Along took the box office and I'm not surprised. Who doesn't love a good laugh with a crowded theater? Comedy like horror can have an added benefit to seeing it with a loaded room, there's something euphoric about it and it is normal to crave. Regardless of euphoria, these titles released were lacking. I can't speak to The Nut Job or Ride Along having not seen either of them, but neither have earned high praise from audiences nor critics and I am not surprised. One looks like nothing more than another talking animal cartoon and the other is a recycled odd couple comedy. As someone who loves a good mismatched comedy, I would have seen Ride Along last weekend if it not for numerous friends telling me how much they actively disliked it. Instead it becomes one of many studio titles that end up dubbed not worth seeing in theaters. A movie I will only see once it hits one of the various subscription VOD services like Amazon Instant and Netflix or worse yet, just wait till it hits HBO or Starz.

The excuse that January is a dumpster for bad movies is readily available albeit a terrible one. Should we just accept going to the movies in January sucking? I don't think so. For someone like me who loves going to the cinemas every weekend, it is hard to say just don't go. I could have easily stayed home instead of putting down my hard earned money for Devil's Due and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit this past weekend. Instead I wanted to go and see and experience for myself what had been released. Last night, walking out of Devil's Due, I tweeted it is "the kind of movie that will get some actively angry and others will simply shrug it off." I'm the angry one. The movie is an over-sized neon sign blinking in our faces how reactionary and predictable Hollywood remains.

"Devil's Due" is a tardy attempt to copycat the (now waning) popularity of the Paranormal Activity franchise. This movie feels like it was put together on a napkin over drinks. The napkin would say; POV, Static Cam, Occult, !!!. The problem is this movie uses those tricks but couldn't tell you why. There is no reason Devil's Due is shot in POV format other than it is trendy. Worse yet, the nature of the POV or found footage in context of the script, absolutely wastes the potential. Can't help and wonder who put together the 12 months of footage that includes the couples handheld camera, one GoPro/Adventure cam, 16 static cams, and a handful of closed circuit camera perspectives from shopping malls and grocery stores. Maybe a lawyer or the police? Whoever put it together dedicated some serious editing hours. Let us reminds ourselves, our brains are needlessly thinking about all that crap when they don't have to. Copycat mentality, bad storytelling, and an overall lack of effort by the major studios put us in this place.

The perpetual release of a found footage/occult horror all trying to re-capture what "Paranormal Activity" did back in 2009 isn't working. "The Devil Inside" last year and now "Devil's Due" this year show audiences are loosing interest in copycat filmmaking. Studios seem to be forgetting why Paranormal Activity worked so well. It was because it broke the copycat mold the Saw franchise had created with torture horror movies. Paranormal Activity was something new audiences could get excited (and startled) about. Torture horror had been on a run of about five or six years so audiences were craving something fresh. Now the same is happening with the on-going Paranormal trend. Even earlier this month we saw audiences show their fading interesting in Paranormal Activity movies when "Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones" had a very soft opening, $10 million less than its predecessor "Paranormal Activity 4" in 2012.

This takes me back to my initial point, there's a lack of innovation going on at the movies. Take a movie like "Mama," which released back in January of 2013. While it followed the familiar trend of paranormal entities, it at least took a straight-forward approach to storytelling. There's no found footage or point of view filming that leaves audiences questioning the motives of the person holding the camera. I really wish Devil's Due would have abandoned the POV storytelling instead of following along with the crowd. There's a great idea there (and a potential franchise), it is just plagued by a lack of any real effort.

Another example from this past weekend is Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. A film that was originally slated to release in 2013, but was bumped to January (for obvious reasons). I am of two minds about this film. Part of me is just happy to have a new Jack Ryan movie in cinemas. The casting is good and I wouldn't be opposed to more of Chris Pine and Kevin Costner on-screen together. The other part of me is upset they made Jack Ryan so damn vanilla and so utterly safe. There's a perfect summation of this in the the actual movie where CIA mentor William Harper (Kevin Costner) tells Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) to give him the simple version of his "very scary scenario" because he "doesn't have his (Ryan's) PhD." Why is Hollywood treating us like we are in Kindergarten? Part of what makes Jack Ryan so badass is his smarts. 'Shadow Recruit' misses the mark in a big way because it never allows itself to simulate the intelligence Jack Ryan's character should evoke. Ryan's best film still remains "The Hunt for Red October" because in that film Ryan uses his wits to outsmart a rogue Russian submarine captain, not his fists. Audiences would appreciate an intelligent espionage action thriller far more than they would the safe mediocre film Paramount served up. It is, once again, an unfortunate showing of a general lack of effort.

This lack of effort by major studios is painful but more so, hurtful. I love going to the movies. Every week I want to go to the cinemas at least once, but little by little major studios are taking away that pleasure. They have already made some of us way more picky than we used to be. Friends of mine who used to attend anything with me are now passing because they'd rather spend their money elsewhere. If studios are not smart, their marketplace could be pulled out from under them. Like so many have done, the masses may just stop going out to the movies. Now obviously I am exaggerating a tad, it is not like multiplexes will be vacant anytime soon, but studios ought to seek increasing attendance through innovation versus copycatting the latest trend.

There's no denying studios have seen a decline in attendance. Technology has changed how people see movies. There are a lot of good independent movies releasing through Video-OnDemand vendors these days. Outside of illegal routes, avid movie watchers can now access thousands of titles online through multiple vendors like Amazon Instant, Apple TV, Netflix, Vudu, and plenty of others. A lot of the titles released on these platforms see extremely limited theatrical releases but can reach millions instantly via a VOD platform. It is incredibly cool for all the people who do not live in markets where these titles see releases in cinemas but they can instantly watch them from the comfort of their own home.

A perfect example released via VOD from this past weekend is "Big Bad Wolves." It is a grim tale tracing revenge that blends tension and hilarity with a very clever balance. It is innovative while also having nostalgic sentiments audiences will enjoy. Israeli directors Ahron Keshales and Navot Papushado show they have genuine talent with their sophomore feature as a writer and director duo. They are the kind of filmmakers breathing life into genres like horror by paying respect to what influenced them but while also innovating and harvesting their own ideas. Big Bad Wolves and their debut feature "Rabies" are genuine must sees for genre fans.

In the future independent titles like Big Bad Wolves will have the edge over generic studio duds like Devil's Due if studios continue following whatever trend is hot. As an avid movie goer who craves a theatrical setting, I demand the perfect scenario where all sides are giving their best effort. I want to continue to see a steady increase of good VOD titles releasing. Reversely, I want studios to start taking risks on their wide releases. Stop using January (and the rest of the year) as a dumping grounds for mediocre regurgitated ideas. Stop looking to copycat what worked before. Yes, it is okay to borrow. Quentin Tarantino has shown us how to master the art of kitchen sink storytelling. Difference is folks, he's respectful to source material. He doesn't just reboot the same ideas, he takes a unique perspective on them.

There is plenty of unmined potential out there. It would be nice if the major studio system instead of rebooting all these franchises, reboot itself into embracing the unmined potential that exists. Stop forcing talented writers, directors, and overall creators into carbon copying the current trends. There's money to be made outside the comfort zone, go get it.

14 Anticipated in 2014

2014-01-04T17:32:00.000-08:00

At the start of each year (and as the year progresses) I like to look at the calendar and see what movies are releasing. Basically find and track all the movies I want to see for whatever reason like a favorite actor or director, a concept or buzz from the festival circuit, just to see how good/bad it is. Being someone who can find an excuse to go to the movies almost every weekend, if not daily, this list can always balloon larger and larger. Below you'll find 50 titles releasing in 2014 I'm seeing hell or high water. Being 2014, I've ranked 14 of the 50 movies into an anticipated list with a set release date. Check it out...

Some titles that didn't quite make my numerated list but are nonetheless films I will see in 2014 include: The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Annie, Bad Words, Big Hero 6, The Boxtrolls, Chef, Deliver Us from Evil, Dom Hemingway, Draft Day, Enemy, Exodus, A Fantastic Fear of Everything Non-Stop, Fury, Gone Girl, Grand Piano, Hide Your Smiling Faces, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, The Interview, The Judge, Jupiter Ascending, Knights of Badassdom, The Maze Runner, McFarland, Neighbors, Noah, Paddington, The Quiet Ones, St. Vincent, Tammy, This is Where I Leave You, Transcendence, Tusk, Under the Skin, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and 22 Jump Street.

Now on to the countdown, 14 Anticipated in 2014:

14. Jane Got a Gun

Director Gavin O'Connor got my attention with "Warrior" in 2011. Now he has a western on his hands co-written by the Anthony Tambakis (who wrote Warrior). Even better this is a western centered around a woman, and not any woman, Natalie 'freaking' Portman. Portman is an exceptional actress and I am foaming at the mouth thinking about her in a gritty western. Okay, not really foaming because that would mean I had rabies or was having a seizure, but I am tremendously excited for a film I have only read a synopsis for and seen one image. "Jane Got a Gun" has an official release date of August 29th, 2014.

13. Stretch

Director Joe Carnahan makes movies I like. It is that simple. His latest see's a slew of actors I enjoy in a story line tailor made for Carnahan's aesthetics. The story follows a chauffeur who is in need of a big payday so he takes on a risky job for a billionaire. Patrick Wilson is playing the chauffeur and Chris Pine the salacious billionaire. Think of Michael Mann's "Collateral" on crack. Ed Helms, James Badge Dale, Jessica Alba, and Ray Liotta round out the action-comedy's cast. No preview has been released as of yet, but like I said, the director alone is enough for me to be impatiently awaiting the release of "Stretch" in theaters March 21st, 2014.

12. Godzilla

This a reboot that has been talked about for awhile and frankly I never really had much interest. You see, I still have a bad taste in my mouth from the last time a U.S. movie studio tried to tinker with the Japanese mega-monster, I'd bet Matthew Broderick does too. Then Lionsgate hired "Monsters" director Gareth Edwards. Anyone who has seen Monsters should realize this hiring was nod by Lionsgate as to how this property was being treated. In other words, hiring Gareth Edwards assured Godzilla fans Lionsgate was taking care with this iconic beast and not just turning out another pile of radioactive rubble. Attendees at last year's Comic Con in San Diego raved about footage shown and recent teaser eludes that Lionsgate just may have pulled off a well put together reboot. Fingers crossed. "Godzilla" opens nationwide May 16th, 2014.

11. Captain America: Winter Soldier /
Guardians of the Galaxy

Alright, you caught me, I cheated. I put two movies in one spot on this list. At least they are both Marvel movies, but honestly reasons for interest in these two titles couldn't be further apart. Captain America is one of my favorite Marvel Universe heroes, and I am really interested to see how Marvel continues to use him in a post "The Avengers" timeline. It is easy to use Cap back during the hey day of patriotism in World War II, but far more engaging to keep him current in today's modern setting where America isn't the beacon it once was. I have a few reservations with what appears to be a really boiled down good guy versus bad guy sequel, that said, at least for Cap fans the bad guy is Winter Soldier. "Captain America: Winter Soldier" releases worldwide April 4th, 2014.

On the other hand you have Marvel's first real attempt in an all-out space adventure. They've teased space in "Thor," "The Avengers," and "Thor 2," but audiences are going to see something totally different and I am truly excited to see how it works out. First off, Marvel made a big move hiring an independent filmmaker James Gunn to helm their riskiest release. A move I hope that really pays off for everyone involved. I am a fan of Gunn's prior work and think he's gonna be a big name after this film releases. James Gunn isn't the only one who could benefit from "Guardians of the Galaxy" release, funnyman Chris Pratt most known for his role on NBC's Parks and Recreations, should blow up in a big way. Outside of a tease in "Thor 2" general audiences have not yet had a glimpse of the 'Guardians' but from the buzz that came from San Diego Comic Con last July, this scifi super hero team-up will be out of this stratosphere. "Guardians of the Galaxy" releases worldwide August 1st, 2014.

10. Cesar Chavez: An American Hero

My hopes for this biography might be too high. Diego Luna is someone working in Hollywood I respect. He's earned it in front of the camera through powerful portrayal after powerful portrayal as an actor. Behind the camera, he's used his influence and wealth as a producer to benefit others working in the industry in a good way. Now he's making a biopic about one of the most important Mexican Americans in United States history and as a high school history teacher working in a Hispanic community, I'm pumped to see the result. Even better Diego Luna cast the phenomenal Michael Peña to play Cesar E. Chavez. Peña has been a powerhouse of a supporting actor for years. Hopefully he'll be earning the acclaim he deserves. Overall, director Diego Luna looks to have made a very heroic account of Cesar Chavez work towards farm workers and civil rights in the United States that will hit all the right emotions for audiences. "Cesar Chavez: An American Hero" opens March 28th, 2014.

9. Sabotage

David Ayer. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Do I really need to say more? Ayer has been playing in the crime-drama sandbox for a long time and he's shown some true growth and refinement over the years. Schwarzenegger has been looking for a film audiences can really enjoy since his return to cinemas and I'm hopeful this is it. Personally, I hate Arnold Schwarzenegger. He screwed up California in a big way while he was the governor and I don't know that I will ever get over that. The damage he did to our public education system alone, ugh, okay this is a most anticipated list not a soapbox for how Schwarzenegger has created a burden for parents, students, and educators in California. Point is, I want to go to see Arnold Schwarzenegger at the movies and just enjoy him on screen, forget about all his off-screen antics and I'm really hoping "Sabotage" is the first film since his return to do that. "Sabotage" looks full-throttle and just up my alley. If Ayer can hit anywhere close to the strides he had in "End of Watch" with Schwarzenegger and crew, this has the potential to be one for the shelf. "Sabotage" opens nationwide April 11th, 2014.

8. Cheap Thrills

A couple friends of mine already have this movie in their Top 10 from 2013 so I had to include it in my 14 Anticipated for 2014. How do they already have it in their Top 10 from last year you ask? Film festivals. "Cheap Thrills" has been making the film festival rounds since it debuted March of last year at Austin's South by Southwest Film Festival. At each stop, lots of buzz. The kind of buzz that makes me want to see this film very very badly. As for the movie, it is the debut film by director by E.L. Katz and stars the great Pat Healy along with Ethan Embry, and Amanda Fuller as willing contestants in a raunchy game that sees a rich couple (played by Sara Paxton and David Koechner) give money for a series of escalating tasks. This is guaranteed to be dark entertainment, the kind of stuff that isn't for general audiences. It sounds twisted and I'm dying to see it. "Cheap Thrills" opens in limited release March 21st, 2014.

7. Step Up: All In

Few franchises get me as giddy as the 'Step Up' films do. These films remind me of the simplest joy in going to the movies, escapism. These films are loaded with high-energy dancing that is appealing and highly re-watchable. The stories have always tip-toed through tedious romance but made up for it with characters, that over the course of four films, fans have grown to love. Similar to the 'Fast and the Furious' franchise. Actually what has worked so well for the last two 'Fast & Furious' films is the team-up aspect and "Step Up: All In" steals from that formula. The fifth film in the franchise sees all-star members from the previous films come together for a battle in Las Vegas that could define their careers. Roll call for returning characters; from Step Up 2: The Streets, Step Up 3D, and Step Up Revolution we have Moose (Adam Sevani), Jenny Kido (Mari Kido), and Hair (Christopher Scott), from Step Up 3D and Step Up Revolution we have tWitch (Stephen Boss) and Vladd (Chadd Smith), from Step Up and Step Up 3D we have Camille (Alyson Stoner), from Step Up 2: The Streets and Step Up 3D we have Monster (Luis Rosado), also returning are Andie (Briana Evigan) from Step Up 2: The Streets, The Santiago Twins (Martin and Facundo Lombard) from Step Up 3D, plus Sean (Ryan Guzman) and Eddy (Misha Gabriel Hamilton) from Step Up Revolution. Yup, we are missing Tyler (Channing Tatum), maybe he'll make it back for six? "Step Up: All In" releases nationwide July 25th, 2014.

6. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

It would appear that 20th Century Fox is taking very good care with its the Planet of the Apes franchise. They had a successful reboot in 2011 that audiences generally enjoyed in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." Fox didn't rush and try to get the sequel out as quickly as possible, instead they took their time. Hopefully making for a good script and a plan for the future of this series. Fox went out and hired the able Matt Reeves following Rupert Wyatt's exit. Reeves is a big reason I still have a lot of faith this sequel will be worth its weight. The sequel is set ten years after the events of 'Rise,' where a group of survivors are threatened by the growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar. Fox has begun its promotion of the film and it has already worked its magic on me. Having seen the teaser trailer, I'm fine not seeing anything else until I am sitting in a darkened theater watching "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" play out on July 11th, 2014.

5. The Trip to Italy

Back in 2010 director Michael Winterbottom released a British television series titled "The Trip." It consisted of six episodes about two estranged friends on a working road trip reviewing restaurants throughout the UK. Six reviews of six restaurants. The series was later edited into a feature length comedy that I adore. Actually, I love both the series and the movie. Mainly because I am a big time fan of comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. Each on their own is hilarious, together, they make for the kind of prolonged laughter that causes your sides to hurt. In other words, they are kings of comedy. Now four years later, Winterbottom is back and this time we are set to tour through Italy reviewing six more restaurants. I can't wait. "The Trip to Italy" is set for limited release on May 16th, 2014.

4. The Raid 2: Berandal

In 2011 "The Raid: Redemption" broke on to the scene in a big way. It debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival and buzz quickly spread. Soon this edge-of-your-seat crime thriller following an Indonesian S.W.A.T. team in a tenement run by a ruthless mobster was on everyone's must watch list, and for good reason. It is one of the best martial arts releases of some time. Now its sequel is here and it looks blow-for-blow like an all out assault on our eyeballs. Gareth Evans returned to write and direct the follow-up and the result looks to be just as intense and ground-breaking as its predecessor. Fans of martial arts take note, "The Raid 2: Berandal" opens March 28th, 2014 in the states.

3. Inherent Vice

Paul Thomas Anderson continues to be one of my favorite directors. Each and every film he makes I eagerly await. He's one of those working directors that I don't even need to know what the film is about, just that he's making one. Yup, he's earned it too. His worst film is better than most director's best. Anderson is working again with Joaquin Phoenix and the setting is L.A. during the 1970s. Phoenix is playing Larry "Doc" Sportello, a drug-fueled detective investigating the disappearance of a former girlfriend. The screenplay penned by Anderson is based off a Thomas Pynchon novel of the same name. Also in the cast are Jena Malone, Josh Brolin, Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Benicio Del Toro, Martin Short, and Maya Rudolph. "Inherent Vice" is unfortunately the only film on this list without a set release date but is sure to see release within the calendar year.

2. Interstellar

Christopher Nolan has finished his Batman trilogy and is free to make whatever he chooses without the ever so scrupulous eyes of comic book fans. Well, Nolan is such a talented director he will continue to be highly watched and wondered about. That's what happens when you are that good. People use your talent as a watermark for others to reach. Regardless, without the cowl of Batman he's freed up some weight off his shoulders. Luckily for us, Nolan still wants to wow us, and I am ready for him to do so. I have been thoroughly engaged in Nolan as his career has progressed. He's a talent I love watching not only because of his imagination but also his drive to use certain mediums effectively. He's one of the big Hollywood directors out there trying to create the lore of going to the movies, not sitting at home and streaming them. I am not taking away anything from independent or small budget revival as of late, because it is something to herald, but Nolan is fixated on bringing the masses to the cinemas to see the spectacle he can create. Nolan's vision is majestic and I can't wait to see what he's cooked up with "Interstellar" when it opens November 7th, 2014.

1. The Grand Budapest Hotel

Like Paul Thomas Anderson or Christopher Nolan, each new film by Wes Anderson I am eager for. Usually before they are even announced. I'm still savoring "Moonrise Kingdom" but I have been wondering what Mr. Anderson's next project will be. Hell I'm already wondering what he will do after this film. Like a good friend, we know what to expect with Wes Anderson films. He has his aesthetic and for better or worse he sticks to it. His style is either appealing or not to audiences. Rarely have I met someone who hates a Wes Anderson film, only to later come around and enjoy his other works, people tend to like his entire body of work or they don't. There is a trailer for this film, but I haven't watched it. Actually while compiling this list I learned more about the film than I really wanted to. The simple run down, Ralph Fiennes stars as concierge at a famous European hotel in between World War I and World War II, along for his adventures is a bell hop played by Tony Revolori. Saoirse Ronan, Jude Law, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Kitel, and Bill Murray round out the cast. "The Grand Budapest Hotel" releases March 7th, 2014.

So there's 50 titles in 2014 I really want to see. I'm sure this list will balloon as the year progresses with multiple film festivals, further independent and studio titles finding release dates but for now, this is it. What are you most excited for in 2014?

Top 10 of 2013

2013-12-30T23:48:00.001-08:00

2013 is closing its doors and another year of movies is right around the corner. As always around this time, I like to take a look back and reflect on the year in film with a Top 10 list. Sure, every blog out there does some type of a year-end list and rightfully so, when you watch a lot of movies and write about them, what else would you do? What sets mine apart from all the rest? I do. These titles are films that A.) made an impact on me this year, B.) had an impact on cinema that should be recognized, and C.) films that I'd re-watch on a regular basis.

At the time of posting this, I have watched 392 films in 2013, 218 of those were first time views and qualified to be on this year-end list. We all have our own rules or qualifications for a year-end list and mine are pretty simple, a film must have had a limited release in New York and Los Angeles for consideration. This qualification leaves out films that only had runs at film festivals or foreign titles that have yet to find U.S. distribution within the calendar year.

Honorable mentions: Berberian Sound Studio, Pieta, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Short Term 12, and War Witch.

10. Sightseers

The state of comedy at the movies is sad, most comedies tread through the same material repeatedly. Half of them are romantic comedies and the other forty percent are high school comedies focusing on the same predictable arcs of guy meets girl, guy loses girl, guy gets girl back. Studios annually throw new actors together like athletes in a fantasy draft hoping for a decent box office return. This formula needs to be taken out to pasture and "Sightseers" does an able job of breaking the mold. It is an anti-comedy. It is a film that tests the boundaries of what you find funny. The English black comedy directed by Ben Wheatley follows Chris, a caravan (that's motor home for us Americans) enthusiast who takes his girlfriend Tina on his dream vacation. Along the journey Chris and Tina find themselves confronting everyday events that put a damper on Chris's "dream" vacation. Boiled down, Chris and Tina become vigilantes fixated on living out this ill-conceived dream holiday, no matter who gets in their way. The couple Chris and Tina are hilariously played by Steve Oram and Alice Lowe. Oram comes off as the British counterpart to Louis C.K. and Alice Lowe nails that awkward comedic tone that makes Sightseers so much fun to watch. On top of acting, the duo co-wrote the dark comedy together. The writing team along with director Ben Wheatley group together a number of sequences that audiences will easily connect with. These scenes are blended with outcomes that test our traditional boundaries of acceptable behavior. The end result is a highly recommended film. It is honest, dangerous, shocking, and totally re-watchable.

9. The Grandmaster

Towards the end of every year there are a number of needed films that I try to see before the year ends. Films that I had either missed in theaters or heard enough buzz to make a point of seeing. Every so often one of those movies shakes up my year end list. "The Grandmaster" is that movie in 2013. Graceful, stunning, and stylized, this was a historical martial arts biography I was longing for without realizing it. Being a history teacher, I was elated as I realized this film was much more than stylistic action flick, it had authentic history behind it. These were real characters in situations that I taught on an annual basis in my World and United States History classes. Luckily enough for non-history buffs, the film does an able job of keeping its audience informed of all the characters and locations through the use of subtitles. On the surface, The Grandmaster chronicles the Wing Chun grandmaster, Ip Man from the 1930s up through the Second Sino-Japanese War and beyond to his death. On a deeper level, the film is a heartfelt rebuttal to the longstanding gender roles and traditions in Chinese culture. The film uses a sympathetic lens to condemn the cultural system that allowed one of the greatest experts of martial arts to never carry on her family's legacy because she was a girl. As for the fights, they are some of the most graceful fighting sequences I have seen since "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Sparring matches that are jaw-dropping and eye-popping. Philippe Le Sourd's cinematography captures the skill and flare of each fighter in sensational form. This is an action film that highlights the skill and craft of this art.

8. All is Lost

Ever had the desire to go sailing? You might want to watch J.C. Chandor's gripping survival adventure "All is Lost" before you run out and get yourself a sailboat. It is a terrifying look at what could potentially happen to even the most skilled sailor out in the ocean. Nature is majestic but it is also unforgiving and All is Lost is a cruel example of exactly that. Robert Redford carries the film without ever really saying more than a few words. He keeps the audience immersed in his every move, so much so you can feel his emotional weight just through raising a brow or a silent reflective pause. Redford is so good there are moments where you can't blink fast enough, as so you won't miss a single second. This is a white knuckle ride that rarely allows the audience, or its focus, a break from all the stress. Optimism is vital in a tale like this and Chandor is nice enough to his audience allowing a glimmer of hope through portions of the film. Still, let me blunt in saying, the events endured throughout All is Lost are wholeheartedly grievous. On a technical level, this movie deserves accolades for its practical work done in the water. I'm sure some digital effects were used as well, but there's no denying when you see the 77-year-old Redford underwater, he's underwater. This minimalist survival story reminds us how small and at the mercy of this planet we really are as humans.

7. Before Midnight

I had not seen any of Richard Linklater's Before films prior to "Before Midnight" releasing this year. I am not a real big fan of romantic films and I'd previously steered clear of the two earlier films. After the release of Before Midnight and all the acclaim it earned, I figured it time to finally settle into the now trilogy. What makes Before Midnight so good is the daring nature to turn the tables on Linklater's romantic fantasy. Let's face it both "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset" are typical American romance fantasies. Think about it, a person travels to Europe only to end up having an amazing one-night stand in the first, and in the sequel that same person writes a book about the beautiful one-night stand then during a book tour, the person you wrote about finds you ending up in another sexual interlude? Come on, total fantasy. What makes those two films better than most romantic dramas is the exceptional dialogue and chemistry between Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. 'Midnight' however is a whole different beast, Linklater and company took a risk placing our romantic couple in the middle of a real marriage with all of the fantasy wiped away. Instead of watching our couple have flirtatious and theoretical conversations over coffee in a cafe or stroll through cobblestone streets in France, they duke it our over real issues that effect, not only both of their lives, but the lives of their children. Both Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy deliver performances that warrant nominations. It only helps the impact and reality of the portrayals that these two actors have been working together playing this couple for 18 years. There is no doubt in my mind what makes these films so excellent is the growth that comes in the nine years in between filming, there is growth in the actors and the director that transcends on to the screen.

6. Stoker

"Stoker" is the kind of film that keeps its audience in total suspense as it unwraps itself. Once completed, you'll want to start it all over again just to re-run through its scheme. Director Chan-wook Park uses simple foreshadowing to set the table, but it is done with such a light hand, the audience isn't pressured into wondering how it fits into the mystery. Park weaves an intricate thriller that allows its audience to enjoy the unraveling, ultimately becoming the most rewarding horror of 2013. Matthew Goode and Mia Wasikowska are arresting as newly acquainted family trying to feel one another out. Wasikowska delivers another performance that will keep her on a short list of actors in high-demand. She's got a natural talent and director Chan-wook Park quickly has me realizing she's perfect for more playtime in the horror genre. Goode on the other hand comes across just curious enough that the audience can never quite place if they should trust this charmingly well-dressed male. Creative and technical choices are a big reason Stoker is on my year end list. The sound editing and sound design alone make this film worth watching and studying. In the kind of fashion that could earn nominations, Park uses sound to build-up the plot within his notable mystery. Set and costume design are also equally imaginative and complex. Attention to detail is not something Stoker takes lightly. It is certain in fact that everything we see is timed, not to mentioned placed in its intended position, for full effect.

5. Spring Breakers

Probably the most misunderstood film of 2013 is "Spring Breakers," a neon candy-coated techno induced fantasy that turns the cameras on college students and their annual spring break rituals of debauchery. On the surface, the film spends its time parading the extreme indulgences college students hold on a pedestal like a rite of passage, subversively director Harmony Korine is illustrating his condemnation of this youth-culture. Spring Breakers is an alarming look at the video-game mentality too many teen to twenty-somethings have taken on. Korine follows a group of girlfriends who carry out a robbery in order to go on spring break. Korine cunningly took well known teen actors and put them in less than desirable roles. A sinister trick on the director's part, but one that works flawlessly. Teen girls who grew up watching and idolizing Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens went out to see this movie, instead of wanting to be like them, these girls were having the opposite reaction, they were disgusted by them. James Franco delivers the best performance of his rising career as Alien, a local drug and arms dealer who sees value in the group of care-free girls. Alien seduces the girls with his bad-boy demeanor and "look at my shit" mentality. He lures them in with his expensive toys and illicit drugs pushing the girls further into a spiral of video game mentality. For the girls, Alien matches the lifestyle playing out in their fantasies. It is surreal, Alien isn't worried about the future, he is living in the now. The disturbing part is Alien's representation in our society. Again Korine is flipping the camera on its audience, there's a stark look at the under belly of capitalism at play. Spring Breakers is a film that pushes its audience and their own moral compass. Audiences that came in hoping for a 90 minute film glorifying the ritual of spring break were slapped in the face with quite the opposite, they were made to feel like their ritual wasn't so cool. They were shown the reality of it. Director Harmony Korine furthermore plays with his audience leaving this film in an ultimate fantasy state, as if it were nothing more than a drug-induced dream or a video game that was played. The acclaim is in the fact that every audience member realizes, this is a fantasy and those audiences members seeking the same fantasy as the girls or Alien ought to think twice, because it is unobtainable.

4. Gravity

The greatest movie-going experience I had in 2013 was with "Gravity." Hyperbole or not, it is true. Going to the movies at five-years-old for the first time and seeing "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" is one of the moments that made me into the film enthusiast I am. Just like a home double feature of "Alien" and "The Thing" my dad had with me when I was 10 years-old. He tells me I slept in his bed for a week straight following that double bill! Those experiences forever changed me. Gravity did the same, it changed my perception of what can happen in a movie theater and on film. I've been going to IMAX movies for well over a decade, but this is the first time a film has taken on the true persona of a theme ride. This is a genuine experience, not a gimmick. Rarely do I tell someone to see a film in 3D or in IMAX, but this film truly set a precedent that it must be experienced in the most optimum 3D environment. This is a movie that audiences will request to be re-released in theaters as to once again experience in the largest format possible. The film itself is a simple survival story set during a fictitious space shuttle mission to service the Hubble telescope. The small American crew is struck by a space debris cloud caused by a Russian missile strike on a defunct satellite. The debris destroys the shuttle and crew leaving Dr. Ryan Stone and veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski drifting in space without a vessel. By every stretch of the imagination this is a terrifying experience, one that had my heart racing and palms sweating. Dr. Ryan Stone (powerfully played by Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) devise a plan that sees them leap frogging through space in the hopes of making it to safety at a nearby space station. Each dilemma along the way forces the audiences' heart to skip a beat and there's more than a few times I caught myself holding my breath in utter fear of what would happen next. James Cameron said that "Avatar" would change people's perspective of what could be done with CGI and green screen. While Avatar didn't change my perspective it certainly changed director Alfonso Cuarón's, and am I ever thankful it did. Cuarón took on the challenge of working with 3D and a nearly-entire CGI environment and dude did a bang-up job. I mean this guy showed James Cameron what's up. If making 3D CGI movies was a slam dunk contest, Alfonso Cuarón would be in first place.

3. Mud

Being swept away to a foreign place, culture, or thing is part of the joy I find in watching movies. "Mud" is a perfect example of that in 2013. The setting is not out of this world or even off this continent, but instead right here in the United States, in De Witt Arkansas to be exact. We are introduced to two teenage boys, Ellis and Neckbone, whose livelihood is the Mississippi river. These boys and their families live off the Mississippi river and due to recently passed laws will be eventually evicted off their houseboats. Director Jeff Nichols does a flawless job of placing his audience within this setting. I was immediately engrossed in the characters lifestyles, customs, and plight. It helps that director of photography Adam Stone does a poignant job of capturing the poor southern setting. The focus of Mud is actually a coming of age film about trust, not river rats being driven from their floating homes. Ellis and Neckbone befriend a fugitive who is on the run. The two meet the fugitive while traveling to a small island along the Mississippi river where they found a boat stuck in a tree (it is assumed that the boat was there from a hurricane). Matthew McConaughey plays Mud, a fugitive who makes a deal with the teens to help him carry out a plan that will reunite his girlfriend with him. This is without a doubt Matthew McConaughey's most vulnerable performance. It is also his best. McConaughey is raw as Mud. He lets his guard down and pulls off one of the most exposed performances of his career. Unfortunately, this performance will be neglected come award season, in the long run however, people will remember McConaughey's performance in Mud more than they will his performance in "Dallas Buyers Club." Why? Because it is the first time he's not just playing another pompous male with sex appeal. Like I said, McConaughey strips down to his most endangered in this performance. Yes, more so than a stripper in "Magic Mike," and more so than a homophobic stereotype who attracts AIDS in Dallas Buyers Club.

2. Inside Llewyn Davis

There's a song in "Inside Llewyn Davis" called The Death of Queen Jane that didn't take complete effect on me until after seeing the movie. The song is sung at, what would seem like an extremely important point in the film, at an audition that may lead to a break Llewyn needs. The song is about the Queen of England wanting her maids and also husband to carry out a cesarean section after nine days of labor that would kill her but see her baby survive. Without listening you can probably guess the song is a downer, and the decision of Llewyn Davis to sing that particular song at that particular junction of his career is the heartbreaking core of the Coen brothers latest folk-drama. This is who Llewyn is as a musician, he can't be some other musician allowing factors to chip away at his craft. Those are things he despises. He will not allow his soul to be tarnished or cheapened. He could have easily chosen to play a song with more spunk and pep, something that didn't force the audience into a state of grim despair, but instead he played his soul. Inside Llewyn Davis is the most infectious film of the year. It's hard to watch at times being such a dreary tale, but the Coen brothers counter so much of the doldrums with excellent characters, music, and dialogue. T-Bone Burnett deserves heaps of praise making an addictive soundtrack. The soundtrack and movie are essentially one giant folk song, there's an opening verse called Fare Thee Well (Dink's Song), three or four great tales (or verses) of woe in the middle and a return to that opening verse of Fare Thee Well (Dink's Song). The Coen brothers always being so lyrical with their dialogue and characters, it is not shocking these guys pulled off such a resounding tale of artistry. It is clear the Coen's have a great love of folk music and Inside Llewyn Davis is a sublime letter to reflect that.

1. Her

"Her" is the best science fiction movie in a long time. More specifically it is my favorite science fiction since "Never Let Me Go" in 2010. The number one reason being the science fiction within Her is so subtle and yet so believable. This is not a science fiction that treks our unexplored galaxy, instead it treks through our own human (and non-human) hearts. This is a science fiction that approaches the technology we use today on a regular basis and ups the ante, both a social and romantic level. Our story follows Theodore, a lonely writer who has just bought the latest operating system on the market. A brand new artificial intelligent or A.I. system that is designed to meet the purchaser's every need. As time passes between Theodore and his new operating system, they begin to develop a relationship together, more so a romance. As you've read earlier on this list, I am not a big fan of romantic movies, that said Spike Jonze delivers way more than a run of the mill romance. Her is an earnest tale of our fears and joys, in and out of a romantic relationship. Jonze creates a beautiful balance between comedy, romance, and heartbreak. Let us not forget this is a romance between a human and a computer, regardless Spike Jonze does an incredible job of making this story feel as believable and as complex as our own everyday relationships. The entire cast of Her is exceptional. Joaquin Phoenix reminds us what a true talent he is and why we are lucky he is still here. Scarlett Johansson deserves a nomination for her voice work as Samantha, the A.I. operating system Theodore buys. Never for one second did I feel that Samantha wasn't a tangible being that Theodore could fall in love with or vice versa. Which brings me to the next aspect of Her that I cannot get out of my brain, a computer falling in love. This is some next level we need to talk about this over pie science fiction. Humans fall in love, yes. Animals fall in love, yes. Computers falling in love, I never thought about this and it kinda blew my mind. Her does an fantastic job of illustrating the joys and sorrows of falling in love we all know, but from the A.I.'s perspective. This process stirred up emotions of learning these feelings all over again and the result is a combination of delight and heartbreak.

Thanks for reading, feel free to share your favorites of 2013 in the comments section below.

AFI FEST 2013: Day Seven

2013-12-07T15:52:00.002-08:00

Another year of AFI FEST is over, 83 features and 36 shorts screened across eight days. This year I highlighted 33 films as high priority, set out to see 25 and ended up seeing 17. In order to give a fair amount of coverage to all 17 films viewed, I've decided to break the festival down by day(s) including short reviews for each film. Below you'll find my coverage for the final day of AFI FEST 2013.

Day Seven:

HELI

directed by Amat Escalante

"Heli" is a brutal account of how despite having the best intentions, the company we keep can change our lives in the blink of an eye. Set in Mexico the thriller follows a family that finds themselves involved with the wrong end of the law after they are suspected for stealing cocaine. This is an experience film, one that will leave you terrified of the crime and corruption that takes place in Mexico. The film furthermore wants its audience to feel the severity of the situations taking place. Director Amat Escalante chooses to let scenes play out in long form. An approach that makes the experience unnerving and feel all too authentic. I felt myself getting uncomfortable in my seat and with no recourse other than to ride out the experience. This is a powerful story that will leave you completely frustrated with the situations. This is not a film that is looking to provide much of a silver lining either, the audience is faced with some hard truths and left with nothing but reality.

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS

directed by Joel and Ethan Coen

"Inside Llewyn Davis" is the Coen brothers most bleak film to date. It is fixated on paying homage to the hard times of a talented musicians who never caught a break. The drama is wonderfully romantic about folk music, so much so the film's structure even takes on the form of a folk song. Like the biggest heartbreaks, the drama stays with you for an extended period of time. In truth, this is a film that I initially walked away feeling cold towards. I respected its dedication and craft but I missed an instant attachment. I was mad it for being so deep, part of that blame comes from having festival exhaustion; this was my 17th film across seven days. Part of me wanted a simple Coen brothers comedy, instead I got a layered tale beautifully crafted with both reverence and cynicism to a genre of music and its artists. My mistake for expecting anything less from the likes of the Coen brothers.
The music and its lyricism are a vital aspect to "Inside Llewyn Davis." Credit to T. Bone Burnett for once again creating a masterful soundtrack to tell the penetrating story. This is a soundtrack you'll want to purchase after seeing the movie. The songs are addictive on a few levels. One, because they are beautiful songs that resonate the perfect emotions to match each scene. Two, because they are powerfully sung by Oscar Issac and the rest of the cast. Three, because songs like "Hang Me, Oh Hang Me," "Please Mr. Kennedy," "The Death of Queen Jane," and "Fare Thee Well (Dink's Song)" play a major part in the storytelling being done on screen. Four, the songs upon re-listening will immediately put you back into the emotions and impact of the film. "The Death of Queen Jane" in particular, I didn't realize its full weight until afterwards dissecting the lyrics and the situation Llewyn Davis is in at the time he sings those lyrics. It is heartbreaking and magical all at once. Again, "Inside Llewyn Davis" is the Coen brothers most bleak film to date but that does not mean it is not one of their most rewarding.

That's a wrap on AFI FEST in 2013. Thanks for reading and be sure to check out more coverage from Day One, Day Two, Day Three, Day Four, Day Five, and Day Six.

AFI FEST 2013: Day Six

2013-12-07T14:11:00.001-08:00

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY

directed by Ben Stiller

"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is a rabbit hole adventure of honesty and gratitude fixated on paying respect to life that I absolutely loved. After seeing the initial trailer, anticipation was set very high for the Ben Stiller film. I have to say that despite a few minor gripes, the film lived up to my high expectations. Director Ben Stiller clearly wanted to make a large-scale adventure that paid its respects to life and the incredible things humanity can accomplish. At that, I found the film to be a true success, not to mention a delight. This is a film that kept a smile on my face the whole time. It is a dream-big story that keeps its heart on display, albeit a tad too general at times.
There's no doubt that director Ben Stiller is earnest about his film's message, like I said, the film keeps its heart on display. He takes some very broad strokes at life, love, and happiness instead of honing in on one which could leave some off-put. I loved Stiller's sense of scope in this adventure. He takes his audience through hilarious situations, gorgeous settings, and harrowing dream sequences that are each peppered with endearing and fulfilling rewards. I also really appreciated all of the storytelling that is going on in the background of the film. Everything from editing to camera-tracking played a part in Stiller's epic being told in a grand fashion.
A big aspect to "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" on display is gaining or having a sense of adventure. Getting out and living life versus living in a dream world. Not that we are all daydreamers, but so many of us are stuck in our own bubbles. I hope this angle plays into the hearts and minds of people who go out and see this film. The 21st century is fixated on our own personal world's. From 2013's word of the year, "selfie" to our new found interest in social media, our society has become more accustom to explaining their feelings through a 140 character status update versus telling someone in person. The film reminds us to live life to the fullest every single day.
As someone who has grown up with Ben Stiller's comedy all the way back to his initial sketch television series, it is real nice to see what he can do with some free-reign and a large production budget. "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is so good it almost makes up for all the schlocky big-budget films he's done like "Night at the Museum," almost. That said, Ben Stiller as a director is someone I look forward to. He's ahead of the curve and his latest feat continues that trend not to mention will be a film that I go on to re-watch repeatedly.

Stay tuned for more breakdown of each day at AFI FEST 2013. Check out more coverage from Day One, Day Two, Day Three, Day Four, and Day Five.

AFI FEST 2013: Day Five

2013-11-26T10:04:00.001-08:00

JODOROWSKY'S DUNE

directed by Frank Pavich

Alejandro Jodorowsky is the type of person that you would want to have over for dinner. He has a type of magnetic personality that would catch and keep the attention of every person in the room. He's a visionary and a storyteller. "Jodorowsky's Dune" is the embodiment of Alejandro Jodorowsky's passion for his craft. This documentary illustrates his undeniable passion for filmmaking, his magnetic energy that attracts the best in a particular field, and almost more importantly, this is a film documenting how this unmade project has had more influence then numerous completed projects. As this documentary explains how the seeds of this unmade film are seen in so many movies, it becomes a surreal experience. More specifically, realizing the heavy impressions this visionary had without ever putting a single concept to film is mind blowing.
"Jodorowsky's Dune" is overall a really fun documentary. You may think a documentary chronicling a 70 something year-old man explaining a movie he didn't get to make almost 30 years ago might be tedious or boring, but it isn't. Jodorowsky is a genius storyteller and combined with the photography from the famed concept book, this doc is a real inspiration. It reminded me how important it can be to see our own vision through at times. Lastly, "Jodorowsky's Dune" is the only time I have heard someone use the phrase "rape with love," not to mention, get an entire audience to laugh at the turn of phrase.

HARMONY LESSONS

directed by Emir Baigazin

"Harmony Lessons" is a complex account of Kazakh youth delving into the causes and effects that circulate around bullying. The thriller is a terrorizing account that contains a calm balance that left me enamored. In the quiet opening, director Emir Baigazin establishes a methodical tone that is both cold and unique. The cold is literal, with the drama being set at the first signs of Spring, but it is also a representation of the somber disposition we find our protagonist in.
Our protagonist is Aslan, an outcast teen who lives a very desolate life with his grandmother. Part of the immediate appeal to Aslan is his deliberate proclivities. Baigazin does a compelling job of thrusting the audience into his day-to-day experiences. The audience is introduced to Aslan as he captures and slaughters a lamb with precision and cleanliness. Aslan is a character that I could not get out of my head. He stayed with me for some time after viewing this film. Watching as Aslan is driven to taking matters into his own hands is the real terror within "Harmony Lessons," more so than the bullying on display. The audience watches as a boy becomes a product of the bullying, and what he becomes is one of the real highlights to this film.
The pacing that director Emir Baigazin plays with will be off-putting to some audiences, however I found it fitting to the nature of the subject matter. It also tells me that Emir Baigazin isn't afraid to allow scenes to play out from one, maybe two angles in long form. Blocking, there is some exceptional blocking going on. For instance, the hierarchy of teens within the Kazakh school system. It is not often that I go out of my way to bring up blocking, but here Baigazin does a proper job of adding character development as well as depth with the blocking of his cast.
The effects bullying can have on a individual is not easy subject matter to sit through. "Harmony Lessons" does a tremendous job of building a traumatic experience and balancing it with a web of intrigue along with corruption. The audience slowly realizes that the bullying seen in the schools is only the tip of the iceberg, the system goes much deeper, to a point where the audience is made privy to a broken system. "Harmony Lessons" is a film that grabbed me from the onset and never let go. It is a film that I want to share with everybody. It is a film I want to talk about with people who have seen it. Like all great films, it is a movie that will leave you with an active mind that is reeling from what you just witnessed. See it!

Stay tuned for more breakdown of each day at AFI FEST 2013. Check out more coverage from Day One, Day Two, Day Three, and Day Four.