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Review: Opposing Tones Work Together in David Wain's 'Wanderlust'
After helping make "The State" a highly regarded TV series, director/writer/actor David Wain naturally delved into feature filmmaking. The bizarre character-building that made the show such a hit came with him, and Wet Hot American Summer and The Ten were fine ideas on which he could cut his teeth. Role Models came in 2008, and, like Wanderlust, his latest film, it rode a fine line between odd character display and somewhat typical rom-com fare. It's more the latter with Wanderlust. But Wain and his co-writer Ken Marino have created a comedy that doesn't compromise either side of its tone. Plus it's extremely funny.
›› Posted February 23 in Reviews | 2 Comments
Review: 'Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance' Proves that Hell is Boring
Like a flash fire, the excitement in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance burns out just as quickly as it appears. Maybe faster. Before Nicolas Cage's Johnny Blaze or even his flame-headed alter ego show, we're given an action sequence followed by a chase. Neither bring with them even the slightest idea of weight. In fact, Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor, who are taking over from Mark Steven Johnson, rely so heavily on CGI and non-stop camera shaking there's little room for anything else. The loud, fake energy is not only indicative of everything wrong with Spirit of Vengeance, it's becoming the duo's calling card.
›› Posted February 17 in Reviews | 17 Comments
Review: Michael Roskam's 'Bullhead' is a Staggering Character Drama
Matthias Schoenaerts is the absolute core of Bullhead, an emotionally and psychologically driven character study and Belgium's entry to the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language film - one of the five nominees. Schoenaerts plays Jacky, a cattle farmer caught up in the crime world of illegal growth hormones, who keeps himself on a steady diet of the drugs. He's anxious but always in a kind of haze, uncomfortable in his own skin and unable to get away from the rage, psychosis, and physical disfigurement of a horrifying, childhood event. But Jacky's past comes back, and an inescapable chain of events lead to tragic results.
›› Posted February 17 in Reviews | 3 Comments
Interview: 'Bullhead' Director Michael Roskam & Matthias Schoenaerts
Bullhead is a damn solid gangster movie. It tells the story of Jacky Vanmarsenille, a Belgian cattle farmer who gets caught up in the illegal side of the beef trade. Jacky has his own dark past, one that he struggles with every day, and the film shows how everything in one's world can come to a screeching halt all at once. Bullhead played at Fantastic Fest 2011. I was lucky enough to catch it there and instantly saw how powerful and engaging it is. I'm not alone, as Drafthouse Films picked it up for distribution shortly after its premiere. What's more, Bullhead was one of five films nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at this year's Oscars.
›› Posted February 10 in Featured, Indies, Interviews | 1 Comment
Review: 'Safe House' Has Bad-Ass Denzel Washington & Solid Action
There's nothing quite like watching Denzel Washington go all bad-ass on a group of bad guys. He's calm. He breathes very deliberately. He even emits an aura of peace about him before all hell breaks loose. He's usually the one causing said hell to break loose. Even then, when he's ripping villains apart and laughing about his partner, usually a rookie, throwing verbal jabs at him, the man remains calm somehow. This is something director Daniel Espinosa (with his first American film) understands about Washington, and he utilizes it to neck-breaking lengths in Safe House. But thankfully, that's not where this film's merits end.
›› Posted February 10 in Reviews | 13 Comments
Review: Atmosphere, Character Make 'Woman in Black' a True Return
A lot of uncertain variables are at work in The Woman in Black. Since returning to the world of horror, Hammer Films has had hits - Let Me In and Wake Wood - and misses - The Resident. Fresh from the Harry Potter finale, Daniel Radcliffe is untested outside of the franchise. Director James Watkins' previous film, Eden Lake, was a mixed bag of heavy atmosphere and foreboding tension with an ending both anti-climactic and shaky. Perhaps Eden Lake is a fine indicator of what to expect from The Woman in Black, a gothic and effective throwback to the mood-drenched fogs and creaky manors of the Hammer Films of old.
›› Posted February 2 in Reviews | 6 Comments
Review: Decent Enough Thrills Can Be Found with 'Man on a Ledge'
Man on a Ledge, the new film directed by Asger Leth, never hits the depths of dullness its name implies. It doesn't exactly rev the engines from frame one, either. Hand-holding at times, drab for a majority of its running time, and not the most memorable of heist thrillers, it sits on that ledge for a large portion, daring to take the leap. Luckily, it finally does and ends up being above average for this brand of casual, movie-going experience. They could have chosen a much more interesting title, though. Continued below!
›› Posted January 27 in Reviews | 3 Comments
Review: 'Awakening' Takes 'Underworld' Exactly Where It Needs to Go
Maybe Kate Beckinsale knew Måns Mårlind & Björn Stein's Underworld: Awakening wouldn't be boring. Granted, that's not the best complement you can give a movie, but, when it pertains to something like the Underworld series, that's all you really need to know as far as how successful it is. It might not be the best of these films. 2003's Underworld rode a nice line between seriousness and wall-to-wall action. It may have taken itself too serious, and that's where the Underworld franchise slipped. Thankfully, it's not only back on track, it's taken a new track. The track of something like Punisher: War Zone or Bad Boys II.
›› Posted January 23 in Reviews | 16 Comments
Review: George Lucas' 'Red Tails' Poorly Commemorates Real Heroes
It's easy to see what was being attempted with Red Tails. Executive producer George Lucas has been developing the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American fighter pilots who took to the skies during World War II, for more than 20 years. Lucas, a fan of the serials of the 1930s and 1940s as well as an admirer of comic books dealing with fighter pilots, wanted to fuse the tone of those with the very real story of these men. With Lucas' affection for aerial fighting as well as the digital achievements from ILM on full display in the Star Wars films, you would have thought Red Tails would've been an absolute thrill. Read on!
›› Posted January 20 in Reviews | 75 Comments
Review: Insipid End of the World Dealings in Xavier Gen's 'The Divide'
Evidently a post-apocalyptic world is full of disgusting human beings who would gladly beat and rape you for a water supply. Good thing we have Xavier Gens to show us what that looks like. That's precisely what he's done with The Divide, a promising premise featuring more than a few multi-dimensional characters. Unfortunately, the intrigue to the film ends there, as it quickly devolves into gross people doing gross things to other gross people. For two hours. What we're left with is, yes, probably a pretty accurate depiction of how a group of people could break down in the days after a nuclear strike, but an uninteresting one made so in its tedious execution.
›› Posted January 13 in Opinions, Reviews | No Comments Yet
Review: There's Nothing New to Talk About With 'The Devil Inside'
Exorcism movies have pretty much run their course at this point. The idea and execution has become so bland, so predictable, that a film better have something extra to add along with all the holy water and body contortions. But, evidently, these movies make decent enough money, so we still have to have a new one every year. Usually dumped in January. Which is why Paramount / Insurge brings us The Devil Inside, directed by William Brent Bell, the latest film that tries to scare us with all the old creepy trimmings.
›› Posted January 5 in Opinions, Reviews | 24 Comments
Looking Back: Jeremy Picks His Own Top 10 Favorite Films of 2011
Out with the bad. In with the good. But not just the good. No, save the good for the ten most "it was decent, but I'm ready to get out of the theater now" LIST. This is the best. These are the movies that reinvigorate our love of cinema, and the movies that are the reason I love going to the theater in the first place. There were many throughout the year 2011, and it was hard to whittle this list down to the 10 best films, but thankfully my honorable mentions help me get around that issue a little bit. Sadly, there's no Nicolas Cage on this list. It's not looking good for Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, either. I swear I'll stop picking on that movie as soon as I see it. But before that comes, take a gander at my top ten movies of 2011. See the list below!
›› Posted December 29 in Editorials, Featured, Opinions | 36 Comments
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