Nov 17 2010

Catfish

One of the most natural and engaging documentaries I've seen. 3.5 out of 4

It is interesting that Catfish be released soon after The Social Network, as both films present some insightful portrayals of the Facebook generation.  While Social Network traced Facebook’s less-than humble beginnings, Catfish captures a real piece of the culture that followed soon after.

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Nov 3 2010

Prequels: The New Re-Make/Boot/Release?

It was announced, not too long ago, that a prequel to John Carpenter’s The Thing was in the works.  Soon after, Ridley Scott announced that he was working on a prequel to Alien.

I don’t even know where to begin.

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Oct 27 2010

Never Let Me Go

Understated, tender and resonate. 3 1/2 out of 4 Stars

Never Let Me Go is not the first film about cloning and organ harvesting, yet it’s the first film to do so seriously, and in the subtlest of forms.  In fact, the film is less about cloning and more about the human condition, which makes it truly original and effective.

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Jul 21 2010

Living in Oblivion

As sharp and perfectly executed as they come. 4/4.

Tom DiCillo’s Living in Oblivion is a labor love about a labor love.  Making a film, especially an independent film, isn’t easy.  With all the various problems that collide with one another on set, it’s a miracle anything ever gets finished.  It’s no wonder that everyone in the film industry is borderline, if not certifiably insane.

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Jul 16 2010

Taking Stock: 7/16/2010

We enter another week of “Taking Stock,” our weekly column in which the entire staff tells you what they think of the movies coming out this week based on very little knowledge and first impressions.

Inception

James: I’ve seen this already.  It’s the best film of the year so far and already amongst my favorite films ever.  What do I have to do to get you to go see it?  You’re not going yet?  Go.  Now.  No seriously, now.

Benn:  Best movie of the summer by far, and probably amongst the best of the year.

Dylan: My only concern is that I don’t have high enough expectations. Everytime I see the trailer, I get a little chubby in my pantaloons. Seeing it A.S.A.P.

Fil: I’m very obviously excited about this.  Hopefully some people (JAMES) don’t hype it too much.  Definitely going to see this tonight, go see it and form your own opinions people. Continue reading


Jul 10 2010

Taking Stock: 7/9/2010

We enter another week of “Taking Stock,” our weekly column in which the entire staff tells you what they think of the movies coming out this week based on very little knowledge and first impressions.  If it were last impressions, these would be reviews.

Despicable Me

James: The trailers look cute but forgettable and I’m still not 100% sure what this is even about.  I’m predicting this to be a decent rental.

Benn:  Looks fun, but not my thing really.

Dylan: I’m not really sure why I should care about this movie. There are yellow freaks and Steve Carell and that’s about all I gathered from the trailer. Not the top movie on my list.

Fil: I think this might be kind of a fun movie to see.  Not exactly something I expect greatness out of, but it might surprise us.  Focusing on the ancillary characters in trailers is usually a bad sign though. <-Formatting error…or subtle hint that my opinion is more important?

Anna: The teasers looked like shit, but I recently saw a full trailer and it looked fun. I’d give it a try.

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Jul 7 2010

Micmacs: A Tire-Larigot

Light-hearted fun, but not much else. 2.5 out of 4

“Micmacs” is a French word similar to “knick-knacks”, as in “a little of this, a little of that.”  In many ways, this describes Jean Pierre Jeunet’s latest film pretty well, as its made up of charming little ideas, yet doesn’t add up to anything all-too substantial.

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Jul 2 2010

Taking Stock: 7/2/2010

We enter another week of “Taking Stock,” our weekly column in which the entire staff tells you what they think of the movies coming out this week based on very little knowledge and first impressions.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

James: What do I say about Twilight that hasn’t been said on this site 100 times already?  The trailer looks better than the first two?  That doesn’t take much.

Benn:  You know what?  I’ve said everything that needs to be said about this terrible, terrible thing.  Google “Fur and Loathing, Lock Stock” for my summation of “Twilight.”

Dylan: I’ve heard this is the best of the Twilight movies thus far. It’s like ranking S.T.D’s in order of most tolerable. This represents all that is bad in the world.

Fil: I, for one, am so excited about this.  GO TEAM BUFFY!

Anna: All I’m going to say is that there was a trailer for this before Iron Man 2. Everybody in the theater made noises of disgust. I joined in.

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Jun 26 2010

Podcast 25: Bum Raps

On this episode we talk about movies that we thought got an unfair bum rap. Benn defends Alien 3, James defends Lady in the Water, and Fil defends Knowing.

As usual the podcast is available for download on iTunes and Podcast Alley. Please leave a review there if you haven’t yet, we need more listeners. And you can always listen to it right here on our web page.


Jun 24 2010

Taking Stock: 6/25/2010

We enter another week of “Taking Stock,” our weekly column in which the entire staff tells you what they think of the movies coming out this week based on very little knowledge and first impressions.

Knight and Day

James: Cruise looks to be kind of back on his game, but Diaz looks way out of place. I guess that’s the point, but I’m still not too interested.

Benn:  Diaz is terrible, but Cruise looks like he’s having fun, and that goes a long way.  I won’t be lining up for the film, but I’ll say this, “Hey, its better than ‘The Killers’.”

Dylan: I remember when the early trailer came out that made this film look like a comedy/action flick. Cruise was playing a goofy character which works for him now (especially after Tropic Thunder). But now they’ve made it look like an action flick and I’ve lost all interest in seeing it.

Fil: Yeah this looks kind of fun. I mean, it’s not something I’d seek out, but it looks better than The Killers. Then again, watching paint peel was probably better than that film.

Anna: Looks kinda fun.

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