Alright folks, this will be the first of many posts involving local events around Miami, as well as special releases around the country. As you'd likely guess from the title, Ghostbusters is playing on the big screen again for one night only. It will be rereleased on Thursday October 27th (tomorrow!!) for those interested. For those in Miami here are some local show times:
It seems a bit odd for me to start reviewing a movie that isn't that old, but isn't that new either. Also, it's probably a movie you've already seen. But... I guess let's trudge through that mire and hopefully we'll find that LZ we've been searching for on this damn map. Tropic Thunder is a comedy movie directed by Ben Stiller, with Ben Stiller as Benn Stiller. Basically. It has an all star cast of Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, that dorky dude when they need a dorky dude (Jay Baruchel), Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise. Wait..what? Tom Cruise? More on that in a bit.
The overall storyline is that there are these actors that are making a movie and are quite uptight and by a turn of fate they find themselves embroiled in the 'shit', in Vietnam...or Laos...or somewhere. It doesn't matter. Everyone in the story evolves and changes for the better. Except for the dick. As all comedies are apt to do. So the real question here is... Did You Laugh? Well, yes. But I often make the odd decision to watch comedies by myself, so I didn't laugh as hard as i thought I would. So I can't exactly give this film a standing ovation. I often smiled and grinned. But I gave no hearty guffaws. But... I will say this. The funniest guy here? Tom Cruise. He's not even a comedian. Why isn't he in more comedies. Apparently, he's crazy good at being a Jewish movie producer type. (yeah, pun sorta intended). He stole the show, and not just because his character is supposed to, he's truly the funniest guy in the room. Honestly, just watch the movie cause of him.
Writing a review for a comedy is always a bit strange. Which may be why they often get overlooked. It really just comes down to did you laugh or not. I told you what the best was. If you don't think you'd find Tom Cruise being an asshole funny, don't watch it. Otherwise, yes! Give the movie a chance. See it with someone who loved it. Or with people who will like a Ben Stiller style comedy. You'll grab some miles off of it that way. C+
Saints and Soldiers takes us once again to World War 2, a genre that I love and know very well. Most of my favorite movies take place here. So, you know my standards and expectations are very high. Because of those expectations, I really had to wait and get in the mood to watch it.
This movie was very good, but I will confess its not for everyone. Most of this movie is pretty slow. There's only a couple of action sequences in the whole thing. So if you're looking for an action movie, this isn't it. Instead, the "action" in the movie is more about the suspense of following these soldiers stranded behind enemy lines and wondering if they'll make it to saftey with their critical information.
The reason I like this movie and recommend it is that it deals with subject matter that I had never heard of before, and addresses it in a way I have never seen before. Saints and Soldiers succeeds because the story is based on religion, more specifically a missionary turned solider named Deacon.
The story begins after the "Malmedy Massacre." Until this movie, I had no idea this event even took place. Late in December 1944, the Battle of the Bulge was beginning. This was the last desperate attempt by the Germans to turn the tide of the War and push the Allies back into France. Here, at Malmedy, a German army massacred over 80 captured American soliders. Apparently this wasn't the first time this had happened. The story of the movie follows the survivors of this massacre. They stumble across a downed British pilot that has information that could help stop the German advance. Their mission is to get him back to safety with this critical information.
The group is 5 soldiers. They have one working gun, and are surrounded by enemy. They have to sneak their way past the Germans and make it to safety. At the beginning we learn that Deacon, manning the only gun, is a great shot but also used to be a missionary in Germany. The juxtoposition of being religious and being a badass solider who fights for the righteous cause is something I never grow tired of. (See Constantine, where Keanu Reeves plays a damned man trying to redeem himself by murdering demons). He's interesting because of this contradiction: he's peaceful, yet kicking ass killing Nazi's in the name of the Lord...can you argue with me that there is nothing more badass as far as contradictions go? What's best is that you actively see him struggle with this contradiction through his flashbacks, and it really torments him.
So, Deacon's perspective is a little different because he sees the humanity in the enemy even when his comrades do not. He clashes specifically with the Medic, who is an athiest and antagonizes Deacon for fraternizing with the enemy. Only towards the end is when I realized that the message of the movie was within this drama between Deacon and the Medic.
Deacon at one point saves an enemy solider because he had preached to that soldier before the war. This enemy solider ends up helping the group to safety. Deacon, despite being a great shot, helped the group far more with his message as a missionary that ultimately turned an enemy into friend than he did with any of the bullets in his gun. Pretty cool eh? And it gets even better, because this conversion of enemy to friend also leads to the Medic changing his perception of Deacon too...but you'll have to see the ending to figure that one out.
****SPOILER****
In the end, the Medic survives the ordeal because of Deacon. Not only does Deacon save his life literally by holding off the Germans to cover the Medic's escape, but in dying in the process, he also saves the Medic's soul. Deacon's sacrifice with the help of the converted (ie "saved") German solider, make such an impression on the Medic, that they change the War for him. The Medic realizes that Deacon literally saved his life by preaching to the very people the Medic hated. In quite blunt irony, Deacon healed the Medic's soul and relieved him of his hate. This is proven when you see the Medic takes Deacon's Bible at the end of the movie. Thus, you imagine that the Medic, a flawed healer at the beginning of the movie, is now an impassioned healer by the end, and in theory takes up Deacon's cause.
To say that most great war movies are anti-war is now obvious, but I've never seen a movie use religion so persuasively to make the case against war. The message of peace, that ultimately saved the group, got the intelligence back to the allies, stopped the German advance, and saved the Medic was more powerful than any gun.
I enjoy this film so much I don't know where to begin... I'll let the trailer speak for itself.
Brick takes film noir, boils it down to it's absolute core, then puts it's own clever spin on the genre. It is a must see movie for fans of film, PERIOD. The camera work is perfect, music beautiful and atmospheric, dialogue is sharp (I recommend subtitles, or I guarantee you will miss a lot), and the acting is absolutely solid.
Rian Johnson's debut gives me hope for the future of cinema. His movie entertains you without sacrificing any of its' artistic qualities.
The plot involves the investigation of a girl's disappearance. Brandon (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a hard-boiled high-school detective, has a personal stake in the case. He must navigate a smoke filled labyrinth of questions, seedy characters, and dark motives that would be appropriate for a Philip Marlowe case. I don't want to reveal more as it would ruin the fun. Side-note: the trailer is outstanding because it let's you sample the style of the movie without telling you much.
One of the great qualities of this movie is it avoids being a comedy. It would have been easier to let this be a mediocre comedy about a high-school detective. Instead Johnson goes for grit and atmosphere, and his actors play the characters straight. It's unique, it's refreshing... it must be seen. All the acting it top-notch, in particular Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Brandon. I hope he takes on a role like this again.
It is difficult to review this film since I am a fan; and I don't want to spoil anything for you guys. So let's agree you will all add Brick to your Netflix cues and I will agree to have a discussion with Chris and Pierre about it on the next podcast.
deal?
UPDATE: Brick is available on the netflix instant cue.
Hi everyone. Sorry about the long absence, life has been quite busy so I've only had time to tweak the site a bit over the last few days. Rest assured, I will have a review up this evening about the movie 'Brick'. I just wanted to pop in this morning to point out a nostalgic article from ign. While this blog's purpose is film discussion, I could not resist sharing this article with you.
Toejam and Earl was one of the first video games I ever owned back in 1992. I woke up one morning with a severe pain in my stomach. When my Dad realized I had trouble standing straight from the pain in my side he promptly put me in the car and rushed me to the hospital. I had to have my appendix removed, the nurses quickly prepared me for surgery. Before I was knocked out my Mom called me and told me she was going to the toy store and that I could have whatever toy I wanted for when I woke up.
What better source of entertainment could a 7 year old have in the 90's than a Sega Genesis? While recovering at home after the surgery, I was treated to yogurt (I wasn't an ice-cream kid) and my sega-genesis. It came with Sonic the Hedgehog, Ms. Pac-Man, and Toejam & Earl.
What possessed my Mom to buy this game was beyond me, but I loved it. It was especially fun if a friend came over to play with, as we could explore this bizarre 16-bit interpretation of earth and it's inhabitants at the same time. I still have this game and my genesis, and I confess I still play when the mood strikes. The linked article explains the game-play to great length, all I'd like to add is that this is the most unique and under-appreciated game I know of. If you happen to have a wii and would like to try something different you can download it from the wii store (I believe it costs $8).
Sorry to stray off the beaten path, having just realized this game is 20 years old really made me feel nostalgic. I'll see you movie buffs again this evening.
everyone can now access the podcast directly to the left of this post in the margin. This way we can continue to update the website with film reviews between podcast episodes. Regular reviews and opinions will now resume. We hope to update the podcast section bi-monthly (every 2 weeks) for now (though eventually we want it to be a weekly podcast). Thanks for all the feedback folks, we are definitely listening; those of you who are supporting us now will have a great influence on the content of the show as we move forward.
