Film “Immortals” Not So Legendary

November 29, 2011 - 10:22 am

Allow me to first address the creative team at Legendary Films, who will probably never read this review, You are futile in your attempts at reproducing 300. Where I come from, to try is to fail and Legendary has been failing across the board when it comes to remaking the biased Spartan interpretation of the Battle of Thermopylae.

Lets go back in film history and take a look at a couple of Legendary’s features. 300 no review needed here. And if you saw the film and were not impressed by the spectacle of violence on film, to me your opinion doesn’t count anyway. There was enough testosterone pumping bloodshed in 300 to fuel a Mark McGuire and Barry Bonds home run derby. Then came Clash of the Titans, which was a remake of one of my favorite childhood films also titled Clash of the Titans. It had some of the most corny but entertaining cgi ever in a movie. There could be no possible way that the makers of 300 could ruin this movie but guess what, against all odd, they did #epicfail.

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Film Something Big is Going Down… “Margin Call” (Film Review)

October 25, 2011 - 8:26 am

The rise of the Occupy Wall Street movement has forced popular confrontation of the meaning of phrases like “these are hard times.” Unless you’ve spent time with a talkative grandparent who was alive during the Depression, not many of us understand what it means to wait in a soup line or to know a man who has killed himself after losing his life savings overnight. Recently released film “Margin Call” starring Kevin Spacey and Demi Moore effectively rams home these concepts for audiences in a way recent generations have yet to fully internalize.

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Film Is “Drive” Epic? (Film Review)

September 21, 2011 - 9:51 am

If you’ve given up on film being an art—which I know you have, even with the release of films like “Blue Valentine” (starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams) and “Hannah” (starring Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett)—you must see “Drive” starring Ryan Gosling again, Carey Mulligan and Albert Brooks. We’re not kidding. If you don’t see this, your friends will negate your whole view on film, and we all know how important peer approval is, right?

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Film “Contagion” Kills it at the Box Office: Film Review

September 20, 2011 - 9:20 am

As a kid, I’d walk home from school with my little brother and imagine what I’d do if giant waves (as tall as mountains) suddenly appeared. It was intriguing just to wonder what my reaction would be.

Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh’s thriller “Contagion” plays on this idea by suggesting how the present day world might react were we ever confronted with a disease as horrific as the Bubonic Plague.

The film opens with Gwyenth Paltrow’s character, a Minnesota woman (an excellent choice to ram the idea close to home for audiences) traveling overseas for business and, upon returning, becomes violently ill from a mysterious disease. Suddenly, worldwide, various people start coming down with the same symptoms and dying. There seems to be no cure, and this thing starts spreading into the tens of millions faster than you can say, “We’re f*cked.”

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Film The Devil’s Double

August 30, 2011 - 10:05 am

Scarface lives again… this time in Iraq. Recently released film, “The Devil’s Double,” tells the true story of Latif Yahia, an Iraqi civilian who worked as a body double (a “fiday”) for Saddam Hussein’s psychopathic eldest son, Uday Saddam, from 1987 until late 1991. The film serves up an incredible story, but sacrifices too many realistic elements demanded by widespread theater distribution.

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Film Another Earth, Another You

August 15, 2011 - 11:23 am

Another Earth

Set in the near future, indie film “Another Earth” posits the discovery of another planet, a replica of Earth with ALMOST identical lives. What if there was another You that didn’t make the same choices? What if you could have been happier? The kicker of the film is when people from Earth one are given the opportunity to visit Earth two. What if those opportunities you passed on were still available to you?

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Film An Animal Existence: “COLD FISH”

August 10, 2011 - 10:32 am

Cold Fish

Remember the dreams you had as a kid which evoked disturbing emotions for which you had no names? The latest film, Cold Fish, by epic Japanese filmmaker, Sion Sono, recalls them all. Sono’s unique style of gore brings to mind the work of artists Paul Thek and Maskull Lasserre in the ways it makes the audience uncomfortable but introspective.

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Geek In A ChinaShop Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark (Review)

June 21, 2011 - 8:06 am

Spider Man on Broadway

Even if you’ve never picked up a comic in your life, it’s likely that you’ve heard of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. Most Expensive Broadway Show Ever! All those injuries! And when will it get out of previews and actually open? After much brouhaha, lots of money, and big changes in the creative team (namely, the dismissing of Julie Taymor and the hiring of Marvel writer, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, to remedy a flawed book), Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark has finally officially opened on Broadway!

And?

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Gallery Music Barcelona, Holcombe Waller And Jenny O Make Friends In LA

June 7, 2011 - 10:39 am

Since it opened up in 2000, Los Angeles’ Hotel Café has been a hotbed of singer/songwriter activity, routinely turning out quality shows for audiences of no more than 200 people. With a super intimate floor plan, great lighting and sound, and $9 glasses of Knob Creek, it’s one of my favorite venues in the city, and like Largo or Spaceland (R.I.P.), one of the few spots that curates consistently amazing lineups. Last Friday night the Making Friends Tour rolled in, featuring a trio of West Coast talent in Jenny O (LA), Holcombe Waller (SF) and Barcelona (Seattle). Since I got there early enough to cop one of the few candlelit tables—complete with waitress service—you know the Knob Creek was flowing.

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Music 50 Cent Digs Deep In VH1 Documentary

June 6, 2011 - 11:22 am

50 Cent Documentary

Opting to not read the press release for the documentary 50 Cent: The Origin of Me before watching, it was a mystery whether the film was going to be yet another look into 50’s storied past in Jamaica, Queens or something entirely different. Thankfully this film, which is part of VH1’s “Rock Docs” series, leans heavily towards the latter category.

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