INSOMNIAC FORCE

This is self-indulgent, but whatevs. I have a website and I will use it’s power as I see fit. This for an assignment for one of my undergrad classes, but I’m egocentric enough to think everyone on the planet needs to know the history of my life according to the technology I use…Yeah, totally.

So I bursted from the womb craving media. Well, I don’t remember it exactly like that, but I’m sure I did. Spawned by two deejays, I’ve been a pop culture junkie from the get go. Through a many troubled experience, like anyone else I use music, movies, video games and books (e-books count) as constant source of solace. Either through identification or escapism, I’ve used these mediums to cope and due to that power I want to create them.

Growing up, this was my lullaby…

Luke Skywalker exemplified everything I felt (bewildered and  frustrated with a bad haircut). I can’t give you an honest number when it comes to Star Wars viewings, but ballpark we are talking several hundred. It is my constant. It is why I want to make movies. When I’m sick, it immediately goes on the screen. It represents all the good that can come out of a popular film, creating a community that is accepting and crazy in that good way. Few things can reach the level of fanaticism that Star Wars exudes. It has a role in my life daily. I have the Rebel Alliance symbol tattooed to my arm with more to come. It is in my DNA.

From a technological viewpoint, I have purchased the trilogy on every format available of few times and will do again upon the Blu-Ray release. It’s the only form of media that has been with me since the beginning; thus deserving the top spot.

Other examples of inspiration and escapism in my childhood GO!

I was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle for 4 Halloweens in a row. I just changed the colors.

My dad ran an anime store. It made me a very young Otaku, but I try not to advertise this in public.

Nothing has affected my taste more than Batman: TAS. To me, it is the apex of storytelling.

Movies and TV were my avenues of visual technology, but I started getting into music as a vehicle of escapism and identification at a very early age, as I was exposed to many different genres from my upbringing. I didn’t exactly love everything my family members played, but due to the variance I felt to compelled to find my own. As it was the early 90′s, the following examples are quite predictable.

The big one. Not only did Nirvana change everything, they also introduced me to David Bowie with this cover. SCORE.

My dad’s band covered this. I haven’t been the same since. It may be strange to hear, but RATM got me into politics. The fusion of rock, rap and funk also has left a lasting impression on my music taste.

The quintessential rock experience. Thanks Iggy, you make me a better person. A classic cover that opened the floodgates for my rock ‘n’ roll addiction.

Due to being born in the 80′s, video games as an interactive technology have always been a part of my escapism. The arcade experience is a truly original one, enveloping all your senses for better or worse. I don’t want to know how many quarters I put into the Pac-Man machine at the local laundromat, but needless to say my hand-eye coordination was vastly improved. This is definitely the beginning of a generational gap, as the previous didn’t have this technology, thus skewing their view on the merit of the medium. As with any medium’s inception, it is initially and justifiably met with skepticism. Through the coming years, I do believe that video games will be held in a higher regard, hopefully an art form eventually. Here are some examples of video games being used as an interactive technology to create a unique narrative experience.

Still my favorite game ever made. Nothing is more invigorating and complex than Hideo Kojima’s storytelling.

A psychological thriller that you control with plot twists and gore galore. What more do you want?

Another example of superior storytelling in the medium rather than film adaptations. Don’t get me started.

I could go through and list a series of (comic) books that shaped me, but that wasn’t really a technology at the time. E-books and Digital Comics are an interesting technology to me, but I am very hesitant it. I want something tangible. This comes up in music as well. I started with making mixtapes from the radio and old records, then taping CD’s, onto burning CD’s and now creating MP3 Playlist with my ginormous iPod. I do miss the tangible albums, but the convenience of not having to carry my entire collection with me outweighs it. Now, to remedy this, I purchase all my favorite albums on vinyl, an instance where an old technology can still be superior, depending on the recording technique.

There is no way I can list all the important examples of media entries to me currently. These technologies have become so ingrained in my life it is hard to imagine a world without them. Either finding inspiration for a new project or just relaxing to some explosive escapism, media technology is a part of me, for better or worse.  I feel like I need to embrace new technology, as it may be very useful to me and my career, but I don’t want to lose touch with my roots (or wires). If I don’t pay attention to the new, I maybe left behind in my field, but all of the examples listed are a piece of my identity. My conundrum can be demonstrated by the following videos and their anthems.

Yep, that’s about right. Stuck inbetween centuries and their sensibilities. I hope I can find a balance between the two and my entries into media portray this struggle.

That’s all I got, guys. Maybe the Force be with you and all that jazz.

Share on Facebook

Ladies and gentlenerds, it’s been awhile. My precious little life has been hectic as of late, getting in the way of me watching movies. I know, lame right? Besides a busy semester of bullshit, I spent some time in Gainesville, FL for Fest 9 and Austin, TX for Fun Fun Fun Fest. I have now had my fill of music for a good long while so it is movie time. I’m going to go through quite a few films, the majority being fucking awesome. (I haven’t had time to watch shitty movies, but trust me they are coming. [cough] Looking at you, Skyline.)

Four Lions

Four Lions is exactly the kind of movie we need. I do mean “need”. Without getting absurdly political, I believe a good portion of us can agree Terrorism is bad. In his feature debut, Director Christopher Morris puts together one of the most intelligent satires released in recent memory. Depicting a tale of a group of British Jihadists, controversy is to be expected, but in no way is this movie tasteless. It is emotionally engaging while maintaining an incredibly interesting mixture of dark humor and slapstick. Considering its view point, it never gets preachy. Four Lions simply pokes fun at a subject that has earned this treatment, but no comedy had the courage to do so before. I wouldn’t be surprised if this will become one of the classic satires of our time, in the vain of Dr. Strangelove (1964).

This is also the first film being distributed by Drafthouse Films, an amazing chain of theaters located in Texas. I’ve had the pleasure of going to a few events in Austin, TX at the Alamo Drafthouse and it is pretty much heaven for a film nerd like myself. This film and company deserve your support, so get on it!

GRIMETIME LIVE DEMANDS YOU SEE THIS MOVIE! (…no, that’s a Wookie)

Winter’s Bone

I really don’t have to sell this one to you. This incredibly bleak story of a girl trying to hold her family together in the Ozark Mountains won the Grand Jury Prize for Dramas at Sundance this year as well as the Waldo Salt Screenwriting award. Writer/Director Debra Granik puts together a stark, compelling and extremely uncomfortable world for our heroin, played by Jennifer Lawrence. (who will be playing Mystique in X-Men: First Class, which may not suck) Lawrence gives one of the most honestly astonishing performances of the year. The movie hinges on her character and there is no room for improvement here. Winter’s Bone never lets you settle in or lose hope, the sign of a good drama. Don’t be surprised when this pops up during Oscar season, due to it being excellent in every meaning of the word.

P.S. John Hawkes is fucking amazing in this.

GRIMETIME LIVE HAS A WINTER’S BONER! (Seriously, watch this.)

A Prophet (Un Prophete)

Speaking of fucking excellent and Oscars (well, nominated anyway), this movie is the most bad-ass film to come out of France in over 40 years. (Le Samourai (1967) is one of my favorites ever.) A Prophet is a brutal crime drama, with the majority of its screen-time taking place in prison. Our protagonist is Malik El Djebena (played by newcomer Tahar Rahim), a part Arab, part Corsican, serving a 6 year sentence. That is all you need to know. From there on it turns into The Godfather on speed. Not without its French quirks to give you some reprieve from the gut-wrenching depiction of a rise to power, A Prophet is simply an amazing ride. Every actor is pitch perfect. The lens is unforgiving as the plot. The genre hasn’t a entry this compelling in a long time and I loved every second of it. I wish it would have won Best Foreign Film in 2009, but The Secret in Their Eyes is just as big of breathe fresh air in to old, worn out archetypes.

GRIMETIME LIVE PROPHES YOU WILL YOU LOVE THIS! (Unless you suck.)

RED

No need to get in depth here. RED is silly, silly fun. The cast is just fucking fantastic, my favorite being ridiculously Russian lover Brian Cox. Everyone knew this was going to be hit from its initial trailer. The surprises for me were Mary Louise Parker not being annoying and Karl Urban being that great. If your looking for a great popcorn movie, here ya go. RED does what The Expendables wishes it could have, create action just as fun as the dialogue.

GRIMETIME LIVE IS SEEING RED! (and turning his brain off.)

The Town

“]”]This is from a couple months ago and I totally just blanked on posting it. I hope you all saw it, but if not pick this one up on DVD when available on December 17th,. Boston’s Heat (1995). Besides the Sparksian ending, this a perfect crime drama with enough humor sprinkled to make it one of the more enjoyable movies this year. Ben Affleck’s second directorial effort takes more chances than his first, Gone Baby Gone (2007). The Town is definably more palatable than ‘Baby’, as it is a heart-wrenching drama and while Town has its moments, it is certainly an easier watch. Standout performances for me were from Jeremy Renner (Hurt Locker) and Jon Hamm (Mad Men). Both have excelled in their past projects, but here we get to see them stretch their range in their respective roles. Affleck, you’re 2 for 2. Keep them coming.

GRIMETIME LIVE WOULD RESIDE IN THE TOWN! (Who doesn’t wanna rob banks with Affleck?)

Cyrus

Okay, I was expecting to hate this. Mumblecore is not my thing. Directors Jay and Mark Duplass somehow concocted a mixture of this with the popular serio-indie-comedy genre. Remarkably, I enjoyed myself throughout its entirety. Despite its forced quirkiness, there are some real strong performances by all the leads, John C. Reilly (Walk Hard), Jonah Hill (Superbad) and Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny). There is a formidable emotional core at its heart, with a version of Spy vs. Spy with assholes on top. Considering all Cyrus had working against it, I was pleasantly surprised leaving the theater satisfied. This type of comedy is truly not for everyone, but if you love awkward laughs this one is for you.

GRIMETIME LIVE DIDN’T HATE CYRUS!

The Killer Inside Me

Out of the batch, this is the one I can’t recommend unless you love Casey Affleck beating women. Other than some interesting “what the fuck” moments and the extraordinary camera work, ‘Killer’ fails to justify its brutality. The actors are all in the right spots, but Director Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People) neglects to make us care about these characters, which results in this noir thriller becoming a period ‘slasher’.

GRIMETIME LIVE IS HIDING FROM THE KILLER INSIDE ME! (True story.)

That’s all I got for you guys at the moment. More to come as we enter the holiday season. (FUCKING TRON!)

Share on Facebook

Welcome back, my children of the night !

Ready for more Insomniac holiday frights?

Below lies more film favorites of mine !

A dozen this time, to shiver your spines !

So, Strap in for horror, and bay at the moon,

for Halloween is coming, and so is your doom !

John Carpenters THE THING (1982)

Manliest man of them all, Kurt Russel and some scientists in the Antarctic are confronted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of the people that it kills. Oh, yes, it kills. Its come to my attention that some of you STILL haven’t witnessed the greatest Carpenter movie ever. Before the prequel comes out next year, you must see this. Must. Honestly, it tops his  ‘Halloween’. Its the perfect balance of Rob Bottins’ insane special effects, and a script chock full of terror and paranoia, that made this a lasting solid piece of entertainment history. Not enough, how about this……. Wilford Brimley is in it !

Recognize.

MONSTER SQUAD  (1987)

HA ! Didn’t think I was going to include a family friendly flick, did ya ! Sooo, Dracula is alive. In fact, he plans to rule the world and that is why he seeks the help of other legendary monsters, like Wolfman, Swamp Creature and Frankenstein. However, a bunch of suburban kids regarded by their peers as losers uncover the devious plan and prepare for a counter strike. Monster Squad is right up there with The GOONIES and EXPLORERS. Anyone who disagrees, isn’t welcome in my tree house.

NEAR DARK

A young man (HEROES Adrian Pasdar)  reluctantly joins a traveling “family” of evil vampires, when the girl he’d tried to seduce is part of that group. To see this one, is too remember it. No sparkly vampires here, just Bill Paxton (GAME OVER, MAN !) and the great Lance Henrickson chewing mad scenery from beginning to end as blood thirsty vampires. Half the cast of Aliens is in this, so I have to show it mad love.

The FLY (1986)

More of director David Cronenburgs odd fascination with the horrors of the human body. But, its good a flick. Spoilers ! Jeff Goldblum is a brilliant but eccentric scientist, who begins to transform into a giant man/fly hybrid after one of his experiments goes horribly wrong. Don’t lie, you’ve wanted to see Jeff Goldblum fall apart in goey nasty fleshy pieces for years. Now you can ! In crystal clear DVD or Blue Ray quality !

NIGHTMARE on ELM STREET 3 : The DREAM WARRIORS

Ok, this one might just be here for my own amusement. Deal with it. Screw all the sequels to come, although the involuntary homosexual overtones in part 2, are beyond hilarious in retrospect. Dream Warriors is the true sequel to the original classic. Horror queen Heather Langencamp returns to kick some burnt Krueger ass and Wes Craven even worked on it (Ok, somewhat, he did a draft*).  Its got better FX, an uncomfortably creepy story, John Saxon, a young Lawrence Fishburn, and Patricia Arquette being eaten by a giant snake face Freddy. Yeah, its just a smorgasbord of craziness.

The BLACK HOLE (1979)

Believe it or not, Disney released this mind bending nightmare inducling sci- fi cult fave. They hid it in a vault for years, once they realized it needed to be released under a less family-centric company name. (It was hard to find on tape for years after) A research vessel finds a missing ship, commanded by a mysterious scientist, on the edge of a sinister black hole. With its cute robot pals shoe horned into its adult tone, its just an odd movie, and isn’t sure who its audience is, but its still a must see.

It doesn’t sound like a horror film, but trust me, by the end, you’ll thank the lord you didn’t see it as a child, like I did. It stars some fantastic actors  (Maximilian Schell, Robert Forrester, Ernest Borgnine, and PSYCHO’s Anthony Perkins!) as they try to survive the Black Hole, and the most murderous killer robot ever ! (years before the Terminator came out.) The blood red MAXIMILIAN !

The Decent (2005)

Afraid of the dark ? Neill Marshall, The director of Dog Soldiers (also worth checking out !) brings the horrific tale of an all female caving expedition, that goes horribly wrong, as the women become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of cave dwelling predators. Pretty original pretty mean, and pretty tense, I like, that the movie contains all the story you need to enjoy it, and leaves you with cliff-hangy questions. (Not sure if the sequel delivers, I’ll have to pop some corn and watch it soon.) Just be sure and watch the clearest viewing possible, due to most of the movies action taking place in the incredibly dimly lit caverns.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space

How you gonna live with yourself, having never seen this disasterpeice of brilliance? Feel your braincells committing seppuku for 88 minutes.

The MIST  (2007)

A freak storm unleashes ….something… on a small town, where a small band of citizens hole-up in a supermarket and fight for their lives.Not all of Steven Kings works translate well to movie form. But, the MIST is perfection. From the slow burning beginning to the soul crushing finale. Fantasticly written, acted and than directed by Frank Darabont (The Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption, the WALKING DEAD series coming to AMC, on OCT. 30th). A rare trifecta for a horror movie. Unmissable cinema here, people. Do yourself a favor, just buy it. I can’t even look at mist without recall this movie. Neither will you !

CHOPPING MALL

Eight horny teenagers are trapped after hours in a high tech shopping mall and pursued by three murderous security robots out of control. Its like watching Johnny -5 go postal. So bad, its maddeningly fun. Brake out the shot glasses and take a shot every time the acting makes you want to punch the tv screen. Ohh yeah, Its a party !

THE HOST (2006)

This South Korean gem is bound for an state side remake, just give it time. In the meantime, enjoy it how it was meant to be seen. A creature emerges from the Han River’s shores for a feeding frenzy upon onlookers. When a young girl is snatched in the melee, her heartbroken family set off to recover her from the monster that the government claims to be a host of an unidentified virus. If you put it down because you don’t want to read subtitles, punch yourself in the mush.

Night of the Creeps

Possibly the best 80′s movie evar. Horror/comedy film about two college students, who try to fulfill their fraternity initiation by stealing a dead body. Unfortunately, when they do so they unwittingly release “the creeps” — large, slimy, wormy beings that can transform an unfortunate person into the walking dead once they enter the body. How are you gonna pass on a movie with a tuxedo wearing zombie on the cover and above him reads ..

“The good news is your dates are here. The bad news is… they’re dead !!”

Yeah, you can’t. So enjoy.

Dig it ?

Want more mad macabre movie recommendations ? Just lemme know !

Share on Facebook

Share on Facebook

The Social Network

Hey, wanna win some Oscars?

Just because a story isn’t true doesn’t mean it can’t reveal truths. I just wish this was done more effectively in David Fincher’s (Se7en, Fight Club) latest effort. This had the makings to be a commentary on the entire internet generation, but it chooses to be more of a chronicling of events that lead to the largest change in the way we communicate with each other. Regardless, this is still no small task.

Fincher has mastered his signature moves and Social Network is more evidence of this. Everything in the lens is beautiful. All performances are pitch perfect, especially Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland), Justin Timberlake(Duh?), Andrew Garfield (Your new Spider-Man) and the relatively unknown but fucking awesome Armie Hammer Jr. I believe it is scientificly impossible for Fincher to make a bad movie, all the problems lie within a terribly distracting score and the actual story being told.

Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) and Atticus Ross (Trent’s current producer) created a very interesting, original instrumental album that does not work in the context of the film. Just because the subject matter involves computers does not mean you get to bust out the chiptunes. Luckily, most of those creations are ignored by the second act and the well constructed soundtrack pulls its weight. Aaron Sorkin (Sports Night, The West Wing) crafted an astonishing script that was based on book with a biased viewpoint. The sumbitch knows story structure. I figured that knowing that problems inherit in the book, he would use this to strengthen an analogy for the phenomenon of social networking. This was grazed, but not driven home. Anything else that you would want accomplished in a script is done with ease. Frankly, I just want my pretentious, Oscar-bait movies to have balls. Social Network has one.

GRIMETIME LIVE “LIKES” THE SOCIAL NETWORK!

LET ME IN

You've got red on you.

Before they got all sparkly and melodramatic, vampires used to be cool. Growing up I was kinda obsessed with the mythology of the undead, be it vampiric of zombified. As of late there has been a very poor showing of genre horror films, but one that stood out of the shitstorm was the 2008 Swedish film “Låt den Rätte Komma In” (Let The Right One In). It is a rare instance where the scares and gore are as equally intriguing as the story. Both parts would work on their own , but together they work to create something horrific and oddly touching.

So, when I and every film nerd on the net heard they were making an American version, a palpable rage flooded our cinematic hearts. When you love horror movies as much as I do, sullying the memory of one I can actually be proud to show people is punishable upon death. Luckily, when I was at Matt Reeves’(Cloverfield) panel at SXSW this year, he assured us that he felt a personal connection with the story and it’s integrity would not be compromised. Regardless of how much I love Cloverfield, I still remained skeptical. American remakes tend to rape creative ideas retarded.

I never really understood the whole “exception to the rule” logic, but Let Me In does something spectacular. Somehow, it stays true to the story, creates its own world visually and is able to stand on its own as in entry into the genre. Reeves shows that he knows what he is doing with the camera, composing some of the most invigorating shots I’ve seen all year. I do believe somethings are lost in translation, mainly establishing the friendship between the children, played by Chloe Grace Moretz and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Their performances are more than satisfactory and beyond the first act the relationship is established, but there is just some nuances that don’t work in American film.

Overall, I couldn’t be happier with this adaptation. It is by far one of the best movies you can see this Halloween season and hopefully this will bring more attention to the original, which is available on Netflix Streaming. Also, for the diehard fans out there, I am so glad “the shot” was only implied and not shown. Nobody needs to see that.

GRIMETIME LIVE DECLARES LET ME IN DOESN’T SUCK! [INSERT RIMSHOT HERE]

The American

Ah, there's Matt Damon.

Not gonna lie, I am completely biased on this one. Anton Corbijn has made of one of my favorite movies of the past decade, Control (2007). No, not the Dafoe one. I am also openly a steadfast Clooney supporter, mainly due to his involvement with Good Night and Good Luck (A 2005 revelation), The Good German (A 2006 guilty pleasure) and a terrible addiction to ER. Keeping this in mind, I fucking loved every minute of this partnership.

The American is one of the best shot movies of the year by far. The cold, voyeuristic lens Corbijn creates is painstakingly beautiful. The pace is as uncomfortable as our protagonist, who gives this hauntingly morose character one of his best performances to date. While its subject matter has been explored before in more ostensibly entertaining ways, few of them have captured the suspense and paranoia so well.

This feels like a 60′s Italian film in every way. If that isn’t your cup of tea or if you have movie A.D.D., this movie is not for you. The American is a slow, paced character study with bouts of poignant, intense violence; a refreshing counterpoint to most of it’s American brethren. (I love puns.)

GRIMETIME LIVE IS PROUD TO HAVE SEEN THE AMERICAN!

Machete

CSI: Lapidus

I’ll keep this short. I wish Robert Rodriquez would make real movies again. Grindhouse (2007) was a terrible mess where the fake trailers outshined the features. Machete is one of those fake trailers and I wish it would have stayed that way. These stories all have potential but are ruined by the ‘faux’ production. If you want your movie to look like it was shot on shitty cameras, use shitty cameras. Alternatively, the stupid post-production could be avoided and you could just make an awesome action movie. There are some superb performances, a fun script and great cinematic moments, much like the movies of his I adore: El Mariachi (1992), Desperado (1995), From Dusk ‘Til Dawn (1996), The Faculty (1998) and Sin City (2005).

Sadly, I was more satisfied with his production of Predators this year than his directorial effort. I’ll continue to support his efforts (I’ve seen all Spy Kids movies in theaters), I just hope to see something I can actually recommend to people in the near future.

GRIMETIME LIVE REJECTED! DON’T KILL ME, DANNY TREJO!

Share on Facebook

Share on Facebook

The Expendables

I’m pretty sure Sylvester Stallone is an idiot savant. Obviously, he isn’t the smartest man in Hollywood and we haven’t been able to understand anything he has said in the past four decades, but this man knows how to construct an action scene. Personally, I miss the action genre in all it’s campy glory. It’s what I grew up with, granted it desensitized me way too early. (My favorite movie when I was 8 was Demolition Man (1994), Sting soundtrack notwithstanding.) I assure you I was entirely too excited for this merger of action heroes in Testosterone Fest 2010 a.k.a. The Expendables.

First of, we have the two big guns of action movie Valhalla setting the stage, Stallone and Schwarzenegger. Admittedly, I was more of a Schwarzenegger guy, as The Terminator (1984) is one of my favorite movies of all time, but I still watched all of Stallone’s. The fact the these men have a conversation with Bruce Willis in this film explains it’s genius. It knows what it is. There are no delusions of grandeur as far as the filmmaking goes, obviously the characters are all delusional, but that is to be expected. The opening scene of orchestrated murder, then explanation of plot by these Hollywood legends primes you for an amazing ride. You will not be challenged in anyway, but you’re going to have a great two hours.

The violence and cheesy one-lines are balanced to a point where one never takes over the other. It doesn’t turn into a comedy nor torture porn, which was my main concern. The script leaves something to be desired, but we aren’t here for that. When I feel like waxing intellectual, I’ll go watch me some art house circle jerk, but sometimes I just want to turn my brain off and enjoy watching some shit blow up while hilarious caricatures of people murder people in hilariously creative ways.

Some performances were better than others, but that is also contingent upon screen time. Personally, my favorites were Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren and Jason Stathem. The only actor that really urked me the entire time was David Zayas, only because I know he is better than this. His spanglish dialect damn near offended me.

Overall, The Expendables is a very enjoyable gimmick. It’s self-awareness lets it get away with some things that would normally piss me off. Stallone has some talent behind the camera, I’d just advise a better team of writers when the sequel is eventually greenlit.

GRIMETIME APPROVED! FUCK SHIT UP!

The Kids Are All Right

When it comes to the recent trend of indie dramedies, I tend to get put off completely or so highly critical I can’t enjoy myself. (Don’t ever bring up Juno.) Due to the saturation of the genre, its rare that I go out of my way and see these in theaters, but after seeing the trailer for this movie as well as all the buzz that came out of Sundance, I felt oddly compelled to see “The Kids Are All Right”. I assume it was either the clever Who reference or Mark Ruffalo.

This is by far one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time.

Not since Little Miss Sunshine (2006) have I been so captivated by a family drama. Every character has their moment to shine and the actors take full advantage of every frame. Granted they are not enjoyable to watch in every scene, but neither are any of your family members. This feels so authentic I cringed a few times. Just as with real life, its not always filled with drama. There are just as many heartwarming and hilarious moments.

You gotta take the good with the bad, and the this film depicts that perfectly.

Lisa Cholodenko brings the same visual attention to detail as she did with Laurel Canyon (2002), now only with characters I actually care about and believable dialogue from Stuart Blumberg, of The Girl Next Door (2004) fame.

Expect a lot of Oscar buzz around this one in the coming months, as Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska and Ruffalo embody their characters so fucking well its truly impeccable.

GRIMETIME APPROVED! THE KIDS ARE FUCKING PERFECT!

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

First things first, this is an American film made by a British director adapting Canadian Manga. Let that sink in for a second and you’ll understand why this isn’t a box office smash. This is a niche film and it kicks an epic amount of ass.

It’s no secret that this was the movie I’ve been waiting for all year. I am completely obsessed with Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel series as well as Edgar Wright’s (Shaun of The Dead, Hot Fuzz) power to make fucking incredible movies. When I heard about Wright adapting the series I damn near cried. This is a match made in nerd heaven, as well as I truly believe that Wright is the only director that the ability to make this world come alive without losing anything in translation.

My expectations for this movie are hard to quantify as I knew I would enjoy myself, but the world that O’Malley has created is one that isn’t exactly for a broad audience. Luckily, Universal bit the bullet and let Wright have creative control as well as sizable budget. “Shaun” and “Hot Fuzz” had small US releases, but became cult phenomenons on DVD, and that’s exactly what will happen with Scott Pilgrim.

This is the most original movie you will see this year.

The visuals are absolutely spectacular, creating images I’ve only seen in my 8-bit dreams. I understand that this franchise caters to my demographic, so I won’t go into how happy all the absurd gaming references made me. I will say that this is as close as we will ever get to seeing a great video game movie.

If you are not a Super Nintenerd, there is still plenty for you to enjoy here, mainly the fact the Wright understands comedic timing better than anyone in the business. The common denominator in his projects is they are fucking hilarious. Regardless if you enjoy the subject matter, this is still a rapid fire, witty, coming-of-age romantic comedy. This also proves that although the team of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost is a powerful combination, Wright does not need to rely on them and vice versa. He pulls amazing performances out of every cast member here, while maintaining their motivations for the source material.

Most people are sick of Micheal Cera (Superbad, Arrested Development). Get over it. He is good at what he does and is a perfect Scott Pilgrim. This role caters to what he is used to, as well as giving him room for something new…action star? He actually pulls it off, with a lot of thanks to the fight choreography. His love interest, Ramona Flowers, is played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Sky High, Death Proof) understands her character, but isn’t given necessary time to establish the connection with Scott. This problem is created by the adaptation of 6 books into a 2 hour movie. Exposition has to be removed in order to drive the plot, but we lose a lot of heart on the cutting room floor.

I could go on for hours about why I loved all the casting choices in this movie, but the show stealer here is Scott’s roommate, Wallace Wells played by Kieran Culkin (Igby Goes Down, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys). He takes advantage of every scene he has and makes the audience love it, showing equal capacity of love and jackassery. Chris Evans (Sunshine, Fantastic Four) and Brandon Routh (Superman Returns, Zack & Miri Make a Porno) both kill the roles as the evil exes Lucas Lee and Todd Ingram respectively. Their scenes stand out by far as the most entertaining to watch.

What really sold me was the soundtrack. Music is a very big part of the Scott Pilgrim universe, but its kinda hard to hear that while reading a comic book. The movie understands this and fucking sprints with it like a fucking Kenyan. All the lyrics from the books were used in creating the songs for the fictional bands by the likes of Beck, Broken Social Scene and Metric. Plain and simple, they are awesome. This is definitely one of the better soundtracks in years and it gives another level to the universe while creating the necessary energy for the action scenes.

It’s quite obvious I loved every minute of this movie, I just wish there was more. There is an emotional core and insight that I fell in love with in the graphic novel series, being a High Fidelity of sorts to us nerds. Some of that feeling is lost here just due to editing. The amount of content makes me question why we didn’t get two volumes a la Kill Bill style. Knowing the character motivations and backgrounds make this very chaotic and strange world a lot more accessible. I’m hoping we get a few more scenes in the DVD release, but if not I’ll still be satisfied because I still have an amazing visual companion piece to go with a series I love.

Cheers, Mr. Wright. Job well done.

GRIMETIME APPROVED! WE ARE SEX BOB-OMB AND THIS MOVIE FUCKING ROCKS!

Share on Facebook

I once got a job working at “once trendy clothing store”. Years ago. No, not to be ‘cool’, I really needed a job.
There, I ran into a young girl with pink hair. I was instantly infatuated with her, and proceeded to make a right fool of myself chasing this pink haired pixie. She was absolutely mesmerizing. I spent nights drawing pictures of her and I fighting crime on roof tops.
But, during this (unspecified time frame) time , in between asking her out and shrugging off her “No thank you”s day in and day out, I got to know her and realized she was very much… NOT the girl of my dreams. The point is, I learned something. What, you ask…
Well, that’s personal.

Onto Scott Pilgrim vs.the World. A very personal movie…wrapped in awesome. Your new favorite movie. (It is, you just don’t know it yet. But, you’ll leave a comment below in a few days confirming this statement.)
Much like Kick-Ass earlier this year, I have a feeling the trailer didn’t quite get across the sheer undiluted joy that this movie is. I’m actually itching to see it again… or…itching because I need more of this world, I can’t tell yet…
I can already tell, old film critics, with no concept of what its been like to grow up within the past 20 years, will not understand this movie, its metaphors, or most of the clever and kinetic sugar-rush look at young love through geeky eyes. So, yeah…. just avoid them.

Scott Pilgrim is a comic book or…sorry, graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O’Malley, consisting of six digest size black-and-white volumes,; all are published by Oni Press. Yep, its based on a comic book! So, if you think comic adaptations are going away, think again, because comics are as diverse as the now extinct video store. You just never listened. *Zac is awarded 500+ Superior points!*

The series is about 23-year-old Canadian Scott Pilgrim, played by Micheal Cera. Our slacker, hero, is a pretty selfish layabout, and part-time bassist who is living in Toronto and plays bass guitar in the band “Sex Bob-omb.” He falls in love with Amazon delivery girl Ramona  Flowers (the scrumptious Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Casting gets a *GOLD STAR- INVINCIBLE*), but must defeat her seven evil ex’s in order to date her.

Action? Check. Its fast and hilariously original. You won’t see anything like this again. *500 points*

Comedy? The jokes fly so fast, you’ll probably miss some. This movie isn’t Karate Kid meets Superbad meets Say Anything by way of Wes Anderson, just because it has Micheal Cera and Jason Schwartzman. The humor here is actually funny-funny. *1000 points*

Romance? How can you not instantly fall in love with Mary Elizabeth Winstead? or depending on preference, Scott’s gay roommate Wallace. Every character is pretty great.

Acting?: Finally, Micheal Cera plays someone other than Micheal Cera!! Do it, skinny ! The supporting cast is so lovable and cool, you’ll want to join the band. Even the ex’s are fun to watch, each more pretentiously “faux cool” in their own ways. Even Brandon Routh is flat out hilarious here. *2000 points!!*

As Scott battles his way to Ramona, the screen is constantly decorated in pop culture, original music from the bands, comic and video game iconography, and sound effects. All used in a way that perfectly elevates and doesn’t distract. For some reason, most movie directors that take on a “comic adaptation”, try but ultimately – can’t express the action of a comic book page (remember that scene in Ang Lee’s HULK, where the screen cuts into weird comic panels?) but Wright nails it so far out of the park, the game is changed and I have a feeling there won’t be a movie more fun than this for some time.

The video game trappings add plenty of humor, until you realize they’re metaphors. Metaphors for Scott’s personal growth. His “leveling” is equal to his desire to change, and to shrug off the insecurities of “who’s cool” and “who’s good enough to date Ramona”. Than, finally, his own inner flaws come to light. Neither Scott nor Ramona are the flawless hero and heroine of a typical love story. Scott with his self centered-ness and Ramona with her inability to open up and share her feelings. We’re talking real layered characters in this movie here, in the middle of summer no less ! (Wait…and a well written female part here too ?!  The Gods of Hollywood must be losing their money loving minds.)

To describe this movie, as merely an action / comedy wouldn’t do it service. There’s a great budding love story, and a heartfelt character journey here as well. Scott Pilgrim is one of the most original movies I’ve seen in a very long time. Who could possibly juggle all the emotion, action, anti-hipster jabs and rapid-fire laughs in this 120 minute movie? Only Edgar Wright, the brilliant mind behind Hot Fuzz and a personal TOP TEN FAVORITE movie called Shaun of the Dead. With Scott Pilgrim vs. The World now added to his resume, that’s 3 for 3 for Mr.Wright. *5000 BONUS POINTS!*

Does Scott “get the girl and save the day” ? You’ll have to see it to find out. But, maybe the journey and the lesson learned is more important then the prize, the points, or being “cool”.
This movie is defiantly worth seeing twice if not thrice, theres more going on here than some audience members may gleam. With its complex emotional ending, that bucks the cookie-cutter boy gets girl finale, this movie is something to be praised. If you’re tired of the same old movies, support films with off-beat, witty, and original ideas.
What are you waiting for? Go pick up the books.

I have but one complaint and its that SCOTT PILGRIM isn’t a Lord of the Rings length trilogy, because I’ve completely fallen head over heels for their world, and their characters. I’m in lesbians with it.

10  out of  10   –   FLAWLESS VICTORY ! MISS THIS, and YOU FAIL. EPICALLY.

I’m INSOMNIAC ZAC, saving you, from bad cinema.

Share on Facebook

Contrary to popular belief, I know how to read. And when I do, nowadays I more often than not read Locke & Key by Joe Hill. It’s a horror series about the Locke family, who moves into a mansion called Keyhouse and gradually discovers certain keys and doorways that have the power to do all sorts of bizarre things. They can turn you into a ghost, change your gender, let you look inside your own head and so on. Today marks the beginning of the fourth volume Keys to the Kingdom. But we’ll get to that in a moment.

Also released today is Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft LEGACY EDITION. It is the complete first issue of the first volume, followed by an eight page summary of all three volumes Welcome to Lovecraft, Head Games and Crown of Shadows. Other than the charm of having the story summarized in such a bat shit crazy way (If you read it, you’ll know) it means new readers have an opportunity to jump in on the series in progress. Even better, the Legacy Edition only costs $1.00. While it would be better to get the full story by reading all three volumes in their entirety, this is a decent shortcut. Do yourself a favor, start reading Locke & Key.

Onto new business Locke & Key: Keys to the Kingdom #1 hit shelves today. If Welcome to Lovecraft was the suspense thriller,  Head Games was the imaginative one, and Crown of Shadows was the big damn action movie, it seems Keys to the Kingdom will be the bizarre head trip, if this issue is any indicator. With the turn of the page in this issue, it jumps between two perspectives. One is a childlike and imaginative view of the world from the perspective of Bode Locke, the youngest of the family. The second is from Tyler Locke’s perspective from what I assume, but it’s more of just the realistic perspective. The issue is a showcase for a new key and it’s new power, but otherwise doesn’t push the story too far forward, though there is a revelation to one character that has been lingering for a while. It doesn’t really have to be a giant puzzle piece though, because this issue is a lot of fun, particularly the “Bode-Vision” pages. It is more of a stand alone story, which may be more satisfying to people who aren’t fans of the serialized structure of comic books. With that in mind, it should be interesting to see if anything cohesively binds this volume together behind the scenes.

Like I said, go out and buy the first three volumes or the Welcome to Lovecraft Legacy Edition and start reading this series. The writing is witty. The tension’s high, given how close the main villain is to the family. The mysteries are plentiful, but you do get answers at a good pace. The artwork by Gabriel Rodriguez is spectacular. If the red stuff is your thing, the book can get plenty bloody. I like capes and cowls as much as the next person, but this series has certainly grabbed my attention and won’t let go. Really, I need someone else to start reading this so I have somebody to talk to about it.

-Greg

Share on Facebook

Hi kids, I’m Greg.

I will admit two things right now. One: I have never read any of ‘The Phantom’ comics. Two: I am the world’s biggest fan of the 1996 Billy Zane movie. When I heard Syfy was making a miniseries I had very little faith it would be anything watchable. Then when the promo trailer was released, I actually got a little optimistic. It looked like a lot of fun. So now that I finally caught it, how did it turn out? Well…

PART 1
Something I like about the idea of the Phantom character is that he is “immortal” due to passing the mantle down from father to son for generation after generation. This means that a person will go through his entire life with the lingering knowledge that he will become the Phantom one day. That bare idea instantly sets him apart from other characters who are thrust into fighting crime in colorful costumes if you’re depicting his origin story. Too bad the folks at Syfy thought it’d be better to retread Bruce Wayne’s origin and then later, Luke Skywalker’s origin. Yeah, there have been countless heroes who are out to avenge the death of loved ones, but the Phantom had a unique starting point which the miniseries chose to dismiss in favor of the same old story.

So instead of that we have Chris Moore, who is unaware of his lineage until one day he is abducted by people from a mysterious organization that protects and supports the Phantom’s crusade. The problem is that unlike just Billy Zane and his buddy Guran hanging around in a cave in the 1996 movie, this is a pristine vast organization. Maybe it’s just me, but it essentially relegates the Phantom to the position of a front man and a puppeted mascot. There’s some mysticism and so on about how his family line is important, but honestly, it feels like they just need a body to fill the suit, and I don’t know why Chris Moore is the all important chosen one. So after blowing off the organization fellows, he returns how to find out that the rival organization, the Singh Brotherhood, has assassinated his adoptive parents. What a night. Chris painfully gives up the deeply serious girlfriend he’s had for the past couple days and goes with the Phantom folk to be trained. And he trains, and he trains, and he trains, and he test the new high-tech Phantom suit. That’s another thing Tony Stark gets to have a high tech suit because his blood and sweat went into building it. It was the product of his labor and intellect. Chris Moore is handed a suit that would amplify any average joe’s strength. Again, puppet.

That’s it. That is the entire first part. No heroics, no donning of the full Phantom suit. My problem with TV is that they find it okay to center their content on the unremarkable. True, this is indeed a backdoor pilot to a TV series, but I think they should have begun it with a bang. Like if they were to only get this one opportunity to make The Phantom. They essentially spent 1 1/2 hours to tell what we would have gotten in the first 1/2 hour of a movie. Why is it that people feel like the last thing the viewing public wants to see in superhero movies & TV shows is superhero action?

PART 2
Fairly quickly, Chris finds himself having to return to New York to save his week long girlfriend. So this is the grand moment where he finally puts on the full Phantom costume. Keeping with the theme of the unremarkable, the scene ends on a whimper. They don’t have any idea how to photograph the costume they made, so he just looks wimpy when just standing there. The problem is he does very little but stand around in his big debut. So instead of “BOOYAH! The Phantom is here!” we get “Oh, the phantom’s here. I think I’ll have taco’s for lunch today.” The next scene forces the week long girlfriend to look awed when she sees the Phantom up close, but because he looks like a high schooler in swat gear, the audience doesn’t share her awe.

The next time we get to see the Phantom in action isn’t much better and demonstrates the flaw in having 100% impenetrable body armor. There’s no challenge for him. He just gets hit by the bullets until the bad guys are out of amo. Again, unremarkable, and could be anyone in the suit. No skill is actually demonstrated.

It really isn’t until the finale that it finally makes a difference that it’s Chris Moore in the suit… for a 5 second parkour sequence. A skill he demonstrated in the first part. The problem is that due to the restrictions of the suit, they need to rely on wire work, and it just doesn’t have the same dazzle the sport is known for. Regardless, there is some pretty fun stunt work and a suitably challenging objective for the Phantom. But due to budget, what should have been a middle of the road action sequence has to be used as the big finale, so it’s not quite enough to redeem the whole thing.

It ends with some expected and unexpected twists but in the end, what you watched was really just a long preface, as all pilots tend to be.

CONCLUSION
While not as bad as it could have been, this will be quickly forgotten. The acting was better than what you normally get from a Syfy production, but character’s aren’t played off each other well enough for it to matter. They have little to work with and basically have to do the best with what they can. Special mention to Cas Anvar as Ratib Singh, who goes for gleefully menacing rather than the gritted teeth, stoic, humorless villains you tend to get from these factory assembled productions. Ryan Carnes does the best with what he’s got but the direction is so split minded on whether they want him to be Batman or Superman, that you don’t feel like any of his emotions are genuine when he’s being serious or humorous.

Do I recommend you seek this out? Not really. Watch the ’96 Phantom instead. It just got the Blu-Ray treatment. If you must see this new one though, it’s going to be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on September 7th.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Enjoy.

-Greg

Share on Facebook