Discussing Film, Music, TV, Books, Video Games and More
Zac: The Twilight Saga has come to a close and Bill Condon, arguably, has made the best entry yet into the series with Breaking Dawn – Part 2.
Heather: Seriously – you think this is the best Twilight movie yet?! Did we even see the same movie?
Lauren: No Heather, don’t worry, he’s joking… [waits patiently]… Wait, you’re not joking? Oh… [Read more...]
Joe Carnahan’s latest, The Grey, is half a great movie, it’s a shame it probably never would have gotten made if they didn’t have to include those wolves. [Read more...]
That’s right, my write-up for rentals has changed yet again. This time around (and hopefully I will stick to it this time) I will write up little blurbs about the movies I have seen in the past week on Fridays, giving you suggestions for what to pick up and what to avoid when considering what to rent that weekend. On this weeks list we’ve got: The Back-up Plan, The Last Song, Operation: Endgame, Repo Men, The Runaways, A Single Man, and The United States of Tara.
Fight for the Last Copy:
United States of Tara: Season One
This Diablo Cody created, Showtime TV show is about a woman who has recently gone off the medications that have helped to suppress the other faces of her multiple personality disorder (or dissociative identity disorder). Toni Collette plays Tara, and the way in which she moves in and out of these other personalities is pure artistry. Though this is a serious topic, it does not shy away from the humor of it all, thanks in large part to the people she becomes. In the beginning she is aware of three: Alice is a 1950s housewife, Buck is the redneck hick with a heart of gold, and T is basically the teenage slut, but eventually another emerges (but I will not spoil in for those who want to watch) in response to the overriding story arc of Tara digging into her past to discover what caused this disorder to take form during her teen years.
The show does not just stop with how this disorder effects Tara, but shows the strain it puts on her family. John Corbett plays her supportive husband who i leading the search to discover her past and must constantly coral the other personalities (though he is far from ashamed of his wife). [Read more...]
A few years back a couple of my friends and I took a trip to our respective hometowns, and upon arriving in Iowa I made the mistake of saying that it smelled like poo, to which I got an immediate retort full of aggression. You may not guess it based on the stagnate setting, but I quickly learned Iowa is a place where people live on edge, bound to go over it at any second. The Crazies presents what happens when they are given a push in that direction.
I hate to quote a Pixar character in relation to a film full of bloodshed and hatred, but Woody said it best: “Somebody’s poisoned the waterhole!” The town’s water supply is contaminated with a toxin that no Brita filter is a match for, and before long the effects begin to ripple out, slowly affecting more and more of the citizens. Some seem to be unnervingly placated at first, but eventually they begin to lash out at those around them, ranging from the silently violent to the aggressively vicious. Shortly after a government quarantine is put into place, but it becomes clear early on that if those unaffected have any hope of surviving they are going to have to fight for it themselves. [Read more...]
I reviewd this film last winter, and put it in my top 10 of last year, and I thought I should bring it back into the public eye now that it is finally on DVD. So go rent Control, a wonderful film by Anton Corbijn that deserves to be discovered by film and music fans everywhere.
Control
This is one of those movies that comes out of no where and smacks you in the face with how good it is. Control, by first time feature director Anton Corbijn (veteran of many music videos), knocks the rise and fall of Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis. The movie starts with Curtis finding his calling for music along with his high school sweet heart and follows him along his rise to a star of Britain rock scene. I think this movie is best enjoyed with knowing as little about his life as possible, I knew nothing but the obvious about him, so I won’t divulge into details here. But if you know nothing about Joy Division or their music do not shy away from this movie. [Read more...]
This is one of those movies that comes out of no where and smacks you in the face with how good it is. Control, by first time feature director Anton Corbijn (veteran of many music videos), knocks the rise and fall of Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis. The movie starts with Curtis finding his calling for music along with his high school sweet heart and follows him along his rise to a star of Britain rock scene. [Read more...]
Trippy would be one way to describe this movie, and unfortunately it is not a good trip. That’s not to say the movie is horrible by any means, its just nowhere near being great, maybe, just barely good, the production values of the film probably at least grant it good status.
The movie is crazy to look at and visual stunning most of the time, don’t let the early and awkward crashing waves fool you otherwise, but that alone doesn’t make a movie. [Read more...]
Leap Year has the cast and story to become at least a cute romantic comedy, though completely unoriginal, but all I can say is if this movie shows what … (more...)
The Fast & Furious franchise is back with its sixth entry, and whatever the series has done for you so far will most likely hold true for this … (more)
The Hangover Part III is a step in the right direction, it is just such a long walk back to being good after Part II. … (more)
Kon-Tiki is a pretty straight forward biopic in its construction, but it tells an incredible story that allows some gorgeous imagery. … (more)
J.J. Abrams is back for another trek into Star Trek and fans of his first entry will have little to complain about with Into Darkness. … (more)
Baz Luhrmann brings The Great Gatsby to the big screen with a style and visual wonder that is irresistible, even when the story doesn't connect as … (more)
Love them or hate them, Vampire Weekend’s latest album Modern Vampires of the City is a must listen of 2013. … (more)
Allison Weiss latest effort Say What You Mean brings a punky charm to a rather plastic singer/songwriter scene. … (more)
Iron and Wine continues his road down the glossy, highly produced road with Ghost on Ghost. This time around, however, he knocks this album out of … (more)
Kid Cudi third rap album Indicud reminds us just how unique and fun the former G.O.O.D. Music artist is, as he rides in and out of the most unique … (more)
Fall Out Boy comes out of hiding to release Save Rock and Roll, their highly anticipated fifth full length that doesn’t fall flat when it comes to … (more)
Daenerys army continues to grow, Samwell Tarly displays his brave side, Ser Davos becomes literate and Sansa's last name is Lannister in this … (more)
As I wipe the tears from my eyes, I think it is safe to say that Arrow knows how to end a season. … (more)
Right before our eyes, Jaime Lannister has gone from being one of the most hated, to one of the most respectable characters in the Game of Thrones … (more)
The new HBO show from Christopher Guest and his gang gets off to a great start that shows a lot of promise for the future. … (more)
Apparently, modern day witch hunts do exist. In case you haven’t heard the story of the West Memphis Three, now is your chance to read all about … (more)
Ross Matthews is right about one thing – any self-confidence he feels about his writing skills is without a doubt delusional. He’d have to be … (more)
Yes, this might possibly be (i.e., definitely is) yet another World War II book review that you by now have probably come to expect from me; but … (more)
I am really struggling to come up with an introduction that does this book justice, because to me, Me Before You was perfection. … (more)
Ken Levine deserves some kind of medal. First, he introduced us to the world of Rapture, where we would kindly roam the halls of a forgotten city … (more)
Plagued by delays and shortcomings, 2012 was an up-and-down year for video games. We saw triumphant returns to form, fantastic new IP's, and some … (more)
For future reference: when skydiving, be sure that your projected landing zone doesn’t happen to be an island full of evil pirates that are more … (more)
