Image credit: By Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15264177
Masterfully shot, this was my favorite of the three new Amazon pilots. For those of you who thought Jean-Claude Van Damme died, which may or may not include me, he is surely alive. The pilot is an existential and hilarious look at Van Damme's life. The storyline is so ridiculously fake that it eventually feels like reality. Not to mention, every shot is beautiful and the lighting is a perfect modern noir-esque style. As a 30-minute episode, it is clear that a lot of time went into the making of every single scene. Van Damme's duel lives are spectacularly intertwined between his acting career and spy life. Furthermore, the martial arts aspect of the episode is well-coordinated and smooth. The action hero who is usually cheesy and overcasted finally gives back to his followers with Jean-Claude Van Johnson. This is why I beg each and every one of you guys to check it out and help it become a new Amazon series. This show has to become a thing because of it's potential. Never before has Van Damme had such a purpose on the screen.
Image credit: By Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15264177
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Basically if you like Kathryn Hahn and Kevin Bacon, this series is for you. I like the way that this series is directed, but it personally does not suit my television tastes. Jill Soloway uses an interesting method of storytelling to relate the characters together in the pilot for I Love Dick. Kathryn Hahn's written-letter-readings mesh the less-organized scenes together, creating an odd but intelligent pacing. The form of the show is elegant and raunchy, relying on sexual tensions to intertwine the characters and give them background. Dick is surrounded by mystery and yet direct towards the other characters, which is clear during the dinner scene. The pilot quickly breaks sexual boundaries in the short half-hour episode, leaving an image in the audience's head that they cannot unsee after the viewing. Overall the pilot fulfills its purpose of leaving the audience curious, but I likely wouldn't get hooked on this series. Image credit: By Joan Garvin - http://flickr.com/photos/garvinj/126525074/, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1675539 The Tick is a fresh take on a superhero origin story. Starting with a heroic monologue, the tone is instantly set as an original superhero comedy. Unfortunately the pilot starts off slow, but by the end the audience can get a taste of what The Tick actually is. All of the scenes with Tick are hilarious because he is an inexperienced hero who often comes off as an idiot. The Tick is more relatable to the 1960s Batman series than it is to any modern superhero show or movie. Peter Serafinowicz (Guardians of the Galaxy, Shaun of the Dead, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace) acts a lot like Adam West (Batman, Family Guy), with a similarly powerful voice that spouts ridiculous rhetoric. Overall the show is funny, but the pilot really needed more Tick screentime. I would like to see more of this show just to see Tick in action. Griffin Newman's (Draft Day) character might also become more interesting over time, but the pilot acts as setup for the two characters. Image credit: By vagueonthehow - Flickr: Peter Serafinowicz, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20024361 On August 25, 1932 Amelia Earhart completed her trans-continental flight, so here are some awesome movies about flight to remember the occasion:
1. Snakes on a Plane: Depending on which version you watch, you might get to see some monkey-fighting snakes on a Monday to Friday plane! 2. Up in the Air: This is my favorite Jason Reitman film, featuring George Clooney flying around the world to tell people their fired. He is much more graceful about it than Donald Trump was though! 3. Con Air: It's scary, it's funny, and it's the greatest ensemble cast you will ever see in a Nicholas Cage movie. 4. The Aviator: I don't really remember much about this film, but it's Scorsese so it must be good. 5. Top Gun: If you've never been to The Danger Zone, you need to take a trip there with Tom Cruise. 6. Air Force One: Maybe we need to elect Harrison Ford as president in 2016... 7. Flight: One of Zemeckis's greatest films with one of Denzel Washington's greatest performances! And finally, the featured flick of the week: 8. Airplane!: This is a hilarious story about a pilot with some issues. Actually, the whole crew has some issues. It's a wholly original spoof of a regular flight on an airplane, with a lot of twists and turns throughout. I haven't seen the sequel yet, so let me know if you've seen Airplane II: The Sequel so that I know if I should give it a view. Once again, Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada, Doubt) reminds us of the importance of fine arts. As Florence Foster Jenkins, Streep takes on the role of a poor singer who pays her way to the top. However rather than being a self-centered rich woman, Jenkins had a true love for the art of opera. Streep gives us this portrayal through her emotional journey as Jenkins. No one other than Jenkins's husband and accompanist understood this, but now the movie-goer gets this look at their perspective. Stephen Frears (The Queen, Philomena) once again targets an older audience, but anyone who enjoys a well-made film can find something to entertain themselves with this one. The film is often times hilarious, but also heartwarming as a story of true love, loyalty, and devotion. Hugh Grant (Music and Lyrics) plays Jenkins's loving husband, providing for her but also living a double life. As St Clair Bayfield, Grant is dramatic around his costar but playful around the other characters. The two roles suit him well and I cannot remember a performance by Grant that I liked as much as this one. The other stand-out star in this film is Simon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory) as Cosme McMoon. McMoon was Jenkins's piano accompanist, which was clearly an odd setup for McMoon. Helberg brings the awkward relationship that the two "musicians" had throughout their time together. Towards the beginning of the film, Helberg steals the show through his comic delivery and facial expressions. He fits perfectly into the shoes of his character, overacting to get the audience roaring for more of his screentime. In a film about such a famous singer, it is important to realize the soundtrack accompanying the imagery. Streep brings out a new voice in her portrayal of Jenkins. Listening to recordings of Jenkins, Streep sounds almost exactly like her. This is one of Streep's best performances in any role I have seen. It is also an extremely painful performance to watch, but somehow I could listen to Streep sing like this for over an hour and still find it hilarious. The original music written for the film is a complete contradiction to Florence's voice. Alexandre Desplat (The King's Speech, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Argo, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) once again creates a score that fits the setting of a bustling New York in the early 1900s. Desplat's score is dramatic and retrospective, bringing out the gravitas of the film. The Bottom Line: This film is painfully hilarious and fantastically flat. Score: 7.5/10 A couple of years ago, I met Max Landis (Chronicle) at a screening of Me Him Her. When he first introduced himself to the crowd, he told us to sing a song with him. Everyone uncomfortably sang the song as silently as they could, so as not to be noticed but also not to be called out. The exercise was supposed to comfort the audience, but rather created a discomfort. Instantly, I knew that Landis was a unique writer who strived to be different from the common Hollywood writer. So far, he has succeeded, but that does not mean all of his films are good. American Ultra was marketed as an oddball comedy, but fell flat. Similarly to the viewing I had of Me Him Her, American Ultra discomforts the audience because of its disorganization and lack of meaning. The trailers for the film hyped it up as a sort of marijuana-ridden Jason Bourne spoof. Clearly it tries to be an oddball action film, but feels fake and poorly acted with constant storyline flaws.
Neither Kristen Stewart (Snow White and the Huntsman) as Phoebe nor Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Zombieland, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) as Mike bring their A-game in this one. Throughout the film, they are constantly force their inauthentic relationship upon the viewers. At one point Phoebe cries over the possible death of Mike, turning out to be one of the worst attempts at an emotional death scene in the past few years. Their characters have absolutely zero weight to them. Furthermore, Mike is supposed to be a druggy who is an unlikely candidate for being a Bourne-style fighter. Yet, Eisenberg portrays more of an isolated recluse than an actual druggy. This destroys the whole concept behind American Ultra. At the time of this film's release, Landis was busy with multiple other projects and I cannot help but ponder whether those projects detracted from the writing for American Ultra. Constantly, the script relies on metaphors that just sound plain stupid when they are repeated over and over on screen. Every time I heard one of the metaphors, I was sent back to middle school where my peers never meant anything with their back-and-forth empty insults. Landis's script clearly was not edited much and kept is lack of meaning throughout the film. One of the oddest lines occurs when Topher Grace (Spider-Man 3, Interstellar) calls Kristen Stewart, Tarzan, and then tells her to burn with the apes. What does that even mean and why was it left in the script? Basically, this movie left me lost and confused. The Bottom Line: American Ultra fails to sprout up as a unique Jason Bourne spoof. Score: 3/10 Image credit: https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/american-ultra.jpg
Image credit: By Flickr user "erinc salor" http://www.flickr.com/photos/espressoroast/ - http://www.flickr.com/photos/espressoroast/493656965/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4424402
So far, this is definitely in my top five soundtracks of 2016. The movie may not live up to everyone's expectations, but the soundtrack is fantastic! This mesh of rap and rock puts a bunch of popular music artists together to create an original motion picture soundtrack. The first track on the album sets a tone for the film, which prides itself as a bad guy film. Rick Ross and Skrillex spastically drown our ears in hardcore electronic rap. After the first track, we get to hear a lot of familiar artists ranging from Imagine Dragons to Twenty One Pilots to Eminem to Creedence Clearwater Revival and so many more. We even get a cover of "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Panic! at the Disco. Finally we arrive at "I Started a Joke" which feels like a hauntingly bold conclusion for a soundtrack. There is something on this soundtrack for everyone to enjoy, but it really reaches out to young adult audiences. Notable Tracks: 1. "Sucker for Pain" 2. "You Don't Own Me" 3. "Bohemian Rhapsody" 4. "I Started a Joke" Image credit: By b7378q8 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/b7378q8/18618604511/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41954069 The new film Sausage Party gained some controversy upon its initial audience reception because of its offensive tone and profane subject matter. You can tell that the film still intrigues me considering I have been using it in different blog posts throughout the past week. The issue behind this flick is more about the audience's viewing of the film. Whenever we go into a comedy movie nowadays, we have to remember that the first amendment exists in the United States. Free speech allows filmmakers the right to create whatever they want and we should be proud of that granted right. The question is: can a filmmaker go too far by offending certain audiences?
Sausage Party discomforts certain people because it often does go too far and offend certain audiences. Yet we should not shove it aside, but rather embrace it. I'm not saying that acting disrespectfully to others is okay, but rather that art should have liberties in their creation so long as they do not endorse harm onto others. Stereotypes are used for comedic relief in the film, not to promote violence or hate. The film tries very hard to offend as many different ethnicities and religions as it can, which is a skillful approach for the writers. This way, everyone can laugh with and at each other. For a brief hour-and-a-half, we watch a mesh of insults that are more playful than they are harmful. We should be proud to be able to see such a film, rather than distraught by its immaturity! What do you think? (You can leave an opinion in the comments or email me at firstflix1@gmail.com) I hope that all of you guys are having a great week! I've been pretty busy the past few days so there was a lack of posts, but hopefully I can get back onto the schedule that I would like to be on. If there are any new readers, you can refer to last week's Midweek Update to see the schedule.
Other than that, there isn't much for me to say this week so get you fix of flix and let me know if you see anything cool or have any suggestions for the blog. As always, guest reviews are welcome and you can send those to Firstflix1@gmail.com for me to proofread and post. Of course, you will be credited if you so choose! Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more interesting posts! |
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