Category Archives: Genres

Like It, Long Reviews (>400 Words), Television Reviews, TV Comedy, TV Drama

Better Call Saul Premiere (2015) Television Review

The black and white cold open to AMC’s Breaking Bad spinoff shows Bob Odenkirk’s seedy lawyer Saul Goodman sadly working the Cinnabon counter in a mall, sporting large glasses and a mean ‘stache. Saul is on edge, paranoid about an intimidating person in the store. At his home, he drinks scotch and anxiously looks out the window. Saul pulls out an old VHS tape and pops it in to the television. The tape is a series of ad spots from his old profession. He watches the tape glumly until it cuts away to the title card. And that’s it. The first scene Breaking Bad fans get after a year of withdrawal from the mythos they fell in love with. It is simple but all too gratifying.

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All Movie Reviews, Horror, Indie Films, Leave it, Long Reviews (>400 Words)

V/H/S: Viral (2014) Movie Review

V/H/S: Viral is the third installment in the popular cult anthology horror franchise. V/H/S was a highly-original breath of fresh air to the done-to-death found footage horror subgenre. It may be one of the best indie horror gems of the 21st century. V/H/S 2 was similarly fun to watch, but was ultimately a digression from the previous film. It was a safe sequel that wasn’t trying to go above and beyond what it accomplished with the previous film.

 

This new sequel is somewhat similar to the first two installments, where a series of short subjects are shown interspersed with an ongoing second plotline. Only, where the original two films had Continue reading V/H/S: Viral (2014) Movie Review →

Action/Thriller, All Movie Reviews, Drama, Indie Films, Long Reviews (>400 Words), Love It

The Guest (2014) Movie Review

The Guest is a film by director Adam Wingard. In it, a man named David (Dan Stevens) approaches a family claiming to be a close friend of the family’s eldest son, who died in Afghanistan during the war. The stoic, smooth-talking David says that he has just been discharged from the military, and Continue reading The Guest (2014) Movie Review →

Horror, Movie News

Poltergeist (2015) Trailer Reaction

I don’t understand. Carrie (2013) was unnecessary. The Amityville Horror (2005) was unnecessary. Does anybody remember Psycho (1998)? Rebooting classic horror movies simply doesn’t work (95% of the time, at least). Perhaps the only exception to this rule that can be found Continue reading Poltergeist (2015) Trailer Reaction →

2015 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies, Documentary

2015 Academy Award Predictions — Best Documentary

 

The Nominees:

  • Citizenfour — Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefor, Dirk Wilutzky
  • Finding Vivian Maier — John Maloof, Charlie Siskel
  • Last Days in Vietnam — Rory Kennedy, Keven McAlester
  • The Salt of the Earth — Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, David Rosier
  • Virunga — Orlando von Einsiedel, Joanna Natasegara

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2015 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies, Documentary

2015 Academy Award Predictions — Best Documentary Short Subject

 

The Nominees:

  • Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 — Ellen Goosenberg Kent, Dana Perry
  • Joanna — Aneta Kopacz
  • Our Curse — Tomasz Sliwinski, Maciej Slesicki
  • The Reaper — Gabriel Serra
  • White Earth — Christian Jensen

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2015 Academy Awards, Animation, Award Ceremonies

2015 Academy Award Predictions — Best Animated Short Film

 

The Nominees:

  • The Bigger Picture — Daisy Jacobs, Chris Hees
  • The Dam Keeper — Robert Kondo, Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi
  • Feast — Patrick Osborne, Kristina Reed
  • Me and My Moulton — Torill Kove
  • A Single LIfe — Joris Oprins

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All Movie Reviews, Comedy, Horror, Indie Films, Love It, Quickie Reviews (<400 Words)

[Quickie] See This Movie: What We Do in the Shadows (2015)

 

What We Do in the Shadows is a horror comedy mockumentary coming from New Zealanders Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Concords) and Taika Waititi (Eagle vs. Shark), who both star in the film as well. It is a hilarious take on the vampire genre. Essentially, a camera crew is following around four flatmates who just happen to be immortal vampires as they try to get into clubs, clash with a similarly underwhelming pack of werewolves, and attempt to contain a newly anointed vampire who doesn’t know how to be discrete.

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All Movie Reviews, Comedy, Like It, Long Reviews (>400 Words)

Inherent Vice (2014) Movie Review

Inherent Vice is the latest from writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson, based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Thomas Pynchon. Pynchon’s work is often characterized by its density and difficulty. As such, some said Vice could not be successfully adapted for the screen.

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All Movie Reviews, Documentary, Indie Films, Like It, Long Reviews (>400 Words)

Is the Man Who is Tall Happy? (2013) Movie Review

Is the Man Who is Tall Happy? is a film by Michel Gondry (writer, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) in which he interviews famed linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky. During the interview, hand drawn animations created by Gondry depict Chomsky’s answers. Every so often, a small frame, inset in the animation, will show Chomsky as he is speaking. Their conversation delves into various alleyways, namely his philosophy on language and how we understand the concepts of the world through words and symbols.

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