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Movie Review: Saving Mr. Banks Has More To Say About Mary Poppins


Director: John Lee Hancock
Writers: Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith
Stars: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Annie Rose Buckley, Colin Farrell, Paul Giamatti

Synopsis: Author P. L. Travers reflects on her difficult childhood while meeting with filmmaker Walt Disney during production for the adaptation of her novel, Mary Poppins.

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DIRECTION
If there’s one thing John Lee Hancock is really good at, it’s giving a film heart. Saving Mr. Banks is a movie that thrives on heart, and while it’s not all singing and dancing, it’s the soul of this film. The big thing about this film that you’ll notice first, is that you’re not watching a film about the behind-the-scenes of the movie Mary Poppins. It’s merely a backdrop our characters are dropped into as they explore something more beneath the surface, especially with Poppins’ author, P.L. Travers. Hancock’s use of flashbacks to tell her story was executed well, to a point, and it set the tone of the movie really well. At some point, it becomes overplayed in some cases, but the overall technique works for how he wanted to present the character. The aesthetic Hancock create’s in nice and it definitely takes you back to the early 60’s. Some of the visuals were lacking but the main aesthetic was there, whether in the 60’s or way back to the early 20th Century in the flashback scenes. Overall, it’s a charming film that is funny and Hancock brings a picture that is more than satisfying.

Grade: A-

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SCRIPT
Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith’s script was at one point a hot commodity and it’s easy to tell why. The real-life story is an interesting one but this re-creation had a little something different in mind. As I mentioned earlier, if you want a fun, behind-the-scenes look at Mary Poppins, then get out spoonfuls of sugar and be ready to be disappointed. This movie is about Mrs. Travers (that’s what she likes to be called) and the real heart of who Mary Poppins is and what she’s about. The tone of the story, while light and fun in many places, is darker and depressing in other places. It’s about the heartache that motivates Mrs. Travers and why this Mary Poppins is more like family to her, than a character on a page. On the surface Mr. Travers seems like a really huge, umm…let’s say not nice person, until you understand her more. Mr. Travers makes things incredibly difficult for Walt Disney, who’s trying to buy the rights from her to make the movie. The script brings forth those moments well in the first two acts but completely forgets those challenges in the third act, making the story more flat towards the end. Between that and the overuse of flashbacks, some of the story needed to be more tightened. Overall though, it’s deeply-rooted, has a ton of heart and will make you laugh. Again still more than satisfying.

Grade: B+

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MOVIE REVIEW: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

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PERFORMANCES
Emma Thompson shines as Mrs. Travers and absolutely disappears into this role. Thompson really brings this character to life and shows us what was most likely what really happening to Travers in real life. Tom Hanks, while not on the level of Captain Phillips, is still really good and funny as Walt Disney. It’s the first time Walt (that’s what he liked to be called) has ever appeared on screen in a major motion picture and Hanks did a fantastic job. The big surprise? Collin Farrell, who I believe is incredibly underrated, was big here. He plays the alcoholic father of Travers in the flashback scenes and he was really strong. His scenes with Annie Rose Buckley, who was also great, were absolutely adorable and crucial in telling the backstory. Can someone please explain to me why Paul Giamatti is in this movie? I mean, the guy’s a great actor and he doesn’t need to be playing small roles like this where has almost nothing to do. Of course, he brings something to this character though, much more than it probably needed to be. This is one area you definitely won’t be disappointed by.

Grade: A+

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SCORE
The great Thomas Newman scores this film and brings a gracious core that adds some really nice layers to the film. The flashback scenes have some nice time period music, while the 60’s scenes have a more contemporary feel to them. Of course, in a film like this, Newman’s score is accompanied by some great music by Jason Schwartzman and B.J. Novak who play the famous Sherman brothers. It’s a great soundtrack, and if you’re a fan of Mary Poppins, you’ll really enjoy the music to this film.

Grade: A-

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FINAL THOUGHTS
Saving Mr. Banks is a good movie that most audiences will enjoy, despite a few flaws. I’m not 100% convinced this is a movie for children, even though it’s a Disney film about a Disney film. The main themes are kinda bleak, especially towards the end of the movie and most kids (younger than Middle School) could miss the main goals of the movie. The performances are amazing though and it’s still an interesting look at the dynamics it took to make this film happen. While this re-creation is probably far off from reality, it’s still fun and has some deep-rooted heart that will surly satisfy.

Overall Grade: A-

Movie Review: Dragon on in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug


Director: Peter Jackson
Writers: Fran Walsh (screenplay), Philippa Boyens (screenplay)
Stars: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Orlando Bloom

Synopsis: The dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim Erebor, their homeland, from Smaug. Bilbo Baggins is in possession of a mysterious and magical ring.

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DIRECTION
Peter Jackson once again takes us back into Middle-Earth as we continue our journey with Bilbo Baggins and the dwarfs as they look to reclaim their homeland. The aesthetic Jackson creates is familiar to his Lord of the Rings trilogy but is much more CGI-heavy much like the first Hobbit. Jackson is more focused in Desolation of Smaug but there’s something still missing from the magic he captured a decade ago with our other little hobbits. The CGI is too much and is often distracting as our beloved heroes are escaping one near death experience after another, making it harder to be engaged with what Jackson is trying to do. Some of the effects are really cheesy and were probably well-intioned, but were poorly executed. Well what about Smaug? The aesthetic Jackson creates for the character is great but the execution of it isn’t entirely believable comparatively to what we’ve seen in this world already. Some of the action is fun though and we get some really intriguing moments. Overall, while better than The Hobbit, it’s not much better.

Grade: C+

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SCRIPT
To begin with, we get a short backstory where we see Gandalf meet with Thorin as he explains to him why he needs to become King again. Why it’s in this one and not the first film is beyond me. From there we’re taken back to the present where Bilbo and our gang of dwarfs are trying to get back to their homeland to take it back from Smaug, our intimidating fire-breathing dragon. The script here is definitely more focused than the first Hobbit film, which made the film more fluid. However, there’s a few subplots that are completely, utterly unnecessary that detracts from the film and only feels like it’s there to meet Jackson’s quota of a 3-hour long haul in the theatre. Both movies, really, have story arcs that just seem to dragon (pun intended) and could be cut out or shortened. The dialogue for some characters were frail while others were pretty rich, reflecting inconsistencies throughout the film. I will say though, it’s a pretty boisterous movie on many levels that takes some serious turns in the third act. Some worked and some didn’t. Overall, the focus was better, but there are still many unnecessary factors that should of been cut.

Grade: B-

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MOVIE PODCAST: Dallas Buyers Club & Philomena – Extra Film Review

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PERFORMANCES
Ian McKellen may as well dress up as Gandalf in real life because he’s absolutely captivating as this character and who wouldn’t want to see that all the time? He’s fantastic and easily one of the better parts of the film. Martin Freeman does a good job as Bilbo but there’s not much depth going one. Freeman’s pretty one-dimensional and where Frodo started to lose himself after having the ring on, we have yet to see any of that from Bilbo. Maybe, the ring just liked Bilbo better? Of the dwarfs, you got to love Ken Scott as Balin. He’s the old-school guy that has all the best lines and delivers them epically. It’s also great seeing a familiar face in Orlando Bloom who reprises his role as Legolas. I’d prefer to see more of the real Bloom than his CGI-version, which we see way too much of. And while we pretty much only see him fight, he’s still the best archer in Middle-Earth. So…Evangeline Lilly is one gorgeous elf. Her story arc could of been handled better but she does a great job for what she has to do. Benedict Cumberbatch, who voices Smaug, really gave life to the character, much like what we saw Andy Serkis do to Gollum.

Grade: A

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SCORE
Not the best Howard Shore score but he shows range in his musical elements going from strong action score to scary thriller score pretty easily. He hits a lot of different notes (literally) which added a nice touch to the film when it needed it. And you got to love the Shire theme when it comes on. Overall though, it’s nothing stand-out worthy and it’s not much of a joy outside of the film.

Grade: B-

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FINAL THOUGHTS
The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug was anything but impressive. Just because you have the resources and abilities to do anything with CGI, doesn’t mean you should go crazy with it. And honestly, at times, the CGI wasn’t even that great. While it gives you the chance to create these amazing, imaginative worlds, you have to consider why live action characters are there and how they are relatable. This film felt cartoony with a few moments of live-action characters built into it. There were a few solid moments though and it left off at a good spot, if we have to have a third film that is.

Overall Grade: B-

Podcast: Dallas Buyers Club and Philomena – Extra Film Review

This week on the InSession Film Podcast: Extra Film review, we review two amazing indie films in Dallas Buyers Club, starring Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto as well as Philomena, starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan. These are two films that you want to see and we had a blast discussing them. You can bet on both of these films having some sort of awards implications in the near future.

Anyway, check out our podcast and let us know what you think in the comment section below. Thanks for listening!

Dallas Buyers Club Review
    Grades
    Scott: B
    JD: A

Philomena Review
    Grades
    Scott: A+
    JD: A+

– Music

    City of Angels (Acoustic) – Thirty Seconds To Mars
    Philomena – Alexandre Desplat
    The Return of the Eagle – Atli Örvarsson

We try to make this the best movie podcast we possibly can and we hope you enjoy them. Be sure to subscribe on iTunes and Stitcher and please leave us a review on iTunes. We really appreciate it.

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Frozen – Extra Film

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Video: InSession Film Podcast – Episode 41

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This week on the InSession Film Podcast, Drew Koenig from MovieBuffHaven.com drops by as we review Out of the Furnace starring Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson, and Casey Affleck. Going of that, we discuss our Top 3 Family Revenge Movies and give a preview for the month of December, which looks really great.

If you would like to see the entire podcast of Episode 41, click here. Also, be sure to check out all of our podcasts by visiting our Movie Podcast page.

Podcast: Was Jeff Bridges right about Out of the Furnace?

This week on the InSession Film Podcast, we reviewed Scott Cooper’s latest Out of the Furnace. While it may not have worked for some, the simple narrative and blue-collar aesthetic worked for others. Regardless of where you sit on the fence, it’s easy to agree for everyone that the performances were absolutely incredible.

Entering this week’s podcast, Out of the Furnace was my number most anticipated film for the second half the the year. Why you ask? Well because Jeff Bridges has been promoting this movie since May! Every where he went, he kept saying, “Have you seen Out of the Furnace? It’s a great movie!” And while I have exaggerated his comments on our podcast, he was convinced for awhile it was amazing. Want proof? Here is Jennifer Lawrence talking to Jeff Bridges at Comic Con way back in July and Bridges somehow finds a moment to talk about a movie that came out in December. Also note that Jennifer Lawrence is awesome and adorable. (She’s meeting Bridges, a star she loves, for the first time)

So, I find that pretty funny. This isn’t the only video that’s out there as Bridges did this several different times. But there’s not a better video than Lawrence meeting an actor she loves and yet Bridges brings up Out of the Furnace, so that kind of endorsement was pretty intriguing to me. So on this week’s InSession Film Podcast bonus content, we dive into some fun spoilerific conversation on Out of the Furnace and we answer the question; was Jeff Bridges right? (hint: the answer may be the opposite of “no”)

If you’d like to hear our Out of the Furnace bonus content, you can buy it by clicking here.

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Featured: Oldboy (2003) vs Oldboy (2013)

Last week on Episode 41 of the InSession Film Podcast, we reviewed Spike Lee’s Oldboy, which ultimately was a remake that was probably unnecessary. While, Spike Lee’s version falls flat, there were 35 minutes cut from the studio from Lee’s final cut that probably would of been helpful in making the film better.

That being said, on last week’s premium podcast, we put the original and the remake head-to-head to find out just how much better the original really is. As the podcast went on, we found that there were a few good glimpses from the remake that made it a little interesting. There were some differences in the remake that weren’t terrible although overall, it just doesn’t come close to the original. Anyway, It was a really fun discussion that we hope you enjoy.

If you’d like to hear our Oldboy bonus content, you can buy it by clicking here.

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Movie Poll: How excited are you for The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug

For this week’s poll, we are getting ready for The Hobbit sequel that’s being released this Friday, The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug. Last year’s, The Hobbit, was a bit disappointing and ended up being nothing that spectacular, even with the six different ways for you to watch it. The heavy CGI and lack of depth hurt the film overall, although there were some memorable moments with Golum that were really great. So the big question is, are people just tired of this world or do they want to come back for more?

The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug looks better and early reviews seem promising so we could have something better going on here. There are familiar faces that are back which should be fun and interesting, but will it be enough to save the film from being mediocre?

Well, let us know how you feel about the film. Are you excited to see The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug? Vote here now!

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Podcast: Top 3 Family Revenge Movies

This week on the InSession Film Podcast, after reviewing Out of the Furnace, we decided to discuss our Top 3 Family Revenge Movies. Revenge themes have been prevalent in movies for a long time and there have been some great, great movies centered around the subject. However, not all revenge stories center around family. You can argue that most of them probably do on some level, but just to narrow it down specifically, our Top 3 this week was revenge movies that had to center around family in some way. I.E. in Out of the Furnace, it was a brother/brother relationship the story focused on.

So, what family-based revenge movies would make your list? Here are the one’s that made our list:

JD

1) Gladiator
2) Once Upon A Time in the West
3) The Lion King

Scott

1) I Saw The Devil
2) The Godfather Part II
3) Kill Bill

Drew

1) Momento
2) Inglourious Basterds
3) Taken

Honorable Mentions (Combined)

True Grit, The Searchers, Django Unchained

Hopefully you guys enjoyed our lists. Again, we’d love to hear from you on which revenge movies would make your list. How different is it from ours? Leave a comment in the comment section or email us at [email protected].

For the entire podcast, click here.

For more lists done by the InSession Film crew and other guests, be sure see our Top 3 Movie Lists page.

Podcast: Out of the Furnace, Top 3 Family Revenge Movies, December Preview – Episode 42

This week on the InSession Film Podcast, Drew Koenig from MovieBuffHaven.com drops by as we review Out of the Furnace starring Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson, and Casey Affleck. Going of that, we discuss our Top 3 Family Revenge Movies and give a preview for the month of December, which looks really great. And as usual we discuss some of the latest movie news and films we’ve seen over the last week. We had a lot of fun and we hope you enjoy the show!

P.S. we had some technical difficulties with Drew’s audio, so we ask for some grace in advance. Drew was a lot of fun though, and anytime you can podcast from a Barnes and Nobles, you know you’re doing something right. Anyway, check out the show and let us know what you think in the comment section below. Hope you enjoy and thanks for listening!

Out of the Furnace Movie Review (4:57)
    Grades
    JD: A-
    Scott: C+
    Drew: B-

Top 3 Family Revenge Movies (32:51)
Revenge themes have been prevalent in movies for a long time and there have been some great, great movies centered around the subject. However, not all revenge stories center around family. You can argue that most of them probably do on some level, but just to narrow it down specifically, our Top 3 this week was revenge movies that had to center around family in some way. I.E. in Out of the Furnace, it was a brother/brother relationship the story focused on. So that being said, what would be your Top 3?

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RELATED: Oldboy was a huge disappointment comparatively to the original and, is arguably, an unnecessary remake. Listen to Episode 40 of our movie podcast to hear this review and much more!

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– December Preview 2013 (51:43)

December 2013 looks like one of the better Decembers we’ve had in awhile and there should be some great films this month. So, this week on the show, we break them all down for you and what you can expect to see this month.
    Out of the Furnace, The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug, Hours, American Hustle
    Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Saving Mr. Banks, Inside Llewyn Davis, August: Osage County
    The Wolf of Wall Street, 47 Ronin, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

– News (1:13:50)

    – The Amazing-Spider-Man 2 trailer
    – Indiana Jones franchise bought by Disney

– Movies We’ve Seen This Week
(1:23:35)
    JD: Out of the Furnace, I: Robot, Koyaanisqatsi, Philomena, Charlie Countryman, The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, E:60 Miracle at Michigan
    Scott: Out of the Furnace, The Great Gatsby, Touch of Evil, Little Caesar, The Final Countdown
    Drew: Out of the Furnace, Pacific Rim, World War Z, This is the End, Inside Llewyn Davis

– Music

    Out of the Furnace – Dickon Hinchliffe
    Kill Bill: Battle Without Honor – Tomoyasu Hotei
    Good Times Bad Times – Led Zepagain
    Indiana Jones End Credits – John Williams
    The Return of the Eagle – Atli Örvarsson

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InSession Film Podcast – Episode 42

Movie Review: Out of the Furnace is raw and blue collar


Director: Scott Cooper
Writers: Brad Ingelsby, Scott Cooper
Stars: Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana, Woody Harrelson

Synopsis: When Rodney Baze mysteriously disappears and law enforcement fails to follow through, his older brother, Russell, takes matters into his own hands to find justice.

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DIRECTION
Scott Cooper, who brought us Crazy Heart, brings us a dark and gritty thriller that features some of the best performances of the year. The aesthetic Cooper delivers in Out of the Furnace is one of the best features of the movie and sets you in a small steel town somewhere outside of Pittsburg. The opening scene delivers the first punch (literally) that sets the tone really well, giving you the sense of film we are getting. The film is raw, gritty and blu collar on every level with an amazing sense of realism. Where lots of films are set in reality, many of them set up the characters to be heroes at the end but Cooper had different things in mind. Also, I’m tired of movies throwing obvious details at you over and over again, like I’m not smart enough to realize what’s going on. Cooper’s decision to let you assume those obvious, and some not-so obvious, details works since the story is simple and the characters are what matters here. And while we’ve seen dark and gloomy before, it’s nice to see a real and true blue collar movie with characters that aren’t trying to save the world or take over Wall Street.

Grade: A

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SCRIPT
The story centers around Russell Baze (Bale) and his trouble-making brother Rodney (Affleck) who live in small-town Pennsylvania and do real, blue collar work for a living just to get by. Rodney, though, is an Iraq-veteran who only knows how to fight and working at the mill isn’t satisfying enough for him. Eventually Rodney finds himself with the wrong people and mysteriously disappears thanks to the hands of Harlan DeGroat (Harrelson). Russell doesn’t feel like the police are doing enough and thinks that he needs to take things into his own hands, which he does. It’s really simple on the surface, which makes the assumptions Cooper wants you to make really easy to follow. Are there plot lines that seem unnecessary? Possibly, but those story lines only bring out more of the reality we are dropped in to bring forth more than a one-dimentional revenge story. The characters on the other hand have more beneath the surface. There are layers with our brothers, each of them working off of a pain of some sort. Whether it’s old baggage, relational or family related, there’s an element of figuring out the next steps are that make the characters relatable. While each of the characters could of used a little more development, we get enough of a sense of who they are to make the story work. Again, on the surface, it’s pretty simple.

Grade: B+

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MOVIE PODCAST: Frozen – Extra Film Review

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PERFORMANCES
We see some really strong performances all the way through the movie. Most of the supporting roles don’t have a ton to do but the performances are still strong nonetheless. Christian Bale is unbelievable and will most likely end up being one of his better performances that slides under the radar. Casey Affleck gives one the better performances of his career. He’s passion and pain shines through in his performance and it’s one that is crucial to the film. Woody Harrelson needs to do more roles like this. He doesn’t necessarily have to play the villain but the grittiness and rawness he delivers is something that he does really great. His character here is evil without a care in the world who’s just obsessed with his money and drugs. While his character’s intentions aren’t always 100% clear, when Harrelson is on screen, he’s someone you know you don’t want to mess with. Simply, Harrelson gives one heck of a performance. Sam Shepard, who I love, and Willem Dafoe don’t have much to do, but still give some strong supporting roles. Again, they enhance the realness and blue collar aesthetic this film is calling for. Zoe Salanda’s role is also small but she has a pretty strong scene with Bale that helps bring forth some much needed emotional aspects. Overall, there’s not one bad performance here and they carry the movie in an incredibly engaging way.

Grade: A+

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SCORE
The music is absolutely incredible and adds some really nice layers to the film. In a world that is trying to create rural, small-town feel in the midwest, the music brings that aesthetic to life. The score was done by Dickson Hinchliffe and Eddie Vedder. Vedder is no stranger to bringing this type of music and was nominated or an Oscar for his work on Into the Wild. So it’s no surprise that after the film was over, when I had to look to see who did the music since I loved it, and I found Eddie Vedder’s name attached to it. Hinchliffe has also done some great work before and the duo did an outstanding job together. While, the score isn’t the best of the year, it’s one of those you’ll still want to listen to outside of the movie.

Grade: A-

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FINAL THOUGHTS
Just because a movie is bleak and depressing doesn’t mean the film is arduous or bad. If you want that, go watch The Counselor. While this movie is gloomy, it’s also relatable in a lot of ways, especially if you’re from small town America. And it seems like most of what we see in Hollywood now-a-days is these big worlds with tons of visual effects or a movie set in a big city where other people have more money than they know what to do with. There’s something heroic in itself about someone who is willing to work for a living, just to get by every day, and yet will do anything for his family. To me, Bale is just as heroic here as he is as Bruce Wayne.

Overall Grade: A-

Podcast: Disney’s Frozen – Extra Film Review

This week on the InSession Film Podcast: Extra Film review, JD is joined once again by our lovely female voice, Brandi Woodrum as they discuss Disney’s latest musical treat, Frozen. This is arguably the best animated film of the year making the last couple of Walt Disney Studios films to the best we’ve seen. On the show we break down the music and why Frozen is a solid (all pun intended) movie for adults and kids.

P.S. the Mickey Mouse short film before Frozen is absolutely amazing and that alone is worthy of seeing this movie in theaters. Check out our podcast and let us know what you think in the comment section below. Thanks for listening!

Frozen Review
    Grades
    Brandi: A
    JD: A

– Music

    Let it Go – Idina Menzel
    The Return of the Eagle – Atli Örvarsson

We try to make this the best movie podcast we possibly can and we hope you enjoy them. Be sure to subscribe on iTunes and Stitcher and please leave us a review on iTunes. We really appreciate it.

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Frozen – Extra Film

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Video: Review of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 trailer

Heres are Jon’s first impressions of the new trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2. He’s watched it a couple times since making this video and he’s liking more and more! There are a lot of characters and a lot of interesting things going on. Jon also discusses the new Spider-Man costume which seems to be a good homage to the comics this film is based on. Is the CGI any good? That is perhaps debatable but they still have a ways to go to get to a great finished product. In the trailer though, and this is where I’d disagree with Jon, is that the CG looks pretty video game-ish and needs some work.

Also, Sony is ramping up big time to the Sinister Six, or so it seems. It looks like Harry Osborne may be on one of the main villains, alongside Electro and Rhino, who we know are already in the film. Plus, if you stop the trailer at 1:15 you see this:

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 teaser

That looks like Doc Ock’s mechanical arms and Vulture’s wings to me, meaning it’s very likely we will see the Sinister Six. If they go that route, it could be very interesting and really cool to see, if it’s done well. That’s a lot of characters we’ll see in a short time span though, so I’m worried we won’t get enough character development to really care (see Spider-Man 3).

Plus the side angle of Peter Parker’s parents will add an interesting element we’ve never seen before and that looks very promising.

Well anyway, be sure to see Jon’s thoughts and let us know if you agree or disagree in the comments below! Also, be sure to subscribe to Second Rate Report today!

Video: InSession Film Podcast – Episode 41

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This week on the InSession Film Podcast, we discuss the new remake of Oldboy directed by Spike Lee and starring Josh Brolin, Samuel L. Jackson and Elizabeth Olsen. Going off that, we discuss our Top 3 Unnecessary Remakes as well as dive into the nominations of the Independent Spirit Awards which were announced last week. And to finish off the show, we discuss the awful tragedy of Paul Walker and discuss the films we’ve seen over the last week.

If you would like to see the entire podcast of Episode 41, click here. Also, be sure to check out all of our podcasts by visiting our Movie Podcast page.

InSession Film: Best movies of November 2013

We are starting a new blog segment, where we will be diving into the best movies of each month to go over what we’ve seen and what stood out. Our first month will be November of 2013, which was a great month. November is usually a good month for Oscar-buzz worthy films and this year was no different. It was arguably the best month for movies in 2013 as a whole and if you didn’t get a chance to see any of these films, you will need to. So to break it down, we are going to give our Top 5 movies for the month of November in 2013.

As a side note, there were a few films that have different release dates for limited releases vs wider releases, etc., so we based it off when we got the films here locally. There’s a lot to choose from but here’s some of the best of the month:

Hunger Games Catching Fire podcast5) The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
It’s rare that sequels are better than their predecessor’s or that even a movie adaptation is better than the book but The Hunger Games: Catching Fire surely came close if it didn’t. The intesnity level was high and the stakes were higher for Katniss and Peeta. Overall, it was shot well and added some great new character elements we didn’t see in the firs film. Everyone, from director down, upped their game for the sequel and it was a great stepping stone forward.

Philonmena review4) Philomena
Philomena is arguably the year’s best film that’s “based on a true story”. It’s charming, adorable and explores some really interesting themes and character beats. It’s the story of an old lady looking for closure on a secret she’s kept hidden for 50 years. Judi Dench and Steve Coogan are brilliant and the dynamics between the two of them shine wonderfully. This could be a film that slides through the cracks but if you get to see it, don’t miss that opportunity.

Robert Redford3) All is Lost
I would be shocked if Robert Redford isn’t nominated for an Oscar for his role in All is Lost. Redford portrays everything you’d need to know about this character in this situation without hardly saying a word. That’s pretty impressive. What Redford and directer J.C. Chandor accomplish is nothing short of incredible given what they are working with. It’s engaging, thrilling and speaks to something about the human spirit that is inspiring. Easily one of the year’s best indie films.

Dallas Buyers Club2) Dallas Buyer’s Club
Scott and I go back and forth on Dallas Buyers Club as a whole, but one thing is very clear. No one has turned their career around better in this generation than Matthew McConaughey. Both McConaughey and Jared Leto are unrecognizable and pull out the performances of their lifetime. Look for both to be nominated for Awards and don’t be surprised if either of them win. Yes, the story is a bit messy but it’s not too distracting and the performances more than make up for it. And the knowledge and awareness it brings to a tough situation during that time period is really great.

12 Years A Slave1) 12 Years A Slave
What can you say about this movie that hasn’t already been said? 12 Years A Slave is easily one of the best film’s of the year but also one of the hardest to watch as well. Chiwetel Ejiofor is absolutely incredible and has perhaps the best supporting cast around him that includes Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch and a small role by Brad Pitt. It’s not an easy film to sit through but on the other end, you’ll be glad you did. It’s moving, it’s powerful and a movie that will be talked about for a long time. A lot of Oscar and awards potential with this one in many different areas.

Other notables from November include Disney’s latest animated film Frozen, which in any other month would of easily of made this list. And for some people it still may as it’s the year’s best animated feature, arguably. Thor: The Dark World was a great sequel to the first Thor film and also The Avengers. I really wanted to put About Time on this list. I loved that movie and it’s perhaps in my Top 5 romantic “chic flicks” ever for me personally. However, it just doesn’t quite match up against the five on this list.

It was a pretty great month and December looks like it could be just as great or even better. What movies did you like in November? How does your list compare to ours?

Video Review: Frozen

Frozen hasn’t had the best marketing in the world and didn’t look all that special from the trailers but Disney has really ramped up their game lately and Frozen is perfect evidence of that. Our amazing video guy, Jon from Second Rate Report, breaks down Disney’s latest and why it’s one of the best animated films of the year. Walt Disney Studios was screwed out of the Oscar last year but it very well may have locked up the award with their effort for Frozen. Anyway, check out Jon’s video review, it’s really good.

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Have any thoughts on Frozen? Do you agree or disagree with Jon? Let us know in the comment section below!

Video Review: Dallas Buyers Club

In 1985 Dallas, electrician and hustler Ron Woodroof finds out he has the HIV virus and decides to do something about it rather than just sit around and die. It’s an amazing story that features some more than just surface level entertainment but has some great messages about life. It’s also filled with some of the best performances of the whole year. Jon, from Second Rate Report, gives us his thoughts on Dallas Buyers Club and why it’s a film you need to see. Dallas Buyers Club is directed by Jean-Marc Vallée and stars Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, and Jared Leto.

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Have any thoughts on Dallas Buyers Club? Do you agree or disagree with Jon? Let us know in the comment section below!

Movie Review: Disney’s Frozen is pretty solid


Director: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Writers: Jennifer Lee (screenplay), Chris Buck (story)
Stars: Kristen Bell, Josh Gad, Idina Menzel

Synopsis: Fearless optimist Anna teams up with Kristoff in an epic journey, encountering Everest-like conditions, and a hilarious snowman named Olaf in a race to find Anna’s sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom in eternal winter.

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DIRECTION
While many people think Pixar is on the down swing a little bit, Disney seems to be more on the upswing lately. Walt Disney Studios were screwed out of the Oscar last year with Wreck-it Ralph as it was easily the best animated film of 2012. This year, Frozen is a solid (no pun intended) companion and is arguably the best animated film this year as well. The aesthetic Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee create is gorgeous and brings you back to the Disney musical days and shows how Disney may still be the king of animated films. The musical choices are great and the visuals they create to go along with it are absolutely stunning. It has all the sillyness and fun you’d expect from a film like this and it’s hard to not like it.

Grade: A

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SCRIPT
The story Disney creates for Frozen is great and it even takes a stride away from the Hollywood formula a little bit which was a nice touch. The story centers around two young girls, Anna and Elsa, who are very close siblings as little girls. Elsa has magical powers where she can create snow and ice anytime she wants. She also struggles with her powers and has a hard time controlling them which brings the hard decision to hide her powers from Anna after a tragedy almost kills her. Anna, struggling with why her sister seemingly shut her out of her life, is dealing with loneliness and isolation which drives her need for wanting to be loved beyond normalcy. It’s at this point in the story, you think the formula is working as usual when things go awry and other characters come into play. The dynamics between all of these characters are really funny and it creates a world that both kids and parents will enjoy. Ultimately, the best part of the script is that love will win the day but it doesn’t have to be the same love you’d expect to see over and over again.

Grade: A

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MOVIE REVIEW: Oldboy just doesn’t quite cut it compared to the original.

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PERFORMANCES
Kristen Bell gets the lead here as Anna and she does a pretty good job. Bell has tendencies to be annoying and childish in some of her performances but here it tends to be to her advantage given the target audience for this film. Her dynamics with Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad were absolutely incredible and that made Bell’s performance come alive. Speaking of, both Groff and Gad were terrific. Both characters were written well and they were absolutely hilarious and charming at the same time. Both have musical numbers, although Gad’s was more prominent and pretty hysterical given the context of his character. And you gotta love Idina Menzel, whose voice is that of an angel. She’s best known for her singing roles in films and on the stage, especially for her role in Wicked. Menzel is amazing and has perhaps the best musical number here in the song Let it Go, which was gorgeously shot as her character was singing. Alan Tudyk has a very small role here but he’s really great and I love anything he does.

Grade: A+

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SCORE
This is a Disney musical so the music is going to be a huge part of this film, obviously. While, the musical numbers are great, it isn’t the best Walt Disney Studios has done as an overall package. The beginning song Frozen Heart which is sung by the cast is really good and sets the tone of the film extremely well. And as I mentioned, Let it Go by Menzel is arguably the best song and the visuals behind it are perhaps the best of the year as well. The rest of the numbers can be hit or miss depending on the person. Bell’s songs didn’t grab as much and some of the lyrics were very silly but they were performed well and added good character development. Overall, the music was still really good and the songs will be mostly enjoyable in the film. The score by Christophe Beck, again, wasn’t the best Disney’s had, but this is still a very strong score and one that adds a good touch to the film.

Grade: A-

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FINAL THOUGHTS
Disney musicals are really fun and it’s great to see Walt Disney Studios bringing their “A” game once again and for two years in a row, should have the Oscar for Best Animated Film. This is a film that most people, kids and adults, will enjoy for everything it has going for it. It’s really fun and the ending sequence isn’t quite what you think it would be, which was a strong direction choice.

THIS IS AWESOME: The Mickey Mouse short they play before the film starts is absolutely amazing! It starts out in the old school format of cartoons and halfway through, it shifts to the 2013 digital format of animation and the back and fort of that is incredible. If you can, go see it in 3D too, you won’t regret it. Easily, easily one of the best shorts this year.

Overall Grade: A

Podcast: Top 3 Unnecessary Movie Remakes

This week on the InSession Film Podcast, we discussed the new Oldboy remake directed by Spike Lee and starring Josh Brolin. The original Oldboy, a Korean film by Park Chan-wook, is definitely a cult classic and over the last decade has become a beloved film by many film lovers. While it’s not a movie for everyone and it deals with a subject that is very niche, is it really necessary to remake? We’d argue no. So going off this week’s main review, we discussed our Top 3 Unnecessary Movie Remakes and there are a lot of them out there.

Are there any movie remakes that you thought was absolutely unnecessary? Here are the one’s that made our list:

JD

1) Psycho – 1998
2) The Thing – 2011
3) Oldboy – 2013

Scott

1) Psycho – 1998
2) 3:10 to Yuma – 2007
3) The Omen/em> – 2006

Blake

1) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – 2005
2) Psycho – 1998
3) The Pink Panther – 2006

Honorable Mentions (Combined)

Dinner for Schmuck’s, Red Dawn, Alice in Wonderland, The Wicker Man, Carrie, The Karate Kid, Footlose, Most horror franchises

Hopefully you guys enjoyed our lists. Again, we’d love to hear from you on which movies you thought were completely unnecessary. Leave a comment in the comment section or email us at [email protected].

For the entire podcast, click here.

For more lists done by the InSession Film crew and other guests, be sure see our Top 3 Movie Lists page.

Podcast: Oldboy, Top 3 Unnecessary Remakes, Indie Spirit Awards – Episode 41

This week on the InSession Film Podcast, we discuss the new remake of Oldboy directed by Spike Lee and starring Josh Brolin, Samuel L. Jackson and Elizabeth Olsen. Going off that, we discuss our Top 3 Unnecessary Remakes as well as dive into the nominations of the Independent Spirit Awards which were announced last week. And to finish off the show, we discuss the awful tragedy of Paul Walker and discuss the films we’ve seen over the last week.

Our good friend Blake came by once again to help us break down Oldboy and once again, he was fantastic. Also, just as a fair warning, we always try to keep our podcasts PG-13 but there’s one short segment when we are discussing the heartbreaking situation surrounding Paul Walker, JD does go off on TMZ that’s a little more colorful than usual. Most of you probably won’t be offended anyway, but just in case, we wanted to throw that out there. Anyway, check out the show and let us know what you think in the comment section below. Hope you enjoy and thanks for listening!

Oldboy Movie Review (5:05)
    Grades
    JD: C+
    Scott: C
    Blake: C

Top 3 Unnecessary Movie Remakes (37:59)
The original Oldboy, a Korean film by Park Chan-wook, is definitely a cult classic and over the last decade has become a beloved film by many film lovers. While it’s not a movie for everyone and it deals with a subject that is very niche, is it really necessary to remake? We’d argue no. So going off this week’s main review, we discussed our Top 3 Unnecessary Movie Remakes and there are a lot of them out there. So, what would be your Top 3?

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RELATED: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was even better than the first film and is easily one of the best blockbuster films we’ve seen all year. Listen to Episode 40 of our movie podcast to hear this review and much more!

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– Independent Spirit Awards (1:05:00)

One of the best things about 2013 was the indies that came out this year. There’s been a lot of strong films, so discussing the Independent Spirit Awards was a lot of fun. The nominations came out last week and there are some really great contenders that deserve their nominations.

– News (1:19:37)

    – Paul Walker tragically killed in a car accident

– Movies We’ve Seen This Week
(1:29:10)
    JD: Oldboy, Full Metal Jacket, Arrow (TV Show)
    Scott: Oldboy, Philomena, Eyes Without A Face, Paths of Glory, Tokyo Story, Frances Ha
    Blake: Oldboy, Oldboy (original version), The Doors, Equilibrium, Killing Season

– Music

    The Old Boy – Cho Young-Wuk
    Five Years – Blake Neely
    City of Angels – Thirty Second to Mars
    We Own It – 2 Chainz, Wiz Khalifa
    The Return of the Eagle – Atli Örvarsson

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InSession Film Podcast – Episode 41

Movie Poll: Which December movie do you look forward to most?

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As we’ve stated, this month is gonna be bonkers good for movies at the theaters. There’s some potential big name Oscar players that will be coming out as well as a few small films that looks to be really great as well. Not too mention, we have a few big, CGI, action-packed films as well you can look forward too.

So thus begs the question, which movie are you looking forward to this month? Feel free to vote as many times as you want and if there’s something else not listed, feel free to write in your answer under “other”. You can also leave your answer in the comment section below. Either or, let us know what your vote is!

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