This weekend on Episode 189, we’ll be discussing Peter Berg’s latest film starring Mark Wahlberg, Deepwater Horizon. Now, I find this poll question fascinating because Berg is a director that has a rather precise resume. His films are consistenly middle of the road, outside arguably Friday Night Lights. So, I’m very curious to see where this poll goes, as I could see these votes being spread out. Surly Friday Night Lights wins this poll, but after that it could go anywhere!
On that note, what is your favorite Peter Berg film? Vote now!
Director: David Mackenzie Writers: Taylor Sheridan (screenplay) Stars: Ben Foster, Chris Pine, Jeff Bridges, Gil Birmingham
Synopsis: A divorced dad and his ex-con brother resort to a desperate scheme in order to save their family’s ranch in West Texas.
[/info]
If you saw David Mackenzie’s Starred Up in 2014, you knew that Hell or High Water would have atmosphere, and boy, does it. The gritty, stark aesthetic of west Texas is viscerally on display. The heat is almost palpable and the rural setting works as its own character. Mackenzie is a director that fully knows how to capture a specific world, on a limited budget at that, and he is on his “A” game with Hell or High Water.
Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster) are brothers who are robbing banks and on the run. Marcus (Jeff Bridges) and Alberto (Gil Birmingham) are the two Texas Rangers who have been tasked to find and catch these thieves. These Rangers certainly know their way around rural Texas, but they are not aware of how motivated Toby and Tanner are, which makes these brothers more difficult to find than they originally thought. We find out that Toby is desperate and he is willing to go to extreme lengths to take care of his family, as well as serve a nice side dish of revenge in the process.
Taylor Sheridan’s screenplay is a shining star in Hell or High Water. His script is streamlined, well balanced and thematically very rich. Additionally, it’s very funny. For as thrilling as this film is, it’s chock full of humor at the same time. It certainly helps when you have the comedic chops of Jeff Bridges, who is as hysterical as ever in High Water. His dynamics with Gil Birmingham are quite terrific and their chemistry couples very well with Sheridan’s solid writing. The same can be said for Ben Foster and Chris Pine, who are playful at times, but overall offer a more dramatic arc that crystallizes in some rather provocative ways.
Sheridan smartly interweaves two different story threads together, while giving weight to them thematically and making each character’s motives very lucid. There is real emotion behind the entertainment value of Hell or High Water. The subtle commentary toward the banking industry, especially as that relates to familial turmoil, is very poignant in this film. Mackenzie and Sheridan offer many layers that resonate those notions in clever ways that are ultimately potent by the time we get to the film’s big reveal. If you thought this would be a simple thriller, you would be wrong. Hell or High Water is riveting to watch on the surface, but underneath it offers some dramatic ideas that many people will sympathize with by the films end.
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis offers a musical score that exquisitely amplifiels Giles Nuttgens’ blistering cinematography. The music fits this setting well, but more than that, it reaches to the emotional core of this film at the same time. If you ask me, it is one of the best scores I’ve heard all year.
Hell or High Water is a film that has everything. The acting is superb, the direction is on point and the film is both dramatically moving and entertaining as hell. It’s also thematically heavy in all of the right ways. Mackenzie is a forced to be reckoned with and I, for one, cannot wait to see where his career goes after seeing this film.
This week on Episode 188 of the InSession Film Podcast, we reviewed Antoine Fuqua’s The Magnificent Seven, which was a remake of the 1960 film of the same name, which itself was a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai. We understand that most cinephiles are not on the remake bandwagon, but it’s getting more and more inevitable these days. Remakes are popping up all over the place and it is something you just have to accept. Remakes aren’t always a bad thing either. If a filmmaker has a clear vision for his/her film, a remake can easily stand on its own. There are properties and premises that already exist (and are really fascinating) that could actually work very well on film and are due for good justice.
On that note, which films would make your list? Here are the one’s that made ours:
*Keep in mind we have different criteria for our lists as well*
JD
1) Battle of Britain / Red Tails
2) The Invisible Man
3) Transformers / The Last Airbender
Brendan
1) Pet Cemetary
2) Dune
3) The Giver
Tasha
1) Defending Your Life
2) Breakfast at Tiffany’s
3) Transformers
Honorable Mentions (Combined) The Hobbit, Batman vs Superman, Miracle, The Golden Compass, Lord of the Flies, Pixels, The Fantastic Four, Ender’s Game
Hopefully you guys enjoyed our lists and if you agree or disagree with us, let us know in the comment section below. Clearly there are a billion other films that could contend for this specific list, depending on your criteria. That being said, what would be your Top 3? Leave a comment in the comment section or email us at [email protected].
This week on the InSession Film Podcast, Tasha Robinson from The Verge and The Next Picture Show Podcast joins us to discuss The Magnificent Seven and our Top 3 movies that we want to see remade. You read that right, this week we are in favor of remakes. We also start our Harry Potter Movie Series this week as we review Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone!
HUGE thanks to Tasha for joining us this week. She was absolutely wonderful and it was a huge pleasure to finally get her on the show. Tasha also became JD’s favorite guest on the show when she brought up Transformers during our Top 3 segment, which sparked (ahem) some fun conversation about that franchise. All in all, we had a blast with this show.
On that note, check out the show and let us know what you think in the comment section. Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting the InSession Film Podcast!
– The Magnificent Seven Movie Review (7:26) Grades
JD: B
Brendan: C+
Tasha: C-
– Top 3 Films We Want Remade (42:32)
We understand that most cinephiles are not on the remake bandwagon, but it’s getting more and more inevitable these days. Remakes are popping up all over the place and it is something you just have to accept. Remakes aren’t always a bad thing either. If a filmmaker has a clear vision for his/her film, a remake can easily stand on its own. There are properties and premises that already exist (and are really fascinating) that could actually work very well on film and are due for good justice. On that note, what would be your top 3?
Main Review: Deepwater Horizon
Top 3: TBD
Harry Potter Movie Series: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
[divider]
Help Support The InSession Film Podcast
If you want to help support us, there are several ways you can help us and we’d absolutely appreciate it. Every penny goes directly back into supporting the show and we are truly honored and grateful. Thanks for your support and for listening to the InSession Film Podcast!
For the better part of two years now, there’s been growing buzz about Guy Ritchie’s ambitious plan to launch a six-film franchise delving into Arthurian legend. But beyond the pure scope of the project and the cast of the first film, we’ve known very little about what Ritchie had in mind. But an exhilarating trailer dropped at Comic-Con this summer, and it gave us our first real look at King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword, the series’ first film that’s set to premiere in March. Here we’ll comment on a few observations from that trailer.
It’s All About The Visuals
Sure, the cast is exciting and most any King Arthur-related story makes for a compelling narrative. But it’s hard to watch that trailer and come away with any impression other than that Ritchie is looking to emphasize visual wonder in a big way. He plays with camera angles (the opening shots look as if they may have been filmed on GoPros), has nymph-like creatures blending in with trees, and shows off breathtaking scenes of English countryside and medieval castles. Everything, from the shade of the sky to the glinting metal on knightly costumes, looks gorgeous.
There Is No Idyllic Camelot Here
A page full of interactive bingo rooms at Gala’s online bingo gaming site includes a game that’s simply called “Castle.” Essentially an online bingo hall, the game depicts a picturesque animated castle on a hill, complete with high turrets, red cone-shaped rooftops and waving flags. But why are we mentioning this? Because it’s just about the only idyllic interpretation of a castle you can find in modern entertainment. Think about it: on Game Of Thrones castles are dark, partially ruined, and flawed; in Antoine Fuqua’s King Arthur film they were minor outposts, and Camelot didn’t exist; even in fantasies like Snow White And The Huntsman, castles are foreboding, not welcoming. And it looks as if Guy Ritchie will continue this trend. While the glimpses of castles in this trailer are pretty magnificent, they’re far from the stuff of storybooks or fairy tales, which likely speaks to a grittier take on Arthurian legend.
Is This A Full-On Fantasy Film?
Antoine Fuqua came about as close as anyone could to turning the King Arthur legend into a real-life period piece, given that it is in fact a legend. His 2004 film presented Arthur as a sort of Roman general defending a remote outpost of the Empire. But generally speaking, no Arthur story is a real period piece, and because of this it appears Guy Ritchie has seen fit to infuse his medieval world with a strong does of fantasy. As a similar recap of the trailer by Inverse put it half-sarcastically, the film appears as if it might take place in Tolkien’s Middle Earth, given the presence of massive (we’re talking mansion-sized) elephant beasts and the aforementioned tree nymphs. Then again, it’s worth noting that when we see some of these things in the trailer, we’ve just heard Arthur state that he’d been dreaming. It remains to be seen if the fantasy beasts actually appear in the film, o
r simply in Arthur’s head.
This Arthur Is Every Sassy Badass
The Inverse write-up compares Charlie Hunnam’s interpretation of King Arthur to Tyler Durden, suggesting that this is basically a medieval Fight Club. Indeed, there are plenty of shots of hard-nosed, bareknuckle street brawling that give pre-pulling-the-sword-from-the-stone Arthur an intriguing new look. But there are shades of other famous characters in this Arthur as well. His coolness under pressure is reminiscent of Daniel Craig’s James Bond. His sassiness under interrogation is almost Will Hunting-esque. His costuming and swagger call to mind a medieval Xander Cage. Granted this is all coming from a three-minute trailer, but it all says a lot about a new brand of Arthur.
It’s All About Arthur
The cast is full of big names, with the likes of Jude Law and Eric Bana headlining, and well-liked supporting actors Djimon Hounsou, Michael McElhatton, and Aidan Gillen have roles as well. Even David Beckham reportedly has a small part. But with the exception of Sir Bedivere (Hounsou), none of Arthur’s famous knights seems to be a part of this first adventure. They’re being saved for future films, which, as we can further interpret from the trailer, means this is a sort of origin story: how Arthur went from street fighter to (presumably) king.
All in all this is a pretty crazy trailer, and one that’s going to continue to build excitement about Ritchie’s ambitious project heading into 2017. And yet at the same time, it’s fair to say that even with nearly three minutes of footage, we have no idea what’s coming.
Director: Antoine Fuqua Writers: Richard Wenk, Nic Pizzolatto Stars: Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Haley Bennett
Synopsis: Seven gun men in the old west gradually come together to help a poor village against savage thieves.
[/info]
Set in the 1870’s, the town of Rose Creek is under siege by industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard). Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) enlists the help of The Western Avengers to help them take Bogue and his men. The Western Avengers are bounty hunter Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington), gambler Josh Faraday (Chris Pratt), sharpshooter Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), tracker Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio), assassin Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee), Mexican outlaw Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo ) and Comanche warrior Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier). It takes a good director to handle an Avenger ensemble and Antonie Fuqua, a fantastic action and thriller director, was a perfect choice.
I am not a western fan at all, so this movie was not something on the surface that I would have seen on my own accord, but being a film critic I am willing to give almost any movie a chance. From the jump, this movie wastes no time in diving into the action which prompts the recruitment of the Western Avengers. The leader of the group is Sam Chisolm, played by an excellent Denzel Washington. The Magnificent Seven is the third pairing for Washington and Fuqua (Training Day and The Equalizer), so Washington’s strengths are played on very well here. As Chisolm, he has that Training Day attitude.
The action scenes are a plenty in this film and the IMAX sound enhanced the viewing experience, but the issues for me evolve around the supporting characters. The bad mix of personalities at times is awkward, especially when all members of the team are together. However, I do appreciate the diversity of the team ensemble and how they play with that throughout the film. I’m usually a fan of Chris Pratt but his characters’ jokes didn’t work for me here. The overall dynamic of the team was playful but very disjointed at times.
I don’t why Haley Bennett, who plays Emma Cullen, was not given more to do in this film. She holds her own in several parts of the film and is one of the most logical characters in this film. She is also the films MacGuffin, so it doesn’t make sense when she more or less disappears in the film’s back half. Bennett is great but her character is mostly wasted.
I do not watch many Westerns, and maybe the pacing of the film is typical for films in this genre, but The Magnificent Seven felt much longer than it needed to be, by about 25-30 minutes. There is a reason why I do not like remakes or re-imaginations and this film did not offer anything but a mediocrity of the original.
Overall Grade: C
[divider]
Hear our podcast review on Episode 188, coming soon.
This week on the InSession Film Podcast: Extra Film segment, we discuss two critically praised indies by first-time directors in Krisha and The Fits.
Similar to our Captain Fantastic and Hunt for the Wilderpeople Extra Film, these two films have a lot in common. Both Krisha and The Fits are tonally very similar, both use creative filmmaking techniques and feature great performances from little known actors.
On that note, have fun listening to this week’s Extra Film segment and let us know what you think in the comment section below. Hope you enjoy and thanks for listening!
– Krisha Movie Review (6:39) Grades
Brendan: A
JD: A
– The Fits Movie Review (34:11) Grades
Brendan: B+
JD: A
We try to make this the best movie podcast we possibly can and we hope you enjoy them. Subscribe today on iTunes and Stitcher and please leave us a review on iTunes. You can also find us on Soundcloud, PlayerFM and TuneIn Radio as well. We really appreciate all your support of the InSession Film Podcast.
To hear this Extra Film episode and everything else we do, download our apps on the Amazon Market for Android and the Podcast Box app on IOS devices. The mobile app covers all of our main shows, bonus podcast’s and everything else relating to the InSession Film Podcast. Thanks for your wonderful support and listening to our show. It means the world to us!
[divider]
Help Support The InSession Film Podcast
If you want to help support us, we would greatly appreciate it! For more info, CLICK HERE.
For our latest Guest Appearance, I was lucky enough to guest with our great friends over at First Time Watchers, discussing the documentary Weiner. If you know the guys over at FTW, you can guess just how much fun they had with that title. There were dick jokes abound. That said, we had a lot of fun discussing Weiner, movies we’ve seen recently and a few movie trailers.
This weekend on Episode 187, we’ll be discussing Antoine Fuqua’s new film The Magnificent Seven. This film is, of course, a remake of John Sturges’ 1960 film of the same name, which in itself was a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 Japanese-language film Seven Samurai. It’s easy to question why Fuqua’s remake needed to happen, but for as iconic as Sturges’ version is, this narrative is ripe for a modern re-telling. It’s the classic anti-bullying story that is easy to relate with for many of us. It has also been 56 years since The Magnificent Seven hit the big screens, meaning this story could be new to a lot of young faces out there. Personally, I’m not against remakes if there is a clear vision and purpose for the film. Based off of the marketing for Fuqua’s version, I can see seeds of that in the imagery. We’ll see if that is really the case come this weekend.
Modern technology could benefit this new re-telling as well, which is easily one of Fuqua’s biggest strengths as a director. I’m not the biggest fan of his storytelling, but there’s no question that Fuqua is a stylistic director that knows how to handle a camera. His films are always visually appealing and I have no doubt that he will, at the very least, upgrade this story from a visual perspective.
Another reason to be excited for The Magnificent Seven remake is this cast. The film stars Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke in a Western setting. Um…hell yeah! Additionally, we’ll see the likes of Vincent D’Onofrio, Byung-hun Lee, Peter Sarsgaard and Haley Bennett. Good God, that is a wonderful cast. This film *should* be a lot of fun given the talent involved with this film. Even if the film is disjointed narratively, and given Fuqua’s history that wouldn’t surprise me, it should at least be very entertaining.
Perhaps the biggest reason that I’m personally excited for Fuqua’s The Magnificent Seven is that it is the last score we’ll hear from the late-great James Horner. Apparently, Horner was so inspired by Fuqua’s vision that he wrote the entire score before his fatal crash last year, before the film was even shot. Of course, given how creative projects are always evolving, the score needed some updates but I’m so curious to hear what Horner had in store for this film. I’m specially excited given how iconic Elmer Bernstein’s score is for Sturges’ 1960 version. Regardless of how it ends up, I’m betting that it will be sentimental on some level. I love Mr. Horner and may he continue to rest in peace.
For those that are automatically discounting The Magnificent Seven remake-remake, I don’t blame you. Did this *really* need to happen? Probably not. Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai is one of the most legendary foreign-language films we’ve ever seen and Sturges’ remake is as good as it gets when re-imagining a classic piece of cinema. In theory, there is no way that Fuqua’s version will hold a candle to those two films. However, the pieces are there on paper, we’ll just have to see how the film delivers its execution.
What about you? Are you excited for The Magnificent Seven this weekend?
[divider]
Here are other films you can expect to see this weekend at the box office:
Storks Queen of Katwe (limited) The Dressmaker (limited) Goat (limited) My Blind Brother (limited)
In case you missed it on Episode 187, we announced that our latest movie series would be a Harry Potter Movie Series as we lead into Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them later this fall. We are super excited for this series and we will be doing it in film order, starting with The Sorcerer’s Stone this weekend on #188.
As for our poll this week, we are simply asking for your favorite Harry Potter film. There are some good options here and we are excited to see where you all lean with this topic.
This week on Episode 187 of the InSession Film Podcast, we reviewed Oliver Stone’s latest film, Snowden, which of course dramatizes the events of Edward Snowden leaking confidential information to the public. Going off of that, for our Top 3, we decided to talk about our favorite movies about privacy and surveillance. Since the inception of government and security, the debate of surveillance and privacy has always been stirring. How far are we willing to go for the sake of security? Are we willing to risk potential harm for our right to privacy? Those are the questions that films, such as Snowden, as well as the films on our list this week tackle and grapple with at their core. There are many great contenders for this list and we found some great discussion when presenting our Top 3 this week.
On that note, which movies about privacy and surveillance would make your list? Here are the one’s that made ours:
*Keep in mind we have different criteria for our lists as well*
JD
1) Rear Window
2) Citizenfour
3) Enemy of the State
Brendan
1) The Truman Show
2) The Lives of Others
3) Rear Window
Dan
1) Good Night, And Good Luck
2) Minority Report
3) Enemy of the State
Honorable Mentions (Combined) Catfish, Brazil, The Conversation, The Bourne Trilogy, They Live, A Scanner Darkly, Gattaca, The Social Network
Hopefully you guys enjoyed our lists and if you agree or disagree with us, let us know in the comment section below. Clearly there are a lot of other great films that could contend for this specific list. That being said, what would be your Top 3? Leave a comment in the comment section or email us at [email protected].
This week on the InSession Film Podcast, we review Oliver Stone’s latest film, Snowden, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and our girl Shailene Woodley. We also discuss our favorite movies about surveillance and we recap all of the happenings out of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
Joining us this week is the great Dan Clark from GeekCast Radio. Dan is one of our favorite movie people and it was a huge pleasure to finally have him back on the show. We had a blast on this week’s show discussing privacy and surveillance as well as all the great stuff coming out of TIFF 2016.
On that note, check out the show and let us know what you think in the comment section. Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting the InSession Film Podcast!
– Snowden Movie Review (8:22) Grades
JD: B
Brendan: B
– Top 3 Movies About Privacy/Surveillance (36:49)
Since the inception of government and security, the debate of surveillance and privacy has always been stirring. How far are we willing to go for the sake of security? Are we willing to risk potential harm for our right to privacy? Those are the questions that films, such as Snowden, as well as the films on our list this week tackle and grapple with at their core. There are many great contenders for this list and we found some great discussion when presenting our Top 3 this week. On that note, what would be your top 3?
– Toronto International Film Festival 2016 (1:21:16)
Of all the years to miss TIFF, this was *not* the year to skip out on this festival. Holy cow, the fall is looking even more promising after all the rumblings that came out of TIFF the last few weeks. We didn’t have enough time to discuss all the films we wanted to, but we briefly mentioned La La Land and a few others that people raved about during the festival.
Main Review: The Magnificent Seven
Top 3: Movies We Want To See Remade Harry Potter Movie Series: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
[divider]
Help Support The InSession Film Podcast
If you want to help support us, there are several ways you can help us and we’d absolutely appreciate it. Every penny goes directly back into supporting the show and we are truly honored and grateful. Thanks for your support and for listening to the InSession Film Podcast!
Director: Oliver Stone Writers: Kieran Fitzgerald (screenplay), Oliver Stone (screenplay) Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto
Synopsis: The NSA’s illegal surveillance techniques are leaked to the public by one of the agency’s employees, Edward Snowden, in the form of thousands of classified documents distributed to the press.
[/info]
If there’s anything the director Oliver Stone is known for it’s making thought provoking, and provocative films. But more than anything he is becoming especially known for his films that take a firm political stand, and films that have a definitive political viewpoint. Films like JFK, Platoon, Natural Born Killers, we see elements of these divisive and stand off-ish style of film making. And Oliver Stone manages to deliver these punches yet again in his latest film; Snowden.
Snowden is a biopic drama film that surrounds the life of Edward Joseph Snowden. If you are not aware, Edward Snowden was the man who released that the NSA was spying on the United States, and was charged with many different crimes for “blowing the whistle.” The film begins with Snowden, played immaculately by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, discussing what he has stolen and what he has learned with a documentary filmmaker and a journalist in a hotel room. The movie then bounces from this hotel room, to events in Snowden’s life, how he attempted to join special ops, his first job at the CIA, and eventually his glorious entrance into the NSA. Snowden is filled with some miraculous hits, but also some devastating misses. Ultimately making for a solid biopic, re-introducing Oliver Stone.
Let’s start with a miss, the film first and foremost is grudgingly long. Oliver Stone typically likes his films on the longer side which normally can be fine because he tends to keep us entertained. Snowden is one of the films on the longer side, that does not keep us entertained. With several scenes dedicated to Snowden’s love life, or just pointless interactions with pointless character, the film drags and drags. Usually we can expect this in a biopic, and the insanely strenuous run time is mildly justified by Stone wanting to shovel as much “Protest your government they’re spying on you” into the film. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, the writing in the film is not half bad. The screenplay is well written and all of the actors or actresses deliver their lines incredibly well, just we see the same scenes over and over.
That being said, seeing Levitt act for two and a half hours in a lead role is absolutely marvelous. Levitt has always been an underrated actor in my opinion and I think he finally gets a chance to shine in this movie. Channeling his inner “geek” and showing off his paranoid and anxious side, Levitt is absolutely electrifying in his role of Edward Snowden and definitely deserves some attention from the academy. Levitt carries a good portion of the film on his back and refuses to let Stone’s abrasive visual style outshine his performance. And this makes for some well deserved acting.
Another kind of drag to the film is the score is a bit unnecessary and just unfitting at times. There are some scenes where hardcore techno music plays abruptly in and out. Which does not necessarily fit the scene it’s being used in but then other times instead of letting drama unfold or letting the actors reveal the drama, we receive a score to slap us in the face as if saying “Hey pay attention this part’s important!” The score can be an absolute booster to emotion in a film, and Stone is usually pretty good about when to use it and when not to use it, but this time he fails.
The counter argument to the score making the audience almost feel like idiots is the story does not. The film assumes the entire world knows the story of Edward Snowden, but tells the entirety of the story with exquisite detail anyway. The slightest detail of Snowden’s life or career is not left out and we get to see every angle of it. That being said, the film also does not treat the audience like they are idiots. At times when most film makers feel the need to explain time and time again what is happening or explain a complex piece of storytelling because they are worried the audience won’t understand, Snowden ignores this stigma and just serves us the facts on a silver platter. We receive every bit of information and it is served in a professional and delicious matter.
Oliver Stone returns with his drama biopic Snowden, and he is back and continuing to take the same stance that he typically does. Which is not a bad thing, Stone is good at what he does and he does it effectively. Our thoughts are provoked and we are forced to take a stand. Snowden has a few flaws, but overall the film delivers on it’s punches, guaranteeing a jolly good drama film.
Overall Grade: A-
[divider]
Hear our podcast review on Episode 187, coming soon.
Films have always been a reflection of what is currently happening in our world today. It has always been the medium to help prove a point to a mass audience. One of the best ways this ideal is conveyed is through comedies. Comedies tend to poke fun, or mock current events in the world like, the presidency, or religion, or a certain lifestyle. It creates a lighthearted, laughter-filled, piece of cinema that also captures the idea of conveying a hidden message. And with a slue of comedies being released each year it’s hard for every one to be successful. But in 2016, we received a sleeper hit comedy film that I believe comedy filmmakers can take a few notes from; Bad Moms.
I know right? Bad Moms? You mean that movie that stars the girl from That 70’s Show and the weird wife from Step Brothers? Well, yes. I do mean that movie, and surprisingly it was a stellar viewing. Going in, I had not too sure what to expect when I sat down in the theater. I had seen the trailer and the trailer gave me a few laughs so I figured “Ah why the hell not?” But good God did this movie blow me away. The film tackles everything that I love about comedies while magically delivering a meaningful undertone throughout the course of the film. And I believe comedy film makers can take a few notes from this movie, so let’s get right into this.
First off, the goal of the story is right to the point, and incredibly simplistic. It does take a while for the film to uncover the goal but that’s okay. The “catalyst” or “inciting incident” that causes our protagonist to figure out her goal, lasts for probably the first 25-40 minutes. Which seems quite a bit too long, but before we dive into the goal we get to see the fun and games of what the film is about. Several messages underlay the film, one of them being that no matter how old you are, you’re allowed to have fun. So seeing these middle aged women go on a drinking rampage, destroy a grocery store, and partake in activities that usually are shown in male fronted comedies, is so god damn hilarious, I cried from laughing at least three times. The film absolutely delivers on every single comedic punch that it throws. Which leads to another incredible point of the film.
We all understand that men have had a priority over women in films, and have been over the past 100 years. But as the years go by we get more and more female fronted films. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that if a man or woman fronts the film that the film will be better or worse, but seeing a group of people, who happen to be females, partake in these hysterical activities, is quite hilarious. So the fact that we have this comedy, focused around debauchery and embarrassing yourself focus on women, brings a new perspective to the genre and makes it twice as funny. Another reason that this film delivers in absolutely every form of the comedic genre, is the directing and the writing.
Directors are in charge of getting the performance that they want out of the actor or actress. And their main goal is to not stop until they get the performance that they want, and a lot of times with comedy movies we get actors or actresses directing themselves versus the director at the helm. When comedy actors bring their own persona’s to a film, it ruins the story and the film overall. We’re no longer watching a comedy film, we’re watching Seth Rogen do stand up comedy. And this isn’t as effective, because if we wanted to watch stand up comedy, we would go watch stand up comedy. What makes comedy funny is that someone somewhere has thought of this hysterical scenario for these actors to be placed in. The willing suspension of disbelief is what keeps up coming back to comedy films, not seeing Seth Rogen dance around and be idiotic. And not that Seth Rogen movies aren’t funny, there are some incredibly funny moments in Seth Rogen movies, but it’s just Seth Rogen being Seth Rogen.
Filmmakers have the ability to create and immerse their audience into a hysterical scenario that is so off of the wall we would never in a million years be able to understand how or why, but that is what adds to the funny. The writing, the acting, the directing, those three things are what makes or breaks a comedy film. Comedy movies can learn a thing or two from Bad Moms. Have a simple goal, embrace the “fun and games” portion of storytelling”, do not let your actors bring their own persona to the table, actually direct them and get the performance that you want and is funny. The power is right in our hands to make incredible comedy films, but we keep letting the actors bring their own persona’s to the table. Directors have this job for a reason, so let them do their job, and we’ll see more hysterical comedies like Bad Moms.
This week on the InSession Film Podcast: Extra Film segment, we discuss Ewan McGregor in Last Days in the Desert and Daniel Radcliffe in the small indie, Imperium.
Forgive us for this episode being late but we were traveling this weekend (Go Blue!) and we weren’t able to get the show edited in time. That said, we had some great discussion on these two films and we hope you enjoy the direction it goes. One of these films, we’ll just say, is less than the other and we had fun with that on the show.
On that note, have fun listening to this week’s Extra Film segment and let us know what you think in the comment section below. Hope you enjoy and thanks for listening!
– Last Days in the Desert Movie Review (3:25) Grades
Brendan: B+
JD: B+
– Imperium Movie Review (28:25) Grades
Brendan: C-
JD: D
We try to make this the best movie podcast we possibly can and we hope you enjoy them. Subscribe today on iTunes and Stitcher and please leave us a review on iTunes. You can also find us on Soundcloud, PlayerFM and TuneIn Radio as well. We really appreciate all your support of the InSession Film Podcast.
To hear this Extra Film episode and everything else we do, download our apps on the Amazon Market for Android and the Podcast Box app on IOS devices. The mobile app covers all of our main shows, bonus podcast’s and everything else relating to the InSession Film Podcast. Thanks for your wonderful support and listening to our show. It means the world to us!
[divider]
Help Support The InSession Film Podcast
If you want to help support us, we would greatly appreciate it! For more info, CLICK HERE.
Director: Adam Wingard Writers: Simon Barrett Stars: James Allen McCune, Callie Hernandez, Corbin Reid
Synopsis: After discovering a video showing what he believes to be his sister’s experiences in the demonic woods of the Blair Witch, James and a group of friends head to the forest in search of his lost sibling.
[/info]
It was revealed at San Diego Comic-Con 2016 that The Woods is really a direct follow-up to the breakout 1999 film, The Blair Witch Project. Those unfamiliar with the previous film, it tells the story of film students, Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams and Joshua Leonard, who travel to Maryland to investigate the legend of the Blair Witch. In this day and age, it is very hard to keep anything a secret, so the fact that this film was successfully able to remain secret for almost a year is impressive. Now that the cat is out of the bag, does Blair Witch has the same flare as its predecessor after 17 long years?. Director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett (the team behind You’re Next and The Guest) invites back to the same woods.
For some odd reason, James (James Allen McCune) thinks that after 22 years that his Heather is still alive after he sees supposed footage of her in a YouTube video. Based on the footage displayed in the video, there is no way I would even remotely go close to that place. Nevertheless, James convinces his three friends, Lisa (Callie Hernandez), Ashley (Corbin Reid) and Peter (Brandon Scott), to travel to the same woods. The technology gap is very apparent from the first film to now as the team uses several devices that allow them to capture the action from different devices and angles. GoPro’s, iPads, and even a drone are used to capture the action and it’s a welcomed addition because on of the best scenes comes via the angle of the drone. The team is joined by the pair who found the DV tape—Lane (Wes Robinson) and Talia (Valorie Curry). You know the story, the longer the group stays in the woods, the worst it gets for them. Once nightfall comes, the group begins to hear strange unexplained noises at night and waking up with mysterious stick figures surrounding their campgrounds.
The challenging thing about horror movies is obviously scaring the audience. We have pretty much seen it all, the familiar eerie music, the out-of-nowhere loud noises, all in order to create cheap, predictable jump scares. Wingard uses those techniques and the popularity of The Blair Witch franchise to create good scares. Mixing in various camera angles with loud noises, and it makes for an uncomfortable situation, especially being lost in the woods at night. Blair Witch may not be as scary as other films, but for most of its running time it creates anticipation. The film takes its time building up each night, like Paranormal Activity, where things get stranger and stranger, or in this case louder and louder.
The characters in this film are not as memorable as Heather but they still put in convincing enough performances as they run frantically in the woods.
Blair Witch, no matter how good it is, just cannot replicate the same buzz as the first one because since you know the title, you already know what to expect and there are very few changes from the original plot. The climax of this film tries to incorporate a supernatural aspect and it comes across as convoluted.
I would love to see this director-writer duo take on another original idea in this genre because although they bring new elements to this franchise, however, after 17 years I just don’t think it was necessary to retell this story. Blair Witch is simply going to be for anyone who enjoyed the first film and wants a slightly above-average movie sequel. It’s not great but it’s enough to satisfy.
This weekend on Episode 187, we’ll be discussing Oliver Stone’s latest film, Snowden. Stone is no stranger to controversy, so the story of Edward Snowden just made sense for him to tackle. Stone has certainly been polarizing over the year’s but it’s hard to deny his craftsmanship and passion for the stories he is interested in telling. Despite his politics, films like JFK, Born on the Fourth of July, Wall Street and Nixon are compelling interpretations on topics that matter to him. Additionally, other films like Natural Born Killers, Any Given Sunday and The Doors have opened up Stone’s range and give insight into other matters besides politics. Stone, similarly to what I talked about with Clint Eastwood last week, has slipped in recent year’s but overall he’s a prolific filmmaker with a solid resume.
I haven’t read any early reviews for Snowden yet, but the trailers feel very “Oliver Stone” and it looks to be a return to form, of sorts. The cinematography looks reflective of the digital themes this story will explore and the trailers purposefully highlight the controversial angle’s Stone is known for addressing in his films. Overall, based off Snowden‘s marketing, it looks well directed. Additionally, the performances come off as well-committed. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is doing is best impersonation, which could be distracting initially, but Gordon-Levitt is a good actor and will deliver what the character needs. Shailene Woodley is in this film, enough said there. Melissa Leo and Zachary Quinto also provide supporting roles here, two actors I also enjoy.
Does any of that make for a good film? Of course not. As mentioned, Stone’s recent outings have proven to be less than stellar, if you ask me. I liked World Trade Center enough but Stone’s typical presence hasn’t been felt since Any Given Sunday. On paper, Snowden could be the comeback we all want to see but I’m still dubious given Stone’s latest offerings, which have meandered and left too many questions on the table. We’ll see soon enough.
What about you? Are you excited for Snowden?
[divider]
Here are some other films you can catch at the box office this weekend:
Bridget Jones’s Baby
Blair Witch
Hillsong: Let Hope Rise
Wild Oates (limited)
Mr. Church (limited)
Silicon Cowboys (limited)
This weekend on #187, we’ll be discussing Oliver Stone’s latest film, Snowden, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Stone is no stranger to conspiracy and he’s not stranger to controversy, so the story of Edward Snowden just makes sense for him. Regardless of what you think of his politics, it’s hard to ignore Stone as a director. He’s made some really powerful and thought-provoking movies that have reverberated over the decades. With that as our inspiration this week, what is your favorite Oliver Stone film?
Director: Clint Eastwood Writers: Todd Komarnicki (screenplay), Chesley Sullenberger (based on the book “Highest Duty” by) Stars: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney
Synopsis: The story of Chesley Sullenberger, who became a hero after gliding his plane along the water in the Hudson River, saving all of the airplane flights 155 crew and passengers.
[/info]
On January 15, 2009, a familiar scene brought an uneasy feeling to the people of New York. It was on that frigid day that US Airways Flight 1549 makes an emergency landing in the Hudson River after striking a flock of geese. Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) was the pilot that made the life-saving choice to attempt that landing and miraculously, all the 155 passengers and crew survive the harrowing ordeal. Is Sully a hero or could that whole incident have been avoided? Sully is directed by Clint Eastwood and stars Tom Hanks and Aaron Eckhart.
Saving the lives of 155 people is a heroic act and for anyone on the outside, there is no question that what Sully did was nothing short of fantastic. Sully focuses not on the known but rather the investigation into Capt. Sully and First Officer Jeffery “Jeff” Skiles (Aaron Eckhart). I personally didn’t know that there was any controversy regarding this situation because of the Miracle on the Hudson.
Without diving into spoilers, it’s evident that Eastwood knows how to shift perspectives because at times I found myself questioning briefly if Sully made the right decision. The NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) investigators led by Charles Porter (Mike O’Malley) ask very tough questions about Sully’s personal life and rather he was going through issues at the time of his flight.
The camera shots in Sully have beautifully positioned angles when the airplane is in the frigid river that gives you different perspectives as well. Having these varying shots of the airplane on the river makes you appreciate the impressive rescue even more. A sense of realism helps strike that emotional chord with you during the entire duration of the flight from take-off to the abrupt landing.
Tom Hanks has been in similar roles before where he is facing high-tense situations and again he nails his role to perfection. Aaron Eckhart adds great support as First officer Jeff Skiles.
There is no doubt that Sully sticks its landing, but it loses points for me in a few areas. Eastwood uses various flashbacks, with two of them feeling a bit incoherent due to their timing, which throws off the pacing of the film slightly. The biggest issue, however, is the portrayal of the NTSB. The film makes it seem like they were trying to devalue what Capt. Sully did when in reality that was not the case. The investigation was just a standard procedure and the hard questioning is necessary when it involves safety. I’m afraid that when people watch this film, they are going to get the wrong idea about what the NTSB does and I do not want that to happen.
Sully nevertheless is a fantastic film that gives us the insight into the events surrounding the Miracle on the Hudson.
This week on Episode 186 of the InSession Film Podcast, we reviewed Clint Eastwood’s new film, Sully. Going off of that, we thought it would be fun to discuss our favorite moments from Eastwood directed film. And despite his last four outings, Eastwood is a proven director with a lot of rich material on his resume. There are many scenes one could choose from for this list and we found some great scenes to talk about. It’s clear that Eastwood has a robust vision in many of his movies, and our discussion here is very representative of that fact. We were also joined by ESPN’s Adnan Virk for this specific discussion, who was a great guest with wonderful insight.
On that note, which Clint Eastwood directed scenes would make your list? Here are the one’s that made ours:
*Keep in mind we have different criteria for our lists as well*
JD
1) Jimmy Markum discovers his daughters fate – Mystic River
2) The Kid reveals the truth to William Munny – Unforgiven
3) Robert / Philip run into family – A Perfect World
Brendan
1) Jimmy Markum discovers his daughters fate – Mystic River
2) Japanese soldier / American soldier have a conversation – Letters from Iwo Jima
3) Ending shootout – Unforgiven
Adnan
1) Ending hospital scene – Million Dollar Baby
2) Ending shootout – Unforgiven
3) Jimmy Markum discovers his daughters fate – Mystic River
Honorable Mentions (Combined)
Raising of the Flag – Flags of our Fathers
Ending Sacrifice – Gran Torino
Sniper / Child Scene – American Sniper
Bar Scene – American Sniper
“I want my son back!” – Changeling
Tsunami Scene – Hereafter
Hopefully you guys enjoyed our lists and if you agree or disagree with us, let us know in the comment section below. Clearly there are a lot of other great Clint Eastwood scenes that battled for our lists, that just missed the cut. That being said, what would be your Top 3? Leave a comment in the comment section or email us at [email protected].
