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Podcast: Muppets Most Wanted, Divergent – Extra Film

This week on the InSession Film Podcast: Extra Film segment, Mark Hobin from fastfilmreviews.com joins us in the first half as we discuss Muppets Most Wanted, starring Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, Tina Fey and our beloved muppets. The second half of our show takes an interesting turn as Brandi Woodrum joins us to discuss Divergent, which turns into a pretty interesting conversation and debate over the premise of the film.

Both Mark and Brandi were fantastic guests and we had some great movie discussion over both films. And as you’ll hear in both segments of the show, we’d love to hear from you. Let us know what your favorite Muppet cameo is and you have to pick a side between Brandi and JD. Tweet us and let us know who won the debate.

Anyway, we hope you have fun listening to this week’s Extra Film segment. Check out the show and let us know what you think in the comment section below. Hope you enjoy and thanks for listening!

Muppets Most Wanted Movie Review (5:16)
    Grades
    JD: B+
    Mark: B-

Divergent Movie Review (29:29)
    Grades
    JD: C
    Brandi: B+

– Music

    We’re Doing A Sequel – The Muppets
    Choosing Dauntless – Junkie XL
    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. You can also find us on Soundcloud and TuneIn Radio as well. We really appreciate all your support.

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Muppets Most Wanted, Divergent – Extra Film

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Movie Series Review: Bottle Rocket (Wes Anderson)


Director: Wes Anderson
Writers: Owen Wilson, Wes Anderson
Stars: Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Ned Dowd

Synopsis: Focusing on a trio of friends and their elaborate plan to pull off a simple robbery and go on the run.

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DIRECTION
The first thing you’ll notice about Wes Anderson’s Bottle Rocket, is that it’s very simple, especially for Anderson. This is Anderson’s first film, with a low-budget, and you could tell that’s how he was operating. So while you don’t really see Anderson’s signature style here, the one thing that does bring it back to him are his zany and goofy characters, which was funny and compelling. His camerawork, while simple, was still effective and his musical choices are still within the vein of his style. For a debut film, Anderson does a more than fine job here.

Grade: A-

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SCRIPT
The story is centered around Anthony Adams (Luke Wilson) and his best friend Dignan (Owen Wilson), who are both a little crazy and may not all be there. The opening scene shows Anthony “breaking” out of a voluntary mental hospital in a plan set up by Dignan who was hiding in a nearby bush. The scene sets the tone and shows how fun and goofy these guys are but also how the kind story were about to get into. We see Dignan and Anthony join up with their friend Bob, who becomes their getaway driver when they decide to become a heist team. The dynamics of these characters in that setting are hilarious and captivating and easily the bright spot of the film. When we see our team stop at this hotel, we see Anthony start to fall for one of the maids there and this love subplot is a little forced and falls flat mostly. There are some interesting moments in the middle of it, but the believability factor is low. And unfortunately, a lot of time is spent at this hotel and is a little mundane. The third act is brilliant though, exploring the closeness of relationships, why brother relationships are important and that making the right decisions always creates the right atmosphere.

Grade: B

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RELATED: Fantastic Mr. Fox Movie Series Review

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PERFORMANCES
This is more or less the debut performances for the Wilson brothers and they are absolutely wonderful. Luke and Owen, both, elevate the scenes they are in and are lovable as these characters. The dynamics between the two of them, as you could imagine, are some of the best in the film. Robert Musgrave as Bob was also terrific, especially as a character who’s timid and insecure. All of the supporting cast did a great job, especially Lumi Cavazos, who played Inez, Anthony’s love interest.

Grade: A-

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SCORE
Again, we don’t hear a signature Wes Anderson score but Mark Mothersbaugh’s score is more than servicable here. The soundtrack pieces are more in the wheelhouse of Anderson, which was pretty good overall. However, the score is fine and works for what this film is trying to do.

Grade: B

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FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, Bottle Rocket not only introduced us to Wes Anderson, but also the Wilson brothers and it was a pretty good debut. While some of the middle was a bit muddled, the heist moments were fantastic and it’s a solid watch. You love these characters and the crazy situations they find themselves in. There are many great one-liners you can take away and the final sequence is hysterical. Solid debut film.

Overall Grade: B+

Movie Poll: Which Biblical epic will be better in 2014?

Coming out this weekend will be Darren Aronofsky’s Noah, which has already stirred up all kinds of controversy, but should be interesting nonetheless. Regardless of where Aronofsky takes his version of Noah, you can almost bet his creative freedom will be something to behold. The trailers have looked amazing and though the story may have not be word for word from the Bible, it looks like a ton of fun. On the flipside, coming out later this year is Ridley Scott’s huge Biblical epic, Exodus, starring Aaron Paul, Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton. Ridley Scott is no stranger to big movies, in fact, if you didn’t know that Aronofsky directed Noah, you’d think it was a Scott film. Exodus also has a huge cast which looks to be a huge treat, especially given some of the set photos out there.

That being said, both films should have many things to look forward to, despite your religious views. So, for this week’s movie poll, we want to know which Biblical epic you think will be better in 2014? Vote below and leave a comment in the comment section below to tell us why you picked what you did. Thanks for voting!

[yop_poll id=”50″]

Podcast: Top 3 Movie Mentor Characters

This week on the InSession Film Podcast, we reviewed Wes Anderson’s incredibly fun movie, The Grand Budapest Hotel, where we see Gustav mentor his new lobby boy. So going off that, we decided to look into our Top 3 Movie Mentor Characters. Having a mentor in your life to help guide you or train you is one of the smartest things you can do and in film we’ve seen many over the years. Some mentors have been wise older men, others have been wizards and some have been little green aliens that talk backwards. Mentors are important for helping our heroes learn that you won’t always win and you have to fight through adversity to get to the other site.

What movie mentors would make your list? Here are the one’s that made our list:

JD

1) Obie-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) – Star Wars
2) Master Chief Billy Sunday (Robert De Niro) – Men of Honor
3) Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman) – Almost Famous

Vern

1) Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) – Rushmore
2) Trent Walker (Vince Vaughn) – Swingers
3) Mark Hunter (Christian Slater) – Pump up the Voloume

Jonathan

1) Frosty Hesson (Gerard Butler) – Chasing Mavericks
2) Owen (Sam Rockwell) – The Way Way Back
3) Haymich (Woody Harrelson) – The Hunger Games

Honorable Mentions (Combined)

Morpheus – The Matrix, Mr. Miyagi – Karate Kid, Gandolf – The Lord of the Rings, Patches O’Houlihan – Dodgeball, Charles Xavier – X-Men, Ra’s Al Ghul – Batman Begins

Hopefully you guys enjoyed our lists and if you agree or disagree with us, let us know in the comment section below. There are many other movie mentors that we’ve left off the list here, so what would be your Top 3? 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: The Grand Budapest Hotel, Top 3 Movie Mentors, Bottle Rocket – Episode 57

This week on the InSession Film Podcast, Vern from Vern’s Videovanguard joins us as well as our good ole friend, Jonathan Berry, as we dive into Wes Anderson’s latest fun frenzy, The Grand Budapest Hotel, starring Ralph Fiennes and Tony Revolori. Going off of that, we discuss our Top 3 Movie Mentor Characters and we continue our Wes Anderson Movie Series with our review of Bottle Rocket, starring Luke and Owen Wilson. And as always, we discuss the films we got to see over the last week, including a really fun discussion on Divergent.

This was Vern’s first time on the InSession Film Podcast and he did a fantastic job, bringing some great insight into The Grand Budapest Hotel and Wes Anderson in general. Definitely be sure to go and check out his website. This was Jon’s third time on the podcast and it’s always a pleasure having him on, especially since he’s such a huge Wes Anderson fan. Both guests were very good and this week’s show was very fun, especially for those Anderson fans out there.

Anyway, we hope you have fun listening to this week’s podcast. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comment section below. Thanks for listening!

The Grand Budapest Hotel Movie Review (4:40)
    Grades
    JD: A
    Vern: B+
    Jonathan: A

Top 3 Movie Mentor Character (37:54)
Having a mentor in your life to help guide you or train you is one of the smartest things you can do and in film we’ve seen many over the years. Some mentors have been wise older men, others have been wizards and some have been little green aliens that talk backwards. Mentors are important for helping our heroes learn that you won’t always win and you have to fight through adversity to get to the other site.

That being said, which movie mentors would be your Top 3?

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RELATED: Listen to Episode 56 of the InSession Film Podcast!

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– Wes Anderson Movie Series: Bottle Rocket (1:05:35)
    Grades
    JD: B
    Vern: B
    Jonathan: B

– Movies We’ve Seen This Week
(1:24:37)
    JD: The Grand Budapest Hotel, Need for Speed, 300: Rise of an Empire, Minority Report, J. Edgar, Being John Malkovich, Divergent, Muppets Most Wanted
    Vern: The Grand Budapest Hotel, Badlands, Saving Mr. Banks
    Jonathan: The Grand Budapest Hotel, Divergent

– Music

    Canto At Gabelmeister’s Peak – Alexandre Desplat
    Star Wars Main Title – John Williams
    Zorro is Back – Oliver Onions
    We’re Doing A Sequel – The Muppets
    The Return of the Eagle – Atli Örvarsson

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InSession Film Podcast – Episode 57

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Next week on the show:
    Main Review – Noah
    Top 3 Religious Themed Characters
    Wes Anderson Movie Series – The Royal Tenenbaums

Noah Movie

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Help Support The InSession Film Podcast

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For more information or if you’d like to donate another way, please visit our Donate page here. 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!

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Movie Review: It’s Frog vs Frog in Muppets Most Wanted


Director: James Bobin
Writers: James Bobin, Nicholas Stoller
Stars: Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, Tina Fey

Synopsis: While on a grand world tour, The Muppets find themselves wrapped into an European jewel-heist caper headed by a Kermit the Frog look-alike and his dastardly sidekick.

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DIRECTION
James Bobin is back in the director’s chair once again for Muppets Most Wanted, his follow-up to The Muppets back in 2011. The first thing you’ll notice is that Bobin and his crew pick up right where they left off in 2011, where our beloved muppets are back together and trying to find their feet. Bobin once again reigns in nostalgia and brings us all the goofiness and silliness you’d expect from a Muppets movie. The musical numbers were riveting and well shot, which elevated many of the film’s bright spots. Bobin’s big win, however, had to have been the addition of Constantine, the world’s most dangerous frog and #1 criminal in the world. As a representation of the 80’s Russian bad-guy, Constantine was fun and used extremely well. If you peel back the layers, you’ll find references to Muppets Lore and the movie industry that creates more intrigue, but this is more of a film where you can shut off for a few hours and just have a little fun.

Grade: A-

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SCRIPT
The story picks up right after the events of The Muppets, when a camera is left behind after filming the last movie, thus revealing that there is a sequel to be made. It’s at this point, we hear our first song, We’re Doing A Sequel, which is quite possibly the most brilliant thing I’ve ever heard. The song itself is catchy, but the writing is beyond glorious taking jabs at the film industry and even Americans’ behavior to watching film. It’s not long before we’re introduced to Constantine, who escapes from The Gulag, one of Russia’s toughest prisons, finds Kermit and frame. The muppets then meet up with Dominic Badguy, posing as a tour manager but is really Constantine’s #2 and thus our plot is set in motion. As the muppets tour, Constantine and Dominic have their plans of stealing and finding a bigger treasure. In the middle of all that, Interpol and CIA agents, Jean Pierre Napoleon (Ty Burrell) and Sam Eagle (Eric Jacobson) have teamed up to investigate these acts of thievery, which include some of the most ridiculousness we’ve seen in a muppets movie. While many of the musical elements shine, the narrative is formulaic, predictable and dry at times. The elements surrounding Kermit in The Gulag are hit or miss, especially the character of Nadya, which is contrived at times. Despite some of these flaws, it’s still a very good time and the musical elements more than make up for any narrative issues.

Grade: B+

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RELATED: Divergent Review

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PERFORMANCES
Ricky Gervais shows stellar comedic timing and helps create an enthralling dynamic with Constantine, voiced by the great Matt Vogel, who was marvelous. Vogel not only voiced Constantine, but several other characters, as did Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta and David Rudman, whom all did a fantastic job with our fun muppet characters. While Tina Fey’s character could of been written better, she delivers a fun performance, Russian accent and all. As with all Muppets films, there are many cameos or small roles, which include Sean Combs, Lady Gaga, Zach Galifianakis, Salma Hayek, Josh Groban, Tom Hiddleston, Frank Langella, James McAvoy, Ray Liotta, Chloe Grace Moretz, Usher, Danny Trejo, Celine Dion, Christoph Waltz, Stanley Tucci and the list goes on.

Grade: A

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SCORE
While the musical numbers will overshadow the score in a big way here, Christophe Beck’s score isn’t terrible by any means, although it’s nothing special at the same time. In this case, not recognizing the score isn’t a terrible thing, given the nature of what this film is and the kind elements it has. Beck’s score is more than serviceable but will ultimately won’t be the main attraction.

Grade: B

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FINAL THOUGHTS
Muppets Most Wanted is a strong piece of work in many ways, especially the musical pieces and the nostolgia it dives into, but suffers from a formulaic plot and gags that are either hit or miss. Kids will most likely have a ball with this film and if you’re a parent, that’s really all you can ask for. Some of the writing is magnificent, especially towards the beginning, but it fizzles in the 2nd half and doesn’t quite live up to Bobin’s first take at these beloved muppet characters. Still worth a watch though.

Overall Grade: B+

Movie Review: The Grand Budapest Hotel


Director: Wes Anderson
Writers: Stefan Zweig (inspired by the works of), Wes Anderson
Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, F. Murray Abraham, Jude Law

Synopsis: The adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend.

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INTRO
You had me at Wes Anderson.

DIRECTION
Wes Anderson is at it again in The Grand Budapest Hotel with his unique, goofy visual style that may be his most intricate yet. As you can imagine, it will either draw you in or push you away very quickly. His aesthetic, while cartoony, is beautiful and seems to have an extra flair in Grand Budapest, which serves what he’s trying to do well. Anderson uses several different aspect ratios for the different time periods we are thrown into, which was an interesting touch and served the nostalgic feeling Anderson was going for. His camerawork, along with his crazy backdrops, was creative and very much what I would call “Wes Anderson”, meaning it’s a punchline in some cases. In some sequences, Anderson even goes from live-action to stop-motion and the way Anderson blends that is beyond brilliant. On top of that, the fun, energetic score Anderson curates from Desplat makes those scenes feel like some sort of high. I wouldn’t say this is Anderson’s best film, but The Grand Budapest Hotel is a magic blend that is visually enhanced and will surly be more than satisfying for those that like Anderson’s style.

Grade: A

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SCRIPT
The script for Grand Budapest isn’t all zany and goofy as the trailer made it out to be, as there are darker layers and themes explored here. Don’t get me wrong though, it’s still very cartoony in all the best Anderson-glorified ways as possible. The story is framed as a story being told within a story. We start in modern day as a girl starts to read a book entitled, The Grand Budapest Hotel and then we flashback to 1985 where the author (Jude Law) of that book re-tells the story of how he came to write it. We then flashback again to 1968, where the author is much younger and is staying at a run-down Grand Budapest Hotel. He meets an older Mr. Moustafa, who sits down with the author to tell him how he came into possession of the hotel, which flashback’s us once again to 1932, where most of the story takes place. It’s there we meet Gustave (Ralph Fiennes), the manager of this prestigious hotel, and his new lobby boy, Zero (Tony Revolori). Gustave is a magnetic character who is just as self-serving as he his guest-serving, taking advantage of all the rich, old woman that stay at his hotel. When one of them is mysteriously murdered, he’s blamed for it and thus the explosion that moves our story forward. While this script mostly works as a crime-dramedy, it’s also part heist film and character piece. Both those elements are prominent and at times are the driving force. However, most of the narrative surrounds Gustave having to prove his innocence with the help of Zero and how those two form an unlikely bond that is compelling and even genuine. The story deals with death, the tragedy of nostalgia and the effects that can have on people as well, all while mixed in with this stimulating comedic work. It may not be all happy-go-lucky, but there’s depth on several layers that is elegant in all the ways Anderson can bring.

Grade: A-

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RELATED: Divergent Review

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PERFORMANCES
Ralph Fiennes and Tony Revolori are brilliant. Their chemistry was quintessential and made for perfect comedic timing. From their goofy actions to their potent dialogue, these guys were definitely on their A-game is just about every faction. F. Murray Abraham and Jude Law had small roles but were great when they needed to be. Adrien Brody and Willem Dafoe were polarizing in their roles, especially Dafoe. His chase of Jeff Goldblum was Hitchcock-esque and the mountain ski chase was a ton of fun, making for a perfect moment when that scene crystallized. Anderson threw in a bunch of small cameos, which was just about everyone he’s ever worked with before and they were all great. Simply, it was a ton of fun.

Grade: A+

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SCORE
What can you say about Alexandre Desplat? The man is a genius, especially when working with Wes Anderson. His score here almost works as another character and is a crucial piece to Anderson’s extravagant style. The music is fun and has a lot of energy, even in the smaller parts of the film. The score is always moving, creating the sense of urgency this narrative has. It was absolutely gorgeous in every way and is a fun listen to outside of the film. Definitely one of Desplat’s best.

Grade: A+

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FINAL THOUGHTS
The Grand Budapest Hotel is hilarious on all accounts and filled with incredible performances that is sure to please all the Anderson fans out there. Some elements of the story didn’t blend perfectly, especially when the tone suddenly changed halfway through, but it’s also never distracting. As with all Anderson films, you either love his crazy style or not. For those that do, you’ll enjoy what this film has to offer.

Overall Grade: A

Movie Review: Divergent


Director: Neil Burger
Writers: Evan Daugherty (screenplay), Vanessa Taylor (screenplay)
Stars: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet

Synopsis: In a world divided by factions based on virtues, Tris learns she’s Divergent and won’t fit in. When she discovers a plot to destroy Divergents, Tris and the mysterious Four must find out what makes Divergents dangerous before it’s too late.

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INTRO
Aeriel shots of a futuristic yet decaying Chicago. Music playing in the background. Residents are divided into different factions: Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless and Erudite. Beatrice goes in for her Aptitude test to determine the fact she best fits in. Her results are inconclusive and she is told she is suited for more than one faction. Beatriz is told she is “Divergent”.

DIRECTION
Reviewing these types of films is always a challenge for critics, as we are not the target demographic. Earlier, this month I placed Divergent on my worst list for March because of the failure of movies like Mortal Instruments, Vampire Academy and The Host. Divergent to me is not a perfect film by any means but it does a lot of things well. Most of the problems with it lie on the director Neil Burger and the screenwriters Evan Daugherty and Vanessa Taylor, for difficulties translating from book to screen. Divergent runs about 2 hours and 19 minutes, yet only get a brief background on the circumstances surrounding the Prior family so when things start happening, it does not really elect a response from the non-book readers. The film seems to dwell too much into the plot as our main character is able to figure out everything that she needed to and resolve the issues all before the credits end. I would have wanted more background on maybe why the cities are divided anyways as well as why the city is decaying. If you are going to have a running time of 140 minutes answering a few of this would have been great, if not then cut the film down by a few minutes. The production design could have been better as this Chicago does not really seem to keep up with the emotion the film is trying to capture. Most of the reviews for this film are negative because it is compared too often to The Hunger Games. I understand the comparison, but every book or film has some idea that was rooted from something else. I think Divergent is off to a great start primarily on the strong roles of Shailene Woodley and Theo James and all other issues such as plot gaps, production can all be fixed in the next installment.

Grade: C

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SCRIPT
In the quick opening, we get a background of the various factions: Abnegation, meant for the selfless; Amity, meant for the peaceful; Candor, meant for the honest; Dauntless, meant for the brave; and Erudite, meant for the Intelligent. Beatrice (Shailene Woodley) and her family are currently in the Abnegation faction. Beatrice knew she never quite fit in with her faction’s selfless nature and when she takes her aptitude test we realize why she does not solely fit into Abnegation. When Choosing Day arrives, both Caleb (Ansel Elgort) and Beatrice shock the entire community when they choose new factions. Caleb selects the snobbish Erudite faction, led by the power-hungry Jeanine Matthews (Kate Winslet). Beatrice, chooses the Dauntless, which for some odd reason, they run everywhere and dress like a mix between a S.H.E.I.L.D agent and a Hot Topic employee. Once she starts initiation, Beatrice then chooses the new name “Tris”. The vast majority of the film takes place in the Dauntless faction where the initiates have to go through extensive training and hand-to-hand combat to determine who has what it takes to be Dauntless. And what is a young adult novel without a love interest? Four (Theo James) is the man takes a liking to Tris, giving her looks that only a R. Kelly song could have given justice to. Four looks after her, especially from a dull Jai Courtney, who plays Eric. In between the Nicholas Sparks style romance, a power struggle is deepen between the Erudites and Abnegation, and Tris soon figures out why being a nonconforming Divergent could prove so perilous.

Grade: B

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RELATED: Nymphomaniac: Part I Review

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PERFORMANCES
Right away we can already get a Hunger Games sense from this film and as it goes along the same themes of corruption and government rebellion from The Hunger Games also ties in to this film. The similarities do not stop there as both young adult novels have strong female characters. Much of the success of Hunger Games is the strong character of Katniss, backed by the terrific acting of Jennifer Lawrence. Divergent’s female protagonist is Beatrice Pryor, later known as Tris, played by the lovely and talented Shailene Woodley. Woodley did an outstanding job in The Spectular Now, and many will wonder if she has the on-screen presence to carry a film of this magnitude. Most critics are quick to bash her performance but I on the other hand, think she did a fantastic job and every scene with her was never a dull moment. Woodley had natural chemistry with Theo James and I admire her for getting in there and not getting afraid to get her hands dirty. We know all about Katniss’ story, but what she does in Divergent is special. What Divergent does well is having Tris, actually use hard-work and dedication to move up the ranks in Dauntless. Besides Woodley and James, Miles Teller, although brief, delivers a nice change of pace performance as Peter. Zoe Kravitz, Ansel Elgort, Maggie Q, and Christian Madsen all do good work as the various people who either help or harm Tris as she tries to figure out things.

Grade: A

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SCORE
The score by Junkie XL, works well for this type of film and playing songs be Ellie Goulding fits perfectly with the film. Junkie XL has some pretty good work coming out lately and this isn’t any different. Good stuff.

Grade: A

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FINAL THOUGHTS
Divergent will learn from its mistakes for the next film, but I am all in on this series. Woodley, I am glad that you delivered in this role and I think Tris could beat Katniss is a test of wills. Divergent, I am sorry that I wrote you off before giving you a chance. The only question left to be answered is if this film can surpass its 85 million dollar budget. I am sure the fan base is big enough but for every once else that is unsure I hope my review can help you decide to see this film because it is a highly enjoyable film that Twilight should have been.

Overall Grade: B

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sutgWjz10sM]

Movie Series Review: Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson)


Director: Wes Anderson
Writers: Roald Dahl (novel), Wes Anderson (screenplay)
Stars: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray

Synopsis: An urbane fox cannot resist returning to his farm raiding ways and then must help his community survive the farmers’ retaliation.

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DIRECTION
Wes Anderson is known for his strange, yet beautiful worlds that he loves to build and his stop-motion animated film, Fantastic Mr. Fox was no exception. The world Anderson creates is alive, intriguing and one full of dangerous life. It’s a world where the animals interact with humans like humans and cuss like it’s nobody’s business. At first, “strange” is a word that barely begins to describe this wonderful piece of filmmaking, but the more you dive into it, you realize that atypical is actually the norm. The parallel worlds Anderson creates from humans to animals is compelling and when they collide it’s even more fascinating. The story is touching and the performances are fantastic and are elevated even higher by an an incredibly fun and energetic score. This is Anderson at his finest.

Grade: A+

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SCRIPT
Fantastic Mr. Fox is a charming story that is full of interesting themes and characters that is sure to satisfy both young and old alike. Oh, and it’s absolutely hilarious. The dialogue is witty and extremely clever, especially when it comes to “cuss” words and makes for some unforgettable dynamics. The story centers around Mr. Fox, who used to steal birds from farmers until his wife became pregnant, and is now a newspaper journalist. However, when he learns of three farmers nearby he can’t resist his natural instincts to steal hens and chickens, which leads him into an adventure that involves his friends and family would like to soon forget. The farmers take notice and come after Mr. Fox, which changes the entire landscape of their world, but also pushes them into new emotional territory. Mr. Fox learns what it means to fight for his family and that being aware of the people around him is an underrated value. I see you Mr. Fox. He also learns though his son that being different is okay and that being weird is a value people can appreciate. Perhaps a nod toward Anderson himself, eh? Either way, it’s one heck of a time. Oh, and I found out what the fox does say, and it’s “cuss”.

Grade: A+

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RELATED: Veronica Mars Movie Review

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PERFORMANCES
George Clooney is terrific as Mr. Fox and his charming personality was perfect for this role. His charisma was exactly what this ingredient needed and his chemistry with Meryl Streep couldn’t of been more perfect. However, his scenes with Bill Murray is really what stole the show. There weren’t enough dynamics between the two of them, but when it happened, it was guaranteed entertainment. Jason Schwartzman was terrific as Ash and Eric Chase Anderson was even better as Kristofferson.

Grade: A

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SCORE
This is arguably Alexandre Desplat’s best score, or at least it’s up there. It’s full of energy and life, which elevates every scene. Whether it was fox’s digging through the dirt or stealing chickens on a far, every element of the score was perfect and added a nice touch to the film. The melodies are beautiful and extremely engaging. If you’re not smiling and having a good time with this, you need to get a stress ball or something. This is great music.

Grade: A+

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FINAL THOUGHTS
Fantastic Mr. Fox is one of Wes Anderson’s best films, if you like his style and crazy aesthetics that is. Of course, he’s not for everyone, but his unique style shines in this film and makes for a fun two hours. While Anderson does explore some adult-ish themes, there is plenty here that children will love too, even if it’s for it’s goofy music and fun characters. This is a highly recommended film.

Overall Grade: A+

Movie Poll: What’s your favorite Wes Anderson film?

This week on our movie poll, with The Grand Budapest Hotel coming out this weekend, we simply want to know what is your favorite Wes Anderson film? Wes Anderson has developed a unique style over the years with this interesting camera techniques, his upbeat and sometimes silly musical choices and his crazy comedic bits. He’s become one of those directors that you either love or probably just can’t stand. Either way, we’d like to know what your favorite Anderson film is and feel free to share why in the comments below.

Also, be sure to stay tuned to the InSession Film Podcast as we are starting a brand new Wes Anderson Movie Series starting this week on the show. It should be a lot of fun as we get to know Anderson better and hopefully persuade those who may not understand his style and why it works most of the time.

Let us know your favorite, vote here!
[yop_poll id=”49″]

In case you’ve been under a rock, here’s the awesome trailer for The Grand Budapest Hotel, which looks pretty good!

Podcast: Top 3 Movie Detectives

This week on the InSession Film Podcast, we reviewed the fun, crime-mystery film, Veronica Mars, where Veronica once again comes back to her PI detective days. Film nior, mystery, and crime movies have been around forever and we’ve always needed detectives to figure out the truth and to set things straight. Movie detectives come in many different styles and there are a ton of them that rise to the top. These characters are fun and compelling, and it’s some of best fun you’ll have at the movies. Many of these characters have a ton of depth, and when you peel back the layers, there so much more going on which only makes the films these characters in even more exciting.

What movie detectives would make your list? Here are the one’s that made our list:

JD

1) Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) – Chinatown
2) John McClane (Bruce Willis) – Die Hard
3) Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) – Hot Fuzz

Chris

1) Sherlock Holmes (In General)
2) Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) – Blade Runner
3) Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) – Chinatown

Nate

1) Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) – Sherlock
2) Chief John Anderson (Tom Cruise) – Minority Report
3) William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) – Se7en

Honorable Mentions (Combined)

Matthew McConaghey/Woody Harrelson – True Detective, Jim Carrey – Ace Ventura, Tommy Lee Jones – The Fugitive, Humphry Bogart – The Maltese Falcon

Hopefully you guys enjoyed our lists and if you agree or disagree with us, let us know in the comment section below. What movie detectives did we leave off that you would have on your list? 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: Veronica Mars, Top 3 Movie Detectives, Fantastic Mr. Fox – Episode 56

This week on the InSession Film Podcast, Chris from the GeekScholars Movie News podcast joins us the show as well as an old familiar voice in former co-host and co-founder of InSession Film, Nate Parsons. We finally get to review the fan, crowd-funded film Veronica Mars, starring Kristen Bell, which was a great conversation. Going off of that, we discuss our Top 3 Movie Detectives, which covered a big range of characters. We finally started our Wes Anderson Movie Series with our review of his fun, animated film, Fantastic Mr. Fox, starring George Clooney, Bill Murray and a ton of others as well. And per usual, we finish of the show with movies we got to see over the last week.

Please continue to be keeping Blake in your thoughts as he continues to recover from his illness. He’s getting better and better but still has a little ways to go and we truly appreciate your support as he goes through this. However, Chris and Nate were fabulous guests as they are huge fans of the Veronica Mars TV show, which gave great contrast to our discussion. Please be sure to follow both of them on Twitter.

Anyway, we hope you have fun listening to this week’s podcast. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comment section below. Thanks for listening!

Veronica Mars Movie Review (4:40)
    Grades
    JD: B
    Nate: A
    Chris: A

Top 3 Movie Detectives (27:38)
Film nior, mystery, and crime movies have been around forever and we’ve always needed detectives to figure out the truth and to set things straight. Movie detectives come in many different styles and there are a ton of them that rise to the top. These characters are fun and compelling, which make it some of best fun you’ll have at the movies. Many of these characters have a ton of depth and when you peel back the layers, there so much more going on, which only makes the films these characters in even more exciting.

That being said, what would be your Top 3?

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RELATED: Listen to Episode 55 of the InSession Film Podcast!

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– Wes Anderson Movie Series: Fantastic Mr. Fox (46:41)
    Grades
    JD: A
    Nate: B
    Chris: A

– Movies We’ve Seen This Week
(59:46)
    JD: Veronica Mars, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Nymphomaniac: Vol 1, Nymphomaniac: Vol 2, 300, X-Men: First Class, Life After Pi, Godzilla (’98), Turbo, Chinatown, Spirited Away, Epic, Thor: The Dark World, All Hail The King
    Chris: Veronica Mars, Need for Speed, Star Trek: Continues
    Nate: Veronica Mars, 12 Years a Slave, All is Lost, Ender’s Game

– Music

    I Turn My Camera On – Spoon
    The End? – Hans Zimmer
    Whack-Bat – Alexandre Desplat
    Thor: The Dark World – Brian Tyler
    The Return of the Eagle – Atli Örvarsson

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InSession Film Podcast – Episode 56

Video Review: Veronica Mars

Years after walking away from her past as a teenage private eye, Veronica Mars gets pulled back to her hometown – just in time for her high school reunion – in order to help her old flame Logan Echolls, who’s embroiled in a murder mystery. Veronica Mars is directed by Rob Thomas and stars Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring and Enrico Colantoni.

Subscribe to InSession Film on YouTube! You can also see the rest of our video reviews here.

Video Review: Need for Speed

Fresh from prison, a street racer who was framed by a wealthy business associate joins a cross country race with revenge in mind. His ex-partner, learning of the plan, places a massive bounty on his head as the race begins. Need for Speed, directed by Scott Waugh, stars Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, Michael Keaton, and Scott Mescudi aka Kid Cudi.

Subscribe to Second Rate Report on YouTube! You can also see the rest of Jon’s video reviews here.

Movie Review: Veronica Mars


Director: Rob Thomas
Writers: Rob Thomas (screenplay), Diane Ruggiero (screenplay)
Stars: Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Enrico Colantoni

Synopsis: Years after walking away from her past as a teenage private eye, Veronica Mars gets pulled back to her hometown – just in time for her high school reunion – in order to help her old flame Logan Echolls, who’s embroiled in a murder mystery.

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INTRO
I must preface that I have not seen the TV show. So, while I’m not a Marshmallow, I’m also not a hater by any means. I’m just an outsider who got a first taste on the franchise during the film.

DIRECTION
Well after a long wait, Rob Thomas and his crew are back as they take Veronica Mars from the small screen to the big one. Fans of the TV show will more than likely fall in back in love right away. The opening is a montage of old clips as Kristen Bell walks us through where they’ve been and what is the latest happenings on everyone. Thomas is trying hard not to exclude non-fans and sets up the story well for the most part. However, if you’re an outsider, you’re always a little distant as it feels mostly like a continuation of sorts, which can be ambiguous at times. Thomas uses lots of inside jokes that fans will surely love though. And let’s be honest, the fans paid for this project, so catering to them was not a bad idea at all. The use of voice-over, silly innuendo’s and mystery made for a great time, which I’ve been assured is just how the show felt. Plus, anytime you can get James Franco can make a cameo putting on skinny jeans, you’re okay in my book.

Grade: B+

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SCRIPT
Well it’s been ten years since the last time people saw Veronica Mars do anything exciting and since then, she’s mostly just moping around, going to law school and trying to figure out what to do with her life. She’s also dating “Piz”, someone who I’m sure fans of the show will know more about. It’s not long before we find out that her ex-flame, Logan Echolls, is accused of murder and Veronica’s PI addiction comes running back. From there we see Veronica do her thing, leaving a wake of consequences behind her, something she knew would happen. The mystery of this story is solid and compelling as this environment could bring. However, Thomas’ script leaves little room for supporting characters and some sub-plots are left unattended too, which took the air out of them. Veronica’s love arcs, both of them, are not very believable and needed more depth to add any value (maybe the show provided some of that? Help me out fans). The dialogue they create though, is very funny, clever and used perfectly through and through. Thomas does a great job of blending humor with dramatic elements making the mystery very stimulating.

Grade: B+

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RELATED: Nymphomaniac: Part I Review

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PERFORMANCES
Kristen Bell was fantastic as Veronica, as you could imagine, and really carried the film well. Bell can be hit or miss for me, but she was solid in this role. And she really needed to be as all the other supporting characters are very small and mostly shallow, except for Jason Dohring as Logan and Enrico Colantoni has some great scenes as Veronica’s dad. Again, haven’t seen the show, but did not buy Dohring in his role very much. Perhaps true to character, but from a first glance, he’s dull, subdued and mostly mundane throughout the film. And he’s a murder suspect? Certainly didn’t feel that way. Colantoni added some nice moments as did Chris Lowell as Piz, however his story arc ended abruptly that didn’t feel genuine. Most of the other supporting characters were fine though and did what was needed. James Franco, Justin Long, Dax Shepard and Max Greenfield were a nice surprise cameos that were terrific as well.

Grade: A-

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SCORE
Josh Kramon, who scored the original TV series, came back as well to give us the music for the film. Usually this is one of my favorite elements of film, however, this score was mostly subdued, boring at times and very generic. The ending sequence and some mystery elements were good but outside of that, it’s very forgettable.

Grade: C

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FINAL THOUGHTS
Veronica Mars, from an outside perspective, is a little ambiguous at times and will leave you with some questions to annoy your friends with who do know the show. Some story arcs were not handled well and it’s really just the Kristen Bell show. That being said, this is still a fun movie. The mystery elements were fun and the overall story is pretty good that will leave you engaged throughout the film. It’s obvious they are catering to the fans though, who I’m sure will just have a ball with this film. If you’re a Marshmallow, the inside jokes and jabs at the original show will be fun and to see all these characters come back I’m sure was a treat.

Overall Grade: B

Movie Review: Need for Speed


Director: Scott Waugh
Writers: George Gatins
Stars: Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Scott Mescudi, Michael Keaton

Synopsis: Fresh from prison, a street racer who was framed by a wealthy business associate joins a cross country race with revenge in mind. His ex-partner, learning of the plan, places a massive bounty on his head as the race begins.

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INTRO
The year was 1994 and like most young boys I was excited for the release of Need for Speed. Need for Speed was a great game series and as it evolved it still dealt with the same premise that Speed was the key to success. Since Need for Speed, there has been other successful car games such as Gran Tourism. It’s not as easy as creating films about cars using fast and furious and Getaway as prime example of the good and the downright awful. As soon as I saw found out Need for Speed was being adapted to a feature film, I was ready to write this movie off.

DIRECTION
I first want to start off saying that this film owes me an apology. It promised to be something new and different, when it is as bad as the pairing of Hemsworth and Kristen Stewart. The first gear to NFS is an absolute disaster and takes way too long to try to establish a conflict. The dialogue is terrible at best and we are introduced to too many characters quickly where you become uninterested. Director Scott Waugh, gets very high praise for the practical effect stunts. Every car chase, crash, and race is performed with real stunt drivers without the use of CGI (Thank God). You mix that, with the some of the best looking cars in the world it will get you excited if you are a car fanatic, I would advise to bring a change of underwear. Too bad none of this matters when you get a headache from the lousy camera angles.

Grade: C

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SCRIPT
Aarpn Paul stars as Tobey Marshall, an auto-mechanic, who has a knack for illegal street racing. Marshall races to pay off debts accumulated by his shop because nobody is a fan of Pimp My Ride. What’s a racing movie without two standout racers? Dominic Cooper, stars as Dino Brewster, a rich sociopath who must win at all costs. Despite his skills in the upgrade game, Dino decides to show up one day and offer Tobey a deal of lifetime. Tempers flare when Justin Beiber lookalike, Pete (Harrison Gilbertson), burst out that Marshall is the superior racer after Marshall test drove a Mustang they build as a demo. In typical Beiber fashion, he begs to join the race and from there you can imagine what happens. Ultimately, for me where the film fails is in the premise itself. How does traveling from New York to California to compete in an undisclosed race help avenge a death and your wrongful jail time? I understand it’s a movie but logically this just does not make any sense at all. By street racing again on parole it is obvious that you will go to jail again if caught. The plot is very predictable and of course in every racing scene with Tobey and Dino is done so that every other “racer” is a space filler.

Grade: D

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RELATED: Nymphomaniac: Part I Review

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PERFORMANCES
Most of the bad acting and dialogue came from a Justin Beiber look-a-like. Every scene that Pete was in was as dull as Stewart’s facial expressions. Imogen Poots, I do however owe an apology to. I criticized her performance in The Awkward Moment and in the beginning of this movie, it was very awkward to see her on screen. As the movie progressed, Poots proved to be more than a pretty face as she showed great comedic timing and made you believe in her role. Aaron Paul gives a decent enough performance to get you to root for him and he has great chemistry with Poots (sorry Zac Efron). Michael Keaton, played the role of Monarch with great ease as he never acted onscreen with anybody. Keaton was able to get the movie interesting with his witty and upbeat commentary.

Grade: C

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SCORE
The beautiful thing about any racing film is that pretty much any type of music with a good beat will suffice so Nathan Furst had to find the right mixes and he accomplish that. The film features music by LInkin Park and Kid Cudi.

Grade: B

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FINAL THOUGHTS
If Need for Speed’s intend was for it to be what Getaway was supposed to be, than it succeeded. If NFS was trying to be its own movie, then it failed miserably. If you are expecting this to be anything like Fast and The Furious, then sorry BOO-BOO.

Overall Grade: C

Movie Review: Nymphomaniac Part 2


Director: Lars von Trier
Writers: Lars von Trier
Stars: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård, Stacy Martin, Shia LaBeouf

Synopsis: The continuation of Joe’s sexually dictated life delves into the darker aspects of her adult life and what led to her being in Seligman’s care.

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DIRECTION
In Nymphomaniac: Vol I, Lars von Trier throws us into the world of sex addiction in the way only von Trier can do. Part II however, while not as graphic overall, takes a deeper, darker turn. Von Trier continues the flashback story device but kicks it up a notch it terms of maturity and brokenness. The film overall seems more grey in terms of aesthetic and the ambiance becomes very bleak. However, even in it’s bleakness, von Trier uses brilliant dialogue and metaphors that is gripping and sometimes even visually appealing. Part II, while more dark, was still fluid in terms of telling this story, until the third act, which becomes something that Hollywood would be proud of. The film turns into something more contrived and feels very out of place, leaving a feeling of disappointment and a bad taste in your mouth.

Grade: B+

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SCRIPT
The script for Nymphomaniac: Part II is a bit twofold, which may work for some, but oveall feels a bit distant. The first two acts continue the brilliance of telling this story of addiction, how insecurity and lonliness become driving factors and then drives it off of a cliff. Joe continues her struggle as things become worse and worse. She starts to lose the feeling of pleasure and this leaves her more desperate than ever. She becomes careless and eventually becomes pregnant. Even with a child, one you can tell she adores, she does everything in her power to bring her pleasure back and this is always her main focus. The repercussions of neglect are never on her mind until it becomes too late. Sex therapy, counseling and support groups are explored in some fascinating ways as you see the addiction start to eat her alive. At times her fight is pure and strong, but it’s the mental fight that von Trier explores that’s very compelling. Well, at least until the third act arrives. At this point, von Trier…goes Hollywood? Everything up to this point felt natural and authentic while bathing arduousness and bleakness, which was anything but mundane. However, the last act is contrived, shallow and feel extremely forced, especially the last few sequences of the film. It felt so out of left field for this story and yet it feels so familiar and stereotypical.

Grade: B

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RELATED: Nymphomaniac: Part I Review

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PERFORMANCES
Charlotte Gainsbourg and Stacy Martin once again do a fabulous job bringing this story to life and despite some scripting issues, they shine through and through. Gainsbourg gets out of the bed more in this one and we see her in some more depressing scenes, which she delivers on well. Stellan Skarsgård as Seligman is fantastic once again. His character, well I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll just say he does a great job. And Mr. I’m Not Famous Anymore does a solid job as well, although he doesn’t have much to do. Say what you want, but LaBeouf can act if he wants to, despite his mental loss.

Grade: A

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SCORE
Once again von Trier uses no original score, but uses some nice classical pieces that fill the music spaces very well. The music in this setting isn’t as prominent, given the content we are ingesting. However, there are some scenes where the music shines and is used well to bring those certain moments to life. Overall, there’s good stuff here if you pay attention enough to hear it.

Grade: A-

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FINAL THOUGHTS
Nymphomaniac Part 2 isn’t quite as strong as Part 1, which was disappointing but there are some strong elements here that make it interesting. To see a women’s life just continue to fall apart is depressing but what does it say about the choices we make and how to seek help if we need to? Those themes are explored well through the first two-thirds of the film and the dynamics she has with everyone in her life shines a light on why addiction is something to be taken seriously. The final sequences though, just took the air out of the tires. It was like driving a race car in first place but as you’re about to cross the finish line to win, you slam the car up against the wall for no reason. Just didn’t seem to fit the rest of the film at all. (Slight Spoiler) Given Joe’s life, it’s not surprising and it’s something you see coming a mile away.

Overall Grade: B

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