This week on Episode 209 of the InSession Film Podcast, we continued our year-by-year retrospectives by taking a look at 2008. Coming off the heels of 2007, which some would argue is one of the best years in the modern era for film, 2008 could feel like a let down. However, it was a massive year for film overall. Mainstream Hollywood especially had an incredible year. The superhero genre took the world by storm, it was a fantastic year for comedies and also a significant year for foreign films. So, there was a lot to choose from for a Top 10 list and we conjured some great films for this discussion.
On #209 we only discussed our Top 5 movies of 2008, so be sure to listen to the show to hear us discuss why these particular films were the very best of that year. However, as you’ll see below, we have listed our full Top 20 lists from 2008.
JD
1) Wendy and Lucy
2) Wall-E
3) Synecdoche, New York
4) Hunger
5) Rachel Getting Married
6) The Dark Knight
7) Frozen River
8) Let the Right One In
9) In Bruges
10) Man on Wire
11) I’ve Loved You So Long
12) Shotgun Stories
13) The Wrestler
14) Tropic Thunder
15) Waltz with Bashir
16) Frost/Nixon
17) Forgetting Sarah Marshall
18) Flight of the Red Balloon
19) Happy-Go-Lucky
20) Iron Man
Brendan
1) The Wrestler
2) Synecdoche, New York
3) Wall-E
4) 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
5) Let the Right One In
6) Hunger
7) In Bruges
8) I’ve Loved You So Long
9) Wendy and Lucy
10) The Dark Knight
11) Frozen River
12) Man on Wire
13) Forgetting Sarah Marshall
14) The Class
15) Rachel Getting Married
16) Frost/Nixon
17) Vicky Cristina Barcelona
18) Shotgun Stories
19) A Christmas Tale
20) Iron Man
Aaron
1) Let the Right One In
2) The Wrestler
3) Man on Wire
4) Wendy and Lucy
5) JCVD
6) Synecdoche, New York
7) In Bruges
8) Rachel Getting Married
9) Forgetting Sarah Marshal
10) Pntypool
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 contenders from 2008 that battled for our lists, that just missed the cut. That being said, what would be your Top 10? Leave a comment in the comment section or email us at [email protected].
This week’s episode is brought to you by Patreon.com and our great listener’s like you! Sign up today and thanks for your support!
This week on the InSession Film Podcast, Aaron Pinkston from The Cinessential joins us as we continue our year-by-year retrospective series, this time diving into the great year that was 2008. We start off by reviewing Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight and finish off the show by discussing our Top 5 films of 2008.
Huge thanks to Aaron for joining us this week, he was a wonderful guest and it was a pleasure to finally have him on the show. Also, we ask for forgiveness in advance for the length of this show. Once we got into our Top 5 picks, we were too excited and couldn’t help ourselves. We had a lot of fun discussing the best movies of 2008 though, and we hope you enjoy the conversation despite its length. Be sure to send us your Top 10 of 2008, we would love to see your picks as well.
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 Dark Knight Movie Review (9:12) Grades
JD: A
Brendan: A
Aaron: A-
– Top 5 Films of 2008 – Picks #5 / #4 / #3 (47:43)
Coming off the heels of 2007, which some would argue is one of the best years in the modern era, 2008 could feel like a let down. However, it was a massive year for film overall. Mainstream Hollywood especially had an incredible year. The superhero genre took the world by storm, it was a fantastic year for comedies and it was a significant year for foreign films. So, there was a lot to choose from for a Top 10 list and we had some great films in our lists. For this segment, we discussed our 5-3 movies of 2008.
– Top 5 Films of 2008 – Picks #2 / #1 (2:01:03)
To finish off our 2008 retrospective, we discussed our #2 and #1 films of the year. We topped off the discussion by naming our 6-10 selections, rounding out our Top 10, as well as a few other honorable mentions and first time watches we experienced prepping for this show.
On that note, what would be your top 10 movies of 2008?
Main Review: Get Out
Discussion: 2017 Oscar Predictions
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Help Support The InSession Film Podcast
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Director: James Mangold Writers: James Mangold (story by), Scott Frank (screenplay) Stars: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Dafne Keen
Synopsis: In the near future, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X in a hide out on the Mexican border. But Logan’s attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are up-ended when a young mutant arrives, being pursued by dark forces.
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Let’s just get straight to the point. Logan is battling out against other Marvel films as the greatest Marvel film ever made. In fact, it’s battling out as the greatest comic book movie ever made. Standing against the shoulders of giants like Watchmen, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and The Dark Knight, Logan has achieved exactly what it set out to achieve. A dark, gritty, violent, emotional tale about a fictional world. Setting aside the “comic book” aspects, Logan achieves beauty through violence and despair.
An old and ever fading Logan (Hugh Jackman) is taking care of a rather ill Professor-X (Patrick Stewart). While attempting to lay low, Logan is intertwined with a young mutant whom has some eerily similar traits to him. Logan is then forced to escort this mutant to a place known only as Eden while being chased by a dark and all too familiar force. Making for a unique and interesting set up, Logan is the perfect set up to a masterpiece of a film.
What is incredible about Logan is that it almost ignores the fact that it is a comic book film. The filmmakers throw us into the world that the story takes place in, and leaves us there to discover the world for ourselves. The environment of the film is so incredibly intimate and serious that we forget we are watching a movie that involves superpowers and the acknowledgment of the supernatural. James Mangold creates a universe massively different than previous X-Men films, making it almost immediately easy to enjoy.
The other aspect that sets apart Logan from other films is the action. The action isn’t necessarily different or coming from a new angle, but it vigorously embraces the violence and gore. Logan is a bloody disgusting mess that makes you cringe and squirm with every on-screen death. If Logan is anything, it is definitely an incredible lecture on the human anatomy. Contorting and annihilating every nook and crevice of the human body, it is almost on par with some of the Saw films. Forcing you to look away at certain moments and vocally proclaim how disturbed you are, the action is over-the-top and non-stop. Among the many things that Deadpool brought us that we are thankful for, the biggest of all was the permission of an R-Rated Wolverine film.
Another thing that separates Logan from other comic book films are the performances. Jackman and Stewart have always been talented actors, so it was always disappoining when we had to watch them play these characters in the previous X-Men films, since they were mostly limited. But now, they are allowed the freedom to proclaim their range as actors in this world, making us realize how connected we actually are with these characters. As a result, we can physically feel the pain and suffering the two of them are feeling. Additionally, there are a couple different relationships we receive in Logan. One being a mentor and his protege with Professor X and Logan, and the other a father-daughter style relationship with Logan and the young mutant. Professor X has clearly not lost his faith in the world that they live in, but Logan is persistent in reminding him that it is not what they think it is.
Logan has become a cranky old man, focused solely on how quickly he can possibly end his own life while still caring for Professor X. After all, Logan does owe quite a bit to Professor X. The professor took Logan in when no one else would and gave him a family, which is the only thing Logan has ever seemed to long for. However, like all previous times, the presence of Logan only brings pain and suffering to those around him.
The young mutant, Laura, has a much different relationship with Logan. She almost refuses to speak with him for the first 3/4 of the film, and operates solely through dense facial expressions. Logan feels obligated to care for Laura and carry out on the task he has accepted but still is reluctant. He knows if he becomes attached that it can only end poorly, but Laura accepts this trait. She sticks with Logan, trusting him even. The character interaction is absolutely stellar in Logan, some of the best among a comic book film.
Logan, for better or worse, ignores its comic book roots, and stands simply as an incredible film focused on relationships. Tossing aside the cartoon, childish energy and instead channeling something that is serious, dark and violent. With incredible performances and Mangold’s sharp direction, it is without a doubt that Logan will stand the test of time. Not only among comic book films, but the history of film in general.
Overall Grade: A
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Hear our podcast review on Episode 211, coming soon.
This week on the InSession Film Podcast: Extra Film segment, as we lead into our 2008 Retrospective on Episode 209, we decided to look back at two other notable films from that year in Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino and Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
On this particular episode, we allowed Vince to pick two films that stood out to him personally from 2008, as a way for him to chime in and participate with our retrospective. Both of these films were well received and it was fun getting to dive into why they resonated with Vince (as well as many other fans).
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!
– Gran Torino Movie Review (4:43) Grades
Vince: A+
Brendan: B+
– Vicky Cristina Barcelona Movie Review (42:38) Grades
Vince: A
Brendan: 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!
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If you want to help support us, we would greatly appreciate it! For more info, CLICK HERE.
Director: Richie Keen Writers: Van Robichaux (screenplay), Evan Susser (screenplay) Stars: Ice Cube, Charlie Day, Tracy Morgan
Synopsis: When one school teacher gets the other fired, he is challenged to an after-school fight.
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Fist Fight is directed by Richie Keen and stars Ice Cube, Charlie Da, and Tracy Morgan. I expected this to just be another dumpster fire comedy where I would laugh at how ridiculous this whole thing is. To much of my surprise, the film was better than I expected, at least to a degree.
Andy Campbell (Charlie Day) is a mild-mannered teacher who is trying to get through the last day of school amidst the senior pranks and looming budget cuts. After an incident causing ill-tempered Ron Strickland (Ice Cube) to get fired, Strickland challenges Campbell to an after school fight. At 3PM, the fight of the century is going to go down.
The entire marketing for this film is focused on the fight between Ice Cube and Day, so I was afraid that the bulk of the film would be very Fifty Shades in terms of awkward dialogue and one-dimensional characters. A few supporting characters do fit that bill unfortunately, such as Jillian Bell’s Counselor Holly and Tracy Morgan’s Coach Freddie Coward. Morgan’s character especially seemed out of place spouting out terrible one-liners the whole time. As for Counselor Holly, she talks almost the entire film about having sex with students, which I think is a subject that should not be joked about.
Charlie Day and Ice Cube are as different as day and night, thus the premise of Fist Fight. However, that idea also raised chemistry concerns that could have either lent itself for great comedy or painful awkwardness. Day’s Campbell, at first, is very over-the-top and his dialogue does not fit the typical Charlie Day mold. As the film goes on, Campbell becomes a likable character though that you do have sympathy for. You already know what you are getting from Ice Cube in terms of acting, so credit director Richie Keen for making it work with him and Day. The banter between the two seem real and believable.
The film picked up for me in an unexpected way, with a scene at a school talent show. The majority of this film’s jokes deal with, you guessed it, penises. I still cannot believe that we find those jokes funny, maybe that is why Fifty Shades does so well? The scene at the talent show is genuinely funny though because it was so unexpected and teaches a lesson for everyone involved.
The actual fight that Fist Fight builds up toward, is choreographed pretty well and does not end up the way you think. There is a message here that everyone can learn from and that is probably the biggest takeaway from this movie. The fight lasts for quite a while, and for my money, it better (and bloodier) then Batman vs Superman. Come on Warner Bros., how do you make this fight more interesting than Batman vs Superman?
Fist Fight is not a perfect movie by any means but I found myself enjoying this much more then I originally thought I would.
Director: Chad Stahelski Writers: Derek Kolstad Stars: Keanu Reeves, Common, Ian McShane
Synopsis: After returning to the criminal underworld to repay a debt, John Wick discovers that a large bounty has been put on his life.
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John Wick: Chapter Two is an explosive, over-the-top action rampage that resurrects the action film genre, along with its predecessor. With some masterful cinematography and glorified set pieces, John Wick relies heavily on its visual style in some pretty captivating ways. Despite a few notches in its screenplay and story, it still makes for a wildly enjoyable film. A combustion of gun fights, car chases and just pure annihilation, John Wick: Chapter Two is damn near close to a modern action masterpiece.
After attempting to retire from his life of being an assassin, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is reluctantly pulled back into the dark underworld in order to repay a debt. After fulfilling his duties, Wick is betrayed and now must escape the ever-looming bounty that has been placed on his head. With a bit more in-depth story than the first film, the second installment already proves that it is a great love letter to the first project.
The most obvious strength that this film possesses is how the action is coordinated. There’s a specific reason that John Wick excels among other modern action films. Not only do the filmmakers create these absurd, unique set pieces that are rather pleasing to the eye, but they take a hint from the older Jackie Chan films that allow us to see the action in its entirety. Most action films like to have these jumbled cuts in order to give that feeling of adrenaline, but Wick takes a different approach. The filmmakers often frame a bit wider in their action scenes, and edit those sequences with coherent precision that amplifies the movement of the actors. Instead of having this jumbled style of filmmaking that appears to be exciting, they actually create real excitement.
However, the story does fall a little short. Then again, we aren’t watching this film for a great story. But following in the footsteps of the first movie, the story is a bit one dimensional and doesn’t offer much else than what is spoon fed to the audience. And this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, a pulp style film can’t be knocked for being pulp. If the script to John Wick: Chapter Two had been slightly more nuanced, it could have luanched this project into a new category of cinema history, than simply being an action-masterpiece. In comparison to the first John Wick, this installment definitely holds a few more interesting and exciting moments within its story, especially in terms of world building and seeing how this assassin society works. Some of the characters dive a bit deeper into their development, and there is a lot of cause and effect style pay-off within the screenplay.
On top of its immaculate visual style, Chapter Two is incredibly well edited. The action scenes are edited robustly but even outside of the film’s big moments, there’s still an intentional outlook to how this film is cut. Certain shots contrast each other from incredibly wide to incredibly tight, and even to the style the editor uses when subtitles are on screen. Not only does the film craft its action sequences to perfection, but the film’s self-awareness lends itself to embrace the lunacy depicted in a way that is fun to watch.
John Wick: Chapter Two is one of the greatest action films of the 21st century since well, the first John Wick. With incredibly well designed set pieces, to solid performances and score, John Wick is the perfect action movie beat for beat. Now that director Chad Stahelski is attached to Deadpool 2, it’s clear anything he decides to do will be tackled with precise care.
As you may know, this weekend on Episode 209, we’ll be continuing our year-by-year retrospective series by diving into the films of 2008. As we noted last week on the show, our featured review for #209 will be Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, a film that would go on to mark that specific year in some major ways. It was the highest grossing film of 2008, nearly hitting the $1 billion mark, a milestone it probably would’ve hit by today’s standards. Nolan’s second Batman film was also critically praised in ways that few other comic-book adaptations had ever seen at the time. It currently sits at 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and even more impressively at 82% on Metacritic. More than any of that, and what is perhaps the most surprising, the film was received very positively by The Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences. Genre films, especially superheros, haven’t been held historically in high regard by The Academy. There are exceptions of course. However, The Dark Knight changed things significantly. Famously, the film forced The Academy to expand their Best Picture nominees from five to a potential ten (which arguably has been more of a detriment than a positive), as a way of being more open-minded to genre films. Even though it didn’t get a Best Picture nod, The Dark Knight still received eight Oscar nominations, with two wins, including a Best Supporting Actor victory for the late-great Heath Ledger. No matter how you look at it, this Batman/Joker tug-of-war film was a massive success.
Now that we have all of that out of the way, I want to talk about The Dark Knight‘s opening night. The film opened up in theaters on July 18th, 2008 nationwide. For obvious reasons, it was one of the most hyped up films to come out that year, and I was just as excited as anyone else. For context, I was living in Bowling Green, OH at the time, just one month away from graduating with my BA in Communications. I was also poor, as many college students tend to be. I’ve always been a fan of film and art, but growing up it was rare if we ever made it to the actual theaters. College was no different. So, getting to see The Dark Knight in theaters on its debut was a big deal for me at the time. We arrived at the theater, to see a massive line that literally curved around to the back of the building. Per the aforementioned statement, I missed all of the prequel Star Wars openings, so I had never seen anything like it before. And what I found most interesting was how it drew in so many different people. Clearly, the nerd-verse was deeper than I knew it to be. We waited in line for what felt like two hours. To be honest, I’m not even sure how long it took, I was just excited to be there. And it was the summer, so it was nice outside.
Once inside, we found our way to the theater which was massively packed by the time we got there. I was with a group of four, so finding that many seats together was going to be impossible. However, we did find a grouping of three seats together, which we felt was going to be our best bet for most of the group to stay together. Guess who got the short straw? I was a bit disheartened at first, mostly because it was a rare treat to be in the theater at the time, and to not be with my friends wasn’t ideal. But I was determined to not let that ruin the experience for me. Instead, I sat up started to pay attention to all of the chatter around me before the film started. It was chaos, but I was compelled by everyone’s anticipation. Once the film started, in unison we all quieted down and enjoyed the movie.
Once the film was over, people in our crowd stood up and cheered in excitement. I immediately found my friends and the first thing out of my mouth was, “Heath Ledger is going to win an Oscar for his performance.” At the time it sounded crazy since comic-book movies didn’t win awards, but there was no doubt his performance was awards worthy. The film as a whole was awards worthy frankly. I loved the film then, I love it now and seeing it in theaters was an unforgettable experience for me.
I look forward to discussing it this weekend on the show. And I look forward to hearing from you all reading this. What do you think of The Dark Knight? Leave a comment in the comment section below or hit us up on twitter.
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Speaking of theater experiences, here’s what you can see this weekend in theaters:
A Cure for Wellness
Fist Fight
The Great Wall A United Kingdom (expanding) Everybody Loves Somebody (limited) Land of Mine (limited)
This weekend on Episode 209, we’ll be continuing our year-by-year retrospective series by discussing our favorite films from 2008. This was a special year for several reasons. Heath Ledger won an academy award (posthumously) for his performance in a superhero film. The Academy even expanded Best Picture from five to ten nominees because of the success of The Dark Knight. 2008 brought us unforgettable performances, most notably from Sean Penn in Milk and the return of Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler. Ann Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married and Kate Winslet’s Oscar-winning performance in The Reader are noteworthy as well. 2008 also brought us WALL-E, which is arguably the best film Pixar has done to date. That year also kicked of the MCU by giving us Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. While the latter wasn’t as well received, Iron Man was praised by both fans and critics, thus launching a new phase of comic book movies we’ve seen the last decade.
All of that said, what is your favorite film from 2008?
This week on Episode 207 of the InSession Film Podcast, inspired by The Lego Batman Movie, we decided to discuss product placement in movies, which is an interesting topic in relation to film. Most of the time when you mention “product placement” and “film” in the same sentence, it’s usually in a negative context. However, this week we decided to spin that and talk about our favorite uses of product placement in film. There are, believe it or not, great uses of real-life products in film that will go down as some of the best moments we’ve seen the last 30-40 years.
On that note, which uses of product placement 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) Ray-Ban Aviators / U.S. Military – Top Gun
2) Wilson Sporting Goods – Cast Away
3) Converse All-Stars – I, Robot
Brendan
1) Pizza Hut / Pepsi / Reebok / Nuprin / Doritos – Waynes World
2) Reese’s Pieces – E.T.
3) Wilson Sporting Goods – Cast Away
Jason
1) Anything Sony – Sony Pictures
2) Dr. Pepper – Forrest Gump
3) White Castle – Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
Honorable Mentions (Combined)
Chevy Cars – Transformers
Audi R8 – I, Robot / Iron Man
Randy’s Donuts – Iron Man 2
Ford Mustang – Bullitt
.44 Magnum – Dirty Harry
AOL – You’ve Got Mail
Taco Bell – Demolition Man
Vespa – Roman Holiday
McDonalds – Pulp Fiction
Nike – Back to the Future
Bubba Gump Shrimp – Forrest Gump
Walkman – Guardians of the Galaxy
Margaritaville – Jurassic World
Mini Cooper – The Italian Job
Pepsi / Texico / Pizza Hut – Back to the Future 2
Dominos – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Subway – Happy Gilmore
Coke Zero – Scott Pilgrim vs the World
PF Flyers – The Sandlot
Hopefully you guys enjoyed our lists and if you agree or disagree with us, let us know in the comment section below. There are a ton of other great “poets” that could’ve made your list, depending on your own 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’s episode is brought to you by Patreon.com and our great listener’s like you! Sign up today and thanks for your support!
This week on the InSession Film Podcast, Jason Kerin from JasonsMovieBlog.com joins us as we discuss two solid films to hit theaters this last weekend in The Lego Batman Movie and John Wick: Chapter Two. For our Top 3, inspired by LEGOs, we talked about our favorite uses of product placement in film.
Big thanks to Jason for joining us this week, who was a fantastic guest and added a lot to our discussion. Also, as you’ll hear on the show, our prayers and thoughts go out to our friend and former co-host, Blake Pertuset, as he begins a new (and unfortunate) journey. Stay strong Blake!
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 Lego Batman Movie Movie Review (9:06) Grades
JD: A-
Brendan: B
Jason: B+
– Top 3 Uses of Product Placement (37:27)
So, this week’s top 3 is a bit interesting. Most of the time when you mention “product placement” and “film” in the same sentence, it’s usually in a negative context. However, this week we decided to spin that and talk about our favorite uses of product placement in film. There are, believe it or not, great uses of real-life products in film that will go down as some of the best moments we’ve seen the last 30-40 years. On that note, what would be your top 3?
Main Review: The Dark Knight
Top 5: Movies of 2008
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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!
This week on the InSession Film Podcast: Extra Film segment, we discuss John Michael McDonagh’s latest film, War on Everyone, starring Michael Peña and Alexander Skarsgård. We also review the latest documentary from Jim Jarmusch, Gimme Danger.
So what’s interesting about this episode, is that JD had War on Everyone in his Top 10 Most Anticipated films of 2015 (it was supposed to get a release last year) but ironically he skipped out on this week’s show. However, as you’ll hear on the show, he may have gotten lucky by missing out on that one. We are big fans of McDonagh overall, so hopefully this is just a one-time miss.
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!
– War on Everyone Movie Review (6:55) Grades
Vince: C-
Brendan: D
– Gimme Danger Movie Review (31:50) Grades
Vince: B+
Brendan: B
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!
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If you want to help support us, we would greatly appreciate it! For more info, CLICK HERE.
So far 2017 has been off to a rather tough start, especially compared to early 2016. If you exclude late 2016 releases that have expanded early this year (such as Paterson, The Founder, 20th Century Women and Silence), we’ve mostly been exposed to bad franchise sequels or terrible horror films. The only good thing about 2017 at this point, is M. Nigh Shyamalan’s Split, a film I quite loved personally.
Well, all that changes this weekend as we get both John Wick: Chapter 2 and The Lego Batman Movie. These two films not only look great, but they are getting pretty good reviews as well. Some critics are even elevating John Wick to “icon” status based off his two films. I haven’t seen John Wick 2 but I’m not sure I can go that far, yet. That said, I really liked the first John Wick as well as the first Lego Movie. Both films came out in 2014 and were big highlights of that year for us. So, it’s pretty exciting that we are getting sequels to both of those aforementioned films this weekend.
John Wick came out near the end of 2014 and it wasn’t anything I was holding in high regard before seeing the film. All of a sudden though, it started getting rave reviews and film Twitter especially went crazy over it. After watching the film, I could sympathize with why people went for it. As an action film, it’s rather tropey, but the film excels in execution of those tropes while presenting a very unique world. Additionally, the fact that Wick went off because his dog was killed made me very happy. It feels weird to say this since John Wick is an action film at its core, but the film did have some emotional tug that felt genuine. I mean, it’s no Warrior, but still it was effective.
As for The Lego Movie, it was by far one of the biggest surprises of 2014. The premise seemed odd at the time. How were they going to make a film based off of Lego’s? Well not only did they make an entertaining animated film, but it was one of the best movies of the year, period. The fact it wasn’t nominated for an Academy Award is absurd. Now, I would argue that there were three better animated films that year (don’t hate me please!), but the film deserved a nomination still. Either way, it’s a great film and I love it. And no question that Batman was one of the best parts about that experience.
I’m usually dubious about spin-off films, but this one feels appropriate. The Lego movie world, if you will, is vast and doesn’t have to be restricted to continuity. There are so many great things you could do with a Batman Lego movie that you probably couldn’t with a live-action Batman film. So this should be fun. As for John Wick 2, just give me more kick-ass action and I’ll be happy.
What about you? Are you excited for these two films?
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Here’s what else you can expect at the box office this weekend:
Fifty Shades Darker
A United Kingdom (limited)
Running Wild (limited)
Happy John Wick 2 week everyone! This weekend is going to be pretty exciting. Not only do we get The Lego Batman Movie, but we also get to see John Wick destroy a lot of heads once again in John Wick 2. Both films are getting pretty good reviews and look to be a ton of fun. Using that as our inspiration for our poll this week, we wanted to ask you about all the other great characters we’ve seen from Keanu Reeves over the years. We’ve seen many great roles for Reeves over the years, making this a tough choice. His action heroes of Wick and Neo certainly come to mind, but his smaller roles in A Scanner Darkly and My Own Private Idaho are equally as memorable.
That said, which Reeves character stands out to you the most? Vote now!
Director: Jim Jarmusch Writers: Jim Jarmusch Stars: Adam Driver, Golshifteh Farahani, Nellie
Synopsis: A quiet observation of the triumphs and defeats of daily life, along with the poetry evident in its smallest details.
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Jim Jarmusch isn’t a director for everyone. Only Lovers Left Alive, Ghost Dog, Broken Flowers and other Jarmusch films are a unique breed that make him a special filmmaker. His quirky sensibilities and artistic ambition will cause some division, but if you follow his rhythm, his films are quite lovely. Paterson is no different and could be his best work to date. Unlike some of Jarmusch’s previous work, Paterson does borderline naturalism in a way that couples with very well with its other worldly qualities. As a result, the film is poetic and episodic in terms of structure, but it’s equally grounded in its notions of love, relationships and the small ironies of life, and how everyday that is for most of us.
Paterson (Adam Driver) (ironically named after the New Jersey city he resides in) thrives in the same routine every day. He wakes up at the same time, goes to work, writes his poetry, comes home, walks the dog and stops at the bar for a beer before calling it a night. His life is built on repetition, which allows him to observe the world around him that he uses as inspiration for his poetry, which he keeps in a secret notebook. Additionally, his zany wife Laura (Goldshifteh Farahani) supports his work and is equally as energizing to him. Throughout Paterson, we get a glimpse into the lives of both of these characters and how they see the world together.
At its core, Paterson is rooted in this idea of finding beauty in the mundane. Paterson and Laura live modest lives, yet they seem so content with their routines and every day conflict-less activities. For Paterson specifically, poetry provides an outlet for him to see more into how his world revolves. Again, it’s nothing elegant or outlandish. However, Jarmusch is still able to capture Paterson’s contentment by making his life feel richer than what it actually is on the surface. His camera isn’t just used as a typical POV, but instead Jarmusch spends time pointing the camera at the environment around Paterson, emulating to the audience how he see’s the world. And how that shapes him and his poetry.
Adam Driver gives one of the best performances of his career. The way he quietly reacts to other people is remarkable and adds a striking quality to the Paterson character. The stoic and observant fervor he displays on top of those reactions flourishes in this film. Furthermore, the way he reads his poems is awe-inspiring and very soothing.
Golshifteh Farahani is also remarkable in Paterson. The sometimes frustrating quirks that we see in Laura is quite pivotal in reflecting how her impulses impact Paterson. Laura in many ways is a black and white character. Her artwork is all done in black and white, the guitar she buys is black and white and the movies she prefers are also in black and white. One could argue that the way she see’s the world, the distinction between her dreams and her capabilities to achieve them, is very black and white. However, we also see how her unique creativity and unfailing devotion draws Paterson closer to her, despite her surprises and idiosyncrasies. You may not feel it on the surface, but Laura embodies the principle of unbridled support and spontaneous disorder in a way that is not only poetic, but it allows for a fully balanced and emotional look at how life – in all its mundane moments – can sharpen how we view our circumstances. Jarmusch’s script needs credit for having such a rich character, but Farahani’s spirit brings all those qualities to life.
Paterson‘s characters are endlessly fascinating, but what makes the film captivating, is how Jarmusch interweaves them throughout this world. They feel lived in and part of something more attainable, despite the film’s symbolism and poetic nature. And it’s not just the beauty you can find in simplicity, but also how joyous that life can be too. This film is very funny on occasion. The script and performances do bring laughes, but Jarmusch’s astute editing is also key in providing chuckles throughout the film. For example, the scenes involving Marvin (the dog) or the scene at the laundry mat are edited in such a way that will bring solid laughs.
This week on Episode 207 of the InSession Film Podcast, we finally got to see and review Paterson, a film that gave us a glimpse into the life of a small-town poet in New Jersey. Using that as our inspiration, we decided to discuss our favorite movie poets for our Top 3. This category was particularly challenging for us, since “poets” is a niche subject that we aren’t terribly familiar with. However, it sounded like a fun challenge that we were eager to tackle, especially given our criteria. All in all, we were very happy with our lists the discussion fostered as a result.
On that note, which movie poets 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) Philippe Petit – Man on Wire
2) Hynkel (Dictator of Tomania) / A Jewish Barber – The Great Dictator
3) Jimmy “B-Rabbit” Smith – 8 Mile
Brendan
1) Jim Morrison – The Doors
2) David Foster Wallace – The End of the Tour
3) Guy / Girl – Once
Honorable Mentions (Combined)
Llewyn Davis – Inside Llewyn Davis
John Keating – Dead Poets Society
Bonnie Parker – Bonnie and Clyde
Connor / Murphy – The Boondock Saints
Reinaldo Arenas – Before Night Falls
Truman Capote – Capote
Colonel Walter E. Kurtz – Apocalypse Now
Andrey Rublev – Andrei Rublev
William Shakespeare – Shakespeare in Love
Schmidt – 22 Jump Street
Hopefully you guys enjoyed our lists and if you agree or disagree with us, let us know in the comment section below. There are a ton of other great “poets” that could’ve made your list, depending on your own 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, we discuss Jim Jarmusch’s latest film, Paterson, starring Adam Driver. Going off of that, we also talk about our Top 3 movie “poets” and we finally fulfill a Patreon pledge as we review the South Korean war film, Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War.
Big thanks to Brent Allen for his Patreon pledge and suggesting an interesting war film that offers a unique perspective on the Korean War. Regardless of our criticisms of the film, it’s one that we recommend people see regardless. We also had a blast talk about Paterson, a film that confirmed our suspicions as far as it being our biggest regret of last year. Spoiler alert; it’s great.
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!
– Top 3 Movie Poets (31:30)
This category was particularly challenging for us, since “poets” is a niche subject that we aren’t terribly familiar with. However, it sounded like a fun challenge that we were eager to tackle, especially given our criteria. All in all, we were very happy with our lists the discussion fostered as a result. On that note, what would be your top 3?
Main Review: The Lego Batman Movie / John Wick 2
Top 3: TBD
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This week on the InSession Film Podcast: Extra Film segment, inspired by La La Land‘s success, we review two classic musicals in Singin’ in the Rain and the French film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.
This show was a lot of fun. We are big fans of musicals and given the discussion of La La Land right now, it just felt appropriate to talk about two of the more iconic musicals of all-time. It’s unfortunately somewhat timely for Singin’ in the Rain as well, given the sad news regarding the late-great Debbie Reynolds. Regardless of reasoning, discussing these two films was an absolute joy for us.
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!
– Singin’ in the Rain Movie Review (6:21) Grades
JD: A+
Vince: A+
Brendan: A
– The Umbrellas of Cherbourg Movie Review (41:01) Grades
JD: A
Vince: A+
Brendan: 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.
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Director: Peter Chelsom Writers: Allan Loeb (screenplay), Stewart Schill (story) Stars: Britt Robertson, Asa Butterfield, Janet Montgomer, Gary Oldman
Synopsis: The first human born on Mars travels to Earth for the first time, experiencing the wonders of the planet through fresh eyes. He embarks on an adventure with a street smart girl to discover how he came to be.
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I know that no movie is perfect, but when your script is so horrendous that not even a superhero could fix your gaping issues, then you have a serious problem. The Space Between Us is supposed to be a love story sprinkled with a touch of self-discovery, but it fails on every single level.
In the future, we will be able to have perfect internet connections that will allow us to have video chats with people on another planet (safe to assume Sprint will not be the provider). Adults are extremely careless as a teenager from Mars can escape from a government agency with ease, and travel to different states with a girl with very little difficulty. On top of that, the young couple of Tulsa (Britt Robertson) and Gardner (Asa Butterfield) have the quickest relationship arch in history, making it absurdly unbelievable.
Don’t worry though, it gets worse. Gardner was born on Mars, but at the unfortunate cost of his mother, who died right after childbirth. Feeling isolated and alone, he meets a girl online and forms a relationship. How the two met was never mentioned, but we can assume that it wasn’t Myspace. Gardner, excited to meet his love, decides to go to Earth to meet Tulsa and further his relationship in person. The problem, however, is that his organs cannot handle Earth’s gravity.
Director Peter Chelsom wants us to connect to these characters so much, that he fails to put together a coherent film, leading to an insane amount of eye rolling from the audience. The film shifts from present day to nine months to then 16 years in a matter of minutes. I wish we could have seen Gardner growing up because seeing his childhood on a foreign planet, and how he met Tulsa in the middle of that, would have given this film more weight.
Not that sci-fi films have to pander to real science, but when it’s so obviously ridiculous, it becomes very disengaging for me. Gardner arrives on Earth and somehow knows how to navigate to Colorado and find Tulsa. The movie just assumes that you’re okay with it, but it was odd. Additionally, once Gardner finds Tulsa, he mentions that she has not responded in 7 months. Well, this is because time would pass differently for both of them, but the film lacks lucidity in this regard. The interweaving of plot and aesthetics is jarring and off-putting throughout the film.
The cinematography is the only positive of this experience, as the movie uses different shots alternating between close-up and wide to paint the scene. Since Gardner is new to Earth, the wide angle shots really let us see how he sees the world.
The Space Between Us is a film where the story is predictable and the script feels the need to cover so much ground since time, in terms of plot and the screen, is urgent. As a result, the plot gaps widen, the characters are poorly written, and the forced romance makes this movie an easy skip.
This weekend on Episode 207, we’ll finally be discussing Jim Jarmusch’s latest film, Paterson, starring Adam Driver. During our tenure, we’ve unfortunately only covered one Jarmusch film so far, and that’s Only Lovers Left Alive from 2014. I haven’t taken time to rank all the vampire films I’ve seen, but Only Lovers is pretty high for me. I loved how unique it was for that genre and everything came together for me in that film. It *just* missed my Top 20 that year, but either way, I adore every second of that film. I’m also a fan of Broken Flowers and Ghost Dog, the only other two Jarmusch films I’ve seen so far. However, I’ve also heard really good things about Stranger Than Paradise, Dead Man, Mystery Train, Down By Law and Night on Earth as well. Jarmusch is somewhat of a polarizing director, and I can understand his films aren’t for everyone, but I do think his craft is distinctive and fun to watch.
I’m also interested in Paterson for the fact that it stars Adam Driver. Speaking of polarizing, Driver is another one that some audiences have needed to warm up to, but I love his work. From his bizarre quirks in Inside Llewyn Davis to his hipster work in While We’re Young to being a Sith apprentice in Star Wars, he’s always a fascinating presence to me. Driver had a great 2016 too, if you ask me, with his roles in Midnight Special and Silence, alongside his work in Paterson (which many critics praised heavily). I’m fully confident that he is as advertised in Paterson, and I’m especially curious to see how he handles poetry in the film. On paper, the role seems tailor-made for someone like Driver, so this should be exciting.
Another reason I’m highly anticipating Paterson is for the score. Similarly to Only Lovers, the music of Paterson is coming from Jarmusch’s band, Sqürl. I *loved* the music in Only Lovers and to this day it brings a smile to my face when it pops up on my Movie Music Spotify playlist (which you can listen to here). And given the material that Paterson is tackling, in terms of poetry, there ample opportunity for the music to amplify that notion very well. At least I’m hoping that is the case.
Have you seen Paterson? What do you think of the film?
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Here’s what else is opening this week at the box office:
The Space Between us
The Comedian
Rings
I Am Not Your Negro (limited)
War on Everyone (limited)
For those that listened to our Top 10 of 2016 show, you’ll know that J.A. Bayona’s A Monster Calls made my #10 slot. It’s a film that spoke heavily to my heart, as it depicts a young boy trying to cope with devastating tragedy. I can’t say that I’ve experienced verbatim what Conor (played wonderfully by Louis MacDougall) goes through in this film, but I’ve dealt with tragedy – as a lot of us have – and could relate with his struggle.
The brilliance of A Monster Calls is how Bayona manages to bring purpose to The Monster (voiced perfectly by Liam Neeson), as it relates to this specific narrative, while also providing enough symbolic ambiguity that you could read it any way you wanted to for your own story. Grief is a big monster in all of our lives, and A Monster Calls reminds us that there are many ways to interpret that emotion. For Conor, his grief was rooted (ahem) in frustration, fear, anger and desperation as he was trying to deal with his reality. This is emulated in several scenes. His first couple of interactions with The Monster are irritating, as he’s looking for an easy fix for his mom, but that’s not what happens. Instead, The Monster tells Conor a story, something he didn’t want to hear, only compounding his frustration. The second story he hears from The Monster further supplants Conor into his anger, which leads to a major catharsis and broken property in his grandmothers house. We also see how Conor’s grief, and desperation for answers, has effected his relationship with his father (Toby Kebell).
For a story that could have easily have fallen into meandering schmaltz, A Monster Calls is carefully crafted to show us how grief comes in many forms and how The Monster can change depending on how we view it. At various points in the film, The Monster is one of belief, he’s one of catharsis, he’s one of protection, he’s of accepting truth and for reasons I’ll get too here shortly, he’s arguably one of a higher power. The Monster obviously functions as a coping mechanism for Conor, but what’s interesting is how that mechanism operates in a way that renders the human condition during tragedy. There is a progression in Conor’s grief that is beautifully, and breathtakingly, indicative of how that emotion unravels during these arduous times in our lives. It’s for that reason why the pathos of A Monster Calls is genuine and earned.
Additionally, that emotion is felt when we see how Conor’s grief interacts with other family members. I already mentioned that it brings some strain between him and his dad. But it’s heavily on display between him and his grandmother (Sigourney Weaver) as well. It’s no secret that when people are hurting, they are vulnerable. And it doesn’t help matters when you have conflicting personalities, which we see between Conor and grandma. Yet, it’s interesting to see how a specific event – and unfortunately, a painful one – brings them together. A Monster Calls is from Conor’s perspective, and rightfully we spend time on his turmoil, but there is something to be said about how this film depicts this idea of togetherness through tragedy. In that regard, this film is timely as it relates to our current societal landscape. At any rate, the idea of family and grief couldn’t be more potent than what we see between Conor and his mom (Felicity Jones deserves an Oscar nomination if you ask me). The scene where she tells Conor to break things, as a way to cope, is devastating. That moment perfectly crystallizes this notion of grief, and how Conor’s anger and desperation became self-identifiable, allowing for that interaction to sting in ways Conor will probably never forget. It not only gave Conor permission to break things, but it gives more weight to The Monster in how he helped Conor in the first place.
This brings me to my final thought about A Monster Calls. Again, I love how the film allows for interpretation, and for me there are spiritual undertones that resonated heavily. Forgive me in advance – I will probably lose some of here – but there are parallels to my own personal beliefs that I found striking. For one, the fact that The Monster is a tree is interesting to me as it relates to God, commonly known as “The Tree of Life.” On top of that, The Monster uses narratives to teach Conor about his grief and how it’s okay to not be okay. In essence, he uses parables to provide comfort, hope and ultimately healing, in a way that is uncanny through the lens of faith. And the way Conor reacts to those stories, again reflecting frustration and confusion, is very reminiscent of my own spiritual journey. It’s also what makes the final sequences of A Monster Calls blisteringly poignant for me. Conor has called upon something that is beyond him – The Monster, of course – in order to bring healing to his mom. The Monster may not have provided the kind of healing he initially sought out for, but in the end, there is healing that takes place. There is an acceptance that Conor must submit to in order to break free of his nightmare. The way Bayona depicts this visually is stunning and emulates spirituality in a way that I found provocative in terms of truth and faith in times of healing.
The great thing about A Monster Calls though, is that you can read it differently than what I just laid out, and the film still works. The Monster can literally be anything you want it to be. For me, however, those notions of faith are symbolized impeccably in The Monster – especially in the inspired casting of Liam Neeson – and how he interacts with Conor is powerful. The way Conor deals with grief and family is almost too close to home. I’ve never read the book, but this film depicts my story in a lot of ways, at least in terms of the emotions themselves. It hurts my heart that young boys and girls have to go through things like this in real life, but A Monster Calls is a great tool to help them in that process. I cannot recommend this film highly enough.
