Saturday, July 5, 2025
type here...
SEARCH
Home Blog Page 313

Podcast: Top 3 Buddy Cop Characters

JD Duran
-
0
Podcast: Top 3 Buddy Cop Characters

This week on the InSession Film Podcast, we have a really great time discussing our Top 3 actors/characters we’d want by our side as our buddy cops. Some are practical and some are…well not so much.

Nate

1) William Wallace – Braveheart
2) RoboCop – RoboCop
3) Judge Dredd – Dredd

JD

1) Samuel L. Jackson – Actor
2) James Carter – Rush Hour series
3) Bumblebee – Transformers series

Scott

1) Driver – Drive
2) O-Ren Ishii – Kill Bill
3) Toshiro Mifune – Actor

For the entire podcast, click here.

Podcast: 2 Guns, Top 3 Buddy Cop Characters, Ali – Episode 24

JD Duran
-
0
Podcast: 2 Guns, Top 3 Buddy Cop Characters, Ali – Episode 24

This week on the InSession Film Podcast we review 2 Guns starring Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington as well as discuss our Top 3 Actor/Characters we would want as our buddy cops. We also continue our Recent Historical Figures movie series with our fun, in-depth look at Ali starring Will Smith.

– 2 Guns Review (3:20)
    Grades
    Nate: C
    JD: B-
    Scott: C

– Our Top 3 Buddy Cop Characters (25:50)

– Movie Series Review – Ali (Recent Historical Figures) (46:10)

– News
(1:13:40)
    – Lone Survivor trailer
    – American Hustle trailer
    – Avatar to have three sequels

– Movies We’ve Seen This Week
(1:31:30)
    Nate: Side Effects
    JD: Only God Forgives, Europa Report, Drinking Buddies, Blue Valentine, Moon
    Scott: The Way, Way Back, Fruitvale Station

– Music

    (All Along The) Watchtower – Devlin, Ed Sheeran
    Master of Shadows – Nick Phoenix
    See the Sun – Lisa Gerrard, Pieter Bourke
    Wanna Fight – Clint Martinez
    The Return of the Eagle – Atli Örvarsson

Subscribe to our Podcasts RSS
Subscribe to our Podcasts on iTunes
Listen on Stitcher
InSession Film Podcast – Episode 24

Movie Poll: Would you want to live in a place like Elysium?

JD Duran
-
0
Movie Poll: Would you want to live in a place like Elysium?

In anticipation for Elysium starring Matt Damon coming out this weekend, we wanted to know where your science exploration stands. Would you want to live in a place like Elysium in outer space or would you want to stay grounded on Earth? And for the sake of argument, let’s say Earth isn’t destroyed and it’s like how it is now.

Vote here and let us know!
[yop_poll id=”21″]

Movie News: Steven Spielberg backs out of American Sniper

Nate Parsons
-
0
Movie News: Steven Spielberg backs out of American Sniper

Steven Spielberg is still looking for his next directing gig.

According to Deadline, Spielberg — along with DreamWorks — has backed out of directing American Sniper after declaring in May that that would be his follow-up to last year’s Lincoln. The stated reason was that Spielberg couldn’t “square his vision of this movie with the budget.”

American Sniper stars Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle, a real-life US Navy SEAL with more sniper kills than anyone in US history. Cooper is also a producer.

It’s kind of disappointing that Spielberg isn’t directing American Sniper, as the subject matter sounds up his alley; he does have a pretty good track record with biopics (i.e. Schindler’s List and Lincoln). But it’s nice that he’s being choosy and not just doing something to do something. It’ll be interesting to see what one of the greatest directors of all-time has next up his sleeve.

Movie News: And the host of the 2014 Academy Awards is …

Nate Parsons
-
0
Movie News: And the host of the 2014 Academy Awards is …

Ellen_DeGeneres_(1)_0

Ellen DeGeneres.

That’s right, it was recently announced that DeGeneres will host the 86th Academy Awards on March 2, 2014 on ABC. It will be DeGeneres’ second time hosting, as she earned an Emmy nomination for hosting in 2007.

“I am so excited to be hosting the Oscars for the second time. You know what they say — the third time’s the charm,” DeGeneres said.

DeGeneres has appeared in movies and on television and currently hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which has earned a total of 45 Daytime Emmys during its 10-year run.

I think getting Ellen to host the Oscars is a great move. She obviously did a great job the first time around and people love her. I think she’s pretty funny (just read her quote above), and as much as I loved Seth MacFarlane this year, I think Ellen will be even better.

Box Office Report: 2 Guns shoots it way to No. 1

Nate Parsons
-
0
Box Office Report: 2 Guns shoots it way to No. 1

The combo of Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg was enough to win over audiences over the weekend.

2 Guns took in $27.3 million to open in the top spot at the box office. The R-rated buddy-cop doesn’t offer anything new, but the chemistry between Washington and Wahlberg makes it watchable.

After debuting at No. 1 last weekend, Fox’s The Wolverine fell to second with $21 million and $95 million to date. The Hugh Jackman-starring action thriller will have a hard time topping 2009’s much worse X-Men Origins: Wolverine‘s nearly $180 million haul.

Debuting in third was Sony’s Smurfs 2, which grossed $18.2 million for the weekend and $27.7 million since its release on Wednesday. The sequel should do much better overseas, however, as 75 percent of the original 2011 Smurfs‘ total gross came from overseas.

The Conjuring continued to scare audiences, grossing $13.6 million to take fourth. The Warner Bros. supernatural thriller has grossed over $108 million in just over two weeks.

Universal’s animated comedy Despicable Me 2 rounded out the top five with another $10.3 million. That brings its domestic total to $326.6 million and its worldwide total to a whopping $713.6 million.

This week features four new releases, highlighted by Elysium, Neill Blomkamp’s follow-up to 2009’s District 9. Planes also comes out on Friday, while Wednesday sees the releases of Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters and We’re the Millers.

Opening This Weekend: Buddy-cop comedy/thriller 2 Guns this weekend’s biggest release

Nate Parsons
-
0
Opening This Weekend: Buddy-cop comedy/thriller 2 Guns this weekend’s biggest release

Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg team-up in the buddy-cop comedy/thriller 2 Guns, which highlights this weekend’s newest releases. The completely unnecessary sequel The Smurfs 2 is the other nationwide release.

Here’s the full list of movies that are hitting theaters this weekend:

2 Guns — Our Full Review
The Smurfs 2
The Spectacular Now (Limited)
The Canyons (Limited)
Europa Report (Limited)
Drift (Limited)

Movie Review: Europa Report is a realistic approach to science fiction

JD Duran
-
0
Movie Review: Europa Report is a realistic approach to science fiction

Director: Sebastián Cordero
Writers: Philip Gelatt
Stars: Christian Camargo, Embeth Davidtz, Michael Nyqvist, Anamaria Marinca, Sharlto Copely, Daniel Wu

Synopsis: An international crew of astronauts undertakes a privately funded mission to search for life on Jupiter’s fourth largest moon.

[/info]

DIRECTION
Sebastián Cordero does a pretty good job here with an interesting and realistic approach to space exploration in the sci-fi realm. This movie is really more of a pseudo sci-fi film and while it has it’s science fiction elements, it has a lot of real science it it. When trying to make this film, they wanted to make as close to a real science movie as possible and Cordero did a really great job for the most part. It’s all found footage and that element is explored really well giving you more sense of realism throughout the film. The camera work includes video testimonials, interview style, from within the space craft as well as interview’s with a few people from the private corporation back on Earth who helped fund and oversee the project. There are also several camera’s throughout the space craft that also captures the drama that unfolds and it’s comes together well organized and natural. The shots of space and the planets as the astronauts are on their journey are great and give a really fun aesthetic. Overall, Cordero does a great job of exploring the science, keeping it pretty close to real life and giving us an experience of what it may be like to get to Europa.

Grade: A-

[divider]

SCRIPT
The story centers around a privately funded mission to one of Jupiter’s moon’s, Europa, which would carry a group of strong international astronauts. In real life, Europa was found to have ice and water on it’s surface and wherever we find water on Earth, we find life. Many scientists have questioned and wondered if there would actually be life there given the facts of how things work on Earth and this film explores that possibility in an interesting and realistic way. While the actors aren’t A-listers, the characters here are actually pretty interesting, scientific and engaging for the most part, especially for a small project like this. You find yourself caring for them and you start to wonder what it would be like to explore the universe and if it’s possible to find life elsewhere. While it gets a little cheesy and more sic-fi toward the end, it’s still a fun and dramatic way to see what it may be like. For what this movie is and the way it’s captured, it’s not too bad.

Grade: B+

[divider]

PERFORMANCES
The performances aren’t going to win Oscars by any means, but again, for what this movie is, it’s pretty good. Most of these actors are relatively unknown which elevates the realism even more since in real life we (the common people) most likely wouldn’t know the real-life astronauts either. However, these actors pull of astronaut really well and do a great job. Sharlto Copely, who may be Michael Bay’s long lost twin, is the stand out and does a really great job. He was amazing in District 9 and is easily the best one here as well. He’s funny and charismatic and his character becomes the one you care about the most. Dan Fogler, who’s a really underrated actor, stood out here too. While is character isn’t on screen as much, he comes of incredibly believable as a doctor who helped oversee and manage the project from Earth. The rest of the performances were good too and while they weren’t necessarily stand outs, they did what their roles required.

Grade: B+

[divider]

SCORE
Bear McCreary, who is a pretty good composer, has a great score here which was fun and added a nice touch to the movie. His score elements were digital and appropriate given the science-y aesthetic we have here. However, several tones and melodies sounded very similar to Paul Leonard-Morgan’s score for Dredd, which was a little distracting and felt like taking an easy way out on some levels. It’s still a good score but a few points taken away for stealing.

Grade: B

[divider]

Overall Grade: B+

Movie Review: Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg make 2 Guns watchable

Nate Parsons
-
0
Movie Review: Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg make 2 Guns watchable

Director: Baltasar Kormakur
Writers: Blake Masters, Steven Grant (graphic novels)
Stars: Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Paula Patton, Bill Paxton

Synopsis: A DEA agent and a naval intelligence officer find themselves on the run after a botched attempt to infiltrate a drug cartel. While fleeing, they learn the secret of their shaky alliance: Neither knew that the other was an undercover agent.

[/info]

DIRECTION
2 Guns is a perfect example of a movie taking a paint-by-numbers approach; a movie that isn’t bad but isn’t good. It’s generic; it’s all been-there, done-that from the script to the performances to the score. And that all lands on the shoulders of director Baltasar Kormakur, whose last year’s Contraband falls along these same lines. Luckily, he has two very talented actors here in Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg who carry the movie and keep it from being a mess. And Kormakur does get a nod for a couple nice shots, particularly one involving time-lapse. But other than that, 2 Guns is one of those movies that’s best reserved to watch on TV on a Thursday night when nothing else is on.

Grade: C

[divider]

SCRIPT
Not sure if it was just bad source material or just ineptitude but Blake Masters’ first foray into movie screenwriting wasn’t very good. 2 Guns is filled with seen-it-before characters, twists and turns, action beats and a tone that ranges from completely serious to completely goofy. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just that it’s all things we’ve seen before, multiple times in fact. But perhaps the biggest problem with the script is that we don’t give two craps about any of the characters, from the leads on down. They’re all completely one-dimensional with no backstories and no connection for us to make with them and their decisions.

Grade: D+

[divider]

PERFORMANCES
2 Guns belongs to its two top dogs: Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg. Their chemistry, their banter carries the movie, despite them playing characters they’ve already played before. Washington is the straight-laced, hard-nosed DEA agent while Wahlberg is the cocky, smartass Navy officer (he’s basically playing the same role in did in The Other Guys). There’s not much to their performances, but they are good together and are pretty funny. Bill Paxton may give the best performance in the whole movie, as a mysterious (CIA) operative who is completely cheesy and over-the-top with his accent and the way he interviews his subjects. The rest of the big names are pretty much wasted: Paula Patton plays the role of love interest/damsel in distress, Edward James Olmos plays a stereotypical Mexican drug dealer and James Marsden plays a Navy officer. All of these roles could’ve been played by no-name actors and it would’ve been all the same.

Grade: C+

[divider]

SCORE
Like the rest of 2 Guns, Clinton Shorter’s score is pretty generic in a been-there, done-that sort of way. It’s exactly what you’d expect from something in this genre and doesn’t offer anything new. It doesn’t add anything to movie — in fact it isn’t used that much, which is a plus I guess. While the score wasn’t anything to brag about, the song “Two Against One” by Danger Mouse featuring Jack White was nice to hear.

Grade: C-

[divider]

Overall Grade: C

Movie Review: Upstream Color is ambiguous yet really beautiful

JD Duran
-
0
Movie Review: Upstream Color is ambiguous yet really beautiful

Director: Shane Carruth
Writers: Shane Carruth
Stars: Amy Seimetz, Shane Carruth

Synopsis: A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the life cycle of an ageless organism. Identity becomes an illusion as they struggle to assemble the loose fragments of wrecked lives.

[/info]

DIRECTION
Shane Carruth, who not only directed Upstream Color but also did the editing, cinematography, male lead, and score. Oh, he also acted as the distributor too. He doesn’t only just wear a lot of hats but he’s a genius at it too. The story he tells is so ambiguous and it makes no sense on the surface. However, it’s gorgeously shot and reminds you a lot of Terrence Malick in some scenes. In some cases, the cinematography is ambiguous and makes you wonder what he’s doing and it just adds to the complexity of the experience. The story really isn’t that complicated but it’s the way it’s pieced together and how it leaves gaps that make you scratch your head. This movie is so well crafted and thought out and will leave you weirdly satisfied at the end.

Grade: A

[divider]

SCRIPT
I don’t even know where to begin here. The story centers around a woman, Kris, to is drugged and is infected with a parasite which leaves her conscious but unaware of what’s going on. She’s forced to sign her assets away to the man who drugged her and when she awakens she isn’s sure what happened to her. It’s after that where this movie starts to really get ambiguous. Before she awakens she somehow is at a farm where she transfers the parasite from her to a pig. Yep, that’s right. Later she meets up with a man named Jeff, whom they start a relationship and she soon finds out Jeff had a similar experience. The two start to remember some things of their past and the pieces start to come together of what happened (sort of). At least that’s my best guess, although I don’t think anyone has figured out this beautiful puzzle yet. What makes the story work is how interesting the characters are. You find yourself interested, frustrated, angry, and engaged with the characters and their interactions all at the same time. You have no idea what’s going on yet you care for them and what happens to them. Jeff and Kris’ relationship is intriguing and gorgeously captured and you can’t help root for them, which is amazing once it all comes together. It’s so unique and different and it has Shane Carruth written (literally) all over it. While it’s beautiful art and geniously written, it will make some people extremely confused and could throw you off if you’re not into it. Although it makes you think, it’s within the thought you can find the awesomeness of this story.

Grade: A-

[divider]

PERFORMANCES
This film is mostly just our two main characters played by Amy Seimetz and Carruth. Their chemistry is amazing and they make it really easy to buy into their relationships. And not only are the characters written well (and extremely weird), it’s the way they make it come off screen that makes it also believable. The confusion and ambiguity is palpable all over both actors and it’s within the confusion where the beauty of this story lies. The characters are forced to grow together and are there for each other when the truth rises of what happened. And while there is little dialogue between Seimetz and Carruth, their body language and chemistry make it amazing and beautiful to watch. Extremely well done.

Grade: A-

[divider]

SCORE
Well as I mentioned before, Carruth also did the score and it’s incredible. The score fills this film quite well and it makes the movie feel really full. And because there is little dialogue the score really stands out here among the beautiful shots that will define this movie. The melodies are gorgeous and soft and will accompany the sad and confusing tone of the film really well. It’s actually a great score to listen to outside the film as well, although you need to be in the right mood for it. The music doesn’t have happy themes that you’ll want to party to but they are themes that fit well and sound great.

Grade: A-

[divider]

Overall Grade: A-

Movie News: James Cameron’s Avatar will become a quadrilogy

Nate Parsons
-
2
Movie News: James Cameron’s Avatar will become a quadrilogy

James Cameron’s 2009 game-changing Avatar is the highest-grossing movie of all-time and was nominated for numerous Oscars — so putting a franchise together was inevitable.

And today, after years of countless rumors about sequel this, sequel that, Fox has finally confirmed that there will in fact be three sequels. We also now know who will be writing them and when they will be released.

Writing those sequels — presumably alongside Cameron — will be Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Jurassic Park IV) and Shane Salerno (Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem and Savages).

We also now know that Cameron will take a page from Peter Jackson and shoot all three sequels simultaneously with release dates set for December of 2016, 2017 and 2018. Cameron will once again produce with Jon Landau and WETA will work on the special effects.

Avatar, which grossed over $2 billion worldwide, was nominated for nine Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director, losing to The Hurt Locker (and Cameron’s ex-wife) in both. Avatar claimed awards for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects.

So what do I think of this news? Well, Avatar is still to this day the greatest theater-going experience I’ve ever had. The 3D experience was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. So with that being said, I’m all on-board for a sequel (maybe not three) and seeing more of the world of Pandora and more of those great special effects.

The writers Cameron chose are kind of surprising (especially Salerno), but he chose them so I’ll trust him. And let’s be real, Cameron is going to have the final say in everything he does.

Movie News: Lots of characters crammed into new Thor: The Dark World poster

Nate Parsons
-
0
Movie News: Lots of characters crammed into new Thor: The Dark World poster

Marvel’s Phase 2 will continue with this fall’s Thor: The Dark World.

And today we got another poster (via Entertainment Weekly) that crams a lot of the characters we’ll be seeing into it. It’s not a terrible poster, but there sure is a lot going on. But you have to love the menacing grin Loki (Tom Hiddleston) has and the Asgardian armor Jane (Natalie Portman) is sporting next to a badass-looking Thor (Chris Hemsworth).

I thought 2011’s Thor was a pleasant surprise and enjoyed it very much — and I’m especially excited about Alan Taylor directing as I’ve just recently gotten into Game of Thrones (which is incredible). I just hope The Dark World is better than Marvel’s first Phase 2 outing, the disappointing Iron Man 3.

thor_the_dark_world_poster_large

Thor: The Dark World hits on November 8.

Podcast: The Way, Way Back and Upstream Color – Extra Film

JD Duran
-
0
Podcast: The Way, Way Back and Upstream Color – Extra Film

This week on the InSession Film Podcast: Extra Film segment, we review The Way, Way Back starring Steve Carell and Sam Rockwell as well as Shane Carruth’s latest, Upstream Color.

– The Way, Way Back Review
    Grades
    Nate: A
    JD: A

– Upstream Color Review
    Grades
    Brent: A-
    JD: A-

– Music

    The Way Way back – Rob Simonsen
    As if It Would Have A Universal and Memorable Ending – Shane Carruth
    The Return of the Eagle – Atli Örvarsson

To buy this podcast for a small donation, click here. Your support is extremely appreciated!

To hear this episode and many more, download our apps on the Amazon Market for Android and the Podcast Box app on IOS devices. This helps support the weekly show and everything we do. We greatly appreciate the support.

IOS – Podcast Box App
Android – Amazon Market

 

Monthly Preview: Summer movie season wraps up with August releases

Nate Parsons
-
0
Monthly Preview: Summer movie season wraps up with August releases

The summer movie season is quickly coming to an end as the August movie schedule is upon us.

So what’s there to see this month? You have a buddy-cop movie starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, Neill Blomkamp’s follow-up to District 9, a sequel involving a hero who kicks ass, a couple of biopics and a third movie from the trio of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

So here it is: A list of some of the top films that are being released this month.

AUGUST 2

2 Guns

Director: Baltasar Kormakur
Stars: Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Bill Paxton
Synopsis: A DEA agent and a naval intelligence officer find themselves on the run after a botched attempt to infiltrate a drug cartel. While fleeing, they learn the secret of their shaky alliance: Neither knew that the other was an undercover agent.
Our Take: An R-rated buddy-cop movie featuring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg? Sounds good to us. Here’s hoping it’s better than The Other Guys.

Smurfs 2

Director: Raja Gosnell
Stars: Hank Azaria, Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, Katy Perry
Synopsis: The Smurfs team up with their human friends to rescue Smurfette, who has been kidnapped by Gargamel since she knows a secret spell that can turn the evil sorcerer’s newest creation – creatures called the Naughties – into real Smurfs.
Our Take: There was no need to make a Smurfs, let alone a sequel.

The Spectacular Now

Director: James Ponsoldt
Stars: Shailene Woodley, Miles Teller, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kyle Chandler
Synopsis: A hard-partying high school senior’s philosophy on life changes when he meets the not-so-typical “nice girl.”
Our Take: This one has gotten a lot of good buzz, and after watching the trailer, we can see why. The story and the acting appear to be top-notch, making this one one to watch.

AUGUST 9

Elysium

Director: Neill Blomkamp
Stars: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copely
Synopsis: A factory worker takes on a mission to hijack his way onto a man-made space habitat.
Our Take: Neill Blomkamp’s first movie, District 9, is a modern-day, sci-fi classic. Now with more star power and a bigger budget, can Blomkamp make it two classics in a row? We think so.

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

Director: Thor Freudenthal
Stars: Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario, Nathan Fillion, Brandon T. Jackson
Synopsis: In order to restore their dying safe haven, the son of Poseidon and his friends embark on a quest to the Sea of Monsters to find the mythical Golden Fleece while trying to stop an ancient evil from rising.
Our Take: We never saw 2010’s Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief but the premise involving Greek mythology always did look pretty interesting. And it does star The Perks of Being a Wallflower‘s Logan Lerman, so maybe we’ll check this out.

Planes

Director: Klay Hall
Stars: Val Kilmer, Dane Cook, Teri Hatcher, Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Synopsis: Dusty is a cropdusting plane who dreams of competing in a famous aerial race. The problem? He is hopelessly afraid of heights. With the support of his mentor Skipper and a host of new friends, Dusty sets off to make his dreams come true.
Our Take: A spin-off of Pixar’s Cars series, this looks more like a Direct-to-DVD movie. But one of us is pretty excited for this (that would be JD).

We’re the Millers

Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, Emma Roberts, Ed Helms
Synopsis: A veteran pot dealer creates a fake family as part of his plan to move a huge shipment of weed into the U.S. from Mexico.
Our Take: This one had us sold when we heard Jennifer Anniston is playing a stripper. But the story (at least on paper) sounds like it could make for a very funny movie. But comedies are so hit-or-miss that it’s always hard to tell.

AUGUST 16

Kick-Ass 2

Director: Jeff Wadlow
Stars: Chloe Grace Moretz, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jim Carrey
Synopsis: The costumed high-school hero Kick-Ass joins with a group of normal citizens who have been inspired to fight crime in costume. Meanwhile, the Red Mist plots an act of revenge that will affect everyone Kick-Ass knows.
Our Take: The crew is back and everything looks to be amped up in this sequel to one of the best comic-book movies of all-time. This is a must-see, especially when you consider how awesome Jim Carrey’s performance looks.

Paranoia

Director: Robert Luketic
Stars: Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, Liam Hemsworth, Amber Heard
Synopsis: An entry-level employee at a powerful corporation finds himself occupying a corner office, but at a dangerous price: he must spy on his boss’s old mentor to secure for him a multi-billion dollar advantage.
Our Take: Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman going toe-to-toe is all we need to know to get us excited about this one.

Lee Daniels’ The Butler

Director: Lee Daniels
Stars: Forest Whitaker, John Cusack, Oprah Winfrey, Robin Williams
Synopsis: An African-American eyewitnesses notable events of the 20th century during his tenure as a White House butler.
Our Take: Lee Daniels certainly has another Oscar nominee on his hands after 2009’s Precious. The story here looks extremely moving and the cast is phenomenal. This has the potential of being one of the best movies of the year.

Jobs

Director: Joshua Michael Stern
Stars: Ashton Kutcher, J.K. Simmons, Josh Gad
Synopsis: The story of Steve Jobs’ ascension from college dropout into one of the most revered creative entrepreneurs of the 20th century.
Our Take: The trailer for this one has a feel very reminiscent of 2010’s The Social Network. Will this be as good as that movie? Doubt it. But it does look interesting and Ashton Kutcher certainly does have the look of Steve Jobs down (acting-wise is another matter though).

AUGUST 23

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Director: Harald Zwart
Stars: Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Robert Sheehan
Synopsis: When her mom is attacked and taken from their home in New York City by a demon, a seemingly ordinary teenage girl, Clary Fray, finds out truths about her past and bloodline on her quest to get her back, that changes her entire life.
Our Take: Neither of us have read the books (and we never will), but this kind of looks like a mix between Twilight and Supernatural. The tweens will probably eat it up, but this will be a pass for us.

The World’s End

Director: Edgar Wright
Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Rosamund Pike
Synopsis: Five friends who reunite in an attempt to top their epic pub crawl from 20 years earlier unwittingly become humankind’s only hope for survival.
Our Take: After 2004’s Shaun of the Dead and 2007’s Hot Fuzz, the trio of director Edgar Wright and stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are back for another crazy adventure, this time involving lots of booze and an alien invasion. If this is anywhere near as good as there first two outings, we’re going to be in for another classic.

AUGUST 30

Closed Circuit

Director: John Crowley
Stars: Eric Bana, Rebecca Hall, Jim Broadbent, Ciaran Hinds
Synopsis: Martin and Claudia are lawyers — and ex-lovers — who find themselves put at risk after they join the defense team for an international terrorist’s trial.
Our Take: There’s lots of talent surrounding this one, particularly screenwriter Steve Knight, who wrote 2007’s thriller Eastern Promises. This one could surprise some people, even us.

Movie Trailer: Peter Berg’s Lone Survivor won’t end well

Nate Parsons
-
0
Movie Trailer: Peter Berg’s Lone Survivor won’t end well

It’s pretty apparent from the title that things won’t go so well for the Navy SEALs in Peter Berg’s latest.

Today we got the first trailer for Lone Survivor (via Moviefone), the true story about a group of SEALs who get ambushed by a group of Taliban. The trailer is very solid, bringing authenticity and intensity found in such movies as The Hurt Locker, Black Hawk Down and Zero Dark Thirty — and hopefully this movie ends up being just as great as all of those.

And like those other similar movies, Lone Survivor has a standout cast including the likes of Mark Wahlberg, Eric Bana, Emile Hirsch, Taylor Kitsch and Ben Foster. The movie is directed by Berg, who had a pretty good track record going (The Rundown, Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom and Hancock) before last year’s disastrous Battleship. But according to an article on Deadline, Berg agreed to direct that crapfest because Universal agreed to distribute his “passion project” of Lone Survivor. Interesting.

Lone Survivor hits theaters on January 10, 2014.

Movie Trailer: American Hustle looks great with incredible cast

JD Duran
-
0
Movie Trailer: American Hustle looks great with incredible cast

David O. Russell is back after directing Oscar-nominated films Silver Linings Playbook and The Fighter with a new trailer for his film, American Hustle.

The film is about a couple of con artists who get pressed into service for an FBI agent. The movie has an incredible cast that includes Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner and Robert De Niro. Yep, that’s one heck of a cast.

This specific trailer comes from Good Morning America.

Movie Series Review: A Beautiful Mind (Recent Historical Figures)

Nate Parsons
-
0
Movie Series Review: A Beautiful Mind (Recent Historical Figures)

Year Released: 2001
Director: Ron Howard
Writers: Akiva Goldsman, Sylvia Nasar (book)
Stars: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Paul Bettany

Synopsis: After a brilliant but asocial mathematician accepts secret work in cryptography, his life takes a turn to the nightmarish.

[/info]

DIRECTION
A Beautiful Mind is easily Ron Howard’s best directorial effort, earning him Oscars for both Best Director and Best Picture. Howard crafts a fascinating movie, one that can’t even be classified under one genre — it’s a drama, a mystery, a love story and a spy thriller. He does a great job of blending all of these together to make an extremely engrossing and engaging movie that never becomes too sentimental or too preachy when it comes to mental illness. A Beautiful Mind has a great script, one that is mainstream but isn’t formulaic, fantastic acting (not just the leads) and a wonderful score — and Howard does a great job of bringing it all together in one of the best movies of all-time.

Grade: A+

[divider]

SCRIPT
How is it that the guy who wrote Batman Forever, Batman & Robin and Lost in Space could also write A Beautiful Mind? I don’t know but that’s exactly what Akiva Goldsman did. Somehow, someway (probably with the help of Howard or the author of the book it’s based on), Goldsman wrote what is one of the best stories ever written for the movies. The way he was able to incorporate a bunch of different genres into a character study (which spans about 40 years of mathematician John Nash’s life, exploring his college years, his marriage and his Nobel Peace Prize-winning days) while dealing with mental illness and paranoia is a high achievement. And the best part about it is that while it’s a movie everyone can enjoy it also doesn’t take a by-the-numbers approach. It’s a movie that can be watched over and over again because the story is so engaging and always keeps you on your toes and the “twist” is implemented so well and so naturally that it’s kind of easy to forget it’s a “twist” at all. It’s just a truly remarkable story about a truly remarkable person that needs to be watched by anyone and everyone.

Grade: A+

[divider]

PERFORMANCES
From the supporting roles to the leads, A Beautiful Mind is filled with tremendous performances — but Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly are by far the standouts and their chemistry together is insanely good. Crowe is magnificent, earning an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Nash. The way Crowe is able to bring to life the troubled genius is truly remarkable, bringing fragility and sensitivity to his already brooding intensity from his college years all the way through to his retirement. It’s easily one of the best performances he’s ever given. And Connelly isn’t too far behind, winning the Oscar for her role as Alicia, Nash’s wife. She is the heart to Nash’s mind, always loving on him and giving him hope as he struggles to deal with his demons. Connelly’s emotional depth is quite astounding, as she has some scenes and gives some little speeches that can make even a grown man shed a tear or two. While Crowe and Connelly are the standouts, everybody else is also really good, from Ed Harris to Paul Bettany and so on. A Beautiful Mind is just an all-around tremendously-acted movie.

Grade: A+

[divider]

SCORE
The score for A Beautiful Mind is simply incredible — which is to be expected considering James Horner composed it. The score is everything you want: haunting (particularly those female chants), thrilling, sweeping, emotional and easy-going. It certainly adds a lot to the movie, helping bring out those emotions, and it’s definitely one you can listen to outside of watching the movie (as I’m doing right now). And the original song, “All Love Can Be” by Charlotte Church, is pretty darn good, too.

Grade: A+

[divider]

Overall Grade: A+

Movie Trailer: Walter Mitty has lots of potential

JD Duran
-
2
Movie Trailer: Walter Mitty has lots of potential

Fox has released the new trailer for Ben Stiller’s latest directorial film, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, which looks pretty interesting actually. In the movie, Stiller plays photo editor at Life Magazine, who is quiet and looking to escape his day-to-day life by going into these crazy-weird fantasies. The movie co-stars Adam Scott, Sean Penn, Patton Oswalt and Shirley MacLaine and is based on a short story by James Thurber.

This looks much different from what we’ve seen so far from Stiller and looks like it could be really good. The cinematography looks great as well as the acting.

What do you think?

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty opens December 25.

Movie Review: The Way, Way Back is incredibly moving

JD Duran
-
0
Movie Review: The Way, Way Back is incredibly moving

Director: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
Writers: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
Stars: Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Liam James, Sam Rockwell

Synopsis: Shy 14-year-old Duncan goes on summer vacation with his mother, her overbearing boyfriend, and her boyfriend’s daughter. Having a rough time fitting in, Duncan finds an unexpected friend in Owen, manager of the Water Wizz water park.

[/info]

DIRECTION
Well to start, The Way, Way Back is one of the best films so far in 2013. The duo of Nat Faxon and Jim Rash were incredible here bring us a movie that is powerful, moving and a ton of fun. While this theme as been explored many times before, it’s the journey along this path which makes it fun and interesting and this journey is a lot of fun. The movie is shot really well and explores relationships in a pretty interesting and engaging way. On some sort of level, there is at least one (probably more) character that is easy to relate with, especially in today’s world and the direction made it easy for you to experience that. The camera work isn’t stand out worthy but you understand the aesthetic and it’s the relationship dynamics that are captured brilliantly.

Grade: A-

[divider]

SCRIPT
The movie is about a young boy, Duncan, who is in his early, formative years as a teen and he’s learning who he is and what is identity is going to be. And this is something every boy goes through at some point in his life which makes Duncan relatable on some level. While our stories may not resemble his life at all, what makes Duncan great is the underdog factor. He’s not a popular kid and he’s not the “cool kid; you know something we’ve seen a thousand times before. But like I said, it’s the how and why in the journey that’s awesome, not the vehicle that gets you there. And Duncan’s journey is filled with escapism, wanting acceptance, love and somewhere to fit in. And he finds all of that with Sam Rockwell’s character, who is the manager of a water park in the town that Duncan’s family is staying at for the summer. It’s here Duncan finds his confidence and “his own path” that starts to set him free. In the middle of that, is a girl who is cute, adorable and also looking for escapism which leads to her attraction to Duncan. While not something likely, the two have amazing chemistry and the relationship formed leads to some amazing and fun screen time. Duncan’s relationship with his mom’s boyfriend (Steve Carrell) is a hindrance and becomes a burden for both Duncan and his mom which leads to some interesting questions and more importantly, choices. This is a coming of age tale that is fun, entertaining and likable on so many levels. An incredibly rich story.

Grade: A+

[divider]

PERFORMANCES
Let’s start off with Liam James as Duncan. James’ performance is either brilliant or not great. His dialogue is delivered so awkwardly and his expressions or movements mimic the same awkwardness. The thing is, that’s who his character is at the core of this story. He’s a weird, young teen, who has a hard time making friends, let alone getting girls or being “cool”. And at times with the deliverance of that, it can come off as bad acting because it is weird and awkward. Some though, may call it brilliant and I think I’m in that ballpark. However, Sam Rockwell steals the show here. He’s hysterical in what is perhaps his best role ever. Everything he does is funny, perhaps off the cuff, and brings a dynamic to this movie that just puts it over the top. The way he plays off as the silly manager who doesn’t take anything serious is perfect and yet, he’s serious when he needs to be. Steve Carell doesn’t make a single joke the whole movie, can you believe that? He’s the untrustworthy boyfriend who makes bad decisions and is not very likable. Yes, that Steve Carell. He’s really good at it too. All the other supporting roles are great as well for the most part aside from some of the younger teen female parts that came off cheesy and stereotypical but it didn’t detract from the film too much.

Grade: A

[divider]

SCORE
Rob Simonsen’s score is pretty good actually and is very appropriate for the story that we’re wrapped up in. It’s fun and energetic while in the background when it needs to be. It’s not overbearing and in the end it won’t be memorable but when you’re in the moment, it’s a good, fun little jam.

Grade: B+

[divider]

Overall Grade: A

Movie Review: Only God Forgives is dark and lacking

JD Duran
-
4
Movie Review: Only God Forgives is dark and lacking

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Writers: Nicolas Winding Refn
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vithaya Pansringarm

Synopsis: Julian, a drug-smuggler thriving in Bangkok’s criminal underworld, sees his life get even more complicated when his mother compels him to find and kill whoever is responsible for his brother’s recent death.

[/info]

DIRECTION
In terms of style, Only God Forgives is pretty great. It’s very similar to Nicolas Winding Refn’s 2011 movie, Drive, which also stars Ryan Gosling and you can tell the similarities right off the bat. It’s slow paced with very little going on throughout the film and we get very little dialogue, especially from Gosling which is also similar to Drive. The aesthetic of the criminal underground in Thailand is great and we feel and know the environment we are in. The beautiful and vibrant colors stand out in this film and Refn uses that light really intentionally in almost every scene. The problem here is the script and the how hard it is to make anything story related likable. If you liked Drive, you may like this film, given the criminal nature and the snail-paced movements Refn uses here, but overall the substance is too lacking in this movie which makes it not quite as fun. But the aesthetic is really great and the fight scene is awesome, although the ending leaves you empty, like most of this movie.

Grade: B+

[divider]

SCRIPT
Let’s make this simple, since in nature, that’s what this movie is. There are no likable characters in this movie. Every character is awful, doing awful things and most likely thinking awful thoughts. Even Gosling’s character, Julian, who at times is conflicted between right and wrong, does things that make you keep an arm’s length in distance away, at least. The story is about revenge, revenge, and more revenge and how that cycle never ceases nor is it satisfying. Once Julian’s brother is killed (no spoiler there, see synopsis) for raping and murdering a 16-year-old girl, his mom flies in to guilt him into finding his brother’s killer. What a story, right? If that’s not low-browsing enough, it gets better. Every character is out to kill one another in some pretty violent ways and Julian’s mom is out to kill any sort of spirit he has left. What is interesting though is the fact that Julian is conflicted between his love for his brother and the painful decision he made and the respect for his mom even though he treats him like total s***. In middle of all this is an ex-cop, who is now called the Angel of Vengeance, who is seeking “justice” on all these criminals in a pretty violent way. He’s arguably the main character and is a main focus of the story and while is motives are “right”, his actions are nothing but. Overall, it’s a movie that is stunning visually but the story makes you look at your watch a few times throughout.

Grade: D+

[divider]

PERFORMANCES
For what Refn and gang are trying to do here, the performances aren’t terrible. Given the slow-natured style with a simple story that is bring forth a visual element, the actors aren’t given or expected to do much. Gosling more or less gives the exact same performance from Drive as this “bad-ass” character who doesn’t have much dialogue. Although his character here has more flaws and isn’t as fun, his performance drives (get it) home the point. Kristin Scott Thomas is amazing as Julian’s mom and is the leader of this drug ring in Thailand. She is so despicable and everything she does makes you root more and more for her to get the sword by the end of the film. She’s the worst person in movie history with a lack of love and understanding and is painful to watch every time she’s on screen. So yeah, Thomas pull it off to say the least. Everyone else has little dialogue and while they do a fine job, they are replaceable.

Grade: B

[divider]

SCORE
Finally, something worth talking about. Cliff Martinez’s score is incredible. A lot of digital sounds that are extremely appropriate given the criminal underground and bright-colored hypnotic aesthetic we are in. It’s a lot of fun and enhances this movie to a whole different level than it would of been without it. The fight scene music is really great and makes for that scene to really stand out among the rest. His low energy music in the intense moments make it really thrilling while making it fun at the same time. Hats off to easily the best part of the film.

Grade: A-

[divider]

Overall Grade: C

1...312313314...342Page 313 of 342
Advertisment

© 2023 InSession Film