LOOKING BACK ON 2006: INSIDE MAN – A ONE OF A KIND HEIST MOVIE

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January 27, 2016

Inside Man was released in 2006 to critical and box office success. It was something of a surprise for Spike Lee to be making a genre film, but his fingerprints all over the film, making it a surprisingly rich heist flick. As time has gone by, it looks to be somewhat forgotten. It doesn’t seem to be brought up a lot in cinephile circles or anytime that Spike Lee does a new movie. Maybe people didn’t find it as transcendental, but compared to a lot of fun but forgettable movies, there’s quite a bit to chew on in Inside Man.

The movie tells the story of Detective Frazier (Denzel Washington) attempting to negotiate the rescue of hostages of a bank robbery while a power broker hired by the bank’s founder, tries to influence the outcome of the heist, as he needs something in his safe deposit box protected. The movie is entertaining from start to finish, with huge twists and surprises in nearly every scene. The cast is rock-solid with Washington giving Frazier a humane, relatable approach as a dedicated detective who struggles with commitment in his love life. Clive Owen is fantastic as the lead thief Dalton Russell, simultaneously frightening and charismatic. Even when his face is completely covered up we get a great sense of the character. Jodie Foster also brings a quality performance as Madeleine White, the power broker. But one of the best aspects of the movie is the ensemble of supporting characters. When you have the likes of Chiwetel Ejiofor and Willem Dafoe in the supporting cast, you know that Spike Lee took the casting seriously.

Lee’s directing here is top notch. He shoots in a near-documentary style that makes us feel like we’re right in the middle of the robbery ourselves. His dynamic choices for camera angles and movements also spice things up in a movie where essentially we’re in two locations: Inside and outside. On top of that, there are a few quirky, punchy touches to the soundtrack, such as the use of “Chaiyaa Chaiyaa”, a song from the Bollywood movie Dil Se to underscore the opening titles and end credits.

But perhaps what’s all the more surprising about the movie is how it manages to be rich in themes. In broad but impacting strokes, the movie touches on guilt, revenge, racism, sexism and corruption, all in the backdrop of a post-9/11 New York City. This is perhaps Lee’s greatest touch to the film and what most makes it be more than a mere popcorn movie.

If you haven’t watched Inside Man, be sure to check it out on Blu-Ray as soon as possible.

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Review: ‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ – A Colossal Comedown

By

Dewey Singleton - Film Critic

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January 27, 2016

While visually gorgeous and entertaining, the third installment of the Kung Fu Panda series is a comedown from the previous two films. Kung Fu Panda 3 is the embodiment of what is wrong with Hollywood. Now, no one would ever blame Dreamworks for attempting to do a third installment of the wildly successful franchise, as it’s brought in a worldwide gross of $1.3 billion. Sometimes, the best idea is to quit while you’re ahead.

The film picks up on Kung Fu Panda 2‘s cliffhanger, with the discovery that Po’s real father (Bryan Cranston) survived the massacre of the panda clans and now knows his son (Jack Black) survived as well. The reunion comes at an awkward moment, with Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) announcing his retirement from teaching and anointing Po as the new instructor of the furious five. But when the evil Kai (J.K. Simmons) escapes from the underworld and begins defeating various kung fu masters, Po discovers that only a kung fu warrior who is a master of chi can overcome this threat. Can Po embrace his newfound panda family and learn the required skills necessary to defeat this new villain?

The film is visually marvelous. Dreamworks once again proves that they are the absolute best when it comes to using 3D to enhance storytelling. It’s worth the price of admission just to see the 3D imagery alone. At the beginning of Kung Fu Panda 3, with little warning, we are treated to a surprisingly intense scrum between two warriors in the afterlife. Even with the amazing 3D the opening sequence exposes the film’s major issue, as the villain is merely a variation on what we’ve seen in the other movies.

In the first two films, the villains were wonderfully developed, fleshed out thoroughly. Ian McShane and Gary Oldman delivered solid voice performances. Ian McShane’s character added quite a spark to the first film and Gary Oldman and painfully humanized his role as the peacock villain in the second movie. J.K. Simmons is decent as an ancient spirit which makes it just back into the real world, but the lack of development in his character causes his role to come off as a just some glorified villain of the day.

Expectations were high for co-director Jennifer Nelson Yuh and Alessandro Carloni, and they attempted to recapture the magic of the first two films. Yuh even went as far as to hire screenwriter Aibel and Glen Berger to try to craft a lighter, less violent, and less psychologically weighted film. The result is a movie that centers around rehashed narratives. The highlight of the film was in the third act when Po’s two dad’s share an emotional heart to heart talk. This heart to heart is a perfect example of the emotional honesty that we’ve come to expect from the franchise.

Kung-Fu Panda 3 is such a titanic wasted opportunity. The Kung-Fu Panda films are synonymous with heart and possessing some emotional center. This one is untenanted and lacking in any complexity that it’s hard not to wonder if Kung-Fu Panda 3 was some vanity project for the directors (Yuh and Carloni). An average effort will always result in an average product. It’s merely a good enough adventure that kids will enjoy. It’s high energy and will keep the little ones entertained enough, but adults will find themselves looking at their watches.

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‘Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2’ Post Credits Scene: Howard the Duck Part 2

By

Matthew Sardo

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January 27, 2016

Only director James Gunn knows what will happen in the post-credits scene for Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2, but he let the world know on social media that he has it written. Which is quite different from his first go around.

In Guardian of the Galaxy, Howard the Duck was the focus of the post-credits scene and Gunn just wanted to have fun with it.

“We decided to do it very late in the game (…) We had one plan for the first tag, and another for the second tag. Originally, we were going to put Baby Groot dancing at the very end of the movie. But we kept trying to think of different things. We had a bunch of stuff with Cosmo, and different ideas, and I think it was some combination of me and the editor Fred Raskin who said, ‘Let’s put Howard The Duck in there.’ What if The Collector looks over and sees Howard The Duck sitting there? And I wrote down the line, ‘Whaddya let it lick you like that for? Gross.’ Fred and I thought it was hilarious, but we weren’t sure that Kevin Feige would go for it. But we told Kevin and Kevin couldn’t stop laughing. Every time he saw it, he was like, ‘We’re f**king crazy! We’re f**king crazy!’ – Gunn told Empire.

Do you think Gunn will use Howard again or will he move on to a different character?

Even MORE excited for #GotGVol2 after our table read yesterday. Our returning cast is even better & our new cast is amazing.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) January 27, 2016

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 begins production in February with an expected released date of May 5, 2017.

The film is written and directed by James Gunn and stars Bradley Cooper, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Michael Rooker, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana, and Pom Klementieff.

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‘Togetherness’ Returns To HBO On February 21, Plus Plot Details

By

Matthew Sardo

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January 27, 2016

HBO announced Wednesday that the Duplass Brothers’ comedy, Togetherness returns for its eight-episode second season on February 21.

The comedy series follows four adults nearing 40, trying to balance both their relationships and their individual dreams.

A look at season two:

After Brett and Michelle nearly reached their breaking points, the season one finale of TOGETHERNESS saw Michelle kissing David while Brett was driving to Sacramento to declare his commitment to her. Season two reveals how the evening played out.

Meanwhile, Michelle pushes ahead with her charter school plans as Brett looks for artistic inspiration. Following his big acting break, Alex returns from New Orleans reinvigorated. Tina presses herself to figure out what her life should look like. Through it all, this makeshift family continues to face the hilarity and anxieties of everyday life, while proving that they’re truly at their best when they’re together.

The cast of Togetherness includes Mark Duplass, Melanie Lynskey, Amanda Peet, Steve Zissis, and Abby Ryder Fortson.

The show was created by Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass and Steve Zissis.

Bring it in. #Togetherness premieres 2/21 at 10:30 on @HBO. pic.twitter.com/OTiCDAc1SH

— TogethernessHBO (@TogethernessHBO) January 21, 2016

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Deadpool Promotes Touching Yourself in Latest Promo

By

Anthony Composto - EIC

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January 27, 2016

The marketing team for Deadpool deserves an award. Between the epic trailers, the random billboards, and the 12 Days of Deadpool last month, this is turning out to be the greatest ad campaign in comic book movie history.

In the film’s first trailer, D-Piddy inhaled the fumes from his guns and exclaimed, “I’m touching myself tonight.” Now, in the flick’s latest promo video, he’s telling you to touch yourself too…

…for a good cause. The Merc with a Mouth is helping promote Ballboys, a testicular cancer charity. He is reminding folks that “most cancers are curable if caught early,” and directing them to Ballboys’ official website to learn more. It may seem odd, but Deadpool is actually the perfect character to promote the cause, his own cancer being the reason he sought out Weapon X in the first place.

You can also use the hashtag #touchyourselftonight to raise awareness.

Check out the full video below, courtesy of JoBlo Movie Trailers, and starring Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3PK7yIThJI[/embedyt]

Deadpool hits theaters February 12, 2016.

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More Details On Negan’s First Appearance In AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’

By

Matthew Sardo

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January 27, 2016

The Walking Dead returns to AMC on February 14 to start the second half of season six, but when will we see the first appearance of Negan?

“His name has been invoked and his group is certainly of growing importance, but it’s not like we are going to see him starring in an episode right off the bat,” said showrunner Scott M. Gimple.

TV Insider is reporting that you won’t actually get to see Jeffery Dean Morgan as Negan until the very last episode of the season on April 3. Executive producer and creator Robert Kirkman has stated Negan’s first appearance is “bone-chilling.”

“He is the darkest incarnation of a bully. He’s a very magnetic character; he isn’t just a sociopath. He is the star of his own movie,” said Gimple.

Kirkman also talked about the direction for the second half of the season.

“This is a huge turning point for Rick and the group, because there’s a lot of chaos and it’s very brutal. This is not the end of Alexandria, but we’ll see a different Rick Grimes as he faces possibly the biggest hardships ever,” said Kirkman.

Who do you think Negan’s first victim will be?

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Forget Mulder – There’s No X-Files Without Dana Scully

By

Jess Morton

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January 27, 2016

News broke last week that X-Files star Gillian Anderson was initially offered half the pay as David Duchovny. The sexist Fox scandal is surprising and not surprising. Female leads have historically been offered a fraction of the pay of their male counterparts. This is the norm in the film and TV industry despite female actresses having just as much screen time, working just as hard to look screen-ready, and being all around badass. Gillian Anderson’s Dana Scully is no exception to this.

For those interested in some more details on Fox’s idiocy, The Mary Sue published a rather on-point article.

Now X-Files fans know there’s no show without Dana Scully. Without Scully Mulder would just be a lunatic rambling on about UFOs, and all the other paranormal stuff he believes in. Chris Carter, the series creator, took a female character and made her a pinnacle of the show. The X-Files 1993 pilot actually starts with Dana Scully walking into the Division Chief’s office at the FBI. At first Scully’s brought in, as all fans know, to debunk the X-Files with scientific fact. Ever the skeptic, she decisively shuts down all of Mulder’s wild theories. In The X-Files Scully puts the ‘science’ in science fiction. Yet, at the end of the pilot Special Agent Scully can’t logically explain half of what she’s witnessed in small-town Oregon. What makes Scully interesting, as a character, is how she’s developed over the course of the show. Mulder will always play as the radical, irrational, loud guy who believes in aliens. Scully will always play as the calm, intelligent, badass who autopsies corpses like a pro. New and interesting facets also get added to Scully like how she rediscovers her Catholic faith, or how she discovers her desire to have children. All of these things not only change Scully as a character, but also play into the plot of the series.

In The X-Files revival, the first episode feels like a return to the pilot. The show opens with the usual call to the X-Files mythology, continues with the iconic opening credits (complete with beloved theme music), and finally the story starts with Dana Scully. Scully is in her scrubs, readying to assist in an important surgery when she’s once again called to action by the FBI. Much like the skeptic fans know and love, Scully continues to question what Mulder throws at her. This includes everything from Sveta’s claim as alien abductee, to Tad O’Malley’s government conspiracy theories. Only with Scully’s drive for scientific confirmation can her and Mulder get to the real truth. The X-Files revival does a good job at setting up the series again, and really it feels like going back to square one conspiracy-wise. The series will bring back William Scully, and this is a serious step forward in finally solving the mythology component of the series.

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The Oscars’ 9 Biggest Acting Upsets of All Time

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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January 27, 2016

More often than not, the Academy Awards are predestined, and The Oscars go to whom everyone expected from the start. The acting nominations typically consist of a frontrunner and four “also-rans” who are “just happy to be nominated.” Occasionally, the race boils down to two frontrunners with three invited to the ceremony to watch. But sometimes – just sometimes – a dark horse steals the show. With everyone waiting for the envelope to be read, certain of the name inside, once in a blue moon that name inside is a complete shock.

In the acting categories, Supporting Actress has historically been the spot for an upset throughout the years, as evidenced by the following list. Of the 9 upsets, FIVE are in said category:

Grace Kelly wins for The Country Girl, beating Judy Garland for A Star is Born (1955) – Most consider Garland’s performance in A Star is Born as transcendent, still celebrated over sixty years later. Meanwhile, very little is said about The Country Girl, or Kelly’s performance. It’s seen these days as a sort of year-long reward for Kelly’s work here, in High Noon, and in Hitchcok’s Rear Window. After The Oscars that night, Groucho Marx called this stunner “the biggest robbery since Brink’s.”

Marcia Gay Harden wins for Pollock, beating Kate Hudson for Almost Famous (2001) – The stage was absolutely set for Hudson to take home The Oscar for her heartwarming performance in Cameron Crowe’s masterpiece. Meanwhile, Marcia Gay Harden was a mere afterthought in the category, making her win one of the biggest shockers in recent memory.

Anna Paquin wins for The Piano, beating EVERYONE ELSE (1994) – Paquin’s victory came entirely out of left field, as the young actress beat out the likes of Emma Thompson, Rosie Perez, Winona Ryder, and Holly Hunter. Regardless of who may have deserved the statue, Paquin’s acceptance speech was one of the sweeter moments in Oscar history.

Robert Benigni wins for Life is Beautiful, beating EVERYONE ELSE (1998) – This one is still completely baffling. Benigni shocked the world, winning for his ham-fisted, on-the-nose holocaust drama Life is Beautiful. In the category was Ed Norton for American History X, Nick Nolte in Affliction, Ian McKellan for Gods and Monsters, and someone named TOM HANKS for something called SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. Absolutely criminal, funny acceptance celebration be damned.

Juliette Binoche wins for The English Patient, beating Lauren Bacall for The Mirror Has Two Faces (1997) – This was a night for Bacall, who had never… NEVER… been nominated for an Oscar in his illustrious career. That’s astonishing enough, but what was even more astonishing was Juliette Binoche sneaking in and winning for The English Patient, much to the chagrin of a bitter Bacall. Never underestimate the power of Harvey Weinstein.

https://youtu.be/HJzm8IShi8U

Beatrice Straight wins for Network, beating EVERYONE ELSE (1977) – Straight turned in solid work in Network, but there was one small issue with her victory at The Oscars: she appeared in five minutes of Sidney Lumet’s film. FIVE MINUTES! That, on top of the fact Jodie Foster was nominated for Taxi Driver and Piper Laurie for Carrie, makes this a surprising and ultimately confusing decision by the Academy.

Adrien Brody wins for The Pianist, beating EVERYONE ELSE (2003) – The shock was all over Adrien Brody’s face, who then seized the moment and planted a major kiss on Halle Berry when he got on stage. Brody’s win was deserving, but unforeseen with a field including Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York), favorite Nicolas Cage (Adaptation), and Jack Nicholson (About Schmidt).

Marisa Tomei wins for My Cousin Vinny, beating EVERYONE ELSE (1993) – Tomei’s nomination for Supporting Actress was a charming story in its own right. The success of My Cousin Vinny had catapulted her to leading lady status, but everyone figured she’d lose to any of the other nominees (mostly Vanessa Redgrave or Miranda Richardson). The win was such a surprise, rumors abounded that Jack Palance read the wrong name on the card (side note: He didn’t. Tomei deserved it).

Tommy Lee Jones wins for The Fugitive, beating Ralph Fiennes for Schindler’s List (1994) – Look, Jones was solid as Sam Gerrard in The Fugitive, the perfect pursuer to Harrison Ford’s man on the run. But, let’s be serious here… Ralph Fiennes delivered a towering performance in Schindler’s List, one of the most incredibly devastating films of all time. Fiennes is a monster, evil incarnate, and was absolutely robbed here.

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Joseph Fiennes is Playing Michael Jackson in 9/11 Movie. Because, of Course…

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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January 27, 2016

In what is easily the weirdest cast and film announcement to come along in many, many years, Joseph Fiennes is set to play Michael Jackson – yes, that one – in a film surrounding the aftermath of 9/11.

Read that sentence a few times, it will never fully register.

The report came out yesterday in The Guardian, and Fiennes as Michael Jackson is only the tip of the weirdness iceberg. The film tells a story, debatably true, about the King of Pop, Elizabeth Taylor, and Marlon Brando traveling in a car from New York to Ohio, trying to get home after the terrorist attacks on September 11. The original accounting of the trip was in Vanity Fair, and here is the summation in The Guardian article:

The story goes that Jackson invited the pair to his concert at Madison Square Garden. Following the 9/11 attacks, when air travel to and from New York was cancelled, the trio rented a car and began their quest back to California. “They actually got as far as Ohio – all three of them, in a car they drove themselves,” claimed a former employee of Jackson. Brando apparently insisted on stopping off at various fast food restaurants en route.

One issue with the validity of the story is the claim from one of Taylor’s assistants, who said Brando stayed behind to visit Ground Zero and pray in a church in New York. But let’s not let that little fact get in the way of what will certainly be a most bizarre film.

I suppose a bizarre story begets an equally bizarre casting choice for Michael Jackson. Joseph Fiennes may actually resemble the latter-years Jackson, but how incredibly awkward is that?! Stockard Channing will play Elizabeth Taylor, and Brian Cox will be Brando. Those make sense. And maybe Fiennes makes sense… it still makes me lightheaded.

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Climate Change Targets Evaporate in 2015, Hottest Year on Record: Robotic Mark Twain Reporting

By

Michael Bedford

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January 27, 2016

I don’t suppose I need to tell you that it’s an unpleasant sensation when one of your petticoat pipes bursts, or how exquisitely painful it can be to blow a throttle valve. My less steam-powered readers may sympathize by way of analogy by considering their own discomfort at being incapacitated due to heat stroke. And, although unpleasant to a considerable degree, an increase in occurrences of people suffering this feverish fate—historically due to the consumption of a proliferation of potent potables during genetically regressive sunbathing sessions—will be the least of our problems should our true blue planet Earth’s global annual average temperature rise just 1˚ Celsius more. Yes, this week I, a humble robotic duplicate of Mark Twain, will report on the recent climate change findings of the WMO.

Early on Monday the WMO issued a press release saying definitively that 2015 was the hottest year on record and that in 2015, for the first time ever, the Earth’s global annual average temperature was approximately 1˚C (actually 0.76 +/- 0.1˚C) above the pre-industrial average. For those keeping track, this means that there is only 1˚C more in global warming wiggle room before we hit the much-discussed 2˚C warming limit. In fact, at the fools’ gold rush that was COP21 this limit was amended to be a 1.5˚C rise in the global annual average temperature. So, this means that slightly over a month after the 1.5˚C target was amended and agreed upon at the most recent climate change conference, we the constituents of the earth are already steamrolling that target by a margin of 0.16–0.36˚C.

The New Climate Change Deal — Leaders celebrate agreed-upon global targets

One tries to do one’s small part in mitigating these increases in temperature. I recently switched from a coal-fired to a solar-powered boiler but one wonders what else a steam-powered robotic replica of one of America’s favorite humorists can do. One wants some direction from world leaders but if those directions lack any kind of meaningful enforcement strategy, what are we to do? As in so many other cases, I’m reminded of what my non-robotic original once said of humanity, “Such is the human race. Often it does seem such a pity that Noah and his party did not miss the boat.”

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