DAILY CALL SHEET: APRIL 30, 2018

Spookies (1986) Patchwork assemblage of two films isn't very coherent, but it does have farting muck monsters, so... points for that i guess. Simultaneously terrible and crazy likable. TIL: Nice to see even some evil wizards still believe in "till death do you part."

Your daily dose of culture courtesy of Scanners (1981) - "Our life is what our thoughts make it." - Marcus Aurelius

And lest we forget, it’s time for the Facebook…

10 Day Album Challenge

In no particular order, post 10 of your all time favorite albums, one per day. Choose music that really made an impact on you and is still something you listen to, even if only occasionally. Post the cover; no need to explain why you chose it.

Day 4 of 10 days.

A Single Shot (2013)

One of the entries for m.brown's Mt. Rushmore blogathon was Getter's four of Sam Rockwell characters with great beards. A Single Shot was number one. There were several pictures and that beard was basically porn --if you are into beards-- hence I watched the movie. 

With his wife (Kelly Reilly) and kid gone --she took the kid and left, they ain't dead-- and his father dead, John Moon (Sam Rockwell) is depressed, lives in poverty and feeds himself by hunting deer. One day he accidentally kills a woman (Christie Burke), he decides to tell nobody and takes the huge load of cash he finds in her car since he is desperate to get his wife and kid back. Unfortunately, the money belongs to some criminal (Jason Isaac) and John not only will have to fight for his family but for his life. 

It's a pretty interesting story, at least at the beginning. Unfortunately, its execution is very poor and I soon lost my interest in it (and if it wasn't for Sam Rockwell and his beard I would have probably never finished it). The plot lacks originality, it's never completely believable, it has many holes and the plot twists are nothing you couldn't see coming. And boy if it's dull!

The slow pacing is another annoying aspect of A Single Shot. I love slow paced movies when the slowness has a point, whether it is to develop its characters or a relationship, or building tension. The problem with this one is that the characters are poorly introduced and have poor characterization and development. The pace is okay at first and it builds some tension but most of the time it's just annoying.

The dialogue is another problem. It's not like the characters say things that are worth listening to anyway, but many times the lines "delivered" are incompressible. Sure, part of the blame is on me for not understanding the Southern accent that well, but all that mumbling and whispering, I think I'd struggle to understand them even if I knew the accent well. 

Well Go USA Entertainment

On the other hand, A Single Shot has a nice, moody, melancholic cinematography that fits the story very well, and so does the score. These are the two aspects to be thanked for the film's tension and suspense.

Then there's the acting. I'll never get tired of saying this but Sam Rockwell is one of the most underrated actors ever. While the paper-thin character says and does a lot of idiotic stuff --thank you Matthew F. Jones for such an awful script--, Rockwell (unsurprisingly) gives a great performance as simple-minded, down-on-hi-luck John Moon. He shows vulnerability and desperation and he's very believable in the role of his broken man.

The supporting cast also does a good job, especially Jeffrey Wright who plays Moon's alcoholic best friend --I could barely understand a thing of what the man was saying but he plays a drunk so I guess it's okay--, William H. Macy as a corrupt, sleazy lawyer and Joe Anderson as a young thug. Jason Isaac, on the other hand, failed to be menacing. 

Avengers: Infinity War Movie Review

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Watch the trailer
Written by: Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (screenplay by), Stan Lee (based on the Marvel comics by) anJack Kirby (based on the comics by), Joe Simon and Jack Kirby (Captain America created by), Steve Englehart and Steve Gan (Star-Lord created by), Bill Mantlo and Keith Giffen (Rocket Raccoon created by), Jim Starlin (Thanos, Gamora and Drax created by), Stan Lee and Larry Lieber andJack Kirby (Groot created by), Steve Englehart and Don Heck (Mantis created by)
Directed by:  Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring:  Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbath, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Tom Hiddleston, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olson, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Idris Elba, Danai Gurira, Peter Dinklage, Benedict Wong, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel (voice), Bradley Cooper (voice), Gwyneth Paltrow, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Chris Pratt, William Hurt, Letitia Wright, Carrie Coon
Rated: PG-13

Plot
The Avengers and their allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.

Verdict
This crams a lot of characters into the movie, but it didn't feel like two and a half hours long. We get the usual big Marvel action sequences and a lot of cameos with twenty two super heroes in one movie, but this also has a lot of funny lines. The stakes are big, and throughout the movie my criticism was that super hero movies don't have any consequences. We know everyone will be okay and there will be future sequels, but this movie ends with definite upheaval in the Marvel universe. Maybe it gets undone in a future movie, but as a self contained story this ending made the movie better because I got what so many movies of this genre lack, defeat. That's refreshing.
Watch it.

Review
There's a lot of action and a lot of characters, moving quickly between the various groups. You need a cheat sheet to keep up with the teams, locations, and their plights. I figured the movie would split everyone up, and it does.

This opens with Thor, Loki, the Hulk, and Thanos. After that encounter the Hulk finds Dr. Strange, he in turn contacts Iron Man, Spider-Man shows up, and eventually Captain America enters the fray. Everyone is trying to stop Thanos from eradicating half of the world's population. Thanos sees that as the only way to protect finite resources and end suffering. He's got various minions hunting for the infinity stones, six powerful stones that if acquired will give him ultimate power.

I was surprised at the humor. There are some very funny, laugh out loud lines. Peter Quill from the Guardians of the Galaxy feels inadequate compared to Thor, his crew describing Thor as a pirate angel. Quill tries to compensate and is immediately called out. Drax at one point claims to have mastered becoming invisible. There's even a Kevin Bacon joke.

If you've seen Thor: Ragnarok (2017) (read my review), I wondered how this movie would deal with Thor's altered appearance, but that's handled rather easily and quickly. Banking on the humor from Ragnarok, Thor is involved in a lot of the one liners. He's also part of one of the big moments as he, Groot, and Rocket search for a suitable weapon to wield against Thanos. It's a beacon of hope in a story that from the beginning seems unwinnable. Groot is in the teenage phase, playing video games for most of the movie.

My complaint throughout was that super hero movies never have real stakes or consequences. You know everyone will be alive at the end because there are sequels to be made. That's not the case at the end of this movie. I expect they'll undo some of that in future movies, but as a self contained movie the ending made this all the better. It makes the entire movie more impressive because there are devastating results unlike anything we've seen. The villain didn't lose. It's especially poignant after the fake out we got early on in the movie.

 

There is speculation that somehow time will be reversed as the undo, and I hope that's not the case as it would feel particularly cheap due to a scene in this movie where a similar method is utilized.

The conclusion, Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 will release on May 3, 2019. Until then we get Ant-man and the Wasp in July 2018 and Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019.

Hostiles Movie Review

Hostiles (2017)

Buy Hostiles on Amazon Video
Written by: Scott Cooper (written for the screen by), Donald E. Stewart (manuscript) 
Directed by: Scott Cooper
Starring: Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, Wes Studi, Jesse Plemons, Adam Beach, Rory Cochrane, Ben Foster
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
In 1892, a legendary Army captain reluctantly agrees to escort a Cheyenne chief and his family through dangerous territory.

Verdict
Captain Blocker is at the end of his tenure, reconciling who he is, or thinks he is, with what he's done. He constantly clashes with why he finds Native Americans hostile and his own actions which are often just as bad, just in a different context. He has a duality of nature, or that's what we perceive.
It's a quiet, almost slow movie, but it should have you  thinking throughout. If that's not your kind of movie, it may not be for you.
Watch it.

Review
The opening scene is rough, with a family attacked by Comanches. At first it seems like an unconnected scene to set the tone, but it does reconnect.

Captain Blocker eliminates Native Americans. He's now tasked with escorting one and he's none too happy about it. He's close to retirement and when his pension is threatened he relents. I don't blame him, but his ideals aren't always steadfast. From the jump Blocker compromises. He and a detail of men will escort Chief Yellow Hawk to Montana on the President's orders.

It's a sparse, quiet movie with a great setting. The tone fits a man that's long been a soldier, now towards the end of his service and trying to reconcile what he's done and the orders he's followed with how he feels and what he's seen. Yellow Hawk seems helpful, but Blocker has seen a lot of horrors. The first scene of this movie sticks in your mind. What could happen?

Blocker is then asked to escort a former soldier from his old unit that's been court marshaled. Blocker gets a look at what he could have become, a realization that hostile isn't dictated by the color of one's skin or their circumstances.

We get a look at a three possible outcome for a hunter. There's Blocker, Blocker's fellow sergeant who struggles much more with their past misdeeds, and then Ben Foster's character who's a sociopath now. Maybe he always was but no one cared when he was hunting Native Americans.

The side characters aren't always fleshed out enough, and the chief should have had more gravitas. He was under written. Most of the side characters get lost without enough writing to establish them. Bblocker's the most sympathetic, and I wondered if this was a path of redemption or just a character study. Does he realize what he could become?  Will Yellow Hawk teach him that not every Native American is a threat?

DAILY CALL SHEET: APRIL 29, 2018

Savage Dawn (1985) A biker gang terrorizes George Kennedy and his fellow townies while Karen Black looks on. Lance Henriksen decides to put a stop to it all. B-Movie action done the 80s way. TIL: Does getting stabbed and shot for singing Amazing Grace count as martyrdom?

Your daily dose of culture courtesy of Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971) - "What fills the eye fills the heart." - Irish Proverb

A few days ago I gave my brief initial take on Avengers: Infinity War. Now here’s Catholic Skywalker with a more detailed, but mostly spoiler free, review that I pretty much agree with, so I don’t have to do a longer one myself.

And finally, it’s time for the Facebook…

10 Day Album Challenge-

In no particular order, post 10 of your all time favorite albums, one per day. Choose music that really made an impact on you and is still something you listen to, even if only occasionally. Post the cover; no need to explain why you chose it.

Day 3 of 10 days.

Open Season (2006)

I still remember that one time my brother tried to convince me to watch Open Season. I was about 13 but I was supposed to meet my friends (I still had some of those at the time) so I passed. I sure didn't miss anything as Open Season is as dreadful as its visuals.

Boog (voiced by Martin Lawrence) is a domesticated grizzly bear leading a happy and peaceful life until he meets Elliot (voiced by Ashton Kutcher), a fast-talking one-horned wild deer. Because of the deer, he finds himself stranded in the woods with Elliot just before hunting season begins and must learn how to survive.

Starting from the fact that there really isn't anything original about the film's premise, the plot is basically non-existent, it's boring to say the least and it gets more and more pointless as it moves forward. It's the typical story about loneliness, where two misfits find each other and learn to rely on each other. 

And because of its characters, especially the fast-talking deer that never shuts up, Open Season reminds a lot of a famous animated film, Shrek. Unfortunately for this film, the characters aren't as interesting nor as funny as those from that series. They range from one-dimensional to zero-dimensional, the latter being the majority. In spite of the lack of characterization, some of the characters manage to make an impression --those being the Scottish squirrels. Only because of their accent, though.

Sony Pictures Releasing

Comedy-wise, Open Season is another failure. Some of the jokes are funny-ish but most of them fall flat. Given the storyline, I was expecting sitcom humour. While there is such humour, it's not even your average sitcom humour. It just doesn't work.

The animation is easily the best aspect of the film. Though it has aged terribly and it's nothing great compared to its peers from other major animated studios, it's pretty good. The people who worked on it didn't deserve this film.

DAILY CALL SHEET: APRIL 28, 2018

The Body Beneath (1970) Blue vampires in crayon colored costumes plot to force a relative to bear children to keep the family line going. Duller than that description deserves. TIL: Honoring toxic elders just means showing them respect. Carrying their demon seed is not required.

Your daily dose of culture courtesy of The Endless Summer (1966) - "You can't cross a sea by merely staring into the water." - Rabindranath Tagore

_________________________________

And finally, since the purpose of those Daily Call Sheets is to share my social media posts with those who only read the blog, I may as well include one of those Facebook memes I’m having fun with on my regular Facebook feed.

The 10 Day Album Challenge

In no particular order, post 10 of your all time favorite albums, one per day. Choose music that really made an impact on you and is still something you listen to, even if only occasionally. Post the cover; no need to explain why you chose it.

I was tagged for this by Rob Silva. Unfortunately, most everyone I know has already been tagged as well, so I can't really nominate anyone. If you somehow haven't been tagged and want to play along, please do.

Day 1 of 10 days.

Day 2 of 10 days.

Remember, all my musician friends, there’s no need to explain.

Johnny English (2003)

Earlier this month, the trailer for Johnny English Strikes Again dropped. It was funish so I decided I'd rewatch the first film before the new one. I had no idea there was a second movie, Johnny English Reborn, and now that I've rewatched Johnny English, I realised that I hadn't seen this one either.

This one goes like this. When Agent Number One (Greg Wise) is killed and so are all the other MI7 spies while attending Number One's funeral, Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson), the only British spy left, is tasked to protect the British Crown Jewels. But he fails to do that and the crown is stolen. With the help of his assistant, Bough (Ben Miller), Johnny starts investigating the theft and the prime suspect is a mysterious French entrepreneuer, Pascal Sauvage (John Malkovich).

An obvious parody of James Bond, the plot is simple, rather weak, sloppy, beyond predictable --there are some twists but you can see them coming miles ahead-- and has plenty of holes, but it's decent enough to keep you interested and entertained.

The plot, however, isn't really the thing about Johnny English that keeps you entertained. That would be Rowan Atkinson. He is the glue that keeps the film together and prevents it from being tedious. His portayal of Johnny English, the most clumpy and imcompetent spy ever --even his sidekick is a better spy than he is--, is excellent. Atkinson uses his comedic abilities very well and his deliveries are always funny, even with most of the jokes and gags being incredibily predictable.

Universal Pictures

The supporting cast is also worth of a mention. While Natalie Imbruglia should stick with singing as she does a way better job in that field, Ben Miller does a good job as Bough, English's assistant. The stand out, however, easily is John Malkovich. He plays Pascal Sauvage, easily the most silly character he has ever played. He is given no funny lines whatsoever and he can only rely on a ridiculous French accent to make the audience laugh, but he manages to make that work. The character is quirky and absurd but Malkovich makes you believe such a person could actually exist.

As I mentioned above, the comedy isn't Johnny English's strongest suit. It's very predictable, gags and jokes often feel forced and the laughs don't come as fast as they should, but overall it works.

Ultimately, this is not The Naked Gun, but it's still worth the time if you are looking to a silly movie to entertain you.

DAILY CALL SHEET: APRIL 27, 2018

Eliminators (1986) A scientist, a robot, a ninja, a river rat, and a mandroid run afoul of rednecks and cavemen while looking for a time traveling mad doctor. 1980s drunk-writing at its finest. TIL: Uniting against a common enemy is fine; uniting behind a common creed is better.

Your daily dose of culture courtesy of Friday the 13th (1980) - "For the straying of the naive kills them, the smugness of fools destroys them." - Proverbs 1:32

DISAGREE AND DIE-HARDER: Another 50 Best Films of All Time - Part 5

To celebrate Slaughter Film's 300th podcast, Forest has taken on the painstaking task of chronicling ANOTHER 50 of the very best film of all time! And in this fifth and final part all will be revealed for what it truly is...

CONTINUE READING

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Though I couldn't wait to see all those characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to meet in one film directed by the Russo brothers (and to see Chris Evans and his glorious beard on the big screen), I had some reservations about the Avengers: Infinity War. Instead of getting part 1 and part 2 as we were promised years ago, we got only one movie. Actually, we got two movies squeezed together and the result isn't that good.

Intergalactic despot Thanos (Josh Brolin) is determined to collect all of the Infinity Stones in order to bend reality to his will and the now-torn-apart Avengers must team up with the Guardians of the Galaxy to stop Thanos before he puts an end to half the universe.

Without diving into plot details, that's what the Russo brothers want, I'll only say that Avengers: Inifity War's plot is simple, definitely too thin and so very thought through. It isn't always engaging nor interesting (my mind was wondering multiple times and it wasn't only when Chris Evans was on screen) and because of the way the multiple storylines are handled and the fast cuts, instead of feeling like a single story, it feels like a collection of stories, fragmented stories.

With all those main characters reunited in one movie, it was obvious that some would be left behind. Unfortunately, it feels like they all were left behind. Some characters arcs are developed --Wanda finally gets the attention she deserves-- but overall, there's not much development and no one gets enough screen time. However, the superheroes are one of the reasons I still enjoyed Avengers: Infinity War. While the merging of storylines is handled poorly, the interaction between characters from different movies --the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, and Wakanda-- works very well. These alone are probably worth the money as it's these moments that bring a lot of effective humour into the film. And of course, the fact that the cast has a wonderful chemistry helps a lot.

As for Thanos, I'm not sure how I feel about him. On the one hand, I appreciate that they gave him some backstory and that they showed an emotional, tender side of him; on the other hand, I don't like that he's given ridiculous motives and that we are even supposed to empathise with him. They tried to do what they did with Killmonger but I'm not sure it really worked this time. His sidekicks are terrible though. They are not even one-dimensional, they are zero-dimensional.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Other than that, I think it's safe for me to say that Avengers: Infinity War is a pretty solid film. It delivers plenty of humour, full of banters, Thor: Ragnarok-style, and you will definitely be laughing a lot during this. If you didn't like that about Thor: Ragnarok, you'll still be able to enjoy Avengers: Infinity War as the Russo brothers manage to deliver plenty of tension and suspense, and their combination of humour and drama is spot on. Yes, this is the kind of movie that you make you cry. A lot. Because, without spoiling anything, major characters you care about die in this one.

As for the action, there's a lot of it. Though its execution makes you think you're watching a Michael Bay film at some points, it's pretty good, entertaining and exciting. There's this scene with Thor that is beyond glorious. The epic battle scene from the trailer is missing though. The film is also visually beautiful and has a pretty good soundtrack --not as good as Guardians of the Galaxy's though.

And as I'm writing this, I realise Avengers: Infinity War isn't as bad as I first thought. Sure, it feels incomplete, more of a set up for the next Avengers movie than a movie, but it's still pretty fun and entertaining.

Call Me By Your Name Movie Review

Call Me By Your Name (2017)

Buy Phantom Thread on Amazon video // Buy the novel on Amazon
Written by: James Ivory (screenplay by), Andre Aciman (based on the novel by)
Directed by: Luca Guadagnino
Starring: Armie Hammer, Timothy Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
In 1980s Italy, a romance blossoms between a seventeen year-old student and the American scholar hired as the student's father's research assistant.

Verdict
It's a wonderful movie centered on a relationship that means two very different things for the people in it. For one of them it's a fling, for the other it's first love. It's a forbidden romance that is short lived, but it provides a connection for the viewer. We've puzzled though admiration, infatuation, and wild teenage emotions. This is a thorough and well plotted examination of those emotions.
Watch it.

Review
Oliver is the dashing American that is working for Elio's father, a archaeology professor. Elio is a teenager living in Italy, intrigued by the new guy. Oliver has this slightly rebellious vibe. I began to wonder if Elio's fascination was bordering on infatuation. When Oliver touches Elio on the shoulder, Elio quickly shrugs away. Was it weird for Elio to be touched, was it weird this older guy was touching him, or was Elio afraid to betray his feelings? At that moment, we don't know. It could be one of any of those scenarios.

Elio begins wearing the same necklace as Oliver. At that age you're trying to figure out your place in the world. How do you act? It's easy to pick someone you admire and emulate them. Emotions run wild at that age too. Perception and feelings can be tricky. Is Elio confusing liking Oliver for romantically liking Oliver? Elio has a girlfriend, but he never finds her as interesting as Oliver. Oliver is foreign and his attitude makes him cool. Elio doesn't know what to do with those feelings, emotions, and energy. Elio finally admits his feelings to Oliver, but initially Oliver dismisses him.

After Oliver returns to the states, Elio's father provides poignant insight. The father was very perceptive, realizing what was going on. The father confides similar feelings he had but failed to act on them. He urges Elio to revel in love instead of the despair of loss. I thought this movie would end here, which would be a find ending, but we get an epilogue.
A while later we see Elio devastated after a call from Oliver. A teenage crush is difficult to get over. Elio was never as emotionally mature as Oliver, and I get the sense that Oliver never saw it as more than a fling. We get an amazing ending of Elio staring into the fire. He's upset and heart broken and the credits begin to roll over this sequence of him staring. I mulled over what he must be thinking and how he must be feeling. It's an amazing way to end it. leaving us to wonder at his thoughts while certainly knowing some of them. We've all felt unrequited feeling and unobtainable infatuation.

The movie captures teenage love, adding a degree of forbidden to the situation. You reflect on what the experience meant for Elio and Oliver, and that was two very different things. Oliver certainly took advantage of Elio, even if Elio wanted it.

The soundtrack is solid and the song Mystery of Love by Sufjan Stevens is especially amazing.

Murder on the Orient Express Movie Review

Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

Buy Murder on the Orient Express on Amazon video
Written by: Michael Green (screenplay by), Agatha Christie (based on the novel by)
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, Derek Jacobi, Leslie Odom Jr., Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
In this retelling of Agatha Christie's classic mystery set in the 1930s, world-renowned detective Hercule Poirot seeks to solve a murder on the famous trans-European train where almost everyone on board is a suspect.

Verdict
It's fun to try and solve an impossible mystery, but this movie makes it a bit too obvious. That and most people know this story already. To counter that, engaging characters would help, but we don't get that either. The most striking character is Poirot's mustache, which shouldn't be the goal. I like the moral dilemma Poirot faces at the end, but it didn't have the impact it should have.
It depends.

Review
This is kind of campy, as it should be. There are a lot of stars in this and I want a little bit of overacting. There is a lot of star power with the many parts. Unfortunately it just doesn't seem like they were having fun. Poirot's mustache is it's own character, and it shouldn't be the most memorable.

The reason this story endures and continue to be remade is that it's a clever mystery. It is, or at least should be, solvable but only just so. The answer flies in the face of convention as far as usual mysteries go. I haven't seen any previous adaptation or read the book, but there didn't seem to be much detective work. The movie told me what I needed. The mystery was never as fun as it should be.

There's a  nice twist for Poirot, a man with the highest of morals, unable to lie faced with a delimma when he discvoers the truth. It didn't have the impact it should have.

The end left this wide open for a sequel. Death on the Nile is scheduled for a release on November 8, 2019 with Branagh returning to direct and star.

Downsizing Movie Review

Downsizing (2017)

Buy Downsizing on Amazon Video
Written by:  Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
Directed by: Alexander Payne
Starring:  Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau, Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
A social satire in which a man realizes he would have a better life if he were to shrink himself to five inches tall, allowing him to live in wealth and splendor.

Verdict
I thought this would be more profound and introspective. The concept is under developed, and the big-small contrast is only used a few times. The cool concept lures you in, but at it's core this is a story of a disillusioned man who stumbles upon fulfillment. It's not a bad story, but it doesn't live up to the premise. Maybe life at five inches tall isn't any different, but I wanted this idea fully developed and it isn't.
Skip it.

Review
The first few scenes doesn't work if you've seen the trailer. You know what's in the box, a five inch tall man. It's a radical idea. How do you solve the over-consumption of resources and the high production of waste? Use less. People don't want to curtail their use, so in this movie a scientist discovers how to shrink the average human to five inches tall. Smaller people use and produce less. At a tenth of their size, things cost less. If you shrink yourself you could be rich on your current income.

I love the premise. Early on we get into the political question of whether downsized people's vote should count the same since they pay less taxes and don't contribute as much. The rebuttal to that is that everything is proportional. Voting isn't dictated by the amount of contributions to society. Still, I liked that the movie was at least exploring the concept albeit clumsily. Unfortunately, the movie fails to delve into this concept once the shrink occurs. I did like the small detail that hair and teeth don't shrink. It's somewhat irrelevant, but it provides the appearance that the writers thought about the process a bit.

Married couple Paul and Audrey decide to downsize. They don't have the money to buy the big house, and this is an opportunity. Things don't go quite as planned. We get a time jump that leaves out a few too many details. Paul's dream of being rich is dashed and he's forced to live in a tiny apartment working at a call center. The movie employs this tired convention just to cement how disillusioned he is with life, but it felt like a missed opportunity to explore the contrast of small and large and how society functions with this technology. While the questions of how Paul got here don't matter, and we can guess fairly accurately how it happened, it just felt lazy to not provide a few scenes of the process.

Downsizing promised riches for everyone, but there is still a class divide. It's even sharper in the downsized towns. I guessed how this plot would resolve half way in. Paul's discontent with life. He feels like he never made it. Downsizing was a way to be rich and compete with everyone else. Of course, that's the wrong reason to do it. We know that, Paul doesn't. His get rich quick scheme ends up with him being worse off than before he downsized. When he helps a Ngoc, a political activist, she pulls him into her world. Paul sees the class divide for himself and also sees how much effort Ngoc expends helping people. He derives satisfaction from helping people. I knew at that point how the movie was going to 'fix' Paul.

I thought there would be more of small Paul in the large world. I just wanted more. The small aspect is a gimmick. You could take that out and it wouldn't alter the story. This is about fate and fulfillment. The size aspect isn't crucial to the story. I wondered if Paul would discover some kind of corruption with the shrinking facility. His counselor had a quick reason as to why she didn't downsize. I wondered if there was something to it, but there wasn't.

I expected this to go deeper. It doesn't have to be profound, but at least introspective. Paul's story is boiler plate aside from the shrinking technology.

DAILY CALL SHEET: APRIL 26, 2018

Evil Laugh (1986) Chocolate covered Joey from F13 Part 5 directs Scott Baio's brother in a film that tries (TRIES) to be self-aware like Scream before Scream even existed. TIL: Lack of self-awareness makes us blame others for our faults. Who do the filmmakers blame for this mess?

Your daily dose of culture courtesy of Encounters of the Spooky Kind II (1989) - "One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives." – Euripides

As I headed off to see Avengers: Infinity War, I couldn’t help but recall the first issue of Avengers I ever bought. I was nine or ten. Yeah, I've got some history with these guys. I can't believe I've lived to see a day where every character on this cover has been in a movie/TV series. (The lady in the center is Patsy [Trish] Walker for all you non-comic reading Jessica Jones fans out there.)

Now, as for Avengers: Infinity War, maybe I'll put up a longer review of at some point, but for now I'll just say it's a gut punch. Any JPII fans out there will instantly recognize Thanos as the embodiment of the self righteous culture of death. Wonder if Marvel realized that as they were making it?

Thursday Movie Picks: Television Edition: Series that Failed to Get a Second Season

I've been so busy writing the review for Infinity War (it will be on the blog tomorrow) that I completely forgot it was Thursday and therefore time for Thursday Movie Picks, the weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. It's the last week of the month so instead of movies we are doing TV series, and this week we are picking those that never got a second season.

Constantine (2014)

It's about one of DC Comics characters, John Constantine, a British exorcist and occult detective who hunts supernatural entities. It was only 13 episodes but I struggled a lot to finish the series. I'm not surprised it was cancelled after only one season. 

The Get Down (2016)

It's about a group of teenagers running wild in the streets of the Bronx in the late 1970s. I enjoyed the first 6 episodes but for some reason, I never watched the other 5 which were released almost a year after. I'm not sure why Netflix did that.

Firefly (2002)

I have no idea what this one is about. I know that there's Nathan Fillion in it and many people love this show and they make it seem so cool which is why I always wanted to check it out but I was shocked when I found out it never got a second season. 

Venus in Fur (2013)

Though I saw and liked The Pianist, I never bothered to check out Roman Polanski's filmography. It's the whole sexual abuse story, it is such a turn-off. Then months ago, perhaps even a year ago considering how fast times goes by, someone (either Getter from Mettel Ray, or Sofia from Returning Videotapes) picked Venus in Fur (French: La Vénus à la fourrure) in one of their Thursday Movie Picks. It sounded interesting so I added it on my list. I finally watched and damn, it was good. 

A playwright, Thomas Novachek (Mathieu Amalric), is about to leave the theatre after a long day of auditioning for the female lead of his new play which he adapted from the 1870 novel, Venus in Fur by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, when an actress, Wanda Jourdain (Emmanuelle Seigner), arrives soaking wet from the rainstorm outside. She doesn't look like an actress and her name isn't even on the audition list, but eventually, with much persuasion, Novachek agrees to read the part of the play with her, and he's immediately stunned by her.

From this point on, there's a story within a story, as we watch Thomas and Wanda rehearse the play. It is both very strange and fascinating to watch them as they really are in character but at the same time, they still are themselves. They often interrupt each other to discuss the characters and the storyline and argue over the sexist and sadomasochist nature of the play, but they are immediately pulled back into the story of the play, and they are immediately and perfectly in character again. It's often hard to know whether they are in character or nor, it keeps you guessing for the whole running time which is why Venus in Fur is such an interesting and exciting experience.

Two engaging storylines that blend together beautifully aren't the great thing about Venus in Fur. The film indeed works very well as a study of the relationship between author and subject matter. Does art imitate life, or life imitate art? The film really raises interesting questions about how much of themselves and their lives authors put in their work, but also how much of an actor there is in a character they play. 

Lionsgate

The line between author-play and actor-character is just a blur in Polanski's film. As we watch the film, we can't help but wonder how much of Severin von Kusiemski --the character from the play-- is Thomas Novachek, and how much of Wanda Von Dunayev --also from the play-- is Wanda Jourdain. I don't think it's a coincidence both the actress and the character's names are Wanda.

At last, there's the cast. There are only two actors in Venus in Fur, Emmanuelle Seigner and Mathieu Amalric. I was really excited about seeing them alone as I loved them both in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and they did not let me down. Seigner is all she needs to be for the character. She is sexy, seductive but also funny as Wanda. Just like her characters, she is in control from start to finish. Mathieu Amalric too is superb in his role. They both deliver the sharp and clever dialogue to perfection, and their chemistry is so electric, intense, that you won't be able to take your eyes off the screen. 

DAILY CALL SHEET: APRIL 25, 2018

Street Trash (1987) Tainted hooch sold to the homeless for a buck melts anyone who drinks it. Cult fave covers its social commentary under layers of ooze and vulgarity. TIL: Pretty sure "For I was hungry and you gave me toxic waste." is not how the Bible verse goes.

Your daily dose of culture courtesy of Angels Hard As They Come (1971) - "Anybody can jump a motorcycle. The trouble begins when you try to land it." - Evel Knievel

PODCAST 305: Screamers & The Terror Within

This week the Horror Duo host another grab bag of films. Forest shares his thoughts on Screamers, starring Peter Weller and based on a short story by Philip K. Dick. Cory ventures into the world of Roger Corman with the Corman produced The Terror Within and in doing so touches on the exploitation of rape in cinema.

CONTINUE READING

Conviction (2010)

"Conviction does give us more beard throughout the movie, and a quite horrible one, that Rockwell yet again pulls off at the end, but overall, it’s a pretty beard-tastic movie!" Getter at MettelRay.com said. Well, if that's not enough to make me want to watch a movie, I don't know what is. 

Anyway, Conviction is about two siblings, Betty Anne (Hilary Swank) and Kenny (Sam Rockwell) who have always been very close to each other. When Kenny is arrested and eventually convicted of the brutal murder of a woman, Betty Anne, who firmly believe in her brother's innocence, puts herself through law school in an effort to represent her brother and prove his innocence. 

It's a very simple and yet interesting story that feels authentic not only because it's based on a true story --even though it sounds like it's a made-up story-- but because of what it is: not a courtroom drama --okay, it's that too-- but the portrait of a wonderful brother-sister relationship. That's the centre and the heart of the movie. There's nothing special about the legal drama aspect of the movie, actually, it's pretty average there, but the relationship is so good it will keep you glued to the screen. 

So, Conviction isn't only the story of the American justice system failing, but it's the story of loyalty and devotion of a sister who loves her brother so much she does more than her best to help him. I don't know how faithful the film is to the true story, but the struggles this woman endures to become a lawyer to save her brother is inspirational and uplifting, to say the least. 

As for the characters, they may be flat and one-dimensional, even the siblings, but their bond is so strong it makes up for that. And the credits entirely go to the actors playing them, Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell. They both give great performances --Swank is intense, dramatic but never over the top, and Rockwell delivers the hopelessness and fear of being let down and screwed by the state to perfection-- and their chemistry is on fire. Seriously, it is so genuine and real, it feels like watching real siblings on screen. 

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Tony Goldwyn's direction though didn't make me very happy. I liked that he decided to give us pieces of Betty Anne and Kenny's childhood to show how they developed such a strong bond, why they love each other so much, but I did not like that, at the end of the movie, we are told what happened to Betty Anne but nothing about Kenny who, after spending 18 years in prison for a murder he did not commit, died in a tragic accident only 6 months after being released. This made the film look like a biography of Betty Anne and gave me the feeling the filmmakers didn't care about Kenny at all.