Love, Simon

Posted on March 11, 2018 by Doc

I was able to see an early showing of Greg Berlanti’s new coming of age film, Love, Simon. It is officially opening March 16th, so the chance to see it this week was interesting.

Simon Spier (Nick Robinson)is a 17-year old senior who has three great friends, a wonderful family he loves and what looks to be a great life. Only one thing, he has a secret. He is gay.

When another student posts anonymously on a web site that he was gay, Simon began a written e-mail correspondence with the boy named “Blue.” Curiosity filled Simon as he speculated about several of the possible Blues.

This film was very clever and beautiful. I really liked the format in which it told the story. Every time Simon focused in on a potential subject, that actor would assume the role of Blue, reading off e-mails and being pictured, in Simon’s mind, as the mysterious e-mailer. That technique kept the audience off guard and prevent the mystery of who Blue was a secret.

And Simon’s mind was an ample place as we got many creative scenes involving these possible Blues, including a dance number. It brought a great deal of fun to the film that could have focused on the drama only.

There were several other wonderful characters here as well, portrayed by an astounding cast. Simon’s parents, Jack and Emily (Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Garner), were progressive and engaging. Simon’s friends Leah (Katherine Langford), Abby (Alexandra Shipp), and Nick (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.) all have problems of their own. They are all three-dimensional characters and I believed everything they did. This young group of four actors, including Nick Robinson, are extremely talented and do a wonderful job with everything that was given to them.

Logan Miller was also standout as the trying-to-hard Martin. I have to say, there was something that I thought was going to happen near the end of the film that did not happen and I was happy that the film avoided that cliche. I don’t want to go into it because it could swerve into spoiler territory and I don’t want that.

The teaching staff at the school was certainly unrealistic, but remarkably funny. In particular was Ms. Albright (Natasha Rothwell) and Mr. Worth (Tony Hale) who stole every scene in which they were in. Natasha Rothwell’s delivery of her lines were comedic perfection.

I did think that the ending of the movie was too sweet and saccharine to be realistic, but I cannot fault Berlanti for wanting to provide that grand romantic resolution for a young gay couple that movies have usually reserved for heterosexual pairings. It speaks to the greater acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle coming from the youth of the world. Sure there are some of the idiocy of the past bleeding into the film, but the vast majority is shown to be accepting of the news, at least eventually. Society has come quite a long way. At one point in my life time, this film would have been massively controversial.

Love, Simon is like a fairy tale romance (no pun intended) that also looks at the challenge and the fears involved in coming out. What will my family, my friends, my peers think of me now that I have come out? Who am I now? These questions are handled with humor, sincerity and a heart-felt courage while putting on a highly entertaining movie. Yes, it may go too far into the world of sappiness, but its heart is in the right place.

4.1 stars

A Wrinkle in Time

Posted on March 9, 2018 by Doc

A Wrinkle in Time Movie Poster

Disappointing.

I had been looking forward to this adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic science fiction children’s book A Wrinkle in Time. Unfortunately, it looks as if the ideas and concepts in the novel could not be adapted to the big screen.

The film itself was not good. Yes, there are many who say that wonderful director Ava DuVernay took some big chances and really swung for the fences on this. While true, that should not be an excuse for creating something that was not good.

Meg (Storm Reid) is a young teen girl and she had a close relationship with her father (Chris Pine), working on big brain scientific stuff. When he goes missing, Meg becomes depressed and starts to change her mannerisms. She becomes angry and quick to respond. Four years pass and she is still getting into fights with the stereotypical mean girls at her school and trying to still protect her young adopted brother Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe).

When Meg is approached by some inter-dimensional witches who had already befriended Charles Wallace, she, her brother and tag along “boyfriend” Calvin (Levi Miller) go across the dimensions in search of her father, whom they believed was alive and lost.

Let’s start off with the strengths of this movie. Storm Reid is wonderful in the lead role. There is something original and fresh about her and she is very compelling. Her relationship with Chris Pine as her father and Levi Miller as Calvin were strengths of the movie.

Much of the movie was beautiful to look at. The CGI and the effects were lovely, for the most part.

Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling were fine as the witches Mrs. Which, Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Who respectfully. However, there was not much for any of them to do. None of these characters had any real compelling reason to be involved in this story. Unfortunately, Oprah felt like a big time distraction as every time she was on the screen I was thinking that this was Oprah and looking at the funny things glued to her face.

Kaling was completely wasted as the only thing she seemed to be here for was to spout off quotes from the world. Even more of a waste was the use of Michael Peña, who was in the film for just a few minutes.

The story itself felt very flimsy. The scientific parts were brushed over which made a lot of what was happening feel confusing, and the story reduced itself to a very simplistic take on let’s find daddy and love vs. evil.

The antagonist is extremely underwhelming and we have no idea what it is supposed to be, except of course for evil. We do not know why this evil creature, known as It (not Pennywise, by the way) wants Meg to join him so badly.

Sadly, A Wrinkle in Time felt very long and, at time, boring. The movie is not long in comparison to some of the other blockbusters released these days, but it definitely felt longer than it was.

Maybe this is truly a book that is unfilmable and we should appreciate the attempt. There are good parts of the film and I definitely found Storm Reid to be a wonderfully refreshing change, but A Wrinkle in Time just does not live up to the reputation of Disney or the original source material.

2.5 stars

The Hurricane Heist

Posted on March 9, 2018 by Doc

Tremendously terrible.

This one falls into the category of totally horrible movies that entertain you with how bad they are. I did not sit in the theater grumbling about how bad this movie was because I was too busy laughing at the unintentionally funny parts of it.

As a film, this thing is B…A..Double D… BADD.

An Treasury Agent teams up with a weatherman to try to stop a theft of $600 million dollars of old bills scheduled to be shredded. Oh, and the theft was planned to take place during a hurricane.

Maggie Grace, Shannon from LOST and probably more well known as Liam Neeson’s oft kidnapped daughter from the Taken franchise, stars as the Treasury Agent Casey. Grace is passable in the role though she seemed to be able to do way more than one would expect a Treasury Agent to be able to do. She is, at least, a presence on the screen and is enjoyable to watch.

Toby Kebbell, however, as Will was saddled with having to perform a… I’m going to guess… Southern accent throughout the entire film that was much more distracting than anything else happening. When he first started talking, I had to stifle a laugh. I would not stifle many more as the film progressed.

Everything in here so so ridiculous. The stunts, the physics, the dialogue…. just terrible. The film started off in a flashback of young Will and his obnoxious brother Breeze out with their father as a hurricane approached. They were desperately trying to get away, but their truck winds up off road and the boys have to take shelter in an empty house in the middle of nowhere. As father started outside to try and get the truck freed, you knew what was going to happen. The storm started bringing the house down and the father got crushed by a rolling water tower in a moment that should not have been as hilarious as it looked. It reminded me again of LOST how so many people wound up getting killed by being hit by a bus.

Move to the future, the brothers are estranged for, you know, reasons, but Will is still trying to help his brother as another massive hurricane is forming and only Will can correctly identify it because of his sense. But Breeze is a hard drinking loser who sits around his house in his underwear. Any guesses if Breeze will find redemption in the third act?

When Casey and Will meet up and help each other out, since Will has a storm chasing vehicle he called the Dominator that can brave the storm. The pair of them go about keeping the bad guys at bay for much of the film. One of the funniest and cringe-worthiest moments came when Will grabbed a bunch of hubcaps and started hurling them Captain America-like into the wind of the hurricane and one of them wound up buried into one of the villain’s chests.

Of course, Casey and Will were not always on the same page, despite them asking each other constantly, like Aladdin to Jasmine, “Do you trust me?” Casey suggested, despite Will’s strong objections, that they make the Dominator into a car bomb, much like Timothy McVeigh. We even go as far as seeing them grabbing bags of fertilizer. Thing is, I did not see them actually pull it off. Maybe I was dozing at the time…or perhaps it was a restroom break. Either way, it felt like it was dropped.

Then, the final semi truck chase scene with a barrelling hurricane behind them is as stupid as you can imagine. It felt like a Fast and the Furious movie with less sense or realism.

The film was really bad and there was little redeeming quality to it. My mind immediately went to how great this film would be if it were being riffed by RiffTrax or covered by Mystery Science Theater 3000. That is this film’s future.

0.8 stars

EYG Top 10 Cartel Movies

Posted on March 6, 2018 by Doc

EYG23

This week’s Top 10 Show features the Top 10 Cartel Movies. This is another of those topics that I do not have a deep knowledge in. Several of the main films that would be on most people’s list are films that I have not seen.

The films Scarface, Blow, Once Upon a Time in America and Traffic are not on my list because they are films that I have not seen. No Country for Old Men I did not like much. Honestly, cartel movies may not be my specific genre.

But I scraped together enough for a Top 10. It is not the strongest list I have ever done, but here we go anyway.

#10. Cartel Land. This was the documentary that Matt Knost brought up in his #9 slot. It is a really good look at the Mexican Cartel and the crime families that run that cartel. This was compelling and fascinating. Another online personality, Mark Ellis, actually is the reason I went to watch this as he recommended it one day on Movie Talk. Good documentary.

#9. Savages. This one made the list because I needed another movie. It was not a great film, but I did enjoy the all-in performance of Salma Hayek as Elena. This was an Oliver Stone movie and it included John Travolta as a crooked DEA agent. As I said, I was not a huge fan, but Salma Hayek truly was memorable.

#8. Sicario. I honestly was bored during Sicario. I hear so many other people who loved this movie so much, but I just never thought it was great. I may revisit this film to see if it was simply the day or the moment. I know both Top 10 guys had it at #1 so maybe I should watch it a second time prior to the release of the sequel later this year.

#7. The Last Stand. Mentioned at the end of the Top 10 podcast as an example of some of the bad cartel films, I actually thought The Last Stand, which was like a return to the world of film for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was pretty good for what it was.

#6. 2 Guns. Starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, 2 Guns was another that I found okay. It is a middle of the road type film that makes this list because I am not as into the genre as I could be. I like both of the actors involved and they had a good chemistry between them which helped with the film.

Image result for american made #5. American Made. Tom Cruise as Barry Seal, a TWA pilot, is recruited by the CIA to provide reconnaissance on the drug cartels in South and Central America. This was a true story that absolutely took so many wild and bizarre turns that you find yourself thinking that there was no way this was a real story. This was a fun story and Tom Cruise does a very solid job.

#4. Snitch. The Rock in one of his earlier movies that shows some of the talent that the big man has to offer. The Rock plays a businessman whose son is captured for carrying illegal drugs across the border and he receives a mandatory 10 year sentence. The Rock wants to go undercover to help him. Benjamin Bratt is in the film as the villain and Jon Bernthal is solid in it as well.

#3. We’re the Millers. Here is the one that is the surprise entry on my list. This is a comedy of a family taking a trip to Mexico. However, they are not a real family as the kids and the wife were all hired to go along as help and the reason for the trip was to pick up a shipment of drugs so he could get out from underneath his money troubles. This is a film that I was shocked that I enjoyed as much as I did. It really seemed like it would fall into that category of stupid comedy that I always dislike, but I laughed consistently throughout We’re the Millers and it was one of the biggest surprises of the year for me.

#2. Clear and Present Danger. Tom Clancy’s famous character Jack Ryan returned in this film, played by Harrison Ford. Ryan is appointed as the CIA Acting Deputy Director and he finds out that there are people (friends) who are running covert war in Columbia. Ford is in his prime here and brings the character of Jack Ryan to his peak.

#1. End of Watch. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña are a pair of police partners in Los Angeles in this powerful story of partnership. loyalty and the dangers they face. It is also a “found-footage” style of film as Gyllenhaal’s character carries his little camera with him as they go. It was another create use of found footage in the genre that has since pretty much dried up. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña art the main reasons to see this film as they are both tremendous.

There it is. I do not have any honorable mentions this week since there are so few that I have seen. Maybe this list is reordered if I watch some of those that I have not seen or give Sicario a second chance. We’ll see.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

Posted on March 5, 2018 by Doc

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

Dr. Strangelove is one of my favorite movies of all time. It is dripping with satire and plastered with laugh out loud lines chronicling one of the biggest fears that consumed the people of the country in the 1960s.

The fear of nuclear war with the Soviet Union.

It seemed like it was going to happen in the 60s. But could something happen by accident? Those concerns were alive when Stanley Kubrick provided the answer with Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.

Renegade General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) sent out a command from Burpelson Air Force Base that the planes circling the Soviet air space should continue on and drop their bombs on their targets, effectively starting a nuclear war. He did this because he believed that fluoridation of the American water supply was a Soviet plot to poison the American people.

Clearly, General Ripper had lost his grip on his sanity.

But with the recall code in hi head alone, there appeared to be no way to sto the planes from starting WWIII.

United States President Merkin Muffley (Peter Sellers) received the news from General Buck Turgidson (George C. Scott) and the President started desperate measures to try and stop the bombs from being deployed.

Dr. Strangelove is an amazing film that shows the absolute best of EYG Hall of Famer Peter Sellers. Sellers not only plays the President of the US, but he also plays Dr. Strangelove, a wheelchair bound scientist from Germany who may have served Hitler, and British Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, who is trying his best to convince General Ripper to give up the recall code. Sellers creates three distinct characters with three distinct personalities. If you did not know already, you could be fooled into thinking that these were three different actors. It was a tremendously epic performance from Peter Sellers.

Reports indicated that Sellers was also supposed to play the Major “King” Kong, the leader of the plane that we see, but he did not think he could do the proper accent. Slim Pickens took the role which became one of the greatest of his career, which included the iconic ride on the bomb down to the ground.

There is nothing off the table for Kubrick’s satire. The idea of the arms race, the conflict between the USA and the USSR, the generals living the high life, the proposition of a President not having any real power at all. These are all topics satirized by Kubrick and brought home by this talented cast. And, SPOILERS since the film ends with the bomb being dropped, you would think that the American public, which was already scared and paranoid at the time, would be even worse after this film’s release. However, that was not the case and an argument could be made that it helped take the sting out of the fear by making fun of it.

Either way, Dr. Strangelove is undeniably funny and brilliantly written, acted and is as enjoyable as it was the first time I saw it. It is definitely…

paragon

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

EYG Top 10 Talking Animals in Movies

Posted on March 5, 2018 by Doc

EYG23

Today, I have a snow day at school, so I found a previous Top 10 list that I wanted to do a list for as well. I have been watching some of the shows that John Rocha and Matt Knost did on Collider Video recently and I found one I really liked. I remember when this one aired and I enjoyed it then and this time was no different. It is the Top 10 Talking Animals.

Now these would talking animals that are found in movies, but I would consider short movies as an option, meaning the Looney Tunes bunch are available.

Scooby Doo is not on the list even though i love Scooby Doo because there has been no great theatrical released version of Scooby.

So, with a blast from the past, Top 10 Talking Movie Animals

Image result for cowardly lion #10. The Cowardly Lion (Wizard of Oz). From one of the greatest movies ever made, I had not considered the Cowardly Lion before I had started this list, but when I saw him, I knew I wanted to include him. Played by Bert Lehr, the Lion joined up with Dorothy in order to find him some courage, but we learn as the story moves on that he already had courage and that he just had to find it within himself. What a great message to the children who watch the movie.

#9. Po (Kung Fu Panda). This role seemed perfect for Jack Black and his distinctive voice. Po was a fat and lazy Panda that suddenly had power thrust upon him as the Dragon Warrior. I had no idea that I would enjoy these three films as much as I did. Number one was a wonderful surprise and, going in to see number 2, I had no expectations that it would match the first one. And then it did. Po is so relatable that you cannot help but get behind the giant lug.

#8. Iago (Aladdin). One of the only villains on the list (I did consider Scar and Shere Khan), but Aladdin is one of my personal favorite animated movies and, while much of that credit goes to Robin Williams’ Genie, Gilbert Gottfried as Iago certainly had his share of excellence. Iago was the perfect counterpoint to the evil Jafar and every scene Iago was in was a classic scene from that awesome film. The voice work from Gottfried was spot on and Iago was nearly as memorable as any character in Aladdin.

Image result for tigger #7. Tigger (Winnie the Pooh). Rocha questioned this choice that made Matt’s list at 10, which I could not believe. There was a Winnie the Pooh movie in 2011 that was a full feature released film and Tigger was in his very own movie called The Tigger Movie. So he absolutely counts as a character and he is one of my all time favorites. Why? because Tiggers are wonderful fellows. Tiggers are wonderful things. The tops are made of the rubber. The bottoms are made of the springs.

#6. Donkey (Shrek). Eddie Murphy as a talking donkey? Who knew that would be a career plus. But it sure was as Eddie Murphy became a star once again after the Shrek movies hit it big. Donkey was a slow-witted, but loyal friend who was with Shrek whether Shrek wanted it or not. Then, Donkey’s relationship with Dragon pushed the boundaries of possibilities. He brought most of the humor to the Shrek series that never would have been as successful as it was without him.

#5. Paddington (Paddington and Paddington 2). Talk about unexpected. There was no way that the Paddington movie was going to be any good at all. The trailers looked horrendous and it was coming out in January. And then it was released and it turned out to be one of the most charming films of the year. And then the sequel had no chance of matching that spark of magic… until it did, of course. Paddington is as charming and lovable as you are ever going to see and I, for one, will never doubt him again.

#4. Caeser (Planet of the Apes trilogy). Andy Serkis really deserved some kind of recognition from the Academy for his unbelievable portrayal of Caeser, the leader of the race of intelligent, talking apes who take up residence in San Francisco. Caeser easily has the most developed character arc of any talking animal on this list as he developed from a lab experiment to a pet to a thinking and talking primate to the leader of a rebel force of apes and other primates to a martyr for his people.

#3. Kermit the Frog (Muppet Movie). I love Kermit. He is my favorite of the Muppets. He has been the lead in several movies over the years and he always brings his great wit, sparkling personality and many timed frazzled patience. How can you put up with Fozzie Bear and Miss Piggy for as long as he did? Kermit singing Rainbow Connection is one of the most iconic Muppet moments of all time. I love him as Bob Crachit in the Muppet Christmas Carol and as Captain Smollett from Muppet Treasure Island. Even in the weaker of the Muppet movies, Kermit brings it every time. He is the heart and soul of the Muppets.

#2. Rocket (Guardians of the Galaxy). Who would have thought that a talking raccoon (shhh don’t let Rocket hear you use that term) would become one of the most popular characters from a major Marvel movie. No one expected anything from Rocket when Guardians of the Galaxy came out (except, maybe Marvel Studios). Yet, Rocket was one of the best parts of that movie and surprisingly brought the heart to the film. Small scenes like him showing his genetically altered back made the audience understand that this character had seen more than his share of bad things. Voiced by Bradley Cooper, Rocket is heading to earth for Avengers: Infinity War and then, all gloves are off the paws.

#1. Bugs Bunny (Looney Tunes/Space Jam). Even if you eliminate the Oscar winning shorts, Space Jam should be enough to get Bugs to the top of this list. There is no talking animal more epic than the troublemaker himself. He is funny. There is no situation that Bugs cannot handle. He is as iconic of a character as you are going to find and I loved him growing up watching him. Bugs Bunny, the ultimate smart alack is my number one talking animal.

Honorable Mentions (there’s a bunch): Dory, Baloo, Babe, Mr. Peabody, Judy Hopps, Winnie the Poo, Scar, Sebastian, Dr. Zaius, Cornelius, Simba.

The TV Week That was

Posted on March 5, 2018 by Doc

spoilers

I have the red carpet on in the background right now, as it is Oscar night. Interesting to see the best of the world of movies tonight on television. Jimmy Kimmell is hosting tonight on ABC.

Image result for carl dies Well, it happened last week. Carl died on The Walking Dead. The episode was full of emotion and drama as they showed both Carl and his slow decent into death (although he did end it on his own terms by his own hand) and balanced it out with Carol, Ezekiel and Morgan killing all the Saviors left at the Kingdom. Everyone did a remarkable job on this episode and hopefully The Walking Dead, which has been desperately inconsistent this season, can build on this momentum and give us good story without just killing off characters that we love. Only Rick, Carol, Daryl and Morgan remain as originals (and Morgan is leaving the show to go to Fear the Walking Dead at the end of this season).

Related image Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder had a crossover pair of episodes this past Thursday. Olivia Pope seemed to be back to her other self, dropping the evil harpy that she had become. Olivia helped Annalise get her case to the Supreme Court and Annalise won the argument. Of course, Olivia and Annalise spent much of the time fighting with each other over which one is the real one in charge. These two alpha females were never going to get along right away. Then, I have to say, the fact that Michaela cheated on Asher with Marcus felt so forced that it was a real bring down.

ash and semen Ash vs. the Evil Dead continues to be the most outrageous show on television as the second episode of the season was available early today on Amazon Prime. In an attempt to get rid of all of Ash’s off-springs, that meant that it required a trip to the sperm bank. Only Ash Williams can make this cringe-inducing potential scene into something unbelievably funny and epic. The first two episodes this season have been amazing and I cannot wait to see it next week.

Related image Designated Survivor returned this week with a strange episode. After the midseason finale, President Kirkman’s wife died in a car wreck. The show picked up several months later, skipping over some of the biggest moments. Kirkman was still reeling from the loss, and we got some scenes in flashbacks. I’m not sure the presentation of the drama was used in the most effective manner. It almost felt like the show just wanted to get past the tragedy and get back to the White House story.

Agents of Shield also returned this week as the agents returned from the future. As always, Agents of SHIELD is an epic hour of television. This week, Yo Yo lost her arms and we meet a brand new bad guy.

Oscars are starting. Gotta go.

Happy viewing

Death Wish (1974)

Posted on March 4, 2018 by Doc

Image result for death wish 1974 movie poster

After seeing the new reboot of Death Wish this afternoon, I decided it was time to check out the original. I have never been a huge fan of revenge-killer flicks, but this is the one where most of the rest came from, starring Charles Bronson in what was most likely his most well-known role.

Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) was an architect whose wife and daughter were attacked in their home by three muggers who spotted the women at the supermarket. After a violent encounter, the wife wound up dead and the daughter was traumatized.

Paul is downtrodden, but returns to work in an attempt to fall into work. His boss, seeing how Paul is reacting, sends him on a work assignment out of New York, to Arizona. In Arizona, Paul gets a taste of Old West justice and retaliation by one’s own hand. Returning to New York with a special gift from a friend, a .32 handgun, Paul heads out on the streets in an attempt to draw muggers out of the woodwork to execute them.

Unlike the 2018 reboot, we see the change in the character of Paul Kersey as he becomes more brazen and confident. Starting as a Pacifist- a conscientious objector during the Korean War, Paul at first was lost. After his first kill, he became upset over the killing of a mugger, but as time moved on, he started stalking prey. He became less concerned over his daughter, going as far as telling his son-in-law that he could not continue to whine and cry all the time. Even after the police warned Paul that they were watching him, he continued to head out to hunt.

Of course, watching this film with a 2018 eye makes me wonder about the message of the film, but if I avoid that, this one is at least a much more interesting character study of a man who has lost everything and whose perception of the world changed because of it.

Charles Bronson does a wonderful job here, much stronger of a performance than that of Bruce Willis. Vincent Gardenia played Detective Frank Ochoa, the man with the assignment to get the Vigilante to stop without arresting him or killing him.

Self-defense or brutal killer? It is a question covered here much better than in the revenge porn of 2018.

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Image result for death wish 1974 movie poster

Death Wish (2018)

Posted on March 4, 2018 by Doc

I had not seen the 1974 film Death Wish, starring Charles Bronson so I did not have that crutch coming into the new version directed by Eli Roth and starring Bruce Willis. I do plan on watching this version late4r this afternoon, but it did not affect my viewpoint on the film.

I will say that I had very low expectations coming into the film. I am not going to comment on the pulse of the nation after the most recent school shooting. That should not go into the review. Neither will my own personal opinion on guns and the ability to easily get them.

Bruce Willis plays a surgeon named Paul Kersey, whose wife gets killed and his daughter is put into a coma after a house robbery that turns deadly. Frustrated that the police were getting nowhere with the case, Kersey winds up taking up a gun, putting on a hoodie and going onto the streets of Chicago looking for vigilante justice. Dubbed “The Grim Reaper” by the press, Willis continues hi search for the men who murdered his wife.

The is nothing original here. We have seen this revenge story countless times, and done in a considerably better way. The Netflix Punisher series just recently was way better than this despite covering many of the same tropes and issues. The film could have taken itself in several interesting ways dealing with loss or dealing with how grief can change a man, but it really only takes the most surface level of story.

And a surface level story is fine if you have other things with it. Unfortunately, a second major drawback here is Bruce Willis. I love Bruce Willis, but he has not had a great performance in a while (maybe since Looper). Paul Kersey has zero development of character. When we first see him, he is called from one surgery to head to E.R. He walked into an operation room where a police officer had multiple gunshot wounds and was flatlining. He put his fingers to the cop’s neck and pronounced him dead without doing anything to him. Then, he went and told his partner that they did everything they could. I immediately perked up because that was simply not true so I thought maybe this guy was damaged somehow.

However, we then see him at home where he has a beautiful wife and a beautiful daughter who has just been accepted to a college in New York. Willis looks to have a perfect life. So why was he so unemotional at his job? Is it just that he has seen so many gunshot wounds that he has become hardened to them? You would think that we would then see that in the film, but it is never addressed again.

In fact, no one has a character arc in the story except for Kersey’s brother Frank (Vincent D’Onofrio), who changes his life after his sister-in-law is killed. However, Frank is treated like crap by his brother.

There are some fun moments of violence that are put together like an old 1980s action film intended to gain an applause response from the crowd. These are done fairly well. There are some spots throughout that, if you turn off your brain, you can find entertaining. However, there are also moments of extreme humor that is absolutely unintentional. One of the robbers was going to tie up daughter Jordon (Camila Morrone) and he was searching through the kitchen cupboards. He even stopped to say, “Where is the rope?” I almost fell off the seat.

This was not as horrendous as I thought it was going to be, but it is not a good movie. There is really no character arc at all, little plot, and only passably entertaining action. Bruce Willis is a much better actor than he shows here. There is zero subtlety in a story that could have had plenty. Eli Roth is more interested in the in your face aspect than any kind of character study. The rebooted Death Wish is not worth your time.

2 stars

Oscar Predictions

Posted on March 4, 2018 by Doc

Image result for oscars 2018

I have decided that I was going to give my predictions for Sunday night’s Oscar broadcast. I am going to give my prediction of what I think is winning, and I am adding the one that I would give the Oscar to, if I had a choice.

Best Picture:

“Call Me by Your Name”
“Darkest Hour”
“Dunkirk”
“Get Out”
“Lady Bird”
“Phantom Thread”
“The Post”
“The Shape of Water”
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Prediction: The Shape of Water

My EYG Oscar: Get Out.

I almost gave “My EYG Oscar” to The Shape of Water because I did love that too, but Get Out is a really great film with a real cultural significance. Jordan Peele does such a remarkable job here in his first directorial film and that is amazing.

Lead Actor:

Timothée Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”
Daniel Day-Lewis, “Phantom Thread”
Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”
Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”
Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”

Prediction: Gary Oldman

My EYG Oscar: Gary Oldman

Gary Oldman is amazing as Winston Churchill and, while I do not think the film itself is Oscar deserving, Oldman certainly is. My runner up is Timothee Chalamet.

Lead Actress:

Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water”
Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”
Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”
Meryl Streep, “The Post”

Prediction: Frances McDormand

My EYG Oscar: Margot Robbie

McDormand seems to be everybody’s first choice, but Margot Robbie gets my award since she is so fantastic in I, Tonya and Three Billboards has slipped down with my opinion since seeing it.

Supporting Actor:

Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”
Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”
Christopher Plummer, “All the Money in the World”
Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Prediction: Sam Rockwell

My EYG Oscar: PATRICK STEWART!!!

Sir Patrick Stewart should be on this list for his portrayal of Charles Xavier as Logan and I am not hearing any arguments about it. He is an easy replacement for Christopher Plummer who only got this nomination for speed of performance. Patrick Stewart provided such humanity to this beloved character and we saw the pain of what he had done. His death scene breaks me up every time. The fact that he is not nominated is a travesty and he will receive my EYG Oscar right now.

Supporting Actress:

Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”
Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”
Lesley Manville, “Phantom Thread”
Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”
Octavia Spencer, “The Shape of Water”

Prediction: Allison Janney

My EYG Oscar: Laurie Metcalf

Laurie Metcalf is tremendous in Lady Bird. She was the best thing in that film, in my opinion. Nothing works in Lady Bird without her, whereas more works in I, Tonya even though I think Allison Janney is awesome. I considered Mary J. Blige as well since I was really impressed with her in Mudbound, but Laurie Metcalf heads back to Roseanne with her EYG Oscar in hand.

Director:

“Dunkirk,” Christopher Nolan
“Get Out,” Jordan Peele
“Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig
“Phantom Thread,” Paul Thomas Anderson
“The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro

Prediction: Guillermo del Toro

My EYG Oscar: Guillermo del Toro

I loved Shape of Water and del Toro does a magnificent job creating that film that should have been a joke. He took chances (like with the dance number) and they all paid off. I thought about Jordan Peele, but I think the direction of del Toro is a step beyond what Peele does. And, by all accounts, Guillermo is a great guy and he deserves this. Peele will be back again.

Related image And as an off shoot, can we get Greta Gerwig to sign on for a Kamala Khan Ms. Marvel movie for Marvel Studios. How perfect would that be? Get G. Willow Wilson to write it and you have another major Marvel tent pole.

Animated Feature:

“The Boss Baby,” Tom McGrath, Ramsey Ann Naito
“The Breadwinner,” Nora Twomey, Anthony Leo
“Coco,” Lee Unkrich, Darla K. Anderson
“Ferdinand,” Carlos Saldanha
“Loving Vincent,” Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman, Sean Bobbitt, Ivan Mactaggart, Hugh Welchman

Prediction: Coco

My EYG Oscar: Coco

Easy one. It sure ain’t Boss Baby. Coco was Pixar back at the height of their powers. I liked Ferdinand, but the fact that it was nominated tells you how weak the animated crop of films were this year. Coco was one of the best films, animated or not, of the year.

Animated Short:

“Dear Basketball,” Glen Keane, Kobe Bryant
“Garden Party,” Victor Caire, Gabriel Grapperon
“Lou,” Dave Mullins, Dana Murray
“Negative Space,” Max Porter, Ru Kuwahata
“Revolting Rhymes,” Jakob Schuh, Jan Lachauer

Prediction: Lou

My EYG Oscar: Lou

Wrote about this one earlier today.

Adapted Screenplay:

“Call Me by Your Name,” James Ivory
“The Disaster Artist,” Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
“Logan,” Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green
“Molly’s Game,” Aaron Sorkin
“Mudbound,” Virgil Williams and Dee Rees

Prediction: Call Me By My Name

My EYG Oscar: Logan

Call Me By Your Name was fine, and I know there is a huge push for it, but Logan is the best movie of last year, in my opinion and, even though I know it won’t win this, I wish it would.

Original Screenplay:

“The Big Sick,” Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani
“Get Out,” Jordan Peele
“Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig
“The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Martin McDonagh

Prediction: Get Out

My EYG Oscar: The Big Sick

This is a strong category. I think they give it to Get Out here because they do not give the film the best movie award, but I give it to Big Sick which is a criminally undervalued film that was funny and poignant.

Cinematography:

“Blade Runner 2049,” Roger Deakins
“Darkest Hour,” Bruno Delbonnel
“Dunkirk,” Hoyte van Hoytema
“Mudbound,” Rachel Morrison
“The Shape of Water,” Dan Laustsen

Prediction: Roger Deakins

My EYG Oscar: Roger Deakins

It is time for Roger Deakins to win this award and Blade Runner 2049, which I may not have loved (liked it), but there is no denying the cinematography is gorgeous.

Best Documentary Feature:

Best Documentary Short Subject:

“Edith+Eddie,” Laura Checkoway, Thomas Lee Wright
“Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405,” Frank Stiefel
“Heroin(e),” Elaine McMillion Sheldon, Kerrin Sheldon
“Knife Skills,” Thomas Lennon
“Traffic Stop,” Kate Davis, David Heilbroner

Just guessing here…

Prediction: Heroin(e)

My EYG Oscar: Didn’t see any of them…

Best Live Action Short Film:

“DeKalb Elementary,” Reed Van Dyk
“The Eleven O’Clock,” Derin Seale, Josh Lawson
“My Nephew Emmett,” Kevin Wilson, Jr.
“The Silent Child,” Chris Overton, Rachel Shenton
“Watu Wote/All of Us,” Katja Benrath, Tobias Rosen

Prediction: Watu Wote

My EYG Oscar: DeKalb Elementary

Talked about this one earlier too…

Best Foreign Language Film:

“A Fantastic Woman” (Chile)
“The Insult” (Lebanon)
“Loveless” (Russia)
“On Body and Soul (Hungary)
“The Square” (Sweden)

Prediction: Loveless.

No idea… maybe Russians hack into the vote and win this one too.

Film Editing:

“Baby Driver,” Jonathan Amos, Paul Machliss
“Dunkirk,” Lee Smith
“I, Tonya,” Tatiana S. Riegel
“The Shape of Water,” Sidney Wolinsky
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Jon Gregory

Prediction: Dunkirk

My EYG Oscar: Dunkirk

Did not like Dunkirk but can not argue against was a marvelously put together film it was.

Sound Editing:

“Baby Driver,” Julian Slater
“Blade Runner 2049,” Mark Mangini, Theo Green
“Dunkirk,” Alex Gibson, Richard King
“The Shape of Water,” Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Ren Klyce, Matthew Wood

Prediction: Dunkirk

My EYG Oscar: Dunkirk

See above.

Sound Mixing:

“Baby Driver,” Mary H. Ellis, Julian Slater, Tim Cavagin
“Blade Runner 2049,” Mac Ruth, Ron Bartlett, Doug Hephill
“Dunkirk,” Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker, Gary A. Rizzo
“The Shape of Water,” Glen Gauthier, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Stuart Wilson, Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick

Prediction: Dunkirk

My EYG Oscar: Dunkirk

Yep

Production Design:

“Beauty and the Beast,” Sarah Greenwood; Katie Spencer
“Blade Runner 2049,” Dennis Gassner, Alessandra Querzola
“Darkest Hour,” Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer
“Dunkirk,” Nathan Crowley, Gary Fettis
“The Shape of Water,” Paul D. Austerberry, Jeffrey A. Melvin, Shane Vieau

Prediction: Blade Runner 2049

My EYG Oscar: Blade Runner 2049

Original Score:

“Dunkirk,” Hans Zimmer
“Phantom Thread,” Jonny Greenwood
“The Shape of Water,” Alexandre Desplat
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” John Williams
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Carter Burwell

Prediction: Phantom Thread

My EYG Oscar: The Shape of Water.

Though I hate Phantom Thread, the score was wonderful, but I am giving it to The Shape of Water because how important the music was in that film.

Original Song:

“Mighty River” from “Mudbound,” Mary J. Blige
“Mystery of Love” from “Call Me by Your Name,” Sufjan Stevens
“Remember Me” from “Coco,” Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez
“Stand Up for Something” from “Marshall,” Diane Warren, Common
“This Is Me” from “The Greatest Showman,” Benj Pasek, Justin Paul

Prediction: “This is Me,” Greatest Showman

My EYG Oscar: “Remember Me,” Coco

I will not be happy here, because I do not like The Greatest Showman much and Remember Me is transcendent in Coco. I just think the Academy will be giving it to that overrated music.

Makeup and Hair:

“Darkest Hour,” Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski, Lucy Sibbick
“Victoria and Abdul,” Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard
“Wonder,” Arjen Tuiten

Prediction: Darkest Hour

My EYG Oscar: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

How about honoring a Marvel Studio film once? Suicide Squad won an Oscar for God’s sake. It is time to give one to Marvel Studios and this would even be a deserving one. Nebula. Drax. Gamora. Yondu.

Costume Design:

“Beauty and the Beast,” Jacqueline Durran
“Darkest Hour,” Jacqueline Durran
“Phantom Thread,” Mark Bridges
“The Shape of Water,” Luis Sequeira
“Victoria and Abdul,” Consolata Boyle

Prediction: The Shape of Water

My EYG Oscar: The Shape of Water

Visual Effects:

Oscar Shorts

Posted on March 4, 2018 by Doc

I just came back from getting a chance to see the Oscar nominated shorts in Live Action and Animated categories and I had a really good time with them. I spent 3 and a half ours in my local Cinemark watching them, but I did not regret it.

The nominated films were… in animation…

Animated Short:

and in Live-Action…

Best Live Action Short Film:

Let’s talk about them.

First, in animation, there were some really well done shorts that I really enjoyed.

“Dear Basketball,” Glen Keane, Kobe Bryant

This one was beautiful. I loved the animated style of the basketball action and the poem, written by Kobe Bryant, was inspirational. I am not even someone who liked Kobe Bryant (even a little bit), but I came to respect the effort he gave. Grade :Solid A
“Garden Party,” Victor Caire, Gabriel Grapperon

This one was weird. There are a bunch of frogs arriving at a house with a big backyard pool, where, as the short continues, becomes clear that something bad has happened here. The ending of the short showed how dark this was. I dug it. Grade: B+
“Negative Space,” Max Porter, Ru Kuwahata

This one had some touching aspects to it as an adult son reflected back upon his relationship with his father and how he could only ever really connect with him when they were packing a bag for a trip. A touching moment at the end that brought the whole short together. Grade: B
“Revolting Rhymes,” Jakob Schuh, Jan Lachauer

This was really good, but it has the advantage of adapting a work of Roald Dahl, who I really enjoy. This was easily the longest of the shorts and tells a different story of Snow White, Red Riding Hood and the Wolf. This one becomes pretty dark as well. Great stuff here. Grade: A

“Lou,” Dave Mullins, Dana Murray

Image result for lou pixar This is the Pixar short that was at the beginning of Cars 3 and was easily the peak of that movie going experience. This is so clever and entertaining, dealing with a bully on the playground and a creature from the Lost and Found. The design of Lou the character is brilliant and the story is sweet and real. Grade: A+

Among the animation, I believe that Pixar will win again. I really did love the Roald Dahl short, but I do not expect it to win. The only one that has a chance to defeat Pixar would Be Kobe Bryant’s love letter to the game of basketball. I still say your winner is Lou.

LIVE-ACTION.

The five films in live-action shorts were heavily based on true events. I really enjoyed three of the these and the other two were fine, but not as engaging for me.

“Watu Wote/All of Us,” Katja Benrath, Tobias Rosen

This was my least favorite of the five live-action nominees. It told the story of a 2015 bus attack in Kenya by a militant group. The Muslims and Christians on the bus were able to overcome the situation through the power of their faith. It would not surprise me if this one wins, but I found it to be the least engaging of the bunch. Grade: B-
“The Eleven O’Clock,” Derin Seale, Josh Lawson

This one was funny, but desperately predictable. A psychiatrist arrives at his office to find a temp receptionist who did not know the procedures. Then, his 11 o’clock shows up and he believes that he is actually the psychiatrist and not the patient. Hilarity ensues. It was well written and funny,but I knew what was going to happen almost immediately. Grade B+
“My Nephew Emmett,” Kevin Wilson, Jr.

This was a powerful short dealing with a murder of a young black man in Mississippi in 1955. The film is shown through the eyes of his uncle and it continues to show the brutality and the downright cruelty imposed upon the African-American population even a hundred years after slavery ended. Very powerful and heartbreaking. Grade: A-
“The Silent Child,” Chris Overton, Rachel Shenton

A young British girl who is deaf struggles to learn until a wonderful aid comes to her rescue. Unfortunately, the young girl’s mother does not want to accept the ideas or techniques of the aid. Good performances here but I did not like the ending of this one. Grade: B

“DeKalb Elementary,” Reed Van Dyk

This was my personal favorite of the five and it was the first one they showed. Based on a real 9-1-1 call, DaKalb Elementary tells the story of a gunman who comes into a school with the intentions of killing only to start questioning himself. The man meets a lady in the office who treats him with compassion and humanity. This film was really tense and I kept waiting for it to so sideways. I was filled with anxiety throughout it. Perhaps the current world of school shooting played on those fears, but this created emotions within me. Grade: A+

Though I will be rooting for DeKalb Elementary, I think either Watu Woke or My Nephew Emmett will take the prize Sunday night. I would guess that Silent Child has an outside chance while The Eleven O’clock is not winning, though it is a fun short.

This is the first year that I have seen all of the shorts and that is cool. Oscars are Sunday night on ABC.

Red Sparrow

Posted on March 4, 2018 by Doc

Marvel Studios has been rumored to be planning a Black Widow stand alone film for their next phase of films. However, despite what appears to be the case, that movie is not being released this weekend. Instead, the film is called Red Sparrow, starring Jennifer Lawrence, instead of Scarlett Johansson.

To be fair, the trailer certainly makes this film feel like the Black widow movie that so many people have wanted Marvel to make, but after seeing it, there is not that much in common with the two characters. A Marvel Studios’ Black Widow movie would be surely be awesome, while Red Sparrow…

Is not good.

That might even be kind. I did not like Red Sparrow much at all. The best part of the film was the number of excuses it found to have Jennifer Lawrence naked.

Jennifer Lawrence played Dominika, a Russian ballet dancer, who, after a terrible accident, cannot do what she loves and is recruited into the Red Sparrow program in order to save her ailing mother (Joely Richardson). Once in the program, Dominika is trained as a spy, leaning heavily on the …let’s say… seduction of the job and she quickly becomes one of the top Sparrows around.

She then crosses paths with CIA agent Joel Edgerton and they fall for each other. Or do they? Is it all just a trick to get the mission accomplished? Who cares.

To be honest, I never once felt confused or uncertain about where the loyalties of Lawrence would be. I won’t spoil where they fell, but I was not confused or taken in by anything that happened.

Red Sparrow was boring. It was way too long and the story just dragged for most of the film. The action was fine when it came around, but this film saw itself as a thinking person’s spy movie, but it fell real short.

There were a lot of exploitative scenes in the film that were there for shock value more than anything else. There were several torture scenes and several sexually charged scenes that were unnecessarily brutal and makes one wonder why they would put this film out with these scenes in the climate of the world today.

Jennifer Lawrence and Joel Edgerton do not have much chemistry between them and it just does not work. I did not buy how much the film expects you believe they were connected, and the film’s story depends on that relationship being an important aspect of the film.

The cast is fine, but there are no side characters that stand out at all in Red Sparrow, with the possible exception of Charlotte Rampling, who was the Matron of the Sparrow training camp and she was very over-the-top campy. Had the film been more like that, or we got more of that character, I think things would have been better.

In the end, this is not a Black widow movie as it first seemed to be. In fact, there is not much comparable between Natasha and Jennifer Lawrence’s Dominika. Outside of the Russian connection, they are not similar. So Marvel Studios, we are still waiting for you to knock it out of the park with Black Widow. When we do see Black Widow, no one will remember Red Sparrow. That is for sure.

2 stars

EYG Top 10 Best Actors Who Were Oscar Nominated and Should Have Won, Yeah…

Posted on February 28, 2018 by Doc

EYG23

Happy Top 10 everyone. What a great episode today with John Rocha and Matt Knost welcoming Grae Drake (NO Ys!!!) to the show. In honor of this weekend’s Oscar telecast, they chose a topic centered around the golden awards for movie excellence. They decided on the Top 10 Best Actors “snubs”, but they did not mean that it was someone like Jake Gyllenhaal not being nominated for Nightcrawler (which was an insane crime). They meant actors who had been nominated for an Academy Award, but lost to another actor. That lead to a funny falsetto version of this post coming from Mr. Rocha’s lips. Really … listen to it.

And you really should be listening to the Top 10 Show because, according to Cinema Blend, the Top 10 Show is one of the “5 Podcast Every Movie Fan Needs to Check Out.” That is awesome. Congratulations to John and Matt. Their weekly excellence is being heard and recognized. The best is yet to come.

By the way, Grae continued the streak of outstanding guests on the Top 10 Show. She was very funny, witty, and added some great insight to the banter.

As for the topic, as I researched it, I found way more examples from the 1990s than any other decade. That was strange considering I did not watch nearly as many movies then as I do now.

EYG Top 10 Best Actors Who Were Oscar Nominated and Should Have Won…

#10. Year: 1993 Edward Norton (American History X) over Roberto Benigni (Life is Beautiful). Yes I have never seen the Benigni performance, but that does not mean that I can’t replace it with a performance that was top notch. I debated this one as I considered Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan as well, but I found Norton’s performance to be one for the ages. One could argue that Edward Norton has never come anywhere close since.

#9. Year: 2000. Tom Hanks (Castaway) over Russell Crowe (Gladiator). I did love Gladiator, but there is no comparison of the performance of Crowe compared to Tom Hanks. Tom Hanks spent a huge chunk of time on the island without using any words and you know every emotion going through his mind. Plus, he is able to create a character out of a volleyball fully through the power of his performance. Very few actors on the planet could pull this role off, but Tom Hanks did it.

#8. Year 1974. Al Pacino (Godfather 2) over Art Carney (Harry & Tonto). Godfather 2 is considered one of the greatest movies of all time and Al Pacino was the heart of that film. How did he lose the Oscar, even to a legendary actor such as Art Carney? Then, because Al Pacino did not win this award, later on in his life, the Academy had to give him an award for a much inferior performance in Scent of a Woman (still coming on this list…) that cost other deserving their chance for an Oscar.

#7. Year: 1991. Robin Williams (The Fisher King) over Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs). Now, yes, Anthony Hopkins’s Hannibal Lector is in the EYG Hall of Fame. And yes he was brilliant. But the truth is that Hopkins was only on screen around 16-17 minutes. That is a supporting actor. Robin Williams gave one of his greatest performances as The Fisher King! The homeless man who had slipped into a horrible life after the death of his beloved wife, Robin Williams showed the full range of his skills. Oh, and of course, Robin Williams is also in the EYG Hall of Fame.

#6. Year: 1943. Humphrey Bogart (Casablanca) over Paul Lukas (Watch on the Rhine). I will admit that I do not know who Paul Lukas is and I have never seen Watch on the Rhine, but it is Casablanca! And it is Humphrey Bogart. Another one of those actors/characters so iconic that you cannot imagine that he did not win the award. I was shocked when I saw that he had not won for this role. He was the heart of this film and he helped make it one of the most recognized and beloved film of all time.

#5. Year: 1992. Clint Eastwood (Unforgiven)/ Denzel Washington (Malcolm X) over Al Pacino (Scent of a Woman). I could not make a decision with this one, so I decided to give it to both of them. This was Eastwood’s best performance in my eyes and Denzel becomes the radical activist. All because Al Pacino was given an award for a film that was below his past filmography.

#4. Year: 1993. Liam Neeson (Schindler’s List) over Tom Hanks (Philadelphia). Another performance that is great, when speaking about Hanks. Yes, it had the whole AIDS thing working for it, but there is just nothing more powerful than the true story of Oskar Schindler as a Nazi who went out of his way to try and save as many Jewish people as he could by putting them to work in his own factory. Another performance that has to be considered the best of an actor’s career. Liam Neeson is amazing in this role and the emotions are real. The film is a tough watch, but Liam Neeson’s character arc is tremendous.

#3. Year: 2014. Michael Keaton (Birdman) over Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything). Sure, Redmayne does a nice job as Stephen Hawkins. but the fact is that movie is at best average. Michael Keaton returned to significance here as the washed up actor who had played a former super hero. Many people considered this like an autobiography of Keaton himself. Birdman was a great film and Keaton rebuilt himself to get roles in Spotlight and Spider-man: Homecoming.

#2. Year: 1964. Peter Sellers (Dr. Strangelove) over Rex Harrison (My Fair Lady). Peter Sellers is brilliant in Dr. Strangelove. He plays three distinct roles: Dr. Strangelove, President Merkin Muffley and Group Captain Lionel Mandrake. Each of the roles were separate, and you never doubted that they were different characters. He is hilarious. Many times the Academy likes these kind of multiple roles, so I am not sure why this one was overlooked. Peter Sellers, another EYG Hall of Famer, brings so many layers to his three characters and helps to make this a classic film.

#1. Year: 2008. Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) over Sean Penn (Milk). When this topic was first mentioned, this was the first thing that popped into my head. As a wrestling fan, I remember how this film came out and everyone fell in love with it and how it brought Mickey Rourke back from nothing. Randy “The Ram” Robinson was a character who I could, sadly, see in many of my favorite professional wrestlers of the past. One of the most realistic portrayal of the world of professional wrestling without sacrificing character. I remember watching the awards ceremony with full expectation that Rourke was winning. Everyone I had hear said that Rourke was sinning. It wasn’t even close. And when the announcement was made that it was Sean Penn, I felt robbed and I can’t imagine what Mickey Rourke must have felt. Brilliant performance.

Honorable mentions: Deniro (Taxi Driver) over Finch (Network), Morgan Freeman (Shawshank Redemption) over Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump), Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd) over Daniel-Day Lewis (There Will Be Blood), Gary Oldman (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) over Jean Dujardin, Denzel Washington (Fences) over Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea), Clark Gable (Gone With the Wind) over Robert Donat (Goodbye, Mr. Chips).

Good luck to all the nominees this coming Sunday at the Academy Awards.

The TV Week That Was

Posted on February 25, 2018 by Doc

spoilers

Good day everyone. It has been a couple of weeks since I did one of these columns as there was not much last week. This week however has some definite stand outs.

Image result for the tick part two on amazon Starting with the return of The Tick to Amazon Prime. The second half of season one dropped on Friday on the streaming service and made for a quick and extremely funny binge. The Tick left off with the presumed dead Terror having kidnapped Arthur, leaving the Tick aimless and scared for is sidekick. The season jumps right back into that and we get all kinds of weird and wondrous stuff such as Midnight, the talking dog with star and stripes sunglasses, Danger Boat which has fallen in love with Arthur (including a remarkably awkward shower scene), the giant, naked walking man actually tying into the overall series arch, the first utterance of “spoon” from the Tick, and the Tick asking Arthur the age old question, “Am I a yeti?” The Tick is absurdist fun and a deconstruction of the super hero genre, while also propping it up in what has to be considered a love letter to the genre. The cast is magnificent and the binge flies by easily. Treat yourself to a big. blue slice of justice with the Tick!

Image result for ash vs evil dead season 3 And if that wasn’t enough evil fighting for you, Ash vs. the Evil Dead returned this weekend as well on Starz. Ash seems to be happy and opening up a hardware store in his hometown, but little does he know that evil was coming back with a vengeance. We meet a new character, introduced to us as Ash’s unknown daughter. I just recently binged seasons one and two of this horror/comedy show and I am so happy I did. Ash vs. the Evil Dead is a complete hoot and Bruce Campbell is a master of the cheese needed to carry off this series.

matchgame Match Game looks to be done for another season. Alec Baldwin does an amazing job hosting this show, despite the gignormous shoes of Gene Rayburn that he had to step into. This final pair of episodes saw one of the most shockingly funny answers of the year, sending Alec down to the ground in front of the contestants in shock. I am always amazed at how raucous this show has been and I will miss laughing at it every week. Perhaps it has been moved somewhere else but I know that Designated Survivor will be returning to the Match Game time slot. I am sure Match Game will return in the future.

Image result for carl bit by walker Tonight, The Walking Dead will return from its winter break to end the story of Carl, who, when last we saw him, had revealed to his father that he had been bitten by a Walker. We all know what that means… Carl is doomed. One of the few remaining original cast members, Carl has not always been the most popular character. However, it seemed that with his fate sealed, the thoughts of Carl may have turned. The first half of season 8 of The Walking Dead has been very lackluster, with only a couple of really stand out episodes. Let’s hope that the death of Carl will be able to kick start this once brilliant series back to prominence.

Image result for general hospital 14000 General Hospital had its 14,000 episode this past Friday. That is quite an achievement and, while I do not get the chance to see GH much any more, I made sure to pull this episode up on Hulu. Thing was that there was not much more to it than a regular episode. There was some interesting drama involving Sonny and his father Mike, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. There was also some unintentionally funny parts where Sonny apparently mispronounces the disease every time he says it.

Image result for USA Curling gold The Winter Olympics came to a conclusion after a couple of weeks of entertaining action in South Korea. And while the US Female Ice Skating team flopped like few other US teams have done before, the US Curling team brought back gold. No, really…USA Curling. Funny enough, the US Curling team was actually rewarded with the Gold medals for the Wonen’s curling. The mix up was fixed and the US team did receive their proper gold medals.

It looks as if several of my favorite shows will be making their way back this week from hiatus. Not only will The Walking Dead be back, but so will Agents of Shield, The X-Files, Designated Survivor, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder (those last two having a Shondaland crossover event this Thursday). The week after will see Riverdale return as well so the TV landscape is looking to get busy again.

Happy viewing

Se7en (1995)

Posted on February 25, 2018 by Doc

When I first saw Seven, I saw it in the local theater and I remember not liking it much. Everybody else seemed to have a differing opinion on it, going as far as to call it one of David Fincher’s greatest films. So I decided to re-watch it.

It is better than I thought the first time back in 1995,

I would not put it as Fincher’s greatest film. For me, that is probably Zodiac. I enjoyed Gone Girl quite a bit too. But Se7en would ow make the list where as before I would have omitted it.

Morgan Freeman is great as soon to be retiring Detective William Somerset. Somerset was a man who had seen more than what he could handle over his years on the force and it had transformed him into a cynical, hopeless man. Meanwhile, Detective David Mills still has the pretense that they can do something to help. So when they wind up investigating a series of brutal torture/murders based around the seven deadly sins, Mills and Somerset seemed to be opposites of the same coin.

They were in search of the mysterious killer who seemed to be one step ahead of them the entire time. Kevin Spacey, currently a pariah in Hollywood, played this murderer with a creepiness and quiet evil that really makes him stand out despite only being on screen a short time.

Of course, the moment that stands out the most for this movie is the ending sequence. While it creates a serious tension filled tone and an uncertainty of what was going to happen, if you think about it, it really does not make much sense in the story or to the character of John Doe. It absolutely places an almost inhuman ability to plan out a murder. The other murders were long term plans, even taking up to a year to do. Suddenly, though, final two murders are last minute, spur of the moment murders that he could not have known about ahead of time. For someone as methodical as John Doe was in planning, switching to something so last minute is not going to happen.

So yes the moment was dramatic, but it actually does more disservice to the story for me than it does anything else.

I did like this considerably more the second time, but I still don’t see it as a masterpiece.

funtime