After being sprung from a Moscow prison, IMF agent Ethan
Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team infiltrate the Kremlin in order to acquire
information on a target known as Cobalt.
The mission ends in unmitigated disaster, and the Kremlin is decimated. The President of the United States enacts “Ghost
Protocol,” effectively turning Hunt and his team into international fugitives. Unable to operate in an official capacity,
the remnants of the IMF must pool their resources and talents to clear their
names and avert a nuclear holocaust.
Intelligence Analyst William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) is along for the
ride, as he hopes to find redemption at missions end. Failure is most definitely not an
option.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Movie Trailer: The Dark Knight Rises
Though I adore Christopher Nolan’s vision for the caped
crusader (sans the incomprehensible fight scenes, of course), I realize that it
isn’t for everyone. The Dark Knight was essentially a crime film featuring a
superhero. It made Batman a supporting
player in a story that made allusions to 911 and the USA PATRIOT Act. Perhaps that is why many fans found it just a
tad pretentious. Not to mention that
while Nolan can be heavy handed, his intent is sometimes murky. For that reason, an in-depth analysis of the
new trailer (or at least an attempt at one) might be in order.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Recently Released Test Footage Reveals The Green Goblin That Might’ve Been
Spider-Man 3 made
it all too easy for detractors to focus on what Sam Raimi got wrong in bringing
the web-slinger to the big screen. That is unfortunate, seeing as how he had a relatively solid track record up to that point. The first Spider-Man
film kicked the superhero revolution into high gear, proving the genre’s appeal
to be much broader than anyone had previously thought. Spider-Man
2 is arguably the greatest film of its kind ever made. Yet, even those films had their share of
missteps. Among the more nonsensical decisions
made was to cover up William Dafoe’s wonderfully expressive face with a plastic
mask/helmet hybrid. That design ran
contrary to the one in the comics, where Norman Osborne sported a close fitting
rubber mask more akin to something out of Mission:
Impossible.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Music Video: Ludacris ft. Gucci Mane - Shake N Fries
WARNING: The Video
Reviewed In This Post Contains Sexually Explicit Content
Now that I’ve gotten that needless disclaimer out of the
way, we can get down to business. Even overly
analytical types like me need to unwind every now and then. In
such cases, nothing does the trick better than a rap video featuring a bevy of voluptuous
strippers. Such clips usually accompany uptempo,
raunchy party records. The latest bit of such recreational material comes from Ludacris and Gucci Mane, under the title "Shake N Fries."
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Happy Birthday Clownface and Panda: ‘Body Bags: Father’s Day’ Turns 15
It’s easy to forget how Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece Pulp Fiction forever altered the course
of American pop culture. Its influence
reverberated far beyond the confines of American cinema and could be seen in a
variety of different mediums. In the years immediately following its
release, many tried to ape its style, often failing miserably. In 1996, comic book artist Jason Pearson paid
tribute to the film as only he could, with an irreverent yarn that told the not-so-tender
tale of an estranged father and daughter becoming reacquainted with one another.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Movie Trailer: G.I. Joe: Retaliation
Michael Bay’s Transformers
films ushered in a wave of nostalgia for 80’s toy properties. Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables tried to accomplish the same for 80’s action
heroes. The former was much more
successful than the latter, as The
Expendables required the action heroes of yesteryear to collectivize in
order to achieve a respectable level of bankability in the current
marketplace. By comparison, The Transformers were able to achieve
much more without having to do a crossover with other toylines. Would it be possible for one form of
nostalgia to aid the resurrection of another?
The makers of G.I. Joe:
Retaliation seem to think so, as they have cast Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in
a lead role. While not actually an 80’s
action hero, The Rock unmistakably comes from that exact same mold. Such iconography will now be used to aid the Joes
in their second cinematic outing.
Labels:
Action Film,
Comics,
Movie Trailer Review
Matthias Stork Answers Detractors in the Third Installment of ‘Chaos Cinema’
The first two parts of Matthias Stork’s video essay Chaos Cinema drew the ire of many,
inspiring a number of responses and rebuttals.
Stork obviously took some of them into consideration when crafting the
third installment of his controversial series, which debuted this past Friday on
Press Play. Stork doesn’t concede
defeat, though he admits that he initially painted with broad brushstrokes. He apologizes for that oversight, while
answering his critics.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Bane Leaves Batman Broken in the Second ‘Dark Knight Rises’ Poster
Superhero comics are sometimes criticized by detractors as
being stories that never end about characters that never age. Such a reading characterizes the form as lacking
a sense of purpose, evolution, and finality.
Likewise, that same criticism is often leveled against movie franchises featuring
said heroes. The current trend of “rebooting”
certain franchises does nothing to contradict that notion, as these reboots
usually occur without the previous cinematic iteration of the character having
reached anything resembling closure. The Dark Knight Rising stands apart from
its peers in that the marketing emanates a sense of finality. The second poster for the film places that
sentiment firmly in the forefront.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Movie Poster: The Amazing Spider-Man
The teaser poster is here for The Amazing Spider-Man is here.
It shows Peter Parker having crawled up the corner of two intersecting
walls in what appears to be a really dark alleyway. He sits perched in a crab walk position,
while a light from above shines down on him.
Peter Parker himself is almost completely covered in darkness, but his
profile casts a shadow on the walls below him in the shape of the spider emblem
that adorns his costume. Beneath this
eye catching image is a rather weird tagline that reads “The Untold Story.”
Friday, December 9, 2011
Music Video: KRS-One – Aztechnical
When an iconic artist appears to be long past his prime,
fans find themselves wishing he would either return to form or just call it a
day. While the latter would be the most
realistic option, it’s not so easy for those who’ve tasted success to throw in
the towel. They often begin trying to their
glory days, making it all the more obvious that their skills have atrophied. Amazingly, some artists are able to keep
their tools sharp indefinitely. KRS-One
has long purported himself to be such an artist, and his upcoming 20th
studio album Just Like That aims to
prove it.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Movie Review: Boy Wonder
The very concept of a “realistic” superhero film would seem
to be a gross contradiction in terms.
The fantastical conventions and tropes of the genre seem irreversibly resistant
to such iterations. This has not stopped
a plethora of filmmakers from offering pseudo realistic takes on the caped and
costumed set. Kick Ass, Watchmen, and
Christopher Nolan’s Batman films all
purport to be the genuine article in terms of grit and realism. All of the aforementioned address the various
implausibilities and impossibilities of the genre in a myriad of ways. Though these films can in no way be
considered artistic failures, none of them ever has ever been completely successful
in accomplishing their goals. Writer/Director
Michael Morrissey has attempted to remedy this problem with his gritty
vigilante film, Boy Wonder.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Music Video: LBP Stunts Chicago - Boogie Woogie Feng Shui No. 5 (Live Action AMV - Anime Music Video)
LBP Stunts Chicago seems to have a bottomless reserve of
energy. They channel it into a number of
endeavors, from short films to experimental clips and now music videos. You read that last part right: music
videos. No, LBP has not formed a band of
any sort (or God forbid a rap group). They
have simply put together some visual accompaniment for a few existing pieces of
music. The visuals in question are not a
random collection of disconnected images.
No, these are recreations of key fight scenes from some three of the
more notable anime properties from the past 20 years. The curiously (though fittingly) titled Boogie Woogie Feng Shui No. 5 (Live Action
AMV - Anime Music Video) is a trilogy that clocks in at about seven
minutes, but acts as a greatest hits package of sorts.
Labels:
Anime,
Martial Arts,
Music Video Review
Monday, November 28, 2011
LBP Stunts Chicago Makes Muggers Think Twice in New Test Footage
LBP Stunts will not be denied. It’s just that simple. Even the throwaway material from those guys
is worth a look. Their latest experiment
was conducted as a test of the Sony FS100 Super 35mm digital motion camcorder. It’s a bit of test footage depicting a physical
confrontation between a mugger and a victim in a multilevel parking garage. Emmanuel Manzanares plays the attacker and Shawn
Bernal the target. As expected, the two
engage in a bit of fierce fisticuffs. As
is the standard for LBP stunts, the choreography comes at the viewer fast and
furious. Moves and countermoves are
unleashed in rapid and hard hitting succession.
'The Raid' Gets a Somewhat New Trailer
As the excruciatingly long wait for the North American
release of Gareth Evan’s Indonesian action extravaganza The Raid continues, plans have already been announced for both a
sequel and a Hollywood remake.
Meanwhile, many of us stateside continue to salivate over the red band trailer
that got released a few months back (you can read my review here). A new
extended trailer got released recently, which contains much of the same footage
as the first. It was originally shown at
the Indonesia International Fantastic Film Festival. Gareth
Evans posted it on his blog yesterday. It
shows a bit more graphic violence and boasts a new musical composition by Fajar
Yuskemal and Aria Prayogi. It again
emphasizes the insanely kinetic energy on display in the various fight scenes
and shoot outs. Though it offers only
minor differences from the red band trailer, it still demands countless viewings
by any self-respecting adrenaline junkie.
Such well-crafted carnage goes a long way in satiating the collective
longing for the heyday of Hong Kong action cinema. Screen Gems needs to get this into North
American theaters and then onto Blu-Ray ASAP.
Labels:
Action Film,
Martial Arts,
Movie Trailer Review
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Surviving the Game: An Interview with Michael “Mick-Man” Gourdine A.K.A Candy Man, Author of Chili Pimping in Atlantic City (Part 2)
In the second part of ‘Surviving the Game: An Interview with Michael “Mick-Man” Gourdine A.K.A Candy Man, Author of Chili Pimping in Atlantic City’ (Click here to read part one), The Candyman offers unprecedented insight into the drug game as
practiced by New Yorkers. He also reveals
some little known truths about the “sporting life.”
Monday, November 21, 2011
Cool Characters: Roland Bishop
Hood films have never been known for their subtlety. Even the best ones often hammer their points
home. They have always fallen squarely
on the nurture side of the nature vs. nurture argument. Most explanations for criminality are often
spelled out in the most overt and expository manner possible. It’s as if the filmmakers don’t trust the audience
to come to the appropriate conclusions on their own. Still, somewhat vague and ambiguous characterizations
sometimes slipped through the cracks. The
randomness of street crime dictates that not every murder has a clear or
logical motive. Any otherwise “realistic”
movie about the streets would be somewhat dishonest if it ignored such a
fact. In the midst of the hood movie
onslaught of the early 1990’s, a future Hip-Hop legend would be cast as one of hood cinema's definitive sociopaths.
Labels:
Cool Characters,
Crime/Gangster,
Hip-Hop,
Rap
Short Film Review: Rosa
Cyberpunk has been around since the early to mid-1980’s, and
has long since become just another pop culture well that genre filmmakers
return to time and again. As such, it
would seem to have run dry by now, seeing as how cyberpunk imagery has become
an integral part of the dystopian sci-fi filmmaking language. Video games have also made extensive use of
such stories and settings. However, like
so many other fantasy genres, cyberpunk has much more to offer than what has
previously been shown, even if just in a superficial or visual sense. In fact, the imagery is probably best suited
by no dialogue at all in some cases. Jesús
Orellana’s animated short film Rosa
likely would have thrived in the silent film era, since it functions mostly as
a beautifully rendered dream.
Labels:
Action Film,
Animation,
Science Fiction,
Short Film Review
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Payphone Pimping Ain’t Easy: An Interview With J-Zone
Living outside the box
can be a lonely existence. Some do so by
choice, usually as a way to distinguish themselves from the pack. That kind of pretentious facade is usually nothing
more than an elaborate ruse. Much harder
to figure out is the authentically odd duck, that rare kind of weirdo who is,
quite simply, being himself. Such an individual
has an especially hard row to hoe, seeing as how people tend to roundly dismiss
anything they can’t easily categorize.
Friday, November 18, 2011
DJ Quik Pays Tribute to Heavy D as Only He Can
As Hip-Hop continues to mourn the passing of Heavy D, it
seems that no tribute to his memory and legacy could possibly be enough. The expected tribute mixes from old school
DJ’s are par for the course, and it’s always great to hear the songs that
endeared Heavy D to his fans. Still,
such a huge personality demands something a bit grander. Such huge expectations can, of course, never
truly be met. In such a situation, it’s
the more unexpected tributes that tend to have the greatest impact. An artist who would appear to be the
antithesis to all the Heavy stood for (at least to those not paying attention)
has chosen to poor out a little liquor for a fallen comrade, albeit one from
the other side of the country. DJ Quik,
who early in his career never hesitated to engage east coast rappers in verbal
fisticuffs, has crafted a funky send off for the overweight lover.
Movie Poster: The Expendables 2
As a tribute to the larger than life action extravaganzas of
the 1980’s, The Expendables was
merely adequate. It had its moments, but
it wasn’t the hard hitting, ultra-militaristic alpha male free-for-all that
many fans were hoping for. It felt
especially safe after 2008’s blood drenched Rambo
entry. One could almost feel Stallone
pulling his punches until the CGI enhanced carnage
in the final reel. Well, the good thing
about sequels for such films is that they offer a major chance for
improvement. The era of body building
super soldiers has yet to receive the proper tribute. If the poster is any indication, The Expendables 2 will offer much more
of the same, only bigger.
Happy Birthday Brundlefly: David Cronenberg’s Remake of ‘The Fly’ Turns 25
Modern superhero movies often portray scientific accidents
as a form of rebirth. While there is a very
obvious downside to becoming a superpowered freak, there are certainly a great
number of advantages as well. Peter
Parker has an acute sixth sense that alerts him to danger, and he can lift many
times his own body weight. Bruce Banners
gamma fueled temper tantrums make him one mild mannered nerd that anyone would
be afraid to piss off. If Stan Lee and
his stable of artists wanted to take an even more disturbing approach to that
material, they might have portrayed such bizarre scientific blessings as a full
on curse, A disease which slowly transforms the human body into something truly
hideous. In August of 1986, a daring
Canuck filmmaker did just that by offering a disturbing new take on a classic
horror film.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
The Thousand Pounds Fight Team Has Their Mettle Tested In Streets of Arkham City (Sort of)
Batman: Arkham City is easily as addicting as any narcotic. After buying it last week, my XBOX 360 controller has become permanently fused to my hands. The numerous fights and melees, which happen frequently and at the drop of dime, are enough to have ones thumbs and forefingers in a perpetual state of cramped exhaustion. The Thousand Pounds Fight Team admittedly knows such addiction all too well, and has decided that merely playing the game is not enough. The next logical step is to enter the game grid and try ones luck on Gotham’s streets. In keeping with that spirit, they have put together a test video which aims to accurately recreate the combat style and camera angles of the game. It’s set to the strains of the “Arkham City Main Theme” by Nick Arundel. Altogether, it’s an aesthetically accurate recreation of the game. Now if only they could build a time travelling Delorean, go back to when The Dark Knight was still in the planning stages and hand Christopher Nolan this test footage as an audition reel. Maybe he would have taken the hint.
Music Video: KRS-1 – “Just Like That”
With every passing day, New York City’s legacy as the
birthplace of Rap music and Hip-Hop culture is looking more and more like the lost
history of a forgotten kingdom. This is
due to the big apple having zero mainstream presence in the music as of late. As Drakes second album is poised to set a new
creative bar for the next of generation rap stars (or so various media outlets
are saying), the traditionally east coast brand of the music is now something
that youngsters can see on VH1, like some well-preserved museum exhibit. If such a place existed, KRS-1 would
undoubtedly be a key attraction.
However, the Blast Master continues to release new music in the vein of
that which made him a giant so long ago.
He now sounds the horn for the forgotten legacy he represents with “Just
Like That.”
Movie Trailer: Urban Fighter
An action renaissance is upon us. At the rate things are going, American martial
arts films (or American films with decent fight scenes period) will one day
become the sole province of low budget independent filmmakers. Independent stunt teams and film companies continue
to prove unequivocally that big or even average budgets aren’t needed for
well-staged action. When special FX technology
becomes refined to the point where the average citizen can render convincing
CGI on their home PC, the major studios will surely be in trouble. Until then, scrappy independent crews will
continue turning out product like Urban
Fighter.
Labels:
Action Film,
Martial Arts,
Movie Trailer Review
Music Video: RZA f Justin Nozuka, Kobra Khan & James Black - "Gone"
Though the RZA has never been the best or most charismatic rapper
in the Wu-Tang Clan, I have always found his abstract and off beat style intriguing. His verses take on the characteristics of
urgent stream of consciousness rants, almost as if he can’t control his own
thoughts. Every now and then, this
approach has yielded moments of inspired genius. Still, he can be just as effective when applying
a stricter discipline to his delivery.
Labels:
Hip-Hop,
Music Video Review,
Rap,
Wu-Tang Clan
Cool Characters: John McClane
From the outset, action heroes were almost always portrayed
as stoic supermen. From the sneering “Dirty”
Harry Callahan to the dead pan Paul Kersey, protagonists in action films rarely
showed anything resembling vulnerability.
Even the ones who used fists instead of guns (such as Bruce Lee) possessed
some sort of otherworldly ability that made them more than ordinary men. By the time the 1980’s rolled around they
were even outfitted with comic book physiques that made the ultra-masculine
ideals they represented seem that much more unattainable. It was in the latter part of the decade that
a high concept offering from producer Joel Silver would set a precedent in the
genre by going against that trend. It
cast a TV star who was physically unremarkable and without a hint of stoicism
in the lead role plunked
him in the middle of a warzone.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Frank Miller Embraces His Inner Fascist, Declares War on The Occupy Movement
Legendary comic book artist and writer Frank Miller, who
famously turned the caped crusader into a fascist in the seminal graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns, now advocates
fascism in the real world. In a rant
posted on his website, he disregards the Occupy movement
as one populated by “louts, thieves, and rapists.” He also dismisses them as an “unruly mob”
that does nothing but “harm America.” Miller
manages to do all of the aforementioned in first paragraph alone. His rant maintains the same tone throughout,
even going so far as to take jabs at the sheltered man child who at one time worshiped him, before execrable works such as All Star Batman and Robin and most
recently Holy Terror eroded such
devotion. Though inflammatory, his stance isn’t exactly surprising, given the militaristic
and fascist tone of even his most respected works.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Damien Walters Takes to the Air With a Vengeance in His Latest Showreel.
Damien Walters is Hollywood’s last line of defense against the onslaught of digital stunt men. This British gymnast and parkour expert only very recently got his start in the industry in 2008’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Since then, he has built up a consistent resume of top notch work. He does anything a digital stunt man can, except he does it for real, without the aid of wires or computerized trickery. The guy has to be some kind of physical anomaly. He flips through the air, bounding effortlessly off ledges and walls. He flips over (and through) moving cars. He turns regular somersaults into visual poetry. The guy is simply a real life superhero. Every year about this time, he releases a showreel that displays his abilities in various settings and obstacles. The latest one got released just yesterday and it really is something to behold. This guy is a true artist, using any available structure or landscape as his canvas. This video has more reply value than your favorite song. Once you click play, you’ll be hooked. Enjoy.
Short Film Review: The Mini Boss (Third Person Action Scene)
Many see Hollywood’s plundering of superhero comics,
cartoons, and video games as a sign of creative bankruptcy. That’s a rather curious outlook given as to
how tinsel town has a long and storied tradition of adapting material from
other mediums. Then again, relatively modern
mediums such as video games don’t have the prestige that literary properties
do. Neither are they confined to the
same laws of physics and traditional storytelling that that live action
filmmaking usually is. Perhaps that is
why they provide so much inspiration for Hollywood’s showmen and
ringmasters. Every once in a while such
inspiration leads to inventive and novel filmmaking. Such is the case with the super short film The Mini Boss (Third Person Action Scene).
Labels:
Action Film,
Martial Arts,
Short Film Review
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Peaceful Journey Heavy D: Mount Vernon’s Favorite Son Passes On
Sometimes bad news just broad sides you. You have to remind yourself that death rarely
picks a convenient time to show its ugly face.
It strikes without warning or explanation, and on this day it claims one
of Hip-Hop’s most underappreciated talents.
Dwight Myers, better known to his fans as rapper turned actor Heavy D, died earlier today due to complications from pneumonia. He was only 44 years
old. Hip-Hop has been
plunged into a collective state of deep and sorrowful mourning. Heavy D manifested the culture in its purest
sense.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Tron's Light Cycles Blaze a Trail Into Reality
The crushing disappointment of Tron: Legacy notwithstanding, one of the coolest imaginary vehicles
in cinema history has to be the light cycle.
In the 1982 original, the light cycles sped across the game grid, producing
a synthesized whiny noise that I incessantly imitated as a child while running
full speed around the house. They were beautiful
examples of fast moving eye candy that no boy could resist. The updated 2010 versions weren’t too shabby either,
featuring a more streamlined and “sexy” design to accompany the likewise
updated scenery. They remained a lovely
toy, and would sit proudly alongside Batman’s Tumbler in any self-respecting
fanboys garage. Alas, the real world and
the game world are still light years apart.
Straight from the Hood: Amazing But True Gangster Tales (Exclusive Pete Rock Excerpt)
Until very recently,
the realm of African American organized crime was largely an undiscovered
country. Over the past decade, the
amount of information available on the subject has grown exponentially. That is due in no small part to the growth of
the internet, as well as the numerous biographies and testimonials that now
populate the shelves of “urban” bookstores nationwide. What was once the sole province of “street
magazines” like F.E.D.S and Don Diva is slowly becoming a vast and reliable
reference library.
Labels:
Black Interest,
Hip-Hop,
Rap,
True Crime
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Cool Characters: Michael Myers
The nature of evil is difficult to contemplate, and even
harder to visualize. Movie villains often
have clear motivations that are spelled out explicitly. The audience is made to understand how and
why they came to be. The audience is also
made to understand what their goals are, and just how they plan to go about getting
them accomplished. Such rules are
considered mandatory for proper storytelling.
However, backstory and exposition are sometimes unnecessary. An effective villain can simply be a force of
nature, with no rhyme or reason as to his existence or actions. The most horrible acts often occur without
the benefit of logical explanation. The
horror genre, which is a great medium for examining mankind’s collective fears,
has many examples of how such characterizations can be employed to optimum
effect. In
1978, writer/director John Carpenter offered a vision of evil that revealed it
to be a faceless, emotionless void. It was
simply titled Halloween.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Tag ‘Em and Bag ‘Em: ‘Death Certificate’ Turns 20
Ice Cube’s Death
Certificate isn’t just Hip-Hop’s greatest concept album, but an artistic
revelation whose earth shattering impact can only be understood within the
proper historical context. The musical,
social, and political landscape of America was quite different in the early
1990’s. People actually went out to
stores and purchased music on physical media.
CD’s were still a relatively new format.
Street corner drug dealing was still a viable means of clocking tax free
loot.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
The Punisher Cometh: ‘Circle of Blood’ Turns 25
Vigilantes invaded American cinema in a big way during the
1970’s. The world of superhero comics
responded in kind. Mere months before
Michael Winner crafted arguably the definitive vigilante film of the period
with Death Wish, Marvel comics
offered up a costumed anti-hero who had an eerily similar modus operandi. He was conceived as an antagonist to none
other than Spider-Man. By the mid to
late 80’s, American superhero comics were entering the “Grim and Gritty”
period, which offered up exceedingly dark takes on classic heroes such as
Batman. The tone fit the punisher
perfectly. Seeing as how the character had never been the
subject of his very own series, writer Steven Grant and artist Mike Zeck felt the
time was right to finally unleash the character on an unsuspecting Marvel
Universe. They did so in a mini-series
fittingly titled “Circle of Blood.”
Monday, October 24, 2011
Movie Poster: The Guillotines
The flying guillotine is simultaneously the coolest and most
absurd weapon in movie history. It is
essentially a bladed hat attached to a length of chain. Its wielder throws it at the intended
target. As It then lands on the targets
head, the bottom half telescopes down around the neck. The blades that line the lip of the bottom
half then close around the neck like a bladed iris diaphragm. One yank of the chain by the operator, and
the target is cleanly decapitated. As grisly
as that may sound, the visual is absolutely hilarious when accompanied by unbelievable
FX. Did I mention that when it is flying
through the air, the flying guillotine sounds like a bullet ricocheting of a
rock in an old western? Little touches like that made Jimmy Wang Yu’s
chop-socky gem Master of the Flying
Guillotine a joy to be behold.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Red Band Movie Trailer: Outrage
Characters in movies often exhibit a flare for the
theatrical when committing acts of violence.
Such grandeur is often facilitated by various filmmaking
techniques. One imagines that real life
sociopaths, especially the ones who do violence for a living, often go about
their business with a certain measure of casual detachment. After all, for them it’s just a job. Curiously, the sometimes ultra-violent works
of Japanese actor and filmmaker “Beat” Takeshi Kitano seems to exhibit both
emotional intensity and deadpan indifference all at once. Half of his face was paralyzed in an August
1994 motorcycle accident, diminishing his range of facial expressions
considerably. He sometimes plays
characters that inflict unspeakable physical damage on their enemies, yet betray
nothing in the way of an emotional response to the carnage, be it disgust or gratification. His latest gangster opus, Outrage, seems to continue this curious
tradition.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Batman Lives: 'Batman: The Dark Knight Returns' Turns 25
The superhero was born in the late 1930’s, and had become
somewhat antiquated by the mid 1980’s, Likewise, America’s notions of heroism
had drastically changed. Other mediums,
to varying degrees, reflected the country’s shift in mood and political attitudes. Two comic book writers, Alan Moore and Frank
Miller, thought it was time to bring the superhero out of the dark ages and
into the present, kicking and screaming if need be. Seeing as how they were two of the hottest
writers around, they were more than up to the challenge. They both decided that a deconstructionist
take on the material would be the best way to go. However, their vastly different storytelling
sensibilities took them down wildly divergent paths. Moore was going to question the very notion
of superheroes, while Miller was planning to turn an iconic superhero into a seemingly
fascist enemy of the state.
Labels:
1986,
Batman,
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns,
Bronze Age Comics,
Comics,
Deconstructionist,
editorial,
Frank Miller
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Movie Review: Batman: Year One
Gotham city is drowning in the murky depths of its own
corruption. Organized criminals operate
with impunity. Petty crooks prey on
helpless civilians. The police act more
like hired thugs than civil servants. Into
this cesspool steps Lieutenant James Gordon (Bryan Cranston), an honest cop
with a pregnant wife. Meanwhile,
billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne (Benjamin McKenzie) has just returned from a twelve
year sabbatical abroad. The reasons for
his self-imposed exile are unknown to the general public, but Wayne has
secretly been preparing himself to wage a very large scale yet private war. He has the means, but not the method. He finds a kindred spirit in the likes of Lieutenant
Gordon, whose honesty and steadfastness have made him a pariah in his own
department. As both Gordon and Wayne
embark on their own personal crusade to purge the city of corruption, they
inevitably cross paths and become the unlikeliest of allies.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Short Film Review: Batman: The Last Laugh
In one of Gotham’s dark alleyways, the Jokers thugs assail a
young woman (Christina Falcon). Batman
(Greg Rementer) leaps to her rescue, only to be overwhelmed by her attackers. The Joker (Selman Markovic) then appears and
knocks him unconscious. Batman comes to
in an abandoned warehouse where he’s been strung up like a side of beef. The Joker than vacates the premises with his
female hostage, allowing his minions to administer a severe beating to the Dark
Knight detective. Batman breaks free and fights his way through
a veritable battalion. He then resumes
the chase, tracking the joker down to remote location. As batman closes in on his prey, it becomes
evident that the Joker has one of his nasty little surprises in store.
Labels:
Action Film,
Batman,
Comics,
Short Film Review
Friday, October 14, 2011
Short Film Review: Seeds of Arkham
Batman is perhaps the most durable and endearing of all superheroes. He can sustain any number of interpretations,
no matter how disparate. He can also
weather the fallout when said interpretation becomes passé, leaving his legacy
in tatters. The character is consummately
iconic, so much so that he continues to inspire any number of fan films despite
the massive success of his most recent cinematic incarnation. Interestingly, though Christopher Nolan’s
version of Batman is arguably the most widely accepted to date, fans still look
to Tim Burton’s vision for inspiration when crafting their own batman films. Sometimes, they combine elements from both to
create an amalgamation of the two.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Teaser Trailer: The Avengers
Expansive superhero teams present filmmakers with a unique
challenge. It’s hard enough to tell the
story of a single character. Trying to sufficiently
handle a group of said characters can be a logistical nightmare. How does one divvy up the screen time in a
way that appeases general audiences and remains true to the source
material? How can multiple subplots and
characters arcs be organized into something resembling a coherent and streamlined
story? Logically, the most popular
and/or marketable characters will take center stage while the others are
relegated to the background. Such
problems have plagued both the X-Men
and Fantastic Four film franchises to
varying degrees. In the face of such
odds, Marvel Studios presses on with the grand experiment that is The Avengers, the most ambitious production
of its kind thus far.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Music Video Review: Method Man - World Gone Sour (The Lost Kids)
Right from the beginning, Method Man stood out from his
fellow Clansmen. Though he wasn’t the
most skilled lyricist, he clearly possessed the ever elusive “it” factor that separates
mere celebrities from true superstars.
Strangely, his genius only seemed to manifest itself when contrasted
against another flamboyant personality, be it Redman or Mary J Blige. In keeping with the very low key resurgence
that the clan has been experiencing over the past couple of years, Mr. Meth has
been trying to show fans that he can still conjure up a bit of that old shaolin
magic. As the new spokesman for Sour
Patch Kids candy, he performs an amusing parlor trick that ultimately proves to
be bittersweet.
Labels:
Hip-Hop,
Music Video Review,
Rap,
Wu-Tang Clan
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Promo Video: 009 Re:Cyborg
For all the complaints that detractors may have about Japanese
anime as a storytelling medium, its command of both style and kinetic energy is
undeniable. Such invaluable assets go a
long way in smoothing over the ambiguities and cultural barriers that seem to
be inherent to the form. While style is
never truly an adequate stand in for substance, it’s hard to tell your brain
that when your eyes are taking in a visual feast. During such moments, the viewer is compelled to
rule all out other criteria, as what they behold feels very much like an end
unto itself.
Labels:
Animation,
Anime,
Comics,
Science Fiction
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Short Film Review: Naruto Shippuden: Dreamers Fight -- Part One
As the sun shines brightly over the village of Konohagakure,
Rock Lee (Brendon Huor) trains tirelessly.
By sunset he is physically spent, having endured a full day of rigorous
activity. As he settles into an all too
brief resting period, he is startled by a sudden noise deep in the woods. He rushes to investigate only to find Naruto
(Donald Mills) splayed out on a patch of grass.
The newly anointed “Hero of the Hidden Leaf” has opted to train instead
of basking in his newfound glory. Such
dedication is an inspiration to Rock Lee, who now finds his own daily training
regimen woefully insufficient. Fearing
that his abilities are stagnating, Rock boldly Challenges Naruto to a duel.
Naruto heartily accepts. At noon the
next day, the two meet up at a neutral location so as not to inflict damage on
the village. As the duel gets under way,
the intensity of it surpasses that of a mere sparring match.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Surviving the Game: An Interview with Michael “Mick-Man” Gourdine A.K.A Candy Man, Author of 'Chili Pimping in Atlantic City: The Memoir of a Small-Time Pimp and Hustler' (Part 1)
For squares, the pimp
game has long held a certain mystique.
Men of leisure have always operated behind a shroud of mystery. Their trade is practiced in the shadows. Supposedly, the game is to be sold, not
told. Never the less, countless books
and documentaries have claimed to give an insider’s view of the sporting
life. Many of them simply recycle and reinforce
any number of clichés popularized by Blaxploitation films and the like. Since it’s impossible for civilians to
separate fact from fiction, many of these myths are accepted as truth by the
general populace
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Here We Go Yo: 'The Low End Theory' Turns 20
By the fall of 1991, rap music had a considerable number of
classic albums under its belt. Classic
in the sense that said albums yielded multiple hits and contained far more good
songs than bad. Yet, the relatively
young musical genre didn’t yet have anything in the way of a definitive long
player, something that was an unmitigated, cohesive masterpiece from start to
finish. An album that perfectly fused
two seemingly disparate forms of music together without sacrificing the core
fundamentals of the younger and lesser regarded one. One might’ve thought that such an innovation would
come by way of Hip-Hop’s heavy hitters of the day. Instead, it would come to being as a sophomore
effort from relative second stringers.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Cool Characters: Tony Montana
Some characters embody the absolute worst in human
nature. They represent the most
repugnant qualities in all of us. Sometimes,
they do their job a bit too well and bring us face to face with things we’d
rather not confront. These characters,
and the films they inhabit, are often dismissed as dangerous and without a
shred of socially redeeming value. On December 9th, 1983, one such
character was born. He is a bit of an
odd duck in the history of motion pictures, equal parts grim reality and bloated
fantasy. He would come to be as the main
character in a big budget remake of the classic Howard Hawks gangster film Scarface.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Happy Birthday Nino Brown: 'New Jack City' Turns 20
The crack epidemic of the 1980’s proved to be a boon for
drug dealers, law makers, and the American media alike. By the latter half of the decade, it had
permeated the American consciousness via endless news coverage and fear
mongering. Strangely, it had yet to receive
a crime film that purported to put the phenomenon in perspective. Scarface
had mythologized the “Cocaine Cowboys” era of Miami in way that still resonates
today. The gangster films released by
Warner Brothers pictures during the 1930’s paid tribute to the kingpins and
vices of that particular era, to the delight of that days movie audiences. Was crack cocaine not worthy of similar honors? Again, Warner Brothers pictures sought to
properly dramatize the prevailing criminal trends of the era and reap the
financial rewards. On March 8th
1991, American moviegoers were given a guided tour of New Jack City.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Movie Review: Never Back Down 2
Four college age kids from different walks of life enter an
underground mixed martial arts tournament known as “The Beatdown.” In order to prepare themselves, they train
under a mysterious loner known as Case. The
wisdom he imparts on his pupils proves useful both inside and outside the
octagon. On the eve of the event, an
altercation with some crooked cops puts his freedom in jeopardy. His students rush to his aid, and prepare to
root out the traitor that hides within their ranks.
Labels:
Action Film,
Martial Arts,
Movie Review
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