THE WOLVERINE - REVIEW

The Wolverine demonstrates just how correctly it understands its titular character in its opening moments.  We don’t get a title, just a date and a location: Japan, August 9, 1945.  We don’t even need a title, we know what film we sat down for and what we are getting into.  That’s the power of the name The Wolverine and what it means to the characters and creators of this film that they earn it.

FRUITVALE STATION - REVIEW

What do we do now? 

It’s the single haunting question that lingers on my mind after watching Fruitvale Station.  It is a film with no answers, just emptiness and despair.  I am left with images of a community and family not only mourning, but in fear that this terrifying situation might play itself out over and over again.

TURBO - REVIEW

I could come up with premises for mediocre children's animated films all day. Here is the apparent formula: Take one animal with a well known characteristic for your main character and add a passion to that character that goes against that characteristic. Here are few examples:

1. A skunk wants to open his own perfumery in Paris.
2. A bald eagle desires to make wigs for 19th century American politicians.
3. A bear and a bee become best friends and open a honey shop.
4. A polar bear knows he's destined to become the world's next Olympic beach volleyball champion.
5. A snail wants to race in the Indianapolis 500.

If any Hollywood executives are reading this, I'm willing to negotiate on any of these ideas.

Outside the Envelope - "After Earth" Discussion

This time on Outside the Envelope (subscribe to us on iTunes) Brian, Rick, and I discuss the critically reviled After Earth, from creators Will Smith and M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, The Last Airbender).  The film has been criticized for being a vanity piece for Will and Jaden Smith, but is there actually something good here?  Can M. Night Shyamalan still direct a good film after all of his disastrous previous works?  Join us below for our discussion.

BEFORE MIDNIGHT - REVIEW

There are only a handful of conversations in my life that I would consider memorable or even intimate.  Most of my life is spent debating the merits of one thing over another, complaining about trivialities that hardly matter, or engaging in the banal back-and-forths of, "What do you do for a living?" and the always evocative, "How're you doing today?"  That's not to short-sell the merits of these forms of communication or even my responses to them.  "Doing great, and you?"

MAN OF STEEL - REVIEW

The character of Batman moved beyond being just a character that we know from the pages of a comic book in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. He daringly escaped from his origins and became a hauntingly tragic myth. To borrow a phrase from the movie, he became a legend. We cared about this film legend because of its stupendous production value, unforgettable acting, smart scripting, and the overall level of detail and care that went into bringing such a complete vision to the screen. Man of Steel unites those creators with that of Zach Snyder (300, Watchmen) in hopes of achieving much of the same results but this time with the granddaddy of all comic book characters, Superman.

Outside the Envelope - "Upstream Color" Discussion

This time on Outside the Envelope (subscribe to us on iTunes) Brian, Rick, and I discuss the critically acclaimed independent film Upstream Color, from director Shane Carruth (Primer).  If you haven't heard of this film it would be a great time to hop on board and if you have seen it we have a wonderful discussion of its themes and ideas for you.  So join us below for our discussion.