• Movies/Entertainment,  Reviews

    G-S-T Review…’A Million Miles Away’

    In the past ten or so years, one of the more resonant film quotes that I hope rings out to young children across the globe is from Disney’s Zootopia. You have to love that inspiring and simple phrase, “anyone can be anything!” Well, when it comes to movies, especially fanciful children’s yarns, not everybody gets to live out their dream, find the treasure, or have an ambitiously emotional dance number to save the farm. But whoever says dreams don’t come true has never heard of one Jose Hernandez – the astronaut and real life hero highlighted in Prime Video’s A Million Miles Away.  The words “unforgettable” and “inspirational” get thrown…

  • Movies/Entertainment,  Reviews

    G-S-T Review…’Tonic’

    In Derek Presley’s latest film, Tonic, we follow the ups and downs of a barfly jazz pianist. In this down home story – told over one exhaustive night – Sebastian Poe (played by Billy Blair) is a man out of options who constantly weighs his pressured offer to commit murder in exchange for his drug debt to a crooked cop. A no-win “what would you do?” scenario if ever there was one. But let’s clear some things right up front. There is no Liam Neeson, no flashy cuts and edits, or heroic music. In fact, there is no music at all (save for needle drops and source music which was done live) just the…

  • Fantastic Fest,  Festivals,  Movies/Entertainment,  Reviews

    [Fantastic Fest Review]…’The Banshees of Inisherin’

    For those needing a change of pace, and prefer something with subtlety and substance, The Banshees of Inisherin is your cup of tea. Tea? Feck tea! In Ireland, they drink something stronger. So serve up a pint and prepare to enjoy every last drop of this hoppy, foamy, and delicious slice of cinema from Martin McDonagh. Set just about 100 years ago, on a fictional island just off Ireland’s west coast, we jump to the end of two characters’ lives – who never really had much going on – when one decides that the banality of life is just not enough. As time is slipping away for all of us,…

  • Movies/Entertainment,  Reviews

    G-S-T Review…’The Innocents’

    In The Innocents, a group of children face something extraordinary about themselves. Something that in another film would be used for spectacle and wonder, and a more commercial agenda. In another film, those kids would be superheroes facing a vile monster threatening to exterminate us as a species. But The Innocents takes place in a Norwegian building complex that reeks of the mundane and limits associated with low-class families. The kids play in a sandy park that’s full of rust. Ida, a young girl, is sick of having to help her autistic sister Anna. Anna doesn’t speak. When Ida pinches her, she doesn’t cry for help. Ida simply watches as…

  • Movies/Entertainment,  Reviews

    G-S-T Review…’Bullet Train’

    Going to the movies should give you all the feels you’re looking for. When seated in a darkened theater, it should be exciting, and a source of entertainment you can’t get anywhere else. These days, with new content at your fingertips any day of the week, a narrative really needs to move the mercury to grab your attention. Well, look no further than David Leitch’s Bullet Train.  Adapted from the novel of the same name by Kōtarō Isaka tells a story of a group of assassins who find themselves on the titular locomotive. Little by little (and dead body after dead body) we find out the who, the why and the WTF. The movie, having heavy doses of action and hand-to-hand combat, is a surefire knockout, and the…

  • Dallas Symphony Orchestra,  Features,  Reviews

    ‘Toy Story’ in Concert with The Dallas Symphony Orchestra

    In a symphony setting usually known to perform the works of Ravel, Stravinsky, and Bach, who would’ve thought seeing Toy Story in concert would be so enthralling? Well, film fans for one. But actually, what Randy Newman did for that very ambitious animated property (which Pixar debuted in 1995) has gone on to delight people all over the world. So, like the film itself, his music is a huge draw. People are likely more familiar with “You’ve Got a Friend In Me” and “I Will Go Sailing No More” than the score for the film, but through the Pixar in Concert series, symphony halls have been showcasing the tremendous effort…

  • Movies/Entertainment,  Reviews

    Podcast Review: Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis’

    Well now lawdy, lawdy, lawdy, Miss Clawdy! 2022 has been an such amazing year for film, and more importantly cinematic experiences…and we’re only at the halfway mark. We’ve seen the return of The Dark Knight, Top Gun and now The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. It’s safe to say that going back to theaters is an event again (thank goodness!). Further, seeing Elvis on the big screen is one of the most exciting times you’ll have this year. It sure was for us. Baz Lurhamann‘s long-awaited biopic is headlined by Austin Butler who dons the titular icon’s shoes (and jumpsuit). He delivers the goods and then some! The King casts…

  • Movies/Entertainment,  Reviews

    G-S-T Review…’Jurassic World: Dominion’

    It’s actually unfair of us to compare Jurassic World: Dominion (and the other parts of the dinosaur franchise revival) to what Steven Spielberg did back in 1993. It’s not that the director utilized a special effects frenzy to guarantee success. He actually made sure we believed dinosaurs were back. And then he terrified us when he made sure we believed they had been let loose. That’s a sense of wonder few films today have the ability to convey. Does that mean everything that would come after didn’t stand a chance? Up to a point, yes. He even experienced it himself with the The Lost World: Jurassic Park, but at least…

  • Movies/Entertainment,  Reviews

    G-S-T Review…’Top Gun: Maverick’

    Top Gun: Maverick is a late arrival to the nostalgia-inducing game Hollywood has been playing for some years now. Deemed as “irresponsible” by Tom Cruise at some point of his life, the project was always clouded by the stance of making a new film about the characters, and not necessarily a sequel.  Which is exactly what we got. Even with carbon-copied scenes. In all irony, Top Gun: Maverick is the very definition of a pure Top Gun sequel.  However, it represents a concept development that feels complete above anything. It pushes for a character definition we didn’t know we needed, and its plot simply makes sense considering the first film…

  • Movies/Entertainment,  Reviews

    G-S-T Review…’Werewolves Within’

    We need filmmakers like Josh Ruben. Not only because they actually make fine movies (we got tons of those), but because he bets on the distinct sides of an industry that heavily relies on formula. With only two feature films, he’s managed to convey an intelligent sense into genre filmmaking.  With Scare Me he riskily set out to make a comedy film with horror touches. But in Werewolves Within the odds were definitely higher. Here is a film based on a video game, a horror comedy, and with a subgenre setting that’s far from popular or mainstream.  The result is one of 2021’s best films. To filmmakers out there, pay attention. …

  • Movies/Entertainment,  Reviews

    G-S-T Review…’The Matrix Resurrections’

    For a film franchise that broke all the rules and changed the entire entertainment industry, one might expect subsequent adventures down the rabbit hole would be welcomed, mind-bending yarns. But alas – system failure – The Matrix Resurrections sports no significant advancements in this upgraded sequel. We’ll get that out of the way up front as it’s probably the worst part about plugging back into the beloved series. So dig in, this is going to take a while. Often times, sequels are all about familiarity and there is a certain comfort when expectations are met. So while Lana Wachowski is never content to do the same thing, she wanted this…

  • Movies/Entertainment,  Reviews

    Podcast Review: ‘Cowboy Bebop’

    Hi amigos! How y’all doing?? Here we are, friends, an event we’ve waited for since we first heard those notes of Tank! more than 20 years ago. For all you fans looking forward to a long-hyped live-action Bebop event, Netflix has released a version of the beloved show that, on paper, looked like a home run: Shinichirō Watanabe as a consultant, Yoko Kanno providing new and expanded music, a great looking cast, etc. So before we go any further, we have to acknowledge how we got here. In 1998, Sunrise released the jazz-infused anime that would forever change animation for the better. From Wikipedia, here’s the short run down. “Twenty-six…