I got goosebumps at the end of The Wolverine just like most X-Men fans. To see some of the cast reunited is something special in Hollywood. But reality isn’t always kind. The reason the cast of the original X-Men trilogy was back was to simply make another film. Sure, every now and then we get something grand. But in this case, we get a hurried script that benefits from the building of Wolverine over five of the six X-Men films, the past versions of the X-Men characters complete with a stellar cast, and the opportunity to have the originals bring in their own fandom. It’s a trifecta that surely will…
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G-S-T Review…The Counselor
There are miraculous things that can happen with film. Perfectly competent directors, writers, and actors can make something that is outrageously better than the sum of their parts. In business that is called synergy. But what happens when the opposite occurs? I think it looks something like The Counselor, a raw, twisted film in need of an editor and a few rewrites. But what do I know? Whatever happened on set and in post-production resulted in a film that simply doesn’t know when to move on and is decidedly crude and cruel. Writer Cormac McCarthy, this being his first produced screenplay—we can debate later about No Country For Old Men—seemingly…
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G-S-T Review…Riddick
Vin Diesel has never seemed more comfortable in a role than he is playing the intergalactic space criminal known as Riddick. His latest in the trilogy, simply titled Riddick, is an effectively dumb and fun film that plays to its strengths and doesn’t get lost in chasing rabbits. There are the familiar tropes throughout, but rarely can I remember three films that feel so different yet similar. I know that last sentence doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but neither does the way the films flow into each other. Pitch Black was effectively a fantasy thriller that put Vin Diesel on the cinematic map before he exploded in The…
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G-S-T Review…Elysium
A visual feast for the eyes, Elysium manages to keep its head above water despite a sparse story. I think it’s fair to say that writer/director Neill Blomkamp’s first feature, District 9, gave a lot of filmmakers pause. Here was a fresh story by a new filmmaker told brilliantly. This was blockbuster science fiction on a dime’s budget that wowed audiences and critics alike. So I was eagerly awaiting his sophomore effort, Elysium, and went in expecting anything and everything. I had avoided most of the trailers and details about the film. I wanted a fresh experience, just like District 9, and I’m glad I did. Blomkamp wants to break the…
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What The Alamo Drafthouse Means To Me
I’ve never been more excited for a new business moving into the DFW Metroplex than I am right now. That’s because a mere 15 minutes away from me is an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, a haven for true movie fans. They cater to the people that aren’t simply content with the average cinema experience. We want more. Talking, texting, and cell phone use are not just against their policy, they actually enforce that rule with eagerness. You get one warning then you’re gone. Without that we are left with a safe place for cinema to flourish, but not just the blockbuster flicks at every megaplex. Instead, the Drafthouse also does repertory showings,…
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G-S-T Review…The Wolverine
The latest Wolverine adventure, if nothing else, is a return to form. Instead of holding the clawed mutant back, director James Mangold truly unleashes the beast within. We find Logan beaten and withered from his travels and in hiding from his snarling ways. When he finds something to fight for, though, he truly lets it out unlike we’ve seen before. The other nice thing in this adventure is that a change of setting is fully embraced. Fans of the character from the comics will know Frank Miller’s influential comic storyline of Logan’s travels to Japan. The film plays to a lot of the same beats, though it has some clever…
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G-S-T Review…After Earth
I remember sitting the a crowded ballroom during the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con and listening to the panelists talk at length about the effort they put into the history of After Earth. They even went so far as describing a “bible” they created, so that they could put down any answers to various questions of who did what and why. Some 1,000 years into the future is when After Earth begins, where an elite military force known as the Rangers are the trailblazers after we left Earth. Ravaged, the planet was no longer inhabitable by our self-destructing human race so we fled and found a new planet to live on.…
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G-S-T Quick 5 – Favorite Magic/Heist Themed Flicks
Inspired by the upcoming film Now You See Me, Summit Entertainment’s magic-themed caper flick that comes out this week, we at G-S-T wanted to take a brief look back at some of our favorite as well as some seminal heist/magic based films. Granted this is a broad genre to try and wrap into a single Quick 5 list, so I’ll say right up front that I know I haven’t covered every base I could. After all, what can you do about a genre as large as the heist film and the smaller magical field? Answer: you do the best you can and scour to fit things into a neat list…
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On Second Thought, Bill’s Take: G-S-T Review…Star Trek Into Darkness
There’s a vitality to director J.J. Abram’s latest foray into the Star Trek universe. While he may not be going where no man—or this series in particular—has gone before, it appears his goal is to give the series forward momentum that can be sustained even if he doesn’t return to the helm. Certainly, Abrams leaves the franchise in a much better place than where he found it. What you look for in a Trek film largely depends on what generation you belong to and outside of that, what series you most align yourself with. There’s a rich history through the various decades that Trek lived through on the boob tube.…
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G-S-T Review…Stoker
You owe yourself to give a film a chance beyond the first few minutes. Whether it is finding its own rhythm or for you to allow it to weave its web, the opening experience isn’t always going to be the best foot forward. That’s exactly how I felt while watching Stoker, Park Chan-wook’s English-language debut. In fact, I was caught by the mixed emotions I had felt towards the film afterwards. Somehow I had gone from gently laughing at the film to joining in on its zaniness about half way and downright enjoying myself by the end. In just under 100 minutes, Stoker grew on me by leaps and bounds.…
