Films like Mank are so incredibly rare nowadays, that people dissect them as strange specimens of something that went extinct decades ago. Its artistic rendering of a past era is magnificent, and trailers drove everyone wild at the expectation of reliving the golden era of Tinseltown. David Fincher makes Mank with the confidence he always holds. Netflix opens the wallet and lets him get away with making an improbable film about Hollywood. This is work of passion by one of today’s most important filmmakers, and it regards one of the most important films ever made. It’s not explosive, or luxurious as you would expect. It’s an honest rendition of a…
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Off the Shelf…’Scare Me’
Horror movies are supposed to be scary. They’re supposed to disturb you, shake you, and leave you scarred at least for a couple of minutes. That’s the whole goal of the genre, to take you to a primal position of fear in order to escape the mundane, often overwhelming reality. Comedies are similar in nature. They’re supposed to make you laugh so hard you can forget about the things that happened to you minutes ago. If they’re actually good, you will get new memories and you will laugh several hours after at the same stupid joke. Again, you escape. Now, what’s the deal with horror comedies? Think for a minute…
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Off the Netflix Queue…’Extraction’
In Extraction, Chris Hemsworth plays Tyler Rake, a black market mercenary who is fearless but only because he’s at the end of his rope. He’s solicited to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord. But it’s not so cut and dry. A rival kingpin in the murky underworld of weapons dealers and drug traffickers is making things ever more difficult for Rake and the boy (played by Rudhraksh Jaiswal). Sam Hargrave‘s first feature-length film (after working as stunt coordinator and second unit director for many of the most recent Marvel movies) is what action-junkies live for. If you want something hard-hitting, then this will deliver. For close to two solid…
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Off the Shelf…’Avengers: Endgame’
If you’re reading this now, Avengers: Endgame is, at the moment, the most financially successful film of all time. There are a lot of factors and responsible parties who can take credit for this film reaching that milestone, and even from a logistics standpoint, this film should be celebrated. It helps that the characters are so beloved (let’s face it, there is huge brand awareness), and the studio has such reverence for the material. Further, the actors playing these iconic superheroes have done so well with the roles. So well in fact, you could probably make a movie about these guys having lunch or hanging out in the living room (see…
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Off the Shelf…’Solo: A Star Wars Story’
In the post-trilogy landscape, there have been some really great Star Wars films that exist beyond the hallowed Episodes IV, V and VI. The Force Awakens, even as a thinly veiled remake of A New Hope is so much fun. Rogue One is the prequel you’ve been looking for, and along comes Solo: A Star Wars Story attempting to flesh out the mythology of everyone’s favorite smuggling scoundrel. Did it work? Let’s just say that in our theatrical review of Solo, we were not very kind (check that out here). But having seen this four times now, I have warmed to this story which is serviceable and quite thrilling in…
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Off the Shelf…’Avengers: Infinity War’
Avengers: Infinity War hits Blu-Ray this week, and it is just as thrilling as it was in theaters. An event ten years in the making, Avengers: Infinity War is the best Marvel movie to date. Like the events in the story, the success of Infinity War is a team effort for which you can credit the studio, the producers, and the directors they trust with these dense narratives to ensure that each new story will top the previous effort. Joe and Anthony Russo have outdone themselves and raised the bar for all future MCU endeavors. Each of these iconic characters have grown in the last decade, and you really can feel…
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Off the Shelf…’Captain America: Civil War’
While we were not entirely fond of the previous installments in this series, Captain America: Civil War is a vast improvement in terms of dramatic storytelling. This third entry is much more sophisticated, and capable of handling multiple characters as opposed to the sluggish blur that was Avengers: Age of Ultron. The most memorable part of this (you can thank the Civil War comic series) is that there is motivation – true, legitimate impetus and consequences – for each character taking a stance. It’s easy to see why each character is so resolute, but don’t feel bad if you can’t easily take a side. Really, neither one is wrong. It’s amazing how…
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Off the Shelf…’The Jungle Book’
Everybody loves The Jungle Book, or, at least, a great deal of people claim to love the 1967 film. Truth is, whether or not you have nostalgic leanings towards it, it’s not that great a picture. Now, faults aside, there are some redeeming and rather endearing qualities. But on the whole, it’s not one of the studio’s best efforts. Further, just because something is old, it doesn’t exactly make it good – take that hilarious “Honest Trailer” for instance which really sends up the film. So now that Disney is on this live-action kick, Jon Favreau has taken the helm of this 2016 adaptation. His undying love for the original aside, this…
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Off the Netflix Queue…’Stranger Things’
If you want one good example why television and long-format stories are continually trumping modern cinematic endeavors, look no further than The Duffer Brothers‘ Netflix series, Stranger Things. When thinking of all the positive and glowing attributes this tiny show encapsulates, it’s almost too much to put into words. The feelings and emotions you’ll have experiencing this exceptional show cannot easily be transcribed (hence this lengthy review). That may not make sense, but don’t worry about it too much; once you’ve seen the show, you will more than likely know what we mean. In just eight episodes, Stranger Things tells a perfectly paced story, replete with a wonderful ensemble cast…
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Off the Shelf…Hollywood in Vienna: The World of James Horner
To anyone even remotely interested in film or film music, James Horner should be more than a household name. With over 130 original compositions for a variety of film and television productions, Horner has put an indelible stamp on the entertainment world and, as a result, pop culture in general. Horner’s work became so essential to the project that he was not merely a consultant to each production, it was the narrative, characters, and editing that needed to keep pace with and adapt to what he’d written. That’s an exaggeration, sure, but to film fans, it sure feels that way. Arguably the poster child for the profession, John Williams, will be remembered…
