Hi everybody. Well, we’re completely out of 2021 (whew!) and as we march forward into what the future of cinema holds, let’s take a quick look back to what impressed or depressed us in the last twelve months. On today’s show, I’m again joined by my compadre, my Consigliere, my caballero, Federico Furzan. Together, we run down the best & worst of 2021 as well as our favorite films, film scores, and anticipated features hitting screens in the coming months. How closely do the picks of these two high-flying film friends with low standards align with one another? I guess you’ll have to check out the episode to find out.…
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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…
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You Fall, I'll Catch You: Compassion and Bravery in Cloud Atlas
It’s fitting that Cloud Atlas, an inherently brave commercial and artistic venture, places heavy thematic emphasis on instances of human bravery in its sprawl of interwoven plot lines. Andy and Lana Wachowski haven’t built their career together by making cinema that follows traditional notions of filmmaking, after all– going back to 1999, The Matrix completely rewrote the rules of action films in terms of how they’re crafted both visually and thematically, while 2008’s Speed Racer very much defied standards of editing and storytelling in trippy, audacious ways. Taking all of that into account, Cloud Atlas might almost feel like an expected work from the Wachowskis– like the other movies of their oeuvre, it bucks convention, specifically…
