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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Interview…Composer Don Davis Shares Stories Plugging Into ‘The Matrix’
In a world of remakes and reboots, one property we thought we’d never see expanded or revisited was the universe of The Matrix. It was, and still is, a landmark film, one that raised the bar for filmmakers and the industry as a whole. A triple-kick of story, visuals and action, The Matrix was a high watermark for cinema. As the series expanded, the arcs of the three leads finished in a less than satisfying (or deserving) way, yet it still seemed the most logical and inescapable end. Fate? Perhaps. The third film culminates in an uneasy truce between humans and machines (and between programs themselves). More importantly it’s not…
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The Matrix Revisited: Composer Don Davis Reveals Secrets from His Score to Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of ‘The Matrix’
Editor’s Note: This post contains the introduction to an article I wrote specifically for The Hollywood Reporter. It was a great honor to work on a post about a film, and film score so dear to my heart. In this retrospective, composer Don Davis plugs back in to recall the lengths he took to satisfy the Wachowskis’ exacting vision. Click here to read the full article. Twenty years ago, The Matrix blew audiences away with its ground-breaking, generation-defining style. That was in tandem with substantive themes that were esoteric yet accessible. For every Hong Kong-styled wire fight, there was an equally engaging reference to Plato. One integral component to the success of…
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G-S-T Top 10 – Actors Unable to Escape Their Characters
This Top 10 goes out to all the talented actors out there who just don’t get a fair shake in Hollywood. Sure, many celebrities on this list have made obscene fortunes on their respective cinematic personalities, and are capable thespians. But success does have its downside; namely the inability for the actor in question to get a sufficient role or body of work to help distance them from such a solid, iconic, memorable or even annoying character. Now, to be fair, some of the actors on this list are very talented performers. Yet all their efforts fall by the wayside due to one singular role (or roles) that very nearly define…
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G-S-T Top 10 – Scenes I Could Watch Over and Over and Over (Part II)
Since I had so much fun with our last post about a number of scenes I could watch on never ending repeat, her are 10 more I find equally pleasing. Note: As is the case with most videos on You Tube there is a wide range in both quality and legitimacy to these clips. In other cases, a specific scene I wanted was just nowhere to be found or if it was has been edited by some dope which ultimately diminishes the integrity of the clip and the point I was trying to make. Anyway, here they are…Enjoy!
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G-S-T Top 10 – Best Films of the Decade (Round 1)
As stated in our FYI post, starting something this daunting is nearly enough to make my head spin. Best Films of the DECADE?? What was I thinking?? Oh, it was sooo hard not to just pick ones I like and I really wanted to avoid letting cultural favorites/Oscar winners obscure the decision-making process. But a simple voice of reason and a suggestion changed everything. After thinking about this for a while now (starting back in October) I have racked my brain (and DVD library) and have come up with something I believe will be much easier. Since a decade is a hell of a long time to think about and evaluate…
