You will not…hold sway over me again…Rebel Wilson! Alright, there’s a certain pleasure in watching a Sacha Baron Cohen movie only because it mixes in the absurd in a world that doesn’t realize that it is absurd. Spies don’t usually do stunts but any football (soccer to Americans) fan knows about the levels of trouble a dedicated hooligan gets into during the season.
The cyclical nature of contemporary pop culture means that for every blockbuster released, a backlash is likely imminent over the course of its opening weekend, no matter how good the reviews. JJ Abrams knows better than anybody about the perils of falling victim to the hype train; despite critical and commercial success, mere weeks after its opening his Star Trek sequel Into Darkness was voted the worst Trek film of all time at a leading Trekkie convention. Taking fanboy rage on the chin, he has decided to follow this minor outrage by taking the directorial reigns of the new instalment of one of the most beloved franchises at all time, as audiences worldwide wait with bated breath to see whether or not he has (to use a common expression) “raped their childhood”.
Frank Sinatra, whose 100th birthday would have been this December, was one of the great entertainers of the 20th century. He had an exceptional voice that made him perhaps the most influential vocalist in history, but Sinatra doesn’t sing a note in his best movie, the Cold War thriller The Manchurian Candidate (1962). This deft political drama, which wouldn’t have been made without Sinatra’s intervention, uncannily predicts many of the tumultuous events of the 1960s and beyond.
As a woman is jogging over a pier, she sees a man drowning in the sea. She doesn’t hesitate and jumps in right after him, and saves him from certain death. He survives, and they connect over what happened – and they find they are connected in a more supernatural manner, as well.
After bugging my colleagues with discussion on Woody Allen films maybe one time too many, it was suggested that I write his Beginner’s Guide. Surprisingly, the thought hadn’t occurred to me, but I’m very excited to present my guide for you here now. I’ve gone a slightly different approach than usual because of the sheer amount of films the man has made in his still-continuing career, so it’s broken up into segments rather than a few films you should watch to get you started.
It’s been at least two years now since I first saw Daniel Radcliffe on The Graham Norton Show, sporting the unattractive hair extensions that would define his character, Igor’s, look. Admittedly, I have been excited for Victor Frankenstein since I first heard of its production. A Frankenstein ‘re-imagining’, told from Igor’s point of view, and one starring both Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy?
There’s some good news and bad news. Bad news is that the Turtles are still huge slabs of ugly and April O’ Neil is still objectified. Good news is that Tyler Perry is not currently Madea.
Is it selfish for adults to demand more from children’s entertainment? Adults have access to a wealth of different mediums of entertainment to enjoy, so should we crave animated films, mostly intended for a younger audience, to cater towards adult audiences? Indicators of these include dealing with deeper and darker themes, adult-only jokes/pop culture references and generally being an entertaining film that doesn’t go for the lowest common denominator.
Christmas films are a part of our cinematic language, and nothing feels better than hanging out with loved ones, drinking cocoa while watching It’s a Wonderful Life, or saying your favorite lines from A Christmas Story (“You’ll shoot your Eye out!”). As great as these films are chances are you won’t pop in a copy of Scrooge on a hot Saturday afternoon in August.
Every week Film Inquiry publishes the movies that are opening in cinemas! This week: Star Wars:
Joel and Ethan Coen’s No Country for Old Men is a unique genre mash-up that contains elements of western, horror, drama, and crime films. The film follows the interwoven arcs of several characters in West Texas in the early 1980s. While hunting, Lleyelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) comes across millions of dollars at the bloody scene of a drug deal gone awry.
Another trailer with Sam L. Jackson in it! Anyway, the buff and often shirtless Tarzan returns to the jungle.
A few weeks back the Film Inquiry team vented their rage at the films we felt have undeservedly found a home in the good graces of both critics and audiences. This week, as we gear up for the good nature and cheer of the holidays, we thought we would go the other way and make cases for those films which though finding little love upon their theatrical releases, have managed to make themselves comfy in the warmth of our hearts. It doesn’t matter that critics, audiences and the film culture at large more or less forgot about these films the week after they were released, we know that everyone else is just making a terrible misassessment of work that is of undeniable quality.
Being an actor is hard – and most people should notice this. Spend a few moments trying to learn that exchange of dialogue from that movie you watched the other day, and you’ll quickly realize that regurgitating lines while maneuvering your face in a way that matches what you’re supposed to be feeling is like trying to rub your stomach and pat your head simultaneously (although I can do that flawlessly.) Good acting should capture your soul.
Sometimes, you just hate yourself for doing something you know is bad. In this case, it’s watching an Adam Sandler flick again. Drawing on the gimmick of an adjective and a number, The Ridiculous 6 follows the exploits of an outlaw, raised by Native Americans, who discovers he has five half-brothers.