Our administrator has written his first novella, Highlights and Lowlights. Below are links to it on the iBookstore and Amazon Kindle store. We hope you consider giving it a read!
iBooks: here
Amazon Kindle: here
Thank you all, and keep checking back for all your movie news! Remember... it's Oscar season.
Reviews, awards predictions, best/worst lists, Flashback Reviews, and personal life inquiries with Daniel Moya.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
The Wizard of Oz: An IMAX 3D Experience (2013) Review
5/5
I won't be counting this as a best film of the year due to its nature as a re-release, but man, they nailed this. It is a flawless and stunning 3D restoration made better in the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood (formerly Grauman's) which shows the classic film in the "movie palace" sort of mentality it played in originally.
There was a point where I was watching and became so absorbed in the visuals, it was hard to draw myself out. The 3D works marvelously here, giving you depth and adding a layer to the already incredible cinematography. The moment where Dorothy first steps into the world of color, and we are taken on long shots exploring this land, has to sit among the finest movie moments ever and in this setting it shines.
Judy Garland makes you love her in one second flat. She has such a wit, a charm, and a bounce to her that her success is all you want. Her eyes paint a thousand pictures and her voice is wonderful. Even after all these years, this is one of the more commanding performances committed to film.
The supporting cast do their parts and well, laughs abound, and the moral hits home with the same intensity it must have prior. I love this film from a film standpoint, and the kid I was loves this film as well. If you miss seeing this in IMAX 3D, no matter where you are, you will have missed out and big. This is an experience you will remember forever, and love.
I won't be counting this as a best film of the year due to its nature as a re-release, but man, they nailed this. It is a flawless and stunning 3D restoration made better in the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood (formerly Grauman's) which shows the classic film in the "movie palace" sort of mentality it played in originally.
There was a point where I was watching and became so absorbed in the visuals, it was hard to draw myself out. The 3D works marvelously here, giving you depth and adding a layer to the already incredible cinematography. The moment where Dorothy first steps into the world of color, and we are taken on long shots exploring this land, has to sit among the finest movie moments ever and in this setting it shines.
Judy Garland makes you love her in one second flat. She has such a wit, a charm, and a bounce to her that her success is all you want. Her eyes paint a thousand pictures and her voice is wonderful. Even after all these years, this is one of the more commanding performances committed to film.
The supporting cast do their parts and well, laughs abound, and the moral hits home with the same intensity it must have prior. I love this film from a film standpoint, and the kid I was loves this film as well. If you miss seeing this in IMAX 3D, no matter where you are, you will have missed out and big. This is an experience you will remember forever, and love.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Prisoners (2013) Review
4.5/5
This is a dark, dreary, and oft depressing film with a human touch and a clockmaker's efficiency. The guts that Villeneuve has to make a film that runs over 2 and a half hours with a story that is tough, grisly, violent and bleak are admirable and luckily he has the visual palate and pacing mastery to pull it off. The actors he had in the film helped tremendously.
Hugh Jackman is the man to be. He has an anger in his heart and a violence in his eyes that is never too much; on the contrary, he is convincing and captivating. He is the heart of the film, and it beats with his fury. Jake Gyllenhaal is quite the actor, and I think that Villeneuve is his match. The upcoming Enemy premiered to rave reviews at Toronto where they worked together, and here he extracts a performance that is so internal yet ridiculously powerful that it shakes you. Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, and Viola Davis all turn in star performances as parents grieving their children's abduction.
The score is wonderfully ominous, the script precise and sharp, and the cinematography by Roger Deakins an extraordinary shade of gray and beautifully shot as always.
It's been quite a while since a film was so powerful it could overcome a busted speaker in the theater and an annoying couple behind me who narrated every action in the film. The story leaves you with an immediate pit in your stomach that only worsens as the time passes which establishes it as not only a work of art but an intense filmgoing experience. Rarely has a film so clearly established a "what would you do" premise that leaves you breathless as Prisoners does.
This is an awards contender for sure, especially in the acting categories, and I strongly recommend you seek it out as one of the best films 2013 has had to offer thus far.
This is a dark, dreary, and oft depressing film with a human touch and a clockmaker's efficiency. The guts that Villeneuve has to make a film that runs over 2 and a half hours with a story that is tough, grisly, violent and bleak are admirable and luckily he has the visual palate and pacing mastery to pull it off. The actors he had in the film helped tremendously.
Hugh Jackman is the man to be. He has an anger in his heart and a violence in his eyes that is never too much; on the contrary, he is convincing and captivating. He is the heart of the film, and it beats with his fury. Jake Gyllenhaal is quite the actor, and I think that Villeneuve is his match. The upcoming Enemy premiered to rave reviews at Toronto where they worked together, and here he extracts a performance that is so internal yet ridiculously powerful that it shakes you. Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, and Viola Davis all turn in star performances as parents grieving their children's abduction.
The score is wonderfully ominous, the script precise and sharp, and the cinematography by Roger Deakins an extraordinary shade of gray and beautifully shot as always.
It's been quite a while since a film was so powerful it could overcome a busted speaker in the theater and an annoying couple behind me who narrated every action in the film. The story leaves you with an immediate pit in your stomach that only worsens as the time passes which establishes it as not only a work of art but an intense filmgoing experience. Rarely has a film so clearly established a "what would you do" premise that leaves you breathless as Prisoners does.
This is an awards contender for sure, especially in the acting categories, and I strongly recommend you seek it out as one of the best films 2013 has had to offer thus far.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) Review
4/5
I know that some people are going to scowl at that grade and wonder if my credibility has been tarnished, and to those people I would like to explain myself.
I loved Insidious. I think it is a witty and terrifying film that transcended what we have come to expect from a horror film. This is not that film.
This is a funnier and more fanciful version of that film, staying away from too much unnecessary silliness, but when they go for it they go for it. It's no mistake that you laugh, because it's humorous. When it wants to, though, it shines: you jump and it terrifies you. This isn't as scary as the first one, but its a completely acceptable and thoroughly entertaining follow-up.
The script is impressive because it gives backstory that is clever and frightening, while acknowledging the overall zaniness of what is going on. I totally bought into the backstory, and I always appreciate clever tie-ins to the first film.
The acting is good, with Wilson pulling most of the weight and Byrne is always talented. The children are good, and the supporting cast does their job as well.
I enjoyed the film very much, consistently invested, and left with a smile on my face. It's a good non-Oscar film in Oscar season, and for that it deserves attention.
I know that some people are going to scowl at that grade and wonder if my credibility has been tarnished, and to those people I would like to explain myself.
I loved Insidious. I think it is a witty and terrifying film that transcended what we have come to expect from a horror film. This is not that film.
This is a funnier and more fanciful version of that film, staying away from too much unnecessary silliness, but when they go for it they go for it. It's no mistake that you laugh, because it's humorous. When it wants to, though, it shines: you jump and it terrifies you. This isn't as scary as the first one, but its a completely acceptable and thoroughly entertaining follow-up.
The script is impressive because it gives backstory that is clever and frightening, while acknowledging the overall zaniness of what is going on. I totally bought into the backstory, and I always appreciate clever tie-ins to the first film.
The acting is good, with Wilson pulling most of the weight and Byrne is always talented. The children are good, and the supporting cast does their job as well.
I enjoyed the film very much, consistently invested, and left with a smile on my face. It's a good non-Oscar film in Oscar season, and for that it deserves attention.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Rush (2013) Review
4.5/5
In terms of expectation to end result, this is one of the more pleasant experiences I've had in my moviegoing life. I do not believe the trailers look appealing (as sport or as drama) and here, Ron Howard delivers a compelling, captivating, and all-together entertaining film made with finesse and a professional eye.
The acting here is spectacular. Chris Hemsworth, known for playing Thor mostly, is something a powerhouse actor. He commands the screen with his bravado but can nestle safely and securely into the depths of despair. In dramatic scenes, he shines. An Oscar nomination is not entirely out of the question. Daniel Brühl, playing the rival driver Lauda, is spectacular. He is given scenes with more weight than Hemsworth and over-performs. His confidence can be at times snooty yet endearing, and when he is faced with challenges he takes comfort in the risk and is great. The interplay between them, their rivalry, is what brings this movie home. We feel their tension mount and as the audience it can be unclear who to root for, which makes their characters all the more relatable. The supporting cast give incredible turns individually, and make up quite the ensemble.
The script is spot on, giving us quotable lines and straying from cliches when lesser writers would have succumbed to them. The cinematography, editing, and sound design are all stellar and should absolutely be nominated for an Oscar as a perfect complement to the narrative, keeping you involved visually and audibly. And, of course, Ron Howard delivers with pacing and shot selection perfection.
This is a film I recommend to everyone because it is near impossible to dislike. I can't wait to take the drive again.
In terms of expectation to end result, this is one of the more pleasant experiences I've had in my moviegoing life. I do not believe the trailers look appealing (as sport or as drama) and here, Ron Howard delivers a compelling, captivating, and all-together entertaining film made with finesse and a professional eye.
The acting here is spectacular. Chris Hemsworth, known for playing Thor mostly, is something a powerhouse actor. He commands the screen with his bravado but can nestle safely and securely into the depths of despair. In dramatic scenes, he shines. An Oscar nomination is not entirely out of the question. Daniel Brühl, playing the rival driver Lauda, is spectacular. He is given scenes with more weight than Hemsworth and over-performs. His confidence can be at times snooty yet endearing, and when he is faced with challenges he takes comfort in the risk and is great. The interplay between them, their rivalry, is what brings this movie home. We feel their tension mount and as the audience it can be unclear who to root for, which makes their characters all the more relatable. The supporting cast give incredible turns individually, and make up quite the ensemble.
The script is spot on, giving us quotable lines and straying from cliches when lesser writers would have succumbed to them. The cinematography, editing, and sound design are all stellar and should absolutely be nominated for an Oscar as a perfect complement to the narrative, keeping you involved visually and audibly. And, of course, Ron Howard delivers with pacing and shot selection perfection.
This is a film I recommend to everyone because it is near impossible to dislike. I can't wait to take the drive again.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Back To The Action...
Sorry we've been gone. A move, incredibly drastic changes and a complete lack of time have prevented us from posting much of anything. No worries: we're back. And we're back when it counts.
Oscar season, baby. This is it. And 12 Years a Slave is coming. Gravity. Too many to name (check out our most anticipated list by clicking "Lists" above).
We've seen a few films since we've been in the dark, and here's a quick rundown. I have to make sure the review embargo of the other two have been lifted before I offer an opinion.
The Butler- 3/5
Further thoughts can be given if you ask in the comments below. Reviews will be written of films from now on if they have Oscar clout; otherwise, a number will be given as seen above.
Let's go, people. This is it. Back with more soon.
Oscar season, baby. This is it. And 12 Years a Slave is coming. Gravity. Too many to name (check out our most anticipated list by clicking "Lists" above).
We've seen a few films since we've been in the dark, and here's a quick rundown. I have to make sure the review embargo of the other two have been lifted before I offer an opinion.
The Butler- 3/5
Further thoughts can be given if you ask in the comments below. Reviews will be written of films from now on if they have Oscar clout; otherwise, a number will be given as seen above.
Let's go, people. This is it. Back with more soon.
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