Why Megan Fox is a Future Oscar Nominee in the Making

by iconmatthew1

Megan Fox (not to be confused with the woman on the Pantene box.)

Say what now again? I know that half of my subscribers right now are totally confused by this proclamation. The other two I already told in person that I’d be making this. But that’s right and let me say it again in bold letters for added emphasis: Megan Fox is an Oscar Nominee in the making! It seems Megan Fox gets a lot of flack from both men and women; particularly young filmmakers/actors about being some blight on Hollywood. That she is somehow this horrible, horrible, actress that ruins any movie that she is in. And yet somehow keeps getting work. Of course the lazy and most common reason people say this happens is because “She’s hot.” Ah! Of course she is an attractive woman, she must get all her jobs based on her looks alone. That might explain actors (or actresses I’m not sure what’s considered offensive anymore so I’ll just go back and forth) who get work on a SyFy channel original movie or maybe one movie just to be eye candy. But Fox gets consistent work, she’s in at least 1-3 major studio films a year and does a few more independent films as well. Is she just that insanely hot everyone has to hire her?

“I was thinking Jennifer Lawrence for this film, but I need someone who can’t act.”

It’s this flawed logic that movie fans have and even filmmakers that Hollywood is somehow this world where you have to choose beauty or acting. This is a mindset despite some of the most gorgeous model-type women in the world being nominated and winning acting awards: Charlize Theron, Halle Berry, Anne Hathaway, Angelina Jolie, Claire Danes, Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence just to name a few. Lawrence was voted Ask Men’s hottest female. Not one of the hottest, THE hottest. She beat Megan Fox in a beauty contest, so obviously good looks aren’t a marker of acting talent. So Fox must be getting all these roles because directors and producers only find her tolerable because of her looks. They could just as easily hire a good looking actress who probably has a lower paying contract, but they stick with Fox because….she’s pretty? I’ve produced many films in my life both short and feature length let me promise you something: pretty actresses are a dime a dozen. Actors who can act are harder to find. So what’s Megan Fox’s secret? Well I’m getting to that.

“Dredd” Movie Review – Mega City Masterpiece

by iconmatthew1

Karl Urban making us forget “Doom”

I’ve only sparsely read the Judge Dredd comics which are the basis of this film and the awful 1996 Stallone flick “Judge Dredd.” I was hesitant to read the comics due to the 90’s version of the character and story being so off putting. But when the trailer for “Dredd” dropped my interest in the character and world was piqued again. “Dredd” which was directed by Pete Travis (“Vantage Point”, “Omagh”) and written by producer Alex Garland (“Sunshine”, “28 Days Later”) was a film I wanted to see in theaters but the day I planned to go see it my car battery died and my plans were derailed. Since the movie didn’t do well at the box office despite high praise from critics it was out of cinemas fast. Now I’ve finally gotten a chance to see the film and I must say I was very impressed. I’ve seen a lot of good films this year and this is one of the best, in my humble opinion.

A rare moment not featuring gore

It’s a real shame that “Dredd” didn’t produce box officer numbers that Lionsgate had hoped for, primarily due to it’s slated release in August against an action heavy summer of superheroes/comic adaptations such as “The Avengers” “The Amazing Spider-Man” and “The Dark Knight Rises.” But thankfully due to an already promising DVD life and good reviews there is a planned sequel and possible trilogy. I highly recommend fans of action, science fiction and or comics seek this hidden gem out. Yes, the violence is a bit over the top at times, and some of imagery is at times more provocative than necessary but it works. It’s a gritty, dirty, unforgiving action flick and it does do it without an annoying smirk either.

“Lincoln” Movie Review – No Vampires This Time

by iconmatthew1

Daniel Day-Lewis only did “Lincoln” because he wasn’t offered part in “The Expendables 2”

“Lincoln” was a film I saw with my grandma and father. I knew that it was going to be good when I walked in. The question was: how good was it really? I had heard varying things, some opinions were positive but some were fairly negative. Some historians scoffed at some historical accuracies (no historical piece is without it’s factual critics) while others criticized a lack of character development and following through with certain more supporting characters. Obviously this film isn’t perfect, and I’m not even sure if it should win it’s seemingly preordained Academy Award for Best Picture, but it’s one of the best films of the year without a doubt.

Director of Photography, Janusz Kaminski

“Lincoln” stars Daniel Day-Lewis as the titular President of the United States. Day-Lewis nails the performance and is sure to win an Oscar for it, he’s just an elite actor with few equals in peers. He has a magnetic draw and handles some of the more difficult scenes with ease, he disappears into role. Helped in part by the stellar make up and costuming. Academy Award winner Sally Field stars as Mary Todd Lincoln and does a solid job, but at times I must admit it felt more like Sally Fields playing Mary Todd than the first lady. There are too many stars in this film to name, all doing splendid work. A testament to their pedigree and director Steven Spielberg’s honed craft. It was nice to see Lee Pace (“Pushing Daisies”,”The Good Shepherd”) and Walton Goggins (“Justified”, “Django Unchained”) getting some good parts in. Tommy Lee Jones was terrific as always as was Joseph Gordon-Levitt, but the scene stealer was James Spader (“Boston Legal”, “Stargate”) as Bilbo a behind the scenes wheeler and dealer employed by Abraham Lincoln. He’s hilarious throughout the entire film and was for me one of the premiere highlights of the performances.

“Lincoln” focuses primarily on the President’s push in getting congress to pass an amendment abolishing slavery. Instead of focusing on the civil war or even the atmosphere of the country Spielberg wisely keeps it for the most part contained in the politics of it all. Showcasing how little American politics has really changed. That can be enlightening or perhaps depressing depending on your viewpoint. John Williams of course places a beautiful score into the film that mixes beautifully with the images. “Lincoln” is a great film no doubt, it at times lacks a bit in completeness and benefits from a grand historical perspective in some of it’s more “look how good these people are and look how bad these guys were” scenes. But why not take advantage of having history be on your side?

It is a near masterpiece by default, arguably a straight up masterpiece. The acting is one of the best ensembles you’ll find this year and Spielberg continues to rack up the amazing resume he’s worked so hard to create. While it might leave you with a bit of a longing for something more to be executed you will most likely be satisfied with what you get, and that’s a different perspective on how slavery ended in America. It was not the war on the battlefield it was the grimy war in the halls of congress. Final Grade: 90/100

— Matthew S. Robinson

“Django Unchained” Movie Review – Revenge is a Dish Best Served Fun

by iconmatthew1

  Quentin Tarantino is by all means an eccentric filmmaker. He’d probably be the first to admit it too. I like Tarantino’s films though; there is always such an energy behind them and few can write dialogue like he can. I’m glad that he’s finally becoming a true box office draw, but that’s really only because the studios are finally putting faith in him and promoting his films heavily. His stories have always been interesting, I guess now mainstream Hollywood is telling everyone it’s okay to go watch them. “Django Unchained” is his latest film, and it’s one of his absolute best.

Without spoiling much “Django Unchianed” stars Jamie Foxx as Django a slave who has been sold and thus separated from his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington). This was a actually a fairly common occurrence during slavery, in particular on larger sized plantations. Slaves were hesitant to get married and attached because they could be sold at any moment by their masters. Obviously I don’t need to tell people about the horrors of American slavery (hopefully) but it sets up some pretty high and brutal stakes for our titular hero and his partner a German bounty hunter named Schultz (Christoph Waltz). Schultz buys Django in order to hunt down the Brittle Brothers, mean slave traders (were there any nice slave traders?) whom Django has seen in person. Since Schultz doesn’t know what they look like he needs Django’s help to track them down. While Schultz buys Django he even admits its only to acquire a business partner, who will have a little more incentive to stick around. But the master/slave relationship is never formed truly between the two and they become partners and friends. Django is really free to go, but Schultz and him decide to form a plan to rescue his wife before they go their separate ways. His wife is now the property of a flamboyant and crazed plantation owner named Calvin Candie (Leondaro DiCaprio). Django and Schultz must outwit Calvin and his surly head house slave Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson) in order to rescue Broomhilda.

“Life of PI” Movie Review – That Tiger is Not Your Friend

by iconmatthew1

Posing for nobody

“Life of Pi” is the new epic motion picture from Ang Lee (“Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon”, “Brokeback Mountain”) based on a book that many felt could never be properly adapted to film. Lee proves them wrong with this outstanding effort that is for sure a strong contender for a Best Picture Oscar and one of the most visually satisfying films of the year.

The film stars Suraj Sharma and Irrfan Khan as both the younger and older Pi Patel respectively. The story is framed as a flashback as the older Pi recounts the story of being stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger for over 200 days. He is being interviewed by Rafe Spall (“Prometheus”) who is understandably fascinated by the story and is drawn to it’s spiritual nature. One thing I respect about the framing is that Lee is not afraid to limit the cuts between the present and past. While at the beginning we cut back and forth in flashbacks and flash forwards by the meat of the film there is a strong thirty minutes (possibly more) without going back to the present. This allowed me to really get into the plight of Patel, and almost forget that it was a story taking place in the past. The danger is heightened by this practice and the relationship between Pi and the tiger gets room to grow and breathe.

“That tiger is not your friend” says Pi’s father early in the film, and he’s right. This is not a family film where the tiger magically learns to talk and this is not “Duma” with a domesticated predator now friends with a child. This is a tiger that constantly wants to eat Pi alive. The tension and the drama works so well here and Suraj Sharma must receive a lot of praise for his hard work, basically doing extended scenes alone and yet still managing to grow his performance with each scene. An Oscar contender for sure, speaking of Oscars: The cinematography by Claudio Miranda who started as a gaffer on films such as “Se7en” only to eventually become the director pf photography on visually stunning pieces such as “Tron: Legacy”, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and the upcoming “Oblivion”. He’s put in the hours and I think this could be a big year for him. Ang Lee as well, who tackled a very difficult project with a lot of prose. Not that I ever doubted him.

Dude, lay off the Mountain Dew

I saw “Life of Pi” in 3D, something I usually don’t do. But I heard that it was worth seeing in the medium and I was not disappointed. While the 3D isn’t showy or even blasting out at you it creates a very inclusive experience. It feels like the rain is beating down on you during a big storm, you almost get sea sick as the boat rocks back and forth and a scene with fly fish will have you riveted by it’s beauty. “Life of Pi” isn’t perfect, the problem with the story is that sometimes it’s hitting you over the head with it’s symbolism and themes. Most of the time this wasn’t annoying but when it fails you really notice and you soon feel like you are watching some high budget preacher create a visual story. It’s the biggest flaw of the movie, and the film does run about 10 minutes too long and features a few ambiguous scenes that felt more like the filmmakers showing off than an effort to advance characters and or the story. “Life of Pi” manages to overcome all of these issues in the end and delivers a great experience meant for the big screen. For the visuals alone this is a film worth seeing this holiday season. Final Grade: 86/100

–Matthew S. Robinson

“Skyfall” Movie Review – 50 Years and Better Than Ever

by iconmatthew1

Bond is back!

“Skyfall” is one of the biggest Bond movies ever. Not necessarily in scope but in the depth that it delves into the characters. That might seem fairly standard of a film but it’s quite different with the Bond franchise. With 50 years of films to look back on: the man of James Bond is rarely examined. Every once in a while you’ll get a spark into what makes him tick such as “Dr. No”, “From Russia With Love”, “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” and of course “Casino Royale”. But in a general sense James Bond is more defined by his gadgets, his villains, the women he swoons and the mission. Even less examined is the usually fairly mysterious “M” (Judi Dench) who here is basically the focal point of the entire story. An old enemy named Silva (Javier Bardem) is out for revenge against “M” and only her most valued agent; James Bond (Daniel Craig) can stop him.

Directed by Sam Mendes (“American Beauty”, “Away We Go”, “Road to Perdition”) it’s no surprise that this Bond is a few notches away from an intense character study. Bond has lost a step, he’s out of shape, lost his touch with a gun and seems more seduced than seducer of his field partner Eve (Naomie Harris). This is the first Bond I can recall watching and actually having a sense of dread, a strong feeling that this time Bond might fail in his mission. That perhaps he can’t win as he usually does, he’s not the smooth Bond we are used to, he’s an aging agent so tired of the endless missions he’d rather just sit on a beach and drink. It’s a bold move handled brilliantly by screenwriters Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan. After 5 decades of Bond films it’s time to truly take Bond in a new direction. This isn’t a gadget filled Bond nor a Bond with a particular sense of humor so well portrayed by Sean Connery and Roger Moore (who sometimes went a little overboard with the humor). His gadgets are simple, nothing flashy all extremely practical. The new Q (Ben Whishaw) even makes a quip: “What were you expecting? An exploding pen? We don’t really go for that anymore.” In a sense it’s sad to see the old era of Bond be put on the shelf (at least for now) but in this neo-realistic generation of filmgoers we want to feel that our heroes can exist, that their actions can be somewhat duplicated. Bond isn’t a superhero anymore, we have those in The Avengers and Spiderman. We want a man, a highly skilled man. Someone we feel can actually exist, and this Bond is very, very human.

“Flight” Movie Review: Denzel Washington Reaches New Heights

by iconmatthew1

I’m a big fan of Denzel Washington as an actor, I believe he is one of the best of all time. A 2 time Oscar winner who brings life and energy to any part he plays. “Flight” shows Denzel as an anti-hero pilot who manages to miraculously land a plane in one of the most impressive aerial set pieces I’ve ever seen. This includes having to literally turn to plane upside down. It’s an amazing feat, one that few if any other pilots could ever successfully pull off. The problem is Denzel was drunk as a skunk when he did it off and now he is being investigated as a criminal. To say anymore would be to spoil the movie and I’m not going to spoil anything major in this review, it’s a great film that people should go and see. Denzel gives an Oscar worthy performance and there are other fine acting performances from Don Cheadle, Tamara Tunie, Melissa Leo, Bruce Greenwood, Kelly Reilly and John Goodman who is in particular top form as Denzel’s drug dealing friend.

Robert Zemeckis (“Forrest Gump”, “Back to the Future”) has finally returned to live action films after the awkward foray into stop motion capture films like “Mars Needs Moms” and he shows he still has what it takes to direct a full fledged cast. The plane crash sequence alone makes him a strong candidate for a directing Oscar nomination, but it’s his control over the actors and the pacing of the film that also shows his craft. Kelly Reilly (“Sherlock Holmes” 1&2) is probably poised for a lot more roles after this film, as she is starting to show a nice range with her acting ability. She’s surrounded by some big names here but holds her own.

Washington and Reilly in “Flight”.

“Flight” is not the movie that I expected, but I mean that in a good way. Yes it obviously is about Denzel’s battle with alcoholism, but to say that it’s only that would be selling the film short of it’s very thoughtful and sometimes uncomfortably honest portrayal of people. Denzel is one of the few actors who could pull off a complex role like this, we all know someone like him. He is the epitome of the high functioning alcoholic, the man who can drive perfectly, heck even land a freaking plane while chugging down shots on vodka. He can hold a job for sure, but his life seems to always be falling apart at the seams.

There are some issues with the script by John Gatins (“Real Steel, Hardball, Coach Carter), not necessarily in plot or pacing but with some of the dialogue. Some of the conversations come off a bit too heavy handed and there is a scene or two that go on a bit too long. But for the most part everything works, and even some of the more traditionally flat lines are elevated by the immensely strong cast. Of all the movies I’ve seen this year this probably has the best chance of winning the coveted SAG Acting Ensemble award. It would be well deserved. If you are a fan of Denzel it’s obviously a must see, but I think if you just want to experience a mature and smart human drama it’s worth a visit to the local cinema. It’s cliche to say “Flight” soars, but I really don’t know how else to put it. Final Grade: 87/100

–Matthew S. Robinson

“Argo” Film Review: Ben Affleck Enters the Elite Class

by iconmatthew1

“Argo” is based off the true story of the Iranian hostage crisis of the late 70’s/early 80’s that captivated the United States, Iran and other parts of the world. The film focuses primarily however on 6 U.S. Embassy employees who managed to escape the embassy right as it was being stormed. Hiding out in the Canadian ambassador’s home for months eventually the CIA devised an unorthodox plan to get them out of the country: create a fake movie as a cover. It seems like almost the plot of a really bizarre episode of “Hogan’s Heroes” or something you’d find in a Saturday morning cartoon but the tale is very real.

I remember reading about the Iranian hostage crisis and hearing about it from Bruce Herschensohn at a roundtable/lecture event. I always thought “Man this would make a great movie.” I admit I was worried it would somehow flop. It’s a tricky story to pull off in many ways because of the passage of time and that “Argo” requires the viewer to know some basics about film production and foreign policy. Not a lot mind you, but they can’t fill in every gap for the casual admirer of the craft or political intrigue. Still if you have a basic knowledge of the two you will probably find this movie engaging and quite enjoyable.

Alan Arkin and Ben Affleck

“Argo” touts a strong cast with: Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston, Kyle Chandler, John Goodman and Ben Affleck. Affleck to me has never been a great actor, but he does good work here in the role. The more emotionally heavy scenes are left for Cranston, Arkin and Goodman. A wise decision, but I think my biggest complaint with “Argo” is that Affleck is the star. He does a great job behind the camera but I feel the role of Tony Mendez could have been better preformed by another actor. This seems like the perfect role for George Clooney (who produced the film), or perhaps a Gabriel Macht or Edward Norton. But again: it’s not like Affleck does a bad job at all. It just seemed to be missing something that the other performances had.

“Argo” finds its strength in the directing of Ben Affleck, a fast moving script from Chris Terrio, a great musical score from Alexandre Desplant and a look and style that makes you feel like you are watching a pseduo – 70’s movie thanks to film editor William Goldenberg and the director of photography Rodrigo Prieto. “Argo” feels like the time it represents and that helps build the tension and even gave me a taste of the fear and uncertainty that America had to be feeling during the tumultuous days of the crisis.

For me personally “Argo” has elevated Ben Affleck into the elite class of directors. It may not be a popular consensus among many but his previous works “Gone Baby Gone” and “The Town” are all fine pieces of work and have earned actors Oscar nominations for their performances. A good director, directs actors to act. Everyone in this movie does a good job of that and transform into their characters quite nicely. “Argo” has a slightly deflated ending that seems to have a difficult time wrapping so much information up but in the end I felt satisfied and convinced that I saw a true Oscar contender. If you love history, spy thrillers, espionage or escapist acts “Argo” is one film you can’t afford to miss. Final Grade: 91/100

–Matthew S. Robinson

Brave Little Toaster Remake?! Live Action?!! NOOOO!

by iconmatthew1

My childhood.

“The Brave Little Toaster” is one of my favorite movies, and as a child my brother and I were obsessed with it. How obsessed? Well back then when there were video rental stores with (gasp) late fees my brother and I rented “The Brave Little Toaster” every week for about a good 2-3 months. I mean EVERY week we rented that movie. I ask my father to this day why he just didn’t buy the movie. His response has varied but I think he feared we would watch it non-stop if we owned a copy. A smart father.

The point is: I LOVE this movie. For those unfamiliar with the plot it’s about a group of household appliances who come to life when nobody is looking and then pretend to be inanimate objects when people are around. If this sounds a lot like “Toy Story” that’s because “Toy Story” and John Lassiter who worked on the project for a while were all influenced by this film; and the book it was based on of the same name. The book was published in 1980 and the film adaptation came out in 1987. With various direct to video sequels like (I kid you not) “The Brave Little Toaster: Goes to Mars.” Keep in mind this is also when we had that ever annoying “Putt Putt Goes to the Moon” (gosh, I hated that stupid purple car, but he always tricked me into helping him solve his puzzles. I mean I couldn’t just leave him on the moon!) But I digress.

According to the folks over at Cinema Blend. They plan to make a live action “Brave Little Toaster” movie soon. Complete with tons of CGI! Yay! If you can detect the tone of sarcasm in my text that’s because I’m resisting the urge to hold up my middle finger to the computer screen right now! Who in the world wanted this? Nobody was asking for a live action version of this family classic! Nobody! Can you name someone who just was having a few beers and then leaned in and said “Ya’ know what Hollywood needs? A Brave Little Toaster film! You know with Lampy, Blanket, that radio guy voiced by the dude who did the Critic uh,….John Lovitz! Yeah and that cranky Vacuum. But not traditional animation, no I want it live action! And don’t worry about animating the toaster dude, he’s going to be CGI! It’s going to be awesome! Pass me another Newcastle!”

Maybe the producers WERE drunk when they came up with the idea.

How could Disney do this? You know it won’t be as good, why not just re-release the film for a low distribution cost and get kids to buy it. Have Selena Gomez tell them it’s her favorite movie. Or maybe have some nice product placement in an episode of “That’s so Raven!” (Is that show still on Disney? I don’t know. I’m old.) Why make a whole new movie? It seems pointless, it seems useless. “Useless!” Funny I should use that term because it points to a depressing scene in the original toaster film that was almost cut because one of the producers: Donald Kushner thought it too depressing having a song in a movie about appliances committing suicide while they sang they were worthless. Suicide is actually a constant theme throughout the film and there is also a clown based nightmare that also was almost cut. But they didn’t cut it out because this was the 80’s and kids were tougher then. Or something, I’m not sure maybe Disney was always this crazy and now it’s just being diverted into making foolish decisions.

I know my voice matters very little in this grand scheme, it’s not like I hate Disney for this. I just am disappointed in their decision making right now. This is going to introduce a new generation of kids to a story that’s been around for over 30 years, but not in a way that seems appropriate. I’m not cool with the idea of a live action story of this nature because for some reason it seems to steal the imagination out of it. Animated worlds are beautiful and unique because in those worlds things happen that can’t happen in the real world. And yes CGI is a tool that can enhance films and bring certain things to life, but it doesn’t trump animation for kids. There is something not quite genuine about it. “The Brave Little Toaster” is a classic that shouldn’t be messed with. But of course the film will be made, and I’ll just have to accept that. Who knows? Maybe it will actually be good. No it won’t I forgot to mention there are plans to introduce an iphone character. So I guess they are just going to call for help and it all will be solved within 5 minutes.

Now here is a video of cars committing suicide because that’s the kind of film my brother and I liked to watch every Friday. No wonder my dad refused to buy this movie.

–Matthew S. Robinson

15 Movies That Peaked In Their Opening 15 Minutes

by iconmatthew1

You ever wonder why some bad movies still managed to hook you right in despite being so awful? Ever wonder why some movies are thought of as classics even though they may not have the greatest ending? The opening. There are some good, average, bad and just flat out awful movies that have tremendous openings. Again let me reiterate making this list does NOT mean the movie is bad or even disappointing. All I’m saying is that it’s best scene is in the first 15 minutes. There is nothing wrong with that, as you will see many of these movies are films that you may love and that I myself adore. As always I only include movies I’ve actually seen. There are also slight spoilers included since I’m describing opening segments of films. Now let’s get things started on some of the best starters in cinema history.

Honorable Mention. The Kingdom – “The Kingdom” was a 2007 movie I actually saw in theaters. Starring Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman. The film is decent enough, some good gun battles and a nice stylistic approach throughout. However the movie is at it’s best during it’s opening sequence. Designed by Pic Agency; led by Jarik Van Sluijs and Julio Ferrario “The Kingdom” has an impressive opening title sequence. You can watch it here. That explains the history of U.S./Saudi Arabia relations and why the country became infinitely more important after the 9/11 attacks. The opening segment also comes with a very surprising attack as well, and from there the movie can never seem to top it’s previous efforts. Peter Berg does a good job throughout but the only thing that has stuck with me from this film 5 years later is the opening title sequence. Hey at least that’s something memorable.