The Quartet

BBC has done it again. In Quartet, they've created a quiet masterpiece. They bring Ronald Harwood's story about elderly musicians putting on a gala from the stage to the big screen with an all-star cast including Billy Connolly, Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Pauline Collins, and Michael Gambon. While quite a simple story on the surface (the annual gala to save the nursing home is at risk when a new resident upsets the balance), they touch on such topics as the negatives of aging (dementia, bad hips), pride, love and loss, and finding yourself, no matter what age.

Not Even Once: Meth or TV?

I know I'm super late to the bandwagon, but Breaking Bad is seriously one of the best shows ever. Coming from Montana (i.e. the source of all those anti-meth ads out there) I really didn't care to watch a show about meth production and distribution, even if it was fictional. Well, consider me converted. The writing on this show is impeccable, and they rely heavily on character development and utilize minimal action. This is so rare, a show being built upon quality story-telling, and the writers/actors/directors are so good at what they do it's impossible not to get sucked in.

Always a Good Day for Die Hard

A Good Day to Die Hard: Why? Because fuck you that's why. It's the best franchise out there and even a crappy Die Hard movie is better than any Twilight or similar bullshit. Bruce Willis is getting up there but that doesn't mean he can't still be a badass. He just might need to be a badass with a walker soon.

Bill Murray's Pants

It takes a very talented writer and director to create a film brimming with Hollywood A-listers that doesn't suck. If you look at the track record it's kind of a rarity; Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve are the two biggest offenders, but others like Burn After Reading and Men Who Stare at Goats are also terrible even though they have a cast full of great actors. Currently quantity seems to be far outstripping quality, so when a movie comes along with Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Francis McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Edward Norton leading a very small cast it might be cause for concern. Unless of course the writer/director happens to be Wes Anderson, then apparently all bets are off.

What's in a. . . Movie?

What defines a movie? Recently I had the insanely awesome pleasure of attending the Powder Magazine Video Awards in Park City, UT, and it made me question what a movie is. I tended to categorize ski films separately from every other type of film media (major motion pictures, television). They were in a league of their own; they show the best athletes in the best sport (don't question it, it's a fact and I will fight to the death on this) in settings that are so fantastical yet so real it makes anyone who considers him or herself a powder junkie drool with delight and green with envy all at once. A great ski film has expert skiers shaking in the knees because of the extremity of the situations these pros put themselves in, but at the same time has them wanting to get there; the drive to get to that level is what propels the sport forward and keeps bringing people to the sport year after year. The Powder Awards are the Oscars to this group of individuals, where all the hard work being put into these ski films can be honored.

Revolution in Filming?

With the holiday season in full force it's time for the final push of Hollywood blockbuster releases before the new year. For many people this means that the movie they've been waiting years for is finally about to hit theaters; The Hobbit is almost here folks. Fans have eagerly been awaiting the prequel films to Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, based on the books of the same name from J.R.R. Tolkien. These films were slow to get going, even losing Guillermo Del Toro as a director because of roadblocks on the way to production. For better or for worse, Jackson took the director's chair once again and the product is about to begin rolling nationwide. However, this film means more than just more money in Jackson's bank account and more time spent in dark rooms for fanboys everywhere. This film marks a potential shift in how movies are filmed, which is a topic of debate among viewers.

That Old Time Deja Vu

TV shows that are just as good the second time through are both one of the best things in the world and one of the rarest things currently being broadcasted. I literally cannot count on my fingers how many times I've watched every season of Friends, but every time I pop one of those discs in my blu-ray player (a concept that hadn't even been thought of, much less created at the time the show originally aired) I find myself laughing just as hard as he first time around. Compare that to even great modern sitcoms like How I Met Your Mother and there is really no comparison. I love Ted, Lily, Marshall, Barney, and Robin, but Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Ross, Chandler, and Joey are part of my soul now. I know that sounds melodramatic, or unnecessarily poetic, but it's the truth. The writers for that show didn't have to exaggerate any of their characters' traits; Friends was telling the story of real people. HIMYM exaggerates EVERYTHING, which makes for good television, but it doesn't make for staying power through multiple re-watchings.

More Than Meets the Eye

With a summer full of blockbuster releases (The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, Total Recall, The Bourne Legacy, The Expendable 2, Dark Shadows, The Amazing Spider-Man, and the list goes on) some great movies will inevitably get forgotten in theaters. This is just a fact of life when it comes to movie releases; not every film can get, or even afford, the same amount and caliber of press. One film that should not go missed is the Drew Goddard/Joss Whedon joint effort Cabin in the Woods. I'm not going to focus on box office grosses and the like, but they indicate that this is going to be one of the overlooked movies of the summer, which is truly unfortunate for everyone missing out.

Joss Smash

What should happen when you put a group containing Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hiddelston, and Samuel L. Jackson on screen at one time? It should implode. That much star power in any other film (see Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve, etc.) is a good indicator that they're compensating for a lack of plot with names that they know will generate revenue. Fortunately for the first (and probably biggest) blockbuster of the season, The Avengers has one other important name on the bill: writer/director Joss Whedon. If you don't know who Whedon is, he's the genius behind such cult favorites as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly (and it's big screen spawn Serenity), and Dollhouse. He also had a hand in writing the animated film Titan A.E. and 2009's (released this year) Cabin in the Woods. I like to think of him as an American comedian with a Brit's sense of timing. I also like to think of him as a sort of God, but that's just me (and the hordes of other devoted Joss Whedon acolytes). While his resume up until this was impressive and genre-defining, taking on The Avengers was still a heavy burden to taken on alone. In this interview on CBS he talks about how people threatened to place all the blame on his shoulders if the film turned out to be a $220 million flop.

The Movie that Activated my High School PTSD

Anyone who knows me, or has read my post about the most recent Pirates film, can probably deduce that the main reason I went to see the recently released big screen adaptation of 21 Jump Street was because of the promised Johnny Depp cameo. Well, I'd just like to start off with a big screw you to Michael Bacall (and I guess a bit to Jonah Hill maybe since he helped come up with the story). Now that that's out of the way. . .

That One Guy in Mary Poppins had it Right

One of the simplest, truest statements about me is this: I love to laugh. It's something that most people agree on, and I've written about my preferred comedic stylings before. Recently I've developed a new Netflix obsession that I think others should get in on, and that is watching stand-up specials. They're short, and even the crappiest filmed stand-up special is inevitably going to make you laugh. There's such variety out there in this genre (a genre which I previously thought was fairly narrow) which goes to show that the comedic well is far from tapped out. For example, Bo Burnham is a young comedian who has risen to fame through his use of music/props in his comedy along with his precocious talent for stand-up and performing. Another who fits into this "prop comedy" category is Demetri Martin (watch Person, it's great and random), who is best known for his sketch comedy show Important Things with Demetri Martin on Comedy Central.

My Recovery from Not-Rebecca-Black's Friday

Black Friday is the third worst day of the year. Tops is Valentines day, second is the day after Halloween, and third is Black Friday. If you're a customer it's a day of pushing through crowds, spending too much money, and realizing at the end of the day you mostly forgot to shop for other people. If you work retail it's a day of dealing with those frustrated and tired customers, being tired yourself, and literally wanting to rip the head off the next person to ask you "is this on sale?" If you stay home that day, well, then, you're a lucky bastard and I'm going to make you pay. No, seriously.

What's so Funny?

Comedy is pretty much the only film/TV genre that is universally loved. It's a pretty broad genre, from Coupling on the BBC to How I Met Your Mother on CBS to The Hangover to Puss in Boots and everything in between which makes it appeal to any audience. I'm a huge fan of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson which is 42 minutes of a middle-aged Scottish dude making fun of people (himself most of all) and making himself laugh. It's effectively unscripted humor that somehow makes it better; I have a theory as to why his comedic stylings are so much greater than the better-known CBS talk show host David Letterman. One word: punchlines; more specifically Craig rarely has them while Letterman exhales them like CO2.

My Love Letter to "Psych"

Quick, name the best comedy on TV! Family Guy? Really? No, you suck. How I Met Your Mother? Well it's good and all, but no. The new Two and a Half Men? You're an idiot. Get off my blog. Stop guessing. I'll give you a hint: it's an hour long and brilliant. Psych? Finally! There's hope for you yet.

Ironically Lacking the X Factor

On September 21 of this year something terrible happened: another reality singing competition premiered that I found myself watching. In my defense, it was The X Factor and it brought Simon Cowell back to the US. Anyone who watched American Idol before Simon left knows that he is deliciously and cruelly honest (and sometimes he just likes to screw with people because he can), which made his coming back as a talent judge on X Factor so appealing. Both Idol and X are Fox network shows, though one is sponsored by Coke and AT&T and the other is sponsored by Pepsi and Verizon. They are both singing competition shows, and the formats are similar.

Here's Hoping the Fate of "Grimm" is Looking Pleasant

Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel were two of the greatest shows ever (please don't fight this truth, it will only end badly for you). From the acting to the directing to the writing to the film editing, both shows were unique within the landscape of television and both appealed to wide audiences. Shows like that just don't come around very often, mostly because Joss Whedon is very busy and can't come up with more right now (or when he does FOX cancels them). Though it pains me to admit it, Joss did not create and maintain all of his TV shows alone. One of his partners in crime was the brilliant Daivd Greenwalt (co-creator of Angel and writer on Buffy).

If You Weren't Crazy When You Started Watching This Movie You May Well Be Now

 This poster is a lie. This movie is not about the tiny Jeff Daniels

inside Superhero Ryan Reynolds. Hilarious capers do not ensue.

Johnny Depp: The Cure for Cancer or the Harbinger of the Apocalypse?

Johnny Depp turns 49 next year. Seriously. I don't care if you're straight or gay, a man or a woman, you've got to admit he's a good-looking guy. He's a chameleon of an actor, which means that it's more than likely that at least one movie you love counts Depp among the cast. Depp has only been acting for 27 of his 48 years, but already has 55 titles to his name; and the man is only building up steam. It's therefore easy for his earlier credits to get overshadowed by releases of the past decade (Pirates of the Carribean, Alice in Wonderland, etc. are pretty loud and therefore understandably drown out early classics like the adorable Benny and Joon). I had heard of Don Juan DeMarco, but hadn't heard anything about it until I decided to watch it on Netflix Instant this past week. The cast is huge, including Marlon Brando as a psychiatrist of all people, Faye Dunaway as his loving wife and friend, and Johnny Depp as the "crazy" lead. It's a very funny movie, as well as a great love story and a poignant commentary on how reality can negatively affect one's life. Sometimes having unreality be contagious can be a good thing.

Dear Jon Favreau, I'm Sorry

Since 2005 Jon Favreau has had a pretty good record of films as a director (he's been fairly hit or miss when acting). Even Zathura, which not everyone loved, often comparing it to a poor-man's version of the highly successful Jumanji, was pretty fun. And then anyone who watches movies or television know about the Iron Man movies, which are awesome. But when I saw that he was directing the ridiculous-sounding Cowboys & Aliens I felt like he was banking on his recent success to do something outrageous that most people wouldn't fund with a less promotable director. I mean seriously, it's called Cowboys. . . & ALIENS! How could that possibly make a good movie? Upon first seeing a preview I decided to put that in the same category as Twilight (i.e. movies I won't see even if it means gouging out my eyes to make that happen). Unfortunately, my dad really wanted to see it and he promised to buy me an ICEE and popcorn. I'm poor and that's all it took; yes, I'm a weak, weak person, but you would have done the same in my position.

The Latest REAL Vampire Movie (a Movie That Would Actually Terrify Small Children)

In 2009 the Spierig brothers Peter and Michael brought us a vampire movie that went relatively unnoticed. Even I, who love vampire movies that do not involve sparkling and do involve copious amounts of blood and violence, managed to forget about this movie and not see it in the short time it was in theaters. Thanks to the wonder of Netflix Instant I was able to rectify my lapse and finally watch this movie. IMDB classifies it as horror, but it's much more of a sci-fi film. Set in 2019, it tells the tale of a world where humanity is on the verge of extinction and the vampires that run the world are searching for an alternate blood source to prevent the rise of subsiders (vampires that have reverted to a more primitive state).