Since there has been such a lull in posts of the Everyman Critics i thought that i might start to post reviews of some movies that i've watched over the past year that i have yet to either thrust upon my fellow Everyman or have thought were noteworthy and should be watched.
-dan
In keeping with the most recent post of the 2010 Oscars i thought i'd like look back to last years nominees and winner of Best Picture. Today is the movie that walked away with not 1, but 8 golden statues at last year's awards ceremony: Slumdog Millionaire. i would like to be able to say that i was too harsh on a heart warming little independent-type film that could, but then i'd just be lying to you. Perhaps it is because i am so cold and no movie could affect me, but then we all know that isn't true if you listen to this podcast. i would like to point out one thing before we go on...i gave Christmas Evil a 4/10 rating. Just saying. So without further ado...my review.
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (2008)
TIME: 120 minutes
GENRE: Drama
MPAA RATING: R
LANGUAGE: English and Hindi
DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle
STARRING:
Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal
RATING: 3/10
OVERVIEW:
Jamal Malik (Patel), a kid from the slums of India, comes within one question of winning 20,000,000 rupees on India’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Suspected of cheating he is arrested and interrogated. During this time he explains how he knew the answers to the questions based on events in his life.
REVIEW:
Slumdog Millionaire won 8 Oscars at the 2009 Academy Awards so it is a good film, right? Wrong. The whole plot might be fairly original, but the execution comes off extremely dry and does not warrant the critical praise that it has received. The handheld, shaky camera look is overused in the film and could induce nausea. Within the first half hour of the movie I was checking the time begging for it to be almost over. There was nothing in the story that made me feel anything for the characters. It all just seemed to be a Sally Struthers type montage of poverty stricken areas. To top it all off I guess for me would be that the backdrop for the story is the show Who Wants to be a Millionaire as I loathe it as well.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Frost/Nixon
Since there has been such a lull in posts of the Everyman Critics i thought that i might start to post reviews of some movies that i've watched over the past year that i have yet to either thrust upon my fellow Everyman or have thought were noteworthy and should be watched.
-dan
In keeping with the most recent post of the 2010 Oscars i thought i'd like look back to last years nominees and winner of Best Picture. First up is who i thought should have gone home with the golden statue in 2009: Frost/Nixon. i wrote this review almost immediately after watching the film and while in retrospect i think i might have lauded it a bit much, i still stand by my recommendation that this was the best picture of 2008.
FROST/NIXON (2008)
TIME: 123 minutes
GENRE: Drama
MPAA RATING: R
LANGUAGE: English
DIRECTOR: Ron Howard
STARRING:
Michael Sheen, Frank Langella, Matthew Macfadyen
RATING: 10/10
OVERVIEW:
Based on the Tony Award Winning play, Frost/Nixon is a retelling of the famous David Frost and Richard Nixon interview in 1977.
REVIEW:
Frost/Nixon is an unequivocal masterpiece of film-making. The sincerity, depth and gravity that all the actors bring to the film, especially Frank Langella as Nixon, are absolutely amazing. This is a film without the explosions of many Hollywood blockbusters that packs more wallop and is far more gripping than any other film released in 2008 and quite possibly in the past few decades. Ron Howard has never been as on top of his directorial prowess than he is in this movie. It has done something that I never thought possible and that is to find a sympathetic side to Richard Nixon, but at the same time still allow for a disdain of his crimes.
-dan
In keeping with the most recent post of the 2010 Oscars i thought i'd like look back to last years nominees and winner of Best Picture. First up is who i thought should have gone home with the golden statue in 2009: Frost/Nixon. i wrote this review almost immediately after watching the film and while in retrospect i think i might have lauded it a bit much, i still stand by my recommendation that this was the best picture of 2008.
FROST/NIXON (2008)
TIME: 123 minutes
GENRE: Drama
MPAA RATING: R
LANGUAGE: English
DIRECTOR: Ron Howard
STARRING:
Michael Sheen, Frank Langella, Matthew Macfadyen
RATING: 10/10
OVERVIEW:
Based on the Tony Award Winning play, Frost/Nixon is a retelling of the famous David Frost and Richard Nixon interview in 1977.
REVIEW:
Frost/Nixon is an unequivocal masterpiece of film-making. The sincerity, depth and gravity that all the actors bring to the film, especially Frank Langella as Nixon, are absolutely amazing. This is a film without the explosions of many Hollywood blockbusters that packs more wallop and is far more gripping than any other film released in 2008 and quite possibly in the past few decades. Ron Howard has never been as on top of his directorial prowess than he is in this movie. It has done something that I never thought possible and that is to find a sympathetic side to Richard Nixon, but at the same time still allow for a disdain of his crimes.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Oscar 2010 "recap"
Hey everybody! Sorry for the lack of episodes lately but...I've been busy. Can't blame me right?
Anyway, to satiate your thirst for new content we here at the Everyman Critics are proud (sort of) to present our Oscar 2010 Recap!
Download the Episode Here!
This episode is totally uncut and raw, hell we just recorded it like an hour ago! My recording studio ran out of hard drive space last night so the super awesome show lasts for...6 minutes and then me and Dan try to recapture the magic. Did we succeed or not? Who cares, it was fun!
Just in case you guys need a refresher of when we first talked about the Oscars and gave our "predictions" check of this episode here and listen where the time code tells you to!
Stay tuned for future episode that are very much delayed.
Thanks
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Anyway, to satiate your thirst for new content we here at the Everyman Critics are proud (sort of) to present our Oscar 2010 Recap!
Download the Episode Here!
This episode is totally uncut and raw, hell we just recorded it like an hour ago! My recording studio ran out of hard drive space last night so the super awesome show lasts for...6 minutes and then me and Dan try to recapture the magic. Did we succeed or not? Who cares, it was fun!
Just in case you guys need a refresher of when we first talked about the Oscars and gave our "predictions" check of this episode here and listen where the time code tells you to!
Stay tuned for future episode that are very much delayed.
Thanks
Thursday, February 25, 2010
The Most Dangerous Game
While part of the Everyman Critics is broadening each others movie viewing there are some movies that i watch that may not be suitable for everyone's viewing. Rather than subject everyone to some of my more provocative movie viewing habits i will post reviews in the blog of some movies that won't be discussed with everyone else. This will also help to cut down on talking about 7 or 8 movies i watched during the week. (This way hopefully Nolan won't be so pissy. ;)) This does not mean though that i won't push the boundaries every so often and make my fellow Everyman Critics watch movies they really don't want to watch. :)
-dan
This time i'm going to do a review of a movie that was based on one of my favorite short stories. I give you:
The Most Dangerous Game (1932)
TIME: 63 minutes
GENRE: Suspense
MPAA RATING: NR
LANGUAGE: English
DIRECTOR: Irving Pichel, Ernest B. Schoedsack
STARRING:
Joel McCrea, Fay Wray, Leslie Banks
RATING: 7/10
OVERVIEW:
The Most Dangerous Game is a cinematic retelling of Richard Connell's short story of the same name. It tells the story of a man who survives a shipwreck and is stranded on an island. An eccentric hunter lives on the island who has bored of hunting animals and has stumbled on the most dangerous game.
REVIEW:
This movie is a fairly faithful adaptation of one of my favorite short stories. There are a few things missing here and there that i recall, but then if they put them in it wouldn't have gotten past the standards board at the time. There is nothing really scary here or surprising if you know the story, but it's great fun to watch the story come to life. All of the characters are pretty much cardboard cutouts in a similar vein to all of the monster movies of the time, but again it's all fun. Definitely recommended if you enjoy the 1930's horror movies Frankenstein, Dracula, The Invisible and the ilk.
-dan
This time i'm going to do a review of a movie that was based on one of my favorite short stories. I give you:
The Most Dangerous Game (1932)
TIME: 63 minutes
GENRE: Suspense
MPAA RATING: NR
LANGUAGE: English
DIRECTOR: Irving Pichel, Ernest B. Schoedsack
STARRING:
Joel McCrea, Fay Wray, Leslie Banks
RATING: 7/10
OVERVIEW:
The Most Dangerous Game is a cinematic retelling of Richard Connell's short story of the same name. It tells the story of a man who survives a shipwreck and is stranded on an island. An eccentric hunter lives on the island who has bored of hunting animals and has stumbled on the most dangerous game.
REVIEW:
This movie is a fairly faithful adaptation of one of my favorite short stories. There are a few things missing here and there that i recall, but then if they put them in it wouldn't have gotten past the standards board at the time. There is nothing really scary here or surprising if you know the story, but it's great fun to watch the story come to life. All of the characters are pretty much cardboard cutouts in a similar vein to all of the monster movies of the time, but again it's all fun. Definitely recommended if you enjoy the 1930's horror movies Frankenstein, Dracula, The Invisible and the ilk.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Shutter Island
Martin Scorsese has often been called the greatest living director and with his vast output of classic films this title is well deserved. Scorsese’s films have always been great examples of perfect storytelling. Some people prefer lots of hidden subtext and a “deeper” meaning but Scorsese simply tells a story with perfect direction and cinematography, the fact that his actors give great performances as well certainly doesn’t hurt.
Shutter Island is Scorsese’s newest film starring his new protégé Leonardo Dicaprio. This film is being marketed as a Horror film and while it certainly can fit into that category it transcends Horror to become something else, a psychological thriller that tells a great story.
The premise is simple enough, two federal marshals (played by Dicaprio and Mark Ruffalo) visit Shutter Island, home to a mental institute for the criminally insane, to search for a violent patient who has mysteriously escaped. Of course, during their investigation the marshals soon discover that nothing is as it appears and various devious plots are afoot. Some people may think that this is just generic horror plot #2 and “oh, I’ve seen this before” but they may be right but sorely mistaken at the same time.
During their stay at Shutter Island Dicaprio’s ulterior motives are revealed and in his quest to solve the mystery of Shutter Island you can see his character fall into madness. Is he going crazy? Is it all a conspiracy? Who knows, but the back story and various hallucinations he has might make you think either is possible. As Dicaprio searches for the truth he climbs deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole and the supporting cast continues to up the ante and propel this story forward, deeper into the mystery.
Scorsese pay homage to all the truly great horror/thrillers of yore. Alfred Hitchcock is a name that comes to mind because the tension and transformations of the characters throughout the course of the movie were his trademarks. During the opening scene where Dicaprio and Ruffalo are traveling on a ferry to the island I was thoroughly amused at the way the scene was shot, the dress of the characters (the movie takes place in 1954), and even the classic Boston accents as it really reminded me of classic Film Noir. Hell, the only thing that could have made the first half of this movie better would be if it was shot in black and white. This is a classic 50s film presented to a modern age!
One thing that cannot go unnoticed is the film score. The music was so appropriate in setting the mood it really harkens the classic noir and Hitchcock feel. This movie is all about atmosphere, from the style to the music and the character portrayals; you are involved with this film. Sure I never felt truly emotionally attached to the characters but the movie sucked me in to where I was right there alongside them trying to uncover the mystery of Shutter Island. What is better than feeling for characters than being a part of the story yourself? That depends of the movie and with Shutter Island being a part of the story is much more fun than feeling for the characters.
The performances are spot on and unlike other directors who try this type of story and fail, the execution and timing were perfect! As the story unfolds you know something isn’t right, secrets are being kept and something sinister is afoot; you (the viewer) feel like Dicaprio’s character and he shows this emotion and transition well. This film continues with the suspense and mystery all the way up to its dizzying climax and even then it doesn’t fail to enthrall.
It never goes for cheap scares, there are no boogiemen or supernatural killers, or any of the other tropes that many people dislike Horror for; there is only suspense, tension, timing, and great storytelling. This is why this is more Noir than Horror and also why this is a great movie that will be remembered as another Scorsese classic.
9/10
Am I being biased because it's Scorsese or is this a really enjoyable film that connects with what I like to see in movies? Let me know be sounding off in the comments or by emailing us at feedback@everymancritics.com.
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Shutter Island is Scorsese’s newest film starring his new protégé Leonardo Dicaprio. This film is being marketed as a Horror film and while it certainly can fit into that category it transcends Horror to become something else, a psychological thriller that tells a great story.
The premise is simple enough, two federal marshals (played by Dicaprio and Mark Ruffalo) visit Shutter Island, home to a mental institute for the criminally insane, to search for a violent patient who has mysteriously escaped. Of course, during their investigation the marshals soon discover that nothing is as it appears and various devious plots are afoot. Some people may think that this is just generic horror plot #2 and “oh, I’ve seen this before” but they may be right but sorely mistaken at the same time.
During their stay at Shutter Island Dicaprio’s ulterior motives are revealed and in his quest to solve the mystery of Shutter Island you can see his character fall into madness. Is he going crazy? Is it all a conspiracy? Who knows, but the back story and various hallucinations he has might make you think either is possible. As Dicaprio searches for the truth he climbs deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole and the supporting cast continues to up the ante and propel this story forward, deeper into the mystery.
Scorsese pay homage to all the truly great horror/thrillers of yore. Alfred Hitchcock is a name that comes to mind because the tension and transformations of the characters throughout the course of the movie were his trademarks. During the opening scene where Dicaprio and Ruffalo are traveling on a ferry to the island I was thoroughly amused at the way the scene was shot, the dress of the characters (the movie takes place in 1954), and even the classic Boston accents as it really reminded me of classic Film Noir. Hell, the only thing that could have made the first half of this movie better would be if it was shot in black and white. This is a classic 50s film presented to a modern age!
One thing that cannot go unnoticed is the film score. The music was so appropriate in setting the mood it really harkens the classic noir and Hitchcock feel. This movie is all about atmosphere, from the style to the music and the character portrayals; you are involved with this film. Sure I never felt truly emotionally attached to the characters but the movie sucked me in to where I was right there alongside them trying to uncover the mystery of Shutter Island. What is better than feeling for characters than being a part of the story yourself? That depends of the movie and with Shutter Island being a part of the story is much more fun than feeling for the characters.
The performances are spot on and unlike other directors who try this type of story and fail, the execution and timing were perfect! As the story unfolds you know something isn’t right, secrets are being kept and something sinister is afoot; you (the viewer) feel like Dicaprio’s character and he shows this emotion and transition well. This film continues with the suspense and mystery all the way up to its dizzying climax and even then it doesn’t fail to enthrall.
It never goes for cheap scares, there are no boogiemen or supernatural killers, or any of the other tropes that many people dislike Horror for; there is only suspense, tension, timing, and great storytelling. This is why this is more Noir than Horror and also why this is a great movie that will be remembered as another Scorsese classic.
9/10
Am I being biased because it's Scorsese or is this a really enjoyable film that connects with what I like to see in movies? Let me know be sounding off in the comments or by emailing us at feedback@everymancritics.com.
8½
While part of the Everyman Critics is broadening each others movie viewing there are some movies that i watch that may not be suitable for everyone's viewing. Rather than subject everyone to some of my more provocative movie viewing habits i will post reviews in the blog of some movies that won't be discussed with everyone else. This does not mean though that i won't push the boundaries every so often and make my fellow Everyman Critics watch movies they really don't want to watch. :)
-dan
This time i'm going to go back and post a review of a movie i watched awhile ago and was referenced in the 'Wristcutters: A Love Story' podcast, '8½'. It was only mentioned in passing, but it's such a great movie that i feel that it deserves more recognition from me. Oh, just so you don't think i'm going to go soft on my fellow everyman, we will most likely be watching this one in the future. On to the review:
8½ (1963)
TIME: 138 minutes
GENRE: Drama
MPAA RATING: NR
LANGUAGE: Italian
DIRECTOR: Federico Fellini
STARRING:
Marcello Mastroianni, Anouk Aimee, Sandra Milo
RATING: 10/10
OVERVIEW:
A director fresh off a previous film which was a smash hit, prepares for his next film. However, the last film took much out of him so he heads to a spa for relaxation and recovery. While there he begins to become hounded by actors, producers, his mistress, his wife and retreats into a fantasy world. It was recently remade into a musical titled 'Nine'.
REVIEW:
8½ is a masterpiece! It is a semi-autobiographical film by Fellini on his own trials as a filmmaker. Mastroianni's performance made me very sympathetic to him even though his character is little more than a womanizer. For the most part it may seem that Fellini has just thinks of women as merely objects for his amusement, but by films end one can see that he has a deep love and respect for women – he just doesn’t know how to show it. After seeing this I know that I must see 'La Dolce Vita' as it is hailed by many as Fellini’s greatest film.
-dan
This time i'm going to go back and post a review of a movie i watched awhile ago and was referenced in the 'Wristcutters: A Love Story' podcast, '8½'. It was only mentioned in passing, but it's such a great movie that i feel that it deserves more recognition from me. Oh, just so you don't think i'm going to go soft on my fellow everyman, we will most likely be watching this one in the future. On to the review:
8½ (1963)
TIME: 138 minutes
GENRE: Drama
MPAA RATING: NR
LANGUAGE: Italian
DIRECTOR: Federico Fellini
STARRING:
Marcello Mastroianni, Anouk Aimee, Sandra Milo
RATING: 10/10
OVERVIEW:
A director fresh off a previous film which was a smash hit, prepares for his next film. However, the last film took much out of him so he heads to a spa for relaxation and recovery. While there he begins to become hounded by actors, producers, his mistress, his wife and retreats into a fantasy world. It was recently remade into a musical titled 'Nine'.
REVIEW:
8½ is a masterpiece! It is a semi-autobiographical film by Fellini on his own trials as a filmmaker. Mastroianni's performance made me very sympathetic to him even though his character is little more than a womanizer. For the most part it may seem that Fellini has just thinks of women as merely objects for his amusement, but by films end one can see that he has a deep love and respect for women – he just doesn’t know how to show it. After seeing this I know that I must see 'La Dolce Vita' as it is hailed by many as Fellini’s greatest film.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Suicide is funny??
Welcome back everybody! Thanks for sticking around through our little break there but your patience has paid off! Episode 8 is now available.
Download the episode here!
Introduction 0:00 - 37:18
Dan watched a lot of movies, Nolan acts like a dick, Garrett watched a lot of movies, Nolan acts like a dick, I watched goddamn Zombieland, Nolan acts like a dick. See a pattern?
Oscar Predictions 37:18 - 55:48
We provide a mostly uninformed opinion about the 2009 Academy Awards. We do a round table discussion on who we think will win and who we feel should win. Will we be correct? Only time will tell so in the meantime check out all the nominees yourselves and give your opinions here!
Wristcutters: A Love Story 55:48 - 1:30:10
Such a great movie! Funny, sweet, thoughtful and also starring Nolan and Garrett (kinda sorta). Take a listen and definitely take a look!
Closing 1:30:10
So it's Garrett's turn, what fate will await us?? He says Oscar with Sylvester Stallone but....we shall see!!!
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Download the episode here!
Introduction 0:00 - 37:18
Dan watched a lot of movies, Nolan acts like a dick, Garrett watched a lot of movies, Nolan acts like a dick, I watched goddamn Zombieland, Nolan acts like a dick. See a pattern?
Oscar Predictions 37:18 - 55:48
We provide a mostly uninformed opinion about the 2009 Academy Awards. We do a round table discussion on who we think will win and who we feel should win. Will we be correct? Only time will tell so in the meantime check out all the nominees yourselves and give your opinions here!
Wristcutters: A Love Story 55:48 - 1:30:10
Such a great movie! Funny, sweet, thoughtful and also starring Nolan and Garrett (kinda sorta). Take a listen and definitely take a look!
Closing 1:30:10
So it's Garrett's turn, what fate will await us?? He says Oscar with Sylvester Stallone but....we shall see!!!
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