Pop Culture and Politics on the Artistic Spectrum
It was a simpler time, back in October 2001. The nation couldn’t have possibly predicted what was soon to creep up on them with almost no warning whatsoever. When Waking Life, the rotoscoping philosophical masterpiece by Richard Linklater was released to limited audiences, minds were blown. The animation style of rotoscoping—drawing the animation cells over existing… Continue reading Amazon’s ‘Undone’ is a visual masterpiece
It's been almost 23 years since we last cheered on the District Five, Junior Goodwill Team USA, Eden Hall Mighty Ducks and the country is worse off for it. In 1992, The Mighty Ducks kicked off a string of Disney children's sports films--which were all basically rip-offs of The Bad News Bears--which almost never happened. When NHL… Continue reading Disney Pre-9/11 Video Vault: The Mighty Ducks Franchise
In my last Star Wars-heavy article, I put forth an honest and complete review of The Last Jedi. I can't fully comprehend the level of hatred the film is getting; but I think it's mainly based on what I referred to as "broken nostalgia" and perhaps a little bit of good ol' fashioned butt-hurt over not getting… Continue reading The Road to Star Wars: Episode IX
As an unapologetic Star Wars apologist, I feel that we need to get several things straight right away regarding a personal and a public response to this latest trilogy installment, The Last Jedi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j78oe2QB7X4 Let's start with the personal. With the unquestionable exception of the Wookiee-related sections of the Star Wars Holiday Special, I can watch anything in… Continue reading The Last Jedi: Most Divisive ‘Star Wars’ Ever?
On November 10, Taylor Swift had the physical release for her 6th studio album, "reputation." I remember the day for two reasons; one because I rushed out to buy the album (twice) in order to move up in the priority list for Reputation Tour tickets on Ticketmaster...and two, because it was released on the 10-year anniversary of the… Continue reading A totally biased review of Taylor Swift’s ‘reputation’
It's been far too long since the last Disney Pre-9/11 Video Vault--last November, actually! Not to pat myself on the back too much, but I think I picked the perfect film to cover this time around. Disney has recently announced its plan to remake a favorite amongst Millennials specifically for the Disney Channel. But isn't every pre-9/11 Disney… Continue reading Disney Pre-9/11 Video Vault: Hocus Pocus
There are so many reasons to be a fan of horror movies right now. Hollywood has already to date released nine films on the big-screen that carry the official genre-filtering title when trying to purchase tickets online. John Squires of Bloody Disgusting reported back on February 6 that five out of the top 10 highest-grossing… Continue reading 1990 to Now: A Perspective on Horror Films by the Decade, Part 1
Is Uber over? / The Spicy Belly Caribbean and Korean Fusion / Cheesesteak Madness Brackets / Is you NCAA Bracket done? / Marvel's Iron Fist / Disney's Beauty and the Beast / Pennsylvania MAGA March / TommyNC2010 Remix / The continuing sagas of Chris Chan: The Liquid Chris Saga! DOWNLOAD the LATEST EPISODE HERE! or on iTUNES and STITCHER… Continue reading Rox Trash Radio, Ep. 25
I tried to push off my full review for the latest installment in the hopefully never-ending Star Wars saga. Everyone's posting stupid shit about this movie, and while most people have seen it, I, personally know several who haven't. So--I held off. Until now. You guys are no doubt aware of my feelings for Star Wars at… Continue reading ‘Rogue One’ Review: Waiting for Quadinaros
The second trilogy of Star Wars continues to be loathed, loved, or tolerated. I was in the loathing group, however, after years of debate, a new trilogy beginning, and new side story movies, it was time to give these films another change with an open mind. Before I begin we will get this out of… Continue reading The Second Time Around: Re-Watching Star Wars Episodes I, II, and III
SPOILER CAST: Rogue One was amazing and flawed, but still amazing. In short, it was Star Wars / The gang goes to House of Hardcore / The next installment of SagaCast: The Sagas of Christian Weston Chandler. This time, it's the Adam Stackhouse Saga / TommyNC2010 makes more eggs and sings an original song / Jose Canseco's movie is coming out / White Rabbit Project on Netflix gave… Continue reading Talking Nerdy, Ep. 225: Rogue Chan
In the 95th year of the 20th Century, something extraordinary happened. Valeri Polyakov broke the record for days spent in space on the Mir Space Station at 366. Subsequently, the TV series Star Trek: Voyager premiered on UPN. And while the opening statements began for the O.J. Simpson trial, and America was wrapped up in race-baiting… Continue reading Disney Pre-9/11 Video Vault: Man of the House
The election hype is over, and yet, some folks out there cannot seem to let it go. Well let me tell you this: I ain’t even worried about it. That’s right, not one bit. On December 16th, 2016 I will face my greatest fear: What if Darth Vader isn’t utilized properly in Rogue One: A… Continue reading My Biggest Fear of 2016
Black Mirror was a show I started watching at the behest of a lady whose opinion I can't help but trust. I'd never really heard anything about the show other than that it was "like The Twilight Zone for a new generation"...which, as a massive fan of The Twilight Zone, I have to tell you it's not. It's… Continue reading What Does Watching ‘Black Mirror’ Say About You?
This is it! The final weekend before Halloween and you need to give some love and attention to the classics. The classic horror flicks had the ability to send chills up your spine without all of the special effects and gore that is used in modern horror movies. No other voice delivers the chills quite… Continue reading Weekend Horror Flick Viewing 10/28
Admittedly…The Weeknd wasn’t on my radar until reading the Philadelphia Inquirer Music Critic Dan DeLuca’s article on the Canadian singer’s upcoming headlining performance the Sunday of the 2015 Budweiser Made in America Festival. It was surprising to see an artist (at least in my eyes) so fresh to the music scene headlining a festival with… Continue reading Fascination with Madness: Thoughts on The Weeknd
The year is 1992. The President of the United States, George H.W. Bush had been filmed vomiting in the lap of the Prime Minister of Japan. America saw that happen. To his credit, he also met with the President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, to officially bring the Cold War to a close. But to his demise,… Continue reading Disney Pre-9/11 Video Vault: 3 Ninjas
Yeah, sure--the whole karate thing is cool when you’re a kid and you think that you actually have the ability to be become a karate master like Rocky, Colt, and Tum-Tum. Well guess what, bub! You never had the ability and you never will! You’re an adult and now you’re lessons are to be learned… Continue reading 3 Ninjas Taught Us How to Prep for a Kidnapping
Netflix released part 2 of season 1 of their nostalgia, middle America fueled fever dream called The Ranch. With all of vibes of a cheesy sitcom, which is fine if that’s what it is, comes the need to not be like network television, or standard cable for that matter, and throw around fucks like there… Continue reading Why the F*ck Do They Say F*ck on Netflix’s The Ranch?
1996 was a big cultural year for America. We hosted the Atlanta Summer Olympics, which was subsequently bombed by terrorists, killing one person and injuring over 100 more; the first three-parent baby was conceived through mitochondrial donation in New Jersey, of all places; The Ramones played their final show while Bob Dole was officially nominated for President… Continue reading Disney Pre-9/11 Video Vault: First Kid
On September 28th, Luke Cage arrived in Harlem. Two days later, Netflix released the series to a universally positive response. The new series is third in a line of Marvel Netflix shows orchestrated to lead seamlessly up the The Defenders; a team that consists of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and next year...Iron Fist (along with a few introductory characters such… Continue reading Sweet Christmas: A Look at Luke Cage
Yeah, I know it’s free, but c’mon Kevin James, what the fuck are you doing? You could at least spot me $5 for sitting through that pilot episode. GOOD GRIEF it’s BRUTAL!! First, the opening theme is simple with a little jingle and a “I am not your ordinary guy!” It’s like his eyes are… Continue reading I Watched ‘Kevin Can Wait’ and I Want My Money Back
Released in February of 1994 amidst the establishment of NAFTA, the violent clubbing of Nancy Kerrigan, the end of the Clinton/Yeltsin nuclear arms chicken-match, Lorena Bobbitt being found not guilty by reason of insanity for chopping off her husband's cock, and still no sign of Israeli/Palestinian peace, Walt Disney Pictures' Blank Check was released in theaters making over $30M on a $13M budget,… Continue reading Disney Pre-9/11 Video Vault: BLANK CHECK
I decided to do this listicle as a personal challenge to myself. Full disclosure, Rob Zombie has become a bit much and his films have essentially jumped the sharknado. House of 1000 Corpses and Devil's Rejects gave us a taste of something new and interesting--a modern take on the B-Horror flick. But now that the genre has… Continue reading 31 Reasons to See Rob Zombie’s 31
It appears Syfy has discovered a formula for making bad things good. There are four Sharknado movies – four. In fact, Sharknado 2 received the highest ratings ever for a Syfy original movie. It’s bizarre how that happens, and perhaps you saw one of those and chuckled. So why not give a show with a… Continue reading The Case for Z-Nation
With Freddy and Jason in Hell, Ghost Face waiting for the turn of the century to make rich Californians “Scream” again, Candyman banished to behind the mirror and Michael Myers without a head, the summer of 1999 would end the decade without a gory drop of blood being shed -- thanks to The Blair Witch… Continue reading A Missed Opportunity to Make the Blair Witch Great Again
Comedian and rapper, Donald Glover, has been working on the FX series Atlanta for several years (since 2013), and considering he grew up in the capital city, you could argue he's been developing this series his entire life. Everything about the series feels real and lived-in. So real, in fact, that it becomes difficult to describe what type… Continue reading Welcome to “Atlanta”
There's been a lot of speculation about the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, due to its supernatural elements and all of the undisclosed "secrets" of the Upside-Down, the Monster, and Jane "Eleven" Ives. But there's one thing we know for absolute certain. The two-headed embodiment of satanic deception, the Demogorgon, is you. If you haven't watched Stranger… Continue reading This is Why We Can’t Have ‘Stranger’ Things
I was and still am a huge fan of the HBO series Eastbound & Down. The primary reason for that is that the show hit on all of the extremes of comedy, and yet somehow was able to seamlessly sneak it dark drama. Some find it humorous for the vulgarity and others find it boring… Continue reading HBO’s Vice Principals is Worth Your Time
Oh, the MTV Video Music Awards, the end-of-Summer television event that reminds us that artists still perform in front of audiences, and that Kanye West still has shit to say. Last Summer, he announced he'd run for President in 2020. That was fun, right? This year, the show was all about one thing. Well, two things. Rihanna… Continue reading RIP #VMAs 2016
The first time you heard about the movie Sausage Party you probably thought to yourself, “WTF”, which is incredibly accurate. The first time you saw the trailer you probably said to yourself, “WTF” and “I think I want to see this”. I have seen Sausage Party, and let me tell you this, it’s the hilarious… Continue reading Bath Salts & Hot Dogs: Sausage Party Review
That guy who is known for portraying Harry Potter is going to star as an undercover FBI agent who infiltrates white supremacist groups in order to prevent a terrorist attack!?! Sign me up! After watching a few interviews with Daniel Radcliffe explaining that the dialogue was so harsh he had to apologize to his fellow… Continue reading Harry Potter and the Grand Wizarding World of White Supremacy
The verdict on Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice / LexCorp doesn't like Jesse Eisenberg either / The critics have lost the hearts and minds of everyone who likes movies / What happens to Marvel stays with Marvel / The Walking Dead season finale is going to be bullshit / Dan Mansplains #Supernatural Tweets from… Continue reading Talking Nerdy, Ep. 191: Kill the Critics
DOWNLOAD THE LATEST EPISODE HERE!! or on iTUNES and STITCHER RADIO Joined by Anthony Alburger of The Fight Back Home, the Talking Nerdy crew geeks out on an all-Star Wars, all-Spoiler Podcast for The Force Awakens. You've been warned. If you did not see the movie and do not want to have key moments from the film spoiled for you,… Continue reading Talking Nerdy, Ep. 176: Star Wars The Force Awakens SpoilerCast
DOWNLOAD THE LATEST EPISODE HERE!! or on iTUNES and STITCHER RADIO The War on Goobers is declared / Chewbacca wants pictures of your expired food / Will Xander Berkeley pop up before the Walking Dead mid-season break? / Woosh wishes Dan a Happy Birthday / The downfall of Literal Porn / Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Javier Bardem… Continue reading Talking Nerdy, Ep. 173: Other-Kinspiracy
Happy Christmas weekend! This week, we bring you some fun stories from our Christmas dinner celebrations, and we let you know what it's like to be the drunk dictator of the kids' table. We've got your news of the week, had you been paying attention, and a review/discussion of Sony Picture's un-hacked and un-shown film,… Continue reading Talking Nerdy, Ep. 126: Christmas at the Kids’ Table
Director: David Fincher Writer: Gillian Flynn Studios: 20th Century Fox, Regency Enterprises, Pacific Standard Cast: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry Release Date (UK): 2 October, 2014 Certificate: 18 Runtime: 149 min Reviewing David Fincher’s “Gone Girl” is like walking on eggshells -- eggshells filled with explosive spoilers set to blow at… Continue reading Watson’s Review of Gone Girl
Directors: Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller Writers: Frank Miller Studios: Dimension Films, Troublemaker Studios, Aldamisa Entertainment, Miramax Entertainment, Demarest Films, Solipsist Films Cast: Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rosario Dawson, Bruce Willis, Eva Green, Powers Boothe, Dennis Haysbert, Ray Liotta, Jaime King, Christopher Lloyd, Jamie Chung, Jeremy Piven, Christopher Meloni, Juno Temple Release Date… Continue reading Watson Reviews “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For”
Director: James Gunn Writers: James Gunn, Nicole Perlman Studios: Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Benicio del Toro Release Date (UK): August 1, 2014 Certificate: 12A Runtime: 122 min “Guardians of… Continue reading Watson’s Review of Guardians of the Galaxy
Director: Richard Linklater Writer: Richard Linklater Studios: Universal Pictures, IFC Films Cast: Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Lorelei Linklater Release Date (UK): 11 July, 2014 Certificate: 15 Runtime: 166 min Richard Linklater's "Boyhood" is a soaringly epic yet deeply intimate journey through the life of a boy from age 5 to age 18 that… Continue reading Watson Reviews “Boyhood”
Director: Michael Bay Writer: Ehren Kruger Studios: Paramount Pictures, di Bonaventura Pictures, Hasbro, China Movie Channel, Jiaflix Enterprises Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Nicola Peltz, Kelsey Grammer, Jack Reynor, Sophia Myles Release Date (UK): 4 July, 2014 Certificate: 12A Runtime: 165 min I wouldn’t be at all surprised if audience members emerge from “Transformers: Age of… Continue reading Watson’s Review of ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’
Director: Josh Boone Writers: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber Studios: 20th Century Fox, Temple Hill Entertainment Cast: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff, Laura Dern, Sam Trammell, Willem Dafoe Release Date (UK): 19 June, 2014 Certificate: 12A Runtime: 125 min Lotsa snifflin’. “The Fault in Our Stars,” the new teen-oriented cancer weepy, is, like most… Continue reading Watson’s Review of “The Fault in Our Stars”
Directors: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller Writers: Michael Bacall, Oren Uziel, Rodney Rothman Studios: Columbia Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Media Rights Capital, Original Film, Lord Miller Productions Cast: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Peter Stormare, Ice Cube Release Date (UK): June 6, 2014 Certificate: 15 Runtime: 112 min “Everybody knows the sequel’s never quite as good,” sang Kermit the… Continue reading Watson Reviews ’22 Jump Street’
Director: Doug Liman Writers: Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures Cast: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson Release Date (UK): May 30, 2014 Certificate: 12A Runtime: 113min “Edge of Tomorrow” might just be the greatest video game movie ever made. Only, it’s not actually based on a video game,… Continue reading Watson Reviews ‘Edge of Tomorrow’
Director: Seth MacFarlane Writers: Seth MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin, Wellesley Wild Studios: Universal Pictures, Media Rights Capital, Fuzzy Door Productions, Bluegrass Films Cast: Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris, Giovanni Ribisi, Sarah Silverman, Liam Neeson Release Date (UK): May 30, 2014 Certificate: 15 Runtime: 116 min “A Million Ways to Die in the… Continue reading Watson Reviews: A Million Ways to Die in the West
Director: Bryan Singer Writer: Simon Kinberg Studios: 20th Century Fox, Marvel Entertainment, Bad Hat Harry Productions, The Donners’ Company Cast: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Peter Dinklage, Ellen Page, Nicholas Hoult Release Date (UK): May 22, 2014 Certificate: 12A Runtime: 131 min 14 years after effectively jump-starting the… Continue reading Watson’s Review of “X-Men: Days of Future Past”
Director: Nicholas Stoller Writers: Andrew J. Cohen, Brendan O’Brien Studios: Universal Pictures, Point Grey Pictures, Good Universe Cast: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Dave Franco, Christopher Mintz-Plasse Release Date (UK): 2 May 2014 Certificate: 15 Runtime: 97 min “Bad Neighbours,” the new comedy starring Seth Rogen and Zac Efron, is not a film for… Continue reading Watson Reviews: Neighbors
Director: Marc Webb Writers: Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner Studios: Columbia Pictures, Marvel Entertainment Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Colm Feore, Felicity Jones, Campbell Scott, Emberth Davidt, Paul Giamatti, Sally Field Release Date (UK): April 16, 2014 Certificate: 12A Runtime: 142 min Without doubt, the absolute best thing about Sony’s… Continue reading Watson Reviews “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”
Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo Writers: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely Studios: Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Cast: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Robert Redford, Samuel L. Jackson Release Date (UK): 26 March 2014 Certificate: 12A Runtime: 136 min Though recently defrosted from his days as a WWII super-soldier… Continue reading Watson Reviews “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”
Director: Neil Burger Writers: Evan Daugherty, Vanessa Taylor Studios: Summit Entertainment, Lionsgate, Red Wagon Entertainment Cast: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ashley Judd, Jai Courtney, Kate Winslet Release Date (UK): 4 April 2014 Certificate: 12A Runtime: 139 min Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: in a future dystopia ruled by a twisted totalitarian government,… Continue reading Watson Reviews “Divergent”
Director: Noam Murro Writers: Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad Studios: Legendary Pictures, Cruel and Unusual Films Cast: Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, Hans Matheson, Rodrigo Santoro Release Date (UK): 7 March 2014 Certificate: 15 Runtime: 102 min Buff, baby-oiled beefcakes prance about in bulging leather underpants, letting out roars of pure testosterone and swinging their… Continue reading Watson Reviews “300: Rise of an Empire”
Am I too late to be posting this? Most people post their “best of the year” lists in late December, early January, right? And this is March. Bugger. Oh well, better late than never. And hey, the Oscars were on last night, so I can just seamlessly tie it into that. Yeah, that’ll work. So,… Continue reading Watson Presents the 25 Best/Worst Movies of 2013
Director: Francis Lawrence Writers: Simon Beaufoy, Michael deBruyn Studios: Lionsgate, Color Force Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland Release Date (UK): 21 November 2013 Certificate: 12A Runtime: 146 min Like “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope” before it,… Continue reading Watson’s Review of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Director: Guillermo del Toro Writers: Travis Beacham, Guillermo del Toro Studios: Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, Idris Elba, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman Release Date (UK): 12 July 2013 Rating: 12A Runtime: 131 min “Pacific Rim” is a mega-budgeted summer blockbuster about giant robots doing battle with giant alien monsters, and… Continue reading Watson’s Review of “Pacific Rim”
Director: Shawn Levy Writers: Jared Stern, Vince Vaughn Studios: 20th Century Fox, Regency Enterprises, Wild West Picture Show Productions, 21 Laps Entertainment, Dune Entertainment Cast: Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, Rose Byrne, Aasif Mandvi, Max Minghella Release Date (UK): 4 July 2013 Certificate: 12A Runtime: 119 min The glorified 120-minute Google ad “The Internship” might just… Continue reading Watson’s Review of “The Internship”
Director: Dan Scanlon Writers: Daniel Gerson, Robert L. Baird, Dan Scanlon Studios: Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures Cast: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Helen Mirren, Nathan Fillion, Steve Buscemi Release Date (UK): 12 July 2013 Certificate: U Runtime: 104 min In “Monsters University,” studios Disney and Pixar pay a grand revisit to the world of… Continue reading Watson’s Review of ‘Monsters University’
In our 50-episode mark, we talk SUPERMAN! Man of Steel sets off a rally of comic book talk, ended with some bizarre sports news, and a fun new way for non-sports fans to play Fantasy sport games! Thanks for listening! Check out http://www.PhillyPodFest.com for ticket info for the upcoming PODCAST FESTIVAL featuring TALKING NERDY! Download… Continue reading Talking Nerdy, Ep. 50 “DAN of STEEL”
Director: Zack Snyder Writer: David S. Goyer Studio: Warner Bros. Cast: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane Release Date (UK): 14 June 2013 Certificate: 12A Runtime: 143 min A common criticism of “Superman Returns,” director Bryan Singer’s spiritual 2006 follow-up to Richard Donner’s triumphant 1980 comic-book sequel “Superman II,”… Continue reading Watson’s Review of “Man of Steel”
“Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters” is a fairy tale remix that’s Grimm in all the wrong ways, a one-joke premise that’s stretched paper-thin before the end of the first reel. Its title will remind many of last year’s “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” a goofy comic-book actioner in which America’s 16th president was reimagined as an… Continue reading Watson’s Review of “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters”
“A Good Day to Die Hard” is the worst of the “Die Hard” movies, not because of its restrictive 12A rating, nor its over-reliance on computer-generated effects, but because it is the first instalment in the 25-year franchise to treat its audience with open contempt — here is the “Die Hard" for the “Transformers" crowd,… Continue reading Watson’s Review of “A Good Day to Die Hard”
“How are you, Sheriff?” Arnold Schwarzenegger’s grizzled lawman Ray Owens is asked in the central firefight of “The Last Stand" after hurling himself through the front doors of a bakery. “Old," is his deadpan reply as he staggers to his feet and brushes the debris off his dusty leather jacket. It’s one of several self-deprecating… Continue reading Watson’s Review of The Last Stand
“The spaghetti western is one of the greatest genres, as far as I know, in the history of the world cinema and definitely in the history of the Italian cinema. The fact is that they've never been truly appreciated.” So says Quentin Tarantino, the exploitation maestro whose encyclopedic knowledge of cinema is legendary and whose… Continue reading Watson’s Review of Django Unchained
Look out at the Toulon dock on the right day in 1815 and you shall see a magnificent sight: a monster sailing ship being dragged to dry land by ropes exhaustively heaved by a raggedy chain gang who are thrashed by waves as they sing a song of slavery. This is the big opening to… Continue reading Watson’s Review of Les Miserables
The problem with “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” — and it’s a problem many fans have likely foreseen — is that it follows in the Middle-earth-shattering footsteps of a giant. Peter Jackson’s masterfully assembled “Lord of the Rings” films, based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s classic fantasy book series, arguably made for the greatest trilogy… Continue reading Watson’s Review of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
It is as remarkable a culture clash as I can recall. In a small, wooden lifeboat straddling the waves of the vast Pacific Ocean sits an Indian teenage boy named Pi and a fully-grown Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Victims of a shipwreck, they sit at opposite ends of the 27-foot boat, watching the horizon… Continue reading Watson’s Review of “Life of Pi”
In a breathtaking, action-drenched prologue that boosts the heart rate and then brings it to a sudden, chilling halt, James Bond adventure “Skyfall” triumphantly vanquishes the bitter aftertaste left behind by the enduring M16 agent’s previous escapade, the chronically arse-numbing “Quantum of Solace,” and boldly promises that great things are to come. It’s an audaciously… Continue reading Watson’s Review of “Skyfall”
Detective Alex Cross must be some kind of superhuman. He waltzes into a homicide scene, informed only of the basic details of the situation, and instantly knows all that has occurred. He knows how many were involved in the killing. He knows if the victim was drugged and whether or not they screamed. He knows… Continue reading Watson’s Review of “Alex Cross”
Few will disagree that Paul Verhoeven’s planet-hopping, ultraviolent sci-fi classic “Total Recall” is utterly bonkers — those who do disagree need to order it on Netflix or buy the DVD/Blu-ray and watch it again, this time more closely. Loosely sprung from Philip K. Dick’s mind-boggling, reality-bending short story “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale,"… Continue reading Watson’s review of ‘Total Recall’
Here is a film in which an alien menace is treated with indifference by those being menaced. “The Watch,” scribed by “Superbad” helmers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, is a science-fiction comedy in which little green men (who aren’t so little) plan to annihilate all of mankind. A buddy film, it has four male leads… Continue reading Watson’s review of ‘The Watch’
“The Dark Knight Rises” opens not with a whimper but with an ominous crack of heart-stopping thunder. In the clouded skies looming large over a desolate landscape in central Asia, a CIA plane manned by a cocky agent and three handcuffed mercenaries is hijacked by its prisoners, suspended nose-down in mid-air from a second, much… Continue reading Watson’s Review of The Dark Knight Rises
I doubt we will see a funnier character on the big screen this year than Ted, the eponymous secondary protagonist of “Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane’s feature-length debut. This is at first surprising for the same reason it becomes so obvious: Ted is a stuffed teddy bear, the kind you can make at a Build-A-Bear… Continue reading Watson’s Review of TED
“The Amazing Spider-Man” is a reboot of a blockbusting franchise that got off to a good start with “Spider-Man” in 2002, web-slung to towering new heights with “Spider-Man 2” in 2004, and lost its footing with “Spider-Man 3” in 2007. While each of those films were helmed by horror maestro Sam Raimi, this redo is… Continue reading Watson Reviews “The Amazing Spider-Man”
“Friends with Kids” is an effective comedy and an even more effective drama, though technically it’s more of a comedy. More specifically, it is a romantic comedy ostensibly not about romance but about parenthood and child-rearing, two topics that - in spite of and because of the hardships that naturally accompany them - provide direct… Continue reading Watson Reviews “Friends with Kids”
“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” is based on a true story, in a way. Part biopic and part action-horror film, it takes more than a few creative liberties in telling the life story of America’s 16th president, reimagining him as a professional slayer of demonic bloodsuckers. Apparently, when not governing the US of A, Mr. Lincoln… Continue reading Watson’s Review of “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”
The films of Wes Anderson exist in their own little world, and what a strange little world it is. As shown in his “Rushmore" and “The Royal Tenenbaums," it is an eccentric, colourful world populated with flawed individuals who wander about in unfashionable clothing and whose every reaction is almost a non-reaction. It is soundtracked… Continue reading Watson’s Review of “Moonrise Kingdom”
In his joyously vibrant comedy musical “Hairspray,” backing dancer-turned-Hollywood-movie-maker Adam Shankman transported us to 1962 Maryland, where racial segregation sadly ran rampant. In “Rock of Ages,” Shankman transports us to 1987 Los Angeles, where many things run rampant, not least of all the devil’s music - or rock and roll, to be less damning. Like… Continue reading Watson’s Review of “Rock of Ages”
Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus” intrigues with its opening scene and sustains this right up until the end credits, perhaps even after this point: hours after seeing the film, I’m still trying to wrap my brain around it. A semi-prequel to Scott’s science-fiction horror masterpiece “Alien,” it begins rather appropriately with the silent introduction of an extraterrestrial… Continue reading Watson’s Review of ‘Prometheus’
“Mirror mirror on the wall,” commands the villainous Queen Ravenna, as played - or rather performed - by South African Oscar-winner Charlize Theron in fantasy action picture “Snow White and the Huntsman.” “Who is fairest of them all?” she questions her magic mirror with sturdy self-assurance. But, much to the evil queen’s tumultuous horror, the… Continue reading Watson’s Review of ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’
Not since Marty McFly sent streaks of fire hurtling through the streets of 1955 Hill Valley has a method of time travel been so exciting. In “Men in Black III,” alien-hunting MiB Agent J (Will Smith, of course) time jumps: he climbs to the 61st floor of the Chrysler Building, steps out to the edge… Continue reading Watson’s Review of ‘Men in Black III’
Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows” is a Frankenstein’s Monster of a movie - or should that be a Frankenweenie? Like Mary Shelley’s undead creature, Burton’s gothic horror-comedy is constructed from separate bits and bobs dug up from hither and thither and hurriedly stitched together without the slightest care for sightliness or collectivity. The result is indeed… Continue reading Watson Reviews “Dark Shadows”
If there’s one thing I admire about Sacha Baron Cohen, it’s his uncanny ability to always get a laugh out of his audience. The English actor and comedian, whose award-winning “Da Ali G Show" launched a television comedy career to be reckoned with, has what some would refer to as “funny bones,” although perhaps those… Continue reading Watson’s Review of “The Dictator”
I don’t need to tell you that “Marvel’s Avengers Assemble” is the full-blown manifestation of many a comic-book nerd’s wet dream - I assume you’ve seen the film’s many marketing materials, which show Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Incredible Hulk heroically assembling, and have come to the exact same conclusion all by yourself.… Continue reading Watson’s Review of “The Avengers”
To my knowledge, “Safe” is the one and only Jason Statham vehicle to not only utilise the “odd couple” formula, but to effectively epitomise it. The film, a balls-to-the-walls actioner, is a classic case of brain and brawn, pairing a stubble-faced cockney geezer (who once rammed the barrel of a tarred-up shotgun deep inside a… Continue reading Watson’s Review of “Safe”
As twenty-four young citizens from the twelve districts of Panem travel to the Capitol to take part in the annual Hunger Games, aliens from outer space are travelling to planet Earth to play a few rounds of Battleship. Following in the plodding footsteps left behind by “Skyline,” “Battle: Los Angeles” and “The Darkest Hour,” “Battleship”… Continue reading Watson’s Review of Battleship
The characters of the “American Pie” franchise have survived high school, college and a wedding, and now it seems a reunion is on the table. Well, I say survived, but the most dangerous circumstances these horny teens ever encountered merely involved unbearable discomfort, traumatizing embarrassment and, last but not least, sexually transmitted infections (the causes… Continue reading Watson’s Review of American Pie: Reunion
Before he began assembling the Avengers (that’s Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and that incredibly incredible Hulk, by the way), “Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Whedon was helping longtime collaborator Drew Goddard (the writer of “Cloverfield") disassemble the horror genre in “The Cabin in the Woods,” a horror-comedy filmed three years ago but, due… Continue reading Watson’s Review of Cabin in the Woods
In her bestselling 2008 young adult novel “The Hunger Games,” Suzanne Collins imagined a futuristic world in which a post-apocalyptic North America (now renamed “Panem") revels in the thrills of televised adolescent violence, in much the same way that our present society revels in the intimate, private dramas of “Big Brother” contestants. In his adaptation,… Continue reading Watson’s Review of “The Hunger Games”
The thing about Indian film director Tarsem Singh is that he’s very much a visual filmmaker; take a look at his 2000 debut “The Cell” or last year’s “Immortals” and his keen dedication to catering to the viewer’s eyeballs is all too clear. And the thing about classical fairy tale “Snow White,” as written by… Continue reading Watson’s Review of “Mirror, Mirror”
It’s clash of the accents in “Wrath of the Titans,” an action-packed blockbuster sequel that’s so multicultural you’d swear you were attending or listening in on a United Nations meeting - well, you would be, had it not been for all the fire-breathing monsters and lava-spewing demons on frequent display. While apparently set in ancient… Continue reading Watson’s Review of “Wrath of the Titans”
You’ve gotta hand it to screenwriter Michael Bacall: he redeems himself pretty goddamn fast. Just two short weeks after the release of his last co-writing project, namely the earth-shatteringly dreadful found-footage party comedy “Project X,” Bacall has proven that his mouth-watering 2010 effort “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” wasn’t just a fluke, coming up with… Continue reading Watson’s Review of “21 Jump Street”
With a title like “Project X,” you could be forgiven for assuming that music video director Nima Nourizadeh’s feature film debut is a science-fiction film; there was, after all, a science-fiction comedy released in 1987 also called “Project X,” starring a fresh-faced Matthew Broderick alongside a trained chimpanzee named Willie. The “Project X” of 2012,… Continue reading Watson’s Review of “Project X”
Almost a full century after its publication in 1917 and following decades of über-successful cinematic byproducts (I’m looking at you, George Lucas), Edgar Rice Burroughs' pulpy science fiction adventure novel “A Princess of Mars” has finally blasted its way onto the silver screen with a passionate, tremendously talented director in tow and the significantly less… Continue reading Watson Reviews “John Carter”
More of a bad script-picker than a bad actress, Katherine Heigl has certainly plummeted in public opinion since her shining performance alongside chuckling funnyman Seth Rogen in Judd Apatow’s phenomenal 2007 romantic comedy “Knocked Up.” In the five years following the film’s release, Heigl has taken on leading roles in such cinematic turds as “27… Continue reading Watson Reviews “One For The Money”
There’s something oddly enticing and almost appealing about a character who is a dangerous and cunning sociopath. Look back through the history of cinema and you will find many characters of this ilk in villainous and anti-hero roles, most notably cannibalistic mass murderer Hannibal Lecter from “The Silence of the Lambs” and clown-faced criminal mastermind… Continue reading Watson’s Review of ‘Safe House’
“Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” is an absolute headache, and I’m not just talking about the sloppy 3D. What I am talking about is a furiously mediocre sequel-slash-reboot to a comic-book stinker from 2007 that saw Nicolas Cage wearing shiny biker gear and having his dodgy hairpiece set on fire along with the rest of… Continue reading Watson’s Review of “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance”
Josh Trank’s “Chronicle” further intensifies the stigma of being a creepy loner, almost as much as Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” and Michael Powell’s “Peeping Tom” did all the way back in 1960. The only difference here is that the creepy loner in “Chronicle” is not a psychotic serial killer, but instead a teenage boy who is… Continue reading Watson’s Review of ‘Chronicle’
The premise of “Man on a Ledge” naturally calls for a constant assortment of nausea-inducing visuals; I trust you can decipher the reason why just by reading the film’s brilliantly blunt title. The film takes a man, takes a ledge and places the man on top of the ledge; it’s as simple a concept as… Continue reading Watson’s Review of ‘Man on a Ledge’
The fact that “Carnage” is based on a stage play is very evident in the way in which the film is presented to its audience; if it weren’t already based on a play, I’m sure I’d be recommending that a stage production be based on the film. The play in question here is the Olivier… Continue reading Watson’s Review of ‘Carnage’
“Young Adult” marks the second collaboration between talented screenwriter Diablo Cody and very talented director Jason Reitman. The pair’s first film together was “Juno,” the surprise smash-hit comedy of 2007 about a teenage girl whose likability depended almost entirely on one’s tolerance for quirky-turkey dialogue. “Young Adult” is slightly different; it too is a comedy,… Continue reading Watson Reviews ‘Young Adult’
from attorneyguy. This video failed to make it to my New Year breakdown of the Best and Worst Music Videos of 2011. This was due to a combination of seeing the video after I'd already created my lists, and also that the video appears to be comically independent. But no matter, I'm pumped and prepared… Continue reading Worst Music Video of 2011: Addendum
SAILOR TWIFT BLOG 