PODCAST: The Breakdown of the Legacy of Star Wars

Well, well, well.  We are less than a week away from one of the most anticipated movies in the history of cinema.  It is more than just a re-visit to a franchise, but a cultural event that has dominated social media and found its way into the news cycle.  What am I talking about?  The Force Awakens, the latest in the Star Wars Saga.

After the lingering dismay of the prequels, it is difficult to think that there could be such a rebound for Star Wars as we are seeing right now.  People lining up for tickets to the premiere have to be in line for a minimum of twenty four hours for a single ticket, and another twenty four hours if they wish to purchase a second one.  Around the home of the Oscars, there is four blocks of streets inaccessible to traffic, with tents already set up for the big event.

On this episode of The Movie Breakdown, Christopher Spicer and I talk about the legacy of this franchise, from what it meant to us as children, to the evolution of film that it sparked, to creating the idea of movie merchandise.  Sure, we have seen some films in theatres lately, but reviewing them seemed a little secondary to taking the time to discuss just how much George Lucas' films have affected the cinematic landscape.

You can find the podcast here, or you can also get it on iTunes.  If you like the iTunes route, which I certainly do, make sure you subscribe to catch all of the latest episodes of The Movie Breakdown.  You can find it on iTunes here.

We hope you enjoy the conversation about Star Wars as much as we did.

P.S.  Han always shot first.

REVIEW: Spotlight

What could I say after watching Spotlight?  That was the question that I had for myself when I returned from the theatre yesterday at midnight, sitting down at the keyboard to write the review.  The thoughts and emotions were so prevalent that I needed to get them out, but all I could do was just stare at the blank document and wonder.  What was worse about humanity?  The people who commit evil acts, or those who know about them and cover them up?

To be sure, watching Spotlight is no easy task, as it tells the story of a team of investigative journalists who worked for the Boston Globe and exposed systemic child molestation and cover ups in the Catholic Church.  It was difficult watching scenes where the team interviewed survivors of sexual predators, and it was equally difficult seeing scenes where the journalists deal with the weight of what they were uncovering.

What is remarkable with a film like this, or Ryan Cooler's Fruitvale Station, is the ability to take a true story where the outcome is known and still be able to take the audience through the story and leave them feeling new emotions when the end credits role.  This is thanks to both Spotlight's screenplay (penned by Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy) and the directing stills of McCarthy.  We are brought into a very real world, which makes the emotional punches much more powerful and difficult to bare.

One thing that Singer and McCarthy do well is to keep the story clean, ridding it of anything that would be otherwise thrown in to make the leads more well rounded and shining.  We almost never see them outside of their working environment, and only get small visions of what their home lives are like.  The story is about their job, and the toll that it takes as well as their determination to tell the full tale of what is happening within the Catholic Church, and by keeping the script lean every shot and scene brings strength to the narrative.  This aspect felt similar to Anton Corbijn's A Most Wanted Man.  There will be times where I cry out that I want to know more about characters, who they are, and revelations about the different aspects of their lives, but there are also times when what we learn needs to be specific, and this is one of those times.

Assisting the great directing script is one of the best ensemble performances I have seen in a long time, perhaps since last year's Birdman.  The two hour and nine minute film puts on display the full abilities in subtlety and nuance of talents Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber (possibly the best performance of his career), and Stanley Tucci.  Through each of their roles we gain an understanding of the humanity involved in searching for a dark truth.  They are all vulnerable at times, and all portray flaws and faults that are believable to their characters.

It really is a technically brilliant piece of work.  The set designs are such that you feel like you are sitting in the actual locations where the story started breaking.  While it nails all the points of what a movie should be from the physical side, it is the emotions that it leaves the audience with that is the true magic of the movie.  It is not all sunshine and lollipops in this film.  It's content is dark, and the characters are believable, thus the feelings we are dragged through can be draining, painful, and haunting.  I doubt that I will ever be seeing this movie again, but be sure to know that I am glad that I sat through it as I learned more about a true story and got a different glimpse into humanity.

Rating - 4 out of 4 stars

2015 Brings Some All-Time Greats

It is impossible to dispute the fact that October and November this year have been brutal on a number of movies entering theatres.  There have been a large number of flops, and only a few films have shown any kind of staying power.  For someone like me who enjoys taking in films and seeing the good ones prosper, it has been a bit of a depressing time.  Especially when a quality film such as Steve Jobs does so poorly that it fell behind the poorly reviewed Jobs starring Ashton Kutcher.

While it has been a sad time for the box office, with October and November trailing the same months last year by 36% and 35%, it is not indicative of the quality of films that have been released this year. With Star Wars just around the corner, I am sure that we will end up seeing a record breaking year in the box office.  Regardless of how dismal October and November have been, or what is to come in December, 2015 will be a year always remembered by me.

It is so rare these days that one sees a movie that feels like it will be an all time classic, and even rarer when I would sit down and watch a movie to be left thinking, "I think this is one of my all time favourites."  Well, in 2015, I can say without doubt that I experienced that four times, with four different genres of film.  Each of those four films easily found a way into my top five of their genre, and I figured it was time to give them some shine during this period of cinematic slump.


Ex Machina

This is a film that I have already seen three times this year.  I was enraptured by the trailers for it, and it felt like there was going to be something exciting about this movie.  Exciting is hardly the best way to describe it.  Awe-inspiring, jaw dropping, and mind blowing are all hyperboles that I would quickly lend to this slow burning piece of science fiction mastery.

The script, the cinematography, and the acting are the true stars of the show, which looks at the topic of artificial intelligence in a unique way.  It is absolutely captivating from beginning to end, and is thought provoking about the idea of what is actually natural, and what is science, and where those lines blur together.   It culminates into one of the chilling finales (or 'chinale,' as I like to call it) in recent memory.  This is one for all fans of science fiction to check out, and one that deserves a ton of Oscar nominations, although I am sure next to none will fall its way.


It Follows

When I saw 2014's Australian horror, The Babadook, I was beside myself because I had seen what was easily the best modern day horror.  That title and award lasted for only for the two weeks it took me to see It Follows.  It is easy to watch It Follows and see it as a solid horror movie without noticing all of the depth that went into the filming of it.

Very early into the film, it is clear that writer/director David Robert Mitchell is a first class fan of the genre.  All of the shots are framed in the style of a 1970s horror film, and the dialogue fits well into that category as well.  Just like The Way, Way Back, the environment that the characters are in is a timeless realm that clings to the past while being in the present.  Possibly the biggest achievement of this film, other than being legitimately scary, is the score.  Rich Vreeland composes flowing pieces for different moments of the film which have similarities, but also draw on classic horror soundtracks from the past.  Some are quick to note the references to John Carpenter in the score, but there is so much more represented, from Psycho to Friday the 13th and everything in between.

Move over Rosemary's Baby, you just got bumped from my all time top five horror list.


Inside Out

Yes, this movie cracks my top five animated films of all time, and even takes the number one spot.  I cannot think of another animated feature that has all of the fun, complexity, and depth of Inside Out.  While it is a great family feature, it speaks directly to teenagers and adults through its explanation of how the human mind and emotions work together.

Besides the fun story, beautiful animation, and funny moments, it was the thought behind it, and the touching moments that make this movie a masterpiece.  On top of all of that, you have terrific voice acting that adds such joy and vibrance to the film.  If there really is a better animated film out there, and preferably one that doesn't portray women as needing a prince to save them, I have yet to see it.


Mad Max: Fury Road

This film is the only reason why I didn't mention Inside Out as being my favourite film of the year.  Director George Miller returned to the Mad Max franchise thirty years after Thunderdome with a visually stunning masterpiece that is a definitive example of how to properly handle special effects.  With a blend of practical stunts and CGI, the whole film is perfect eye candy.  The post apocalyptic future never before has looked so good.  In fact, I doubt that any movie has looked so good.

Yes, there is a very simplistic script here, but that is alright.  Does everything in the world need to be complex?  It is more about the madness that the world has turned to, the power grabbing and the gap between those who have and those who are used.  It is essentially one long car chase, and it never grows tired and boring, thanks to the story that shapes it and the varied sequences that are unveiled.  As a straight up actioner, there are few that can ever rival this one.  Easily it is one of my top five favourite action films of all time and my favourite movie so far of 2015.