Saturday, July 20, 2013

Only God Forgives (2013)

When his older brother is killed, Julian (Ryan Gosling), a kickboxing club owner, is sent out to seek revenge by his controlling, criminal mother. Set against a Bangkok backdrop of neon lights and bloodied fists, Only God Forgives was a change of pace for Drive's director Nicolas Winding Refn.

The Conjuring (2013)


After the groundbreaking success of Saw and Insidious, there were no doubts about how director James Wan's newest fright-fest The Conjuring would terrify and amaze horror audiences around the world. Unsurprisingly, Wan didn't fail to deliver one of the scariest films in recent years.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

6 Movie Pairs You Should Watch As Double-Features


Unfortunately, the double feature has become a dead art form. As movie-goer attention spans decrease, and movie running times continue to increase, double-features are no longer marketable and appealing to the majority of audiences around the country. Most recently, Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's Grindhouse was released as a double-feature, and Pixar's Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were shown as a special 3D double-feature in anticipation for the release of Toy Story 3. However, just because you can no longer see two films back-to-back in a movie theater doesn't mean you can't set up your own movie nights. The following pairs are films with similar themes, characters, plots or any other connection that make them work together perfectly as a double-feature.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Pacific Rim (2013)


Where to even start when talking about this massive blockbuster? Pacific Rim begins with a brief history of the world as it is. Alien invaders have arrived, but they did not come from the stars, the creatures have opened a transdimensional rift beneath the Pacific ocean, from which giant beasts emerge to terrorize coastal cities. The humans, with no defenses left, initiate the Jaeger program; massive machines, piloted by two humans, built to defend mankind from the kaiju menace emerging from the sea. 

Before I say anything else about Pacific Rim, I must say this: You need to see this movie. 

Friday, June 28, 2013

World War Z (2013)


To be completely honest, I was skeptical to the point of almost passing over seeing World War Z. As a fan of the original novel, I knew that a big-budget adaptation starring Brad Pitt would differ greatly from the unique narrative style Max Brooks utilized in his book. Due to these preconceived notions, I didn't have very high hopes when I finally did get around to checking this zombie film out, and I found myself pleasantly surprised.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Power Rankings: Quentin Tarantino

Power Rankings is a series where I'll select a director, actor, writer, artist, etc. and rank their 5 best pieces of work. 

Tarantino is a name that has become synonymous with film. His films never fail to excite audiences around the world, and he has become one of the few filmmakers out there whose movies sell out opening weekends while remaining popular and important to the hip, overly critical crowd of internet critics and unrelenting purists. He first hit the scene with his indie hit Reservoir Dogs, followed by his magnum opus Pulp Fiction, a film so iconic and memorable that it still remains relevant 20 years later, it's poster still gracing college dorm rooms around the country. Unsurprisingly, choosing 5 pieces of work to represent Tarantino is a difficult task, so let's take a look at just what makes Tarantino so great.

Man of Steel (2013)


Despite mixed reviews from fans and critics, Man of Steel is undeniably the movie that will dominate this summer. It has already destroyed many opening weekend box office records, passing last year's The Avengers. It seems that Superman, a character gently nudged aside by Batman in recent years, may finally be back on top.