Nicolas Cage and John Cusack: Reunited and it doesn't look good.

So currently I am in between films reviews. But have no fear World War Z, White House Down, and Man of Steel should be coming soon. Also I am trying to put together a video review thing soon or later. But in the mean time I would like to ask all of you to watch this trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0_mrDgDe4w

The trailer is for an upcoming thriller called Frozen Ground which is based on a real life spree of serial killings in Alaska during the 80's. To me this actually sounds like a good premise for a movie, I am thinking something along the lines of Zodiac in the snow. Unfortunately it is set to star Nicolas Cage and John Cusack as the head detective and killer respectively. Now this is now direct snub to these actors, in fact I really like both of them. Cusack and Cage both have a certain cheesy charisma that reflects back to the glory days of both their careers. And in those glory days they actually starred in another movie together called Con-Air. If you haven't seen Con-Air it is about as cheesy as a mid 90's action film could get, and it was all the better for it. It is a failure as a movie on many levels, but it is so ludicrous that it is undeniably watchable. Just watch this clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waziKjv_2qU

Taken out of context, you might think that was taken out of a comedy. But it is dead serious. And yes that is John Malkovich really shooting at that helicopter! Something like that will keep the most cynical man smile all day. But obviously Frozen Ground is not that type of movie. In fact Frozen Ground looks more like the Christopher Nolan film Insomnia. Insomnia is another film about a serial killer set in Alaska. And it also had an actor hamming it up as the lead detective (Al Pacino) and an actor primarily known for comedies giving a surprisingly subtle performance as the killer (Robin Williams). Now Insomnia is not a great flick, in fact it is a mess of a movie that falls apart in the third act. But there are things I like about it. And I have serious doubts that Frozen Ground will be half as good as it.

Now I very well could be wrong, but just listen to this. Frozen Ground is being made by a first time director who has decided to cast both Vanessa Hudgens and 50 Cent in major dramatic roles. That doesn't really instill me with confidence. And casting John Cusack as a serial killer just seems like a horrible idea. Now Cusack has pulled off performances in thrillers and horror films before though, but he usually sticks to playing the protagonist. John Cusack is a very likable actor and casting him in the lead saves the screenwriter some time explaining why we should be rooting for our hero. But Cusack playing the antagonist may spark a little unintentional hilarity, as may the appearance of Nicolas Cage.

I'm sure that anyone who is reading this is well aware of the path these two actor's careers have went down. Both have been in a slump as of late, and from the look of it neither realize why. It is because they are taking parts in absolutely shit movies. Both actors have been very hit or miss since the early 2000's, almost all being misses truthfully. Which is a damn shame because I think the early 2000's had some of their best roles. Cage had Adaptation and Matchstick Men, and Cusack had Being John Malkovich (Alright that was late 1999) and High Fidelity. Now I realize that both of these actors (Cage to a much larger extent) have been reduced to jokes on the internet, but I truthfully do enjoy them overall.

Both have given abhorrent performances throughout their careers, but I can never say that they were boring. Cage in particular always gives an interesting performance despite how terrible the film is. And John Cusack is so charming that watching him sleepwalk through a movie is still somehow endearing. Let me put it this way, most action stars are completely replaceable. Cage and Cusack will make the worst film still entertaining on some level. So after that I say this next part with a heavy heart.

Both seem to be horribly miscast. Now I have not seen the film but just from the trailer I am going to guess that this is a serious drama. Now from previous experiences I have noticed that Cage does much better when let off the reins and is allowed to be as nutty as he wants to (Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call). And in a straight drama there is typically little to no nuttiness allowed. And I think I already explained why Cusack as a serial killer is a bad choice. But lets be honest I am probably going to end up seeing this anyway.

Anyway have you guys seen the Wolf of Wall Street trailer? Cause that looks pretty frickin sweet! Martin Scorsese, Yeezus, Jonah Hill's big glasses, and a game of what appears to be "midget darts". What more can you ask for?

Oh, that's what.





-SP McDonald

Review: This Is the End

This Is the End is one of the most anticipated films of the year. And for good reason. It is based on a short film whose hilarious trailer has teased me and my friend for around half a decade. And is being written and directed by the writers of Superbad and Pineapple Express, Seth Rogen (who also stars) and Evan Goldberg. This Is the End also stars members of the Apatow-troupe Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Jay Baruchel and James Franco, all of whom have spent the last decade or so making films that range from comedic brilliance to horribly flawed, building a large group of fans as well as detractors. And for those looking forward to this movie I doubt it will disappoint.

You see, lead circus master Judd Apatow approaches film making in a way many people find offputting. He relies heavily on surrounding himself with very funny people and letting them loose to play off each other in between shooting scenes. This style can be hit or miss and can often lead to a funny but unbalanced film as well as creating tonal inconsistencies that have plagued many of the recent Apatow features. And even though This Is the End gets it all right, some will still not enjoy this movie. Even the best of the Apatow and Company movies aren't for everyone. My three favorites (Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Superbad) are each disliked by many and I can fully accept that. Comedies, perhaps more than any other genre, are prone to be polarizing. There are comedies that simply do not hit my funny bone and I can accept that, though it doesn't make me hate the movie any less.

This Is the End hits that funny bone right on the mark and the movie is a hell of a lot of fun. I was initially very concerned about how this film would turn out. Goldberg and Rogen being first time directors worried me as well as their often uneven writing, not to mention the lack of Apatow himself being involved with the project. However all of those fears turned out to be false and the movie was not only hysterical but also a downright good movie. The film features many celebrity guest stars playing themselves but it all comes down to the 6 main characters. Each of these characters seem to be exaggerated versions of the actors themselves and all six have strange relationships with the others.

The show-biz hating Jay Baruchel is visiting LA and staying with his old friend Seth Rogen. Rogen in this movie has been absorbed into the Hollywood lifestyle and they seem to be moving in separate directions. Rogen takes the reluctant Jay to his friend James Franco's party. Jay hates all of Seth's new Hollywood friends and goes solely to please him. At the party they meet a coke snorting Michael Cera, an angelic Jonah Hill, and an art obsessed James Franco who seems to be Seth's new best friend. Many other comedians come in playing broad versions of themselves but what really sells the movie is the personal relationships between Franco, Hill, Rogen, Baruchel, Robinson, and McBride. Especially the friendship-love-triangle between Rogen, Baruchel and Franco.

The script works in its big moments of epic destruction as well as the small moments of just 6 people sitting around waiting. The script is surprisingly full of heart and every actor seems to want to be there. In fact the actors in this movie seem like they are having a hell of a good time, which helps to propel the movie forward through the moments of comedy that don't particularly work (especially Emma Watson and The Back Street Boys thing). The parts that don't work are few and far between and none of the jokes really outstay their welcome.

Just by amount of laughs the movie is not quite at the level of my personal top three but it is pretty damn close, surpassing Pineapple Express, Anchorman, and Role Models, and landing just above Funny People and just below 40 Year Virgin, which is a pretty damn good place to sit considering how much I admire a lot of Apatow's work. This Is the End is not for everyone but it is an absolute blast and is by far the best comedy I've seen this year.





-SP McDonald

90's Classics: Silver Jews-American Water

Silver Jews never got the attention they deserved. Perhaps that is due to their sound differing drastically from that of most of the 90's alt-rock scene, a scene that their sister-band Pavement thrived in. For those of you who are unaware, Silver Jews was founded in 1989 by David Berman, Stephen Malkmus, and Bob Nastanovich. Nastanovich and Malkmus went on to form Pavement and Silver Jews was left as Berman's baby. And the band, for better or worse, was a showcase for the lead singer/songwriter's eccentricities. The band never toured (until 2005) and they released a string of iconoclastic albums focused around Berman's immeasurable lyricism. Often overlooked, Silver Jews created some fantastic music and Berman has become an acclaimed, often mythicized, poet.

American Water is their finest hour (48 minutes actually). Not one of the 12 songs could be called filler and each one serves its purpose on the album. It seems as though every element fell into place. Berman was not only at his peak of lyricism but also at his apex as a band leader. Stephen Malkmus sits on lead guitar and does some of the best playing he has done in his entire career. Mike Fellows (of Royal Trux) plays a bluesy relaxed bass. And Chris Stroffolino plays keyboard and trumpet to liven up the mix.

The album was recorded in the famed Rare Book Room, famous for capturing the warm texture of sound of a live performance. And while listening to the album it's hard not to picture the band sitting around jamming loosely while drinking beers and watching a muted television. That isn't to say this album lacks any instrumental flare - Quite the contrary, in fact. Malkmus buzzes off a storm of guitars as Berman slowly plucks in a more traditional roots rock structure on Blue Arrangements. And The Wild Kindness uses Stroffolino's keyboard and trumpet quite liberally.

All of that comes into an album with a rich and comforting atmosphere that could be likened to driving down a midwest highway. I see all the roads Berman has been down and all that I have and will go down. The roads are ever changing yet American Water knows what that will always look like. The album feels truly timeless in a way few do. Perhaps that is due to Stephen Malkmus and Berman often singing together, creating a universal aura to the often hyper-personal songs Berman writes (the downfall of The Natural Bridge, Silver Jews' previous album).

What it all comes down to is Berman's lyrics, though. And his work is absolutely stunning on this album, the kind of stuff that bridges the gap between his more straightforward personal works and his surrealistic works.With American Water Berman takes on the U.S. of A. and leaves us a portrait of shitty diners, dark alleys, nights spent laying on grass, and roads that might take you to where you have always belonged. This album is filled with some of his deepest and most approachable works. And with Berman's lazily wry delivery he can turn lyrics like this into something that not only seems coherent but familiar:

"Nobody cares about a dead hooker
Looking like one, standing for money
Life finds a limit at the edge of our bodies
A stranger begins wherever I see her.

Let's live where the indoors and outdoors meet
All the kids in the commonwealth are free.
Every morning you forgive me, every evening you relive me
And the pattern itself is what you give me
(the morning has cut a deal with the east)."

The album ranges in styles from pop (People) to country (Honk If You're lonely) to folk (Random Rules) and more pavement like rock (Night Society). But it refuses to be defined by the some of it's parts. American Water is a collection of great songs but together it builds an atmosphere that is something monumental, despite it being fairly basic musically. I guess sometimes an album can't be perfectly explained and it must be experienced. And this one is begging to be experienced. Next time you are cruising down a rural highway put this album on and it might just describe what you are seeing. Or just lay back in bed and let it sweep you away into its world. This album is filled with a lifetime of beauty and experience and it deserves to be listened to.

Since 1998 the Silver Jews have toured Israel, Berman has tried to kill himself, he has renewed his faith in Judaism, and he has retired from music. The Silver Jews are now defunct and I am betting it will be for good. We still have American Water, though, to remind us of the beauty of the American highway even with all its faults. Much like the country it represents, American Water isn't perfect, but in my experience it is the little imperfections that make something genuinely magnificent. Sometimes I have to remind myself of that. And for that I am glad we still have American Water, and I'm glad we always will.

-SP McDonald

The Inbetweeners Hits the Big Screen, Misses the Mark.

The Inbetweeners Movie is the highest grossing British comedy of all time. So why did a relatively low budget movie based on a foreign television show make so much money? Well I think it comes down to two factors: 1. It was a raunchy teen comedy (a genre believed to be dying) 2. The large fan-base that the show has accumulated over time. Now despite the shockingly large amount of cash this film made, I think that this move to the big screen has the two factors conflicting with each other.

I attribute the success of the original television show to the universality of the characters and situations. The show realistically shows what it is like to be a teenage male in the suburbs, a demographic that has been pandered to since it was first discovered to be a money maker in the 1960's. The show isn't just for teenage boys though, it is a series written with a lot of heart and intelligence  Most of the time the boys are ridiculed and disparaged, instead of just getting into wacky antics and then winning the women over like in your typical American Pie knock off. The guys in Inbetweeners are unmistakably losers, they never get the girls and are constantly making buffoons out of themselves while trying too. The one thing they do have is their close-knit friendship.

Will (the nerdy newcomer), Simon (the hopelessly romantic schlep), Neil (the kind-hearted idiot), and Jay (the pseudo-lady's man) could have all fallen into their respective archetypal character's cliches. But instead the series' writers treat the characters with such honesty that they feel real. The show's creators Iain Morris and Damon Beesley wrote every episode of series and each episode feels like a genuine experience for the characters as they seem to mature, reluctantly albeit. And when it ended with a simple camping trip before they all went their separate ways it felt like an authentic way to end the series.

The Inbetweeners movie takes it upon itself to tack on an extra ending to the series. And it falls into many of the typical traps a movie based on a TV show falls into. First of all, they amp everything up too much for the "transition to the big screen". By doing this they limit a lot of the subtleties that made the show so great in the first place. And secondly it feels like the writers are merely asking the audience to "watch these characters get into an adventure" instead of showing a story about the characters themselves. The movie is light and charming and feels like a weightless romp in comparison to the TV show. Sure the characters all mature at the very end of the movie, but after watching them act like idiots the whole film this sudden revelation for all four characters feels disingenuous.

I mean, each character learning that their respective negative personality trait was wrong at the exact same is the type of cliche that the original series steered clear of. In fact the whole movie is filled with stuff like that. The four main characters act like irredeemable assholes yet the women still swoon. This is the antithesis of what that show was about. This movie doesn't feel realistic in the slightest. It almost feels like the ending of this movie exists in some strange alternate universe of the original show where everything works out and everybody learns "a very valuable lesson"

Now that's not to say that this movie was all bad. In fact I think it succeeded on a few levels. The film captures all the raunchy glory of the original show, although it is a bit too reliant on gross out humor. It is also nice to have a farewell to all the secondary characters like the main character's parents and especially Greg Davies as the always funny Headmaster Gilbert. But the main attraction of this film is seeing the characters one last time. I'm not gonna lie, I fell in love with the four main characters and seeing them in a new adventure was well worth it.

The problem with that is those unfamiliar with the show have no reason to love these characters. Each character is broader than they were in the show, especially Simon who acts as though he has a serious mental deficiency throughout the film. I could actually understand why many film goers would dismiss this movie as a typical shitty teen comedy. And I wouldn't blame them if they did. The film is about the four friends having "one last adventure" on a summer vacation to Crete. They wear funny t-shirts, hit on girls, drink a lot of booze, and we see more than enough penises. And this movie offers quite a few laughs but what it doesn't offer enough of is heart, unfortunately that is what makes a film like this work (a la Superbad, Clerks). And it is something that the original series had in spades.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChXiZh6Y1AE





-SP McDonald

Adventures in Tromaville: Poultrygeist.

For those of you who don't know what Troma Entertainment is, it is a film production and distribution company started by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz that could be called the epitome of classless schlock. I don't mean this as an insult, I love schlock when it is done right, and Troma does it perfectly, with some style to boot. They have a certain approach to film making that arouses memories of both 50's pulp films and 70's exploitation and yet feel as though they might be mocking those same genres. Now this might sound like the Grindhouse movie Rodriguez and Tarantino did a few years ago, but Troma is not ironically doing campy stuff for comedy, they are just a little bit too serious about their schlock.  In fact no one really knows how in on the joke Troma is, and that is part of what makes them so interesting.

Troma rose to prominence in the mid 80's with the Toxic Avenger series, Class of Nuke 'em High, Troma's War and moved into the 90's with Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD, Terror Firmer, and peeking with their 1996 masterpiece Tromeo and Juliet. After that Troma fell on hard times, they mostly just distribute older movies now, and Lloyd Kaufman rarely directs. But is 2006 they made this movie using a cast and crew who worked for free and who lived in a church while filming. And I've got to tell you this movie doesn't disappoint. Poultrygeist not only holds up the Troma legacy but is one of their best.

Now let me explain, I am not a big horror movie fanatic, I like some horror films but I am nowhere close to being obsessed. And I by no means liked this movie as a horror movie. And anyone who knows me will tell you that I am a HUGE believer in the principle of a film being able to be so bad it is good. I love bad movies, but that is not the reason I liked this movie. I liked this movie because it was more fun than I can remember having while watching a movie in a long time. It is so much fun that I had the immediate sensation that I wanted to watch it again. That is pretty rare.

The premise is this: When a young man named Arbie has his girlfriend (Wendy) leave to college and return to town as a lesbian he gets revenge by taking a job at the newly opened fast food place that Wendy and her college friends are protesting. It turns out that the fried chicken joint was built on an Indian burial ground and the spirits are out for revenge. The movie in traditional Troma fashion is full of cheesy gore and gratuitous sex scenes, but this movie also has some fun with the fast food setting, incorporating a lot of shit and vomit as well. Unlike most other Troma movies though, this is a musical. By that I mean it has a few original musical numbers along with its mostly early 2000's pop-punk soundtrack.

The main attraction here is the comedy though. This movie is filled with jokes, something many Troma films have but almost never get right. This one does. The jokes are in the movie but they aren't funny, what is funny is how bad the jokes are. The comedy in this film is so offensive and sprawling that it is itself the joke. Or at least I think it is. Again it is hard to see how in on the joke Lloyd Kaufman and company are. Either way Poultrygeist does not have a dull moment in the movie and there was not a split second when I wasn't entertained.

Troma has this brilliant way of doing trash. They are audacious, original, and most of all wild. In the first scene of this movie our two lead characters have sex in the Indian graveyard while a zombified Indian fingers our unknowing hero's ass all while a red neck ax murderer watches and masturbates. I mean where else can you see that? Now I know maybe not everyone wants to see that, but I did, and I never even knew it! Who knows maybe I am just sick.

The movie makes fun of everyone in grand fashion, and is by no means afraid to take on the edgy stuff. Kaufman has got a lot of chutzspah and on this one he holds nothing back. Everyone is a target and everyone gets it good. From racist corporate mascots to hypocritical college elitists, no one is left unscathed. It is very Trey Parker/Matt Stone (whose first film was distributed by Troma) like in its broad attack at everyone. And  whether it hits or misses its sheer absurdity is fascinating.

This movie is filled with so many strange moments to come back to. As well as some very bizarre vegetarian overtones. Lets just say this movie is not subtle. Sure some people will call this film offensive or abhorrent or disgusting or distasteful or repugnant or repulsive or revolting or opprobrious or even just plain bad. But you know what? Fuck those people. Sure this film is polarizing but you know what it certainly is not? Forgettable. Maybe when we live in a world where bland, middle of the road, lowest common denominator, pablum is constantly shoved down our throats an unforgettable film can be viewed as a bad thing, but not to me. So if you're like me, and like stark originality, wild comedy and cheesy gore try this movie out. Sometimes it takes a Troma film to remind you that mediocrity isn't an inevitability.





-SP McDonald

Star Dreck: My Journey into Darkness.

I guess you could say that this isn't a review more like a run down of the movie and everything that upset me about it. If you haven't seen it, reading this will SPOIL the movie's plot. It is my very biased personal opinion. I almost feel guilty writing it. If you have seen the movie and disagree, just write a comment and we can discuss it. So here we go.

90's Classic: Ed Wood.

Tim Burton has fallen hard recently. His style is a parody of what it once was and he has basically lost all credibility as a filmmaker. Plus, I never really liked him all that much to begin with. There was a certain time in the early 90's when Burton really looked like he would become a premier auteur of his time. Burton was making both critically praised films (Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice) and block busters (Batman, Batman Returns), no simple feat for a director. He was achieving what few had ever done, maintaining credibility as an artist and making enough money for the studio that he was able to fund his own passion projects.

Ed Wood was the pinnacle of this. A stylized biopic about a cross-dressing director who is often referred to as the worst filmmaker of all time. The writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszeski, fresh off the awful Problem Child movies, treated the subject matter with a surprising amount of maturity, grace, and above all love. The film is a love letter to Wood's films as much as it ridicules them. The two writers really show of their USC degrees, adapting Rudolph Gray's novel Nightmare of Ecstasy into a script full of rich characters, touching moments, sharp dialogue, and lots of laughs.

As much as it pains me to say it though, Burton is who takes the script and makes it into a classic film. He shot the film in black and white, which brings Burton's absurd costumes and flamboyant charms the restraint it needs to feel timeless. The movie is full of so many beautiful little touches in the sets and costumes that you almost feel like the film is daring you not to be entranced by this story. It's the little moments of this film that dazzle me, the intermingling of Wood's real life and the films he writes, the way Wood is shot while watching his masterpiece, and of course the scene where he meets his hero Orson Welles. Burton gives us a flare for character and story instead of beating us over the head with his style and art design like so many of his other films. This film gives us the substance with enough flare that we won't forget it.

The cast is wonderful as well. The characters we knew from Wood's films are done admirably, such as Jeffery Jones as The Amazing Criswell or Lisa Marie as Vampira. As are the characters we have not seen before, Billy Murray's Bunny Breckinridge is a definite stand out. The really great performances though are given by the two leads. Martin Landau, who won an Academy Award for the performance gives Lugosi both the humor and the unquestionable sadness that came along with growing old and becoming forgotten. From the moment he comes onscreen I was so convinced by his performance that I genuinely forgot an actor was playing the role. Every second Landau gives to the movie he is Lugosi! Johnny Depp gives a different type of performance. His character is not so wrapped up in subtle intrinsic reaction of a human being lost in a world that has forgotten him. The character of Ed Wood, and I call him a character because I strongly doubt the man this way, is as though he has walked out of a classic film. Wood is both a character structured around the emotions and reactions of that of a classic Capra film and a parody of those very same character traits. He is a walking caricature in a world that is both grimly realistic and terrifyingly surreal.

Every response that Wood has is that of the goofy films from the 30's 40's he so resembles. The dramatic scene near the end of the movie where he loses faith and goes to a bar is not really dramatic! Wood goes there because he is a film character in movie. That's what HE does in the middle of the third act. The film knows it, the audience knows it, Wood knows it, it's the just the people around him that do not understand. The film strives for more than just being a meta-films and that is why it is so much more than mere screenplay gymnastics. Johnny Depp's Ed Wood is both aware and clueless, he exists as a celebration of an era of films and a showcase of the naïveté of such films. He is a confliction by design, yet above of all he represents the existential conflict of the artist, too walk the line between undying optimism and facing the reality of your limitations.

All these players, (the actors taking small or strange roles, the writers leaving their comfort zone, and a director who held back his stylistic urges just enough in order to tell a gripping story) they all gave us something special here. A movie that is enjoyable, original, and thought provoking on many levels. This movie is a hidden jewel in the filmography of an actor now know for playing a funny pirate, and a director now most remembered for multiple shitty remakes of classics and a animated musical (used primarily to sell things at Hot Topic) which he didn't direct. Did the star and mastermind of Ed Wood know that this would be their respective fates? Probably not. But in a way the masterpiece they made together says more about it than I could. A film about trials and tribulations of an artist, and wondering "In fifty years, when people look back, what will they remember me as?". But I can say that, if there is any justice in the world THIS is what you will be remembered for.

-SP McDonald