Film Follies, Worth it?

Worth It?- Lucy

Luc Besson. Check. Morgan Freeman. Check. Scarlett Johansson. Check. Really if you want me to see a movie any one of these names is enough to get me interested. Put all three together and I can guarantee you that I will see it at some point. So when Lucy came out to mixed reviews I was more than a little perplexed. Given that I had a lot of other things going on at the time I decided to wait to pick up the film on DVD to check it out. Which makes it a perfect film for this month’s edition…

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Character Study, Film Follies

Character Study-Hannibal Lecter

“I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.” With those words Hannibal Lecter became a legend. Anthony Hopkins portrayal of the psychiatric psychopath won him a leading man Oscar for a grand total of eighteen minutes of screen time. Hopkins would reprise the role twice more but he was neither the first nor the last to bring Hannibal the Cannibal to life. In fact there are some who would argue that Mads Mikkelsen’s take on the character on television’s take on Thomas Harris’ novels. With that show having ended its spectacular run last Saturday (if you…

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Film Follies, Worth it?

Worth It? – Kingsman: the Secret Service

Avid comic book fan that I am Mark Millar’s body of work is well known to me. His run at Marvel included work on The Ultimates, Ultimate Fantastic Four, and the Civil War comic event. All of which are some of my absolute favorites. I also very much enjoyed his creator owned titles Kick-Ass and Wanted. So I have to admit that I’m a bit ashamed that I didn’t realize Kingsman: The Secret Service was based on one of his books until it was already out of theaters. Now just because a movie is based on a Millar comic doesn’t…

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Film Follies, Worth it?

Worth It?- Robocop (2014)

In today’s installment of Worth It? I venture into the world of science fiction to check out the recent remake of cult classic Robocop. This 2014 film was supposed to be the start of a new franchise but with a mediocre box office and less than favorable critical reviews it looks like those plans have been scrapped. Despite all that the new Robocop does have its fans and a pretty talented cast that includes Michael Keaton, Gary Oldman, and Michael K. Williams so I figured I’d give it a go. To be honest I was pleasantly surprised to find out the…

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Film Follies, How Have You Not Seen That?

How Have You Not Seen That?- Groundhog Day

Ever feel like you’re stuck in an inescapable loop. That no matter what you do you’re trapped to repeat the same patterns over and over again? That you’re doomed to wake up to Sonny and Cher every day for the rest of your life? Well you’re not alone. And if you think you are it’s because you’ve not seen the subject of this month’s installment of How Have You Not Seen That?: Groundhog Day. Long before Bill Murray was a t-shirt he was a genuine movie star. And in 1993 he was at the height of his powers, somewhere between…

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Film Follies, Worth it?

Worth It?- Horns

Can Harry Potter pull off an American accent? If you play David Bowie backwards can you hear the Devil speak to you? Is being friend-zoned a special kind of hell? These questions and more will be answered in this edition of Worth It? when we check out the trippy 2014 horror/crime film Horns staring Daniel Radcliffe. Radcliffe plays Ig, a radio DJ who has been accused of raping then murdering his longtime girlfriend. The movie begins with a shot of the couple happy together in the woods than transitions to Ig waking up on his kitchen floor from a bender.…

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Film Follies, Subtitle Subversive

Subtitle Subversive- Okuribito

One my goals with this Subtitles Subversives series is to examine films that are not only excellent but give insight into a culture that you and I might not otherwise have. Something powerful that takes us far away from Hollywood and its studios. Okuribito is just such a film. Titled “Departures” for western audiences Okuribito is a film about life disguising itself as a film about death. The movie follows Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki) as he gives up his dream of being cellist and returns to his hometown with his wife. Needing to find work Daigo answers an ad for…

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Character Study, Film Follies

Character Study- Susan Vance

There are many shining examples of the screwball comedy but only Bringing Up Baby ever managed to team up Howard Hawkes, Cary Grant, and Kathrine Hepburn. In what is undoubtedly the greatest movie ever to feature a leopard as a central plot point Kathrine Hepburn shines as Susan Vance, daffy fast-talking heiress extraordinaire. Or at least that’s my opinion. Hepburn’s role in this film is a surprisingly divisive one. Some find her character over the top and grating. Some find her to be a quick-witted icon for women the world over. And some people think she’s just a funny actress…

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Film Follies, How Have You Not Seen That?

How Have You Not Seen That?: Casablanca

Of all the blogs, in all the interwebs, in all the world you stumbled onto mine. And I for one am glad you did because today we’re going to be talking about an all-time classic and perhaps the most quoted movie ever. That’s right in this edition of How Have You Not Seen That? I make the rather easy case for Casablanca. Made in 1942 this wartime film stars Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid in one of the greatest love triangles ever put on film. Not to mention Claude Rains and Peter Lorre in fantastic supporting roles. Put…

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Film Follies, Worth it?

Worth it?- Cuban Fury

So the last couple of films we looked at in Worth It? were American films that fell rather short in the laughs department and I know no better way to rectify that than to go across the pond to our British brethren. When StudioCanal and Film 4 get together I’m rarely disappointed and when I came across Cuban Fury I just had to check it out. Nick Frost, Chris O’Dowd, Rashida Jones, and Ian McShane together in a movie about competitive Salsa dancing? If that sentence doesn’t get you excited then you’re reading the wrong blog. And boy did my…

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