Category Archives: My Favorite Movies

ANNIHILATION: States of Change

Change is a scary thing. Evolution in our brain’s synapses, physical growth or decay as part of our natural human state, succumbing to our surrounding environments or circumstances. Alex Garland’s Annihilation continues his career long fascination with closing people off from an outside world and turning them into something else entirely. This can be found most prominently in his directorial work, Ex Machina and his unofficial directing credit on Dredd, but it’s also a thematic through-line on his writing work from 28 Days Later to Sunshine. His writing puts protagonists with a problem through metaphorical meat-grinders with few moments of solace. A viciousness that permeates every line of dialogue until the closing frames. His protagonists look back on the experience as something horrifying but something that made them ultimately stronger. But Garland has found another angle in his directorial work. What if he put them through severe changes in Ex Machina and Annihilation, and it wasn’t clear whether or not coming out the other side was any better? What if our perception of change was fluid and our understanding of it was void?Continue reading “ANNIHILATION: States of Change”

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: VOL. 2 & Structure Through Emotion

“I’m gonna make some weird shit.” 

It’s a hilarious revelation Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord offers as he realizes his true potential as a possible God (little “g” on the days they’re feeling humble). I like to imagine this line was also the mentality behind the pitch writer/director James Gunn made when he told Marvel Studios about his plan for the second adventure of the Guardians. Not content with simply world-building, this new story focuses on building the characters.Continue reading “GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: VOL. 2 & Structure Through Emotion”

BATMAN RETURNS: Twas the Dark Knight Before Christmas

Batman Returns might be a terrible adaptation of the caped crusader. Forsaking the comic book origins of a man who will not kill, Tim Burton’s sequel to the cinematic game-changer delves further into a heart of darkness. Though this iteration comes at the expense of individuals who have had their humanity taken from them by status in Gotham’s economical hierarchy.Continue reading “BATMAN RETURNS: Twas the Dark Knight Before Christmas”

Batman (1966): The Best Batman Movie?

“The nobility of the almost-human porpoise.”

A god damn riot. Sincerely hilarious without an ounce of cynicism in its body. Goofy, referential, amazing setup/punchline ratio set in the wondrous Technicolor world of 1966’s Gotham City.

Every bit as defining as the Nolan trilogy, BATMAN: THE MOVIE plays with groundbreaking satirical elements of the character, his iconography and the political climate of the 1960’s. Deadpool couldn’t even muster a wet dream about this level of comedy.

Through everything, Batman also retains a sense of optimism about its characters and a legitimate conflict by the finale. It leaves us with a sense that people can be better, and how they might even do better.

Also, this exchange:

“Avast and belay, Batman! Your tone sounds rather grim. I hope we haven’t done anything foolish!”
“Disposing of pre-atomic submarines to persons who don’t even leave their full addresses? Good day, Admiral!”

Incredible. Listen on SoundCloud, YouTube and iTunes.

LOVE, SIMON: One Year Anniversary

Jack: Hey, I thought maybe we could sign up for grindr together.
Simon: You don’t know what grindr is, do you?
Jack: It’s facebook for gay people.
Simon … not what it is.

A charming as hell movie about growing up, coming out, and the validity of experience. Fuck ups, dishonesty and disregard for others identity are the only things that hold these characters back from overcoming obstacles in this story. A comfort blanket made of warmth and acceptance in a world that sometimes offers very little. I love this sweet little movie.

In honor of the one year anniversary, Let’s Talk About LOVE, SIMON:

THOR: God of Thunder and Humility

Thor is director Kenneth Branagh’s sweeping fantasy film and character epic. It’s a superhero movie focused on the truest form of heroism: selflessness. Thor is a literal god, played by hyper-masculine and disarmingly handsome Chris Hemsworth. We know he can throw down with the best of them. However, he lacks humility. The first lines we hear from a young Thor are him as a child, mistaking power for worthiness. “When I’m king, I’ll hunt the monsters down and slay them all!” To which Odin, father and king replies, “A wise king never seeks out war, but he must always be ready for it.” Of course Thor plows through countless enemies, even gigantic beings of frost and war. It’s all he understands. Thor’s journey isn’t one of achieving physical strength, but one of embracing humility.Continue reading “THOR: God of Thunder and Humility”

MIAMI VICE: Heavy Skies & Fabricated Identity in Media Res

In the original Miami Vice (1984 – 1990), mood and atmosphere were favored over conventional plotting to justify a meditative state. The 2006 adaptation followed suit, but rather than display its presentation on traditional 35mm film stock, director-writer Michael Mann opts to capture the fabric of aughts Miami with an experimental digital look. The heavy noise of early digital continues the trajectory Mann dabbled with during the filming of Collateral and Ali. The immediacy has an almost fourth-wall breaking quality; our eyes recognize the images as something authentic, but everything within the audio/visual frame informs us of its alien nature; a heightened but tangible view of a world just outside our own.Continue reading “MIAMI VICE: Heavy Skies & Fabricated Identity in Media Res”