Category Archives: Featured

DCRS vs Focus

This week we had a snow day, so Dan, Becky and a new voice Khalil talked Will Smith’s new movie Focus. Becky talks about her 50 Shades of Grey experience. Khalil tells us about beating The Price is Right. Brennan shares with us an interview with Heidi Lee Douglas, director of ‘Little Lamb.’ A short film that premiered at Fantastic Fest and also played at Dark Matters’ Horror Bites! All that and more on The Directors Cut.

Horns Movie Review!

horns_ver3_xlg

It’s been over three years since the last Harry Potter film hit theaters. Three years since we last saw our beloved Hogwarts heroes say their farewells. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson have long moved on from those roles, and yet it still seems hard for movie goers to see them as anyone else. I even included myself into that group. At least I did include myself in that group. Now, I’m starting to see them for the actors and not their characters. Well, Not all of them. While it was much easier to see Emma Watson and Rupert Grint as them and not Ron and Hermione, It wasn’t as easy with Daniel Radcliffe.

After watching his films The Woman in Black and Kill Your Darlings it started to fade, but I still saw him as Harry Potter. Even with his show A Young Doctor’s Notebook with Jon Hamm I couldn’t shake Potter away from Radcliffe. I mean, He is the main character. He is Harry Potter. He would be the hardest of the three to see as anyone else. However, after watching Radcliffe’s latest film, Horns, I’ll never see him the same again. And I mean that in a good way. Horns is a dark fantasy film from director Alexandre Aja, and is based on the novel of the same name by author Joe Hill. The story follows Ig Perish, played by Radcliffe, a young man whom everyone in his hometown believes is a murderer.

One year ago, Ig’s long time girlfriend Merrin was found dead in the forest. Word spread, along with a few lies, and the town quickly believed Ig was the man who did it. One morning, after a drunken tirade the previous night, Ig woke up with an unusual new…addition. He found two horns growing out of his forehead. Not only that, but people began acting differently around him. Spilling deep secrets and showing their darkest and most twisted sides of themselves. At first, Ig is freaked out and completely upset by this curse he now possesses. Eventually, he sees this curse as a blessing in disguise, and uses it as a way to find out who really killed the love of his life.

Now, I’m a big Joe Hill fan. I haven’t read much of his novel work, but I love his comics. Specifically Locke and Key, which is such a great series! So, when I heard his book Horns was getting adapted, I was ecstatic! I love the story so much. It’s kind of like Paradise Lost with a modern twist and vibe. To see that story play out on film, with Daniel Radcliffe as Ig, left me truly excited. I was even more ecstatic when I saw the film was for sale digitally on the Playstation store! Long before it’s intended theatrical release date! I mean, who wouldn’t be excited to see a movie way before it’s supposed to come out?

I bought the HD copy, watched it a few times, and I’m happy to say I really ended up enjoying this film. First and foremost, Daniel Radcliffe is pitch perfect. No joke, this is the best performance I’ve ever seen from him! And it’s a very different performance than anything he’s done before. He’s dark, he’s grungy, he’s hysterical, he’s raw, and I love every second of it! I could honestly say if anyone else was in the role, I probably wouldn’t have liked the film as much as I did. Radcliffe made this movie, and it shows. The other performances are pretty good, and the chemistry between everyone works great. Especially between Radcliffe and Juno Temple whom played Merrin. I’ve enjoyed her in pretty much every movie I’ve seen her in, and this is just another example of her great skills.

I honestly can’t really think of anyone that I didn’t like. I mean I think Heather Graham, in the 5 minutes shes in the movie, kind of hams it up, but It works with what’s happening to her character. Visually, the film is beautiful. Aja really plays up the fantasy style for the look of the film. Especially during the scenes in the forest. You feel like you’ve entered a different world, just as the characters did. Great approach, for sure. One thing I found iffy and a bit jarring was the tone. It’s kind of all over the place. One minute the film is a truly hysterical black comedy, and the next it’s an emotional drama. Some points, the humor and the drama really work, but there were times it just wasn’t right. Like it felt off to do something funny at this moment or sad at this moment, you know? That happened a few times.

It really is hard to tell what tone the film wanted, but that really didn’t keep me from enjoying the story and the characters. So I can easily forgive the films tonal confusion. That being said, the one thing I can’t forgive is the predictable outcome. From the beginning, I knew who the real killer was. Seeing as how the story was sort of a whodunit deal, That’s the last thing you want to be predictable. I mean, I still liked how the film wrapped, but I wish they left in more mystery as to who really did it, you know? Ultimately, Horns is a very different film, but a film I really enjoyed. And its a movie I’d recommend to anyone. Especially so people can see how awesome Daniel Radcliffe is in it. Horns is released in theaters this Halloween, and is available now on all digital outlets!

I give Horns a 4/5

Gotham Series Premiere Review! (COMICS!)

gotham.0_cinema_1200.0

If you know me, you know I’m obsessed with Batman. I don’t really remember when it started. I just know I am. It feels like it’s been this way since I was born. When I was younger, It was all about the movies and the cartoons. The comics didn’t really come into the picture until I was a teenager. Once that happened, my obsession grew to unimaginable heights. When I was a kid, the obsession was Batman centric. When I got older, and read the comics, it was everything. Batman AND his world became incredibly fascinating to me. I began to fall in love with characters like Commissioner Gordon, Dick Grayson, Selina Kyle, Alfred Pennyworth, The Joker, The Penguin, The Riddler, and the rest of these colorful and dark people.

However, what I really grew to love was Gotham City itself. Such a dilapidated, scum filled, mysterious, rotten to the core city. A place, a hell on earth, that truly needed someone like Batman to save it. So, when DC Comics announced they were making a television show about how Gotham became the city we know, I was ecstatic. A show that explores the beginnings of one of the best fictional places ever? Who wouldn’t be excited?! Finally, after a long wait, Gotham has premiere on FOX. So, this first episode starts right at the beginning. A young boy and his parents walking down a dark alleyway after a great time at the movies. Suddenly ambushed by a mugger, a man of the night, eager to snag their valuables. To end this encounter, the mugger shoots and kills the young boys beloved parents. This boy, as you should know, is Bruce Wayne.

Moments later, Detectives James Gordon, our main character, and his partner Harvey Bullock arrive on the scene. While Bullock ponders ways to avoid being involved with this case, Gordon makes a promise to the young Wayne. He will find and capture the man who killed Bruce Wayne’s parents. Afterwards, we travel to some of the blackest pits of Gotham as Jim and Harvey try to solve the Wayne murder case. This is episode one in a nutshell. Once the credits played, I was sporting a big grin on my nerdy face. This was really a wonderful pilot. There were a few points where I felt the show needed work, but I was satisfied non the less.

First of all, I gotta say how much I love the look of this show. Honestly, I haven’t loved the look of Gotham City this much since the Tim Burton Batman film from ’89. Not that I didn’t like, say, the Nolan Gotham City, but I’ve always been a fan of the more art deco/gothic style. I would say this Gotham is a perfect marriage of Burton and Nolan’s Gotham Cities. A bit more Burton than Nolan, but it’s a nice mixture. I also loved just how dark and brutal the city was. A first episode is mainly about showcasing what to expect tonally and stylistically from the rest of the series. I feel this pilot did that incredibly well. A true portrayal of how Gotham should be. Nothing like how R Kelly described it! Yea! I’m calling you out, man! I hope you’re still trapped in that closet, you jerk!

Anyway…Gotham also showcased some stellar performances. I really loved Donal Logue and Jada Pinkett Smith the most. Logue is the perfect Bullock. His look, charm, and attitude works so well for Bullock. Pinkett Smith plays a brand new character named Fish Mooney, a character I quickly loved. I can’t really think of many female crime bosses, so it’s nice to see one for a change. A really awesome one. I can’t wait to see more of her. As far as the rest of the cast, everyone was pretty solid. Ben McKenzie was quite good as a young Gordon. Not as humble as I’d like him to be, but still a man with a heart of gold. Fun fact! This isn’t McKenzie’s first time in Gotham. He actually voiced Batman in the animated Batman: Year One. While he was decent as a Young Bruce Wayne, I like him more as a young Gordon.

Speaking of Young Bruce Wayne, David Mazouz was spectacular as Bruce Wayne. He did a great job capturing the fear and intensity of Bruce. The most emotional bits in the pilot where because of Mazouz’s wonderful portrayal. Now, while I really enjoyed this episode, it wasn’t without flaws. For example, the episode was a bit predictable. Mainly because we’ve seen Batman’s origin story a lot. I mean, everyone knows how Batman became Batman. We’ve seen it and read it a million times. So, it was hard to really be surprised. Thankfully, the pilot took a few nice turns to make things less familiar. Along with predictability, This first episode was a bit cheesy. I don’t mind cheese, but it was a tad much at times.

Also, I wish we got more of Selina Kyle. She doesn’t really do much expect sneak around in the background. However, episode two is called “Selina Kyle” so I suspect she will be getting a bit more screen time soon. One little nitpick I have is the character Ivy Pepper. Ivy Pepper is supposed to be a young Poison Ivy. Now, this might be too early to say since I don’t know their plans, but that is not Posion Ivy! Why couldn’t she be named Pamela Isley? I hope this is just temporary, and the character gets a name change or something down the road. Ultimately, though, I really dug this episode. I remember hearing some Batfans complaining this show would suck simply because Batman isn’t in it. Well, can a Batman related show work without having Batman in it? Yes. I think it can.

I’ll give Gotham “Pilot” Episode an 8.5 out of 10.

Review In Your Eyes and The Other Woman and Interview Cast of Favor

This week we review the new Joss Whedon written movie In Your Eyes, also we review the Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Kate Upton movie The Other Woman. Plus we interview Patrick Day and Blayne Weaver from Favor. Brennan interviews Frank Pavich Director of Jodorowsky’s Dune. Plus we count down the top ten infidelity movies. And we talk to Russell Pinkston our Middle American Movie Reviewer gives us his take on Heaven Is For Real and The Quiet Ones. ThatOtherWoman_InYourEyes

Her & Inside Llewyn Davis

Yeah, we’ve talked about these movies before, but we’re going to talk about them again, because they’re now in wide release. We also talk to Johanna Mateo and Toni Tantlinger from Move The World Productions about their project “Becoming Nick” and their other upcoming projects.

For more information about Move The World Productions check them out here:
Website Address: www.movetheworldpro.com
Facebook: facebook.com/mtwproductionsllc
Twitter: twitter.com/movetheworldpro
Other: Instagram.com/movetheworldpro

We will also count down your top ten movies of 2013. So join us here.Her-and-Inside-Llewyn-Davis

The Top Ten Best and Worst Movies of 2013

This week we each count down our top ten favorite movies of 2013. We also reminisce on some of the worst movies and movie moments of the year. Plus we take your calls! We’ve moved our live taping to Saturday mornings, so please join us Saturdays 11:30 AM ET / 8:30 AM PT. Please find us on Facebook to vote for your favorite movies of 2013 so we can count them down on our next week’s show.

Batman: Arkham Origins Review + More!!! (COMICS!)

946883_581160231916473_1362792469_n

HELLO EVERYONE!!! Man, it feel’s like it’s been forever since I posted something! How have you all been? Good? Bad? Hopefully the former and not the latter. ANYWAY, I am back and I’m ready to rock! For today, I have a video game review…and a Movie review and a Blu-Ray review.

That’s right, folks. I review three big geeky things in my latest video. First up, I take a look at the blu-ray release for the most loved and hated superhero movie of 2013: Man of Steel. If you don’t remember, I actually enjoyed the film a lot, especially after a few more viewings, but how is the blu-ray? Watch the video and find out!

Also, I take a look at Thor: The Dark World, which is the latest film released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I was incredibly excited to see this movie. I mean, who wouldn’t be? You have a Game of Thrones director tackling Thor! Who wouldn’t be pumped! All that being said, was it all worth it in the end? Again, watch the video and find out! Finally, I review the latest Batman game to hit the shelves: Arkham Origins.

This item takes top billing this week, mainly because I felt this would grab more attention than the other two things. Either way, all of this stuff is reviewed! It’s pretty exciting, right? Anyway, as usual, if you want to watch the videos, click on the pretty picture above! Also, if you like what you see, go ahead and subscribe to my YouTube channel: Channel23hahaha!