See who Breakaway Daily was rubbing shoulders with at the Copperhead premiere last week and you could win yourself an official movie prize pack consisting of a signed Copperhead   poster, book, and movie ticket! (Scroll down for more info) Ron Maxwell, director of Gettysburg and Gods And Generals, returns to the Civil War for his latest film, Copperhead. Inspired by the Harold Frederic book, The Copperhead, the film stars Billy Campbell, Peter Fonda, Angus MacFayden, Francois Arnaud, and Augustus Prew.

Find out more about Copperhead and read my review of the film here!

I felt very privileged when I was invited to attend the Special Maritime Screening of Copperhead at the Fredericton Playhouse on June 6th. Ron Maxwell chose Fredericton for its Canadian premiere based on his love of the people and the film industry in New Brunswick. This marks the first Canadian screening of Ron Maxwell’s new civil war drama that is set to hit theaters at the end of this month! This film was shot entirely on location at the Kings Landing Historical Settlement near Fredericton last June. The historic settlement provided a ready-made set for the film that is unlike any civil war film before. I met with the director Ron Maxwell and some of the talented cast at the premiere. Check out all the interviews, and my in-depth coverage in the video below! You will also see behind the scenes footage and photos of the cast on set! You can even win yourself an awesome Copperhead movie prize pack by answering a question from the video!

Copperhead Giveaway!

Breakaway Daily and my  friends at “Copperhead” are celebrating the release of this film with an exclusive contest where you can win an awesome prize package consisting of…    Read More →

In Man of Steel, I didn’t believe a man could fly. What I saw each time Superman took to the skies was an effect; a combination of pixels dancing under constant tight zooms in an effort to elevate the action and push the audience even more into the moment. It worked for some; but for some critics and audience members it was simply exactly what it was. No elevation, no grandiose feeling of flight, and no illusion that this was really, truly happening. The battle at the end, though well-choreographed and excellently edited, was a mish-mash of visual character manipulation, crumbling buildings, and a rousing score. Maybe this is all a very round-about way of asking the simple question: Did Man of Steel earn its CGI ending?

If you look at premise, the answer is yes. It’s a Superman film. It’s a superhero film. It’s a sci-fi film. Those three elements alone call for a justifiable excuse to use CGI as far as talking about the execution of a picture. However, a movie also has a responsibility to earn its own computer-generated effects in terms of what kind of story it tells and how well it tells it.

Man of Steel tells a very human story. It’s a movie about isolation, personal redemption, identity, and faith; four characteristics of feelings people feel practically on a daily routine. It paints two worlds: Krypton and Earth. Krypton has a major advantage in the oncoming debate, seeing it starts the film. With the opening sequences, you can accept Krypton as a computer generated universe, because the universe is, in itself, a method for telling the story. It’s a location and is where the story takes its development. It’s alien to us; it’s something we have never seen and are likely not to see again. Its purpose is to establish, not entertain.

However, when we move the feature to earth, we suddenly have a whole new set of rules for graphics. The world becomes real and we have a reality we are familiar with becoming the establishment. That means the brunt of the story must come from characterization, seeing as the film isn’t concerned with making our world visually enthralling. And here’s where the issue comes into play: Man of Steel does little to nothing for characterization for practically any character. Not a fault to the actors, who play each to the best of their ability, but a faulty script makes them all feel inauthentic and unnatural. Because of that inability to be real, the boom-slam-bang finale is incapable of being more than dancing computer programs doing what the film has told us they have the capacity to do.

Let’s take another example to help ease us into this a bit more. Last year’s biggest hit, The Avengers, also gets down and dirty with a rousing 45-minute special effects finish. There are a few elements that separate this ending with the likes of Man of Steel and Transformers (elevated battle dynamic, introduction of new elements, teamwork), but what really sells this finale is the establishment of the characters, something Marvel Studios has been working on independently since 2008 with Iron Man. Joss Whedon’s script allows for each of the human characters to battle human emotions of fear, isolation, and failure just as much as they do each other. So, why is it okay for The Hulk to be CGI in The Avengers, but not Superman in Man of Steel? First of all, it is okay for Superman to be a CGI character, despite the fact that because he is a man (or looks like one) he probably shouldn’t be. Superman’s powers allow him complete justification of special effects. Where the two divulge is characterization.

Bruce Banner’s intro into The Avengers and Clark Kent’s in Man of Steel are not too dissimilar. Both are two good men working around the world for fear that their “real” identities would not be accepted by the general public. You already have two characters, similar in nature and personality, haunted by the necessity of their isolation. The big difference? Banner has been shunned. Kent’s fears are primarily theoretical. At this point in The Avengers, people are petrified of the Hulk. But at this point of Man of Steel, no one knows Superman (as a figure) even exists. It’s possible this could be less an issue with the film and more a by-product of the characters’ exposures throughout the years in comics (everyone’s always afraid of Hulk, no one is afraid of Superman). The entire time I watched MOS I just kept thinking to myself, “Dude, you’re going to be Superman. Everyone is going to accept you. Why are we taking so long with this?” But I felt justified in sympathizing with the Hulk, especially after hearing Banner was practically incapable of committing suicide.

Because of Clark Kent’s inability to be real when he is just a person, there’s no emotional payoff when the movie turns on his powers with special effects. He’s become something performed doing fake things. There’s no substance to relay the excitement of him being a hero.

Animated films are sometimes the best to look to this because they celebrate both aspects of the debate; the visual stupor as well as the development of characters. Is Pixar a powerhouse because they’re able to deliver amazing animation or amazing characterization? Trick question: they give you both. Plenty of films go in one direction. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (another Snyder film) has arguably the finest animation you’ll find today, but the characters are completely forgettable. I’m not the biggest fan of the animation in the Ice Age films, but the characters sell incredibly well (or at least, they used to). It only makes sense that this kind of logic appears in live-action features as well. If your movie is going to play in the realm of massive, big-budget special effects, and if you want someone to fully be invested in character and story, you have to fully expand those characters and stories. A lack of investment means we’ll come away impressed with your special effects, but we’ll also be completely conscious to knowing what was and wasn’t real. Yes, movies are built on suspension of belief, but too much suspension and we’re practically wasting our time. We have to get something real and authentic out of each movie, whether it changes or challenges us or not.

The Transformers in the Transformers movies are glorious to watch battle, but there’s no heart because there’s practically no heart to them. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II is just as action-packed (if not more) than The Avengers or Man of Steel or Transformers, but you’d be hard-pressed to walk away from that film without realizing the humanity of those characters. So, what’s the lesson here?

Maybe it’s that special effects for spectacle’s sake worked in the 90s, but we’re now at a point where we’ve been so desaturated with the advancements of special effects that we need a reason to justify them. And that justification doesn’t just come from big toys or big powers; it has to come from a complete investment into the story and characters.

Workshop Theatre is holding film nights on Fridays! The purpose of these film nights is to socialize with our members and discuss great films. Film and theatre go together and this is a great place to meet other film fans. Let us know if you have any film suggestions.

Workshop Theatre’s next film night is this Friday, June 21, 2013 at the space. The show time is 7:30

There will be 2 movies: Children in Heaven, a film from Iran, and a short film by our very own Nuafal Gilani.

Seating is limited, so please RSVP by end of day Thursday, June 20 at info@workshoptheatre.org

The films will be at our rehearsal space:
Bay 10, 415 – 60th Avenue SE
Calgary, Alberta

Related articles

• Workshop Theatre Film Night! (workshoptheatre.wordpress.com)

Matt @thebustedcouch
Jerva @jerva

Become a fan on Facebook.

YouTube Channel

Today I made the questionable decision of forcing myself to watch the movie Safe Haven even though I knew I would find it irksome and distasteful. I guess I thought making myself angry would encourage some bits of wisdom or self-discovery. WRONG-O. I just got super bored and began contemplating how life is inherently awful. Seriously, two hours of snooze-dom. Offensive in its inoffensiveness. Unless you are one of those people that live for movies about two vanilla creamsicles falling in love over a period of A HUNDRED AND TWENTY MINUTES…. this shit is not for you. Oh my god, both the leads have perfect, tanned physiques. Kill me now. There is no hope for humanity.

There is definitely an entire genre of film dedicated to WHITE PEOPLE IN LOVE, without any interesting side-characters or subplots or ANYTHING. AUUUGH. Who is responsible for this ridiculous swath of spineless sludgery? NICHOLAS SPARKS DUH. That man. Someone needs to shut that shit down. Apparently he thinks he is the next Ernest Hemingway. HOOO-WHEEEE dude no. Hemingway never would have listed an acne-free adolescence as a reason to love someone. Yes, I mentioned that tidbit from A Bend in the Road in my previous post and I am still seething over it. NO ONE CARES IF YOU HAD PIMPLES IN HIGH SCHOOL OR NOT BLAAAARGH.

Anyway yeah, that dude’s shit is fucking terrible. Here is the formula. Two attractive honkies. Add in two heavy issues such as serious illness or recent trauma. Mix well and THERE YOU GOOOOO. Usually a lame “twist” near the end as well. “Oh but Shaggsie that is not a bad formula many writers use that shit”– NOPE, IT’S MANIPULATIVE AND AWFUL. The issues he clunks into his books might as well be from a mad libs list of “difficult yet palatable human issues.” Motherfucker never gets REAL. I will explain why and how this is true as I describe to you this horribly bland movie.

First of all, I hate these movies where a “troubled” young woman relocates to a small town and her transition period is 100% easy and painless because PEOPLE IN SMALL TOWNS ARE SO MUCH NICER THAN THE BIG BAD CITY FOLK HOODLY HOO DON’TCHA KNOW IT. I just re-watched Sleeping with the Enemy and the exact same shit goes down. After escaping their horror-filled pasts, both Julia Roberts’ and Julianne Hough’s characters find jobs and a nice place to live in their new sunshiney small town in about FIVE FUCKING MINUTES. OH MY GOD. THOSE ARE THE TWO HARDEST THINGS TO DO EVER FOR SOMEONE RESTARTING THEIR FUCKING LIVES. AHHHH AHHHH. Julianne Hough gets a job as a waitress despite her FAKE UNVERIFIABLE IDENTITY and total lack of phone. What if they need to call her for an emergency shift? Oh but this is a small town there are no emergencies ever! Everyone just sits around drinking lemonade in the town square despite THE GREAT RECESSION AS IT IS NOW CALLED. If shit is all hard-timesy in the big bad cities, I can only imagine the employment scenario is 1000x worse in small towns.

So Julianne Hough gets a job as a waitress and immediately finds a very adorable and affordable cabin to live in. WHAT THE FUCK?! Oooo but it’s a fixer-upper! NO IT’S GREAT SHUT UP I WOULD KILL FOR THAT SHIT. She doesn’t even like need a few months to save up for a down payment?! HER WAITRESSING JOB COULD BE PART-TIME, WE DON’T KNOW. But bladdy blah all that shit don’t matter ’cause we gotta move this love story right along! Oh man, it is because of shitty movies like this that I have always had a fantasy about running away to a small town and becoming a waitress and restarting my life. But because I am a pessimistic asshole I cannot allow myself actual fantasies, and even in my head I am immediately rejected by the townies for being a city girl and become homeless and eaten by dogs within weeks of moving to Shitsville, Iowa or where ever the fuck.

“Oh but Shaggsie it is not this movie’s fault that you are so negative” YEAH YEAH, I am a crazy downer but this movie is still laughing in the face of logic. A more true-to-life scenario can be found in North Country– Charlize Theron leaves her abusive man to move back to her hometown with her children, where she lives with her parents DUH and is subsequently the victim of heinous sexual harassment at her coal-mining job. And this shit is true-to-life because IT IS ACTUALLY BASED ON REAL LIFE. And real life is awful and devoid of conveniently-priced cabins for endearing runaways. Mmmmmf.

After Julianne Hough gets situated, the whole movie is basically her and Josh Duhamel almost touching hands and smiling at each other while they hang out with his kids. Coooool. Seriously, she steps right off her stupid bus and this handsome strapping man is running the gas station with his two adorable children. WHAT ARE THE ODDS?!?! Also, why are there no black people in this small Southern town?! Were they chased out?! I get really creeped out when movies set in the South refuse to acknowledge the existence of black people. NOOO THAT WILL JUST CONFUSE PEOPLE LET’S JUST MAKE EVERYONE WHITE. Okay, WEIRDOS. Why couldn’t one of the romantic leads be not-white?! Come onnnn Hollywood. Get some balls. NO NO WE ARE AFRAID TO SCARE AWAY OUR AUDIENCE omg if the audience is that pathetic and racist they DO NOT DESERVE TO BE WATCHING MOVIES ANYWAY HELLO.

Another thing this movie and basically all movies get wrong are THE EFFECTS OF TRAUMA. Sure, they throw trauma a bone by giving Julianne Hough a few nightmares and flashbacks, but duuuudes shit goes deeper than that. Maybe she is super repressed and just trying to keep shit together for now, but at some point girl is going to have crying fits and shaking fits repeatedly for a long period of time and she will have to engage in some serious therapy. From what we can tell, her husband was abusive on a regular basis! That shit DESTROYS YOU. She was living in a state of constant fear and unsafe-ness. That is straight-up murder on the brain. Awful stabby-stabbin’ chainsaw murder. And just because you find a nice new man who is very tall (yes, Josh Duhamel is hot wutevz), this does not CURE YOU OF YOUR TRAUMA PAIN.

OOO BUT LOVE CURES ALL NO IT DOESN’T. It can certainly help but it is not going to do all that mental healing for you. God if only things were that simple. Coming from someone who has simultaneously been in love and been through some bad traumz, shit ain’t no cake walk. Seriously, if Julianne Hough’s character is going to be actively dealing with her pain, lady will be going through weepy times, shakey times, depressed times, angry times, afraid-to-go-outside times, the list goes on. Lots of different stages and none of them pleasant. This movie does not accurately represent the LANDSCAPE OF HORROR that is getting through an abuse-ridden past. Nope, it spends way more time showing Josh ‘n’ Julianne laughin’ it up and building sandcastles at the beach with the kiddies.

Indeed, most of the movie’s emotional gravity is placed on the representation of the abusive husband character. SPOILER Julianne Hough didn’t kill her husband like it seems at the beginning, she just shanked him after he tried to choke her to death because she took his wine bottle away for half a second. He is an alcoholic detective breakin’ all da rules in order to hunt her down because he is mad that she stabbed him and even more mad that she refused to stick around for more abuse. We get to see him drive around all sauced-up and it’s like uggggh dude you are a gross one. We see the true face of evil when he is rude-ish to Josh Duhamel’s adorable daughter. YOOOU DEVILLLL.

Good always defeats evil in the surreal universe created by Nicholas Sparks, and Julianne Hough manages to shoot this dirtbag after he tries to set her on fire for refusing to come “home” with him (AIN’T NO HOME). But once he dies, everything is chill! NO JULIANNE HOUGH IS STILL MENTALLY SCARRED. So is Josh Duhamel’s daughter now that she almost got burnt-up in a terrible fire. THERAPY AND COUNSELING FOR ALL, FOREVER! No no in Nicholas-Sparks-Land they will just go to the beach and chill out HA HA. Whatever, movies. At least give me like one shot of Josh Duhamel holding Julianne Hough as she cries uncontrollably. And no pretty-crying, I demand terrible snot-ridden gasping sobs reminiscent of a dying elephant seal. Real sadness ain’t pretty, yo. So get real or GET OUT.

“Ohhhh Shaggsie you are always bitching about how movies aren’t realistic but isn’t that the point”– WHATEVER, MAN. All I know is that when I see a movie that represents real life in any fashion, I get a huge “maybe-someone-out-there-gets-it!” boner. It is like when you meet a person with similar values to yours after losing hope in everything and everyone like ten thousand times. That is the best feeling. Definitely better than the feeling you get after choking down a bunch of half-assed lies the movie industry has created for you in order to feel like HEY MAYBE LIFE IS OKAY (AS LONG AS I AM HOT AND ARYAN). It is like the difference between getting happy from eating a bowl of candy and getting happy from realizing you are an awesome human.

One more weird thing– the bonus “twist” in this movie is that the woman who befriends Julianne Hough turns out to be the ghost of Josh Duhamel’s wife who died of cancer. Who is sticking around on Earth to make sure Julianne Hough is not a murderous sociopath bent on cutting up her children. This shit is supposed to be heartwarming but it is actually super creepy, and if I were Julianne Hough I would have a MENTAL BREAKDOWN upon hearing that I had been chilling with a ghost for the past few months. I would retreat into the mountains, never to associate with humankind again in case they were SNEAKY SPY-GHOSTS IN DISGUISE. Because WHY WHY WHY. And everyone just smiles about it like “ooo it’s our cool and uplifting supernatural secret.” Hmmmmmmmf.

If you are looking for a PLEASANT romantic movie with no black people nope none at all, this flick was crafted especially for you and your VERY BLAND FILMIC PALATE. It’s aiight, I get that movies are for going on a little trip outside yo’ real life where everything is chill and safe. The only danger is in confusing movie-land for real life, which some people seem to do. I don’t really blame them because it is more pleasant-seeming after all. But kiddies, don’t let ya-self get duped into thinking life is all fancy-free, cause if it turns out to be shitty sometimes it’s gonna feel like a kick in the head. Just a reminder from your cranky aunt Shaggsie, restarting your life after traumatic events and subsequently falling in love with some dude ain’t no trip the beach and MOVIES AREN’T REAL NOPE NOT ONE BIT. We wish they were but helllll to the no. Ain’t no “fixer-upper” cabins waiting around for a pretty and emotionally scarred woman to scoop them up. THAT JUST DON’T MAKE SENSE.

June 28th will see the Australian horror-comedy, 100 Bloody Acres, hit VOD platforms and I’ve got a handful of new stills and a trailer for you guys to take a look at. Conveniently they’re covered in all of that red stuff we enjoy so much around these parts! Written and directed by Colin and Cameron Cairnes, the flick stars Damon Herrriman, Agnus Sampson, Anna McGahan, Oliver Ackland, Jamie Kristian, and Wolf Creek’s John Jarratt.

Take a look at the new stills and trailer below and try not to get any on you!

In 100 Bloody Acres, brothers Reg and Lindsay Morgan are struggling to keep their organic blood and bone fertilizer business in motion. Their secret “recipe” for success (using dead car crash victims in their product) was a huge boon to business, but lately supply has been gravely low. Months have passed since their last find, and an important new customer is now waiting on a delivery. When junior partner Reg (Damon Herriman, “Justified”) stumbles upon three travelers stranded on a remote country road, he cooks up a radical solution to their problem and a way of finally gaining the respect of his bossy big brother (Angus Sampson). But when Reg starts to fall for Sophie, one of the intended victims, things get complicated…

[Written for AITH]

Starring Vin Diesel, Karl Urban and Dave Bautista. Directed by David Twohy.

Things are finally starting to pick up for the Sam Mendes and John Logan produced Penny Dreadful series which is said to be of the of the psychosexual horror variety. The latest news to come out of Showtime’s upcoming series is that they have hired Juan Antonio Bayona (The Orphanage) to direct the first two episodes. This is fantastic news folks. Not only do they have one hell of a director in place, but they’ve got one who knows a thing or two about the horror genre and considering he’ll be responsible for some of horror’s most classic characters, I’d say that’s a pretty good thing.

The series draws from famous works of literature, posing that some of the most terrifying protagonists — Dr. Frankenstein and his creature, Dorian Gray, Dracula’s Van Helsing and more — come together in Victorian London.

Showtime President David Nivens describes the series as “very realistic, it’s very grounded; the characters are are in very human form in turn of the century London. There will be one central point, but it’s a fairly ensemble series in the way Downtown Abbey is an ensemble.”

[Written for AITH]

My good friend Don Thompson, his website Blurppy and his Poster Posse project for World War Z were mentioned today in a press release from Paramount Pictures.

Congratulations to Don and the members of the Poster Posse for a job well done! Don was able to gather amazing artists from around the world to collaborate on imagined posters for the World War Z film. These virtual posters were showcased on Blurppy.com and went viral finally catching the attention of Paramount Studios. The studio has committed to creating limited-edition collector’s prints and releasing them on Amazon, Think Geek and in theaters on opening day!

Here is the press release:

“Paramount Licensing today announced its slate of worldwide licensing partners in support of the highly anticipated film “World War Z,” which opens in theaters nationwide on June 21st. To extend the excitement of the summer film event, Paramount is rolling out a robust in-theatre merchandise program highlighted by mobile pop up stores in select theaters, creating a limited line of products to celebrate fan generated art, and strategically aligning with a select group of toy, game, apparel and accessory, collectible, costume, publishing, and online licensees.

Paramount will bring “World War Z” to consumers via Hot Topic, the film’s exclusive retail promotional partner. As the official “World War Z” movie headquarters, Hot Topic is rolling out the “World War Z” merchandise program across all 660 of its stores. Highlighting the promotion will be movie-themed storefront window displays and a series of online initiatives including a sweepstakes, social media support through Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, and email blasts to all of its members.

In addition, Paramount has partnered with leading apparel and accessories company Bioworld to launch an in-theatre merchandise program in Regal Cinemas, Cinemark, Muvico Theaters, Starplex Cinemas, and ShowBiz Cinemas theaters in its top markets. The program will be highlighted by mobile pop up kiosks featuring apparel and accessories in select Regal Cinemas and Muvico theaters.

Paramount Licensing will also launch exclusive limited-edition fan art by artists Chris Garofalo, Matt Ferguson, Marie Bergeron, David Moscati and Marko Manev, who were selected from a group of artists nicknamed “Poster Posse.” The group participated in a challenge issued by Don Thompson’s Blurppy.com to create a images based on the “World War Z” film. The results of the challenge caught the eye of the studio and filmmakers and now this unique artwork will be available in a limited-edition run of graphic t-shirts at HotTopic.com, high quality posters at Amazon.com and ThinkGeek.com, and as limited-edition collector’s prints to be given away to fans on opening day at Regal Cinemas, Cinemark, AMC Theatres, Arclight Cinemas, and other leading theaters.

Additionally, Paramount has created a targeted licensing program in key categories to launch in advance of the film’s release that will tap into the excitement of “World War Z” and allow fans to take home a piece of the experience. Partners include:

- Jazwares: Articulated zombie and hero action figures as well as plush  
- University Games: A World War Z-themed survival board game and card game
- Bioworld Merchandise: Apparel and accessories
- Ghoulish Productions: Costumes and dress up accessories
- Pyramid America: Posters, prints, magnets and buttons
- Trends: Posters, calendars and bookmarks
- Silver Buffalo: Drinkware, blankets and wall art
- Quantum Mechanix: Collectibles, including statues, limited-edition lithographs and key chains
- Crown Publishing Group: Movie tie-in edition of Max Brooks’ novel in
paperback, audio book, and eBook formats
- Titan Books Ltd.: Art of “World War Z” book
- Duckworth Publishing Ltd.: Movie tie-in edition of Max Brooks’ novel in paperback
- Café Press: Branded “World War Z” store at http://www.paramountstore.com featuring apparel, gift, and novelty

World War Z revolves around an ex-United Nations investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt), who traverses the world in a race against time to stop a pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatening to decimate humanity itself. The film stars Pitt, Mireille Enos and James Badge Dale.

World War Z was directed by Marc Forster from a screenplay by Matthew Michael Carnahan and Drew Goddard & Damon Lindelof, and screen story by Matthew Michael Carnahan and J. Michael Straczynski. Based on the novel by Max Brooks. 

World War Z opens in theaters everywhere June 21, 2013.”

Adam Sandler talks in a funny voice and holds hostages.

(pic is from here)

Follow In 10 Words on Twitter! and Facebook!

Although I have never been a huge Superman fanatic, and I definitely don’t like Zach Snyder’s movies, I was looking forward to Man of Steel more than any other summer blockbuster this year. It’s a difficult one for which to pinpoint its flaws. It has all the ingredients for a great superhero movie, from the prestigious cast, to the eye-pleasing visuals, to the Hans Zimmer score, and yet 145 minutes later the recipe still comes out of the oven tasting like something was not prepared correctly. Even though there was a rigorous competition in comic book world for who could write the best reboot script, the final selection of David S. Goyer’s is still a disappointing misfire.

The most interesting aspect of Superman’s identity has always been the nature-nurture hue of his predicament as an alien being, human in appearance, who has spent all but his first few hours of life with Earthlings. The film’s main thematic trajectory is spurred on by this notion, but it never finds a firm foothold in the narrative. There is much deliberation about whether or not Clark Kent (a stiff and under-challenged Henry Cavill) should reveal himself to the world as a superhuman individual.

This conflict takes place through flashbacks, conversations with Ma and Pa Kent (the strongly performing Kevin Costner and Diane Lane), and the primary personal threat of supervillain General Zod (menacing but restrained Michael Shannon). Clark doesn’t know where he came from and who he should trust, and we get a solid sense of this inner dilemma throughout the film. But Man of Steel hinges itself around him choosing one world over the other, and it never satisfies the intrigue of its own proposition by having him do so. The closest we get is a tossed off line at the end of the film, following an oddly placed political joke about surveillance drones.

Snyder manages a surprisingly poised and visually poetic hand, making this his most successful work in terms of cinematic craft. He avoids slow-motion for once and tackles the chronologically complex origin story with a measured sense of ease that takes the form of even pacing and skillful camera movement. Coupled with Zimmer’s unceasing but highly affecting score, the film is undoubtedly a sensory treat. But like so many superhero movies before it, it descends into a final 30-minute dialogue-free battle royale. Laden with CGI and a disturbingly high body count that goes completely unmentioned, we’re forced to spend the last act of the film disengaging our prior moral and intellectual stimulation in order to be bludgeoned with video game-style action. (I fell asleep halfway through the sequence.)

While it is not an absolute failure, there’s not a whole lot that is satisfying about Man of Steel. It starts strong and returns to that form in fits and spurts, but it’s more attractive façade than gratifying storytelling; kind of like entering an elegant model home only to find barren walls and no furnishing. It wants us to be interested in a mysterious artifact referred to as the codex (a definite MacGuffin), expects us to be fine with its lazy love story, and presumes we will care about underdeveloped sketches of characters who have unknown or weak motives. It can’t make good on any of these aims, and a shiny veneer has never compensated for tarnished innards.

http://anelegantweapon.podbean.com/

Look closely. Look at the faces. Is it just me, or do you see something strange about the men in these pictures? They are twins. What does it mean? Could it be that these are recycled roles? Or perhaps in some sort of ironic twist, this juxtaposition aptly demonstrates the convergence of two of the most racially disturbing icons in the history of American entertainment. So we see that the white minstrel is actually a kind of black zombie, or vice versa.  Another explanation might be that we are simply looking at the same actor (a time-traveller, perhaps?) – doing what he does best: bizarre-and-freakishly-anomalous-blackface-characters-who-were-once popular-now-horribly-offensive-and-wrong. You decide. I’m going to ask my students.

Mud is currently one of the best-reviewed movies of the year thus far, and it is no surprise why.  This charming, modern coming-of-age story tells a love story that manages to be both heartbreaking and uplifting simultaneously.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

Let’s start off with Matthew McConaughey’s performance as the titular character Mud.  Lambasted for his previous roles, McConaughey has never really been taking seriously as an actor (to his credit, he’s never really let it get to him).  This performance will change that.  His charm and charisma are put to good use as he plays a fugitive hiding on an island.  Though one should be terrified of such a person, I actually warmed up to him almost instantly and rooted for him for the rest of the movie.  After learning more about his tragic love story, I wanted nothing more but to see him win back the love of his live Juniper, played aptly by Reese Witherspoon.  When it’s sadly discovered that it will never work out, despite how much they both love each other, it’s heartbreaking, but in a way also relatable, at least to me (I’ve had my fair share of hopeless crushes).  When the men seeking to kill him get closer and closer to finding him, I was genuinely worried for hi life.  Mud is without a doubt the most compelling character in cinema I’ve seen in a long time, and that is all thanks to McConaughey’s impeccable acting in this movie.

In addition, the two main boys of the film, Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) are just as captivating to watch in the film as Mud.  Sheridan in particular does a phenomenal job in his role.  When he goes on a date with the girl that he’s loved for awhile, I felt his excitement.  When he learned that his parents were getting divorced and that he would have to leave the only life he’s ever known along the river, I felt his confusion and frustration.  When he found out that his “girlfriend” never thought of herself as that and ignored him and ridiculed him in public, I felt his pain and sadness.  When he returned to Mud and confronted him about being lied to and having his perception of true love shattered, I felt his anger and disappointment.  Not since The Impossible‘s Tom Holland have I seen a young actor play such a powerful role.  Lofland does a great job as well playing the loyal friend who is always there for Ellis, through thick and thin.  Both of these young actors play roles that we either were as kids ourselves or that were filled by our friends; they’re instantly relatable and understandable.  Ellis’s parents and Neckbone’s uncle also played wonderful, real roles as people doing the best they can to raise these kids right.

Not only is this a tragic love story in the traditional “boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl” sense, but it’s also a tragic love story about the simply country life, particularly life on the river.  Through some spectacular cinematography, Mud makes Arkansas look like an abandoned paradise, and makes life on the river so appealing that when Ellis lost his home at the end of the movie and they dismantled his riverside abode board by board, I was completely saddened and distraught.  Seeing Ellis and Neckbone have fun exploring an island and driving around the city on a motorbike, or Ellis on the back of his dad’s pick-up truck delivering fish throughout the city, was simple but alluring; I’ve never had a desire to visit the south, but thanks to this movie now I kind of do!  It’s beautifully filmed and wonderfully scored, every piece of music perfectly capturing the moments on screen.

FINAL DIAGNOSIS: 10/10

I cannot stress enough how much I enjoyed this movie!  You absolutely need to see it; it’s one of the most moving films I’ve seen in awhile, and is easily my top pick of 2013 so far.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see McConaughey and even Sheridan get an Oscar nomination.

Early this year, myself and a few friends had the privilege of attending a free pre-screening of The Place Beyond The Pines at the Angelika in Dallas (shout-out to http://www.dallasmoviescreenings.com). I’d been thinking about making a drama film for a while before that, but always thought of myself to be more of a horror movie kind of filmmaker. I’ve directed a few horror shorts, but after seeing Pines it gave me inspiration to go back to the little story I had in my head and see what I could do with it.

I loved the movie! I also love how the trailer gave away nothing while still getting the viewer intrigued. Too many movies (especially horror) give away too much in the trailer.  I’m glad I was able to see the movie before everyone else too because critics were giving away too much in their reviews. Going into Pines knowing very little made the experience that much better.

Anyways, after the screening and Q&A, I got to meet director Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine) and take a pic:

I was hoping Ryan Gosling or Bradley Cooper would surprise everyone by showing up unannounced, but as a film student and filmmaker, meeting directors is just as cool.

Weeks later, I won a contest that gave away a movie poster, “Ride Like Thunder, Crash Like Lightning” t-shirt and two tickets to see the movie again. So I can assume that Derek is signing my poster in this pic:

So cool! Back to writing that story..