The answer to this question is no. Unfortunately, no it will not. Let me preface this by saying that going into this summer, I was more excited for The Dark Knight Rises than the Avengers. And I also believe The Dark … Continue reading Will “The Dark Knight Rises” Beat “The Avengers”?
Frequent show contributor and At the Buzzer movie review Gary Sundt and I are working on a few scripts to break our way into Hollywood (admittedly, Gary is doing a better job than I). I need this to happen, because right now I feel like I’m the only person on the planet who knows how to write a good ending.
Good endings aren’t hard. All you need to do is find the right blend of the ENDING TRIFECTA (patented by me). The ending trifecta is composed of resolution, satisfaction, and artistic closure. Like the perfect recipe, you need a little of each to really have a great ending. If you resolve everything by explaining what happens to every character, but the resolution is that every character is killed in a horrible fashion, this satisfies the resolution and artistic closure of your ending, but offers no fan satisfaction (unless the fans hated your characters). Likewise, if you attempt to satisfy your fans by offering a cookie cutter happy ending, you might sacrifice true character and event resolution, as well as the final exploration of your artistic themes.
It’s a tough balance. Except it’s not. Watch me cover some universally maligned endings and demonstrate how they easily could have been made better. Continue reading “Watch Me Make Endings Better (Spoilers)”
Once in a great while, my career beckons me in a way that incapacitates me ever so slightly. Did I see The Hunger Games? Yes. Did I like it? Definitely. Do I have time to write a full review? Not this week. For this reason, joining me for the review is At The Buzzer contributor and all-around Superman look-a-like Shaun El-Ters.
Both being fans of the novel by Suzanne Collins, we’re going to first take issue with any and all comparison’s to the Twilight films beyond the simple truth that these are popular stories designed for tweens. The trailer for The Hunger Games is, on its own, compelling viewing, while any clip of Bella Swan (who we most recently saw hungrily eyeing a deer) induces laughter. Both properties are obviously designed to make money, but the expertise in the production of The Hunger Games makes it the sci-fi pulp cult classics are made of. Continue reading “Rack Focus: Review: Hunger Games”
As I live in Los Angeles, I am an avid listener to the hilarious Kevin & Bean Show in the mornings on KROQ 106.7 FM. This past Tuesday, Kevin was complaining about The Artist, this year’s apparent frontrunner for the Best Picture Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards. Not only does our man Kevin dislike the film, but he has gone as far as to call it “utter BS.”
He has, of course, made up his mind having never seen the film, under the guise that it is for hipsters and intellectuals. They’re all wrong, but we’re going to circle back to that.
In the meantime, let me explain a little bit about The Artist. Here we have a silent film about the silent film era, specifically focusing on the transition into the talkies. Many silent film stars lost their livelihood when sound came along, and more than a few ended their lives when they were told their careers as movie stars were over. Those who could afford to reinvent themselves did just that, and such is the path of our protagonist, George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), a Frenchman who has spent his career singing and dancing and emoting without the aid of words. When sound hits the street, his success hits the skids, and he’s left to navigate the ways of filmmaking with only his faithful dog and his faithful driver (James Cromwell). Continue reading “Rack Focus: Review: The Artist”
At the risk of spoiling the entire film, I must warn anyone who was stirred to see The Grey from its promising trailer. It’s not that the latest picture from writer/director Joe Carnahan (Narc, Smokin’ Aces, The A-Team) isn’t his best yet — in point of fact, it is — but it’s that the film that was sold to you is not really what you’ll be getting. It’s not dissimilar to Drive, an art film stuck with a “fast and furious” trailer. These aren’t bad movies, but the false pretense on which you see the film may leave you dissatisfied.
So here’s my warning: If you, like me, watched the trailer and determined that a snow-covered and wartorn Liam Neeson fighting wolves with a fistful of broken bottles was a film worth your hard-earned dollars, be prepared to be disappointed. It’s not that you’ll dislike The Grey, but this is a film that will give you everything but what you thought you were promised. The outrage from the audience was palpable and reasonable when the ending credits began, as though a ruse had been pulled and we had been gipped a dollar. But there is still a lot to like in The Grey, so long as you can accept the movie on it’s own terms.
Continue reading “Rack Focus: Review: The Grey”
Hey there, gang! My name is Gary Sundt, and this is my very first piece as film critic for At the Buzzer. To those who know my film criticism, hello again. To those who are new to the game, glad you could make it, and check out my past reviews over at garysundt.wordpress.com. And to those who have a problem with my opinions and wish to strike up a debate about films and filmmaking, please feel free to do so as I’ll be thrilled to pound your very wrong opinions into the ground.
Now that we’re done with formalities, let’s get to my breakdown of the Best Films of 2011. While I thought coming up with 10 films I loved from 2011 would be difficult, I’m rather surprised to discover just how much there was to love. I’ve written a lot of these lists in the past, and I’d like to try something different this year by merely denoting my favorite flicks and giving them awards I’ve seen fit to make up.
From lizards to mutants, from aliens to sad people, from sex to sex with the Irish — here’s my recap of the very best of 2011 in film. Continue reading “Rack Focus: Sex, Trees, Wizards, and Aliens, or The Very Best of 2011”
“I couldn’t use the bathroom with the door closed for a week after watching it.”
“I needed a night light in my room.”
“I stopped watching it halfway, and I still can’t sleep with my door open anymore.”
These are all actual testimonials from some people I know after they watched Paranormal Activity. Well, I finally summoned the courage to see what the hype was. I wanted to be traumatized for life. Instead, I got one man’s idiotic journey to provoke the supernatural, and the world’s most pansy demon. Continue reading “Paraboring Activity”
I watched Jurassic Park the other day. I’ve decided that raptors aren’t as bad as people think. Velociraptors have an unwarranted reputation. Put aside your bias generated from years of watching the Jurassic Park propaganda, and I think you’ll agree with me. Raptors just want to have fun. Look at a raptor. The first thing you’ll probably notice is its sharp teeth. But are we going to degrade an entire populace for their teeth? When you look at me, the first thing you notice are my teeth. Does this mean I’m a raving, carnivorous killing machine? No. The same goes … Continue reading Jurassic Park PSA: Raptors are people, too
Dear Hollywood,
Please don’t mess up the Hunger Games movie. If there is one movie in the next decade that you get right, make it this one. There are way too many factors riding on this movie being successful. I’ve included a list below that will numerically express what these factors are in order.
1. My happiness: If you do to this movie what Joel Shumacher did to Batman and Bane, I will send a vial of my tears to your corporate office.
2. Jennifer Lawrence: She’s a nice girl coming off an Oscar nomination and a good turn as Mystique in X-Men: First Class. Don’t ruin her career.
3. Fans: This book has fans. You will make them sad if this movie is terrible.
A trailer was shown of Hunger Games in which our hero Katniss is seen in the wilderness with her bow. Then a bunch of fire starts blasting, referencing the scene in the book where fire starts blasting. Okay, cool. Looks good. Then I find out that, since they started filming, this scene is all they had. Really? In all this time, you have shots of a bunch of trees? That’s like saying “We’re hard at work at The Dark Knight Rises,” but then only having footage of buildings. So far, all I’ve seen is this weak trailer and a bunch of movie posters featuring the different characters posing with different levels of brooding. Continue reading “A plea on behalf of Hunger Games”
Words cannot describe my elation upon hearing the news. Cats and dogs hugged, Montagues and Capulets reconciled, and peace in the Middle East must be coming soon. Why is utopia soon coming to planet Earth? Well, network executives have pulled their heads out of their collective asses and brought back Arrested Development. Continue reading “The Glorious Return”
Gray Areas 