This past year, I spent a lot of time at the movie theater. I helped Kickstart a project by a local second-run cinema, and in return got free movie tickets for all of 2015. While I never actually wrote any reviews up until now, I did keep a record of everything I saw. And since Oscar…
Download link (you may have to right click and “Save As”) Shortly after The Martian debuted, I sat down with my buddy Matt to talk about the film: what works and what is underwhelming. Given its recent Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture (!) — here’s our discussion. Notes/corrections: “In space, no one can hear you scream”…
The Oscar nominations were announced today, and even though people trust the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences only slightly more than Congress, this day always excites me. The full list can be found here. Now, ten thoughts on the nominations in what’s been a weird year for mainstream movies: 1) It’s understandable that Leonardo DiCaprio’s…
Die Hard is a legitimately fantastic film. I don’t mean that in the ironic, macho way that Joey does in Friends. It’s one of my favorite movies, brilliantly crafted and thrilling. The script tells a story of Bruce Willis saving a building from terrorists. But Die Hard goes one step deeper in the way that…
SPOILERS AHOY! If you haven’t seen Star Wars: Episode VII, I recommend that you do so before reading this. I do not shy away from spoilers in the following comments. 1. This is a good movie, and a great movie-going experience Breathe a sigh of relief, o fellow nerds! The franchise is redeemed! Our worries were…
In the last year or so, a few prominent filmmakers have released movies that have unfortunately highlighted their creators’ weaknesses. This fall’s Steve Jobs was less a movie than An Aaron Sorkin Movie, more interested in spitting out rapid-fire dialogue than in creating three-dimensional characters or resonant situations. Last year’s Interstellar exacerbated Christopher Nolan’s problems with shoddy…
(Note: Shortly after I finished high school, I created a blog to publish and share lists. I called it Listosaurus Rex and updated it for about a year. When my web server caught a virus back in 2012, the site went down. I was recently going through my old files and found a backup…
I’m not sure I can recall another mainstream, non-fantasy, non-scifi movie that has less interest in appearing real than ‘Steve Jobs.’ How much that bothers you will be a matter of personal preference. Even though there was another movie about former Apple CEO Steve Jobs a couple years ago, this has always been the most…
Download link (you may have to right click and “Save As”) For The Earn This Podcast, Episode 17, Dan and Grant sat down to discuss the worst of the IMDb Top 250 — the ten worst inclusions and the ten worst exclusions. They bemoan the overrated and wonder why IMDb underappreciates certain gems. (And you get hear,…
There are many reasons to be excited about Trainwreck. It’s the latest Judd Apatow movie, written by and starring rising comic star Amy Schumer. It tackles the miserable process known as dating in the modern age. Brie Larson’s in it! So is LeBron James—and, against all odds, he’s a smashing success. Before we determine whether it…