Two summers, two well-reviewed teen cancer dramadies for teens based off of award-winning YA books. Though they are quite different in tone and theme, the two beg to be compared and contrasted. So: Fault vs. Earl. Who ya got? Let’s take a look, category by category. Source Book: I really, really love Earl — it’s somehow both funnier and sadder than Fault,…
Download link (you may have to right click and “Save As”) Kevin and I sat down to review Pixar’s latest, Inside Out, wondering where it ranks among Pixar’s filmography and in the scheme of recent animated films. We discuss some of the things that tie Pete Docter’s movies together and look forward to The Good Dinosaur.…
I don’t wanna hear it–animated characters are hot. Let’s talk about the ones I’d like to date. Oh, here’s some clarifying rules for the list. 1. Disney does not equal Pixar 2. Only 2D-animated characters allowed 3. No animals or otherwise non-human characters allowed 4. Must be of at least teenager age 5. Must star in…
I loved the show Entourage—partially because it was once so damn addictive (obligatory ‘primarily the early seasons’ addendum goes here), partially because my introduction to it dovetailed with my burgeoning fascination with Hollywood, and partially because I’m a sap sometimes. Now, the Entourage boys have once again taken the Sex and the City lead and made…
No matter how much danger and damage covers the screen, death is not supposed to truly consume an action movie. Almost always, the concept of it, of genuine sadness, of legitimate worry, is a mirage. Action flicks toy with it for the sole purpose of exhilarating us with its resounding defeat. And that’s what makes…
Today, as far as I’m concerned, should be a national holiday. The reason, of course, is the release of Furious 7, the latest intrepid installment of a virtually unprecedented movie franchise. (By the way, since we’ve now moved beyond midnight showings to evening-before showings, can we just say that movies like this open on Thursday…
In 2014, the University Mall Theatres, a second-run cinema in my town, created a Kickstarter campaign to fund the purchase of new theater seating. Donors who gave $250 would get their names engraved on a seat, as lasting testament to their generosity. What’s more, they would also receive a pass which guaranteed them free movie…
I like Pixar movies. Shocking, right? Pixar falls in the same category as John Green, elevating to a higher plane a genre that I adore but that is often dismissed as immature fun (animated films and YA lit, respectively). Simply, if you’re interested in well-told, mature, compelling stories and you’re interested in animation, then Pixar…
Whenever someone asks me what my favorite movie is, I get a little bit embarrassed. “It’s called That Thing You Do! It’s a comedy from 1996,” I say. “Oh. So it’s really funny?” “Yes. Well… I mean… I personally think so. It’s not really a punchline type comedy.” “So it’s more, like, surreal? Physical comedy,…
It’s holiday season again, which means it’s time for one of my favorite traditions: Watching the 2003 film Love Actually with my wife, pretending not to like it, but actually enjoying myself. A crucial piece of this tradition is spending some time after the viewing breaking down just how ridiculous, creepy, and strange some of the movie’s nine…