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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: Pure tension and paranoia. Sitting in the theater was uneasy and I was glad to be sitting with my back against the wall.

A small time touring punk-rock band is going to land some shitty gigs. This is reality for any small time band, really. It’s hard to imagine a shittier gig than a deep woods dance hall for white supremacist neo-Nazis in the heart of the Pacific Northwest. However, now, thanks to Green Room, you don’t have to. After the band performs and heads out, they walk in on a murder scene and the punk rockers turned witnesses are thrown into a brutal, suspenseful fight for their life as they seemingly wait for the police but soon find out they’ll be lucky to make it out alive. Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take, Ranked, Trailers

The Jungle Book ran away with April as Disney landed it’s second big hit of the year. With Zootopia over $300 million and The Jungle Book headed there, Disney will likely have their biggest hit of 2016 so far in Captain America: Civil War. Welcome to the summer season! With 21 films slated for release in the month of May, here’s the trailers for all of them, ranked by anticipation:

1. Captain America: Civil War (May 6th)Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: Are you a Ratchet & Clank fan? Are you 10 or younger? If your answer is “NO!” to both, stay away. If your answer is “YES!”, you still might want to stay away.

I worked in a video store for 15 years and remember when Ratchet & Clank came out for the Sony PlayStation 2. If you worked in a video store or knew someone who did, you know how you played every game and watched every movie. By the time, I left the industry, I had experienced six Ratchet & Clank games. Every time one came out, the shelf would be filled with copies and no one ever rented them. We’d always get a ridiculous amount of copies. Meanwhile, we’d get one copy of NCAA Football and some employee would have it out and the customers would be losing their mind they couldn’t get NCAA Football. That’s my memory of Ratchet & Clank.Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: If you didn’t laugh your ass off watching Keanu, I don’t think you and I can be friends.

Full disclosure: Keanu was our most anticipated release of 2016.

Have you had a bad week? Do you need a laugh? Keanu has plenty. And a cute kitten to go with those laughs! What more could you ask for?
Read More →

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In: Podcasts, Weigh In

On a crazy Wednesday, I was invited on the War Machine vs War Horse Podcast to discuss A Hologram for the King. Because Wednesday was such a crazy day, I have to share more details as that was the day I endured Nina and plowed through Elvis & Nixon. (I also tried Pretzel Bites at the theater for the first time in years and they are no substitute for popcorn!) While seeing Nina, I was initially the only person in the theater but as the previews rolled, another person came in and sat directly next to me… the entire theater was empty other than us two (does that make it a date?). Then between Nina and Elvis & Nixon, I jumped on the podcast. I won’t even mention what I saw in the bathroom at Elvis & Nixon involving soiling and undergarments. Finally, on my way home, I ran over a piece of metal and flattened not one but two tires, had to wait 3 hours for a tow truck and had to Uber my way home (thanks, Giorgios!).

In light of all of the trials and tribulations, give the War Machine vs War Horse Podcast a listen as host Michael Dennison and I scratch the surface on A Hologram for the King before discussing two other films — 12 Angry Men and The Big Kahuna.

Oh, and here’s my review of A Hologram from the King.

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In: To See or Not To See

None of this week’s releases — not even Keanu — will be able to keep The Jungle Book from taking the top spot at the box office for a third consecutive week. However, in addition to Key & Peele’s big screen début, Garry Marshall is back to destroy yet another holiday and a video game you might have forgotten about gets the big screen treatment along with a trio of platform releases. Here are the releases for the week of April 29th:Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: Elvis & Nixon are bigger than life characters and Shannon & Spacey do them up in an over-the-top style that’s very entertaining. Too bad the movie becomes nearly pointless.

I don’t know if Michael Shannon’s take on Elvis Presley is good or bad but it’s damn sure entertaining. To a lesser extent, so is Kevin Spacey as President Richard Nixon. The “untold” story behind the picture of Elvis & Nixon meeting at the White House isn’t nearly as entertaining as their performances but it’s mostly harmless and goofy fun… albeit a little pointless and the tread on the tires shows some serious wear at the end of this wild ride.Read More →

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In: 2016, Hot Take

Hot Take: What an embarrassing mistake!

It’s a daunting task to bring the life of Nina Simone to the big screen. Last year, not one but two documentaries were released about her life. There’s enough video for Simone, born Eunice Kathleen Waymon, to be brought to life without the help of an actress to tell her story. That doesn’t mean it can’t be done but when you make as many mistakes as writer/director Cynthia Mort does with the making of Nina, one has to ask why the hell did she bother?Read More →

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In: 10 Things

Prince Rogers Nelson passed away last week and it’s an understatement to say the music legend is gone too soon. He leaves behind a legacy of incredible music but also made a splash on the big screen. This week’s “10 Things” features 10 movies with Prince songs in them:Read More →

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In: BuRStS

A six-pack of releases to quench your entertainment thirst is headlined by the Best Foreign Language Film winner and anchored by a Christmas horror flick. In between, there’s an unnecessary sequel, a Western with a female lead and two that skipped theaters. MHT breaks down what to buy, rent, stream or skip for the week of April 26th:Read More →