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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: On the surface, Woodlawn is a decent docudrama with heavy pro-Christianity overtones. By the end, you realize it’s what Remember the Titans would have been if it were infused with religion and stripped of any real racial tension.

Early in Woodlawn, Tony Nathan (Caleb Castille) gets his first shot at being the tailback for the recently integrated Woodlawn High School football team. While the black running back shows promise, he doesn’t like being hit. Coach Tandy (Nic Bishop) gives Nathan a pep talk about how it can be helpful to hit someone who is trying to hit you. From then on (in one of it’s many turbo stories of success), Nathan continues to run fast and evade tacklers but, occasionally, he runs through a few would-be tacklers and even over a couple. Unfortunately, the Erwin Brothers, the film’s directors, stick to the flashy faith-based narrative throughout the movie but runs out of bounds whenever any other issues are brought into this “based on a true story” film.Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: Why?

Rock the Kasbah is a disaster of a movie. There are unintentional tributes to the Bill Murray catalog throughout. It’s as if writer Mitch Glazer and director Barry Levinson met and said, “What if we took everything Bill Murray ever did and stripped away everything funny?” Even The Razor’s Edge, an earnest attempt at a dramatic role for Murray, was funnier.Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Movie Hot Take: If you’re after fan fiction based on a cultural icon stressing the message, “It’s okay to be an asshole as long as you’re creative because even the people you crap on the most will still hang around to see your genius” then Steve Jobs is the movie for you.

It’s hard to characterize Steve Jobs. It can’t really be called a biopic since very little of it is actually true. The characters are based on real people. Events in the background of the movie’s drama happened. There’s a company called Apple. However, none of the critical scenes of the film actually happened. No, the critical scenes weren’t embellished or given a twist from their real-life counterparts… they actually didn’t happen!Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: IT’S JEM!!!!!! Well, if you subtract the outrageousness, temper the excitement and adventure, subdue the glamour, glitter, fashion and fame. BUT IT’S JEM!!!!!! No one else is the same… well, except everyone on YouTube who ever had a dream of being a viral sensation. TRULY, IT’S JEM! Oh, and forget the female empowerment of the cartoon Jem, too, because this Jem is very unsure of herself and has a ton of angst. Wait, it’s Josie and the Pussycats in Jem’s outfits and the actual holograms replaced by a metaphor?

Over the summer, I saw Taylor Swift’s 1989 tour. I’m a big fan of Swift’s music and really enjoyed her live. However, there were occasional moments targeting the core of Swift’s fandom — teenage girls — with an emphasis on delivering an inspirational, empowering message. My guess is a lot of young Swift fans walked away from the concert feeling a little inspired by Swift’s message while many of the older, more cynical Swift fans and parents of the screaming Swifties may have rolled their eyes.Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: Catch it now… or when it’s re-released after it’s Oscar nominations. With the exception of a few stutters, Bridge of Spies is a thoroughly enjoyable throwback. Credit Steven Spielberg for a solid directorial turn, the Coen Brothers for an excellent script and some great performances. Pencil in Mark Rylance for a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role as captured Russian spy Rudolf Abel.

To be honest, I was lukewarm on the concept of Bridge of Spies. The trailer didn’t blow me away and while the expectation was a competent film from Spielberg and Tom Hanks, this may have been their best collaboration (for what it’s worth, Saving Private Ryan was the best of their four collaborations, Bridge of Spies was second best). Not only was the film a pleasant surprise, it was one of the best movies of the year and might make a little noise come Oscar nominations.Read More →

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In: 2015, Hot Take, Trailers

Anticipation (Before Trailer): 90/100

Anticipation (After Trailer): 95/100

The teaser trailer for Joy was great a few months ago. The official trailer is a wee bit better as we get a better idea of what Joy should be. Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert DeNiro, David O. Russell… this isn’t their first rodeo together and that’s not a bad thing. December is loaded!

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In: 2015, Hot Take

Hot Take: How could something so beautiful and technically stunning be so hard to watch? The imagery of Crimson Peak is impressive and wonderful. It’s how you’d hope every Gothic horror film would look. Unfortunately, it’s neither scary nor interesting relying completely on visuals to keep you engaged. And that only gets you so far.

Crimson Peak is eye candy. It has beautiful images. Even the frightful sights are masterfully crafted. The use of color, costume and score are impeccable. Guillermo Del Toro, known for his imagery, has done it again with this homage to classic horror… visually. Unfortunately, Crimson Peak lacks fear, mystery, compelling characters or anything captivating other than the images. At a smidge under 2 hours, even that gets old by the final act.Read More →