Archive | 2016

Billions “Pilot” Review (1×01)

17 Jan

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Billions is not the next prestige drama. That’s something that needs to be recognized before diving into Showtime’s new series, because going in expecting something Mad Men-level will significantly lower the enjoyment you can obtain from watching these characters. The show operates in a heightened state of sorts, utilizing soap-operatic qualities to its advantage as it pits rich people against each other with fervor. It’s far from the most complex and nuanced series out there, but it knows how to entertain.

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My Top 15 Film Performances of 2015

14 Jan

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Haven’t Seen: Legend, Crimson Peak, Grandma, I’ll See You In My Dreams, Trumbo, Heaven Knows What, James White, Taxi, Arabian Nights, Spy, Breathe, Experimenter, The Forbidden Room, Heart of a Dog, Mustang, The Walk, The Assassin, Chi-raq, Victoria, Li’l Quinquin, Blackhat, Hard to Be a God, Magic Mike XXL, Mr. Holmes, Amy, Bone Tomahawk, Dope

Honorable Mentions: Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn), Sylvester Stallone/Michael B. Jordan (Creed), Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies), David Thewlis/Tom Noonan/Jennifer Jason Leigh (Anomalisa), Steve Carell (The Big Short), Michael Shannon (99 Homes), Idris Elba (Beasts of No Nation), Benicio del Toro/Emily Blunt (Sicario), Johnny Depp (Black Mass), Jason Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton), Matt Damon (The Martian), Eddie Redmayne/Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl), Carey Mulligan (Suffragette), Joel Edgerton (The Gift), Olivia Cooke (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl), Kitana Rodriguez/Mya Taylor (Tangerine), Marion Cotillard/Michael Fassbender (Macbeth), Rest of the Spotlight cast, Jennifer Lawrence (Joy), Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs), Paul Dano (Love and Mercy), Elisabeth Moss/Katherine Waterston (Queen of Earth), Juliette Binoche/Kristen Stewart (Clouds of Sils Maria), Bel Powley (Diary of a Teenage Girl), Jack O’Connell (’71), Greta Gerwig (Mistress America), Geza Rohrig (Son of Saul), Samuel L. Jackson (The Hateful Eight)

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Thoughts On the 73rd Golden Globe Awards

11 Jan

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First of all, RIP to David Bowie. I’ll probably be listening to “Modern Love”, “Heroes”, “Space Oddity”, “Life On Mars?”, etc. again tonight. What a musician.

Second of all, let’s head on down the winners’ list for the 73rd Golden Globes.

Best Motion Picture: I’m really, really surprised that The Revenant won. I think it’s a great movie, but I thought that Spotlight pretty much had it locked down; nevertheless, this makes the race for the Oscar slightly more interesting. As for The Martian, I’m pretty ambivalent about the film overall (I’d have gone with The Big Short myself), but I do have to say this: this is nowhere near as baffling a “comedy” nomination/win as some others have been in the past. I get that the premise isn’t exactly the most comedic in the world, but people seem to be forgetting that the movie is pretty damn funny. I feel like it runs on jokes, no matter how bleak its premise may be. I am 100% fine with this in the comedy category.

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45 Years Review

7 Jan

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45 Years moves at a deliberately slow pace, necessary in order to let the film’s opening revelation fester within the household and within the central relationship of the story. That central relationship is between Geoff and Kate Mercer, played with nuance and poise by Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling, respectively. The aforementioned opening revelation comes from a letter Geoff receives, one informing him that his ex-girlfriend Katya’s preserved body has been found in the Swiss Alps. It’s a revelation that occurs around the time of the couple’s 45th anniversary, and the two events coincide at just the right moment, dredging up wounds and memories from the past and slowly dividing the supposedly happy couple. The past haunts and hangs over every scene, and it’s like a horror film told through the lens of real human drama.

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My Top 20 Television Shows of 2015

3 Jan

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Haven’t seen: The Jinx, Inside Amy Schumer, Broad City, Jane the Virgin, Crazy Ex Girlfriend, South Park, Casual, Catastrophe, Bob’s Burgers, Halt and Catch Fire, The Flash, Looking, Steven Universe, Doctor Who, Ash vs. Evil Dead, Outlander, Key and Peele, Manhattan, The 100, Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, Making a Murderer, F Is For Family, American Crime, Fresh Off the Boat, Getting On, Wolf Hall, Agent Carter, Black Sails, Agents of SHIELD, Inside Amy Schumer, Empire, House of Cards

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