1.  His middle name is Jerome

2. He worked as an usher at an adult theatre in Torrance. It was called the ‘Pussycat Theatre’.

3. Quentin Tarantino is an Aries.

4. Tarantino traveled to Amsterdam to work on the script for ‘Pulp Fiction’.

5. He’s an avid fan of Elmore Leonard novels, Tarantino’s movie ‘Jackie Brown’ is adapted from the novel ‘Rum Punch’ by the best-selling author. Another film (unrelated to Tarantino) that’s based on Leonard’s work is ‘Get Shorty’ – starring John Travolta & Danny Devito.

Dream Scenario is a uniquely strange feature – and that’s a good thing.

Written and directed by Kristopher Borgli and produced by Ari Aster, Lars Knudson, Nicolas Cage, Jacob Jaffke, and Tyler Campellone, this film is an alt-comedy with dark undertones that utilizes surreal imagery in an effort to tell its off-beat story. Released earlier this year in November of 2023, it stars Nicolas Cage playing Paul Mathews; a rather mousy man who teaches Biology at a university but yearns for his time in the spotlight. Specifically, his desire revolves around the publishing of a theory on the formation of ant colonies – a niche subject he’s studied extensively over the years.

His friends are all beginning to have their ‘second peak’ and he seems to be left in the dust, until one day, people around the world start having recurring dreams about Paul – and his life changes irrevocably, overnight. He soon gets all the attention he’s been seeking, and then some.

NEW WRITER: Christopher H.

Zulu – Michael Caine’s First Movie is an Epic Classic

Every great actor has their start. Sometimes it’s a bit part in a television series, a cameo on a sketch comedy show, or a small part in a larger movie. Eventually, an actor get’s his big break for real, earning an important role in a much larger picture.

Michael Caine is one such actor. The renowned British star has appeared in a variety of films, from military dramas to The Muppet Christmas Carol. At the height of epic blockbusters, Caine got a rather prominent role in one such movie.

That movie was called Zulu. This 1964 classic was made back when motion pictures had to put the credits first, and those credits make a point to introduce Michael Caine. The film itself is a military classic that has held up extremely well over the decades.

Intro:

Top notch acting, high octane action; fast paced, well choreographed, and exciting as all hell!

This is ‘Casino Royale’ and we’re just getting started.

Daniel Craig gives hands-down one of the best performances of his career – bursting into this role with a truly awe inspiring amount of vigor and energy. The physicality brought to the screen by this man is epic. It’s easy to feel elated watching these meticulously planned stunts take place, and Daniel Craig really delivers on the goods. He brings a compassionless and cold demeanor to Bond that ensures you are well aware – this movie offers a wholly different 007 then what’s been seen in the past.

In simpler terms, Daniel Craig’s first outing as Bond is a spectacular one!

1.)

It’s the ONLY movie that stars both John Travolta and Lisa Kudrow.

2.)

It’s loosely based on a true story, ‘The 1980 Pennsylvania Lottery Scam’.

3.)

Michael Rapaport is hilarious – he’s in it.

4.)

One of the major roles is played by Ed O’Neil and he’s having a great time! That man is a comic genius. Every time he’s on screen the dialogue had me guffawing like an idiot. 

I’m a big fan of Al Bundy from ‘Married… with Children’. 

Obviously.

5.)

It’s directed by Nora Ephron (Mixed Nuts, When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail)

Acting is lying. Hear me out.

We all lie everyday – we don’t even realize it. Sometimes we lie consciously, other times we lie unconsciously. An acting coach would call the second one naturalistic, I believe.

But the greatest actors tap into the truth of that lie which they are attempting to tell; the truth that’s in the character.

If a character is inauthentic in writing or execution, there’s no chance of passing off what is outright fiction or embellishment, as real.

All movies are fantasy – to some degree or another, even those that claim to be ‘based on real events’ or ‘inspired by a true story’. Therefore, if all involved do not succeed in crafting a final product that fully deceives the audience, the piece in question will suffer heavily.

The ‘Red Green Show’.

As far as Canadian properties go – this one’s a mixed bag. Is there such a thing as a parody that’s too self-aware?

If so, it might be the ‘Red Green Show’.

There are many aspects of this television series I love. It is (maybe was?) a staple of many households in rural Canada. Yet there are certain elements of the show that I originally found rather grating. That being said, growing up with only four or five channels, rather than prime time cable – meant that I was able to experience this show on a regular basis and became accustomed to its folksy sense of humour.

On the whole, ‘The Red Green Show’ is a quaint look at regional customs in Eastern Canada, delivering some solid anecdotes and one-liners.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang:

What a film!

I love this little satirical homage to noir thrillers of the past. Robert Downey Jr. stars as ‘Harry Lockhart’, a down on his luck criminal who has to rob just to make ends meet.

In one of the early scenes of the film, we find him stealing his son a Christmas present from a toy store, and having trouble finding the damn thing. When the police are alerted by a neighbour (and his partner is shot in the process of running away), Harry has to ditch and run into a nearby audition – in an attempt to escape incarceration. This leads to him delivering a pitch perfect performance, comedy ensues and we soon find him on his way to Hollywood.

Introduction

Snowpiercer left me out in the cold.

I found myself lost in a tundra of characters lacking motivation, nausea inducing shaky-cam, and a host of mediocre performances.

There are elements that I enjoy here, just not enough of them to make up for the lack of cohesion. This movie has potential, indeed, I believe it is chalked full – but in the end – the overall product still needs a certain amount of polish. 

I wanted to like this movie… it’s just that my understanding of critical analysis got in the way.

Damn.

I was down for ‘Creed III’ from the get-go.

Unlike some that had reservations about a Rocky property that’s ‘sans Sylvester Stallone’, I found myself intrigued with a film that was allowed to grow from the initial concept that spawned the franchise, a full forty-seven years ago. In other words, Rocky’s story has been told many times before, now it’s Creed’s moment to shine.

The fight scenes are all on-point, eliciting that intense feeling of watching a ‘Rocky’ movie – hyper-realism is utilized to make the boxing visceral and immersive, an essential ingredient and hallmark of the series.