The Hot Shots of 2015

Man, 2015 was an interesting year. From Asians on TV to Mad Max, some exciting and great things happened. Here's a look at some Hollywood people who had a rocking year.

Elizabeth Banks
I've always liked Elizabeth Banks since I first saw her in 2005's The 40 Year Old Virgin. Her comic energy and striking beauty held her out as a star from the beginning. In 2015, Banks showed her versatility as an actress in the stellar Brian Wilson biopic Love & Mercy, and directed one of the biggest hits of summer 2015: Pitch Perfect 2. And she finished her run as Effie in the Hunger Games; her performances were so iconic, that the films used Effie much more than she appears in the novels. To be honest, Elizabeth Banks is just one of my fave people in the industry.

Ryan Coogler, and the Creed team
When I first heard about a 7th movie in the Rocky series, I groaned. Did we really need another? Well, as directed by Ryan Coogler and written by Coogler and Aaron Covington, we did. The filmmakers give the franchise adrenaline, heart and innovative filmmaking (one take fight scene!). The cast, including Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, and Tessa Thompson, is amazing. The film looks and sounds beautiful, thanks to the hard work behind the scenes. Creed is a top movie of 2015 and I'm happy to admit being wrong.

Spike Lee's CHI-RAQ is Angry, Absurd, Alive (Review)

How often do we get to see films that are truly passionate, straight from the heart? I'm not talking about just powerful stories that move filmmakers on an emotional level. I mean, films that burst with inner rage and joy, and abundant personality. How often do we get to see films that are about something not in an ironic or metaphorical way but in a direct, confrontational way?

Director Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing, Inside Man) has made a vibrant, exciting, infuriating movie Chi-Raq, and it's a film where rage and passion overflow and overcome the viewer. Based on the Ancient Greek play Lysistrata by Aristophanes, Spike Lee co-wrote the film with Kevin Willmott (Jayhawkers). Chi-Raq stars rapper/actor Nick Cannon, Teyonah Parris, Angela Bassett, John Cusack, Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Hudson, and Samuel L. Jackson.

Winning the Best Picture Oscar: Blessing or Curse?

The Academy Awards are the film industry's most prestigious awards. Movie fans such as myself spend the months of September, October, November, and December guessing the nominees. Then when the nominees are announced in January, we try to predict the winners. Everyone wants to win an Oscar, right? Well, maybe. It is an honor to be honored by your honored colleagues. But winning an Oscar puts a lot of pressure on the film. A lot of casual movie goers may only see a movie because the Oscar win is a seal of approval.

With hundreds of movies released each year, there's bound to be someone who likes a movie a lot better than the award winner. And so sometimes the Oscar win is more a curse than a blessing. For every time the Academy gets it right (12 Years a Slave, the most recent example), sometimes the public consensus is that the winner was poorly chosen. There have been a number of times when the eventual Oscar winner was a good movie that had the sorry fortune of being merely a good movie. These were films that perhaps beat out more critically acclaimed/fan appreciated works by favorite veteran directors. Ultimately, their histories are tarnished, becoming "that movie that stole the Oscar from a better movie." What I often wonder is, what does it mean to win the Academy Award for Best Picture?

Four Levels of Femininity in HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN..!

On some level, Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! is probably Sooraj Barjatya's best film. At least, it's the best expression of his voice and his style as a filmmaker. It redefined Indian cinema in the 1990s as the first family musical entertainer after a long period of violent crime stories reigning the box office. Love it or hate it, HAHK is one of the most iconic films in the Indian history, even making it into the Guiness Book of World Records. I watch HAHK fairly often, at least once a year. Each time I keep thinking about the themes of what Indian femininity is to these characters, how modern values intersect with that, and traditions being both appealing and unappealing.

HAHK features four levels of femininity, each represented by a young female character. Because the film revolves around a large extended family, there are certain expectations about the ladies in the family should act. How these women meet these expectations, and how they are treated in the film, is what I want to talk about in this article.

This Thanksgiving, You Should Be Thankful for THE HUNGER GAMES

With the release of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, the successful Hunger Games film series comes to a close. Well, in today's franchise culture, no series is ever really finished. I'm sure some intern somewhere is scrambling to find some way to extend the series. But for now, Mockingjay Part 2 is the series finale. This film series is something to be admired because of how remarkably consistent the films are. And this franchise successfully satirizes the franchise culture. The Hunger Games movies were brainy blockbusters, never cashing in on easy spectacle at the expense of high-minded themes and relevant political statements.

One of the more interesting things about The Hunger Games is the extremely shrewd casting of Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence. When she was cast in the first film back in March 2011, the actress was already an Oscar nominee for Winter's Bone and poised to become a respected young actress. However, with the release of the first film, she catapulted to fame. The film broke box office records and her performance was highly appreciated. And she had already become a part of the successful reboot of the X-Men franchise.

SPOTLIGHT is Going to Win the Academy Award for Best Picture

At the end of September, I saw the trailer for Spotlight and predicted it was going to win the Best Picture Oscar. I'm not alone; the buzz around the film is that it's a top contender, or at least one of them. I've been watching out for the movie to see if its buzz can be maintained. How many times have we seen "surefire" winners flame out before December (remember when we thought Inside Llewyn Davis was a major player?). But the critical reception for Spotlight is still strong after its limited release last week. Having seen the film, I can tell you: it's out of this world.

Spotlight comes to us from low-key but skilled director Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent, Win Win), from a screenplay by McCarthy and Josh Singer (Fringe). The film stars Oscar nominee Michael Keaton (Birdman), Oscar nominee Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right), Rachel McAdams (Midnight in Paris), Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan), John Slattery (Mad Men), and Brian D'Arcy James (Game Change). The film co-stars Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones), Jamey Sheridan (Homeland), and Billy Crudup (Watchmen). Japanese cinematographer Masanobu Takayanagi (Silver Linings Playbook) shot the film, with editing by longtime Tom McCarthy collaborator Tom McArdle and score by the Oscar winning composer Howard Shore (Lord of the Rings trilogy).

A Seemingly Insignificant Moment in BRIDGE OF SPIES Perfectly Captures "The Spielberg Touch"

Steven Spielberg is a master filmmaker. Spielberg is so good so that his best films are on their own level, and even his weak films boast of keen directorial choices and moments of pure awe. It's hard to pin down exactly what "the Spielberg touch" is. For one thing, Spielberg has mastered so many genres that it's not like he excels at just one thing. Also, some of his films seem so simple in concept, execution and/or theme that much of their power seems effortless. Spielberg just cares about moviemaking in ways I'm not sure many of his successors could even imagine.

When I saw his latest film, the Tom Hanks starring espionage drama Bridge of Spies, I wondered if I would be able to pinpoint "the Spielberg touch." While making my way to the East Village cinema where I saw the film, I ran over some of Spielberg's most affecting scenes: Laura Dern and Sam Neill first seeing the dinos in Jurassic Park, the rolling ball in Indiana Jones, the mom leaving David in A.I. Artificial Intelligence. But these are Big Moments, of course Spielberg would take care to present them gracefully and beautifully.

The Harmonious Ensemble of HUM SAATH SAATH HAIN

One of my favorite movies growing up is Hum Saath Saath Hain, Sooraj Barjatya's epic love letter to harmonious extended families. This movie definitely has its detractors: it's cheesy and for about two hours features a lot of singing, dancing and joking around. As they say it "has no story." On the surface it's squeaky clean and sweet to the point of saccharine. The film does have many charms, many of which come from the stacked ensemble.

The film's main stars are a terrific bunch of actors, all of whom bring different things to the table: Salman Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre, and Mohnish Behl come from different sides of Bollywood. The three guys are believable as brothers, and the ladies each have their unique personas to give life to their characters. These six actors really dominate the film and their romances and friendships are fun to watch and ultimately heartwarming. Then the film even has a long list of respected character actors including heavyweights like Alok Nath, Reema Lagoo, Neelam, Himani Shivpuri, Satish Kaushak, the late Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Ajit Vachhani, Shakti Kapoor, Mahesh Thakur, and a host of actors from television, regional films and the stage,

A Dynamite STEVE JOBS Overcomes Its Well-Tread Subject (Review)

I am a big fan of Danny Boyle. He's a director who utilizes the tools of the cinema to great effect. His films, including Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, and my personal favorite 127 Hours feature breakneck editing, split screens and hyper blocking to make films breathe and jump off the screen. A collaboration with Oscar winning writer Aaron Sorkin, famous for his talky, quippy scripts, feels odd but interesting. And then factor in the subject of this movie--a biopic about the Apple billionaire/traitor/punk/genius Steve Jobs, and the film is sure to be a firecracker.

Steve Jobs is one of many films, both narrative and documentary, to tell the story of Steve Jobs but it's claiming to be the definitive one. That's perhaps because of the pedigree both behind and in front of the camera. The film stars Oscar nominee Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave), Oscar winner Kate Winslet (The Reader), Seth Rogen (Neighbors), Jeff Daniels (The Martian), Katherine Waterston (Inherent Vice), Michael Stuhlbarg (Boardwalk Empire) and Perla Haney-Jardine (Spider-Man 3). The film is based on the biography of the same name by Walter Isaacson. The cinematography was done by Alwin H. Kuchler (Hanna), with editing by Elliot Graham (Milk) and a score by Daniel Pemberton (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.).

ROOM: A Horrific Story Told Humanly (Review)

Every now and then, we hear stories about people in horrific situations. These stories are sensationalized and repeated throughout the media and online. Some people obsess over the grim details, some over the legal effects, and some over the medical parts. The people involved in these situations are mere names, forever associated with "what took place." What gets forgotten is that these victims, these survivors, are people too. Humans who have to carry their baggage with them, and figure out a way to survive the burden.

Room, the new film from Lenny Abrahamson (Frank), tells the story of Joy Newsome, played by Brie Larson (Short Term 12, 21 Jump Street). Joy was held captive for seven years in a woodshed by a serial rapist. She has a five year old son Jack (Jacob Tremblay), whom she raises to believe that their Room is the entire world. The TV people are fake, and right outside the shed is outer space. When Joy finds out that her captor (Sean Bridgers) is out of a job and might kill them, she hatches a dangerous plan to escape.

Will 'The Martian' Get Any Love from the Oscars?

In a just world, here are the Oscar nominations The Martian would get:
Best Picture
Best Actor - Matt Damon
Best Supporting Actor - Chiwetel Ejiofor
Best Director
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Editing
Best Cinematography
and why not, Best Original Score

In reality, I'm not sure if any of these things will happen. The Oscars are notorious for ignoring genre movies these days and for being extremely fickle and forgetful. On paper, The Martian feels very Oscar friendly, and not in a bad way either. The film is a box office success ($320 million worldwide and counting) and critically acclaimed (93% on Rotten Tomatoes). Director Ridley Scott is a veteran and the cast is stacked with name actors and promising up-and-comers. From all angles, The Martian feels like it could be a genuine Oscar and audience hit. But for some reason, I feel like it could be left out during the arduous Oscar race.

20 Years Ago, 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' Defined a Generation

I have specific memories of seeing Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge in the theater. I remember seeing many of its iconic moments on the big screen. The film has been playing at the Maratha Mandhir in India since it premiered in 1995. The film swept the awards, was a major financial success and created stars out of young actors and seasoned veterans. DDLJ is one of the most iconic, influential and indelible films in Bollywood history.

The Shah Rukh Khan we know today--that's from DDLJ. Kajol became a household name, Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal, Himani Shivpuri and Anupam Kher found new lives to their careers. The soundtrack of the film is not only classic but each song became its own archetype; the template created by the film still lives on today. For a while I wondered why DDLJ became such a sensation both in India and abroad. And I think I have my answer.

'Black Mass' and Hollywood's "Cool Dude" Problem

This week I saw Black Mass, the new film from director Scott Cooper (Out of the Furnace). The film stars Oscar nominee Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton (The Gift), Benedict Cumberbath (Star Trek Into Darkness), Kevin Bacon, Corey Stoll (This is Where I Leave You), Peter Sarsgaard (Blue Jasmine) and Dakota Johnson (50 Shades of Grey). The film has been promoted as the "official" beginning of the Oscar season. Its mid-September release date puts it in a weird position, however. The Oscar season is long and fickle, meaning the film could be forgotten by time December hits. Black Mass' best contender is star Depp himself as notorious criminal James "Whitey" Bulger, whose performance in the film is being touted as a "comeback" but he still needs strong legs at the box office to retain the momentum. 

But why is the movie considered an Oscar contender? Johnny Depp is laughably phony in the lead role, desperately vying for street cred by cursing on screen and staring at people. But this is no less a caricature than his work in Dark Shadows or the later Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Black Mass is a standard gangster biopic, where bad guys do bad things but look cool doing it and then get caught and we're supposed to understand that they're bad. It features overwritten dialogue that tries hard to be macho-poetic, throwing in the F word and other profanity to sound hardcore. This movie is reeking of testosterone and toxic masculinity. The movie is deemed "important" because it has the veneer of a prestige mobster move but in fact it is just as hollow as any studio programmed rom-com or blockbuster.

Deepika Padukone: Bringing the Bollywood Heroine to the 21st Century

Deepika Padukone is a true Bollywood movie star. Her performances are celebrated, her films are major hits at the box office and she is very vocal about issues that Indians face today. Padukone has cemented a place for herself in Indian film industry. It's not just that she is successful both critically and financially. But her work is actively moving the industry forward with her portrayal of modern, opinionated and liberated women, who have agency, intelligence, strength and vulnerability.

Deepika Padukone debuted to smashing success with Om Shanti Om. I'm not a fan of the film but her work was noticed and it was clear she had star potential. After that, however, Padukone struggled to make a place for herself with small "girlfriend" roles or poorly reviewed performances. She had a hit with Love Aaj Kal and did decent work in Lafangey Parindey, but she wasn't really taken seriously.

'The Perfect Guy' and My Love for 80s/90s Trashy Thrillers

I took myself to see The Perfect Guy. And it was awesome. It reminded me of those trashy thrillers from the 80s and 90s. Over the top, lurid, violent, exploitative, black and white morality--it's all good. The Perfect Guy is tame compared to others like it. There's always a woman in peril, some evil guy obsessed with her. Or maybe there's a sensitive guy with a femme fatale out to consume him. Some people ;like to consider these just Lifetime movies, but I'm like who cares? These movies make money and there's an audience for them. Here are some of my favorite ones in all their vaguely anti-feminist and ridiculous glory:

Basic Instinct
In some ways, Basic Instinct is the ultimate trash thriller. I mean, the story is so bizarre and the scenes so over the top delicious that you feel icky after watching it. Sharon Stone defined her career with this film for better or worse. This is a dirty descent to the underworld that pissed off a lot of people but in its own way it's a classic.

Diversity in Hollywood Simply Cannot Be "Organic"

Sometimes it's hard to reconcile my disappointment with the lack of diversity in front of and behind the camera and my enjoyment of mainstream Hollywood. I try to blame the system, not the players. But it's frustrating to see the people of power and privilege continually close their eyes to the big problem in their industry.

When white male filmmakers talk about the lack of diversity, they tend to bring up two major points: one that their decision to hire straight white men is nothing more than them picking the best man for the job because being straight, white and male is remarkably conducive to imagination and creativity. The other thing is that they think diversity needs to be organic to the story being told. FYI, both of those things are utter B.S. and total cop outs.

'Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation,' Opera and Alfred Hitchcock

Finally I got to see Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation and the movie did not disappoint. In fact, it's already become my favorite of the series with its brilliantly conceived action set pieces, complicated script and easy to love main cast. But perhaps the reason why I liked this so much is its deliberate homages to my favorite director, Alfred Hitchcock.

Rogue Nation explicitly references two classic Hitchcock thrillers: North by Northwest and The Man Who Knew Too Much. But the film on the whole is a general "wrong man" thriller homage about a guy on the run from his own government and is out to prove himself right. While most people generally think of James Bond 007 as the major influence of modern spy thrillers, Rogue Nation goes to the Hitchcock template for suspense building.

DEVDAS: Classism, Performance & Melodrama

In the 2002 adaptation of Devdas, writer/director Sanjay Leela Bhansali uses melodrama to tell a tragic love story. The film uses elements of melodrama: evocative sets, extensive camerawork, archetypal characters, and an emphasis of extreme human emotions. The film is focused on class conflicts and pride, two themes that feature heavily in classical melodrama. In this article, I plan to analyze class conflicts in the film, especially regarding the four principal female characters: Parvati (Aishwarya Rai), Chandramukhi (Madhuri Dixit), Kaushalya (Smita Jaykar) and Sumitra (Kirron Kher).

Sumitra and Kaushalya, and their subsequent role reversal
These two women are the matriarchs of the film, and their domestic power rules the film. This is the key for melodrama--whereas men often hold the power in westerns, film noir and other genres, the women are the agents of the melodrama. The husbands, Neelkanth and Narayan, may wield power but their cluelessness about what is going on reveals that they rely on their wives. Sumitra and Kaushalya (and other female figures) have the ability to make change in their households.

My Top 9 Female Performances from the Last 5 Years

As promised, here are my favorite female performances from the last 5 years. Surprisingly, this was a lot harder to compile primarily because there were so many I wanted include. Sadly, the challenge was to limit the list to 9 entries but perhaps I'll do an honorable mentions. So please enjoy my top 9 favorite female performances.

Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine (2013)
Is there another director who consistently makes great showcase movies for actresses? The role Woody Allen wrote for Cate Blanchett is phenomenal. Jasmine is deluded, pathetic and sad but she still has her dignity intact. Blanchett is in top form, with affected mannerisms and haughty indignation. Blanchett is a terrific actress but her work as Jasmine is career-redefining. Supported by an equally talented cast, Blanchett sheds any sort of self-respect in order to make Jasmine a difficult character who causes her own breakdown. That kind of role is all too rare for actresses.

My Top 9 Male Performances from the Last 5 Years

So I've been wanting to compile a list of my favorite performanes from the last 5 years. At first I was going to do female performances but that list came too easily for me (stay tuned for it!) As a challenge I thought I'd tackle these fine gentleman first. The list is in alphabetical by actor's name.

Christian Bale, The Fighter (2010)
Bale is known for his dramatic physical transformations to fit his roles and sometimes that distracts from the performance itself. Not so in The Fighter, which offers Bale at his most pathetically cocksure and heartbreakingly deluded. His Dickey Eklund is a complicated character, both easy to hate and easy to feel sorry for. Bale is so terrific in this movie, all erratic gestures and broken speech patterns, that his eventual redemption is earned.

Summer Indie Round-Up #3

The summer is known for major blockbusters, franchises and tentpole features. While those movies get a lot of press, I thought I'd share my thoughts on the smaller movies that are coming out either in theaters or on demand.

What We Did On Our Holiday
Academy Award nominee Rosamund Pike and the former Dr. Who David Tennant star in this charmingly absurd family comedy. They play a divorcing couple who ask their three cute kids to lie to their grandfather (Billy Connolly) at his birthday party that they are happily married. The movie takes a delightful turn in the middle and this portion--with the 3 kids and the grandfather--is brilliant. The movie has a strong grasp of character and relationships, even though some of the subplots are extraneous. But overall this is a very fun movie. Pike, Tennant and Connolly are exceptional and the three children are terrific and believable.

Jake Gyllenhaal Hits Hard in Crowd-Pleasing 'Southpaw' (Review)

It's no secret that I love Jake Gyllenhaal. I love him as an actor, as a movie star and as my imaginary friend. The guy has built an incredible resume over the last 20 years with acclaimed roles in (deep breath) Donnie Darko, Jarhead, Brokeback Mountain, End of Watch, Zodiac, The Good Girl, Source Code, Prisoners, Love & Other Drugs, Enemy and his tour de force Nightcrawler. We can forgive him for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, right, people? My boy Jakey G. is not only an awesome talent but he really picks awesome roles for himself.

His latest film is Southpaw, from director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, The Equalizer). Jake Gyllenhaal stars alongside Forest Whitaker (Lee Daniels' The Butler), newcomer and Tony winner Oona Lawrence, rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Naomie Harris (Skyfall), Miguel Gomez (TV's The Strain) and Rachel McAdams (The Vow). The film is the debut film script from Kurt Sutter, known as the creator of Sons of Anarchy. Cinematography is by Mauro Fiore (Avatar), with editing by John Refoua (Olympus Has Fallen) and the score by the recently deceased James Horner.

The Niche Actress vs. The Versatile Leading Man

There are rumors flying around that basketball superstar LeBron James is circling a deal to star in a sequel to the beloved 90s movie Space Jam. The rumor comes James' deal with Warner Bros., who owns the Space Jam rights. Look I loved Space Jam as a kid. LeBron James is obviously a mega star and not just on the court. I haven't seen Trainwreck yet but his comedic supporting role is getting a lot of praise. On the surface, James starring Space Jam 2 seems like a golden idea.

But deep down it reveals a major problem regarding Hollywood sexism. Trainwreck is supposed to be writer/star Amy Schumer's big break into mainstream. It's a hit movie with rave reviews. So why is LeBron James the one walking away with more prospects as a movie star than THE STAR AND WRITER OF THE MOVIE Amy Schumer? Questions like this have been popping up in my mind a lot lately as I've seen this pattern come up a lot.

A Beginner's Guide to Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock is one of my favorite directors--probably my most favorite. With a career spanning over 50 years, he made 53 films and I haven't even seen them all! But his career is diverse, full of major classics and obscure gems. So here's a guide to getting into the films of the Master of Suspense.

First start with Rear Window (1954)
Rear Window is probably the most accessible of Hitchcock's famous movies. It's a thriller with a good mystery plus it has some comedy, romance and social commentary thrown in. Truthfully, this is one of the best expressions of Hitchcock's command over filmmaking.

Then jump back 19 years to The 39 Steps (1935)
One of Hitchcock's favorite themes was the wrongly accused man. The 39 Steps was the first iteration of the "wrong man" theme and features of a lot of great Hitchcockian touches, and you'd be surprised how modern it feels for being 80 years old.

'Self/less' Rips Off a Classic, But That's Not Its Worst Crime (Review)

Self/less is the latest film from director Tarsem Singh, known for his visually striking films The Cell, The Fall and Immortals. The film, written by David and Alex Pastor, stars Ryan Reynolds, Natalie Martinez (End of Watch), Matthew Goode (A Single Man), Victor Garber, Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey) and Sir Ben Kinglsey.

Damien (Kingsley) is a billionaire business tycoon with a strained relationship with his daughter Claire (Dockery). Suffering from a terminal illness, he finds out about an organization which will transfer his consciouness into a lab-grown young body for $250 million. After meeting with the head of the company Albright (Goode), Damian wakes up in his new body (Reynolds) and a new identity: Edward. But after experiencing some flashes of what he thinks are memories, Damian starts to investigate and discovers that the secret company that grows bodies for dying rich guys is not as benevolent as he thought.

'Magic Mike XXL:' Getting Pleasure by Giving It (Review)

In 2012, Steven Soderbergh's male stripper drama/comedy/dance movie Magic Mike became an unexpected hit, grossing more than $150 million off a $7 million budget. With high box office numbers and a low budget, the sequel to Magic Mike was inevitable. 3 years later, we have Magic Mike XXL. Since Soderbergh retired, his longtime collaborator Gregory Jacobs takes on the directing chair with a screenplay by Reid Carolin and Giana Damian. Soderbergh served as cinematographer and co-editor (with Damian). The film brings back Channing Tatum, Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez and Gabriel Iglesias. Newcomers to the cast are Jada Pinkett-Smith, Andie MacDowell, Amber Heard, Donald Glover and Elizabeth Banks in a cameo.

3 years after Mike (Tatum) left the Kings of Tampa to start his furniture business and be with his girlfriend Brooke, his former stripper pals Ken, Richie, Tarzan, Tito and Tobias (Bomer, Manganiello, Nash, Rodriguez and Iglesias respectively) roll into town. When they tell him they are going to the biggest stripper convention in Myrtle Beach, he decides to join them for a last hurrah doing what he loves to do with his best friends.

Modern Blockbuster Directors Don't Know Anything About Blockbuster Filmmaking

Okay, guys, it's time for me to rant. Modern blockbuster directors don't know anything about blockbuster filmmaking. They just don't get what makes films memorable, iconic or classic. Sure, there are exceptions. But for the most part, theaters are crowded with generic blockbusters that cash in on nostalgia and pander to audiences thought to be too dumb to know the difference. And I think the major reason for that is they just don't have time to practice.

Nowadays the big movies are directed by indie film directors (all white men by the way) who have one film or maybe some music videos or perhaps just a few commercials and TV episodes to their credit. Then they get plucked out by producers and studio heads (all white men--noticing a pattern?) to direct these big budget blockbusters. Now why small directors are favored over more seasoned directors is clear to me: they're easier to control and perhaps eager to please. It's a formula that works for everyone who's in the system.

Summer Indie Round-Up #2

The summer is known for major blockbusters, franchises and tentpole features. While those movies get a lot of press, I thought I'd share my thoughts on the smaller movies that are coming out either in theaters or on demand.

Testament of Youth
Alicia Vikander, an actress being primed for A-list, stars as Vera Brittain in this adaptation of Brittain's highly revered memoir. Brittain fought hard to be accepted at Oxford, only for WWI to derail her life. As she decides to become a nurse, her relationships with her brother (Taron Egerton), her true love (Kit Harrington) and her friend (Colin Morgan) are put to the test. The film is very important, as Brittain's story is one of courage, tragedy and resilience. But the film does feel very typical in its style--it's very much a British prestige biopic. The cast and the dialogue are quite remarkable. Vikander makes for a ferocious lead and her co-stars are remarkable enough. Just don't expect much in the way of inventive filmmaking. But these images of war and its effects on the nation are stirring and relevant and the film is quite effective.

9 Great Films to Enjoy on Father's Day

So it's Father's Day, a day we spend honoring the great men in our lives who raised us, taught us, fed us, lectured us and laughed with us. Over the years, there have been several awesome dad-themed films in genres ranging from comedy to sci-fi epic. Here are nine movies you can watch with your father on his special day.

Finding Nemo (2003)
This is probably my favorite Pixar movie. I don't need to tell you how funny it is. The story is so simple but it's so wonderfully layered. It's perhaps one of the best movies about father/son relationships. So if you fight with your son but will do anything for him, this is the movie for you. It's so touching and heartwarming without being too sappy or annoying.

Jurassic Park's Dr. Ellie Sattler Should Be the Template for Women in Blockbusters

With the release of Jurassic World, the long awaited new entry in the popular Jurassic Park series, there has been some backlash regarding the unfortunate way the lead female Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) was written and directed. I don't want to add to that discussion but here is an article that perfectly describes just how awfully the character was written.

What I do want to talk about is the great work of screenwriters David Koepp and Michael Crichton, director Steven Spielberg and most of all Laura Dern as the female lead in the 1993 original Jurassic Park. Dern plays Dr. Ellie Sattler, an expert paleobotanist who along with Sam Neill's Dr. Alan Grant comes to Jurassic Park to give their okay in exchange for some funding. Even though Jurassic Park is 22 years old, it does a lot of things right when it comes to gender politics. So here are some reasons why Dr. Sattler should be the template for female characters in blockbusters.

'Tanu Weds Manu Returns' Isn't a Feminist Triumph (But Close Enough?)

Aanand L. Rai's last film Raanjhanaa was so horrifically misogynistic (guy threatens to kill girl if she doesn't go out with him, she reluctantly does--yay, they're in love!) that I was severely disappointed that this movie I was kind of into was also directed by him. Tanu Weds Manu Returns had an appealing trailer, some catchy songs and the promise of a showcase performance for Filmfare award winner Kangana Ranaut. Truth be told, Tanu Weds Manu Returns came at the right time--I had just seen Ranaut in the totally marvelous Queen on Netflix.

Tanu Weds Manu Returns is the sequel to the 2011 hit Tanu Weds Manu. Ranaut stars with R. Madhavan, Jimmy Shergill, Swara Bhaskar and Deepak Dobriyal. Krsna Solo returns as music composer. The film was directed by Aanand L. Rai from a screenplay by Himanshu Sharma.

Scarlett Johansson, Misfit Movie Star (part 5)

In Part 4 of this series, I explored 3 films where Scarlett Johansson became a supporting player when the narrative pushed her to the side. In Ghost World, Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Don Jon, this is where her misfit status took her and the films were more interesting as a result. Please read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of this Scarlett Johansson series.

As I was going through her IMDb page trying to figure out where to take part 5, I ended up choosing three films that are totally different from one another. We are now seeing Scarlett Johansson the Misfit Muse. As an actress with attention to paid to her looks, she did have to play characters who become inspiration for white men (like most actresses have to do at some point). These films do more than show Johansson in some passive role, however, as she continues to find ways to break the male gaze directed at her.

Dwayne Johnson and Carla Gugino Resist Getting Toppled in 'San Andreas' (Review)

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson seems like the coolest guy, like if he crashes at your place after an awesome night out, he'd sneak out to get coffee for you before you get up. While curating a charming, non-jerky offscreen persona, he's been excelling at being a major added value to existing franchises like the Fast and Furious series and even the Journey to the Center of the Earth films. San Andreas is Johnson's first major blockbuster effort as a "by himself" star, as the marketing focused solely on him.

San Andreas also stars one of my faves Carla Gugino (Watchmen), Alexandra Daddario (True Detective), Paul Giamatti, Hugo Johnstone-Burt (Teen Wolf), Art Parkinson (Game of Thrones), Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife) and Ioan Gruffudd (Forever).  San Andreas is directed by Brad Peyton who previously directed Johnson in Journey to the Center of the Earth: The Mysterious Island. The film is written by Carlton Cuse, known for his work on the TV show Lost.

Scarlett Johansson, Misfit Movie Star (part 4)

In Part 3 of Scarlett Johansson, Misfit Movie Star I discussed how Johansson played characters who didn't fit in but were watchful and observant. In Lost in Translation, The Nanny Diaries and Under the Skin, we got to see her see other people and make her own conclusions about life. Here are links to Part 1 and Part 2 of my Lady Scarlett series.

Here's the thing: even if Scarlett Johansson played the outlier, she was still the main focus of the film or at least her plot. But one thing I noticed about some of her films is how she sometimes gets pushed to the side. Her characters are misfits and so she gets relegated to the side for the real protagonists. It's interesting how a movie star can be so comfortable in what turn out to be supporting roles. I like that she uses her A-list status (or A-list potential in some cases) to play these supporting roles.

Summer Indie Round-Up #1

The summer is known for major blockbusters, franchises and tentpole features. While those movies get a lot of press, I thought I'd share my thoughts on the smaller movies that are coming out either in theaters or on demand.

Far from the Madding Crowd
Academy Award nominee Carey Mulligan stars in the latest adaptation of Thomas Hardy's novel. The film is directed by Thomas Vinterberg (the Oscar nominated The Hunt). Mulligan plays Bathsheba Everdene, a woman who inherits a farm and discovers that running it satisfies her independent spirit. Though she is pursued by three different men, Bathsheba tries her hardest to maintain her liberated self. Far from the Madding Crowd is a romance but one that is understated and keeps its feminist themes intact throughout the entire movie. Bathsheba makes mistakes, learns from them and moves on. The film looks really gorgeous--many of the scenes are outdoors and shot beautifully by Charlotte Bruus Christiansen. Matthias Schoenaerts is excellent as Bathsheba's equally prideful true love. I can easily recommend this film to those who don't like stuffy and overcookedperiod dramas. The movie is alive and vibrant.

Scarlett Johansson, Misfit Movie Star (part 3)

Previously on Scarlett Johansson, Misfit Movie Star:

I wrote about Johansson's tenure as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow. Her roles in these films got better as they went along. After a shaky start in Iron Man 2, Romanoff came into her own in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Most likely, that film is the closest we're going to get to a Black Widow solo movie. In case you missed it, here's a link to Part 1 of my Scarlett J series. 

I discussed in my previous blogs about Scarlett Johansson: The Misfit. One aspect that I didn't mention was how Scarlett Johansson often plays observant characters. While Johansson may often she the subject of a male gaze, she returns the gaze right back. In many of her films, she watches and learns. There's also an element of passivity to her characters, which often gets mistaken for her passivity as an actress. But the inertia is usually a conscious choice made by the actress.

From Chaplin to Madonna: Why You Must Listen to "You Must Remember This"

I have been really getting into movie podcasts lately. And each new podcast sort of leads me to the next one. Two weeks ago I became obsessed with You Must Remember This, a podcast "dedicated to exploring the secret and/or forgotten histories of Hollywood's first century" as told by the host Karina Longwoth. I have devoured 30+ episodes in that time. I discovered this podcast when Longworth was a guest on another show I listen to called The Canon where she passionately defended The Godfather Part III's place in the canon of important films.

You Must Remember This chronicles the history of Hollywood. Longworth dedicates an episode (or series of episodes) to one subject and details their life and Hollywood legacy. These episodes will often interact with each other, contradict each other and complement each other in interesting ways. The show is amazingly researched. Longworth uses biographies, news stories, gossip, interviews and film clips to tell each story. Because these stories are so old and often clouded by legend, Longworth finds herself telling multiple versions of one story. Sometimes we'll never know what really happened.

Scarlett Johansson, Misfit Movie Star (part 2)

Last week, I took a look at 3 of Scarlett Johansson's films and how they fit into her career. Match Point had her deconstruct the femme fatale, showing us the tragedy behind being a male fantasy. He's Just Not That Into You took that arc and placed it in a generic, mainstream rom-com. Finally, Lucy gave Johansson superpowers and she was alienated to the extreme.

In honor of the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron, I decided to look at Scarlett Johansson's three previous Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films: Iron Man 2, The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. These are Scarlett Johansson's three highest grossing films both domestically and overseas (Lucy sits at #4). If anyone had any doubts of Scarlett being an A-list star, these films definitely erased those doubts. But luckily for us, her performances as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow aren't just cash-grabs. She's not doing a franchise solely as a retirement plan, although perhaps it started that way...

James Franco & Jonah Hill Go Comically Grim in 'True Story' (Review)

James Franco and Jonah Hill are best known for their comedies including Pineapple Express, Superbad and This is the End. While James Franco has kept a balance between comedies and more serious films, Jonah Hill only recently dabbled in other genres namely in Bennett Miller's Moneyball (which happens to be my favorite film of 2011). Separately, it's not hard to separate their dramatic work from their bro-comedies. But as seen together, it's tough not to be reminded of the films that made them popular.

True Story is, essentially, a true story (at least based on one). The film is directed by Rupert Goold, an English theatre and TV director making his feature debut. The script is by Goold and David Kajganich, based on the memoirs of writer Michael Finkel. The film stars Hill as Finkel, Franco as serial killer Christian Longo and Felicity Jones as Finkel's wife Jill.

New York Times journalist Finkel is fired after fabricating parts of a story he wrote about child slaves in Africa. He goes to Minnesota where his wife lives, attempting to get another job. But then a reporter from The Oregonian contacts him, telling that a man accused of killing his family was picked up in Mexico. The guy, Christian Longo, used Finkel's identity as an alias. Intrigued, Finkel goes to Oregon to visit Longo in jail and the two make a deal: Longo will tell Finkel the truth about what happened to his family if Finkel will teach him to write.

Scarlett Johansson, Misfit Movie Star (part 1)

Tony winner. BAFTA winner. Twice named Esquire's Sexiest Woman Alive. Marvel Cinematic Universe's Black Widow. Scarlett Johansson is definitely an A-list movie star. But there's something about her that rebels against the Hollywood hype machine. Is Scarlett a Hollywood sex symbol? Or do the media and the public project that image onto her? Is Scarlett Johansson the anti A-list star?

Obviously, I don't know Scarlett Johansson personally. But her choice of films reveal a deeper relationship to her sex symbol status. She challenges it. Here's what I find interesting: Scarlett Johansson's characters are always the outlier, the misfit. She plays displaced characters, alienated sometimes by her voluptuous beauty, by her nationality, even by her lack of corporal form. My theory is that Johansson views her A list status ironically and spends her career breaking it down.

In this multi-part blog series, I'm going to look at some of Scarlett Johansson's performances, ranging from some of her best films to some of her more flawed (but still interesting) films.

OK, Can We Stop Acting So Surprised That Kristen Stewart is a Good Actress?

Kristen Stewart in Clouds of Sils Maria

Here is a Hollywood trend that really annoys me: false comeback narratives. The media suddenly realizes that an actor is actually worth their time and journalists/bloggers act as if they discovered what a hidden gem the actor is. Most of the time, however, it's just that the media has major short term memory loss and its good favor can't withstand an actor's more rocky period.

This is happening with Kristen Stewart. Ever since she finished her run in the blockbuster Twilight Saga as Bella Swan in 2012, Stewart has been refocusing her career. She's choosing interesting projects, she's working with talented actors and directors, and she's getting some major notices. But all I've been seeing online is stuff like "OMG Kristen Stewart can act!" and lots of vaguely misogynistic backhanded compliments. Look, I don't know how Stewart feels about her years in the Twilight movies. I'd like to imagine that she's grateful for the fans she won over, for the gonzo money she made and for the fact that she starred in a film series that played directly to the hungry but oft-ignored female audience. The Twilight movies had their issues but we can thank them for Hunger Games, Pitch Perfect and other female-oriented blockbusters.

100th Post Spectacular-Spectacular!: Top 10 Films of All Time with Special Guest Zade Constantine!!

I'VE REACHED 100 POSTS PEOPLE! This is clearly the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me in my entire life! I just want to thank my followers, the people who have liked my blog on Facebook. In the past few months, I've tried to up my game on here and having your support means everything. So merci beaucoup as they say in places where French is spoken.

So for this special occasion, I've decided to compose my top 10 films of all time. I've asked my good friend and fellow film enthusiast Zade Constantine to contribute as well because he is awesome and has an exceptional taste in films.

ZADE:

10. A Face in the Crowd (1957) - Elia Kazan
Elia Kazan directed several films often cited as some of the greatest works of all time. Films such as On the Waterfront and East of Eden are part of his remarkable body of work and controversial legacy. A Face in the Crowd, however, remains my favorite film by Kazan. Lead by a maniacal performance from Andy Griffith, A Face in the Crowd foreshadowed the frightening state of our current media institutions and figures.

9.    The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) - John Ford

John Ford takes his favorite themes and iconography and distills them here. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance pins John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart against one another and plays with our perceptions of these two stars. There are many films that alter the confines of their respective genres, but The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance stands as the greatest “revisionist” achievement.

8. The Wages of Fear (1953) - Henri-Georges Clouzot

The setup for this one is simple: destitute workers looking to escape a hellish South American town agree to drive nitroglycerine across perilous terrain. Every bump in the road has the potential to set off the nitro and blow them all up. The Wages of Fear, after repeated views, remains an unbearably suspenseful and stressful viewing experience.