By: Addison Wylie The comedy of Seth MacFarlane is an acquired taste. Some think his writing on the hit series Family Guy is unoriginal and crude while others think MacFarlane is outspoken and is breaking a lot of comedy barriers. You perception of his first live action outing, Ted, will depend on what camp you fall in. Where am I at? Personally, I started off liking him when Family Guy was in its first couple of…
By: Addison Wylie A Thousand Words is a film made for no one; especially if you’re a person who talks back to the screen. If you aren’t one of those loud patrons yet, A Thousand Words may very well convert you. It did for me. Eddie Murphy’s latest vehicle has his character Jack McCall having a tight leash on his vocabulary. After a mysterious tree grows in McCall’s backyard, he learns that with each word…
By: Addison Wylie The crew members aboard the spacecraft Prometheus are looking for answers. Seeking explanations is a recurring theme throughout Ridley Scott’s sci-fi thriller. What the film challenges movie goers with is the idea that maybe not everything is meant to be solved. Maybe some quires are better left untouched.It isn’t a full-fledged crowd pleasing message. Movie goers may even be turned off from the film altogether because of its pro-bewilderment attitude. But, those who don’t…
By: Addison Wylie It was inevitable that Rock of Ages, the rollicking hit stage play celebrating hair bands and other 80’s rock-and-roll, would become a movie. But, as someone who has seen the play, I wonder, “would this be possible?” The stage play has a power over people whether it’s a nostalgic force or simple unadulterated joy. Would that energy translate well to a different medium? The cast in the play also refer to the…
By: Addison Wylie It’s not as easy to make a movie that’s “so bad, it’s good”. Isn’t that right John Gulager? Gulager is the director of Piranha 3DD, the earth-shattering awful sequel to the peoples’ guilty pleasure Piranha 3D and, boy, does he have a lot to learn. Not only in regards to how to create a film movie goers could laugh at and laugh with but he has to figure out the basic understanding…
By: Addison Wylie The story behind The Intouchables is touching but it’s not earth shattering. It was a moving event in the lives of down-and-out Driss (played by Omar Sy in a fantastic debut) and for the classy, wheelchair-bound Philippe (played with equal greatness by François Cluzet) but it hasn’t had any impact on society nor are these two opposites household names because of the outcome their relationship has had. But, that doesn’t mean this…
By: Addison Wylie Barry Sonnenfeld’s third instalment to the popular and bizarre Men in Black series is a perfect way to cut the ribbon on the summer movie season. It also helps that this exciting slice of entertainment is a solid chapter for these characters. After a decade of fighting the intergalactic scum of the Earth, Agent J (played by Will Smith) and Agent K (played by Tommy Lee Jones) reach a crossroad in their…
By: Addison Wylie People hear statistics about how frequent bullying is in the school system but, for the most part, it’s remained a problem that’s been sitting on the back burner. However, after the recent extremes bullying has caused (including youth suicides), Filmmaker Lee Hirsch has made Bully, a documentary that gives audiences an intimate look at how the issue is handled in schools located in Georgia, Iowa, Mississippi, and Oklahoma as well as the…
By: Addison Wylie After much anticipation, The Avengers, a big budget superhero collaboration project featuring a versatile and talented cast, has come to fruition. Marvel has been taking their time for a little over half a decade to build towards this grand display of the supernatural and superhuman and the company both in front and behind the camera have done a fantastic job doing so. Mind you, some credit goes to the minds who helped build…
By: Addison Wylie Comedian/Writer/Director Bobcat Goldthwait has this incredible ability to use film as a way to call out an elephant in the room. When he does, no one lifts a finger to interject. It’s because with World’s Greatest Dad and now with his latest angry opus God Bless America, he’s writing about topics and nitpicks that have crossed out minds but the subjects are either too awkward or too nitpicky that we end up…