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January 28, 2021

A Box of Eye Candy

“The snow is snowing, the wind is blowing,” as the song says. And as the ornaments are packed up and put away, we find ourselves now in the middle of January feeling a bit less cheerful. But fear not, dear readers, this is the best time to kick back with a glass of something warm. Maybe we catch a Cab (wine that is), break out the old records, and settle into the season. After 2020, a little escape is just the ticket to make it through the winter doldrums. And some truffles come in more than just chocolate-form.

A class “Axe”

As a new year begins, so do a new list of entertaining possibilities. That said, the previous year’s best of list still looms as winter sets in. What a perfect time to catch up!

The best of the rest of the year

Well we find ourselves at the end of another year. One that has been rather eventful if not in the best of ways. With nowhere to go, we make the most of it with little distractions.

Yule love these

December is here; a chill in the air. And that means only one thing: the holidays are here. But between the hanging of ornaments and bustle of gift shopping (completely altered this year), our media also needs to reflect this change in season.

More than just the mouse

Well that was a grueling couple weeks, wasn’t it? With that 2020 has given us, the escape button has never been more important. Netflix and other streaming services have been that relief in the form of original content for everyone. But what of that other new service from the most American entertainment company in the business: Disney?

Prestige is here

And this is where we find ourselves…the theaters in 2020 seem to be cancelled. My hopes were raised that the rest of the studio slate was coming out. Then “Black Widow was pushed to next May. But no matter, there is Bond … then no Bond until April.

Thrills, chills, and pills

In a year that we have had, how does Halloween stand up to 2020? Trick-or-treating is still on, with precautions, for the kiddies. With no parties, how can we adults get into the spirit so to speak? No fear (pun intended), there is a lot of media to get us in the mood as well. Sadly some of them are duds, which happens. But luckily that is my job to see the eye-rollers so you don’t have to.

Let’s get through those first.

Tenet: Is it worth it?

Let me take you on an adventure. It requires some imagination, dear reader, to remember a time in the past. A blissful time where our current state of things was not in the back of our minds. The prospect of walking into a theater for a new release was an open invitation, not something we would debate over. It may not feel dire, but the sense is in the air like the autumn chill. All of this sounds like the plot of some international thriller where our Protagonist must take on a dangerous madman hellbent on destruction. No, I am not talking about any real person or situation in particular. This is just the basics of “Tenet.”

Blockbusters @ Home

As this month began, the promise of movie theaters reopening has given us some pause. How will things change in this new world we find ourselves? What safety measures have the staff put in place to make for a comfortable experience? The studios have held back a great deal of their slate until later in 2020 or even next year. With “Tenet” the only major release that seems worth it (and I may still review it later), the resounding feeling of disinterest may have you feeling the small screen to be the better choice. Luckily, we don’t need to give up big budget storytelling in the exchange.

Autumn leaves and television screens

As the summer is coming to a close, a new crop of fresh films is out there for your perusal. But with the world as it is, the multiplex may seem like a wary place to enter still. So now as “Tenet” and “Death On The Nile” make their way onto the silver screen, maybe you still want to stay home. But don’t worry, the home theater has you covered.

Bringing the past to life

Truth being stranger than fiction: that is a widely-known axiom. No author could certainly scribe a novel as weird and wild as the times we are in now. This is why we enjoy historical films and documentaries as part of our cultural diet. Features such as “Dunkirk” and “Titanic” enthrall us even if you know the outcomes.

Reimagining the movie theater in 2020

At this point last year, the weather was calm and we were enjoying all the season had to offer. It was also the height of the summer movie season. All this feels like a distant memory however. The loss of the cinema, that communal experience, has given us questions as to how can we move forward culturally?

A little bit of this if you enjoy that

Humans, we are creatures of habit. Ever since the beginning of time, we as a species has lived out lives in categories and order. Recently those routines have been seriously shaken out of balance. Luckily, our entertainment has changed much. We enjoy what we always have. So in that spirit, here are some items you might like if you into a particular taste of genre.

Finding comfort in entertainment nostalgia

So if you are anything like me, this has not been the easiest of times in terms of entertainment. A filmgoer like myself wants that larger than life experience that the theater offers. However, due to the threat that shall not be named, we are in this situation. But to paraphrase Jane Austen, we are always in the pursuit of a new film or show to watch. And the home theatre will have to do.

“The Invisible Man” – Not seeing is believing

So it is a new decade of film we are entering. How auspicious this moment is. Not that the major studios really expect usher it in with grand statements of purpose. And why should they? Shallowness and making money is the name of the game.

“The Two Popes” – A filmmaker’s indulgences

There is nothing more insufferable than a filmmaker who doesn’t allow their movie to breathe, to let us come to certain conclusions naturally. A director inserting themselves into their film, not literally but through their style, is the biggest crime that they can do for their audience. Mostly this is said of flashier action films and big-budget blockbusters the likes of Michael Bay and J.J. Abrams. But sadly this can also be found in smaller art-house films; the works of Lars von Trier and Gaspar Noe come to mind. This same can be said of Fernando Meirelles and his latest for Netflix.

Marriage Story — not a love story

I have always been a sucker for a good love story, no matter the kind. First, last, found, unrequited; it is like candy to a five year old for me. But it so hard to get love right in film.

‘Grab hold of Parasite’

And the games begin … the Oscar nominations are out. Who is gonna take home those coveted gilded statues? To be honest, I haven’t seen all of the selections the Academy deemed worthy of praise. So maybe I am not the best to judge them. Already we have seen Joaquin Phoenix and Renee Zellweger bandied about for the top acting awards. This is all fine and good, but does one good performance make for a best picture?

Thumbs up for Knives Out

One of the biggest complaints about Hollywood is the lack of originality. The endless parade of recycled intellectual property and soulless sequels have always been par for the course. As the adage goes, “There is nothing new under the sun.” But many filmmakers have taken concepts and tropes used in the past to great effect. Directors like Quentin Tarantino have made a career of this kind of cinema pastiche. The trick is to arrange them with care and style to make them feel spontaneous, allowing for an air of mystery about these elements. And mystery is what we get here from Rian Johnson’s Knives Out.

Rocketman: a crowd pleaser

How does one fully encapsulate a life in two hours? I am completely baffled as to how to work that out properly. All the many nuances that make up one’s experience, what do you leave in and how do you remove the rest? Then you have to add music onto that, to boot. Some musical biopics hit the mark while others just fall into the same clichés that would you would find in a Behind the Music television special. “Rocketman” splits the difference.

Long Shot – going Rogue’n

The late great Jack Lemmon is noted for popularizing the phrase “Dying is easy, comedy is hard.” Although the epithet is older than him, the reasoning behind it still rings true. Humor is truly subjective to the viewer with no control by the person performing. And much like Seth Rogen, humor has taken a beating.

Avengers: Endgame: A Marvel-ous Conclusion

I will say it. I am a superhero fan. So for those you aren’t, turn away. But for those are or are into thoughtful plotting and character, we may proceed. I will not deny that there has been a glut of these films out there from both camps. However this film is not devoid of …

Us – A new kind of horror

Horror has been greatly maligned, much like comedy, as not worthy of the lofty goals set out by drama. It isn’t hard to see why when the majority of the genre has been reduced to jump scares and overuse of gore. Which is why the emergence of a collection of scary films designed to serve as allegory has been so refreshing.