Watch This – Dirty Laundry (2012)
One of the biggest surprises to come out of this year’s Comic-Con was the unannounced unveiling of a secretive short film that actor Thomas Jane put together. The screening didn’t take place in a huge hall nor was it viewed by a throng of fans. Directed by Phil Joanou (“State of Grace” and “Gridiron Gang”) “Dirty Laundry” sees Jane indirectly returning to the role of Frank Castle aka The Punisher, the Marvel Comics character he played in the 2004 film “The Punisher”, which he obviously has a strong affinity for. To be clear, this is considered a “fan film”, having no ties with Marvel Studios, but the pedigree and quality is quite obvious.
This Week on DVD & Blu-ray (07-17-12)
Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012)
written by: Michael Berg, James Fuchs and Mike Reiss
produced by: John C. Donkin,
directed by: Steve Martino and Mike Thurmeier
rating: PG (for mild rude humor and action/peril)
runtime: 94 min.
U.S. release date: July 13, 2012
Here we have yet another adventure in the lives of oh-so familiar Paleolithical talking animals. So, it must be another “Ice Age” movie from Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox. My question is – Does there really have to be another sequel? It’s hard to believe that there’s anything else for these creatures to do, especially when the material started to feel dried up in the last sequel, 2009’s “Dawn of the Dinosaurs”, but here we are with the fourth installment “Ice Age: Continental Drive”, which lives up to it’s name in that it just sort of drifts along. Oh, it has its charms and some satisfying enough voice work, but I couldn’t help thinking as I watched how this could’ve easily been a direct-to-DVD release, for characters who have already exhausted their time on the big-screen. But the producers know the age of their audience, and are counting on parents bringing those viewers to the multiplex on opening weekend.
Keeping It Reel Podcast #5 – Men in Black 3
We’re back, live from The Patio Theater, where Demetri Kouvalis (owner/manager) and myself slide back to our regular format. This week we discuss what seemed more worn out, Will Smith’s jokes or Tommy Lee Jones’ eyes, as we talk about Barry Sonnenfeld’s new sequel,”Men in Black 3″. At least Josh Brolin and a few others are on hand to inject some life into the franchise. We also share what else we’ve been watching and make some announcements – one of them a joyous one in particular!
The Criterion Completist – Tunes of Glory (1960)
written by: James Kennaway (novel & screenplay)
produced by: Colin Lesslie
directed by: Ronald Neame
rating: unrated
runtime: 106 min.
U. S. release date: December 20, 1960
DVD/Blu-ray: February 17, 2004
Peacetime problems are the focus of the 1960 military drama “Tunes of Glory“, based on the book of the same name by James Kennaway. This film explores the world of the upper class of Scottish military culture, and asks: What are soldiers and officers to do with themselves when there are no wars to fight?
The Top Five Films of 2012 (so far)
Six months have already passed us by, already? Huh? I know, it’s crazy. Time flies when you’re watching movies (writing and talking about them too), so the least you can do is watch some great ones. Therefore, it is once again time for our annual half-year list, where we rattle off our Top Five Films of 2012 (so far)! It’s a challenge to narrow all that movie-watching down to the best of them, but it’s also fun to see where certain movies show up more than once and how some are only mentioned once. These are the films that stand-out; they showed us something unique or different, made us laugh, challenged our thinking or just gave us a fun time at the movies!
Another hot week in Chicago, meant another sweaty recording of the Keeping It Reel podcast for myself and Demetri Kouvalis (owner/manager of The Patio Theater). In this special episode we forego any movie news and scrap our What We’ve Been Watching segment, to share with you the Best of 2012, so far. These are the movies that were released between January and June this year, that we consider to the best.
This Week on DVD & Blu-ray (07-10-12)
SLEEPLESS NIGHT (2012) review
written by: Frédéric Jardin, Nicolas Saada & Olivier Douyère
produced by: Marco Cherqui, David Grumbach & Jean-Jacques Neira
directed by: Frédéric Jardin
rating: unrated
runtime: 103 min.
U.S. release date: May 11, 2012 (VOD, iTunes & Amazon Instant)
Each year after the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, the showrunners release a handful of the films that have premiered there on a variety of streaming outlets. It’s unclear how they decide which films to release, but after watching writer/director Frédéric Jardin’s “Sleepless Night”, they must be the best of the fest. This French thriller is clearly one of the most intense nail-biters I have seen in some time. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been pulled into a film cold turkey, knowing next to nothing about the filmmakers or the actors involved, and became immediately transfixed and committed to the story, the characters and the non-stop action. It’s similar in many ways to a movie like “Taken” but more manic, since the protagonist is more frantic and desperate to see things through. If you’ve been searching for a coherent and awesome action movie, look no further than this relentless nocturnal ride.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
written by: Steve Loves, James Vanderbilt & Alvin Sargeant
produced by: Avi Arad, Laura Ziskin & Matt Tolmach
directed by: Marc Webb
rating: PG-13 (for sequences of action and violence)
runtime: 136 min.
U.S. release date: July 3, 2012
It’s been five years since Sam Raimi ended his “Spider-Man” movies with the awful “Spider-Man 3” and ten years since he started it all with a movie simply called “Spider-Man”. No “Amazing” needed. It certainly wasn’t a perfect movie, but it was fun and had an infectious style and tone about it. Raimi’s best though was his first sequel, “Spider-Man 2” and with the second sequel leaving everyone sour, Columbia Pictures felt it was time to spin a reworking of the iconic character for a brand new audience. Maybe. My gut feeling is that they just wanted to put out another Spider-Man movie before the rights went back to Marvel Studios (who are currently doing pretty “amazing” on their own in the superhero genre). So, in an effort to continue they decided to reboot the franchise, or rather remake it. Actually, the more I think about it, rehash is more appropriate word. “The Amazing Spider-Man” certainly boasts a better cast, has superior special effects that really dazzle, but the story just winds up being all too familiar. How could it not, when it’s essentially telling the same story?
