Month: July 2014

Top Five Films of 2014 So Far

The_Lego_Movie_posterNow that six (well, seven) of the months of 2014 have elapsed, let’s do a quick recap of what was awesome so far this year. Most notably so far, I haven’t seen Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, which sounds completely awesome and is delighting critics left and right.

5) The Lego Movie. I don’t completely understand why The Lego Movie, which feels eerily similar in tone, color, and spirit to Wreck-It Ralph has been heralded as ZOMG the GREATEST THING when Ralph came and went (though the fact that it has Lego in the title probably helps). But that confusion aside, The Lego Movie is exactly as cheerful and fun as you’ve heard it is.

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Programming Note for August 2014

This Week in the Box

As you may have noticed, it’s April 23rd. At least, that’s what it must be, because the last post for the This Week in the Box series is from April 16th, and clearly Sam would never let the project fall that far behind. Obviously.

Sam has seen more movies than that, but was behind even before a spontaneous move of apartments in July. The series is not done, it will all come out okay in the end, honest, but we ask that you continue to be patient while she gets her act together.

The Wire

Speaking of that spontaneous move within Chicago in the month of July… we still owe you the writeup of the last three episodes of the first season of The Wire, but that one does have a timetable we can report. This weekend, August 2-3, that post will appear, and we’ll start season two that week. We will be back to the schedule of two episodes a week for the month of August as planned. See you there!

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Emmy Nominations: Mostly Boring But Yay, True Dectective and Where’s Tatiana Maslaney?

true-detective-harrelson-mcconaughey-610x348 I’m mostly happy with this year’s Emmy nominations. The problem with that is that that means that the Emmy nominations are really boring this year. The nominations I was really pulling for that didn’t happen would have been major surprises so I can brush off most of my upset. I have some minor quibbles over some nominations that I would have liked to see over others but there is only one missing nomination that I am truly upset over.

Tatiana Maslaney (Orphan Black) deserves an Emmy and she didn’t even get a nomination. In fact, if Emmys were awarded by roles played instead of by the performer, you could make an argument for her being eligible for Outstanding Lead Actress, Supporting Actress, and Guest Actress in a Drama. Not only that, but Orphan Black received zero nominations. Not for writing, casting, directing, or anything technical and that show pulls off amazing feats in each episode. It’s things like this that make me wonder if the Emmy voters even watch TV. I would have gladly given up Michelle Dockery’s (Downton Abbey) nomination for Maslaney. For that matter, Kerry Washington (Scandal) could be traded out for Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) who didn’t have a particularly outstanding season but is still good. I really want to see Mad Men get an acting Emmy one of these years and I’d be thrilled if Moss was the one to win it.

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Cheap Thrills

cheapthrillsCheap Thrills is a movie with a simple premise. To the broadest possible question, you get as many answers as people you ask: what would you do for money? How much money? Is it worth it?

A glorious black comedy directed by E.L. Katz, Cheap Thrills unfolds over a single night of escalating dares that push darker and more insane with every passing minute. Craig (Pat Healy) has a wife and infant son at home and is barely making ends meet at his menial job changing oil in cars. Vince (Ethan Embry), a friend of his from school, is a legbreaker for… someone… and you get the feeling the cash is not so free-flowing for him either. They run into each other at a bar after not having seen one another for years.

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The Wire Watchalong: Season 1, Episodes 9 and 10

thewireWelcome to the Inanimate Blog watchalong for The Wire. Every week all summer we’ll be watching two episodes and posting our thoughts. We’re not recapping each episode in detail; that’s what Wikipedia is for. This week is Season 1, Episodes 9 and 10.

S01E09

Sam: Man, is there anything more embarrassing than losing your annual gang-rivalry basketball game? Especially when you paid big bucks for the local junior college star.

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Snowpiercer: No Spoilers

snowpiercerposterNote: This review contains NO SPOILERS. Read it to sell yourself on why you need to see this movie immediately, then read the other review for my thoughts on what actually happens.

When Inception came out in 2010, there was a great line I saw about it that went something like “Christopher Nolan has done the impossible: he’s taken $350 million and actually made a good movie with it.” So maligned is the big-budget summer action movie genre that it’s a surprise when one actually has more to it than bigger and bigger explosions.

Snowpiercer, although it’s getting a tiny release because of distribution company shenanigans, is completely the rightful inheritor of Inception‘s throne. It’s epic, dense, and completely awesome. It’s everything Elysium wished it could be (side note: don’t see Elysium; it’s terrible).

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Snowpiercer: Spoilers

snowpiercerNote: After the jump, this review DOES CONTAIN spoilers. It contains all my thoughts on anything that happens in the movie. If you’re interested in seeing the movie and haven’t yet, read this review to whet your appetite and check back here when you’ve seen it.

When Inception came out in 2010, there was a great line I saw about it that went something like “Christopher Nolan has done the impossible: he’s taken $350 million and actually made a good movie with it.” So maligned is the big-budget summer action movie genre that it’s a surprise when one actually has more to it than bigger and bigger explosions.

Snowpiercer, although it’s getting a tiny release because of distribution company shenanigans, is completely the rightful inheritor of Inception‘s throne. It’s epic, dense, and completely awesome. It’s everything Elysium wished it could be (side note: don’t see Elysium; it’s terrible).

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