2 Years, 2 Jobs, and 2 Apartments Later...

It's amazing how most fail to keep up with their blogs. Even I have fallen in that trap. Blogs have become this generation's journal entries. Posting about the mundane, but in this case: Film Reviews. No matter what, I have returned. While I will be writing the occasional film review, I am back to hone a craft my skills at writing as I feel my skills have plummeted since. But writing is like gym training in my experience. You can't just pick up that heavy weight you could lift years ago without pulling a muscle. What I will say is that, I am writing a number of projects and in development with several stories I am contemplating publishing here.

It's been good to dust off the ol' blog again. I'm excited to get back into the flow of writing and share some stories.

Till next time, watch em if ya got em! I got to get back to work!
-Andres

The Dark Knight Rises Teaser Trailer Reaction

Christopher Nolan's Batman series has become something more than just a comic book film series, it has transcended the genre. "The Dark Knight" (2008) is considered by most critics and fans as easily one of the best films of the decade. The next and final film in the franchise, "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012), has it's work cut out for it. After nearly three years of speculation and rampant villain rumors lighting the internet, we finally have a Teaser Trailer to this much anticipated epic conclusion.

Click HERE for the TEASER TRAILER

This trailer has a lot of reasons to be excited. The tone looks in-keeping with the dark themes that Nolan has been developing with these films, namely the theme of escalation in which everything has to get worse before it gets better. The tone of the teaser is grim. That's frankly what we still need in a Batman film.

Another reason to be excited is that behind Nolan is a powerhouse of Talent. With oscar winners Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard, and the near endless swarm of talented actors including Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Morgan Freeman, Joesph Gordon Levitt, and Gary Oldman, this film is already spelling out quality. To get this much talent involved in a picture, there must be some meat in the bones. Tom Hardy playing the villain "Bane" is also cause to be excited as Bane was a villain mishandled in the previous series. Tom Hardy is both no slouch when it comes to his acting ability and his physicality. His brief appearance shows he will be as imposing a villain as there has ever been in this series. Anne Hathaway as Catwoman...enough said.

A point to be concerned is a nitpick at best. Maybe the film will bite off more than it can chew with introducing so many elements, but Oldman has said this script calls back and is reminiscent of "Batman Begins" (2005). While this bit is a nitpick, a bit of concern does come to the surface that maybe Nolan is going back to the well with this film. Who's to say going back to the well is bad? Because you have been to the well before, doesn't mean Nolan can't bring up fresh water again.

Nolan has also gone on record to say this will be his last and final Batman film. While many directors have said this in the past, Nolan is the type to put the story first. What this opens up is all of the possibilities to how he will conclude his epic trilogy of films. Only time will tell, but one thing can be said:
SUMMER 2012 can't get here sooner!
- Till next time!
Andres

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part II Review

The Harry Potter book series is one of the most renowned book series of all time. Forcing the New York Times to create a children’s top seller list since this series had been overtaking the top spots well past it’s publication date. Needless to say with this series of books and films, J.K. Rowling has solidified her Potter universe into pop culture status. This is a book series that has become a transcendent story that will exists for many years to come. Harry Potter has become part of our modern day mythology. While the movie series has it’s fair share of ups and downs, this final chapter has been long anticipated. With many Potter fans calling it “The End of Their Childhoods,” the one question lingering on their minds since that cliffhanger ending in Deathly Hallows Part I (2010) is “Will the last film deliver the ending that we all want and deserve?”

This film series has come to a fantastic closure. Picking up moments after the last film’s cliffhanger, the film follows wizard Harry Potter and his friends as they seek the means to destroy Lord Valdemort. The story in this final chapter is essentially a two-hour third act. All of the elements that popped in the first seven films, make a return in a exciting and unexpected ways. The film is so taught and so emotionally wrenching that it leaves you as Harry and his friends have been dealing with this whole plot for seven films: Emotionally Exhausted. Is this a negative?; Far from it. What the tail end of the film leaves you with is the sense that this series is done. No loose ends are left and the audience is left with an astounding sense of pathos. The ending works to pin you to the edge of your seat as the pieces are coming together, whereas in the last film, the characters dealt with failure upon more failure. This is one of the grimmer entries in the series. The actors have all brought their A-game to this chapter. The film is filled with so many emotionally heart wrenching scenes that requires talented actors to really sell these scenes, and none of them disappoint by a long strench.

As much as these movies are a joy to behold, there are a few flaws. You can’t watch this film without watching the last one as this is meant to be a part two of a narrative. While a lot of moments in the film feel rushed, at a two hour runtime this film could have been longer. The shortest of the Potter films, but they could have used a bit of pace here and there. The epilogue is a bit much, but leaves the audience on a good note. A very satisfying movie despite these flaws.

The film has so much heart and story packed in that the audience is bound to leave the theater wiping away the tears from their face. The film will leave one with elated sense that their beloved series has come to a very satisfying conclusion and that story the fans of the novels knew and grew up with has been captured on film. After this film, there’s no need for anymore in the franchise. This modern day epic mythology of Wizards and Magic has come to a satisfying conclusion.

Harry Potter…thanks for the wonderful send off.

9 of 10

A-

"Horrible Bosses" Review

Everyone has had this universal feeling. That feeling spelled in a few words is: "I hate my boss." The latest comedic film from Director: Seth Gordon and his talented cast deliver a comedic gem that is in keeping with the resurgence of the R-Rated comedy. "Horrible Bosses" is one of those comedic gems that like "The Hangover" (2009), tries actively to deliver a comedy different from the rest, but has enough surprises to offer a great story with enough laughs to leave the audience in a riot.

The film follows three men (Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis) as they conspire a plan to murder each other's despicable bosses. The film's premise is a grim one that under the wrong hands could have been a heavy experience. Luckly, Seth Gordon and his crew have walked the fine line and managed to insert a sense of fun into the film, that makes this film just a laugh out loud experience. One of the positive elements about the film is it's script. The script's narrative and plot does what a comedy should do. It's structured as another film, but this film is structured as a "heist" film. "Heist Film" in the sense that the script follows three characters as they conjure a murder plot that goes horribly (or in this case laughably) wrong. The script throws enough curve balls and enough pathos for each of it's characters that you get exactly why each of the leads want to murder their respective bosses, but the twist is that this is treated as a comedy. In is in this respect that you have to give it to the crew for not cheating the audience in it's final moments. While the film's ending does reach a conclusion that borders on unlikely, you can connect the pieces to where it's vaguely believable. Great story and a great script.

You can't talk about this film without talking about the fantastic comedic timing and chemistry of the cast. The star-studded cast of this film deliver performances that all across the board are solid comedicly timed. No character, apart from Jennifer Anniston's over-sexed performance that is a far-cry from her role in "Friends", gets the shaft or upstages the other's storylines. Everyone has their moment to shine. The stand-outs include Anniston, The three leads (who all have an amazing chemistry), Kevin Spacey works fantastic, Jamie Foxx is brilliant, and even Colin Ferrell is unrecognizable in his role. The cast is full of comedic powerhouses that are played perfectly and not a sore thumb to be had in the cast. Everyone is funny as hell!

With there being a comedic drought this year with a few ambitious, but mediocre efforts and even a few lazy lackluster efforts, "Horrible Bosses" delivers a surprise comedic gem that is better than any right it has to be. The elements all work well to bring enough fun, charm, and soon to be classic one-liners that will leave the audience feeling that their 12 dollars have been well spent, but a great time was had at the theater. If you are to see this film, see it with an audience on the weekend. Great job!
9 of 10!

TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON REVIEW

Micheal Bay is an interesting type of director. While constantly panned as a director with nothing but flair and spectacle, his Transformers films is him in his prime form. Great looking cars, sexy-looking women, and killer explosions caused by large robots!...and maybe a few humans caught in the crossfire. With Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), audiences and critics both were caught in a crossfire of borderline offensive cinema. Has Bay Learned from his mistakes with the last film? Has he brought back the fun in Transformers?

Bay and Crew have delivered a film that does away with all the flaws present in the last film and delivers what could be arguably his best film in the franchise to date. The film follows Sam (Shia LaBouf) as he bands with the military and the AutoBots to combat a horde of new robots that crash-landed on the Moon in the 60's. Sam and the rest of humanity must band together with the AutoBots to combat old and new unexpected foes for a fight for Earth. The plot reaches convoluted ends. This is the type of film if you don't think too hard about the plot and all it's holes, it's a ton of fun to be had at the cinema. The acting is typical for summer blockbuster. The story is a bit more thicker than the other films. While Dark of the Moon doesn't aspire to be more than a summer film, it does reach moments of darkness that elevate the stakes. Thereby, Bay and crew have delivered their more serious effort with Dark of the Moon. That said, the film is still a popcorn film at it's core. It's a ton of fun to be had. The action scenes are bigger in scale than the last two films combined and they are more better than ever! From the Freeway chase, to the final hour with the destruction of downtown Chicago, the action set-pieces raise the stakes higher for the franchise. That said, they are all loud, impressive, but dumb (and not in a bad way.) This film is a crowd pleaser to the Transformers fans, but something to be had for the mainstream.


The way to experience this film is definitely in IMAX 3D. The film was shot specifically for 3D and it's deserves to have a few more of your hard earned dollars to prove to studios that shooting in 3D from get-go is the way to go. This will help do away with all of the rage with Post-Conversions to milk more money. There are many sequences to be had in this film where Bay shows that what he is best at is visual composition and the 3D helps elevates that aspect to a level that must be seen to be believed. The Base Jumping scene alone steals the show in terms of the 3D aspect. The 3D impresses, but with IMAX 3D, the scenes are jaw dropping at best.

The flaws of the film steam from the script. The film suffers from a pacing problem. When it's fast, it's fast. When the film is slow, it's painfully slow. The film could have used a second go in the editing bay for time and pacing. The film also suffers from an uncertainty of tone. At points, really funny, then it gets really grim with it's last act. It's a nitpick at best. The story problems are there, but the spectacle of the picture saves whatever problems the story might have. It's an enjoyable piece of summer entertainment.


Is the film perfect? Of Course not, but it is a fun one that delivers a great summer blockbuster. With the 3D technology, and Bay's cinematic eye for action; He delivers a summer film with the best use of 3D since James Cameron's Avatar. If you see it, spend the extra dollars for IMAX 3D, totally worth it! Dark of the Moon is what it is; loud explosions, battle-bots, and destorying as much of the city as humanly possible. It's everything we want from a summer film, except it could have used a better narrative and more likable characters. It's everything we love and hate about Bay, but more love to be had than the last outing.

7 of 10

Movies You Missed: Timecrimes (2007)

While time-travel films have gotten a particularly negative rep over the past couple of years (The Butterfly Effect (2003) for it's disjointed time-travel logic; and Primer (2004) for it's non-audience friendly time-travel narrative), Spanish Director Nacho Vigalondo delivers a film that not only has fun with the genre, but reinvents it.

Without giving too much away, the story follows Hector (Karra Elejalde) as he is accidentally caught in a time machine, and travels back only an hour in time. Hector realizes that this initial accident has set in motion a series of events with potentially dangerous, paradoxical ramifications to the time-line. While the plot of the film may already seem like it's overreaching, the film's time-travel elements are complex, but easy enough to follow, so that you won't spend nearly as much time trying to keep up with the film as you think you might. Hector, along with the audience, tries to discover the mystery of the time-travel device's consequences. It becomes a puzzle that the audience can't help but want to keep trying to solve.


In keeping with the Spanish filmmaker spike of the past couple of years, Director Vigalondo's screenplay and direction on the film is above par. The story blends elements of great speculative science fiction with horror elements that work to tell a fascinating time-travel story. His story draws you in, holds the audience, and works to an ending that not only leaves the audience feeling rewarded for solving the mystery, but nails a foreboding ending that leaves one to question the implications of time-travel unlike most films of this genre. Truly a fantastic film. Highly recommended!

9 out of 10

TIMECRIMES is now available on DVD through Magnet Pictures
Click HERE to purchase the DVD via AMAZON.COM

Did Abrams capture Magic or Cliche' with SUPER 8?

J. J Abrams is one of Hollywood’s most talented filmmakers. After helping reboot the STAR TREK film series with the 2009 hit film, Abrams is given complete creative license to tell whatever story he desires. Here is where “Super 8” comes into the picture. Abrams played most of his cards pretty close to the chest by showing vague trailers and the mass marketing push of his and Steven Spielberg’s name on the posters. The question that stands now: “Did Abrams and crew deliver another winner?”

For the most part, yes. That said the film isn’t entirely devoid of flaws. The story is about a group of childhood friends making a small home movie in 1979. While filming, they happen upon a train accident that slowly unravels to a county-wide crisis that threatens the small town and the “something” that was being transported on that train. The story of the kids was a tried and true formula of kids happening upon something bigger than the both of them. The science fiction element of the picture is a location for a boy’s coming of age tale, and this is the mistake that Abrams plays with the audience. Anybody expecting a creature feature will be disappointed, but will be pleasantly surprised by the coming-of-age story. The kids are, front and center, the stars of the picture and why the film works very well. The story with the kids play on those nostalgic moments when you made home movies. The film is a love song to all film geeks about how much fun it was to make movies and get caught up in the dream of the movies.

What ultimately doesn’t work about the film is the few beats that it decides to take in act two. What story choices Abrams made in that middle section seem a bit out of place with the combination of the character’s choices and the whole military aspect to the film. It seems that Abrams was drawing a bit too much from his inspirations and the films he clearly is trying to emulate. It’s a blow that picks back up by the third act, and recovers from. This storypoint is my only complaint with the film.

This is clearly just Abrams’ picture. The problem with the picture comes with how it’s being pushed as a monster film to the mainstream. It’s not the film audiences are expecting, but it’s also not going to be the one they want to walk out with on their minds. That said, for what it is, it’s a great send-up of the 80’s film from yesteryear. The cast works amazingly well and the group is clearly what they film needed to center on more. Audiences will be left with a film that is that perfect middle ground where children will like it, but adults will be able to relate to it. This isn’t a science fiction film, this is a boy’s coming of age tale that happens to have a creature in it. Not a perfect film, but a deep and ambitious film at that.

7 of 10

GREEN LANTERN can't block Mediocore's light

With Comic Book films aspiring to be something more than just men in tights, i.e. 2008's "The Dark Knight", there does come the occasional film that is there for the dumb summer blockbuster slot, i.e. 2009's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine", Green Lantern falls into the later category. While not aspiring to be a deep introspective comic film, It does turn into an ambitious and fun one at that.

The story revolves around Test Pilot,Hal Jordon (Ryan Reyonolds), being bequeathed a mystical ring that transforms him into an intergalactic police officer, a Green Lantern. While Jordon trains under the Lanterns, an unprecedented danger looms at home and across space that threatens the very existence of the Green Lantern Corps and the universe. The story is tired, but it's visually interesting to watch at the least. The Story seems a bit convoluted and overstuffed. Characters are given the rush job in terms of their arcs. Even Hal Jordon's motivating factor and the way he overcomes his character dilemma, if you can call it that, is very rushed and unclear. The story at best is serviceable, but forgettable.

The acting was all over the place. Reynold's Hal Jordon was a bit overstated as an "asshole", but Reynold's natural charm makes that hard believe as his character change in the first act is unbelievable to fully buy that. Peter Sarsgaard as Dr. Hammond is hallow as a villain. Just a bit generic and turns evil when the script calls for him to do so. Sarsgaard "Hams" it up so much that it becomes a comic book villain.

The film's effects were a lot better than expected, but still a bit hallow at points. The action scenes were good, but you'll forget them the moment you walk out the theater. The 3D post-conversion on the film was actually decent, but you won't miss out if you decide to see the film in traditional 2D. It seemed as if the story on Oa was were the Lantern movie was really at, they just didn't go into the story of what it was to be part of a galactic space police. All of the scenes on Earth all seemed to come a different film altogether.

With comic book films like "Thor" and the significantly better "X-Men: First Class" in theaters still, it's hard to recommend Green Lantern. It's not a bad film by any means. It's quite an ambitious film with a CGI world it only scratches the surface of. It's a Green Lantern movie for the summer, but it's not the comic book film we have come to expect. Comic fans will like the film, but it's likely we won't see a sequel. Marvel still owns the Comic Book film market. Green Lantern proves DC Comics still has some learning to do.

Duke Nukem Forever fails to "Hail to the King"

Duke Nukem is an icon in the video game culture. The latest title from GearBox Software and Tryptic games, "Duke Nukem Forever", is a title that has been on the backburner and switching developers for 12 years. The big question is: "Were those 12 years worth waiting for?" Sadly, the answer is no.

With the game being on the back burner for so long, Forever feels like a game that is 12 years too late on it's release. Everything from it's sense of humor, tone, gameplay, and it's protagonist’s one-liners; all come from the 90's, back when it was cool to be self referential. This game is nothing, but self referential. Instead of saying something entertaining with the meta-humor, it just revels in it to the point where it gets tedious. By this point in time, Duke Nukem feels like that cool older kid you idolized when you were a child, only to grow up 12 years later and just realize how kinda full of crap he was.

On the positive side: Duke Nukem is a funny game at points. The humor is something that works, but only in small doses, problem is: it’s constant! The humor works to an extent. It’s hard to not chuckle at Duke’s remarks to the “Halo” franchise as he tries to stand out on his own. The game is challenging, not just because of it’s gameplay mechanics, but because at points the game becomes a bit glitchy. An interesting aspect to the game is the Ego-boosting. Your health is regained by interacting with your environment. Writing on chalk boards, signing autographs, doing weight curls, literally; even throwing turds at enemies will gain health. It’s an interesting mechanic that definitely gives the humor and tone of the game a bit more of that manly badassness that we expect from Duke.

On the negative side, the game is a bit glitchy. The game chops up quite a bit during boss battles and when a lot of particle effects happen. The graphics are passable at best. There are far too many turret sequences in the game. The worst sequences in the game come from the driving sequences. The driving sequences just don’t work. The controls are painfully unresponsive. The player will find himself crashing more than driving in these horribly executed sequences.

The game does have it’s moments, but that doesn’t mean it’s a lot of fun to play through these moments. For a game that has a variety of weapons, ego boosting, and fighting aliens, it does feel a bit hallow and boring. The game could have used more time to rethink itself conceptually. In a world where “Halo”, “Call of Duty”, and even “Borderlands” have helped to redefine the first person shooter genre, “Duke Nukem Forever” awkwardly tries to place itself in the AAA league of games it used to be in all those years ago. Sure, the game will be fun to a select few and the hardcore Duke Nukem fans, but it’s fun moments are fleeting.

Sorry Duke, but you’re late to the party.

"Inception" Review

The past decade has been a drought for truly creative and speculative science-fiction. Hollywood has become over-blown with explosions and one action scene after another to move a plot with an interesting idea, and let go of what that story had that was so fascinating to begin with. Hollywood has forgotten that the most beloved and time-testing sci-fi stories don’t deal with action, but deal with fascinating and heartfelt ideas. Director Christopher Nolan has not forgotten this notion. Nolan works with his amazing cast to tell a story that not only amazes and thrills you, but renews faith in the fact that there are still amazing untapped ideas to be had in the magic that is cinema.
Dom Cobb, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and his team work in extracting ideas and thoughts from the mind during the dream-state. Cobb and his team find themselving faced with performing the impossible. The task is to not steal an idea, but to plant one while facing the many dangers in not just the mind of the mark, but the dangers from Cobb’s own mind.
The cast for this film is top notch. Dicapro is fantastic as our hero Cobb. The supporting cast has a great chemistry and nobody is trying to steal the show. Everyone has potential to be your favorite character. Fantastic cast and performances all-around.
The screenplay to this film is ingenious. While the film’s structure is simple enough, Nolan delivers a film that leaves an audience with an infinite number of possibilities, but everyone will have their own interpretation. When a film can leave an audience with numerous thoughts on the ending, the film has truly achieved something new and inventive in its narrative. Without giving away spoilers, the film’s idea is intriguing in dealing with the notion of dreams and how they can grow to make or break a human mind. The screenplay while not emotionally driven, is driven by just the originality on how the film is presented. This science fiction film is structured as a heist film. A heist film that takes place in a world of the dream where all the characters are stationary and asleep.
In terms of where this film breaks new ground, apart from the screenplay, this film breaks new ground in the editing and the shooting of the picture. The picture was mostly shot with the notion of not using CGI as a quick answer to a technical problem. Everything in the movie feels real and feels as if everything is presented in a new and fresh way in terms of the world of the dream. The shooting of the picture puts all the amazing visuals, the elevator or the zero-gravity sequences, on-screen practicially to where you feel you haven’t seen a film like this before.
In the editing realm of the picture, Nolan breaks new ground in cross-cutting action spreading across three different worlds. Seeing how an action in one dream world interacts with the other worlds is cut in a way that is thrilling, intense, and has you gripping to your chair. By the end of the picture, you feel as if you had just been put through an intellectual ringer. While the film maybe emotionally-lacking at points for most of the characters, Nolan gives you a fantastic action film that is jam-packed with ideas, like most long lived speculative science-fiction.
In essence, Nolan gives us a dream world that must be seen to be experienced. You have not seen a film like this before. Everything in the film is presented in a fresh new and thrilling way. Nolan has delivered perhaps his most personal and well-crafted film with “Inception.” Everyone will have a different interpetation of the ending as it floors you and leaves you with a question. Nolan’s film feels like it is more interested in the journey and the idea, rather than the ending, and that’s what has sorely been lacking in storytelling lately. This is a speculative science-fiction that is akin to the minds of Kurt Vonnegut or Phillip K. Dick. This is the best and most original science fiction epic since 1999s groundbreaking "The Matrix." Nolan has delivered a masterwork that reminds the audience, as Emes (Tom Hardy) says in the picture, “You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.”

"127 Hours" Review

“I can do everything on my own.” says Aaron Ralston, played brilliantly by James Franco. The underlying reality behind this moving story is that despite this man being a perfect human specimen, he is undone by his selfishness and pays the ultimate price for his forced solitude in getting into the situation that pins him. Ralston’s The combined directorial efforts of Danny Boyle and the above-par acting talent of James Franco, both guaranteed to draw attention come Oscar time, work together to craft an emotionally driven film that inspires and leaves you with a renewed love for life and the belief that nothing is stronger than the human will to overcome any and all obstacles.
The film’s story the real-life events following a selfish and isolated man, Aaron Ralston, who on a canyon-land hike whose arm gets trapped in a canyon by a huge bolder and the film tells his struggle to stay alive for 127 Hours in a canyon with little to no resources. The film works mostly as a one-man show by Franco. Franco delivers the performance of his career as he turns a fairly unlikable character and adds layers of depth to his character. As the audience spends more time with Ralston, Franco gives the character enough empathy with each moment that passes, that by the end the films works up to an emotional crescendo that floors you. Franco’s performance is fantastic as he gives you a portrait of a person who is breaking down the longer he is trapped in that canyon, but in his breakdowns he realizes what he faults are as a human being. Watching these epiphanies unfold on-screen charges up the audience’s connection to Raltson to an extent that when that ending finally does come, the audience, along with Ralston, are feeling that intense and agonizing pain. Franco’s performance is emotionally connected and deep in all the right ways that it’s tough to not think about his portrayal as fantastic in looking back at the film.
The other star of this film is Boyle. Boyle’s job is an impossibly difficult one in that he is narratively confined telling a story about a man stuck in a small space of a canyon. Boyle has to pull every trick he knows as a director to make this film compelling and exhilarating. The editing style is amazing as Boyle figures out a way to convey the wants, needs, and the suffering a character. Never has one wanted to grab a drink more than when walking out of this film. An amazing shot comes in the film when Franco’s character has been stuck for a prolonged amount of time only to realize he has a bottle of unopened Gatorade lying and condensating with beads of water in his car. The shot that follows gets across that thirsty feeling that you just want that bottle more than Franco does, and you aren’t even stuck in the canyon. Boyle does a fantastic job with the direction and he plays to the strengths to the challenges the film throws at him.
Overall, Boyle and Franco put together a film that at best renews your faith in others and what life has to offer. The film presents the notion that a life of solitude is although efficient, it’s not a human way to live your life to the fullest. We all need someone in our lives. Be it all those relationships, friendships, and family, we are all connected and we deserve more than living the empty life that Ralston used to live before the ordeal. “This rock has been following me my whole life.” says Ralston as he comes to realize what his life as amounted to before...well you already know the ending.

Dexter S04E12 "THE GETAWAY" Review

Blood sets Dexter Morgan’s teeth on edge, but the season four finale of “Dexter” has enough twists and turns to pump your blood with enough adrenaline for you to not notice you’ve chewed your nails off till its shocking conclusion. Showtime Channel’s Emmy nominated “Dexter”, based on the Jeff Lindsey novel “Darkly Dreaming Dexter,” started in syndication in the fall of 2006. Serial killer Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) is a Miami PD Blood Spatter analyst by day and vigilante serial killer by night.

The series began with Dexter as a cold, solitary, and emotionless monster and by the start of this season he has come to learn he does feel emotion and starts a family, while quenching his need to kill. The main storyline of the episode has Dexter tying up all the loose ends with the Trinity Killer (John Lithgow) in an intense game of cat-and-mouse. Trinity has discovered Dexter’s ruse with him and plans to flee town after a killing spree that has evaded the Miami P.D. for decades.
The story for the episode takes the relationship the season has built so far between these two killers and relentlessly throws curve balls as you watch both of these calculating serial killers throw each other off their game as they up the stakes on each other. Trinity comes to the Dexter’s station and threatens him to leave him alone. Dexter chases and incapacitates Trinity only for Trinity to escape later when Dexter is arrested for fleeing the scene of a car crash during the pursuit. The script throws both of these characters into a chase that brings the world crashing down on each other. They both are putting each other at risk of losing everything. Dexter’s pursuit is putting Trinity at risk of being discovered after evading justice for 30 years and Trinity’s pursuit puts our hero at risk of losing his new family and revealing his killing tendencies to the world. All bets are off by the start of this episode. The tension and the stakes have never been higher and it keeps you on edge.

Hall’s brilliant portrayal of a vigilante serial killer walks the line between dark comedy and creepy as he tries to overcome his “dark passenger” for the sake of keepin his new family. Hall is at his A-game with his performance in this episode as you watch him slowly break down and get more emotional than he’s ever been on the show. A Great performance by Hall, but the standout performance is the chilling one by Lithgow as Trinity. Lithgow is the best antagonist this show has had by a long shot. Lithgow, better known as for his comedic role as High Commander Dick Salmon in “Third Rock From the Sun,” delivers the performance of his career with his role. Trinity’s arc is layered as the audience sees he is far worse killer than Dexter could ever want to be.

The conclusion between these two reach a sympathetic note, only to lead to a reveal that will go down as one of the most shocking endings for a season finale in television with the Death of Dexter’s wife. The script ends on a melancholy mood dying for the next season because of the possibilities the show opens itself with the loss of a character as important to our hero’s humane-side for the past four seasons as Rita Morgan (Julie Benz) has been. The ending is indicative of the risks the show is willing to take to avoid staleness and repetition. You can’t help but applaud the writers for giving the fourth season such a memorable finish. Overall, the show has reached a new realm with how well each episode has built up to this climatic and exciting conclusion. It’s going to be extremely difficult for the show to top itself next season as it has done each year. This season is nothing short of masterful in making the audience emotionally connected to where the characters have gotten to, but also terrified and excited for where they are all going.

THE CROW PAGE 38

Andres Gallego
11-14-2010
Reviewing The Arts
“The Crow Page 38” by James O’Barr

A place of intense pain and anguish can produce truly moving art, and it is such the case with James O’Barr’s “The Crow.” The experience of seeing his work is a mental challenge as it asks you to almost take your emotional temperature in an odd way. “It wasn’t like she had an illness or something that was anticipated. Just one day out of the blue, someone decided to get drunk and drive down a side street at 70 miles an hour and suddenly she was just gone. I don’t know if I actually believed in a god, but if I did I really felt betrayed by him. Why make this beautiful perfect flower and just trample it? What was the meaning of that? I almost felt like I was being punished like I’d finally been shown this thing and allowed hold it for just a moment and then it was taken away as a bitter joke. I definitely lost my faith in human nature for awhile there.” Recalled comic book author O’Barr on the incident that triggered the creation of his cathartic graphic novel “The Crow.” O’Barr created this story about a man who returns from the dead to seek justice for the gang murder of his girlfriend and himself, after experiencing a state of intense pain with the loss of his fiancé’ and not knowing how to deal with it. The graphic novel is filled with many astounding panels, but the one that truly stands out is page 38. Page 38 is where you feel and smell O’Barr’s blood, sweat, and tears the vividly on. You can sense that this may have been the most difficult thing O’Barr had to draw because in this panel, a ghost figure and a crow are getting ready to take away Shelly from Eric in a grisly manner.

The female, Shelly, represents a pure spirit with her being bare and naked. “Shelly was a just a literal translation of Beverley. I just tried to capture her innocence. Eric was a vehicle for my emotions since I was never quite comfortable in drawing myself.” as O’Barr explains the intention he had in drawing these characters. The Crow and Skull Cowboy (only his gun is shown) are the manifestation of all the negativity and the darkness that can come from life. Most importantly on the panel, you can sense that Eric is O’Barr’s wanting of not wanting to lose that moment with a loved one. As if Eric is demanding for time to not move on and he desperately doesn’t want to lose that white light in his life. The gun in that sequence represents the cold power of life in that scene. A gun has so much potential power in the fact that the loud shots fired have taken lives, changed history, and causes insant fear. Looking deeper into the page, the page is a three act structure. The first act is that sense of euphoric sense of happiness you get in a wonderful relationship translated into the line “Here’s where you smile”. The second act, is that moment you do want that light in your life for the rest of your life and you make the inner pact in yourself to never let it go. That second act is translated to the line “Now the Eternal Love part.” Then the last act is the crow and the Skull Cowboy readying to take away this happiness in Eric’s life. That third act is translated into the line “Idiot.” What O’Barr is trying to say in the page is that happiness, while sublime, will never last. There is no such thing as eternal happiness. Looking at the page, the crow is the only thing that looks towards the camera. Although Eric is a manifestation of O’Barr’s emotions, The Crow is a manifestation of O’Barr’s bitterness and anger towards the world. The whole page is O’Barr himself is referring to the reader and him breaking the forth wall in a metaphorical sense.

Overall, this page is definitely rooted in a place of intense bitterness and anger towards the world and you can sense O’Barr’s distain for life and human nature in this panel. It captured his emotional state so vividly and better than any panel that O’Barr almost makes it impersonal with the framing of each of the characters on the page. These are his dreams and memories. You are outside and given only a peek into his world. While hard to feel anything positive has come from this page in the end, the page makes you feel that sense of loss that O’Barr had at that point in his life. Anybody can relate and recall a moment that they lost someone important in their life, and O’Barr hits that emotional nail straight on it’s head. While O’Barr’s artwork while disturbing, it’s personal and elegantly beautiful. Something that is seldom seen in today’s comics and graphic novels. Overall, O’Barr’s artwork is moving and emotionally charged with every line that it asks you to feel the intense pain that the author endured. With the experience of viewing this piece, you come to know O’Barr more personally without having to have met him.

Calvin Harris, "Ready for the Weekend" Review Rewrite

Calvin Harris, “Ready for the Weekend” (Fly Eye, Columbia, 2009)

With the help of the Myspace internet community Calvin Harris has become one of the United Kingdom’s most prolific up and coming artists. After releasing a couple of demos on the website for a couple of years, Harris signed a record deal with EMI in 2006. The label decided to take a chance and release an album by Harris. Harris burst into the Electro-pop scene in 2007 with his amusingly titled debut Album “I Created Disco.” The album surpassed expectations by remaining in the top 10 UK charts for a long while. While the album wasn’t critically praised, it had attained a small following for the Scottish native in the pop/electro scene. Harris’ first album was received by most critics as a handbag electro pop debut that showed promise for Harris with the hit singles “The Girls,” “Acceptable in the 80’s,” and “Merrymaking at my Place.” Then Harris released his follow-up album “Ready for the Weekend” in 2009.
“I Created Disco” was rough in establishing it’s tone at the start, but “Ready for the Weekend” does that effectively from first track. The album has a smooth and inviting tone showing Harris’ sense of humor. With his debut album called “I Created Disco,” it’s only fitting that this album should start with a combination of electro bass keys and a saxophone solo taken out of a blues song, only to be faded out into a full electro-bit track drowning out all but Harris’ much improved vocals with the saxophone to not sound off till the very end. This opening invites the listener in with the promise of a good time if you go for the ride and for the most part, Harris delivers. Harris took the safe route with the first album being an electronically composed one, but this time he experiments with actual instruments such as the guitar rifts in “Blue” or “Worst Day.”
You can tell Harris has taken the criticism from the last album to heart. His vocals ruined the rhythms and beats of his previous album with songs like “Colours.” This time around his vocals aren’t as clunky and don’t try to upstage his own DJ work as the melodies are the driving force of the album. With the songs “Flashback” and “I’m Not Alone,” Harris is going for a different vibe by putting more of himself and baring his soul. The last album was randomly strung together beats that sounded good without a clear theme or artist intention. Harris gives more of himself in “Flashback” with the lyrics “If I could change my state of mind/then I would disappear/The love I get from you is something I can’t chance/and I can let you slip away without a second glance.” This album displays Harris’ talents in a collaborative vocal effort with Dizzie Rascal and Chrome in the fun and inspired “Dance wiv Me.” When the album works it makes you want to pump up your fist and cheer as that roller coaster is going up that hill.
While “Ready for the Weekend” is an improvement, most of the album’s later songs all feel like filler. This half of the album loses its momentum and becomes a slower and mostly non-vocal performance with “Relax,” Limits,” and “Burn Nights.” The album falls into a stump that it never quite recovers from while you wait for the real songs to come on. This last half isn’t enough to stomp the album as the last one as “Dance wiv me” swoops in to save it and leave you with a good taste in your mouth.
“Ready for the Weekend” is still an enjoyable and more mature artistic effort from Harris. Harris still listens as an artist with a lot of potential still ahead of him. His sound is a smooth transition for those otherwise not a fan of electro-pop. The album is a great next step in the right direction for Harris. He still isn’t quite there yet as an artist, but where he is now is a really fun and highly enjoyable ride for anyone looking for something new. As Harris puts it ‘These are the good times in your life, so put on a smile and it will be alright.”

"Almost Famous" Movie Review

If looking into the world of art with a fresh and honest point of view is tough, try being a 15 year old discovering this world for himself traveling with a band of amateur acting musicians coping with fame and fortune all at once. Cameron Crowe’s “Almost Famous” delivers a fascinating, brutally honest, and loving portrayal of the criticiqueing world in the 1970’s with enough heart to earn its place in cinema as his love letter to both critics and the fans of the magic that is music. Even non-music enthusiasts will be hard pressed to not find a heartfelt and genuine moment among the many that “Almost Famous” has to offer.

“Almost Famous” is a coming-of-age tale of 15 year old amateur writer/music critic William (Patrick Fugit) as he embarks on a long assignment for Rolling Stone Magazine with rock band “Stillwater” as he comes to realize what it truly takes to be both honest with himself as a critic and everyone else in this world he is embarking to learn of. While the 1970’s is an interesting time to set the film in, it absolutely works thematically. It was an interesting time to look back upon since music was progressing and what it meant to be a critic and fan was becoming tainted with the rise of commerce. As the first impression that William is to the band as “The Enemy” when William started as the fan who turned into “The Friend” that the band desperately needed at this venture in their musical careers.


One of the main thrusts of the picture is the believable performance by the actors. The story is well defined in terms of its honest portrayal of the characters. A storyteller will tell you in great stories, the writer must love their characters, and it’s clear that Crowe is absolutely in love with each of them. Crowe’s script paints each of these characters in shades of gray. Russell (Billy Crudup) comes off at times as a selfish egomaniac trying to cover his tracks, be it in scenes where he is putting a good face to William or the scene where he sells band-aid Penny to save his current relationship, but the combination of Crudup’s charisma and Crowe’s writing elevates this character to a point where the audience can hate his moral choices but would gladly share a beer with. Each of these characters is portrayed as fallible human beings. Everyone is putting a face to everyone and themselves, be it William posing as an experienced writer or his mother (François McDormond) using her moral values on her son to shield her inadequacies as a parent. The emotional core of the film is the existential conflict within William.


William is a character who has grown up out of place his whole life being an overachiever, till he finds a “place” with the type of people he’s admired his whole life. Fugit’s performance is great as you can clearly read into him as he is seeing what it takes to be in this job field and the difficult choices to be made if he wants to continue on that road. The film delivers an eloquent message about what it means to grow up, chase your dreams, and the harsh realities that come with those choices be it as a rock critic or a rock star. In watching this film, you not only come to understand each of these characters, but you get to know who Crowe is as a person. This is Crowe’s most personal film as it was written based on his experiences growing up as a Rolling Stones Magazine. By the end of the film you realize exactly how finding a passion can change you and you certainly see how it changed Crowe.


Crowe, with a stellar script and a fantastic cast all around, accomplishes to deliver a film that is both an indictment as well as a loving celebration of criticism and rock music while being a profound film about a young man going through an existential crisis. Overall, a Fantastic and meaningful film!

Calvin Harris: Ready for the Weekend (Fly Eye, Columbia; 2009)

Calvin Harris, who with the help of the myspace internet community has become one of the United Kingdom’s most prolific up and coming artists, burst into the Electro-pop scene with his 2007 amusingly titled debut Album I Created Disco. Since the album’s release, it has enjoyed an expectation surpassing longevity in the top 10 of the UK charts. While the album wasn’t critically praised, it had attained a small following for the Scotland native in the pop/electro scene. Harris’ first album was received by most critics as a handbag electro pop debut that showed promise for Harris with the hit singles “The Girls,” “Acceptable in the 80’s,” and “Merrymaking at my Place.” Then Harris released his follow-up album Ready for the Weekend in 2009.

The last album had a tough time establishing its tone at the start, but Ready for the Weekend does that right from the get-go with the first track “The Rain.” The album has a smooth and inviting tone showing Harris’ sense of humor. With his previous album being called I Created Disco, it only seems fitting that his next electro-pop effort should start with a hybrid of both electro bass keys mixed with a Saxophone solo taken out of the bravado of a blues song, only to be completely cross faded out into a full electro-bit track with the electronic elements drowning out all but Harris’ much improved vocals and the saxophone to not sound off till the very end of the track. This opening invites the listener in with the promise of a good time if you go for the ride and for the most part, Harris delivers. Harris took the safe route with the first album being an all electriconically composed album, but in this album he experiments with actual instruments such as the guitar rifts in “Blue” or “Worst Day”

With this opening song you can tell Harris has taken the criticism from the last album to heart. Harris’ vocals ruined some of the rhythms and beats of his previous album with songs like “Colours.” This time around his vocals, while still there, aren’t as clunky and don’t try to upstage Harris’ DJ work as the melodies are the driving force of the albums songs. With the hit songs such as “Flashback” and “I’m Not Alone,” Harris is going for a different vibe with the album putting more of himself and baring his soul. The last album was a bunch of randomly strung together beats that sounded good, but there wasn’t a clear theme or artist intention apart from wanting to give the listener a fun listen. Harris gives himself with the lyrics “If I could change my state of mind, then I would disappear. The love I get from you is something I can’t chance and I can let you slip away without a second glance.” This album also displays Harris’ talents as more collaborative vocal effort with Dizzie Rascal and Chrome in the fun and dance-floor worthy song “Dance wiv Me.” The album when it works, makes you just want to pump up your fist and cheer as that roller coaster of a tune is going up that hill, until the roller coaster comes down that hill and you're waiting for the next drop down that hill.

With all the improvements, some of Harris’ flaws have followed him in this album. While Ready for the Weekend is an improvement from I Created Disco, most of the album’s songs, apart from the name worthy ones, all feel like filler. The latter half of the album loses its momentum and becomes a slower and mostly non-vocal performance with the songs “Relax,” Limits,” and “Burn Nights.” The album goes into a stump that it never quite recovers from while you wait for the real songs to come on. The last half isn’t enough to stomp the album as it did last time just as the fun and energetic song “Dance wiv me” swoops in to save the album’s momentum and leave you with a good taste in your mouth.

“Ready for the Weekend” is a flawed, still enjoyable, and more artistic effort from Harris, whose music still listens as an artist with a lot of potential still ahead of him. Harris is a difficult artist to compare to. His sound is unique and although he is in the electro-pop genre, not too many have had as much widespread success as he has. Harris’ sound is a smooth transition for those otherwise not a fan of electro-pop. The album is a great next step in the right direction for Harris, who still isn’t quite there yet as an electro-artist, but where he is now is a really fun and highly enjoyable ride for anyone looking for something new, despite its flaws. As Harris puts it "These are the good times in your life, so put on a smile and it will be alright.”

"The Human Centipede: First Sequence" Review

Empty. That’s all to be had with any viewing of the train wreck, cockroach of a film that is Tom Six’s writing and directing attempt called “The Human Centipede: First Sequence.” Upon a single viewing of this film, it is guaranteed to be on your short-list of films that have no purpose to exist.

The basic premise of the film is two very dumb American girls backpacking and clubbing in Germany; their car tire flattens in the middle of nowhere on a dark and stormy night; and they find sanctuary in the creepy home of none other than Dr. Heiter (Dieter Laser), who so happens to be a renowned surgical doctor who is in the process of the ultimate medical challenge...

Are you ready for this?

To sew three human beings together into one digestive tract. A Human Centipede. That’s right! The goal is to sew three people together ass to mouth.


You get the idea…

Where does one start with this film? The story is absolute garbage. The problems all stem from Six. This film is being billed as a horror/comedy but this genius has no sense of what kind of film he wants to make, how to construct a single scare, how to tell a joke, but most importantly: He can NOT write or direct. The cinematography is actually not bad, but that dusty and green color-scheme needs to go. The story is predictably bad. Every twist and plot-point is a terrible cliché. Nobody does anything that even resembles a shred of human intelligence. By the last act, the film keeps giving us point twists that undercut everything the last scene had established. This frustrating aspect gives the film no resonance and you are just sitting there watching one painfully awkward scene after another. The film just feels like a half-assed frat boy joke that is stretched beyond the point of tastefulness and into a realm of complete blackness.


The main thrust of this film apart from it’s extreme set-piece, where an ugly and cruel gag-inducing moment is on the horizon, is the claim that this film is “100% Medically Accurate,” but by the time you get to the end of the second act you come to realize that the director is as full of it as the middle sequence of this human centipede. When you have a film and the kabuki performance from Laser as Dr. Hieter is, by leaps and bounds the strongest performance, your movie is in massive trouble. All the characters are one-directional, poorly acted, unlikable, and underdeveloped that you can’t emotionally connect to a single moment to the point that the only reaction to be had with this garbage is one’s gag reflex. Even when the actual human centipede appears onscreen, it’s bland and boring. The unforgivable thing is that the film just mean spirited and cruel to everyone in and outside the film. Sure everyone is drawn to see three people sewen together ass to mouth, but sometimes we as the audience think we may want to see something, but we don't know what we are asking ourselves.

"I want to see the Clone Wars!"
No you don't.

"I want to Hannibal Lector's childhood!"
No, you don't

"I want to actually see three people sewn together ass to mouth."
Please take this word of advice: No, you don't

People were fast to call films like “Hostel” and “Saw” torture porn, but at least those films had a morality tale, a humane message, and a resonace at the center of them, like a real horror film should! “The Human Centipede” Accomplishes nothing! There is nothing to offer from this viewing experience. This isn’t supposed to be enjoyed. It’s a gauntlet film. It’s the equivalent of a triple-dog dare on the schoolyard. If you are to put yourself through this agonizing experience, God Bless You and the only feeling you can look forward to boils to one word: EMPTY. If you find yourself on an airplane, be thankful that there is no way your airline, no matter how bad, will play “The Human Centipede: First Seqeunce” as your in-flight movie. Not because of the impending lawsuit from the extreme content or how bad the film is, but because of the high casualty mark from people trying to walk out of this film.

"Let Me In" REVIEW REWRITE!

There's always that nails-on-a-chalkboard reaction when audiences hear another film remake is on the way. Especially for a film embraced by critics and viewers as Tomas Alfredson's chilling Swedish vampire-film "Let The Right One In." Sometimes we get remakes that bastardize the original film and are churned out to exploit a fan-base. To all die-hard fans of the 2008 original film and novel: lay down your wooden stakes. With "Let Me In", Writer/Director Matt Reeves has not only crafted one of the best horror films of recent years, but a film that will go down, along with John Carpenter's remake of "The Thing," as one of the best remakes ever.


The basic premise revolves around a reclusive and viciously bullied boy named Owen (Kodi Smith McPhee) as he befriends a vampire-girl named Abby (Chloe Moretz). As the story between the children unfolds, a string of death and tragedy surround their friendship. Story-wise, this film is less of a remake and more of a well-told adaptation of the original Swedish novel. What Revees brilliantly changed is the Swedish landscape to the American landscape and how much that adds to the narrative while still staying true to what made the original film and the novel work to reinvent the vampire story and tell a fascinating story.


"Let Me In" takes place in Ronald Reagan-era 1983 in Los Alamos, New Mexico. During the time when Reagan famously stated "The evil was around America". This adds a chilling and frightening resonance to this vampire coming-of-age story that focuses on the violent nature of growing up and punctuates that chilling fear from the 1980s. Everything in the translation from the original Swedish landscapes works well for an American context. When watching the film, it's hard to not feel that wave of nostalgia and flashback to that moment in your childhood where you felt different from everyone else or befriended the new next door neighbor and plunked down five dollars at the local arcade together.


The writing is so textured that Revees nails it on the head with the emotional beats to where you have a strong sense of pathos to each of these characters. Moretz delivers a mature and chilling performance as Abby. McPhee's performance as Owen is hard to not have empathy for, given the sad nature of being a child of divorce and brutal bullying, a really great performance by McPhee. Richard Jenkin's brilliant performance as "the father" communicates so much with very few words and his eyes that he becomes the stand out performance from the cast.

The direction by Revees is great as well. The cinematography is gorgeous. It uses a yellow hue of streetlamps against the snow to create this gritty and realistic tone to the film. While the film is in the fantasy realm with vampires, this little touch grounds it in reality. The locations are nostalgically recognizable and they seem like that neighborhood you grew up in years past. The shots and the pacing take a leisurely approach. The long shots and slow pace allows for the audience to pick things that once you see the film again, you notice all the little subtleties that Revees put in and it makes the viewing more rewarding.

The film has so much heart that it transcends the horrific elements and becomes really a sweet coming-of-age film between a boy and a vampire-girl. Though this is a remake, don't let that stop you from seeing this. This remake stands above the rest as a film not made for a profit, but because this story deserves to be retold. Revees proves with this film that with the right storyteller and intention, there can still be some great remakes. The story is one of the more profound and original vampire stories to be told. FULL-PRICE!!

9 of 10

"Let Me In" REVIEW

There is always that nails-on-a-chalkboard reaction when audiences hear another film remake is on the way. Especially for a film embraced by critics and viewers as Tomas Alfredson's chilling Swedish vampire-film "Let The Right One In." Sometimes we get remakes that bastardize the original film and are churned out to exploit a fanbase. To all die-hard fans of the 2008 original film: lay down your wooden stakes. With "Let Me In", Writer/Director Matt Reeves has not only crafted one of the best horror films of recent years, but a film that will go down, along with John Carpenter's remake of "The Thing", as one of the best remakes ever.


The basic premise revolves around a reclusive and viciously bullied boy named Owen (Kodi Smith McPhee), as he befriends a vampire-girl named Abby (Chloe Moretz.) As the story between the children unfolds, a string of death and tragedy surround their friendship. Story-wise, this film is less of a remake and more of a well-told translation of the original Swedish story. What Matt Revees has done so brilliantly with this film is have the change to the American landscape add to the narrative.


"Let Me In" takes place in Ronald Regan era 1983 in Los Alamos, New Mexico. During the time when Regan famously stated that "The evil was around America." This change adds a chilling and frightening resonance to this vampire coming-of-age story that focuses on the violent nature of growing up and punctuates that chilling fear from the 1980's. Everything in the translation from the original Swedish landscapes works well for an American context. When watching the film, it's hard to not feel that wave of nostalgia and flashback to that moment in your childhood where you felt different from everyone else or befriended the new next door neighbor and plunked down five dollars at the local arcade together.


The writing is so textured that Matt Revees nails it on the head with the emotional beats to where you have a strong sense of pathos to each of these characters. Chloe Moretz delivers a mature and chilling performance as Abby. Kodi Smith-McPhee's performance as Owen is hard to not have empathy for given the sad nature of being a child of divorce and brutal bullying. Just a really great performance by Kodi. Richard Jenkin's brilliant performance as "The Father" communicates so much with very few words and his eyes that he becomes the stand out performance from the cast.

This film doesn't try to outdo the original film, but brilliantly reinterprets some of the events and attains it's own identity. The film has so much heart, that it transcends the horrific elements and becomes really a sweet coming-of-age film between a boy and a vampire-girl. Don't let the fact that this is a remake of a great film stop you s from seeing this. This remake stands above the rest as a film not made for a profit, but because this story deserves to be retold. In walking out of this film, the argument between the folks waiting in line shifted from whether or not this movie was any good to whether the original or this film was the superior film. Matt Revees proves with this film that with the right storyteller and intention, there can still be some great remakes. FULL-PRICE!!

9 of 10

What makes a good critic? Debatable…

Andres Gallego

09/25/2010

Reviewing the arts

What makes a good critic? Debatable…

In the long discussion of what a critic is, the one critic that is on the right track, in terms of what it criticism is and what it has become, it would have to be Anne Holub. There are few statements that is whole-heartedly agreeable with most of these critics. There is not a right or wrong interpretation of what it means to be a critic and it’s just an opinion. Having said that, Holub has a number of statements that one could consider being unbiased to a certain extent. The first statement Holub hits her point home is the statement where she explains “…subjects are constantly changing and growing. It’s likely going to be a lifelong pursuit.” This statement is very true in the sense that it is a great way to describe the current state of criticism and writing since the field has gotten very cut-throat and very harsh not just towards the art they are criticizing, but from one critic to another.

It’s an age-old discussion of Modern vs. the older critic. We have a lot of the older critics like Roger Ebert for printed Chicago Sun times press and some younger critics like Harry Knowles on ain’t it cool news online printing, who do essentially the same job, but have very dissimilar tastes and writing styles. People are always going to have different values and experiences. While you fall into one camp or another, it’s not about judging criticism on just passion alone, you also must take into account that this person specializes in a certain style of writing and that their values may differ from the last critic you read. It’s clear that Ebert comes from a more classical background in watching films as he saw the medium grow from an earlier place and Knowles comes from a more recent age of films, where he grew up with films comparable to your 35 Year-old film lover. Print and online print have the same standards and integrity as most other forms of criticism where it’s about expression of one’s experience with the art or media. An older demographic might look for Ebert’s view on something, while the younger generation may like to read Knowle’s opinion of a film or work.

In going with the previous statement, Holub also nails it on the head with the saying that “it starts with identifying a critic’s viewpoints.” In reading criticism, it’s all about matching your sensibilities. It’s about finding a critic that you can connect to. Not necessarily agree with, but someone whose word you can trust, but not take as gospel. In reading reviews, you can not take the critic’s word as the final word on the work. It’s just his or her opinion and nobody is right or wrong. Everyone has a different choice and view on the world, and a criticism is mainly their perception of how the work affected them. It’s about how it made them feel and not about what you should feel going in to experience the work. All you can do is keep reading till you find a critic you like to read his or her perception on the work.

Overall, Anne Holub’s viewpoint on criticism takes a more adaptive viewpoint to criticism. A critic shouldn’t conform to a viewpoint and neither should the reader. The reader will find their critic at same point and criticism will always grow and change with every new generation and way to get one’s opinions out.