Taken on its own, ÆON FLUX (2005) is an interesting oddity among post-MATRIX techno-soundtrack sci-fi action movies. The look is clean and brightly lit, the premise is vague, it has some legitimately strange tech and costumes. One of its shootouts happens in a rose garden, another on a manicured lawn beneath blossoming cherry trees. A major third act action set piece involves hanging from and climbing up the gold-lame-scarf tail of a blimp called “The Relical.” To date I think it might be the only movie with a Relical in it.
It’s an MTV Films production, but’s that just because it’s based on a cartoon birthed by their envelope-pushing animation anthology Liquid Television. It doesn’t have any needle drops and doesn’t seem fully invested in being of the time, or of pop culture. If not for the generic beats in the score by Graeme Revell (MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS: THE MOVIE) it would feel pretty otherworldly. (read the rest of this shit…)
DESTROYER is the latest from director Karyn Kusama (THE INVITATION). It’s a dark, character-driven crime thriller starring Nicole Kidman (BATMAN FOREVER) as Erin Bell, an extra-crispy-burnt-out LAPD detective breaking all the rules to chase a bank robber (Toby Kebbell, FANTASTIC FOUR). It’s personal to her because years ago she went undercover in his gang and her partner/lover (Sebastian Stan, THE COVENANT) was killed. But she’s a total fuckin mess and she seems to be acting on her own and keeps ignoring her partner (Shamier Anderson)’s voicemails asking where the fuck she is.
a survey of summer movies that just didn’t catch on
July 19, 2013
Most art is derivative of something or other, but jesus christ is it uncomfortable how flagrant R.I.P.D. is about trying to repackage MEN IN BLACK. Instead of a secret government agency investigating aliens who secretly live among us it’s a secret police department investigating dead people who secretly live among us. But you got the younger guy recruited and learning about this real world beneath our sugar-coated topping and partnering with an older, grumpy guy and they have goofy ray gun looking guns and go around questioning weird informants who turn into crazy cartoon special effects creatures (though Rick Baker is retired, so they’re mostly digital). I swear RIPD even has a headquarters that looks like they built it over the set from MiB.
The young guy is Nick Walker (Ryan Reynolds, BLADE TRINITY), in life a Boston PD detective betrayed by his partner Bobby Hayes (Kevin Bacon, ELEPHANT WHITE) over some kind of gold treasure they stole from a crime scene. Nick was having regrets and wanted out so Bobby shot him in the face during a raid. Instead of Heaven or Hell, Nick goes to RIPD to continue as a cop and help them round up “deados” who illegally stick around on Earth. Not really a noble calling, in my opinion. (read the rest of this shit…)
I’m real late to the dinner party (get it, because this is a movie about a dinner party), but THE INVITATION is a potent suspense thriller well-deserving of its reputation from film festivals and indie circuit release from Drafthouse Films. It’s tense and uncomfortable and it’s best not to know what sort of bad thing it’s leading up to, but don’t worry. You can sense its presence from early on.
Will (Logan Marshall-Green, who I did not recognize as the whiny boyfriend I hated so much in PROMETHEUS) and Kira (Emayatzy Corinealdi, MILES AHEAD) are a couple invited to this other couple’s house out in the Hollywood Hills. It’s an awkward reunion for a close circle of friends who haven’t seen or heard from these party-givers in two years. There’s love and laughing and joking, but also weirdness with Eden (Tammy Blanchard, BLUE JASMINE)’s extra long hug of Will. And it starts to come out that not only are they exes, but their marriage ended because of a tragedy. They had a son who died in an accident right here at this house. (read the rest of this shit…)
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Recent commentary and jibber-jabber
Borg9 on Dead Man: “Yeah, I love this one too. Jarmusch does indeed seem to have real respect for genre film making and film…” May 14, 03:17
CJ Holden on Dead Man: “This was my first Jarmusch movie. It was on TV pretty often and one day after work I just blind…” May 13, 22:37
Hammer Time on Original Gangstas: “I forget if it was Ebert who said that a mark of a bad movie is if you’d rather watch…” May 13, 20:46
Hammer Time on Twister: “Vern, all of your reviews are great but I feel like you were really on the jazz with this one.…” May 13, 20:39
JTS on Twister: “Helen Hunt played Rafael Casal’s mom in the Blindspotting TV show that Casal and Diggs co-created, which came out in…” May 13, 19:53
Bob Vila on Dead Man: “20 or so years ago, this guy Raife (a dour Russian Lit major) said he had a great movie he…” May 13, 19:16
Alex R on Dead Man: “This is a great review— I’ve never thought of the acid western/anti-western distinction but it’s definitely acid. I haven’t seen…” May 13, 16:36
Mr. Majestyk on Twister: “Hunt was in three TRANCERS movies, so TWISTER doesn’t seem like that much of a stretch to me.” May 13, 12:54
Alex R on Twister: “RRA mentioned that Hunt and Paxton hated each other, which reminded me that in the Universal Studios attraction, the actors…” May 13, 12:39
Scotty Pippin on Original Gangstas: “I’m remember when it opened, but it basically got overshadowed by Twister.” May 13, 12:18
RRA on Original Gangstas: “Saw this 25 something years ago on video and my takeaway was Cohen (one of my favorite directors) had lost…” May 13, 12:02
emteem on Twister: “This movie will always have a soft spot in my heart because 90’s emteem was basically in love with 90s…” May 13, 09:05
BuzzFeedAldrin on Twister: “Scotty – in the 90’s ANYTHING and ANYONE could be a “sellout.” See the plot of Rent for example! I…” May 13, 06:52
Katerina on Kill: “Still, this is no “Benaam Badsha”, one of the most famous Indian films of all time in summer of 1991:…” May 13, 02:02
Hostile18 on The Craft: “What I remember most about this movie was the striking image of all the dead sharks washed up on the…” May 12, 21:37
DESTROYER is the latest from director Karyn Kusama (
I’m real late to the dinner party (get it, because this is a movie about a dinner party), but THE INVITATION is a potent suspense thriller well-deserving of its reputation from film festivals and indie circuit release from Drafthouse Films. It’s tense and uncomfortable and it’s best not to know what sort of bad thing it’s leading up to, but don’t worry. You can sense its presence from early on.
