There will be a Top 20 Movies to Look out for in Jan 2018 on Jan 1, but normal posting will return Saturday the 6th with Cat's But I Digress...
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
"We're not critics. We're professional fan-girls." --- This blog is dedicated to movies and the entertainment industry. We use random selection to bring into light the best and worst of streaming films and entertainment news.
Monday, December 25, 2017
Friday, December 22, 2017
Girlhood (2014) - Foreign Film Friday
Number Rolled: 42
Movie Name/Year: Girlhood
(2014)
Tagline: You don’t
have the full story. Until you know hers.
Genre: Drama
Length: 113
minutes
Rating: NR
Production Companies:
Hold Up Films, Lilies Films, Arte France Cinéma, Centre National de la
Cinématographie (CNC), Fonds Images de la Diversité, Agence Nationale pour la
Cohésion Sociale et l'Egalité des Chances (ACSE), Région Ile-de-France, Canal+,
Arte France, Ciné+, Pyramide Distribution, Films Distribution, Arte / Cofinova
9
Producer: Remi
Burah, Benedicte Couvreur, Olivier Pere
Director: Celine
Sciamma
Writer: Celine
Sciamma
Actors: Karidja
Toure, Assa Sylla, Lindsay Karamoh, Marietou Toure, Idrissa Diabate, Simina
Soumare, Dielika Coulibaly, Cyril Mendy, Djibril Gueye, Binta Diop, Chance N’Guessan,
Rabah Nait Oufella, Damien Chapelle, Nina Melo, Elyes Sabyani, Halem El Sabagh,
Aurelie Verillon
Stunts: Virginie
Arnaud, Gregory Loffredo, Astou Vedel
Blurb from Netflix:
Disillusioned with life at school and at home, a cynical teenager drops out,
joins a gang and begins an arduous search for independence.
Selina’s Point of View:
I was all set to give this film a really high score… and
then the ending happened.
It came out of absolutely nowhere, but not in a good way.
Twist endings, unexpected conclusions… I love that stuff. If that was what
happened, it would have been fine. I’d have loved it. However, it wasn’t. The
last ten minutes or so of the film decided to alter the main character at a
somewhat core level.
For a moment I just kind of looked around, wondering if I’d
missed something during the movie.
Did Netflix cut out a part of it? Did I miss some kind of
subtitle that would have explained the sudden weirdness to me?
I did a lot of rewinding and fast-forwarding after the film
finished and, no, I don’t think I missed anything. I think the writer completely
lost the plot for a few minutes and then had to rush to finish it because
nothing made sense anymore.
It’s a real shame, too. The majority of the film was
engrossing and interesting. The acting wasn’t my favorite, but the story was
decent enough that I was willing to forgive that.
I’m so disappointed in the way Girlhood left off.
Cat’s Point of View:
I am really on the fence with Girlhood. On one hand, I was happily immersed in the world of the
main character; and on the other, there were a few things that bugged me here
and there that didn’t let me fully buy-in.
That being said, the dialogue felt natural and I honestly
felt like I was the proverbial fly on the wall watching a teenage girl find new
friends and a new sense of self. I found myself smiling while rooting for her
and her squad, even feeling a sense of worry or dread as I feared something
negative might happen to her.
Thank goodness for the subtitles. Even if I had a rough
knowledge of French, I’m not sure if I would have been able to keep up with the
rapid-fire conversations and environmental banter. I was quite happy that the
pacing kept up but didn’t run away with the words before I could read them.
This is one of those movies I absorbed the subtitles without really noticing
them most of the time. The majority of the film flows really well.
Of course, there were a couple stumbling blocks that kicked
me out of the groove a few times. What was up with the extended scene
transitions with a totally dark screen? It took fade-to-black a little too
seriously. There was also one scene that was far longer than I would have
anticipated. However, with the context of the musical selection involved, I
imagine they were trying to get the most bang for their buck.
I think what bugged me the most about the movie was the
ending. It felt too abrupt for me and I don’t feel like enough resolution
happened one way or another. When the final scene ended and credits began, I
wondered if I was being punked. I thought, surely, that there would be another
scene laced into the credits – alas, that was not the case.
While I enjoyed this bleak window into the struggle of life
for a teen in France, I’m so frustrated with the ending that it takes away from
the rest of it for me. I wouldn’t steer anyone away from this movie, though.
I’d just caution that it might leave the viewer feeling a little lost.
Languages
Speech Available:
French
Subtitles Available:
English
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 96%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 73%
Metascore - 85/100
Metacritic User Score – 7.2/10
IMDB Score – 6.9/10
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 2.5/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating
– 3/5
Trust-the-Dice’s
Parental Advisory Rating: PG-13
Movie Trailer:
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
OtherLife (2017)
Number Rolled: 78
Movie Name/Year: OtherLife
(2017)
Tagline: None
Genre: Crime,
Mystery, Sci-Fi
Length: 95
minutes
Rating: TV-MA
Production Companies:
WBMC, Cherry Road Films, Head Gear Films, Kreo Films FZ, Metrol Technology, See
Pictures
Producer: Stephen
Boyle, Tommaso Fiacchino, Jamie Hilton, Lucas Howe, Phil Hunt, Bo Hyde, Janelle
Landers, Marco Mehlitz, Aidan O'Bryan, Josh Pomeranz, Michael Pontin, Kendall
Rhodes, Compton Ross, Elliot Ross, Fenella Ross
Director: Ben C.
Lucas
Writer: Kelley
Eskridge, Ben C. Lucas, Gregory Widen
Actors: Jessica
De Gouw, Thomas Cocquerel, T.J. Power, Liam Graham, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Hoa Xuande,
Sarah Anjuli, Anna Philp, Priscilla-Anne Forder, Clarence John Ryan, Joseph
J.U. Taylor, Adriane Daff, Steve Turner, Ian Toyne
Stunts: Peter
West
Blurb from Netflix:
After inventing a drug that induces time-compressed virtual realities, young
Ren grapples with partner Sam over how to use their powerful creation.
Selina’s Point of View:
I’m on the fence with this film.
See, OtherLife had
a good story and decent acting… but the pacing was weird and the scenes were
disjointed to the point of sometimes being hard to follow.
It’s clear to me that a lot of the disjointed quality was
done on purpose and, quite frankly, I think they took it way too far. On the
one hand, it makes sense for mind-fuckery to have that sense of the story lunging
back and forth from time to time. On the other hand, if you do it too much, you
pull the viewer right out of it and leave them wondering what the actual
timeline is. Especially when you don’t really give any indication of closure to
that time line by the ending.
The thing is, that quality caused me to be pulled out of the
story so often that I spent the majority of the film bored. I mean, to the
point of tears. The kind you get when you yawn way too much.
Eventually, the pacing did pick up, and they eased off that
jumping bullshit long enough for the story to really engulf me. When they did, the
movie became phenomenal. I was absolutely glued to the screen for the last 15
or 20 minutes of OtherLife.
Is that enough?
The film is an hour and a half and I was only transfixed by
it for less than the last half-hour. That’s a problem.
I don’t know whether or not this kind of movie is par-for-the-course
for director Ben C. Lucas (Wasted on the
Young, My Generation, Slaughtered). I hope it’s not. With any luck, OtherLife just exhibits some bad
experimental choices by him, instead of a pattern.
Cat’s Point of View:
OtherLife was a
refreshing and welcome change of pace. It certainly had a little bit of
everything and it defied my expectations at every corner.
I’d say that Ben C. Lucas (My Generation, Wasted on the Young, Casa del Suenos) and his
production crew got a cosmic bang for their buck over their mere five week
shoot. That seems like such a short period of time for everything that was
crammed in this movie – without things feeling crammed at all.
It was as if I’d hopped into my own little pocket experience
where time was a little more fluid than the little clock in the corner of my
computer screen would insist.
This film is said to be loosely based on a novel. This is
another one that has brought me to consider expanding my ‘to-read’ list by
another volume. If this was a loose adaptation, I wonder what other avenues the
written page explored.
Returning to the movie, though, I found it visually
mesmerizing in places. I absolutely loved the kaleidoscope transitions. It made
so much sense and was really cool to watch.
While the film has some expected sci-fi elements, I can’t
recall the thematic story vehicle being used quite in the same way before. I
honestly can’t think of anything I would change and I certainly wouldn’t mind
watching this again.
Languages
Speech Available:
English
Subtitles Available:
English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, French, Spanish
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 61%
Metascore - None
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 6.3/10
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 2.5/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating
– 4/5
Movie Trailer:
Monday, December 18, 2017
The Tortured (2010)
Number Rolled: 30
Movie Name/Year: The
Tortured (2010)
Tagline: How far
would you go?
Genre: Horror,
Thriller
Length: 81
minutes
Rating: R
Production Companies:
Twisted Pictures, LightTower Entertainment, MP Productions, Twisted Light
Productions
Producer: Troy
Begnaud, Mark Burg, Chad Cole, Stephen Gates, Kari Hollend, Anne Jacobsen, Oren
Koules, Curtis Leopardo, Raymond Massey, Carl Mazzocone, Derik Murray, Marek
Posival, Jessie Rusu, Tom Strnad, Don Zorbas, Jonathan Zucker
Director: Robert
Lieberman
Writer: Marek
Posival
Actors: Erika
Christensen, Jesse Metcalfe, Bill Lippincott, Bill Moseley, Fulvio Cecere,
Thomas Greenwood, John R. Taylor, Peter Abrams, Paul Herbert, Chelah Horsdal,
Carl Mazzocone Sr.,
Stunt Doubles: Mark
Aisbett, Krista Bell, Clint Carleton
Blurb from Netflix:
After their young son is abducted and murdered by a psychopath, a well-heeled
couple kidnaps the killer and tortures him.
Selina’s Point of View:
I want to preface what I’m about to say with a reminder that
I have both seen and enjoyed the first Saw
(2004), and a few of the sequels.
That said? What the fuck kind of snuff film did I just
watch? Better question. Can I be put on some kind of FBI watch list FOR
watching it? I mean, I google some weird stuff for my writing… so I’m probably
already on that list… but still.
You might wonder what was so much worse for The Tortured that Saw doesn’t seem as bad. After all, torture-porn is torture-porn,
right?
Although later sequels of Saw lost the plot a bit and spiraled off into a world without
meaning, that first film had a story. It was cohesive and it took a new route that
hadn’t really been seen before. It was shocking to watch, but there was
substance to it.
The Tortured didn’t
remind me of that first Saw. It
reminded me of a much different film. One I reviewed for Trust the Dice long
before Cat was ever a part of it. Before there was a unique url for the blog,
before we had our current layout. You might not remember that movie unless you’ve
been reading since the very beginning… but it got the absolute lowest score I
had ever given a film. I broke my 1 – 5 rating rules and gave it a hard 0.
Victim (2010) was
that film.
There were holes in both films that were so big that swiss
cheese would have been jealous. The torture aspect really served no point and
the script did the plot absolutely no favors.
Quite frankly, the only reason this film isn’t getting the
same score, is because the acting wasn’t as completely horrible.
Still, when I look back and think about this movie, it’s
going to be difficult for me to differentiate it from Victim in my memories. That is not a good thing.
Cat’s Point of View:
The dice are feeling sadistic lately. Last week we got a
kidnapping movie – this week we got a kidnapping movie. I feel I must now
resist temptation to invest in a tether that physically attaches my child to
me.
There were some interesting similarities between The Tortured and the last
heart-wrenching film we reviewed about kidnapping. It almost feels like this
one presented a ‘what if’ scenario into what could have happened differently.
Of course, there’s nothing actually tying those movies together; it’s just
watching them practically back to back that brings me to draw the parallels.
While Meadowland
(2015) was dark, this film took the spiraling darkness of grieving parents to
an entirely new level.
This movie was hard to watch. Be warned that the title of
the movie is a giant trigger warning. If you’re uncomfortable watching
torture-porn, this film will likely not be your cup of tea. It wasn’t really
even my cup of tea and I can take movies like Saw (2004) and Hostel
(2005).
There were some scenes that just had me feeling downright
queasy. Perhaps it was my emotional investment in the situation that made this
harder to take.
All told, however, I bought what the film was selling. The
characters were believable, relatable, and you could palpably feel their rage,
grief, and desire for karmic justice.
The only real issue I had with the movie was the ending. It
felt like there was quite a bit of drawn out buildup to a heart-pounding
climactic moment… and then it all wrapped up too quick, and a little too
neatly. It almost felt like things got carried away with the ‘meat’ of the film
and then suddenly they realized ‘oh we need to end this thing, don’t we.’
I mean, I don’t know about you but I don’t think I’d want to
watch a movie with this theme that would require an intermission due to length;
so, I guess I’m glad they did wrap it up. I just don’t think I’d put myself
through watching this one again anyway.
Languages
Speech Available:
English
Subtitles Available:
English
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 6%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 35%
Metascore - 9/100
Metacritic User Score – 4.2/10
IMDB Score – 5.5/10
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 1/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating
– 2.5/5
Movie Trailer:
Saturday, December 16, 2017
But I Digress... For the Honor of Grayskull - A New She-Ra Series
By Cat
Logo from this Italian website here. |
Netflix issued the statement
on December 12, 2017 regarding a number of new shows they’ll be bringing to the
streaming service along with Dreamworks. "From Eisner Award-winning author
and executive producer Noelle Stevenson (Lumberjanes,
Nimona) comes a modern take on the ‘80s girl power icon for a new
generation of young fans. The trailblazing property originally debuted in 1985
to satisfy overwhelming demand for a female lead fantasy series. With
Stevenson's unique voice at the helm, fans are in store for an epic and timely
tale that celebrates female friendship and empowerment, lead by a warrior
princess tailor made for today. The series will be available to Netflix members
worldwide in 2018."
This deal has apparently been in the works for a little bit,
all very hush-hush. Stevenson appears to be very excited about the project.
With the veil of secrecy still shrouding the project, she still couldn’t help
tease us all about what was ‘behind the curtain.’ Once the proverbial cat was
out of the bag, however, she was quick to share her enthusiasm with a tweet
linking one of the many articles that spread through the net’s geek community
like wildfire. While her link leads to Variety; I’ve also seen articles on Nerdist, CBR,
Comicbook.com,
MSN,
LA
Times, and the list goes on.
The news is out: I'm showrunning a new She-Ra reboot for Dreamworks TV and Netflix! https://t.co/v7IJhYxXi1 pic.twitter.com/gtLn2yLQLZ— Noelle Stevenson (@Gingerhazing) December 12, 2017
I am seriously excited about the prospect of this new
series. Further, I can only hope that it performs better than the various attempts
over the years to bring He-Man and the
Masters of the Universe (1983–1985) back to the screen. However, rather
than finding itself in the hands of a more traditional or cable network, this
project will be curated by Netflix. I have yet to see them drop the ball on one
of their projects. This gives me a great deal of hope that this will be the She-Ra we need for this generation.
While little is known about cast or plot elements currently,
it is my hope that we’ll receive a bit of a trail of breadcrumbs leading to the
streaming premiere. The news is so fresh, it’s possible that we’ll get
information such as cast announcements sprinkled in the time between now and
then. It’s smart to keep us on the edge of our seats a bit. It generates
prolonged buzz and anticipation for the series, after all.
It’s really the only thing I’m a little anxious about. The
casting choices can make or break the whole thing.Admittedly, the plot is another factor we know very little
about as well. It’s not clear if this series will essentially repackage the
original story with only a few minor tweaks or if we’re going to get a
re-imagining for the more modern generation of viewers.
One thing’s for sure – I hope they keep at least one element of the original show’s formatting. Back in the day, the 1980’s cartoons often ended with a small PSA targeted to their young audiences. G.I. Joe (1983-1986) is one of the most remembered for that – because “knowing is half the battle.”
She-Ra took a
different tack on the concept in that the show had a character dedicated to the
moral tie-in for the episodes named Loo-Key of the Etherian species of Kon-Seals.
He would often be hidden in various episode scenes. At the end of the show, he’d
play a bit of a ‘Where’s Waldo’ game asking kids if they spotted him. He then
revealed where he was hiding and then shared the moral of the story.
The first episode Loo-Kee appeared in was #6 of the first
season. The 5 episodes prior were dedicated to She-Ra’s origin story as told by
the theatrical movie that was her debut - He-Man
and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword (1985). This was a brilliant idea, at
the time. It ensured that kids that couldn’t make it to theaters for the film
still didn’t miss out on the story (and Mattel didn’t miss out on toy sales
opportunities). Though, once the stand-alone original content of the series
started; Loo-Kee and the Kon-Seals became a firm fixture.
The first moral message shared with the ending of episode #6
was about bullies and encouraging kids to talk to their parents if it happened.
In a world where kids are opting-out of life because of bullying, this is a
very relevant message. Kids’ shows today seem to be missing some of the more
meaningful elements that we got with the older generations of cartoons. These
PSAs were clear, unmistakable, and didn’t rely on anyone to extrapolate the
message from the show’s plot alone.
At its very core, She-Ra’s
story arc explores family, redemption, fighting for what is right, and
friendship. I’ve heard She-Ra
compared to Xena: Warrior Princess(1995-2001), as she was certainly a strong female role model in the fantasy
genre for the 1980s. We live in a modern age of female empowerment, and this
show is an excellent vehicle to strengthen the can-do spirit in girls of all
ages.
I will be waiting with bated breath for this new series to
premiere, and you can bet you’ll hear from me afterwards to let you know if it
lives up to expectations once I’ve binge-watched it all. I can't wait to visit Etheria again!
Since there’s so little known about the details of the new
series, I’ve compiled an overview for the original series for you below. If you
are unfamiliar with the series, you can always watch Season 1 of the original
on Netflix right now. Let us know if you find Loo-Kee!
Series Name/Year: She-Ra: Princess of Power (1985-1987)
Tagline: For the honor of
Grayskull, SHE-RA has the power!
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Length: 2 Seasons, 93
Episodes, Run-time average 21 min. per episode
Rating: TV-Y7
Production Companies:
Filmation Associates, Mattel
Producer: Lou Scheimer
Directors: Bill Reed, Lou
Kachivas, Richard Trueblood, Marsh Lamore, Ernie Schmidt, Ed Friedman, Tom
Tataranowicz, Tom Sito, Mark Glamack, Steve Clark, Bill Nunes, Bob Arkwright,
Gwen Wetzler
Writers: J. Michael
Straczynski, Gene Ayres, Tom Bagen, Carol Baxter, Frank Becker, Joseph
Botsford, Harvey Brenner, J. Larry Carroll, Michael Chain, Lawrence G.
DiTillio, Kathryn M. Drennan, Steven J. Fisher, Bob Forward, Lee Fraser,
Barbara Hambly, Phil Harnage, Don Heckman, Denis Higgins, Coslough Johnson,
Philip Kassel, Durnford King, Robert Lamb, Drew Lawrence, Francis Moss, Arthur
H. Nadel, Brynne Stephens, Michael Utvich, Brooks Wachtel, Michael Chase
Walker, Chris Weber, Robert White, Karen Willson, Leslie Wilson, Linda Yuro
Actors: Melendy Britt, Linda
Gary, John Erwin, George DiCenzo, Lou Scheimer, Erika Scheimer, Alan
Oppenheimer, Diane Pershing
Netflix Blurb For Classic
Series: Disguised as superpowered She-Ra, Princess Adora -- He-Man's twin
sister -- fights to save planet Etheria from the clutches of dark sorcerer
Hordak.
Languages Currently Available
With Classic Series on Netflix:
Speech Available: English,
German
Subtitles Available: English
[CC], Arabic, German, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese
For a little lagniappe (something extra), have a dash of nostalgic cheer for your holiday season with this cartoon Christmas special.
But I Digress... is a weekly column for trustthedice.com that can't be pinned down to just one thing. It's our celebration of tangents, random references, and general fan geekdom that both intertwines with, revolves around, and diverges from our movie-review core. In homage to the beloved Brit comedians, we want to bring you something completely different!
Friday, December 15, 2017
Trust the Dice: Stand For Net Neutrality
By: Selina Tropiano
Today, we won’t be watching a foreign film. Instead, we’ll
be talking about something much more important: Net Neutrality.
Undoubtedly, by now, you’ve heard plenty about this issue. In
fact, you might be getting incredibly sick of it. I get that. Never-the-less, I
hope you read on anyway.
For those of you who don’t know, the FCC repealed net
neutrality mid-day yesterday. It was an appalling bit of news that made the
rounds and filled a lot of people with dread. But why? What’s the big deal
about net neutrality anyway?
Clearly, I could go into how a lack of net neutrality would
affect Trust the Dice. I could remind you that we’re a small blog that doesn’t
take money from directors or producers in order to review their films. Even
though we work through the use of Netflix, we’re in no way considered to be
representatives of them and we’re certainly not sponsored by them. A lack of
net neutrality could easily mean that we would be required to pay a lot more
than what we spend on our domain.
Quite frankly, even with ads, we don’t make enough money for
that. Pretty much every cent that we’ve made through Trust the Dice gets pumped
right back into the blog.
If the above scenario happened, we would likely cease to
exist. Along with the majority of other small blogs that you follow, and
possibly some of the bigger ones.
That’s not the problem, though.
Admittedly, it’s easy to focus on the part that could affect
my site… but there’s a much bigger issue at stake.
A lack of net neutrality turns the internet into a space
that’s ‘pay-to-win.’ Until now, it’s been a space dominated by freedom of
speech, but people could easily use this new ‘pay-to-win’ system to shut down
anyone that disagrees with them.
I will give you an example.
One of my articles greatly angered someone involved in a
project I was talking about. Since then, they’ve located my phone number and
made it their mission to prank call me – and have their friends prank call me –
numerous times a day from many different numbers. This has been going on for
nearly a year and a half now.
Clearly, that’s a really childish way to react to a bad review…
but without net neutrality, it gets worse. The person involved has more money
than I do, that’s just a matter of fact. They could easily pay to have this
blog, or any of my social media sites, shut down or slowed to a crawl.
Money speaks in this new internet world.
My example above is just a small way that a lack of net
neutrality could affect our freedom of speech. Have a complaint about the
president or his enemies? Too bad. Get into an argument with a politician? Good
luck signing on tomorrow. Leave a bad review on Rotten Tomatoes? Post something
negative about a fast food restaurant? Call out an insurance company on
Twitter? Anyone, at any time, including trolls, could pay to have your internet
experience destroyed.
It is the first dent in attempting to break through our
freedom of speech. It doesn’t demolish it, but it sets a very bad precedent.
One that could be used to further prevent the population from speaking up.
That is why the FCC vote fills people with dread.
Luckily, the fight is NOT over.
The people who made this decision, would prefer if we all
thought this was the end. The repeal passed, so all is lost. Except, it’s not.
The repeal doesn’t actually go into effect immediately. Before
that can happen, it has to hit the Federal register, which will open it to the
possibility of lawsuits. Already, many states in the U.S. have expressed an
interest in suing the FCC over their decision. Among them are: New York,
California, and Washington.
That means we’re not alone. Some of the state governments
have been listening, and there are those among them willing to fight alongside,
and for, their people.
Don’t be fooled, either, when the FCC comes out in a month
and starts pointing out that the internet hasn’t gone ‘pay-to-win’ yet. It can’t
actually happen that quickly. The rules have to go through all kinds of steps
before they can be activated… and that could take many months. The repeal could
be tied up in those aforementioned lawsuits for even longer than that.
We cannot be tricked by the greed of the FCC and their lobbyists,
because we know we can still help.
Unfortunately, politicians seem to be among our only hope.
That might not fill you with confidence, and I don’t blame you, because it
doesn’t do much for me either.
You have to speak to your congressman. You have to urge them
to understand that this is not an issue that can be swept under the rug. This
is not a small freedom that you will allow the internet-version of Martin
Shkreli to rip away from you.
2018 is an election year. Politicians, especially right now,
want to come out for the people in order to remain popular enough to win their
respective elections. We, the people, need to make it more expensive for them
to ignore us than to listen. Which means every single person with an opinion on
the subject needs to act.
It’s difficult to believe that we can make a difference.
Each one of us is just one. One person versus the entire United States government
can be a frightening thought. That’s why we need to rely on each other right
now.
This vote passed because of how divided we are. Democrats
can’t trust Republicans, Republicans can’t trust Democrats. Everyone’s either
racists or a snowflake. We’re all libtards or cold-hearted freaks. Politics has
forced us to our respective corners and we’re all too wrapped up in it all to
walk into the middle of the room and see that things are being done without our
input because we’re allowing it. Because we’re too divided to agree on
anything.
Regardless of what side of politics you’re on; regardless of
your race, creed, sexuality, or station in life… this subject affects you. If
you’re rich, there’s always going to be someone richer. If you’re a Republican
and you want to say something negative about Hilary Clinton, you could be shut
down just as quickly as a Democrat saying something negative about Trump.
This should be the line we draw in the sand. This should be
our hill to die on. Because this isn’t about whether or not you’re going to get
to watch Netflix or play World of Warcraft. It’s not even about whether or not
you’ll be able to continue keeping in touch with your Uncle that moved to
Australia. It’s about a civil right being slowly sliced away from you. And THAT
is not ok.
Call your congressman. Tell them this IS the issue for this
election.
Be outraged. Be active. Be loud.
Or be silenced.
It’s your call.
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Embers (2015)
Number Rolled: 29
Movie Name/Year: Embers
(2015)
Tagline: The
world without memory.
Genre: Drama,
Sci-Fi
Length: 86
minutes
Rating: NR
Production Companies:
Chaotic Good, Papaya Films, Bunker Features
Producer: Mevlut
Akkaya, Justin Benoliel, Pawel Bondarowicz, Claire Carré, Lynda Carré, Steve
Drypolcher, Dan Fabulich, Karen Fischer, Warren Fischer, Daniel Fries, Richard
Giannotti, Andrew Guo, Jason Stevan Hill, Kirsten Kairos, Tomek Kulesza, Nathan
Lackie, Marysia Makowska, Nicholas Monsour, Cy Myers, Kacper Sawicki, Hana
Shimizu, Daniel Shoenman, Todd Antonio Somodevilla, Charles Spano, Susan Spano,
Frank J. Stamler, Lana Valenta, Quinn Wilson, Julian Yap, Eugene Zarakhovsky
Director: Claire
Carré
Writer: Claire
Carré, Charles Spano
Actors: Jason
Ritter, Iva Gocheva, Greta Fernandez, Tucker Smallwood, Karl Glusman, Roberto
Cots, Dominique Swain, Matthew Goulish, Silvan Friedman, Derrick Aguis,
Nathaniel Andrew, Brandon Bowens, Janice Culver, Ryan Czerwonko, Kirsten
Kairos, Arianna Messner, Sundance
Stunt Doubles: None
Blurb from Netflix:
Survivors of a global epidemic are left without the ability to create memories,
forced to navigate the bleak world by living entirely in the present.
Selina’s Point of View:
This film takes the term ‘living in the present’ to a whole
new level. A frightening level.
There were a lot of things that Embers did right.
For the most part, it was a straight drama. Sure, there was
a dystopian aspect to it, but the movie didn’t delve into the sci-fi side of
things. You never really find out what caused the epidemic that ended life as
we know it. Instead, the story is more of an in depth look at the lives of
several different people as they simply exist in their new world without
memories.
The road taken was definitely one less traveled for this plot.
That made it incredibly interesting to watch, even when it got slightly repetitive
or the pacing slowed.
Due to the fact that it was a very little-seen plot, it left
me looking forward to finding out where it was going and how it was getting
there. I couldn’t predict anything because I’d never seen anything like it.
That was the best part. Unfortunately, the ending fell flat.
By the time the story ended, it became clear that there was
no real point to anything. What had been building up to have such incredible
substance and power to it just died… out of nowhere.
I don’t mind films that leave me guessing. I don’t mind when
there are questions left unanswered. Open endings can lead to some of the best
debates… and I usually hope that the director or writer never comes out with an
answer – not even in an interview. But this ending was more than just open. It gave
no hint of any closure. It just left me with a feeling of utter pointlessness.
This film was funded through Kickstarter. So, I have to
focus on how I would feel as an investor.
How WOULD I feel? Despite my dislike of ending, I don’t
regret watching the rest of it. There were real feels throughout, and a lot of
the acting was decent – or better. I’d be proud to have had my name attached as
an investor. It wasn’t perfect, but it was still good.
This was Claire Carré’s (Paris
Not France, One night with the King, Behind the Smile) full-length feature
film debut as a writer/director. And Charles Spano’s (Serving a Life Sentence for Your Viewing Pleasure, Bouncing Cats, God
Bless Bloc Party) full-length feature film debut as a writer. You have to
keep that in mind.
Quite frankly, I attribute the ending snafu to both the
creators being more knowledgeable about documentaries than fiction.
For a first film, Carré and Spano did very well. You can’t
expect someone to reach the moon on their first try… and they still managed to
get pretty close. I’ve seen debut films from well-known, amazing directors that
I wouldn’t have scored as high.
I’m not sure that I would go out of my way to watch this
film again, but I WOULD look into other projected by the creators, and I would
consider donating.
Cat’s Point of View:
This has been a week for really dark movies. Embers is a
bleak glimpse into a dystopian future that, frankly, will haunt me.
I feel that it’s best to just give a heads up that this
movie won’t be for everyone. It’s not your typical story arc. In fact, had I
not read the Netflix blurb before viewing, I might not have understood what was
going on, at least for a bit.
The movie has a weight to it. It’s cerebral, and full of
expanses between moments of dialogue. It has sweet moments and moments of
brutality – thankfully, the latter isn’t too graphic. Even though this film is
a ‘thinker,’ it’s clear that it’s not set up from any elitist point of view.
It’s not pretentious in its storytelling endeavor. It is a slow burn, though,
and the real horror behind the trappings of this sci-fi tale doesn’t jump out
at you. It creeps up until the sense of dread rivals your inner voice asking ‘are
we there yet?’
There were moments I was bored to tears – until it hooked me
and left me shaken.
Part of that is to the credit of the cast and production
team, and the rest is due to my own personal fear.
Consider me triggered.
Memory loss, loss of intellect, and the disappearance of
self are terrifying to me. Largely, that is due to the fact that it hits too
close to home. I have a medical condition that, while currently stable, could
at some random point in the future progress in that direction. The fact I could
wake up some future day and suddenly have any number of neurological hurdles is
a heavy thought. Imagining the whole world afflicted, is just chilling.
This Kickstarter-funded independent film helmed by the
married production team of Claire Carré (Talkers
Are No Good Doers, The Quiet One, Sia: Soon We'll Be Found) and Charles
Spano (Rock n' Roll Fantasy Camp,
Directions, Terry the Claw) is both quietly brilliant and tedious at the
same time.
Since this was Carré’s directorial debut, I wonder if the latter
was intentional with the theme of the movie.
I enjoyed most of the cast in their roles. I loved the
poignant dynamic between Jason Ritter (About
Alex, Gravity Falls, The Meddler) and Iva Gocheva (Charlie, Incognita, Stand Clear of the Closing Doors). Greta
Fernandez (Three Days With the Family,
The Next Skin, Amar) was relatable in her sense of boredom and
futility. Karl Glusman (Stonewall, The Neon Demon, Nocturnal Animals)
filled me with a sense of foreboding uneasiness as he embodied chaos.
While I can certainly appreciate what this movie attempted
to accomplish – I am thoroughly grateful to never have to watch it again.
Languages
Speech Available:
English
Subtitles Available:
English
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 81%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 49%
Metascore - 55/100
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 5.3/10
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 3.5/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating
– 3/5
Trust-the-Dice’s
Parental Advisory Rating: R
P.S. Kickstarter
page can be found here.
Movie Trailer:
Monday, December 11, 2017
Meadowland (2015)
Number Rolled: 31
Movie Name/Year: Meadowland
(2015)
Tagline: What if
you had nothing left to lose but your mind?
Genre: Drama
Length: 95
minutes
Rating: R
Production Companies:
Bron Studios, Itaca Films
Producer: Jason
Cloth, Santiago Garcia Galvan, Alex Garcia, Aaron L. Gilbert, Paul Golini, Erika
Hampson, Margot Hand, Jennifer Levine, Kelly Morel, G. Scott Paterson, Andrew
Pollack, Clifford Rand, Chris Rossi, Lauren Selig, Allan J. Stitt, Matt Tauber,
Chris Taylor, Steven Thibault, Olivia Wilde
Director: Reed
Morano
Writer: Chris
Rossi
Actors: Olivia
Wilde, Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi, Elisabeth Moss, Ty Simpkins, John
Leguizamo, Kevin Corrigan, Merritt Wever, Scott Mescudi, Skipp Sudduth, Nick
Sandow, Mark Feuerstein, Yolonda Ross, Anna Khaja, Eden Duncan-Smith, Ned Eisenberg,
Casey Walker, Justine Torres
Stunt Doubles: None
Blurb from Netflix:
After their only child disappears from a service station bathroom, a shattered
husband and wife take different dark paths to deal with the grief.
Selina’s Point of View:
The concept of this film is incredibly frightening. However,
the story doesn’t follow the actually frightening aspect – the loss of a couple’s
child. Instead, the plot is centered around how the couple deals with life
after the unthinkable. It’s a different take on the topic.
There were both good and bad aspects of Meadowland.
On the good side, the emotions were instantaneously
understandable. The way the film showed the couple attempting to move on while
they were still struggling under the surface was brilliant. There are some
tragedies that happen in our lives that make us wonder if we will ever smile again…
and the truth is that we will – even if we’re just faking it. This movie covers
that aspect of grief and life-after-loss very well.
The scenes that get the emotion right, that the actors
portrayed well, were heart-wrenching. Those moments made me very sure that it
would be a very long time before I forget this film.
For someone like me that watches hundreds of unfamiliar
movies per year, that’s a hell of a feat. There are some movies in Trust the
Dice’s records that I could not, for the life of me, tell you anything about. I
just don’t remember watching them at all. Meadowland
won’t be one of those.
Mainly because I’m going to be paranoid as hell with my
daughter in corresponding situations now.
On the bad side, there were aspects of the film that felt
incomplete or like they didn’t quite fit what was happening. For instance, the
ending. I get what the writer and director were trying to portray… but it fell
flat. It just kind of felt like a cop-out.
I expected part of the ending, but the rest of it was
symbolic crap that made very little impression.
This movie would have received a much higher score from me
if they had just done something a little more definite and less pretentious for
the ending. In fact, it was that ending that made one of the characters of the
film little more than a plot device, when that character could have been so
much more.
If there’s an alternate ending out there, I’d watch this
film again. Otherwise, it’s not worth it.
Cat’s Point of View:
When I read the blurb for this movie, I cringed. I was fully
expecting a gut-punch to happen any minute.
The reason why is simple: this film centers around an event
that dwells among every parent’s worst nightmares.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve simply looked away for
a split-second in a store and turned back to find my child not where I saw her
last. It’s an adrenaline rush of the worst kind as your heart begins to race
and chills creep along your spine in the flash of a second. Thankfully, the
reason for sudden disappearance was something simple and she reappeared again
an aisle over, or hiding underneath a clothing rack. Funnily enough, sometimes
she’d just wandered directly behind me so while she wasn’t where I expected
her, she was there when I turned around.
I get a knot in my stomach just thinking about what it would
be like for the worst to happen.
I’m not sure how I would cope with the loss of my child. As
someone who has fought depression off and on for a good deal of my life, I can
imagine it wouldn’t be a pretty sight. As a result, I found myself less
judgmental, perhaps, of Olivia Wilde’s (House,
Rush, Her) character, Sarah.
The impact of the movie’s events was significant, and yet I
think the blow was softened somewhat by the meandering pace the film took. Some
of it made sense and other points just had me tipping my head and questioning
‘why.’
I didn’t like the ending, though. In a way, I see how it was
fitting as a scene. Unfortunately, that was a really strange note to end the
film on.
I don’t think I would willingly watch this one again, but
it’s mostly due to the subject matter. I don’t feel that the movie was bad;
though, I would have to say it was generally unremarkable. Even with that said,
I will likely be glued to my child in public for a while.
Languages
Speech Available:
English
Subtitles Available:
English, Spanish
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 100%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 57%
Metascore - 67/100
Metacritic User Score – 7.0/10
IMDB Score – 5.8/10
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 2/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating
– 2.5/5
Movie Trailer:
Saturday, December 9, 2017
But I Digress... Jingle Bells and Shotgun Shells: A Netflix Christmas
By
Cat
Movie Name/Year: El Camino
Christmas (2017)
Tagline: Bullets, Beer,
Holiday Cheer.
Genre: Comedy
Length: 82 minutes
Rating: TV-MA
Production Companies:
Goldenlight Films, Brother, Netflix
Producers: Rich Carter,
Theodore Melfi, Mike Milaccio, Jack L. Murray, Kimberly Quinn, Uri Singer,
David E. Talbert, Lyn Talbert
Director: David E. Talbert
Writers: Theodore Melfi, Christopher Wehner
Actors: Vincent D'Onofrio,
Jessica Alba, Dax Shepard, Tim Allen, Kurtwood Smith, Luke Grimes, Michelle
Mylett, Emilio Rivera
Stunts: Brian Avery, Joe
Bucaro III, Richard Burden, Jeremy Fry,Roberto Garcia, Efka Kvaraciejus, Paul
Lacovara
Blurb from Netflix: Stuck in
a liquor store during an alleged robbery, a group of strangers shares hidden
truths and forms an unexpected bond on Christmas Eve.
Netflix lied to me.
IMDb lied to me.
It’s a conspiracy! OK, maybe not that. To be fair, it was more of an
error-of-omission situation than any sort of falsehood. What am I talking
about? I’ll get to that in a moment.
Today’s digression was inspired by a Netflix Christmas surprise. I say
that because somehow this movie escaped our radar, and therefore missed the
potential to be named among our Top
20 Movies to Look Out for in December 2017.
“It’s the Christmas no one wanted,” the trailer explains. I wanted it,
though, the minute that trailer began to auto-play when I loaded Netflix to
search for a compilation of holiday movies. Why give you all another list when
a Christmas comedy was on the table, right?
Shame, shame Netflix. Shame. I was not prepared.
Don’t get me wrong, though. I really liked this film. That wasn’t the
issue. There aren’t a lot of review-based ratings available to offer viewers
informed decisions to potential audiences either. It was just released to
stream on December 8th, after all. My issue was that this is
absolutely not a straight up comedy. There are some heavy feels involved here,
too. To play devil’s advocate, I see why they went with the single genre but
ugh. The movie is somewhere in the nebulous space between drama that is dark
comedy with a sense of irony, a doofus comedy romp, and a tragedy.
On to the movie!
Talk about a cluster situation of wrong-place and wrong time – or perhaps,
it was kismet. Events either spiraled completely out of control or they were
artistically dropped into place by the hands of fate. Either way you look at
the circumstances within this film; it’s hilarious, face-palm inducing, heart-warming,
and occasionally heart-wrenching at the same time.
I almost don’t know where to start, because I don’t want to give too
much away.
This wasn’t a fly-by-night production. I have to tip my hat to director
David Talbert (First Sunday, Baggage
Claim, Almost Christmas) for finding a way to bring laughter to the darkest
corners of this film. The characters were well nuanced and relatable. So much
was evident between the actual lines, and it made it easier to invest in the
people and their situations.
Luke Grimes (Taken 2, True Blood,
American Sniper) did a good job with his lead role, but it was really Vincent
D'Onofrio (Daredevil, The Magnificent
Seven, Rings) and Tim Allen (Wild
Hogs, Crazy on the Outside, Last Man Standing) that stole the show. I don’t
say that lightly about Allen, either. I’ve mentioned before that he isn’t my
favorite actor, but I find myself regarding him with increasing respect for his
projects that step out of the stereotypes he created for himself with his past
work.
Kurtwood Smith (Hitchcock, Agent
Carter, Amityville: The Awakening) and Dax Shepard (Without a Paddle, When in Rome, Parenthood) can be counted on for a
lot of the laughs in this movie. Their dynamic is what you expect from the
movie after watching the trailer. They’re the setup that allows the surprise
left-hook to the feels.
Michelle Mylett (Antisocial, Lost
Girl, Buckout Road) really impressed me with her portrayal of strong single
mom, Kate Daniels. Her family dynamic is integral to the plot, even though the
primary story revolves around Grimes’ character.
If you’re looking for an interesting holiday-themed movie that’s
amusing but not a one-dimensional laugh-track fest, this just might be the
movie for you. I’d certainly recommend it. It’s got Christmas carols,
friendship, family, and fire-fights. What’s not to love? Just maybe have some tissues nearby. Unlike Netflix, you can't say I didn't warn you.
P.S. I’m almost positive that Vincent D’Onofrio sings the holiday song
that plays during the final credits.
Languages
Speech Available: English, English –Audio Description, French, German,
Italian, Spanish
Subtitles Available: English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, French,
Spanish
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 62%
Metascore - None
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 6/10
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4/5
Movie Trailer:
But
I Digress... is a weekly column for trustthedice.com that can't be pinned down
to just one thing. It's our celebration of tangents, random references, and
general fan geekdom that both intertwines with, revolves around, and diverges
from our movie-review core. In homage to the beloved Brit comedians, we want to
bring you something completely different!
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