"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.
Has the song continued to
play in your head? It has in mine! If not, then get ready – because once this
show hits Disney XD, it’s going to have a resurgence! Resistance is futile…
wait… we’re not talking the Borg, here. Promise!
One of the more pleasant
things to come out of 2016 was the announcement that Disney was bringing back
its beloved DuckTales (1987-1990). The new series is allegedly set to air in
the summer of 2017, and teasers have already begun to get network airtime. Word is that it's set to release with the 30th anniversary of the original. I haven't found any concrete dates to support that, but I seriously hope we're not waiting until September.
I was a little leery, at
first, about this planned reboot. This is one of the beloved cartoons of my
youth, after all. The original voice actor for Uncle Scrooge was claimed as one
of the many losses of 2016. Alan Young (The Time Machine, Mickey's Around the
World in 80 Days, Mister Ed) was 96 when he passed away in May. He was lending his voice to that iconic role even in his last year with
us.
Without Scrooge, this
whole show concept doesn’t even work. Who could even possibly fill such
enormous shoes to make a reboot even remotely acceptable by long-time fans? The
new voice actor had to be worthy of the physics-defying, money bin swimming,
and spats wearing miser with a heart of gold and thirst for adventure.
David Tennant (Jessica
Jones, Dragons: Race to the Edge, Broadchurch) is the answer. I had the most
epic fangirl reaction when I learned this, and I am not even a little ashamed
about it.
Fate seems to be at
work in this man’s life. The boy that grew up
loving Doctor Who (1963-) came to play the title role, himself, as the 10th Doctor from 2005 to 2013 (and various specials thereafter). Most die-hard Whovians can tell you that the “6
Degrees of Who” goes a bit deeper than that childhood dream come true. That’s
not my focus of the moment, however.
Kismet may have been
found once more for this role. Why do I say that? Well… Tennant wasn’t the name
our new Scrooge was born with. His last name was McDonald. He is also a native
of Scotland. Tell me I’m grasping at straws all you want – I’m convinced those
straws are really the shiny gold of the coins within that skyscraper-sized vault
belonging to the thrifty McDuck.
Tennant has an amazing acting range from
classics to comedy, is no stranger to voice work, and has an authentic accent. He
also brings the love of his personal fan base to the series. None of that is
anywhere near a negative.
I hold great hope for
this series. In a way, it’s Doctor Who that has prepared me for moments such as
this. When the Doctor regenerated and got a new actor, it was a process to
accept the new face for the beloved character. When I was little, and watching
the classic series with my mom, Tom Baker (Little Britain, Agatha Christie's
Marple, Star Wars Rebels) was my favorite Doctor – the 4th Doctor.
Tennant, as the 10th, is my favorite of the current series. This
very strongly feels like history repeating itself.
From what I have gathered
in reading the various articles released thus far, most of the core characters
of the original series will be reprised in this reboot. The entirety of the
cast has yet to be announced – but it’s really only the supporting roles the
likes of Gyro Gearloose, Duckworth, and the bulk of the Beagles, etc. that have yet to be announced.
The only character in the
series to retain their original voice actor is Donald Duck.
Tony Anselmo (The Lion King 1
1/2, Phineas and Ferb, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) has been the voice of Donald
Duck since 1986. I’m happy to see that Disney is keeping it that way. Of
course, Uncle Donald only appeared in 8 episodes of the original series; so it’s
a bit unclear how much of a role he’ll have in this reboot.
I am super exited that
right now “…they’re out there making DuckTales! Woo-oo!”
Is the song back in your
head? Good! Here’s a fun away to purge it. The cast got together for a
sing-along. Join in with me!
If you’d like to learn
more about show or the new cast, visit the show’s IMDb page here.
But I Digress... is a new weekly column for trustthedice.com that can't be pinned down to just one thing. It's Cat's 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!
Subtitles Available:
English, Traditional Chinese, French, German, Spanish
Blurb from Netflix:
After randomly receiving a handsome political bribe, a sweet, poor elderly
woman decides to treat herself a shopping spree, which doesn’t go smoothly.
Selina’s Point of View:
Straight drama isn’t my thing, but I can still appreciate it
when it comes in the form of a great film. And 1000 Rupee Note is a GREAT film.
There were some cultural references that went right over my
head, but that’s bound to happen. Not just because we haven’t been doing
Foreign Film Fridays for very long, but because this was a very unique film for
Netflix in general. This was the only Marathi language film I saw available. I
have no idea how that particular Indian culture differs from the others. I
imagine it’s similar to the U.S., where there is a huge cultural difference
between the country, the suburbs, and the cities.
Despite a few names that just didn’t ring any bells at all,
I still found it easy to disappear into Budhi’s tragic story. 1000 Rupee Note was a tale about human kindness,
corruption, and greed. The plot went down roads I’m certain an American film
wouldn’t have taken and told the plot in such a way that it spoke to many
emotions all at one.
Usha Naik (Half Ticket,
Jai Mohata Devi, Lapachhapi) was a phenomenal choice for the lead
character, Budhi. She played her character so well that I couldn’t look away
from the screen for more than a few seconds at a time. That’s impressive
because this is the kind of film I would normally consider slow and boring –
but it absolutely was neither of those things.
Budhi’s story was a strong and highly realistic one. Chinmay
Kelkar (Timepass 2, Let the Wind Blow,
And Gandhi Goes Missing…), the person in charge of casting, could have
easily given the part to someone that tried to take it in a more surreal
direction – which would have ruined everything. Naik 100% makes 1000 Rupee Note what it is.
Because I’m not a drama fan, I likely won’t be watching this
film again – but that’s my own personal choice. I would highly recommend it to
anyone that does enjoy the genre.
Cat’s Point of View:
I dove straight in on this one. I didn’t read the blurb or
look for trailers. I worried a little in the beginning of the movie that I was
going to be as bored as I was for that first foreign film we watched.
That quickly changed.
Do I think this is something to go screaming from the
rooftops about? Ehh, not so much. What I do think is that this was a pretty
solid movie. I connected with the main characters and I empathized with them.
I think I would have gotten a little more out of the movie
had I been able to tie the musical selections in. Since they weren’t something
I could easily recognize (such as the cover songs from that prior film we
watched), and there were no subtitles for the lyrics; it was little more than
ambient sound as part of the setting backdrop.
My curiosity is piqued by the music mostly because I
recognize that there is much significance in every gesture and motion in Indian
dance – such as seen in the Bollywood movies. It tells a story as much as the
dialogue and other physical acting.
There was a lot of bleakness; but at the same time, the film
was full of heart. It was a well told tale of how money can cause as many problems
as it solves. I may not feel the need to watch this one again, but at least I
do not feel that my time was wasted.
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 80%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – None
Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 3/5
Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 5/5
Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 3/5
Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score
– 3/5
The Random Rating: PG-13 (Keep in mind that this goes by the United States MPAA guidelines. Due to a difference in culture between the U.S. and India, we can't guarantee this meets Indian rating standards.)
Producer: Tom
Aries, Matthew Eggers, Tara Eggers, Tom Eggers, Shelley Fox, Peter Gilbert,
Janice Harris, Yra Harris, Breea Klong, Michael Klong, Eddie Linker, Susie
Linker, Jeanne McInereney, Karen McKeon, Hartley Meyer, Laura Mizrahi, Theresa
Snyder, Joe Swanberg, C.T. Terry, Alicia Van Couvering
Director: Joe
Swanberg
Writer: Joe
Swanberg
Actors: Anna
Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Mark Webber, Lena Dunham, Joe Swanberg
Stunt Doubles: N/A
Languages
Speech Available:
English
Subtitles Available:
English
Blurb from Netflix:
After splitting up with her boyfriend just before the holidays, a young woman
tries to start over, but her self-destructive behavior gets in the way.
Selina’s Point of View:
Sitting through this film was torture. Not only was it
painfully boring and poorly shot, but I fucking HATE Lena Dunham. I just hate her.
I viscerally hate her. Even my absolute love for Anna Kendrick couldn’t
overshadow it.
Normally, no matter how bad a movie is, when it’s over I
feel good. Either because I get to write about it, or because I accomplished
the task of removing a film from my list, or because there was something
awesome about it.
I don’t feel good.
In fact, I hate Lena Dunham so much that I don’t think I
could accurately judge the content of this film, no matter how hard I try. So I’m
going to abstain. You’ll have to look to Cat for her opinion.
I wish Anna Kendrick wasn’t a part of this project. I really
do. If she wasn’t, I might have noticed Dunham was in it and kept it off both
our “Top Movies to Look Out For” list and our queue.
Cat’s Point of View:
I’m a bit torn about this movie.
Part of the quandary I find myself in is due to expectation
vs. reality. When we rolled this movie it felt like a bit of a lark because the
holiday had just passed. We might have had a technical “Christmas movie” just
before, but not anything that screamed ‘tis the season’ at you. I expected
something like that, going in.
That’s not what this movie is. Once more, the holiday is
landscape here rather than an active participant in what’s going on; with minor
exceptions.
I’m going to be honest. I was bored to tears. Straight drama
like this doesn’t usually do it for me. This wasn’t even an emotional
rollercoaster drama (for which I am thankful). I distinctly remember that there
was a point in the movie where I was thinking, “ugh how much longer is this?”
and moused over the progress bar, only to see that I had 40 minutes left.
That being said, even though I was bored – the movie wasn’t
bad. I wasn’t rolling my eyes or praying for it to end – I just wasn’t into it.
I liked the fact that the couple wasn’t “perfect” and their
dynamic was wonderful. I actually loved the way they interacted and handled
things. It felt real and far less staged than the melodrama one usually finds
on the screen. I absolutely adored their interaction with the little boy. I
think that little guy stole the movie for me, really.
Anna Kendrick (Into
The Woods, The Hollars, Trolls) and Melanie Lynskey (Flags of Our Fathers, Win Win, Rainbow Time) are also actresses
that I really enjoy. It was an interesting turn to see Kendrick in this sort of
role; but let me tell you…Lynskey absolutely slayed her part. I got a kick out
of the fact she used her native New Zealand accent, as well.
Joe Swanberg (Cats and
Trees, V/H/S, Joshy) wore quite a few hats with this film as writer,
director, producer, and male lead. He’s also little Jude’s real dad. Looking
through his filmography, I was reminded where I’ve seen him before. I would have
to say I like this a hell of a lot more than his offering in that horror
anthology. It’s really apples and oranges, though.
Not only was the baby actually his child, but the film was
shot in his actual house. I think that’s pretty cool. On top of that, the
dialogue here was largely improvised. When I first read that after watching the
movie, I was skeptical. I did some digging and found some interviews with
Lynskey and Swanberg which confirmed it. It seems that this was one of those
kismet moments of the right concept finding the right actors and crew. It
didn’t feel improvised and had a good flow to it.
While this movie wasn’t the most entertaining for me, I have
a hell of a lot more respect for it in retrospect after learning some of these
details. Sadly, my score for the film is based on my enjoyment of the movie and
not what I feel its overall ‘quality’ is.
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 75%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 38%
Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – Who cares?/5
Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – Not even fucking worth it./5
Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 1.5/5
Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score
– 2/5
P.S. There’s some
dialog near the end of the credits, and a long scene after the credits are
over. It’s more like an extended scene.
Production Company:
Sunset Pictures, That’s Hollywood
Director: Martin
Guigui
Writer: Rustam
Branaman, Martin Guigui, Chris Anderson, Sharon McGehee, Jake LaMotta
Actors: William
Forsythe, Joe Mantegna, Tom Sizemore, Paul Sorvino, Penelope Ann Miller, Mojean
Aria, Ray Wise, Natasha Hanstridge, James Russo, Robert Davi, Cloris Leachman,
Mike Starr, Joe Cortese, Bruce Davison, Dom Irrera, Claudia Ferri, Harry
Hamlin, Alicia Witt, Rebecca Forsythe, Joey Diax, Eric Mamann, Alex Meraz,
Dahlia Waingort, Juliet Landau, Sterling Fitzgerald, Russell Gannon, Dre’
Michael Chaney
Genre: Biography,
Drama, Sport
Rated: R
I’ll be honest, there’s some slim pickings this month. I was
really scraping the bottom of the barrel for my top twenty. Let me be clear,
that doesn’t mean the films in the first half of this countdown are bad, it just
means that I, personally, have little to no interest in them.
For instance, The Bronx
Bull may actually be incredibly interesting to a boxing fan. I, however,
couldn’t care less. I chose this film 100% for the cast. I enjoy the work of
Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds, Archie’s
Final Project, Redbelt) and Paul Sorvino (No Deposit, The Devil’s Carnival, Goodfellas). The rest of the cast
is relatively decent as well.
19 – The Bye Bye
Man (1/13)
Tag Line: Don’t
think it. Don’t say it.
Production Company:
Intrepid Pictures, Los Angeles Media Fund
Director: Stacy
Title
Writer: Robert Damon
Schneck, Jonathan Penner
Actors: Douglas
Smith, Lucien Laviscount, Cressida Bonas, Doug Jones, Michael Trucco, Faye
Dunaway, Eric Tremblay, Cleo King, Merisa Echeverria, Jenna Kanell, Carrie-Anne
Moss, Ava Penner, Martha Hackett, Jonathan Penner, Nicholas Sadler, Laura Knox,
Andrew Gorell
Genre: Horror,
Thriller
Rated: PG-13
First, let me get this out of the way because it has to be
said.
What a shit-stain of a title. Creators, please start putting
a touch more thought into naming your movies.
Moving on.
Personally, I think this film looks like every other horror
movie that’s ever followed a recipe. They even put the signature move where one
of the characters tilts the mirror and sees the paranormal bad guy, right in
the trailer. If you’re gonna use obvious bullshit like that, don’t stick it in
the trailer. It doesn’t look good for the film.
That being said, it was better that most of the other films
coming out that didn’t make the list. Who knows? It is probably a recipe film,
but maybe they did something interesting with it. Going by a recipe doesn’t
necessarily disqualify a film from being good.
18 – Bastards (1/27)
Tag Line: The
ultimate paternity test.
Production Company:
Alcon Entertainment, DMG Entertainment, the Montecito Picture Company, Paragon
Studios
Director: Lawrence
Sher
Writer: Justin
Malen
Actors: J.K.
Simmons, Owen Wilson, Bill Irwin, Ed Helms, Glenn Close, Ving Rhames, Katie
Aselton, Harry Shearer, Ryan Cartwright, Retta, Brian Huskey, Katt Williams,
Terry Bradshaw, Rachel Eggleston, Debra Stipe, Ryan Gaul, Taylor Treadwell,
Liam Tomasiello, Ann McKenzie, Sarah Skeist, Hunter Flanagan, Rushdi Rabia,
Keller Kuhn
Genre: Comedy
Rated: R
Meh. I guess this film is something that could be good. It’s
another case of a film joining the list just because of the cast. Only this was
literally JUST because of the cast. I have very little interest in the story.
Of course, it could wind up being awesome and I’m just grumpy.
17 – Claire in
Motion (1/13)
Tag Line: None
Production Company:
Sacha Pictures
Director: Annie
J. Howell, Lisa Robinson
Writer: Annie J.
Howell, Lisa Robinson
Actors: Betsy
Brandt, Chris Beetem, Zev Haworth, Anna Margaret Hollyman, Sakina Jaffrey,
Brian Evans, David Haugen
Genre: Drama
Rated: Unrated
The trailer for Claire
in Motion makes it seem like a decent indie film. It looks like a generally interesting story.
Not that it’s particularly unique, but it does seem to place a thrilling spin
on a familiar subject. What really got this film added to the list, was the way
the main character was portrayed. Betsy Brandt (Life in Pieces, Mothers of the Bride, Breaking Bad) seemed to
really throw herself into her part. That kind of commitment can carry a film,
even if the rest of it is lacking.
That’s not to say I suspect that Claire in Motion would be found lacking. I have no idea what it’s
going to be like, I only have what you have to judge by: a trailer. What I’m
saying is that Brandt could very well make this film worth seeing regardless of
the quality of the story.
Of course, if the story winds up being great, that’s a
bonus.
16 – Live By
Night (1/13)
Tag Line: Witness
the price of the American dream.
Production Company:
Appian Way, Pearl Street Films, Warner Bros.
Director: Ben
Affleck
Writer: Dennis
Lehane, Ben Affleck
Actors: Ben
Affleck, Scott Eastwood, Zoe Saldana, Elle Fanning, Sienna Miller, Chris
Sullivan, Anthony Michael Hall, Brendan Gleeson, Titus Welliver, Chris Messina,
Max Casella, Chris Cooper, Ford Austin, Derek Mears, Robert Glenister, Amy
Mader, J.D. Evermore, Austin Swift, B.C. Halifax, Matthew Maher, Bruna Amato,
Michael Mantell
Genre: Crime,
Drama
Rated: R
The reason this film made the list is because Ben Affleck (The Accountant, Suicide Squad, Gone Girl)
tends to have some really elevated moments as a director. I enjoy him as an
actor, but I might very well like him better as a writer/director. It helps
that he’s joined by some spectacular actors: Zoe Saldana (Star Trek Beyond, Center Stage, Guardians of the Galaxy), Scott
Eastwood (Suicide Squad, Snowden, Fury),
Sienna Miller (Burnt, High-Rise,
Foxcatcher), Brendan Gleeson (Assassin’s
Creed, Stonehearst Asylum, In Bruges), and Elle Fanning (Maleficent, Trumbo, The Neon Demon).
The story looks pretty interesting as well, but if the cast
and crew were different, I likely wouldn’t be interested.
I just wish Affleck would stop writing himself parts that he
needs an accent for. He thinks he’s better at it than he is.
15 – Apple of my
Eye (1/10)
Tag Line: When
she lost her sight, she found her way.
Production Company:
Sweet Tomato Films, Character Brigade, Expression Entertainment
Director: Castille
Landon
Writer: Castille
Landon
Actors: Amy
Smart, Burt Reynolds, AJ Michalka, Liam McIntyre, Jack Griffo, Nick Bateman,
Charlie Barnett, Lindsay Lamb, Castille Landon, Avery Arendes, Maddi Jane,
Thaddeus Ygnacio, Samm Levine
Genre: Family
Rated: PG
Yes, I know this is a film that’s going straight to DVD, but
I don’t care. It looks adorable.
The plot is not at the center of my interest though.
I’m very interested in Castille Landon (Workers’ Camp, Halfway to Nowhere, Every Other Second) as a
writer/director. She’s young, 25-years-old, and just breaking into her directing
career. Her first writing credit was in 2011 and she started acting in 2007,
but her first directing credit was only two years ago.
I fully believe in supporting new writer/directors. Our next
legends are going to come from that pool of unknowns. We all know I can be a
bit… brutal… at times, but not usually where someone new is concerned.
It’s important to support the newbies, especially when it
looks like they’re putting out something interesting. Apple of my Eye looks like it follows some of your basic tropes for
the genre, but there’s a unique spin to it that makes it seem like it would be
a great addition to a family movie night.
14 – Split (1/20)
Tag Line: Kevin
has 23 distinct personalities. The 24th is about to be unleashed.
Production Company:
Blinding Edge Pictures, Blumhouse Productions
Director: M.
Night Shyamalan
Writer: M. Night
Shyamalan
Actors: Anya
Taylor-Joy, James McAvoy, Haley Lu Richardson, Kim Director, Jessica Sula, Brad
William Henke, Sebastian Arcelus, Betty Buckley
Genre: Horror,
Thriller
Rated: PG-13
I know there’s been a lot of disappointment where M. Night
Shyamalan (Signs, Wayward Pines, The Village)
is concerned, but hear me out.
Regardless of the issues people have with some of his films,
Shyamalan is still an iconic director… and I’d consider him a house-hold name
if I could pronounce it. Aside from that, I’m thinking this film might help him
escape his rut of trying to make every film the next Sixth Sense (1999). Is it possible there might be some weird twist
at the end that makes everyone face-palm? Sure. But I don’t think there will be
this time.
I think this film seems very straight-forward for a
Shyamalan project. That alone makes it interesting. When you add the actual
storyline and the brilliant James McAvoy (The
Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, Filth, Wanted) to the mix, it’s impossible
to not want to see this film.
13 – Sleepless (1/13)
Tag Line: Don’t
judge a cop by his cover.
Production Company:
FilmNation Entertainment, Open Road Films, RIverstone Pictures, Vertigo
Entertainment
Director: Baran
bo Odar
Writer: Andrea
Berloff, Frederic Jardin, Nicolas Saada, Olivier Douyere
Actors: Michelle
Monaghan, Dermot Mulroney, David Harbour, Jamie Foxx, Gabrielle Union, Scoot
McNairy, Sala Baker, T.I., Octavius J. Johnson, Briana Marin, Veronica
McCluskey, Tim Connolly, Chelsea Hayes,
Genre: Action,
Crime, Thriller
Rated: R
My first taste of Jamie Foxx (A Million Ways to Die in the West, Annie, Horrible Bosses 2) in a
serious role, was Django Unchained
(2012). Since then I’ve been starving for more of that kind of thing. Sleepless
has practically nothing in common with that film, of course, but it IS a
serious film that Foxx is starring in. That alone makes it worth watching.
Foxx always had good comedic timing, but his action/drama
acting is so much better. If he’d started his career in the
action/thriller/drama genres, he’d have been bigger than the most well-known
actors out there.
Also, the film itself looks like a lot of adrenaline-filled
awesomeness.
12 – The Book of
Love (1/13)
Tag Line: How far
would you go for a lost love?
Production Company:
The Darwin Collective, Iron Ocean Films, Nine Nights, Campfire
Director: Bill
Purple
Writer: Bill Purple,
Robbie Pickering
Actors: Jessica
Biel, Mary Steenburgen, Maisie Williams, Jason Sudeikis, Paul Reiser, Orlando
Jones, Joshua Mikel, Cailey Fleming, Jayson Warner Smith, Russ Russo,
Christopher Gehrman
Genre: Drama
Rated: PG-13
Oh my god, this film is going to be a Grand Canyon’s worth
of feels. I’m not often a fan of straight on dramas, but the cast is amazing
and the story looks like something unique.
If the chemistry is there between the actors, this film
could be absolutely incredible. There are a FEW pitfalls that could hinder
something like The Book of Love, but
the trailer makes it seem like none of those possibilities affected the filming
or final product.
11 – Monster
Trucks (1/13)
Tag Line: On
January 13, meet Crunch.
Production Company:
Disruption Entertainment, Nickelodeon Movies, Paramount Animation, Paramount
Pictures
Director: Chris
Wedge
Writer: Derek
Connolly, Matthew Robinson, Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger
Actors: Lucas
Till, Jane Levy, Thomas Lennon, Barry Pepper, Rob Lowe, Danny Glover, Amy Ryan,
Holt McCallany, Frank Whaley, Aliyah O’Brien, Jedidiah Goodacre, Samara
Weaving, Tucker Albrizzi, Chris Gauthier
Genre: Animation,
Action, Adventure
Rated: PG
Seriously? How cute is this? It’s like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) meets Transformers (2007). It makes me a squee a little when I watch the
trailer.
10 – Bad Kids of
Crestview Academy (1/13)
Tag Line: Welcome
back to hell.
Production Company:
BKG2H Productions, Bad Kids
Director: Ben
Browder
Writer: Barry
Wernick, James R. Hallam
Actors: Sean
Astin, Gina Gershon, Sammi Hanratty, Drake Bell, Ali Astin, Ben Browder, Sophia
Taylor Ali, Sufe Bradshaw, Cameron Deane Stewart, Matthew Frias, Billy Blair
Genre: Action,
Comedy, Thriller
Rated: R
This is the sequel to a film I watched and reviewed a while
before Cat came on board. A LONG while. Hell, I wasn’t even recording the
Netflix predictions, Producers, or Rotten Tomato percentages yet. After reading
the old review, I’d have to say I wasn’t even writing anything interesting yet,
but I think all artists read their old stuff and try to hide under the bed
sometimes.
In the review of the original, Bad Kids Go to Hell (2012), I gave it a 3 out of 5 rating, but over
the years I think that’s changed.
I don’t remember every single film I watch. I watch
something like three new films a week, not counting any that I watch with my
husband or in the theaters. With my husband I usually watch roughly two new
films a month and we go to the theaters enough. Altogether, that means I watch
(rounded up) approximately 200 new films per year. That’s a lot of fucking
movies to remember. Some of them just aren’t worth the brain space.
What that means, is that if I remember a film for an
extended period of time, it’s either because something truly resonated with me,
or I hated it so much that I wish I could forget it and can’t. Since I didn’t
hate Bad Kids go to Hell that means
something resonated with me more than I realized at the time.
Knowing that, I’m really looking forward to the sequel. The original
was like The Breakfast Club (1985)
meets Final Destination (2000). So it
followed those kind of 80s teen flick tropes, but with a seriously dark spin.
Dark is my wheel-house.
I’m really looking forward to seeing what they did with this
sequel. I hope they made it as memorable as the first.
9 – Hidden
Figures (1/6)
Tag Line: Meet
the women you don’t know, behind the mission you do.
Production Company:
Levantine Films, Chernin Entertainment, Fox 2000 Pictures
Director: Theodore
Melfi
Writer: Allison
Schroeder, Theodore Melfi, Margot Lee Shetterly
Actors: Taraji P.
Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim
Parsons, Mahershala Ali, Aldis Hodge, Glen Powell, Kimberly Quinn, Olek Krupa,
Kurt Krause, Ken Strunk, Ludya Jewett, Donna Biscoe, Ariana Neal, Saniyya
Sidney, Tre Stokes, Selah Kimbro Jones, Corey Mendell Parker, Ashton Tyler,
Alkoya Brunson, Karan Kendrick, Jaiden Kaine, Gregory Alan Williams, Maria
Howell, Arnell Powell, Crystal Lee Brown, Tequilla Whitfield, Dane Davenport,
Evan Holtzman, Travis Smith, Scott Michael Morgan
Genre: Drama
Rated: PG
There have been a lot of very important films being made
lately. Films that tear through racism, sexism, and hate. Right now, that is
some seriously necessary shit. Hell, that kind of thing is always necessary.
Anything that strikes a blow against undeserved hatred is welcome, in my mind.
I’m not saying there aren’t legitimate reasons to hate.
Someone murders your parents? I’d say it’s pretty damn normal to hate them.
Hate someone because of their skin color or whether or not they have dangly
bits between their legs? You’re just an asshole.
Hidden Figures
takes a blow at that kind of unnecessary, asshole-centric, hatred. It brings a
little known true story into the light, and it’s one of those true stories that
seems like it’ll truly able to hold someone’s interest.
When important meets interesting, you know that’s worth
watching.
8 – Silence (1/13)
Tag Line: Sometimes
silence is the deadliest sound.
Production Company:
AI-Film, Cappa Defina Productions, CatchPlay, Cecchi Gori Pictures,
Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films, Fabrica de Cine, IM Global, SharpSword Films, Sikelia
Productions, Verdi Productions, Waypoint Entertainment
Director: Martin
Scorsese
Writer: Jay
Cocks, Martin Scorsese, Shusaku Endo
Actors: Andrew
Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neeson, Ciaran Hinds, Issei Ogata, Shin’ya
Tsukamoto, Yoshi Oida, Yosuke Kubozuka, Kaoru Endo, Nana Komatsu, Ryo Kase
Genre: Drama,
History
Rated: R
For some reason, this film wasn’t on our master list for
January 2017 when we started watching trailers for this top 20. I didn’t know
it was coming out until just before we went on vacation. By then we both
already had our lists together, and we had to change them last minute.
I don’t regret it.
How could either of us not mention a new Martin Scorsese (Shutter Island, Gangs of New York, The Wolf
of Wall Street) film? I wrote about iconic directors before and, well, he’d
be one of them.
The storyline, the settings, the actors, the crew… there’s
really nothing about this film that doesn’t demand that I see it.
7 – A Monster
Calls (1/6)
Tag Line: Stories
are wild creatures.
Production Company:
Apaches Entertainment, La Trini, A Monster Calls, Participant Media, River Road
Entertainment
Director: J.A.
Bayona
Writer: Patrick
Ness, Siobhan Dowd
Actors: Lewis
MacDougall, Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell, Ben Moor, James
Malville, Oliver Steer, Dominic Boyle, Jennifer Lim, Max Gabbay, Morgan Symes,
Max Golds, Firda Palsson, Wanda Opalinska, Patrick Taggart, Lily-Rose
Aslandogdu, Geraldine Chaplin, Liam Neeson
Genre: Drama,
Fantasy
Rated: PG-13
Trauma affects children on a deeper level than adults often
realize. In a case like this, where a child is forced to grow up way too
quickly… fantasy is all they have to see them through it.
A Monster Calls
reminds me a lot of A Little Princess (1995),
which is one of my favorite movies ever. As a child I turned to fantasy so
often that a story like this speaks right to my soul. What I wouldn’t have
given to have some of my fantasies and written works come to life when I was
trying to deal with the worst of my childhood…
I really hope this film turns out to be as great as I want
it to be.
6 – Alone in
Berlin (1/13)
Tag Line: In the
heart of terror, they resist everyday life.
Production Company:
X-Filme Creative Pool, FilmWave, Master Movies
Director: Vincent
Perez
Writer: Achim von
Borries, Vincent Perez, Bettine von Borries, Hans Fallada
Actors: Emma
Thompson, Brendan Gleeson, Daniel Bruhl, Mikael Persbrandt, Katharina
Schuttler, Louis Hofmann, Godehard Giese, Uwe Preuss, Jacob Matschenz, Lars Rudolph,
Joshua Grothe, Joachim Bißmeier, Holger Handtke, Rainer Reiners, Hildegard
Schroedter, Marko Dyrlich, Jurgen Tarrach, Rafael Gareisen, Ernst Stotzner,
Monique Chaumette, Katharina Abt
Genre: Drama
Rated: R
Brendan Gleeson (Trespass
Against Us, In the Heart of the Sea, Edge of Tomorrow) is all over the
place this month. I’m not complaining. The man is a phenomenal actor.
In this case, his part is in a film that tells a true story
about World War II. It’s a story that really shows the heart of true rebellion
and righteous disobedience. The punk in me feels that rebellion through every
pore. The Jew in me likes any storyline based around trying kill Hitler. The
fan-girl in me just wants to see Gleeson be awesome in an epic historical tale.
Those are just some of the many reasons to want to see Alone in Berlin. It just looks
incredible.
5 – A Dog’s
Purpose (1/27)
Tag Line: Every
dog happens for a reason.
Production Company:
Amblin Entertainment, Pariah Entertainment Group, Reliance Entertainment,
Walden Media
Director: Lasse
Hallstrom
Writer: W. Bruce
Cameron, Cathryn Michon
Actors: Britt
Robertson, Josh Gad, Dennis Quaid, K.J. Apa, Logan Miller, Luke Kirby,
Gabrielle Rose, Juliet Rylance, Caroline Cave, Pooch Hall, Bryce Gheisar,
Nicole LaPlaca, Michael Patric, Robert Mann, Chris Webb, Michael Bofshever,
Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Primo Allon, Kalyn Bomback, Brooke Warrington
Genre: Adventure,
Comedy, Drama
Rated: PG
I love dogs. I just do. I’ve always had a dog with me since
I was young. There was a brief time after my first dog, Princess, died that I didn’t.
Those were very bad months. Without a dog I just didn’t handle things well.
I need a dog in order to help me control my emotions. Not a
service dog or anything, I don’t think it’s that bad, but I’m a much different
person without a furry K-9 companion, and it’s a person I don’t like.
Honeybear is my current puppy. I adopted her something like
seven years ago and she was in terrible shape at the time. She was matted from
head-to-toe and painfully skinny. She was afraid of everything and had a mildly
vicious streak. I had been living without a dog for several months at the time
and was desperate for a furry companion.
I met her. She bit me. I brought her home.
Caring for Honeybear by cleaning her up and re-training her
so that she lost that vicious streak and became the loveable fluff-ball she is
today made me feel better than I had in a long time. She was afraid of
scissors, so I had to use nail clippers to painstakingly remove all the mats
from her body. It took double digit hours and three sessions to complete it,
but what a hell of a way to get her to trust me quickly. After that, she just
seemed to feel at home and it made her significantly easier to train.
The tagline of A Dog’s
Purpose is a statement that I couldn’t agree with more. “Every dog happens
for a reason.” I saved my Honeybear, and my Honeybear saved me. Dogs are some
of the greatest creature to ever exist. A movie like this draws my attention
very quickly because of that.
I’d just say that everyone needs to prepare themselves to be
hit by the feels train before watching.
4 – Resident
Evil: The Final Chapter (1/27)
Tag Line: Everything
has led to this.
Production Company:
Capcom Company, Capcom Entertainment, Constantin Film Produktion, Davis-Films,
Don Carmondy Productions, Impact Pictures, Screen Gems
Director: Paul
W.S. Anderson
Writer: Paul W.S.
Anderson
Actors: Ruby
Rose, Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Iain Glen, William Levy, Shawn Roberts, Rola,
Eoin Macken, Joon-Gi Lee, Ever Anderson, Fraser James
Genre: Action,
Horror, Sci-Fi
Rated: R
This is SUPPOSED to be the final film in the Resident Evil franchise but, let’s be honest.
If this film grosses highly enough they’re gonna make another thirty or
something. That should piss me off, and it kind of does, but I love the Resident Evil franchise. The video
games, the movies… I want to not want to watch the next money guzzler they
make, but we can’t all have what we want.
Actually, there’s rumors that there’ll be a TV show
following this film… I’ll probably watch that too. I have no shame.
Something important to note, though, is that a stuntwoman
was badly injured on the set of The Final
Chapter. Recently, Trust the Dice has been trying to recognize the
wonderful stunt people throughout entertainment, and I find this incredibly important
to report on.
Olivia Jackson (Avengers:
Age of Ultron, Dredd, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) was one of Milla
Jovovich’s (A Warrior’s Tail, Survivor,
Faces in the Crowd) stunt doubles. She was involved in a motorcycle crash
during a stunt and was injured so badly that one of her arms had to be
amputated.
Regardless of how you feel about a film, always give your
respect to the men and women that actually put their lives on the line to make
it happen.
3 – xXx: Return
of Xander Cage (1/20)
Tag Line: Kick
some ass, get the girl, and try to look dope while you're doing it.
Production Company:
Maple Cage Productions, One Race Films, Revolution Studios, Rox Productions
Director: D.J.
Caruso
Writer: F. Scott
Frazier, Rich Wilkes
Actors: Vin
Diesel, Donnie Yen, Deepika Padukone, Kris Wu, Ruby Rose, Tony Jaa, Nina
Dobrev, Rory McCann, Toni Collette, Samuel L. Jackson, Ice Cube, Hermione
Corfield, Tony Gonzalez, Michael Bisping, Al Sapienza, Andrey Ivchenko, Shawn
Roberts, Nicky Jam, Neymar, Ariadna Gutierrez-Arevalo
Genre: Action,
Adventure, Thriller
Rated: Unrated
There was a time when I didn’t like Vin Diesel (The Last Witch Hunter, Guardians of the
Galaxy, Riddick)… but he grew on me. The original xXx (2002) was one of the films that really started making me enjoy
his performances. Now I definitely see him in a different light.
That being said, xXx:
Return of Xander Cage looks like a solid action flick and it stars some
significantly experienced actors. I’m particularly looking forward to how Ruby
Rose (Orange is the New Black, Sheep
& Wolves, Around the Block) does in this kind of film. (She’s another
actor that’s appearing in a couple of different projects this month.)
Not much to say here. The trailer speaks for itself really.
2 – Patriots Day
(1/13)
Tag Line: The
inside story of the world’s greatest manhunt.
Production Company:
CBS Films, Closest to the Hole Productions
Director: Peter
Berg
Writer: Peter
Berg, Matt Cook, Joshua Zetumer, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson
Actors: Mark
Wahlberg, Rhet Kiss, John Goodman, Christopher O’Shea, Rachel Brosnahan, Jake
Picking, Lana Condor, Michelle Monaghan, Jimmy O. Yang, Melissa Benoist, Alex
Wolff, Themo Melikidze, J.K. Simmons, Martine Assaf, Pamela Amicy, James Colby,
Brandon Wahlberg, Kelby Turner Akin, Billy Smith, Paige MacLean, Cara
O’Connell, Dustin Tucker, Lucas Thor Kelley, Toby Dearing, Kevin Bacon, Adam
Trese, Hampton Fluker, Jay Giannone, Dean Neistat, John Fiore, David Ortiz
Genre: Drama,
History, Thriller
Rated: R
Normally my historical interests are limited to very few
events. The reason this film breaks through into it, should be obvious. The
Boston Marathon bombing is still very fresh in everyone’s memory. The images of
that horrible day are up there with some of the worst terrorism images taken on
American soil.
So many people were hurt and/or affected in some way by the
horrible events of that day. The more information out there, the better.
Especially since there’s always that small group of conspiracy theorists that
believe these things didn’t actually happen. I’ll never understand the logic
behind that kind of denial. Anything that serves as a tool to break through the
idiocy, is good in my book.
I really hope they did the story justice. If this film is
bad, then they should never have released it. If you’re gonna tell a horrific,
traumatizing story… tell it well.
1 – Underworld:
Blood Wars (1/6)
Tag Line: Protect
the bloodline.
Production Company:
Lakeshore Entertainment, Screen Gems, Sketch Films
Director: Anna
Foerster
Writer: Cory
Goodman, Kyle Ward, Kevin Grevioux, Len Wiseman, Danny McBride
Actors: Kate
Beckinsale, Theo James, Tobias Menzies, Lara Pulver, Charles Dance, James
Faulkner, Peter Anderson, Clementine Nicholson, Bradley James, Daisy Head,
Oliver Stark, Sveta Driga
Genre: Action, Horror,
Supernatural
Rated: R
I saw the original Underworld
(2003) in theaters with my best friend Mike. Do you see the amusing factoid
there? For those that don’t, I’ll remind you that my name is Selina and the
main characters of that film were Selene and Michael. There was no end to the
amusement we felt because of that. It’s such a simple little thing… but it made
us giggle anyway.
I enjoy the Underworld
franchise. As a veteran Vampire: the
Masquerade table-top RPer, I find I really adore the storyline and I think
the movies are relatively well made. I also really like Kate Beckinsale (Stonehearst Asylum, Total Recall, Everybody’s
Fine) as an actor.
One way or the other, Underworld:
Blood Wars would have made this list. The reason it’s number 1 is because
of the director.
I’ve expressed my distaste for the sequel/remake culture of
Hollywood right now. The big directors don’t want to remake someone else’s
story, they want to work on unique stuff. Except people like Michael Bay (Transformers: Age of Extinction,
Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), of
course, but we’re not gonna go there.
However, there is a certain benefit to all these sequels and
reboots/remakes. It allows some big opportunities for newer directors to make a
name for themselves. If they only hired new directors for this stuff, it wouldn’t
bother me at all.
In this case, Anna Foerster (Outlander, Unforgettable, Criminal Minds) is directing Underworld: Blood Wars as her first full-length
feature film. She’s directed a few television episodes, starting in 2011, but
this is her first project going to the big screen. I think it’s phenomenal that
a newer director was chosen. Taking a chance on talent is often a really good
thing.
I can’t wait to see what she does with the franchise.
