The Magnificent Seven Review

comingsoon.net

     There’s nothing quite as American as the Western. Cowboys, Indians, bandits, shootouts, they all scream badass and quintessential American lore, but you don’t see very many of them anymore. In the post-Unforgiven era, Westerns tend to either be revisionist (meaning they deconstruct the genre) or updated to the modern day (Hell or High Water is a good example). However, Sony’s new film The Magnificent Seven seems poised to take us back to those good old days with a more action-oriented take on a very familiar story. Can this remake of a classic Western (itself a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece Seven Samurai) recapture that Western magic? Let’s find out.

Mr. Robot Season 2 Review

foxtel.com.au

    One of the best shows of the last year was undoubtedly USA’s Mr. Robot, a hacker drama by way of psychological thriller that constantly teased audiences and challenged their view of what was happening on screen. Couple that with some great performances and a surprisingly interesting story and you’ve got great television right there. Of course, all eyes were on creator Sam Esmail to see if he could deliver with a second season. With Esmail directing each episode and the episode count increased to 13, does Mr. Robot still have that magic? Let’s find out. Spoilers for season one of Mr. Robot follow. 

Did The Blair Witch Project Ruin Horror Movies?

horrorfreaknews.com

     Given how the box office receipts look, it wouldn’t be surprising if you didn’t know that a new Blair Witch movie released this weekend. A direct sequel to the 1999 film (what’s a Book of Shadows, anyway?), this film followed the brother of Heather from the original and, well, pretty much copied the original to a tee. But it’s been seventeen years since the original, and horror has gone through quite a lot of changes, most of them inspired directly by the first film, so did this new film even have a chance of being successful?

Blair Witch Review

indiewire.com

     Seventeen years ago, amongst the wreckage of terrible 90’s horror movies, a tiny little film called The Blair Witch Project arrived on the scene and proceeded to scare the crap out of everybody. Shot on what appeared to be home video and backed by a marketing campaign that seemed too real to make up, America was convinced that this film about three teens making a documentary was one hundred percent real. Of course, it wasn’t, but this film was so influential that it kicked off the so-called “found footage” era of horror films that gave us such gems like Paranormal Activity and the entirety of Blumhouse Productions’ output. However, after a secretive campaign of its own, Blair Witch is back to reclaim its rightful place as king of found footage, but does it succeed? Let’s find out if this trip to the Black Woods is worth it.

2016 Catch-Up: Being Charlie and Louder Than Bombs

lololovesfilms.com

     Alright guys, if you tuned in last week you probably saw the first installment of my 2016 Catch-Up series, focusing on films that I missed or had forgotten to see. This week, I’m delving into two indie character studies: Rob Reiner’s Being Charlie and Joachim Trier’s Louder Than Bombs. Are we looking at two hits again? Let’s find out.

Discoverography: Wild World

rollingstone.com

     Bastille is one of the few bands in recent memory that has the ability to make me sit up and pay attention when one of their songs comes on the radio. Whether it’s the Gregorian chanting on “Pompeii” or the synth-tastic “Flaws,” I always stop what I’m doing to really drink in their songs and enjoy them. Their first album, 2013’s Bad Blood, was a great album (which my co-host and I will be discussing soon), and it only heightened my excitement and expectations for whatever they were going to do next. Does Wild World live up to that hype? Let’s find out.

Sully Review

wikipedia.org

     There are few people that I admire in this world more than Clint Eastwood, one of the remaining legends of Hollywood that still manages to crank out some good work. As my favorite actor and one of my favorite directors, I will always line up to see a film with his name on it. Imagine my delight when I discovered that he was working with American treasure Tom Hanks, one of the greatest actors to ever walk this Earth on a little film called Sully. So, does this collaboration deliver the awesomeness? Let’s dive right in.

2016 Catch-Up: Sing Street and The Lobster

lololovesfilms.com

     It's hard to believe for people that know me, but from time to time I do miss quite a few movies. Whether it's my "month off" period in January or just when I don't feel like sitting through garbage, there's a lot I don't see in the theater. Well, as we head into Oscar season and the last stretch of the year, I thought I'd take a look back and do some catch-up for everyone who may have also missed some of the best movies of the year. Today I'm talking about Sing Street and The Lobster, so let's dive right in, shall we?

Rural Apocalypse: Hell or High Water and the Death of the American Dream

eventbrite.com

     When you hear someone talking about how all the jobs have left this country, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? The old car factories in Detroit? The inner cities of places like Baltimore or Chicago? The abandoned and desolate little Midwest towns? Well, if you think that last one then congratulations, you’re a leg-up on everyone else in terms of this article’s content. But what does critically acclaimed film Hell or High Water have to do with this, you might ask? Well, let me tell you, because it actually has a lot to say. Spoilers for Hell or High Water follow.

Discoverography: Blonde

hiphopdx.com

     Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you may have heard that Frank Ocean dropped a new album. After years of trolling his fans and posting cryptic messages on Tumblr, Blonde is finally out, unless you don’t have Apple Music of course, cuz you gotta wait. However, I am not one of those rabid fans who waited with baited breath for four years. I have honestly never heard a Frank Ocean album or song in my life, but I know he is well-respected and that listening to this album would make for a unique experience. So, did this album win me over to the Frank Ocean camp?