Today in New York City I was able to attend a roundtable discussion with director/actor Robert Redford on his upcoming film The Company You Keep, but he also let us in on some exclusive information about his upcoming documentary All The President's Men Revisited.
Damn, was I the only one disappointed Welcome To The Punch wasn't a gritty behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Hawaiian Punch's mascot, aptly named Punchy? Or maybe an animated movie where Punchy has to face off against other mascots of refreshing drinks, culminating in a final fight to the death with everyone's favorite wall-busting drink-filled pitcher, The Kool-Aid Man? "Oh yeah? Oh no, motherf#cker." *Cocks gun, fires, glass shatters, the streets run red with delicious strawberry-flavored blood*
Well, well, well, Evil Dead fans - March has been full of surprises, hasn't it? First we were treated to a slew of positive reviews which mirrored a lot of the fantastic promotional work created for Alvarez's film, then we learned Fede Alvarez's "remake" was more along the lines of an original reboot which was being planned as a trilogy. Mentioned next was that Sam Raimi is now planning on making a direct sequel to Army Of Darkness, but the newest news surrounding future Evil Dead movies is a doozy. You might want to sit down for this.
Watching a Quentin Dupieux film is always an adventure - albeit a quirky, absurd, and existential adventure. Most of the time you have absolutely no idea what's going on, but for some reason you keep watching in an almost hypnotic state as your eyes are inexplicably glued to the screen. That's exactly how I watched Rubber, taking in every visually confusing segment one by one which eventually created a mind-blowing final revelation come the epic conclusion (think of it as a really f*cked up jigsaw puzzle), and that's the exact same experience one can expect from Wrong.
Full disclosure: I was extremely nervous to interview director Quentin Dupieux. This is coming from a man who has sat in the same room with the likes of Liam Neeson, Ryan Gosling, and Gerard Butler, yet this prolifically unique French filmmaker/musician (Mr. Oizo) had me jittery and full of butterflies before the interview, which I hope didn't show too much!
OK, Remdog and I are pretty hardcore horror fans who have been desensitized to the brutal violence and merciless gore our favorite genre unapologetically promotes, to the extent that our family and friends worry about our sanity - but even we come across some kill scenes too much for even two seasoned veterans to handle. I know, it's damn hard to believe, but every once and a while we see something so unnerving, so perverse, so visually repulsive that even we tend to cringe a little, but just a little. We're still super-messed up, but there is some notion of sanity left that snaps us back into reality at times.
Derek Cianfrance has done it again with The Place Beyond The Pines, creating a beautifully gut-wrenching tour de force which knocks you on your ass emotionally, but keeps you hooked through the harrowing storytelling brought to life by a cast of extraordinary actors.
Director Derek Cianfrance doesn't quite have a mainstream following yet, but this budding talent's debut film Blue Valentine instantly solidified his "indie-cred" among more die-hard film fans. The raw, emotional performances he was able to draw out of Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams put a spotlight on his spectacular craftsmanship, and his gritty delivery promoted uniqueness and individuality in a way that got Blue Valentine lovers extremely excited for his next feature, The Place Beyond The Pines.
I've got a strange, abusive relationship going on with the writing duo of Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan right now because while I blindly follow their horror adventures time and time again, I'm not always left a happy camper. Sure, efforts like Feast, a highlight reel of their work throughout the Saw series, and The Collector made the horror fan inside me squeal with joy, but then there are the films like Piranha 3DD, the less appealing moments tainting their Saw series work, and the squandered opportunities of the other two Feast movies which knock their fans right back into a failed B-Movie reality. Hit and miss seriously describes the two to a tee, so when I walked into a theatrical viewing of The Collection back in 2012, you better believe I had no bloody idea what to expect.
I'm not really sure how else to introduce Ryan Gosling besides saying the name Ryan Gosling. Known for his pretty-boy looks, phenomenal acting talents, and all around "Savior of the Universe" personality, Gosling has become one of the biggest names in Hollywood right now - for good reasons. Whether you're watching one of his comedic roles like Crazy, Stupid, Love, an independent film like Blue Valentine, or one of his childhood efforts like Remember The Titans, Gosling always commands the screen and always delivers.