Thursday Movie Picks: The Chosen One

That's a lot of pressure, right? To know you've been chosen to do something that's probably really dangerous and important. This week Wanderer asks us to talk about said chosen ones. We're about to get franchise-y up in here.

1) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

The boy who lived, come to die. Words cannot describe how much the Harry Potter franchise means to me. This film is my favorite of the bunch. Mostly because Ron and Hermione finally kissed.

2) Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith

Okay, so the Star Wars prequels were mostly awful but RotS was at least watchable. You were the chosen one Anakin, and look where you are now. Obi Wan kicked your ass.

3) The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

Frodo finally brings the ring to Mordor. He never expects to make it, but he does. I love these movies too. I only re-watch the extended versions though, especially of this one. One does not simply exclude that Saruman death scene.

2017 Blind Spot Series: Boyz in the Hood

What I knew going in: I had seen parts of this film before, but never in order.

We follow three boys in inner city Los Angeles. There's Tre (Cuba Gooding Jr.), who is raised by his father "Furious" (Laurence Fishburne) to have a strong sense of character and his friends, half brothers Ricky (Morris Chestnut) and Darren (Ice Cube) who are taking two very different paths. 

For all the times I managed to catch this film on TV, I never realized that it actually started with our three leads as children. Another one of the many reasons I love the Blind Spot Series. 

Boyz in the Hood still feels very relevant today with its commentary on racism and violence. It's well paced and even though you know something awful is likely going to happen, that's not the point. The violence in that place and time was predictable and that's the saddest thing of all. 

Fishburne was the standout to me. Furious' name seems like it would come from what lies beneath. He's a very steady character, intimidating, and gives you the instant feeling that you do not want to disappoint him. Gooding, Cube, and Chesnut all do a good job with their roles as well, even if their characters aren't always likable. 

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "Any fool with a dick can make a baby, but only a real man can raise his children." - Furious Styles (Laurence Fishburne)  

Review: War for the Planet of the Apes

Hail, Caesar

Two years after hate filled Koba started a conflict between human and apes, that war is still raging on. Caesar (Andy Serkis) has hidden his colony of apes deep in the forest. When he shows human soldiers mercy, their Colonel (Woody Harrelson) repays him in kind by orchestrated a night time raid on Caeser's colony. Now hellbent on revenge, Caesar attempts to leave on his own to find the Colonel, however a few of his loyal followers, Maurice (Karin Konoval) Rocket (Terry Notary) and Luca (Michael Adamthwaite) don't let him go solo.

I've really come to love the Planet of the Apes franchise. I've always enjoyed the movies, but in the past year or so I've really come to love them even more. I'd go back and bump up my original letter grades from B's to A's on each film if I believed in altering my old reviews. War does what I wish the other films had done more of: they focus on the Apes, the humans have even less screen time here. 

Every review I read mentioned how bleak this film is for a summer blockbuster, and make no mistake it is. It's incredibly sad, but I was surprised at the amount of lightness that was in it. It mostly comes from Bad Ape (Steve Zahn) a new addition. He's funny, yet tragic enough that he doesn't get pushed into the token comic relief box. There's an incredible sadness to him. Caesar of course is the heart of the film. The title, War is less about actual battles fought and more about what's going on inside him. The Colonel has taken so much from him, now he wrestles with the side of him that wants bloody revenge. Andy Serkis gives an incredible performance. Director Matt Reeves uses plenty of close ups so you can see Serkis within Caesar. 

Which brings me to the incredible CGI in this film. If this doesn't win the special effects Oscar, there's something seriously wrong here. These apes look real. The snow, the water, everything on their fur looks so real, and you can see the actor's faces etched into theirs. It's jaw dropping. The score for this film is also beautiful and fitting. I recommend waiting to see the film before listening to it in full. I'm firmly on the "Give Andy Serkis An Oscar Nomination" bandwagon. His work here is amazing. Harrelson, even though he's in it far less makes great use of all his screen time. While we hate him, his reasons for doing the things he does are logical. It's just unfortunate that it comes to this.

The film does follow a formula but most blockbuster films do. It doesn't hurt the film in any way. My only disappointments were some of the deaths. Having read the official prequel novels, there's two characters in particular that feature heavily, yet meet their demise in this film, and it makes me sad because I loved getting to know them so much. Please excuse me while I go cry again.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: A+ (yep. I'm doing it. I can't wait to see this again. It's not even STID* glasses)

Memorable Quote: "They are the message." - Caesar (Andy Serkis)


*STID glasses = "Star Trek Into Darkness" glasses. When a film has so many flaws, but fuck you I had so much fun watching it.

2017 Emmy Nominations

The nominations for the biggest night in TV are here! With my favorite show, Game of Thrones taking a seat this year, it made the Drama Series category very interesting to me. Below are the nominees followed by my thoughts. 

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Better Call Saul
The Crown
The Handmaid’s Tale
House of Cards
Stranger Things
This Is Us
Westworld
Game of Thrones won last year so their spot was up for grabs. I'm bummed Mr. Robot missed out, but with The Crown and The Handmaid's Tale getting raves, I knew it was going to be tough. I still wish I could sub House of Cards for them though. 


OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA  SERIES
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Anthony Hopkins, Westworld
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Matthew Rhys, The Americans
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
Milo Ventimiglia, This Is Us
Last year's winner Rami Malek was shut out. I think that's ridiculous. Did Milo really need to be there? I'm surprised Hopkins was put in lead, but I'm happy for his nomination either way. 


OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES 
Viola Davis, How To Get Away With Murder
Claire Foy, The Crown
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
Keri Russell, The Americans
Evan Rachel Wood, Westworld
Robin Wright, House of Cards
Orphan Black wasn't eligible this year so last year's winner, Tatiana Maslany sat out. I'm so happy for Evan Rachel Wood. I may or may not have squealed when her nomination was announced. I thought Claire Foy would be the favorite to win, but now that Moss came on strong with The Handmaid's Tale I'm not so sure. 

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES 
Ann Dowd, The Handmaid’s Tale
Samira Wiley, The Handmaid’s Tale
Uzo Aduba, Orange Is The New Black
Millie Bobby Brown, Stranger Things
Chrissy Metz, This Is Us
Thandie Newton, Westworld
Since Downton Abbey is over and can no longer suck up nominations/wins it doesn't deserve, Supporting is also without its defending champ. I thought Wiley would be nominated for OITNB, which I think she was better in but the Emmys get weird like that. I'm just glad her name is there at all. I'm stoked for young Millie, but I feel bad for her fellow Stranger Things kids because this is the final nail in the coffin that is the media ever treating them the same. 


OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul
John Lithgow, The Crown
Mandy Patinkin, Homeland
Michael Kelly, House of Cards
David Harbour, Stranger Things
Ron Cephas Jones, This Is Us
Jeffrey Wright, Westworld
Ben Mendolsohn won last year and he's also absent. (Jesus, all the Drama categories are like this) I'm stoked for Wright, Harbour and Banks. It's too bad Jimmi Simpson didn't get in for Westworld too.


OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES 
Alison Wright, The Americans
Alexis Bledel, The Handmaid’s Tale
Cicely Tyson, How to Get Away With Murder
Ann Dowd, The Leftovers
Laverne Cox, Orange Is The New Black
Shannon Purser, Stranger Things
This Barb thing seriously needs to stop. She was a one off character who really didn't matter as much as fans kept insisting she did. I mean, this nomination is hilarious and I'm happy for Purser but....really? I'm also shocked this is the only nomination for The Leftovers. 


OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline
BD Wong, Mr. Robot
Hank Azaria, Ray Donovan
Denis O’Hare, This Is Us
Brian Tyree Henry, This Is Us
Gerald McRaney, This Is Us
The Emmy's really liked This Is Us. I'm happy for BD Wong, repping the only Mr. Robot acting nomination. 


OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Atlanta
black-ish
Master of None
Modern Family
Silicon Valley
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Veep
I really thought Insecure would be nominated, I'm surprised to see it missed. As always, I'm here for Veep.


OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Pamela Adlon, Better Things
Jane Fonda, Grace & Frankie
Allison Janney, Mom
Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Julie Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Tracee Ellis Ross, black-ish
Lily Tomlin, Grace & Frankie
I have no idea what Better Things is. Or Grace & Frankie but I'm at least familiar with the name of that show. Go JLD. 


OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Anthony Anderson, black-ish
Aziz Ansari, Master of None
Zach Galifianakis, Baskets
Donald Glover, Atlanta
William H. Macy, Shameless
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent


OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES 
Leslie Jones, Saturday Night Live
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Vanessa Bayer, Saturday Night Live
Kathryn Hahn, Transparent
Judith Light, Transparent
Anna Chlumsky, Veep
Holy SNL nominations. I actually think Anna Chlumsky might win this year, the other actresses might split the vote. 


OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES 
Louie Anderson, Baskets
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Alec Baldwin, Saturday Night Live
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Tony Hale, Veep
Matt Walsh, Veep
Louie Anderson is the returning champ. I'm always all for Tony Hale. Especially this season, he really deserves the win. 


OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Wanda Sykes, black-ish
Carrie Fisher, Catastrophe
Becky Ann Baker, Girls
Angela Bassett, Master of None
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live
Melissa McCarthy, Saturday Night Live
Well at least no one is sharing a nomination this year. Wiig is overrated. Carrie Fisher's name still makes me sad. 


OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Riz Ahmed, Girls
Matthew Rhys, Girls
Dave Chappelle, Saturday Night Live
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Saturday Night Live
Tom Hanks, Saturday Night Live
Hugh Laurie, Veep
Fuck yes Riz Ahmed is a double nominee! I actually watched that episode too. Yes, I watched Girls just because I wanted to see Riz in a sex scene, even if it was with Lena Dunham. Perving is serious business. I thought Lin-Manuel's SNL episode was really weak, but Tom Hanks' was hilarious. Hugh Laurie is so good in Veep, I'm happy to see him here. 


OUTSTANDING TV MOVIE
Black Mirror (“San Junipero”)
Dolly Parton’s Christmas Of Many Colors: Circle Of Love
Sherlock: The Lying Detective
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
The Wizard of Lies
HOW is Black Mirror in this category? It should've been in limited series. I love Black Mirror, I think it's one of the best shows on television but I hate this shit. This is less sketchy than Sherlock being in this category. That wasn't a TV movie. And if we're really doing that, perhaps Nosedive or Shut Up And Dance should've made it in here. Henrietta Lacks was a bore and this was Sherlock's weakest series yet. 

OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES 
Big Little Lies
Fargo
Feud: Bette and Joan
Genius
The Night Of
I haven't seen Genius, so I wish Black Mirror could've been in its place. This category is so stacked. I don't know which show I want to win. 

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Carrie Coon, Fargo
Felicity Huffman, American Crime
Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies
Jessica Lange, Feud: Bette and Joan
Susan Sarandon, Feud: Bette and Joan
Reese Witherspoon, Big Little Lies
It's too bad Mary Elizabeth Winstead couldn't get nominated for Fargo too. The acting in this category is seriously good. 


OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE 
Riz Ahmed, The Night Of
Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock: The Lying Detective
Robert De Niro, The Wizard of Lies
Ewan McGregor, Fargo
Geoffrey Rush, Genius
John Turturro, The Night Of
All I care about is Riz Ahmed. 

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE 
Regina King, American Crime
Laura Dern, Big Little Lies
Shailene Woodley, Big Little Lies
Judy Davis, Feud: Bette and Joan
Jackie Hoffman, Feud: Better and Joan
Michelle Pfeiffer, The Wizard of Lies
I love that Jackie Hoffman was nominated and I'm happy for the Big Little Lies nominations as well. I think Regina King will repeat her win though, there will be a lot of vote splitting. 


OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE 
Alexander Skarsgård, Big Little Lies
David Thewlis, Fargo
Alfred Molina, Feud: Bette and Joan
Stanley Tucci, Feud: Bette and Joan
Bill Camp, The Night Of
Michael Kenneth Williams, The Night Of
I'm glad Skarsgard is here. He actually made me hate him in BLL when I normally perv on him. That's talent. I'm always happy to see Michael Kenneth Williams' talent appreciated as well. 


OUTSTANDING VARIETY TALK SERIES 
Full Frontal With Samantha Bee
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
The Late Late Show With James Corden
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Real Time With Bill Maher

Thursday Movie Picks: Amusement Parks

This week Wanderer asks us to talk about amusement parks. I've always been a fan of those. Sure, they're over priced but I like to wander around and eat fair food. Here are three of my favorite films that take place at amusement parks, although I would never want to visit these.

1) Zombieland

It's the zombie apocalypse and the place to be is at an amusement park. Sure, there's zero logic in that idea but why not ride that roller coaster one last time?

2) Jurassic Park

I love dinosaurs. I loved learning about them as a kid. If I was offered the chance to go to an amusement park where they recreated dinosaurs? Fuck no. I know what's going to happen. (it involves being eaten)

3) Adventureland

This park isn't as stressful as the other ones. It's just basic to the point where the entire staff is bored. Still, Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart have great chemistry. 

Review: Spider-Man: Homecoming

When you're tired of waiting..

Peter Parker (Tom Holland) isn't exactly adjusting back to his high school life very well after being called upon by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) in Civil War. Parker attempts to prove he's ready to fight alongside the Avengers by trying to help people around New York. He ends up encountering a man named Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton) who makes a living selling alien weapons to criminals and this provides Peter with his biggest solo threat since.

It feels good to have Spider-Man back in the MCU. His cameo was perfect in Civil War and his first solo outing was good as well. While Tobey will always hold a dear spot in my heart, I think Holland is the best Spiderman we've had. He captures that naivety and humor Peter has perfectly. 

Homecoming finds a good balance between Peter's school life and his new life of fighting crime. Vulture was a good villain. He felt fleshed out and the film even took the time to give us a quick look at the next film's villain in the from of Scorpion (Michael Mando) They also were careful not to overuse Tony. Like I figured, nearly all of his scenes in the film were in the trailers so he probably had less than 10 minutes of screen time total. The only time it felt forced was when Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) came in. I don't know if it's because Paltrow is so insufferable or if it was because Tony was so much more interesting when they were on their "break" but that was the only time I didn't like the Iron Man cameo.

I liked the cast of teenagers they had here. Jacob Batalon as Peter's BFF Ned was the standout. My man Abraham Attah was even there for a bit (Still annoyed about his lack of Oscar nom for Beasts of No Nation) I liked Zendaya's new character of Michelle, but I think calling her "MJ" at the end was the wrong move.  Let her be Peter Parker's "Rachel Dawes" so to speak. MJ is supposed to be this beautiful, popular party girl. Zendaya being a beautiful, popular party girl herself would've been great at that too, but nothing about Michelle is very MJ like. I'm sure they thought it would be a nice nod for comic fans, but it came off more eye-rolling than anything. Especially when Michelle was cool on her own.

Aside from that, the only issue with the film I really had was how long it felt. It's very rare that I feel that way during Marvel movies, but it's a fun time at the movies and I look forward to more Spidey in the MCU.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "I was....looking at porn." - Ned (Jacob Batalon) 

Indie Gems: The Salesman

Therapy all around.

Emad (Shahab Hosseini) and Rana (Taraneh Alidoosti) are a married couple in Tehran who are forced to evacuate their apartment. While performing "Death of a Salesman" on stage, one of their castmates offers them a temporary apartment where the previous tenant had lots of visitors. When Rana is assaulted by one of these visitors, Emad struggles with wanting to go after that person and trying to understand how to support Rana through this trauma.

Director Asghar Farhadi impressed (and infuriated me) in 2011 with A Separation so I was happy to see him getting Oscar attention again for this again. He crafts fascinating character studies. At times it's hard to watch Rana and Emad navigate the murky waters of PTSD. You want them to go to group therapy together and just LISTEN to each other, but it's never that simple.

Farhadi and Alidoosti are great in their roles. The film handles the assault very delicately and nothing graphic is shown or explained. This made it an easier watch for me considering how awful I usually handle that subject matter. 

Grade: B

Watched on: Netflix DVD

Memorable Quote: "I thought it was you." - Rana (Taraneh Alidoosti)