February 2017 – Reel Nerds Podcast

Awards 2017 Fantasy Movie League – Week 13

Well, to no one’s surprise, ColoRadJoe’s fifth win sealed the deal, making him the victor of our Awards 2017 season. Come get your fucking trophy Joe if you can pry it from my hands, you clairvoyant motherfucker!

Seriously though, great job on a massive season. Your final total gross also eclipses Radley Cinemas’ high score from the Fall 2016 season, which is quite a feat in what some claim is the most difficult season of the game. How many 4-Day weekends were there? (Too many if you ask me, dammit)

On the other end of the spectrum, Movies After Ass is also a winner! Winner of another 13 tacos for coming in last. Happy Birthday, Zach!

Get Out outperformed expectations, obtaining the BP bonus and granting the four teams who played it 3x the advantage. Unfortunately for three of those teams, the action-thriller Collide didn’t debut better than most arthouse releases like Lion and collided with a wall of disappointment, handing ColoRadJoe the win.

The fun continues next week as Spring 2017 begins with the release of Logan while Radley Cinemas stares melancholic at the ring of dust on the shelf indicating where his Nerdy used to stand.

Awards 2017 Fantasy Movie League – Week 12

As we approach the end of the season, with ColoRadJoe dominating, every dollar counts in the climb to the top. However, things just got much more difficult for the rest of the teams because ColoRadJoe claimed another Perfect Cinema and the bonuses associated with it. With that, the Nerdy is his to lose next week and it would take a massive mistake to change the tides for this season.

Radley Cinemas came very close to the PC but, of course, the one week Split doesn’t do better than expected is the week he played it. It was a close battle for the teams in the middle this week and sadly, it looks like Doctor Acula’s Movie Funhouse forgot to set a lineup again.

Next week is it. Not much will change unless ColoRadJoe really blows it or some movie he doesn’t pick does gangbusters. You’re so close ColoRadJoe… don’t mess this up. (Please mess this up)

Awards 2017 Fantasy Movie League – Week 11

John Wick 2 blew away expectations and with a low price, inserting 4x into your lineup was the way to go. Almost everyone in the Reel Nerds league seemed to see it coming though. Shockingly, that wasn’t actually the BP for the week. That win goes to Lion, and if you doubled up on it and Split, you had your Perfect Cinema. No one in our league did that, but Tyler Perry’s A Madea Cineplex and ColoRadJoe came very close, with Tyler Perry’s A Madea Cineplex taking the win because he set his lineup sooner.

Awards 2017 Fantasy Movie League – Week 10

Not a big week with the Perfect Cinema only grossing $53,781,777 mostly off of the BP Hidden Figures. Overall, the results were so close between all teams. PeterParker takes the crown with one of the most diverse winning lineups in awhile. Detonatormonkey and ColoRadJoe tied for a VERY close second off the power of XXX3.

Next week, will an expensive The Lego Movie alone be a better play than multiple John Wick 2‘s or 50 Shades Darker?

Ep. 289: Get Outta My Dreams…

The Reel Nerds get out and see Get Out.

(11:25) Art House Asshole: The Club

Releases

(13:46) Doctor Strange, Moonlight, Before Sunrise Trilogy, The Raid Collection, Hunter X Hunter, One More Time with Feeling, Contract Kill, All We Had, Tupac: Assassin III, Pulse, A.P.E., The Gate, Deadtime Stories

Reel News

(23:14) Bill Paxton died

(25:19) Benedict Cumberbatch wants Scott Derrickson back for Doctor Strange 2

(25:52) Patrick Stewart will not play Xavier after Logan

(29:12) Hellboy III will not happen

(31:39) Joe Carnahan’s Uncharted script sounds awesome

(32:12) Alicia Vikander looks good as Lara Croft

(34:21) Alien Prologue released

Watching

(36:45) Brad: DS9, A Cure for Wellness, Galaxyfest

(56:24) James: Stranger Things

(57:13) Brad: Doug Loves Movies

(1:03:00) James: Beware the Slenderman, American Crime Story: The People vs OJ Simpson, The Paperboy

(1:19:19) Brad: Hyperspace Arcade

Review

(1:24:00) Get Out

Art House Asshole : The Club

You know how when you’re wanting to go to the movie theater and you look up all the films that are showing and there are alway at least three that you’ve never heard of, let alone have any interest in seeing? Well, good news! I’ve seen those movies. I spend most of my theater experiences in art house theaters watching those movies that you’ve never heard of and then never watch. Yeah, I’m that hipster asshole. My goal with this is to spread information out about these films, that way you can decide one of the following. “That actually sounds pretty cool! I want to see that now!” or “Man, I’m glad I decided to go see the new superhero movie!”. So without further ado, here is my article and review of The Club.

—

Huh. I don’t really get it. I would call myself a pretty big fan of Pablo Larraín. I place his earlier film No in my best films of the 2010s. I was also a pretty big fan of Jackie last year, particularly his director of the film. And in all honesty, I was attempting to see his newest film, Neruda, this week instead of this film. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get around to it, so I decided to see this film instead. And people really like this film. It was nominated for best foreign film at the Golden Globes in its year. But I really don’t get it.

The Club is a Chilean film about the house where these priests go to be punished for their sins. While they are there, they are interrogated about all of their sins. The film is really just that. It is a bunch of talking scenes between two people where each priest explains the horrible thing they did. I’m not against this kind of film. I think dialogue driven films can work and I think single location films can work. I think they can even work together. But the dialogue in this film just isn’t strong enough to carry an entire film. When you do a dialogue based film, you need to have a writer that is really good at writing dialogue. A prime example of this being Aaron Sorkin who write pretty much only dialogue. And I think that Pablo Larraín is a great director. Emphasis on the word director.

Usually, I am a fan of the aesthetic of Pablo Larraín’s filmography, the little that I have seen at least. The filming of No using cameras from the era and mixing in footage from the actual event is a genius idea and I loved the color palette and aspect ratio of the film. He does pretty much the same thing with Jackie but to a lesser noticeable extent. And maybe that’s the problem. Maybe Larraín is just really good at matching a style of a period. Because the aesthetic of this film is just poor.

The color of the film is excessively blue. Like, film school just learning how to color correct level of blue. I tried to find out what camera the film was shot on, but I couldn’t find it. It has a very digital look to it, though, so it wouldn’t surprise me if it was shot digitally. I will also say that I am not opposed to digital filmmaking, in fact, I am more for that than keeping dead and inferior methods. But along with the gross color of the film, it feels like almost none of the film is in focus. Most of the time when I watch a film that was shot digitally, it has a very crisp look to it. Which some are against, some are for. This film just looks hazy and is hard to look at. Some critics have stated that is the point. It is supposed to look unclear because that it what the priests are saying, it’s unclear and hazy. And if that is what they are going for, that’s what they achieve. But, it is still unpleasant and like I said before, the dialogue in the film isn’t strong enough to link the two together.

I don’t have a lot of words for this film. It is just overall a disappointment. I still consider Larraín to be a fantastic director. And the ending to this film is actually pretty good, mainly because that is when some action actual starts to happen. But I don’t know. I walk away from this film thinking I wasted my time with it. The movie states that molesting children is bad. It’s a bold statement, but only because of the subject matter. And a bold subject matter doesn’t make for a bold movie. It just makes for a film that is trying far too hard to be important.

2016 Nerdy Nominations

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Ep. 288: Fist of the Nerd Star

The Reel Nerds come to blows when they review Fist Fight.

Featuring: Ryan, Brad, & Zach

Breakdown:

(6:27) Weekly Littleton Alamo Drafthouse Update

(9:56) Brad Around Town

Reel News

(14:37) Matt Reeves doesn’t want to direct Batman

(21:44) Friday the 13th movie canceled

(29:12) Tom Cruise might be Van Helsing in The Mummy

Arthouse Asshole

(30:30) The Salesman

What We’ve Been Watching

(33:14) Zach – 30 for 30: OJ Made in America, American Crime Story: The People vs OJ Simpson, Video Games: The Movie, Underworld

(43:40) Brad – DS9 Special Features

(47:36) Ryan – The Wolfman, Wind Chill, The Lego Batman Movie

Blu-ray/DVD Releases

(56:51) Hacksaw Ridge, Manchester by the Sea, Nocturnal Animals, Bad Santa 2, Mildred Pierce, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, No Retreat No Surrender, Kill Granny Kill, Trix: Evolution Tour

Review

(1:00:58) Fist Fight

Art House Asshole : The Salesman

—

Asghar Farhadi is singlehandedly putting Iranian Cinema on the map. My film history teacher, who is one of the most knowledgeable film historians I’ve ever met, if not the most knowledgeable, told me that there is currently a film movement in Iran that is going to rival the French New Wave and will be studied as such once we get past it. I haven’t seen much Iranian Cinema, but of the two I’ve seen, I am very much willing to continue with this movement. The two Iranian films I’ve seen are this film, The Salesman, and Asghar Farhadi’s other well-known film A Separation. I can’t think of another Iranian Filmmaker, but my god, I will say that in due time Farhadi will be associated with Iran in the same way Jean-Luc Godard is associated with France, Federico Fellini is associated with Italy, and Andre Tarkovsky is associated with Russia. That is how far I think Farhadi is capable of achieving.

The Salesman follows a couple who after their previous apartment complex risks collapsing, quickly moves into a new apartment. The Salesman follows a similar first act as A Separation in the fact that the description of the film only really covers the first act, then the first act ends with this horrible situation that becomes the rest of the film. You might be thinking “But wait, isn’t that how first acts are supposed to work?” and I agree, that is kind of the definition of a first act. But I’m talking about how any description you read about the film will hold this plot device almost as if it’s a plot twist.

I will say that where I loved The Salesman, I think the first two acts of this film pale in comparison to A Separation. The first two acts of A Separation are completely beautiful because where it is a painful film to watch due to the situation, the acting and writing are done in such a way that it is so believable and shocking how realistic the dialogue is. In comparison, The Salesman’s first two acts are such a downer that it borders almost on Misery Porn. Don’t get me wrong, what happens at the end of the first act of The Salesman is horrible and would cause misery for the people involved. But The Salesman is missing that spectacular performances and writing that A Separation had.

That isn’t to discredit the writing and acting in The Salesman. Iran is producing some absolutely fantastic actors. Including Taraneh Alidoosti, in this film as wife and victim. Alidoosti gives one of the best female performances of the entire year and it is so subtle how she portrays this victim. The shock and recovery that the character goes through are done so well and so realistically. It never feels like a push or a performance. It just feels real. Shahab Hosseini, who won Best Actor at Cannes in 2016, was also fantastic as the husband. My only real gripe with Hosseini is that his performance might be so subtle that I didn’t really notice how good he was until the final act of the film.

And this is where The Salesman surpasses A Separation. Though the first two acts aren’t spectacular, the third act of this film is probably the best third act I’ve seen in cinema this year. Up until a certain character is introduced, I was thinking “Okay, let’s get on with it.” But once this character is introduced, it becomes almost a thriller. The third act of this film is so perfect that it completely makes up for any lackluster parts from earlier in the film. I loved it and just wanted every part of it to continue.

I honestly don’t know which I like better The Salesman or A Separation. Both are fantastic and worthy of being seen, especially if you want to jump into this new Iranian Film Movement, or just want to see Iranian Cinema. It’s a beautiful film that I can’t recommend enough. And Asghar Farhadi is one of the biggest names to watch right now if you aren’t watching him already.

ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE & KODAK ANNOUNCE INAUGURAL “REEL FILM DAY”

March 5th marks first-ever nationwide celebration of 35mm with film screenings at independent cinemas across the country and exclusive Mondo merchandise with proceeds benefitting film preservation efforts

Austin, TX – February 16, 2017 – Mark your calendars, cinephiles. 35mm film will be alive in all its glory on March 5 — or 3.5. A collaborative initiative from Alamo Drafthouse and Kodak, the first-ever “Reel Film Day” will champion the beauty of cinema’s richest and most enduring format with celebratory screenings at Alamo Drafthouse and independent theaters across the U.S.

“There is nothing like experiencing actual 35mm projected film,” said Steve Bellamy President of Kodak Motion Picture and Entertainment. “I don’t care if it is the greatest 8K projector in the world,35mm is a radically different thing and there is simply no comparison. Projected film is watching light blast through dozens of layers of color dye clouds and emulsion, 24 times per second. A film projectionist is a master craftsman and seeing his or her work is akin to performance art. While the world has largely migrated to the utility of video projectors, there is a massive growth in consumers who understand the experience of film projection. This is why theatres projecting film are coming back so strongly and doing so well!”

As a true celebration of the wide-ranging scope of cinema, Reel Film Day programming will be deeply eclectic, featuring classics including Powell and Pressburger’s THE RED SHOES and Orson Welles’ A TOUCH OF EVIL rubbing reels with cult favorites like BUCKAROO BANZAI and Quentin Tarantino’s INGLORIOUS BASTERDS. At press time over 25 screenings are taking place, and it is expected that ultimately hundreds of theaters across the country will join in. No matter the location, the unifying factor is that all films will be presented large and lustrous from 35mm film.

“Less than 5% of our film history exists in a high-definition digital format,” says Alamo Drafthouse CEO and Founder Tim League. “If you really love film, then join us to recognize, celebrate and support film screenings in independent theaters everywhere. This scrappy group of fellow cinephiles is truly preserving film history. Support your local theater, support 35mm (and 70mm) film on 3/5, the first annual Reel Film Day.”

For those looking for a marquee-level display of their devotion to 35mm film exhibition, acclaimed art boutique Mondo has created an exclusive line of T-shirts and enamel pins to mark the day. Merchandise will be on sale starting 3.5 at mondotees.com/collections/reel-film-day.

The KODAK Reel Film App, a free smartphone tool for moviegoers, will provide quick access to information about movies being projected on real film, show times, images, summaries and theater locations.

Finally, to fully realize the day’s efforts to keep 35mm alive, $3.50 from tickets to all of the 35mm screenings at Alamo Drafthouse locations and select partner venues, as well as a portion of the proceeds from Mondo’s sales, will be donated to the prestigious Film Foundation to help fund an upcoming important film preservation effort.

Participating Alamo Drafthouse Locations & Programming:

Austin Lakeline INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

Austin Lamar TOUCH OF EVIL

Austin Ritz SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

Brooklyn FROWNLAND

Dallas Cedars INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

Kansas City KILL BILL Double Feature

Littleton THE RED SHOES (1948)

Lubbock HEAT

Mason Park 35mm Roulette

Omaha BUCKAROO BONZAI

Richardson MATINEE (1993)

San Francisco KING LEAR (1987)

Yonkers MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN

Partner Venues & Programming

Boulder, CO – International Film Series – WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

Brookline, MA – The Coolidge Corner Theatre – FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE

Chicago, IL – The Music Box Theater – Double Feature: PUNCH DRUNK LOVE + LONESOME

Cleveland, OH – The Cleveland Museum of Art – THE DOCKS OF NEW YORK w/ Live Music

Cleveland, OH – Cleveland Cinematheque – 1984

Houston, TX – The Museum of Fine Arts – I AM CUBA

Milwaukee, WI – UW-Milwaukee Union Cinema – PAN’S LABYRINTH

Olympia, WA – Capitol Theater – TAXI DRIVER (1976)

Phoenixville, PA – The Colonial Theatre – STAGE FRIGHT (1950)

Pittsburgh, PA – The Hollywood Theater – DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)

Tucson, AZ – The Loft Cinema – BICYCLE THIEVES (1948)

For tickets and more details, visit drafthouse.com/35mm.

Other theatres that project 35mm film are encouraged to join the initiative and can contact sarah.pitre@drafthouse.com for more information.

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Month: February 2017