NOTE: There is a tiny bit of adult language in this episode.
THE OUTER BOROUGHS: Episode 5 from Eugene on Vimeo.
Our buddy Eugene Lehnert (Armageddon for Andy) created this hysterical web series a while back, which chronicles the strange things that keep happening to a couple of roommates in Queens. Our pal Chris Giarrusso plays Pete, and in this episode, he is brilliant. Give it a watch, and then check out the rest of The Outer Boroughs on Eugene's Vimeo page. NOTE: There is a tiny bit of adult language in this episode. THE OUTER BOROUGHS: Episode 5 from Eugene on Vimeo. by Brian LeTendre I think the highest praise I can give The Conjuring is that it reminded me of how long it’s been since I’ve seen a good, old fashioned horror movie. If you’re looking for gore and camp, this isn’t your movie. But The Conjuring is creepy, atmospheric and really captures the feel of some of the best 70s and 80s horror movies like The Exorcist and The Shining. Granted, the movie never rises to the level of those greats, but it’s a nice throwback to a time where storytelling took precedence over special effects, and building a sense of dread in the audience was more important that jump scares. The movie is based on a haunting investigated by Ed and Lorraine Warren, arguably the most famous paranormal investigators in the country. I’ve always been fascinated by them, as they were from Connecticut, so as a kid growing up in the same state, I would often hear about cases they worked on that made the news, When I really started becoming a horror fan, the idea that a husband and wife team actually went and searched out the stuff of nightmares in real life was mind-blowing to me. The case highlighted in the movie is the story of the Perrons, a family who purchases a farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island, which happens to have a long history of murder, witchcraft and paranormal activity. Not long after they move in, the malevolent forces that inhabit the house start to terrorize the family, becoming more aggressive with each passing night. Mother Carolyn Perron (played by Lili Taylor) reaches out to the Warrens, who don’t have to investigate for long before uncovering the house’s history and seeing signs of a possession in the making. As I mentioned before, this movie is a throwback in every sense of the word. The actual case took place in 1971, and the film does a nice job of capturing the feel of that time. Director James Wan and Cinematographer John Leonetti also do a lot of wide-angle shots and camera creeping as opposed to the quick cuts that more modern films are known for. All of this lends to the atmosphere of the film in a creepy way. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren are great, and I really enjoyed Lili Taylor’s portrayal of Carolyn Perron. Everyone else in the movie is relegated to pretty minor roles, including Ron Livingston, who plays Carolyn’s husband Roger. The kids are pretty much interchangeable, and i can’t remember even one of their names. That’s a minor issue though, as the focal point of the movie pretty quickly becomes Taylor’s Carolyn. The subplot follow’s Lorraine Warren and how the investigations that she and her husband conduct have taken a toll on her as well as made her a target for the evil forces they come into contact with. Like I said, while it never rises to the level of a “classic,” there is a lot to like about The Conjuring. I’m hoping the box office success of the film will bring us more films like it in the future. It’s definitely the best throwback film I’ve seen since 2009’s The House of the Devil. 4 out of 5 Another Reason I Hate Dolls by Brian LeTendre Matt did a nice review of Man of Steel back when it first came out a while back. I finally had a chance to see the movie the other day, so I’ll be talking about it on the podcast that will air on the 29th. But, I wanted to put a few thoughts out there, as I’ve been thinking a lot about the movie, especially in the wake of seeing Pacific Rim days before Man of Steel. I will be spoiling the heck out of the movie, so stop here if you care about that. Overall, I enjoyed Man of Steel, and there are some genuinely great moments that I took away from the movie. Most of these were from the brief flashbacks we get of Clark growing up. Like the scene where Clark starts manifesting his powers in the classroom and Martha has to come coax him out of a broom closet at school. When he looked at her and asked “What’s wrong with me?” I cried. As a parent, that cuts you deep, and Diane Lane nailed that scene (she was also my favorite performance in the movie by far). Or the scene at the end of the movie where Clark tells his mom that he wishes his dad was there to see what he’d become, and we get a flashback to Jonathan Kent watching a young Clark running around with a makeshift cape pretending to be a superhero. Again, tears. Those character moments, when they worked, were what I will take away most from Man of Steel. I also enjoyed the opening scene on Krypton. Russell Crow was great as Jor-El and his scenes aboard Zod’s ship with Lois were awesome as well. But my main problem with Man of Steel is that those character moments I spoke of were way too few and far between. This was a grim movie from start to finish, and for me, that just does not match up with my understanding of Superman/Clark Kent as a character. Outside of the first time he truly flies and then when he sees his mom at the end of the film, I cannot think of any other times that Clark smiles in this movie. His entire life has been about hiding who he is. The idea that Jonathan Kent would make Clark watch him die, and that Clark would actually listen fundamentally broke this movie for me. I get what Snyder and company were trying to do, but it’s not the Superman I know. And it made me sad that with the exception of that final scene where Jonathan is watching Clark, every other scene with Jonathan Kent is just him telling Clark to hide who he is. It was a bummer. The second issue I had with the film has been talked about to death already, and it’s a twofold issue--the collateral deaths Clark allows and his decision to kill Zod. First, the collateral damage. It’s not just that thousands of people die in the destruction caused by Clark fighting Zod. It’s that those deaths don’t even register for Clark. Kevin Smith actually Tweeted something that perfectly encapsulates how I felt: Watched AVENGERS again. Banner wakes after the Hulk falls through a roof and immediately asks if he's hurt anybody. Take note, MAN OF STEEL. Outside of Lois, his mom and a few of the military guys he’s taken a shine to, it doesn't seem like Clark particularly cared about any of the humans he was supposedly saving. Again, that does not match up with my understanding of who Superman is.
As far as killing Zod, it’s inexcusable to me. Find another way to tell your story. What was worse about it was that outside of the immediate regret Clark has, the epilogue of the movie shows him having completely gotten over it. There’s no shame in it for him. He talks about wanting his dad to see who he’s become. Would Jonathan really want to see that Clark had become a murderer? Maybe Jonathan would feel guilty that he spent so many years holding Clark back that Clark was completely unprepared for life or death situations and handled the Kryptonian invasion in the worst way he possibly could have--by allowing tons of innocent people to die and then resorting to murder. And that’s the real bummer for me. I feel like one of the main themes of the movie is that Jonathan Kent was a terrible dad who didn't prepare his son for what he might face down the road. His main message to Clark was “Someday you’ll figure it out, but that day isn't today.” As an action movie, I thought Man of Steel was great. As a Superman movie, I thought it really missed the mark. The good news is that the movie ends on an up note, and there’s no reason the next movie couldn't establish a much more optimistic tone and recapture some of the humor, whimsy and hope that embody the Superman I grew up with. by Brian LeTendre As I was driving home from the movie theater Saturday, I started reflecting on how lucky we are as fans of science fiction, fantasy and superheroes to have seen our childhood dreams be brought to life on the big screen. For me, the first time I realized this was when I saw The Fellowship of the Ring in December of 2001 and broke down in tears when the credits rolled. A year later, the superhero I grew up loving and eventually named my son after was made real when I saw Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man. And in the ensuing decade, so many of my childhood loves have been fully realized as larger than life movies that it’s almost easy to take them for granted. And then along came Pacific Rim. Guillermo del Toro has changed the game, folks. He has proven that filmmakers now have the tools to realize their wildest dreams. And he’s also proven that when you have the right person bringing a creative vision to life, it can be magical. To understand why I love this movie so much, you need to understand a couple things about me. First, I am a lifelong, diehard Godzilla fan. Godzilla is at the heart of my love of monsters, horror and even H.P. Lovecraft. Because a giant monster that lives at the bottom of the ocean is one of the most terrifying and completely awesome concepts the human mind has ever thought up. And don’t think that every time they pull a 30-foot squid onto some fishing boat in Antarctica that there isn’t a part of me that’s hoping Godzilla isn’t far behind it. Second, I was 11 years old when Robotech and the first Transformers cartoons premiered in the United States, and they both blew my mind. What always fascinated me about Robotech in particular though was the idea that there were human pilots inside the mechs. For me, that grounded the concept in reality. These were things that humanity could build--the evolution of planes and space ships. With Pacific Rim, Guillermo del Toro has perfectly married these two concepts that dominated my imagination for a good part of my childhood. The premise of this movie is that giant monsters are invading our world through a dimensional tear at the bottom of the ocean. To combat these monsters, humanity has created giant mechs called Jeagers, which are piloted by humans and built to engage these monsters in close combat. If that’s not enough to make run out of your house right now and go see this movie, I don’t know what else to say to you. What I love most about Pacific Rim is that its unapologetic in it’s love for both giant robots and giant monsters. The monsters are actually called Kaiju, for crying out loud. The mechs all have unique designs and their crews are distinctive.
I could go on and on, and tell you about how Idris Elba completely owns this movie, or how well designed every single aspect of the world and the technology is, or how absolutely beautiful the monsters are, but all you need to know is this: GIANT MONSTERS FIGHT GIANT ROBOTS. Seriously, if you’re the type of person who reads this site and listens to the podcast, you are the target audience for this movie and you need to go see it. 5 out of 5 Why Movies Exists Press Release What is the Saturday Morning Special? It’s the brainchild of a couple of immature guys; Brian LeTendre and Matt (Matman) Herring who are the creators and hosts of the all ages Secret Identity Podcast. Secret Identity has been providing ‘solid gold ear candy’ for comic book fans, gamers, and other members of geek culture for over 7 years. In that time Brian and Matman have interviewed hundreds of creators from the worlds of comic books, gaming, movies, television and music. Included in that list are comic book creator Todd McFarlane (Spawn), actors George Lazenby (James Bond) & Dean Haglund (X –Files), musician John Wetton (Asia / King Crimson), author Alana Jolie Abbott (Into The Reach), game developer Glenn Gamble (Walking Dead: Survival Instinct) and some of the biggest current comic book creators like Dan Slott (Spider-Man), Joe Kelly (Ben 10), Jeff Lemire (Animal Man) and Scott Snyder (Batman). Even wrestling legend Rowdy Roddy Piper got into the act by putting Matman and Brian in headlocks at the same time. So what is the Saturday Morning Special? In reverence to the days of our youth where Saturday was all about cereal, cartoons and pajamas til noon, it’s a show that celebrates all these things in a fun way. Joining the duo in this little adventure is Keith Gleason and John Cimino from Reckless Sidekick Productions! If the names seem a little familiar it’s because John and Keith are the stars of the ‘Swass Cast’ and were the driving force behind the electrified web series ‘Hero Envy’! What we hope to do with ‘Saturday Morning Special’ is provide viewers with a visual compendium to the Secret Identity Podcast; a show that has the same charm, positive energy and all ages fun that we provide each week. Members of the Secret identity Facebook Page will get a sneak preview of our debut episode! Everyone else will be able to see it on Saturday, May 25th. Enjoy The Show!!! To find out more and listen to episodes of Secret Identity just go to www.secretidentitypodcast.com Secret Identity can be heard on the radio Saturday's at 10 AM in Albany, New York on 1410 WENU CBS Sports Matman can be reached at matmancomics@yahoo.com or (413) 433 - 9746 Brian can be reached at brian.letendre@gmail.com The Secret Identity Posdcast is sponsored by Archie Comics, 80'sTees.com, Discount Comic Book Services, Boston Comic Con, New York Comic Con, ComicConn, Most Excellent Comics and Collectibles (Enfield, CT), Archaia Press and the Albany Comic Con For information about Reckless Sidekick Productions go to www.heroenvy.com by Brian LeTendre I will do this with as few spoilers as possible, but there is one I am going to talk about. Iron Man 3 is a very interesting movie, and a very good one, overall. But, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment after leaving the theater, as Iron Man 3 does not live up to post-Avengers expectations. For starters, this movie is much more about Tony Stark than it is about Iron Man. I can’t be sure, but it felt like he spent less time in the suit than in either of the previous movies. Much of the movie’s focus is on what the events of the Avengers have done to the psyche of Tony Stark, and how he can’t just go back to life as normal after the things he’s seen. I really liked this angle for the movie, as you don’t usually get these kind of character examinations in superhero movies, much less sequels of superhero movies. I was reminded of Superman II, and how well that movie depicted Clark’s struggle and the emotional gauntlet he went through in deciding to give up his powers. Tony isn’t really faced with the same choice in this movie, but the struggle is there, as he can’t unsee the things he’s seen, and the scope of what happened in The Avengers is constantly weighing on him, affecting his every decision. All of that stuff is great and makes for an interesting movie, just not an action-packed one. In fact, Iron Man 3 feels more like some of the less action-y Bond films than it does a superhero film. There are some great set pieces to be sure, but you’ve already seen most of them in the trailers. When the action does come, it certainly delivers, and it may actually be more satisfying because the movie issn’t just a series of explosions. [SPOILERS BELOW] What disappointed me about Iron Man 3 was how it had absolutely no connection to the rest of the Marvel universe. SHIELD is nowhere to be found in this movie. The rest of the Avengers are nowhere to be found (unless you count a pretty lame after-credits scene). In fact, if you take out the references that Tony makes to “New York,” this movie has nothing to do with the alrger marvel universe. Which is really sad, because Marvel was so careful to build that universe during Phase 1 of it’s movie plans. It just made no sense to me that they did not capitalize on anything having to do with The Avengers in this movie. I kept waiting for it, but it never came. [END SPOILERS] So, overall, I really enjoyed Iron Man 3 as a standalone movie. It’s a great end to the trilogy for Robert Downey Jr. and the supporting cast. If they never make another Iron Man movie, this series can still stand tall. But as a part of the larger Marvel universe, Iron Man 3 lacked the connective tissue we’ve come to expect from all Marvel movies now. 4 out of 5 Stark, Tony Starks Ray Harryhausen passed away on Tuesday at the age of 92. Often referred to as the “master of stop-motion animation,” Harryhausen is most well known for his legendary work on Clash of the Titans and the Sinbad films. Some of my fondest childhood memories involve watching Harryhausen movies with my dad. My lifelong fascination with special effects began with The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and Harryhausen’s cyclops. As a kid, he blew my mind, and that was before I knew how much work went into what we got to see onscreen. Harryhausen’s impact on the film industry, and special effects in particular, is almost immeasurable. He inspired generations of filmmakers, and his films still stand up todfay as technical marvels. He will be missed, greatly. --Brian by Matman Sports has always been more than just guys playing a game! The cultural and national effects they have help us forget bad situations (1980 US hockey 'Miracle On Ice'), made us think the best of people (Roberto Clemente dying while providing humanitarian aid) and more recent, having sports help us heal in the state of Massachusetts following the Boston Marathon bombing. But nothing compares to the lasting effect that Jackie Robinson had on not only baseball, but the United States and quite possibly the world. '42' is the story of Jackie Robinson and his struggles and obstacles he had to endure during his rookie season, being the first black player to play in the Major Leagues. The film, like most bio picks has its slow moments, but that is overcome by some moving moments, great baseball action and some powerful acting by Chadwick Boseman (Robinson), Andre Holland (reporter Wendell Smith) and Harrison Ford as the legendary Branch Rickey. The film does an incredible job at dealing with the racial slurs hurled Robinson's way. None are more emotional than the 'legendary' moment when Philadelphia Philies manager Ben Chapman came out of the dugout and said some horrific things to Robinson as he tried to bat. This scene was so uncomfortable to watch because I can't fathom how anyone could treat another human being that way. Congrats to Alan Tudyk (Firefly / Suburgatory) for pulling it off with such realism. Director Brian Helgeland did a fantastic job with the entire film; casting, pacing and period accuracy. There are a few things that may not be historically accurate (bat smashing in the runway scene) but sometimes you need to do things to move the story a bit or to create a mood and he certainly did just that. '42' is not just another baseball movie like Jackie Robinson wasn't just another baseball player. '42' is a historical account of that time in the late 1940's when America began to change for the better! Matman Rating: 5 out of 5 more reasons not to like the Philies! by Brian LeTendre Let me get this right out of the way--I loved the new Evil Dead. Part remake, part spiritual successor, co-writer and Director Fede Alvarez crafted a film that actually does justice to the iconic horror franchise. In this incarnation, Suburgatory’s Jane Levy plays Mia, a troubled twenty-something who has traveled to her family’s old cabin in the woods to kick drugs cold turkey in one weekend. Among her support group are her estranged brother David, his girlfriend Natalie, and Mia and David’s two friends Eric and Olivia. Not long after they get there, Eric finds the fabled Naturon Demonto (Book of the Dead). Much like the original Evil Dead, when words from the book are spoken aloud, bad things start to happen. When I say bad things, I mean really gory, nasty things. If there’s one area this movie can go toe to toe with the original on, it’s the blood and guts category. Not only are there plenty of nods to the original as well as Evil Dead 2, but there’s an homage to Lucio Fulci’s famous eye scenes, and the lesser known but still memorable lipstick scene from 1994’s Night of the Demons 2. Where I think the movie shines however, is where Alvarez and company have put their own twist on the both the story and the lore of the original. The Necronomicon itself is more of a fleshed out book (no pun intended) this time around. The reason for the book being in the old cabin is better than the original, and it’s set up by a great opening sequence. Alvarez also made a great decision in not just copying the characters of the original, but creating amalgams that feature characteristics of those characters. That approach kept me, someone who’s seen the original trilogy hundreds of times, guessing until the end. There is no one ‘Ash’ character at the start of the film, but one emerges by the end. It’s a great character moment when it happens. Ironically, if there's one place I think the movie falls short, its in the character department. None of the new cast members are anywhere near as charismatic as Bruce Campbell, and that lack of presence is noticeable. Jane Levy is certainly the best of the lot, but there is a lot of the movie where she’s out of the action, and no one really picks up the slack. But, it just as well that the creators didn’t try to replace Bruce Campbell with a new Ash, as it’s pretty much impossible. And I feel comfortable saying that this is probably the best Evil Dead movie anyone could have made without Raimi directing and Campbell starring. heck, it might be better than they would have done. Evil Dead is a great throwback to the horror movies I grew up watching, and I hope it sets a new bar for what horror audiences can expect. The only remake that even comes close to this one was Alexander Aja’s 2006 version of The Hills Have Eyes, and I think this movie tops it. You should absolutely go see this in the theater with some friends that really like horror flicks. 4.5 out of 5 When a Book Says Not to Read It, Don’t Read Its by Brian LeTendre First, the good news--GI Joe: Retaliation had a very good first weekend at the box office, taking in over $40 million. It also has done very well internationally, as its been the biggest international release this year so far. Overall, the movie raked in $132 million since its opening, clearing its $130 million production budget and paving the way for the movie to be profitable. So, there’s a good chance we’ll be seeing another GI Joe movie in the future. Which brings me to the bad news--GI Joe: Retaliation is not a good movie. I mean, I didn’t expect it to be a great movie, but I expected a major leap forward from the first one, and this movie is more like a few baby steps forward. It’s better than Rise of Cobra, but not by much. The plot of Retaliation is so ludicrous that it makes the cartoon look like it was grounded in reality. The basic story is that Zartan is impersonating the President, has most of the Joes executed, frees Cobra Commander and then they try to blackmail the world. Sounds cool, right? The problem is that it feels like that sentence was the entire script the director was working from. Everything from the dialogue to the flow of the scenes is very clumsy and awkward. Even the giant ninja fight on the mountainside that you saw in the trailer is a disappointment. The worst parts of the movie are the tacked-on extra scenes with Channing Tatum’s Duke that were likely filmed after the move had been completed and Magic Mike made him a household name. At least, I hope they were filmed after the movie, as they feel completely off from the rest of the film. For me, the best part of the movie was Ray Stevenson’s (Punisher War Zone, Thor) portrayal of Firefly. That guy is just awesome in everything. He seems to be having the most fun of anyone in the movie, he gets the coolest toys to play with, and he ends up being much more of a villain than either Cobra Commander or Zartan, who are both underutilized throughout the movie. It’s like he was the only one outside of The Rock that knew he was in a GI Joe movie. I know it sounds like I hated this movie--I didn’t. It was a fun action movie, that featured some moments of greatness (the final fight between Roadblock and Firefly being my favorite). But overall, Retaliation feels like a waste of potential. I’m really hoping that if we get a third film, the creators go all the way and truly embrace everything about the franchise. I want to see Trubble Bubbles. I want Tomax and Xamot, a lot more Cobra Commander, and I want Joes wearing their signature costumes, for crying out loud. And one more thing--I want MacArthur S. Ito. Snake Eyes can sit the next one out. 2.5 out of 5 Lack of Quick Kicks |
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