CinemaSins takes on Inception

Yes, the same folks who took some good pot-shots at Looper also did a pretty good breakdown of the oddities and errors in Christopher Nolan's Inception. As much as I enjoyed Inception, I'm still somewhat amazed by how often it's been featured on this site. Seriously, it could have its own tag by now.

Sometimes, the "Everything Wrong With" videos point out many things that are not flaws or mistakes - DJ noted that when he watched the Looper vid, and he's right. In this picture, though, there are so many elements that don't quite work or make sense - as such, this video serves as a pretty neat bit of critique. The discussion of totems at the end is especially apt.

Bill Murray Golf Amazingness

Yes, I've decided to make Bill Murray appreciation a regular feature on this site. The "Bill Murray" tag will point you to entries that prominently feature him.

But I don't want to rely on movie scenes or talk show interviews, I want to also share scenes from the man's life, moments in which you will see that he's not just great on screen - no, Bill Murray is great in the real world. It's part of the reason why he's so lovable.

American Psycho + Pokemon

It doesn't surprise me that American Psycho inspired a lot of fan attention. It's a graphic and shocking pic with a charismatic lead, the Clockwork Orange of its time (does Fight Club count?). A while back, I highlighted the person who gave a rundown, history, and current status of the many restaurants mentioned in the film. Today (or early January, really) brings us a new degree of fan-love and craziness.

So, last month I got a link to Guyism, which repost something that Destructoid wrote up: a Youtube user called "Demi Adejuyigbe" blended the odd-ass world of Pokemon with a scene from the novel-to-film adaptation that made Christian Bale's star rise in the US.

I like it. It's very tastefully done. I think you'll like this one, too...

I Miss You, Brandon Lee

DJ mentioned it in my last MRQ, when I covered Showdown in Little Tokyo - Brandon Lee had a great career ahead of him. The man only made 5 films: Legacy of Rage, Laser Mission, Showdown, Rapid Fire, and The Crow (which I lovingly reviewed). His first several roles, as with most action star-actors, were in B- and C-grade material wherein he had a chance to come off well in what would probably be an unsatisfying picture.

But to give you a sense of this guy's natural charisma and potential for stardom, I can show you a great interview with Jay Leno in 1992. It's promoting Rapid Fire, his first "major" US release. Go to the 4 minute mark to hear Brandon tell a great story about a break-in at his LA home:

Honest Trailers: The Notebook, Schedule Update

Let me kick this off by saying that this week will be different - for a while, I've kept to a pretty strict schedule of 4+ weekly posts, with one Fan-made Gem, one review, one Question, and one entry of random intent. However: I was up for 19 hours yesterday (left work at 11), I'm super-busy with other job stuff, and I'm moving out of my apartment in a week.

Normally, this is where a blogger's schedule completely collapses (e.g., "I'll post again soon") but not so at Net-flixation! The only real change is that I can't promise any reviews for the next week or two. I have several nearly ready, and I want them to be good enough, worthy of a read. If I just decided to write really short reviews, that's a stylistic choice, but then my standards would make me want to make the material even better when I'm trying to cover every major aspect of a picture.

As such, you won't find fewer posts here for the next while, but I doubt any of them will be film analysis or synopsis. Those will come sometime in March, quite a few of them, and there will still be plenty of fun to be found on this site.

But you should know me well enough by now to know that the fun never ends when you're here.

This week, then, will feature a second Fan-made Gem: Honest Trailer's take on The Notebook, which they thoughtfully released in time for Valentine's Day. I hope you get a good laugh out of it - I did...

Question for the week of Feb 18 - 24: Best Horror Death

You say you enjoy horror movies, so what's your favorite horror film death?

Damn right, I do, but you must understand: I love really good horror films - and ones that are so bad that they're fun. Event Horizon, for example, had the cast and the budget and the fx, but a story written by monkeys used for chemical testing; it brought me no joy - only aggravation.

I won't discuss scary pictures if I've got nothing much to say, and that's part of why I don't cover them here more often. It's tougher still, as I'm intimidated by reviewing some of my all-time favorite films and experiences (e.g., A Nightmare on Elm St., 28 Days Later...). With that in mind, of course, I know my favorite death scene like the back of my hand!

Every Tarantino Pop Culture Reference

Back at the start of the new year, the College Humor folks worked their magic yet again with a great video showing every Quentin Tarantino film's pop culture references, in chronologic order.

I like it. Check it out, feel and/or think things, maybe tell me about it...

CollegeHumor

Question for the Week of Feb 11-17: Best Couple

What's the best (romantic) movie couple?

Doubtless, it's Bogey and Bacall, for me. There are joke answers, trick answers, and make-you-think answers - hell, maybe I'll ask again and give those later - but these two are my favorites. I guess I should try to describe their particular charm...

Famously, Bogart was in a not-happy marriage when he met Bacall on the set of To Have and Have Not, which I reviewed some time ago. He was 25 years older than her, and not (reportedly) the sort of man to cheat on his wife, so their early chemistry was captured more on film than it was portrayed in the media. Although there were fervent love letters, Bogart was (to his credit) not the sort of man to easily disregard his obligations, and he tried to get out of his old relationship before truly jumping in to his new one.

Oh, Man, This is Wrong

The video below is really demented and not recommended unless you can laugh at really black humor. Black, demented humor. This is like the Von Trier-directed Donald Duck post, but much worse. I think it's harder to un-see than the horrifying dancing Avengers at a kids' party, but it certainly is funnier.

Except to tell you that if you're not sure if you should watch this, you probably shouldn't watch this, there's not really anything more for me to write:

Hobbit Stars Play F-Marry-Kill

The day before Peter Jackson's The Hobbit was released, one of my favorite sites, AV Club, showed me a great interview conducted by MTV. I may have problems with the "Music" Television Network, but this funny video certainly isn't one of them...

As Tasha Robinson noted at AVC, the best surprise is how seriously Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, and Andy Serkis took these questions. They put genuine thought and playfulness into this ridiculous, absurd game. I found it quite funny, especially McKellan's answers. Enjoy!

Get More:  Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

Dead Shadows coming, Schedule Update

For starters, this is the 450th post on Net-flixation! I'm not going to celebrate it as I have before, with a Site Update entry that reads like a flashback episode of a tv show - heaping praise on some of what's been published here.

No, I'll probably save that for #500 - but I am glad that it comes when I have good news to share: I've already mentioned this movie twice before, but Dead Shadows looks to be great! Honestly, if I lived in Europe, or had a good excuse to go there, I'd schedule my trip so I could see it play at a festival. It's not often that I have such a strong reaction to a trailer, but I trust my instincts. I've embedded it again, below, and remember that it has two NSFW-ish shots...

Id-iology Is Out on DVD, Does Me a Kindness

A while back, I reviewed a fine indie movie called Id-iology. It was a complicated film with a lot of depth, although it delves into the psychological darks spots of 5 or 6 people, so it's at times quite unpleasant. The director is obviously smart (and classy, my screener came with a handwritten letter), and I was happy to review a more difficult and mature picture with a thesis and themes and whatnot...

So today, I'm happy to tell you two things: first, that Id-iology is available to purchase through Amazon's UK website, with the possibility of it becoming available in other regions, depending on the demand... Secondly, he quotes me in the promo video that was posted to Youtube!

It's just a snippet from my review, but I am very flattered. You should see the trailer, too:

I wish this movie and Mr. Terran a lot of success, and I look forward to seeing his future work. It's a thoughtful a film, so instead of being put off by people mired in emotional ugliness, you should give it leeway and think about it. Watch Id-iology - if you need convincing, you can just read the review I wrote last year for Man, I Love Films...

Great Moments in... Film Seduction

There are many reasons to love My Blue Heaven, flaws and all. Steve Martin's an utter chameleon here (I couldn't tell it was him in the film's trailer), and his performance is unique, insane, fun. But it's also got some of the hardest laughs I've seen in film, as well as genuine romance.

I was going to post this next week, and keep "Great Moments in..." bi-weekly, but Valentine's Day is coming, so it's appropriate. Anyway, no need to spoil this moment with more talk, right? Let's just enjoy it together:

More Bill Murray Letterman Amazingness

Last October, I dedicated a post to some hysterical Bill Murray news that I got from two sources on the same day. You might've noticed, but clips of him have become commonplace here, he has his own tag, and I want to have a biweekly post here, to celebrate one of my favorite actors ever.

Today's entry is a clip I found myself, while browsing the interwebs. I was going to save this 'til next week, but I know that lots of folks are getting snowed in, so I wanted to provide some entertainment on this cold, icy, blustery day:

Great moments in... Film Jokes by 1-Line Actors

I dated a bigot once. It took a long time before I realized that she hadn't been joking when she claimed a racial problem would keep me from being accepted by her family. Once it was clear that she had been serious and I heard my future m-i-l use a slur - it was heart-breaking, and shameful. Bigotry is just so awful.

Of course, having grown up in NYC, I'm used to the fact that many natives have (at least) two weird traits: (a) they are very racially-aware without necessarily being racist and (b) school kids make lots of ethnic/race jokes with and at their friends, but only in an ironic way. No, really, I've thought that old school NYC rules require everyone to be able to tell one funny joke with a racial/ethnic component, yet to not be genuinely bigoted at all; this is totally crazy, but it's true.

And lots of NYC neighborhoods were defined by the ethnicities of their residents. In the past, there might have been a lot of racism and violence, sadly. Even today, tho, people are still aware of which groups make up which parts of town; it's considered "information" not an "objective judgment."

You might only have subtle indicators as to whether someone's being genuinely horrible, but it's the wise-ass spirit that's part of the character of this town. I haven't shied from it, when I know I won't hurt anyone's feelings, although we could just, y'know, not joke that way and find something else to be clever about...

Question for the Week of Feb 4-10: Film Games

What's your favorite film-themed game?

I won't apologize for how brief this entry is - I just think that I've written exactly what I need to express my answer... I owe this one to my coworkers Josh, David, and Melissa. I started laughing the moment I heard the name, even though I didn't know what they were talking about; I just waited for a good pause in the conversation and asked them what "Edward Fortyhands" meant.

Looper's Big Flaws, in 3 Minutes

Rian Johnson's Looper was an impressive film. All I can say is that I enjoyed watching it immensely, all flaws aside. I haven't been able to review it yet, only to offer things like the great Looper parody video I wrote about last month.