The MacGuffin

Salt (2010), the latest summer blockbuster starring Angelina Jolie, is an insulting excuse for an action film.  The movie defies any kind of logic, suspense, emotion, or excitement, I actually felt anger coming out of the theater.  While watching it, I tried to find some redeemable element to keep me from walking out in the middle of the movie, and the only thing I could come up with was that I had already spent my money.  I was so surprised at the lack of quality here, being that there was a ton of talent involved, especially amongst the lead actors.  However, as good as everyone here has been in previous films, there was no way they could’ve saved this film.  This will go down as one of the worst movies of the year.

**WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD (But honestly, you should keep reading and save yourself from having to watch this movie)**

Freezer Burn directed by Charles Hood sounds like a good movie.  A scientist falls for a younger girl and he decides to freeze himself so that he can wake up and be with her in the future.  This was an interesting enough synopsis for me to place this in my Netflix Instant Queue.  I would come to immediately regret this decision. 

Dear young straight men of America,

Listen, I didn’t want to have to be the one to tell you this. It’s going to be a little tough to hear. But, I think you have a right to know. It’s about your girlfriend.

She’s in love with Paul Rudd.

Spencer and John reflect on the careers of Steve Carell and Paul Rudd in advance of the release of Dinner For Schmucks, discuss independent DVD distribution companies, and finish the episode with their DVD picks of the week.

“Are you watching closely?” – Alfred Borden, The Prestige (2006)

They pass us everyday, like ghosts.  We see them, we are aware that they are there, but we know nothing about them; they are covers to books without anything written on the pages.  Who am I referring to?  People.  These are normal, regular, everyday people.  We pass dozens, maybe even hundreds of them everyday.  We are around people constantly, but how many of them do we actually know?  What are other people like, what are their stories, what are their secrets?  If we had the chance to learn about the life of a complete stranger, would we like what we see?  This is the question that obsesses the main character of Following (1998), director Christopher Nolan’s first full-length feature.

I wrote in a previous article that I felt the worst kinds of movies are the ones where the filmmakers get lost in their own sense of self-importance.  Where their inflated sense of artistry prevents them from making a movie that’s actually good.  I hate movies like these, because it doesn’t allow the film to have any sort of entertainment value.  Luckily, The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra (2001), an independent film written, directed, and starring Larry Blamire, is not one of those movies.  This is the kind of movie that is so bad, so silly, so tongue in cheek, that it’s actually a lot of fun to watch.  It is one of those “good bad movies.”  You know you’re in for a good time when the opening credits proclaim that the film was shot in “Skeletorama.”

The Kids Are All Right begins with a premise simple in its conceit but refreshingly removed from our typical summer movie fare. Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore) are a long-time committed couple. They are raising two children, each biologically attached to one parent and also to the same sperm donor. Daughter Joni (Mia Wasikowska) is about to leave for college, and son Laser (Josh Hutcherson) is several years younger. We look in at this picture of a long marriage, kids as well-adjusted as anyone can reasonably hope for, and adults trying to figure out what the next half of their lives will look like.

The Descent 2: A pretty good horror movie that is brought down by unnecessary changes to the original’s story and an atrocious ending. 6/10

Spencer is joined by guest host Laremy of Film.com for an in depth discuss of Inception, with the first half being an overview that is spoiler free and the second half where they gets down to the details that include spoilers, and finally the episode closes with its own twist – the anti-dvd picks of week.

The Descent (2006): The best horror film of the last 15 years. Features interesting characters, great monsters, and plenty of style. 9/10