All posts by Josef Rodriguez

Hey, I'm Joey and I'm a (usually) film and pop culture blogger, but I'll write about pretty much anything.
MOVIES

‘In Case You Missed It’ Review: Attack the Block`

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Everyday on the news, you hear about some gang that killed a lady walking home from work, or kidnapped a child and sold her for a couple of keys of cocaine. To us, this has become the norm. To me, that’s a little bit screwed up, but that’s a whole different conversation for a different post. The thing you don’t hear about gangs doing is surviving alien attacks. Now that is some news worthy shit.

London, England is known for its young gang problem, and in the film Attack the Block, we meet some of the personalities that make up this demographic. On her way home from work, Sam (Jodie Whittaker), a young lady in medical school, is mugged by a group of young hooligans who hail from what is known as, The Block. The four teens, who are known as Pest, Jerome, Dennis, and their leader, Moses (Alex Esmail, Leeon Jones, Franz Drameh, and John Boyega, respectively), unknowingly live in the same building as Sam. They take orders from the boss of a local drug dealer, Ron (Nick Frost), named Hi-Hatz (Jumayn Hunter). Ron’s friend, Brewis (Luke Treadway), is a rich-boy, budding zoologist with more street smarts than he lets on. All these characters are connected by one place, The Block, which is the central location of a sudden alien attack.

Attack the Block is a fast-moving, brutal, funny, and action-packed horror comedy from the producers of Shaun of the Dead. With a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a mere 6.8 on IMDb, I wondered whether or not this movie was going to be good. It seemed like viewers didn’t enjoy it, yet it attained critical acclaim. Regardless, I pressed play with an open mind, and let the dirtiness of London wash over me.

 I’m here to report that, as far as I’m concerned, Attack the Block is pretty damn cool. Starting off unevenly, with some cheesy dialogue and a confusing introduction to the characters, I was afraid that this was going to be a long 89 minutes. But, once the film hit the 15-minute mark, it seemed like everything switched into high gear, and it didn’t let up until the end credits rolled. The film’s low budget was not noticeable at all, as the monsters were extremely well constructed and scary. The acting from the hooligans was surprisingly accurate and well-rehearsed, especially from the lead, John Boyega, who looks like the illegitimate son of Mike Tyson and Denzel Washington. The writing is quick and layered, and the camerawork doesn’t rely on shaky-cam at all. Don’t get me wrong, I love shaky cam, but it wouldn’t have worked in this film, and I’m so glad they didn’t use it.

Above all, Attack the Block is both a great action movie and a social commentary on the state of the projects in London, as well as this generation’s desensitization to such extremes that it causes them to go out and fight the monsters as opposed to hide from them. I’m probably way off when it comes to this, but I’m trying to be deep, give me a chance here.

Regardless of my bad explanation of the film’s social commentary, you should most definitely watch Attack the Block when you get the chance, you won’t be disappointed.

4/5 Bears

MOVIES

In Case You Missed It: Submarine

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There’s a very fine line between a great coming-of-age movie and a really annoying coming-of-age movie. Great coming-of-age movies have interesting characters, good writing, and are very relatable. Annoying coming-of-age movies have none of these qualities and are very irritating because of this. We, as audiences, have seen an abundance of both. Coming-of-age movies work because they relate to people of all ages; teenagers experiencing what’s going on in the film, and adults who want to reminisce. In the film Submarine, 15-year-old Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) narrates the events going on his life, most notably the possible divorce of his two parents and his undying and premature love for Jordana Bevan (Yasmin Paige), a girl who he’s been watching for a while now, waiting to make his move. Oliver hasn’t quite found his place in life yet, and he seems to be on an eternal search. He doesn’t quite have his parents Lloyd and Jill (Noah Taylor and Sally Hawkins) to look up to, as Oliver suspects his mother to be having an affair with an old flame who moved in next door, Graham Purvis (Paddy Considine). Graham is a “self-help guru” and Oliver’s mother is completely infatuated with him while his scientist father attempts to subtly reconcile.

Submarine has everything that a good coming-of-age film should have except a plot. The film’s near two-hour running time drags exponentially, and it seems like style took precedence over substance. Music video director Richard Ayoade gives an amazing flair to Submarine’s otherwise bland content. He does however spice things up with a soundtrack by Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys, who he shot a video for a couple of years ago to promote their single “Cornerstone”. Incidentally, I owned the soundtrack almost a full year before seeing the film, and I happen to think it’s one of the best albums of 2011, but that’s a different story for a different review.

Ayoade also penned the screenplay that is lacking severely in pacing, relatability, and likeable characters. There’s also an overuse of annoying narration by our protagonist. It seems unnecessary after a while, and is accompanied by stylish montages that had me thinking how much shorter this film actually could’ve been. The disconnect, in my opinion, is the eagerness to differentiate itself from the source material, a novel of the same name by Joe Dunthorne, but in doing that, it reveals its core dependency on it. Characters and situations are changed, but in the end, it all felt like a rushed and loose adaptation that wanted to be more.

As far as characters go, none of them are strictly speaking likeable or even relatable, especially Oliver. His narcissism and facetiousness gets annoying after about 10 minutes, and the entrance of Jordana saved this movie from being turned off my TV. She represents the girl we all knew in high school, and her performance is fantastic.

Oliver’s mother is so beyond ungrateful that you wonder what made Mr. Tate, a mild-mannered and well-meaning father, marry her in the first place.

Surprisingly, Ben Stiller produced Submarine. Stiller is known mostly for his slapstick and family comedies by most, but we can’t forget his cult classics Heavyweights, The Cable Guy, and to some degree of cult-ishness, Tropic Thunder. At first I was shocked to see his name anywhere need this film, but after a while, it began to make a little bit of sense.

Submarine is a lot of things, but groundbreaking isn’t one of them. In fact, it really isn’t even very entertaining, and without its stylish direction, likeable female lead, and fantastic soundtrack, it would’ve been nothing at all.

2/5 Bears

MOVIES

In Case You Missed It: Weekend

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The true connection of two people, regardless of gender, is a beautiful thing. Straight, gay, lesbian, trans-gender, or whatever they are, it doesn’t matter. Love is a beautiful thing, especially when it approaches you unexpected. Richard Linklater explored this in his films Before Sunset and Before Sunrise. Two complete strangers meet by chance in Vienna and fall in love instantly. The film itself is beautiful as are its characters and situations. Up until I saw it, I never thought that a film full of dialogue let alone two of them would be so intriguing and heartbreaking.

Recently, I heard about a movie called Weekend. It had a similar premise as Before Sunset/Sunrise, so instantly I was hooked on it. Then when I heard it explored the brief relationship between two men, I was even more interested in how it would be executed. I searched for the film high and low only to find it on my TV in the On-Demand menu. I rented it immediately and dove right in.

Weekend opens on a gay man named Russell (Tom Cullen). He hangs out with a couple of his straight friends whom he gets along with just fine (don’t worry this isn’t one of those, “Oh I feel out of place” kind of films). When he sets off, he decides to stop at a local gay club. He has a couple of drinks and catches the eyes of Glen (Chris New). The two have a one-night stand, and in the morning begin talking. They continue to talk for a while until Glen leaves. Now, in most cases of one-night stands, this is the end of the movie, but instead, Russell calls Glen and asks to hang out. Thus begins a romance that is short-lived yet unforgettable.

Weekend is a lot of things, but boring is definitely not one of them. Though the film is 95% dialogue, it’s not filler dialogue by any means. We slowly get to know these characters at the same time that they’re getting to know each other. We know what they know and it really puts you in their shoes in a way that I’ve never seen before. This effect is also due to director Andrew Haigh’s skilled camera work, being both an observer and a participant in the relationship of Russell and Glen.

The acting is perfect on the part of both actors, but especially by Chris New, who portrays Glen. Both Cullen and New have not yet had any major roles prior to this, and this is a shock to me considering how comfortable and honest they seem with their parts. Part of me thinks that a lot of it wasn’t rehearsed which made it all seem that much more fresh to not only us, but also them.

Of course, an actor is only as good as their dialogue, and as I’ve mentioned before, the dialogue is pretty amazing. Ringing true in almost every aspect, Weekend is not only a film for gay men and women to relate to. It’s a film for those who believe in love, and for people who are willing to see things in a different light. It’s a movie about people, for people and it’s almost more relatable than Before Sunset. As a film about the chance encounters that occur in life, it’s one of the best I’ve ever seen. As a film in general, it’s one of the best and most underrated of 2011. Come awards season, this probably won’t be on the list, but if it is, it’s a step forward to recognizing great films for being exactly that. Great films.

5/5 Bears

MOVIES

Grizzly Review: The Muppets

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Reminiscing is a lot of fun. No, really, it is. Everyone loves sitting around, talking about the good ol’ days with his or her family. Granted a lot of them eat their feelings later, but hey! That’s definitely not the point I’m trying to make here. My point is, everyone’s up for a good amount of nostalgia. You don’t need to be looking all deep into the specifics of it, just agree with me and move on.

Nostalgia takes some not-so-human form in Jason Segel’s reboot of The Muppets. Bringing back all of the familiar faces that we know and love, The Muppets succeeds on so many levels that it’s hard to count them all, but I will try. First off, the writing and jokes are absolutely wonderful. 2011 has been a great year for good-hearted family comedies, and The Muppets is no exception. It appeals to both fans of the original show (AKA Parents) and the knee-knockers who don’t know what the hell a Muppet is (AKA their Children). The perfect blend of wit and slapstick pretty much guarantees an enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

Puppet animation has come a long way since the 1979 The Muppet Movie, and it definitely reveals itself in the form of legs.

That’s right, folks. The Muppets now have legs that come in handy (no pun intended) during the equally elaborate and hilarious dance sequences that take place in various parts of the film. The songs are catchy, the lyrics are ingenious, and the result is a musical that even musical haters such as myself will enjoy.

The plot is familiar; the Muppets need to put on a telethon to save the Muppet Theater. It’s something we’ve seen before, but I think it’s the only plot that would’ve worked. It brings back memories to older viewers regarding similar scenarios, but is also simple and enjoyable enough for the young ones. More importantly, the Muppets themselves are brought to life by fantastic voice acting and even better puppeteers. You really connected with the characters on a whole new plateau. In this case, the Muppets seemed more human than the actual humans.

And who can forget the cameos! There’s an insane amount of star cameos in this movie. More than I’d even care to name. It really does keep you on your toes the entire time, seeing who just might pop up next.

Everything in The Muppets is near flawless, and it really is a welcome return for the lovable puppets. Also, I got to hear Chris Cooper rap. This is something I never thought I’d see. I think I can now die peacefully.

4.5/5 Bears

MOVIES

Grizzly Review: Jack and Jill

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Oh dear lord, Adam Sandler. What the hell happened to you?

I’m going to skip the formalities here and get right down to it, Jack and Jill royally sucks ass. I’m not one to use these terms loosely, because to be honest, not a lot of movies necessarily suck ass. Let’s take a movie I reviewed earlier this month, Like Crazy. Was it a bad movie? Yes, it was. Did it suck ass? No, it did not. Allow me to further my point.

Jack and Jill, as you may have heard, is about two identical twins that go at it during Thanksgiving, Hanukah, their respective birthdays, and New Year’s. Literally the entire movie is fighting and a creepy Al Pacino, which I’ll get into a little bit later. The premise, which revolves partially around getting Jack’s sister Jill out of the house, and the rest of the plot, involves getting her to stay. Now, call me crazy, but I think that’s considered a conflict of interests on the part of the borderline schizophrenic lead, Jack.


He truly is an ass. A royal ass one could say. He treats his sister like she’s dirt. He sets her up on dates with weird men, he bullies her every chance he gets, and he ultimately uses her to get Al Pacino to do him a favor. He brings the term “dick move” to a whole new level.

The writing really is absolutely atrocious, with some of the most unnecessarily drawn out and cringe-worthy conversations I’ve seen in recent years. The banter between Jack and Jill isn’t cute, it isn’t funny, it isn’t even amusing. No, their seemingly endless conversations are just annoying, like the rest of this movie. Annoying, annoying, annoying.

Adam Sandler pretty much does the same thing in a lot of his movies. I know damn well he’s a capable actor and that he really does know how to pull out a good performance (e.g., Funny People and Punch-Drunk Love).

Here, on the other hand, he does the usual Adam Sandler performance. Angry, oppressed, needy, and whiny. Except he does it in a way that gives off the feeling that he was quite bored during shooting. He exaggerates everything to the max, and it seems that he’s been playing the asswipe father in quite a few of his recent movies, and I’m starting to think that that’s just how he is in real life.

As Jill, on the other hand, he’s ferociously aggravating. Everything that Jill does, I want to just punch her in the nose for. It’s the 2nd most inspired thing in the entire movie though, behind the one and only, Al Pacino. I laughed twice in this movie. Two times. The first time involved Al Pacino in a disguise. The second time involved Adam Sandler as Jill farting aggressively in a bathroom. Farts are funny people, get over it.

Anyway, Al Pacino. What can I say about Mr. Pacino’s performance? Well, it was…inspired. He really did give it his all and I commend him for his bravery. I really do. Any self-respecting actor who can really put his heart into a project like this is truly brave, or completely insane. Most of the times it’s both, though.

But, back to the bashing of this flick, I have a message to Adam Sandler. WE UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE JEWISH. WE UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE PROUD OF THIS, AND WE APPRECIATE IT. WITH THAT BEING SAID, WHY IS THE FACT THAT YOU’RE JEWISH HAVE TO BE UP TO 33% OF THE TOTAL JOKES TOLD IN YOUR FILMS? It really is a simple question. Every three or four jokes there was something about being Jewish. In each and every film Mr. Sandler makes it becomes more and more prevalent and more and more irritating.

Also, I felt that the portrayal of Mexicans in this movie was over-the-top, racist, and unnecessary. I’m all for a good dose of healthy racism with a point like in the Harold & Kumar films, but the things that some of the Hispanic characters said in this film are just downright embarrassing.

Product placement is also something I noticed in this film a lot. The person I went to go see Jack and Jill with had a bet with me. We were supposed to count the amount of farts and the amount of times we saw product placement. In short, we lost count. You know you’re in a bad movie when there’s a scene that takes place in a cinema, only to see a bunch of Coca-Cola stickers popping out from all the concessions.

As for being the worst film of the year, that honor goes to Cars 2, which truly is a horrible, horrible film. Where does Jack and Jill fare, you ask? Pretty damn close. I really can’t recommend this movie to many people, unless you want to see Al Pacino act like a fool. There are a lot of great cameos that keep things relatively exciting, but when Johnny Depp isn’t popping up on screen, either Jack or Jill are, and you really don’t want to see that.

1 Grizzly out of 5

 P.S. Why in the hell is this movie rated PG?

MOVIES

Grizzly Review: Immortals

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I’m not the only one who sensed a little bit of homo eroticism in 300 right? I mean, I can’t be the only one who thought that men jumping around in a cup and a cape is just a little indulgent, right? Don’t get me wrong, 300 is an awesome movie, it’s just an observation.

Much like 300, the new Greek mythology action flick, Immortals, offers us men with barely any clothes on who are pretty much ripped. Immortals, which is about a peasant named Theseus who ends up leading a small army against the much larger army of King Hyperion, the man who killed his mother.

I’ll be honest, Immortals really isn’t a film packed with great plotting, but it doesn’t have to be. It offers us the right amount of story, a good amount of action, and enough characterization to make us care about what happens to our heroes and heroines. It’s an old school action flick with state of the art effects and top-notch fight choreography.
Henry Cavill, who plays Theseus, gives a more than acceptable performance, and has a very bright future in action films, with his next role being Superman in the upcoming film Man of Steel. Mickey Rourke also gives it his all as King Hyperion, a truly evil man. Stephen Dorff has an important and frankly awesome supporting role as Stavros, a fast-talking slave who helps Theseus and his band of Greek slaves break free. Frieda Pinto plays the ridiculously gorgeous Phaedra, the virgin Oracle who is also freed by Stavros and Theseus.

Above all the acting, plotting, and writing, though, are the visuals. Tarsem Singh, the director of Immortals, makes the film look perfect, and shoots some of the most gorgeous action sequences that you’ll probably ever see in a movie. Decapitations and disembowelments never looked so good. The visual effects are seamlessly intertwined with the real sets to create a truly breathtaking amount of scenery.

If Immortals has one thing going for it besides its visuals, it’s the action. The build-up to the final 35 minute epic battle is classic, familiar, but at the same time fresh and inviting. The action is leveled out very well between all the characters, giving each one a good amount of brawling to do. Out of all the exceptional sequences, though, one stands out from all of them; the fight between the Gods and the Titans, which are the Greek mythology equivalent of zombies, except zombies never kicked ass like the Titans.

For those of you saying, “Oh, it’s not historically accurate”, or “That’s not what the original myth was about.” All I can say is, I don’t care at all. Immortals is creative, beautiful, brutal, violent, and intriguing in its ability to tell a story through the simple sweep of a knife. It’s the most unpretentious movie of the year, and also the coolest looking one. How audiences did not embrace this more, I’ll never know. It out-300s, 300, which is saying a lot considering the bad-assery that was 300. Do yourself a favor, go veg out with Immortals. It’s not meant to be taken too seriously, and it really is just a good time at the theater.

4/5 Bears