Tag Archives: rental

What My Ratings Really Mean

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I know rating systems are dumb. But they’re an attempt to quantify some sort of standard of comparison by measuring a critic’s opinions with a sliding scale.

Perhaps every critic feels this way, but I am honestly proud of the way my film rating scores relate to one another. Naturally, I think my ratings are “accurate” in relation to one another and according to my own tastes, but I am not foolish enough to believe that something so subjective as my opinionated value judgment of a film’s quality has any universal relevance or application for anyone. And yet, here I am, taking my ratings and myself way too seriously…

So, that brings me back to acknowledging again that rating systems are dumb. But I don’t care. Here’s what mine means: Continue reading →

Written Review: Cloud Atlas (2012)

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by Jason Pyles
Movie Podcast Weekly.com

A few questions about “Cloud Atlas”: How are there two movies currently playing in theaters with the word “Atlas” in the titles, namely, “Cloud Atlas” and “Atlas Shrugged II: The Strike”? How did this adaptation ever get past its initial pitch meeting? And more to the point, how would one pitch something like “Cloud Atlas” to studio execs? And how does one cut a trailer for such an execution-dependent film? And how long did it take to edit this film?

Premise: Adapted from a 2004 novel by David Mitchell, “Cloud Atlas” is essentially an anthology film with six story lines, set in various time periods, that are loosely interrelated and interwoven within one another:

One story involves a tribesman who is enlightened by a visitor who redefines his perception of the truth. Another story involves a seafaring traveler who is being treated by a doctor for a mysterious, deathly illness. Another story involves a female journalist pursuing a dangerous story pertaining to the energy industry. Another story involves a composer’s assistant who becomes perilously entangled with his employer. Another story involves an older man who has been tricked into admitting himself into an elderly care facility and tries to escape. And the sixth story involves a heroic man who rescues an enslaved woman in hopes that she can initiate the beginning of a great social revolution. Continue reading →

Written Review: Taken 2 (2012)

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by Jason Pyles
Movie Podcast Weekly.com

Premise: A retired CIA agent who killed several men while rescuing his kidnapped daughter is now pursued by the vengeful family members of his victims.

Review: It’s this simple: If you liked “Taken,” then you will also like “Taken 2.” It’s the same movie, in almost every respect, story beats and all, except this time, his ex-wife is also thrown into the threatened family member mix. This same story, (slightly) different title isn’t necessarily a criticism, because I loved the first movie; I’ve seen “Taken” three times since its release, and I’d rate “Taken” 8.5 out of 10, and I’d recommend buying it.

I have read and heard a lot of attacks on “Taken 2,” where its critics are calling this sequel far-fetched and predictable. Those characteristics are inherent in its predecessor, and are a necessity in order for this story to work as it does. “Taken” and “Taken 2” are male-validation fantasies, where a father and husband is smart enough and strong enough to rescue the women he loves. Films like this are specifically designed to appeal to male viewers’ need to feel powerful and masculine and female viewers’ need to feel safe and protected. Continue reading →

Written Review: End of Watch (2012)

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by Jason Pyles
Movie Podcast Weekly.com

Premise: While going about their daily duties, two LAPD officers keep stumbling onto a ferocious drug cartel with zero tolerance for ambitious cops.

Review: “End of Watch” may be the first found footage, shaky-cam, docu-drama, pseudo-documentary cop movie that also doubles as a feature-length PR commercial for the Los Angeles Police Department. (Seriously, this whole movie could be an advertisement for the LAPD. Perhaps it is.)

Actually, “End of Watch” is quite a number of things: It’s also a love story between two men played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña, not too far off from Gyllenhaal’s most famous role in “Brokeback Mountain” (2005). Continue reading →

Written Review: Being Flynn (2012)

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by Jason Pyles
Movie Podcast Weekly.com

Premise: A delusional, dead-beat dad (Robert De Niro) resurfaces in the life of his son (Paul Dano), who works at a homeless shelter where he finds it especially difficult to serve his father as a patron.

Review: Unless you have an affinity for dramas or Robert De Niro, the trailer for “Being Flynn” doesn’t look like anything to write home about. It appears to be just another little indie drama with a big star, some clever dialogue, and a few poignant moments, something along the lines of another “Smart People” (2008) or the like. Continue reading →