Welcome to Land of The Nerds, where I, Lisa Laman, use my love of cinema to explore, review and talk about every genre of film imaginable!
Showing posts with label Josh Brolin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Josh Brolin. Show all posts
Saturday, March 2, 2019
Milk Is A Stirring Examination of An Everyday Human Being Who Became An Important Historical Figure
The 2000s were a tragically sparse decade for high-profile queer cinema. Whereas the 1990's contained a surprisingly steady stream of mainstream pieces of filmmaking with queer protagonists, such films had been relegated solely to arthouse cinemas in the first decade of the 21st century. Even after Brokeback Mountain scored widespread acclaim and a robust domestic box office haul in 2005, it'd be another three years before another film with a queer protagonist managed to get a wide enough release to make over $1 million domestically. That movie would end up being Milk, a Gus Van Sant directorial effort that turned out to be one of the most acclaimed features in the man's career.
Friday, May 18, 2018
Once Deadpool 2 Get Rolling, It's A Surprisingly Entertaining Raunchy Comedy
VERY VERY MILD SPOILERS ARE INSIDE THIS REVIEW.
We've been having a pretty good run of comedies in 2018 so far. Not everything has been golden of course (remember Game Over, Man! or Super Troopers 2?) but in just the span of nearly five months, there has been a solid list of well-made comedic films emerging that remind us all of the age-old versatility that this genre has. Comedies can be mystery thrillers (Game Night), heartfelt coming-of-age tales (Blockers), thoughtful family movies (Paddington 2) and thought-provoking political satire (The Death of Stalin), they don't just have to be run-of-the-mill vehicles churned out on the cheap and quick so that David Spade can buy a new condo this coming summer. Surprisingly, Deadpool 2 comes up as the newest 2018 comedy to deliver both further evidence of how expansive the genre of comedies can be and a large supply of laughs.
We've been having a pretty good run of comedies in 2018 so far. Not everything has been golden of course (remember Game Over, Man! or Super Troopers 2?) but in just the span of nearly five months, there has been a solid list of well-made comedic films emerging that remind us all of the age-old versatility that this genre has. Comedies can be mystery thrillers (Game Night), heartfelt coming-of-age tales (Blockers), thoughtful family movies (Paddington 2) and thought-provoking political satire (The Death of Stalin), they don't just have to be run-of-the-mill vehicles churned out on the cheap and quick so that David Spade can buy a new condo this coming summer. Surprisingly, Deadpool 2 comes up as the newest 2018 comedy to deliver both further evidence of how expansive the genre of comedies can be and a large supply of laughs.
Friday, April 27, 2018
Avengers: Infinity War Goes Big, Very Big, To Highly Enjoyable Success
Note: No spoilers are detailed in this review, but a barebones outline for the first third-ish of the plot is contained within. Due to the overwhelming secrecy surrounding this film, this may be considered spoiler territory for some so caution is advised if that's the case for you.
Avengers: Infinity War is a lot to take in. I don't mean that in a hyperbolic sense, I mean, objectively, this is a whole heck of a lot of cinema to process. Numerous storylines spanning everywhere from Scotland to the deepest far reaches of Space crop up with various corners of the Marvel Cinematic Universe getting explored, each with their distinct tones intact. Holding everything together as connective tissue is the constant presence of the villainous Thanos (Josh Brolin), but this is still an expansive story in scope. In handling such a vast story, Avengers: Infinity War comes up short compared to other recent MCU movies (it's no Black Panther, that's for sure) but it manages to juggle all these plates in the air remarkably well. The fact that a movie with this much on its agenda manages to be far more exhilarating than exhausting does feel like a total victory.
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Hail, Caesar! Review
When ya get down to brass tacks, Hail, Caesar! essentially works as a Coen Brothers directed fan film dedicated to waxing poetic about the various virtues of the assorted genres that were most popular among moviegoers in that era. Does that sound like a complaint? Well, rest assured, it is most certainly not; in fact, the clear devotion the Coen Brothers have for this time period becomes most infectious, while there's also more methodical material (primarily revolving around our lead character) intercut in between their various homages to the films of the past to balance things out a bit.
Friday, October 9, 2015
The Future Has Arrived In The First Trailer For Hail Caesar!
Alright, let's just get past the introduction folks, I know what you wanna see. Behold, the first trailer for the next film from Ethan and Joel Coen, Hail Caesar!
Monday, October 5, 2015
Sicario Review
There are no easy answers to be found in Sicario and its examination of the War On Drugs, and believe you me, that's a good thing. It's lack of providing a concrete solution to this real life epidemic doesn't stem from a screenplay uninterested in providing a suitable resolution to its story. No, it's a symptom of the films bleak aesthetic depicting the ceaseless violence that's emerging from this conflict. There are no winners here, only people who miraculously survive one more day to continue the fight.
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Everest Review
From the studio that brought you The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything and Legal Eagles, comes Everest, a harrowing tale of human courage and determination. A group of mountain climbers, led by Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) begin an expedition to climb to the top of Mt. Everest, a task that proves to be one not for the faint of heart. However, their daunting undertaking proves to be even more challenging once an enormous storm arrives, leaving many of the climbers stranded and fighting for life trying to get down the mountain.
Monday, January 12, 2015
Inherent Vice Review
Of Vice And Men
I had heard a lot of things about Inherent Vice prior to finally seeing it yesterday afternoon, namely about how, depending on who you talked about, the film was incoherent, too long or it was a masterpiece unlike anything else you'd ever seen. I love movies that create this kind of wide range of conversation, so I eagerly anticipated the newest feature from Paul Thomas Anderson, as if I wasn't already after seeing that impeccable trailer.Thursday, October 30, 2014
The Next Coen Brothers Movie Has A 2016 Release Date!
Whether it's through True Grit, Inside Llewyn Davis, Burn After Reading or the incomparable No Country For Old Men, Joel and Ethan Coen have been an unstoppable directing duo in the 21st century after breaking through in the 90's with the likes of Fargo and The Big Lebowski. The duo will have a new movie called Hail Caesar! out soon, with a cast that includes Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Ralph Fiennes, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill.
Monday, September 29, 2014
The Crazy, Crazy, Crazy Trailer For Inherent Vice Is Here
I've only seen two films of Paul Thomas Anderson (I know, I know, I'm simply awful), The Master and Punch-Drunk Love. The Master I found to be a film I admired very much, especially the outstanding performances in it, but it kind of just left me cold overall. Punch-Drunk Love was actually pretty great, though I did feel it occasionally lacked focus. But man have I been anticipating his next movie, Inherent Vice, which just unleashed it's first trailer, which you can watch below.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Sin City: A Dame To Kill For Review
Superfluous Sin Soaked Cinema
Visual effects have come so far in the last twenty years, it's one of the more mind-boggling aspects of modern day filmmaking. Ever since Steven Spielberg showed off those CGI dinos wrecking havoc, the possibilities for visual effects seemed endless. Robert Rodriguez has taken advantage of those possibilities several times in his career, namely in the first Sin City (which I have not seen) and it's sequel, Sin City: A Dame To Kill For. That follow-up is the subject of this review and unfortunately, the innovation in its visuals seem like the only thing given any thought in this film.
Visual effects have come so far in the last twenty years, it's one of the more mind-boggling aspects of modern day filmmaking. Ever since Steven Spielberg showed off those CGI dinos wrecking havoc, the possibilities for visual effects seemed endless. Robert Rodriguez has taken advantage of those possibilities several times in his career, namely in the first Sin City (which I have not seen) and it's sequel, Sin City: A Dame To Kill For. That follow-up is the subject of this review and unfortunately, the innovation in its visuals seem like the only thing given any thought in this film.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Marvel Kicks Butt At Comic-Con With Ant-Man and Avengers 2 News PLUS: Official Comic-Con Trailers Mad Max And Kevin Smiths Newest Movie
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This is the greatest thing I have ever seen. That is all |
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Oldboy (2013) Review
There's actually a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff about Oldboy that are kind of fascinating to consider, at least to a film nerd like me. For instance, this was the first non-Neil Blomkamp directed film Sharlto Copley appeared in since 2010's The A-Team. Also, director Spike Lee apparently had a lot of conflicts with the films distributor FilmDistrict, a studio that released this over Thanksgiving 2013 to minimal promotion and only a 583 theater count. And finally, this was the last movie FilmDistrict released as a studio, with several completed movies they already made like That Awkward Moment and Walk of Shame being taken over by Focus Features.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Classic Write-Up: No Country For Old Men Review
You're Not Ready For What's Coming
This review contains Spoilers
Texas is a state that seems to be constantly at war with itself. There are cities of course, hustling and bustling metropolises overflowing with activity. Yet, the state is so big that there's a wider array of terrain than just cities. Sometimes there's old-timey towns that seem to have been sent from the year 1957. Others are emtpy vistas of sand and rubble. Where I live in Texas is predominantly business driven, with a Wal-Mart or such stores around every corner. But the ideals of the folks certainly do seem old-fashioned at times, which makes for a fascinating paradox. And really, what better state to set a tale like No Country For Old Men depicting universal thoughts of humanity than in a state that is a relentless quandary?
This review contains Spoilers
Texas is a state that seems to be constantly at war with itself. There are cities of course, hustling and bustling metropolises overflowing with activity. Yet, the state is so big that there's a wider array of terrain than just cities. Sometimes there's old-timey towns that seem to have been sent from the year 1957. Others are emtpy vistas of sand and rubble. Where I live in Texas is predominantly business driven, with a Wal-Mart or such stores around every corner. But the ideals of the folks certainly do seem old-fashioned at times, which makes for a fascinating paradox. And really, what better state to set a tale like No Country For Old Men depicting universal thoughts of humanity than in a state that is a relentless quandary?
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
New Trailers: What's Black And White And Beating Up Josh Brolin?
Three new trailers went up today, for a wide variety of film. For your convenience, I decided, why not just compile these bad boys into one mega-super-awesome trailer article?
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