Prepare For Cinematic Bliss With Parasite

Please forgive the vagueness of certain parts of this review of Parasite, as you're bound to have heard by now, this is a movie that's best to go into with little in the way of expectations on what exactly you're getting into. Some movies merely use empty twists as a substitute for actual storytelling and then there are films like Parasite that are a master course in how to do twisty-turny storytelling right. Every inch of this intricately put-together production has a greater purpose and that includes the brilliantly executed revelations that upend the plot. Far be it from me to spoil such shocking moments so let's instead spend this review combing over what a miraculous creation Parasite is in as spoiler-free of terms as possible.

Memories of Murder Is Crime Thriller Cinema At Its Finest!

Prior to 1986, there had never been a serial killer in South Korea. That all changed once the Hwaseong Serial Murders occurred and sent investigators into a spiral to try and find out who could be behind this unprecedented crime spree. This effort is chronicled in Bong Joon-ho's 2003 movie Memories of Murder, which follows detectives Park Doo-man (Song Kang-ho) and Seo Tae-yoon (Kim Sang-kyung) having to work together in order to track down a killer that proves to be as elusive any ancient diamond. The two of them are like a classic buddy cop duo, Park Doo-man is a confident local detective that always trusts his gut while Seo Tae-yoon is an out-of-town detective whose experiences in the field have left him with a more meditative sense of deduction.

Downsizing Is Small On Narrative Ambitions Or Anything Really Remarkable To Speak Of

There's not much going on here in Downsizing. Despite labeling itself a "social satire", there's not much in the way of actual satire transpiring in Alexander Payne's latest motion picture. There isn't all that much comedy either and what does show up to generate yuks is just awkward and forced (the majority of the jokes received, from the audience at my screening, the kind of forced light chuckles a parent might use to laugh at a young child's incoherent knock-knock joke). So what is there in this movie, what exactly is going on in Downsizing? There's...a chance for Christoph Waltz to play someone that isn't a bad guy in an American movie? That's good! OK, that's one thing that happens in Downsizing...

The Host Is The Monster Movie With The Most!

All kinds of genres have gotten a revamp in the 21st century (for instance, comparing 20th century and 21st century superhero movies is akin to comparing apples and submarines, as Jeffrey Katzenberg might put it) and the o'l monster movie hasn't been immune to the kind of audacious reimaginings this centuries filmmakers have applied to other genre mainstays of world cinema. Matt Reeves 2008 feature Cloverfield used the found-footage filming method to bring the viewer up close and personal to a monster attacking a city and how it affects normal people, Guillermo Del Toro gave the Kaiju genre his own distinctive charm and creativity with Pacific Rim and one of the most beloved movie monsters of all-time debuted this year in Monster Trucks.

Nine Actors Who Deserve Oscar Recognition This Year, But Won't Get It

The Academy Awards are a confounding presence in Hollywood, their awards have a major impact on any given winner or nominees life. However, the ceremony seems to have a stern refusal to give notice to anything that utilizes comedy, action or animation, a bizzare practice that means much of Hollywoods best features get no recognition. A similar lack of recognition is inevitable for these eight actors, whose roles this year were superb showcases of their talent, but due to numerous factors (release dates namely) won't be given proper recognition. Without further ado, here's Nine Actors Who Deserve Oscar Recognition This Year, But Won't Get It!

Gotham (S1E2) Review: The Cat Is Out Of The Bag

Well, with it's Pilot episode out of the way, it's time for Gotham to prove that it has more than just wink-wink references to future Batman villains up its sleeves. This episode actually doesn't do a great job proving that there's a ton more to this show than that, actually being a bit of a step back in terms of quality, though it did manage to incorporate a younger version of Catwoman into the proceedings in a satisfactory fashion.

The List!!!: Five Of 2014's Most Underrated Movies So Far

In The List!!!, I do a list that just reeks of being click-bait, analyzing a particular topic or subject that pertains to something major occurring in pop-culture. This week, in honor of Noah hitting Blu-Ray, I take a look at five films from the first seven months of 2014 that deserve more recognition. 

Hercules Review

Zero To Nowhere Near Hero, But Not Too Bad Either

This Dwayne Is On Fiiiiirrrrrreeee

Despite the fact that it's a $100 million movie starring Dwayne Johnson released in late July, the best parts of Hercules are simply the bits when the movie explores what differentiates this version of Hercules from past incarnations. This actually isn't sarcasm, there are some really unique ideas in this scripts written by Evan Spiliotpoulos (whose previous major screenwriting cred it was Poohs Heffalump Movie) and Ryan Condal. Perhaps the best scene of the entire film is a bit where the nephew of Hercules, Iolaus (Reece Ritchie) explains to a dubious general that the reason Hercules was able to penetrate the skin of an impenetrable boar was by the use of an impenetrable sword.

Box Office Analysis: Small But Mighty! The Status of Indie Movies This Summer

Jon Favreaus film Chef has been one of the many indie movies this summer
to drum up big business

 It's actually been a pretty great summer for movies. 22 Jump Street was hilarious, Godzilla lived up to expectations and them some, and Dawn of The Planet of The Apes somehow improved on its predecessor to create one of the best movies in recent years. There's also been several movies debuting in art house cinemas that the major moviegoing public might not be aware of, but definitely deserve some recognition for their box office achievements. Without further ado, let's take a look at how the numerous smaller releases have done so far this summer.

Snowpiercer Review

Off The Rails And Into Brilliance

You'll have to forgive me on this one, am this review is gonna be extremely vague when it comes to exact details as to what precisely happens in Snowpiercer, the sci-fi drama from director Joon-ho Bong that's become famous for the terrible treatment Harvey Weinstein (a man in an extremely powerful position at The Weinstein Company, the studio distributing Snowpiercer) has given it. But appropriate feelings of pity towards the project aren't the only thing we should feel for the film; we should feel elation that one of the best sci-fi projects in ages has been created.