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jestyrsfilmreviews · 6 years

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Fifty Shades Freed - A Review (And A Bit Of A Rant)

Title: Fifty Shades Freed

Release Date: February 9, 2018

Director: James Foley

Writer(s): Niall Leonard (Screenplay); E.L. James (Book)

Main Characters: Dakota Johnson as Anastasia “Ana” Steele-Grey, Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey, Eric Johnson as Jack Hyde, Arielle Kebbel as Gia Matteo, Max Martini as Jason Taylor, Brant Daugherty as Luke Sawyer, Luke Grimes as Elliot Grey, Rita Ora as Mia Grey

Fifty Shades Freed is a 2018 American erotic romantic drama film directed by James Foley and written by Niall Leonard, based on the novel of the same name by E. L. James. It is the third and final installment in the Fifty Shades film series after Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) and Fifty Shades Darker (2017). The film stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan as Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey, respectively, and follows the newlywed couple as they must deal with the sins of their past when Anna's former boss (E. Johnson) begins to stalk her.

SPOILER ALERT! IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOKS OR SEEN THE FILMS, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER! HOWEVER, IF YOU HAVE NO INTENTION TO READ OR WATCH EITHER, THEN READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING AND YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Now...onto the plot!

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Wealthy Christian Grey (Dornan) and his fiancé, Anastasia 'Ana' Steele (D. Johnson), plan a luxurious wedding. After the ceremony, they fly to Paris and then to the Mediterranean. The honeymoon is cut short, however, when they receive news of a break-in at Christian's corporate headquarters with some computer files stolen. Security camera tapes identify Jack Hyde (E. Johnson), Ana's former boss who was fired for assaulting her, as the perpetrator. The couple immediately return to Seattle.

Ana is introduced to her new personal security team. Christian then surprises her with a new summer home he has purchased for Anastasia as a gift and which he has hired an architect to rebuild. Anastasia is shocked to learn that the architect is an attractive blonde who openly flirts with Christian while Anastasia is present. When Christian steps out of the room for a moment to take a phone call, Anastasia wastes no time in putting the new architect in her place, and threatens to dismiss her if she does not quickly change her attitude. The architect agrees and when Christian returns, she fully stops her flirtatious attitude towards Christian.

Christian leaves for a business trip in New York and against his overprotective wishes, Anastasia goes out for a drink with longtime friend, Kate Kavanagh (portrayed by Eloise Mumford). When she returns home, she finds her former boss Jack Hyde inside, he holds a knife up to her attempting to kidnap her, but his plans fail when he is outnumbered by Anastasia’s security and he is arrested. After a fight with Christian about her sneaking out to see Kate, Ana berates him for being too controlling and possessive, and demands more freedom. Soon after, Christian surprises her with a trip, with Kate, Elliot (portrayed by Luke Grimes), Mia, and Jose (portrayed by Victor Rasuk).

Christian and Ana continue with their erotic sexual experimentation, but matters become complicated when Anastasia announces that she is 6-7 weeks pregnant. Christian is deeply disturbed saying, he had other plans for their early years together, and leaves for a night on a drunken bender. The next day, Ana discovers that Christian contacted his ex-lover, Elena Lincoln (portrayed by Kim Basinger), without telling Anastasia. Meanwhile, Jack Hyde, her ex-boss, is later released on bail set at half-a-million dollars.

After some days, mayhem erupts when Anastasia receives a private phone call from a kidnapper demanding a ransom from Anastasia for the return of Christian's abducted younger sister Mia. It is her ex-boss Jack Hyde, and he demands $5,000,000 in cash in two hours from Anastasia alone, or to kill Mia. He demands that Anastasia tell no-one of his demands. Anastasia takes the cash available in the house safe and finds a snub-nosed revolver which Christian also keeps in the house's safe. Since it is not enough money, she drives to the bank to withdraw the full amount. While collecting the money, the suspicious bank manager calls Christian who thinks Ana is leaving him. Christian senses mischief when he notes the coincidence of Hyde's recent release on bail with Anastasia's sudden large cash withdrawal. Hyde tells Ana to leave her phone but she tricks him by taking the bank manager's phone. She leaves via the back entrance to a waiting car, shocked that Hyde's accomplice is Elizabeth Morgan (portrayed by Amy Price-Francis), her co-worker, who helped Jack to kidnap Mia. Christian and his security team quickly zero-in on her location at the hostage site by electronically tracking her cell phone to locate where she has gone to make the pay-off.

When Anastasia arrives with the money at the pay-off location, she finds that Jack Hyde is psychotic and he attempts to attack her in vengeance. Anastasia manages to push him away which angers him causing him to slap and drop Anastasia to the ground. In anger Jack kicks Anastasia in her stomach. Elizabeth now beginning to feel guilty tries to stop him distracting Jack, Anastasia then pulls out the concealed snub-nosed revolver she had taken from Christian's office and shoots the kidnapper in the legs disabling him. Christian and his security team arrive very soon at the hostage location having tracked her cell phone and arrest Jack Hyde. Ana starts to black out as she hears her name being called by Christian.

Ana wakes three days later in the hospital with Christian at her side. Though he is angry at Ana's recklessness and still anxious about being a father, he now realizes how important their baby is to her and they reconcile. Ana returns home the next day. Christian's private investigator, Welch, informs him that he and Hyde had the same foster family. It was also learned Hyde blackmailed Elizabeth into being his accomplice. Two years later, Christian and Ana, now pregnant with their second child, play with their son in a meadow.

So that’s all good and well, but what did I think of it?

Well, I absolutely hated it. Many of the actors’ emotions (or lack thereof) were wooden. The only saving grace of the film was the cinematography (which even THAT wasn’t that great; it was, however, forgivable) and that was it. The plot, though decent at best, made little to no sense.

Recent box office indicated that the film gained $25 million dollars. One may think that’s a lot, but considering that their budget was $55 million on making the film (and predicted that it would be projected to make more), it falls $30 million dollars shy of breaking even. Also considering that it opened alongside Peter Rabbit and The 15:17 to Paris on opening weekend, it’s no wonder it didn’t make that much.

And what the hell is with the tagline “Don’t miss the climax”? I get it’s supposed to be a double entendre referencing the ending of the film (and its rising action) and a sexual reference, but it was just cheesy.

This is a book trilogy that fails to adapt itself from text to film. I’ll give it the fact that it tried (I won’t deny the filmmakers that), but I just didn’t enjoy it. I saw all three films IN THEIR ENTIRETY: the first one with one ex partner, the second with another ex partner, and this one by myself. I hated all three of them.

My advice: save your money. It is abysmal as it is a horrible adaptation.

I give this film a 1.5/10. Harsh, I know, but nothing is sexy about this.

#fifty shades freed #shane smith #Film Review #sorry for the rant

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jestyrsfilmreviews · 6 years

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Death Note (2017) - A Review

Title: Death Note

Release Date: August 25, 2017

Director: Adam Wingard

Writer(s): Charles Parlapanides, Vlas Parlapanides, Jeremy Slater

Main Characters: Nat Wolff as Light Turner/”Kira”, Lakeith Stanfield as L, Margaret Qually as Mia Sutton/”Kira”, Shea Whigham as James Turner, Paul Nakauchi as Watari, Willem Dafoe as Ryuk (voice), Jason Liles as Ryuk (costume)

Death Note is a 2017 American dark fantasy horror-thriller film loosely based on the Japanese manga of the same name created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. The film is directed by Adam Wingard and written by Charles Parlapanides, Vlas Parlapanides and Jeremy Slater. The film stars Nat Wolff, Lakeith Stanfield, Margaret Qualley, Shea Whigham, Paul Nakauchi, Jason Liles and Willem Dafoe, and follows the story of a high school student named Light Turner, who finds a mysterious notebook known as "Death Note". He soon meets the demonic death god Ryuk who teaches him how to use the notebook and tells him that the book causes the death of anyone whose name is written within its pages.The film was released on Netflix on August 25, 2017.

The plot is as follows:

In Seattle, Washington, high school student Light Turner (Wolff) encounters a notebook marked "Death Note". He is visited by the death god Ryuk (Dafoe/Liles), who tells him that he can cause the death of anyone he wishes by writing their name in the book, as long as he knows their real name and face. Ryuk coaxes Light into testing it out on a bully (portrayed by Jack Ettlinger). The bully is decapitated in a freak accident shortly afterwards. That evening, Light is compelled to write down the name of Antony Skomal (portrayed by Artin John), the man who killed his mother in a hit and run. Skomal dies in a similar freak accident at a restaurant. Ryuk explains other rules of the Death Note, including the ability to control the actions of the victim for up to 48 hours after their name is written before they die. Classmate Mia Sutton (Qually) asks Light about the Death Note, and he demonstrates how it works. She encourages Light to use the Death Note with her to rid the world of criminals, improving the world. They decide to work together under the guise of a god they call "Kira", using the book's coercion powers to have their victims reveal this name to the world.

Kira becomes beloved by the public, as its killings are seen as righteous by the majority of law enforcement, and Light and Mia become lovers. Kira's actions draw the attention of "L" (Stanfield), an enigmatic detective who is able to track down Kira's location to Seattle and his source to the city's police database. L and his assistant/father-figure Watari (Nakauchi) travel to Seattle and meet with James Turner (Whigham), the chief of police and Light's father, to discuss how they will catch Kira. L gives a televised speech with his face concealed, taunting Kira to kill him, and when this fails to happen, L suspects that Kira must know a person's name and face to kill.

L has FBI agents follow Light and other suspects. Mia suggests killing the agents, but Light refuses. The FBI agents thereafter commit mass suicide and Light accuses Ryuk of killing them. James appears on television and vows to apprehend Kira. Mia urges Light to kill him for the greater good, but Light can't bring himself to do it. When James is not killed, L comes to the conclusion that Light must be Kira. L confronts Light, revealing his face to him. Realizing that L is closing in on him and with Mia motivating him, Light uses the Death Note to force Watari to uncover L's real name. As Ryuk explains, Light can burn the page with Watari's name on it within the 48 hours to cancel his impending death; however, this method can only be used to save a victim of the Death Note once. Watari leaves suddenly for the abandoned New York orphanage where he found L years before; L learns Watari has disappeared and orders Light's house to be searched; he finds nothing, as Mia was able to sneak the Death Note out.

Knowing that Light is still being followed, Mia helps him to sneak away at the school dance, allowing him to collect the Death Note and contact Watari via phone. Watari finds L's records moments before the 48-hour deadline, but Light finds Watari's page missing. Watari is then shot and killed by unknown soldiers before he can reveal L's name. Mia reveals that she used the Death Note to kill the FBI agents in order to protect herself and Light, took Watari's page, and has also written Light's name in the book, giving him until midnight before his heart stops. She offers to burn Light's page if he gives the Death Note to her, as she believes he is not capable of making the right decisions for the good of society. Meanwhile, L is devastated by Watari's death and goes on his own manhunt for Light.

Light tells Mia to meet him at the Seattle Great Wheel where he will turn over the book, and then flees from police, who are closing in on him. L catches up to him and prepares to kill him, but a passerby knocks L out after overhearing that Light is Kira. Pursued by police, Light meets Mia and takes her to the top of the ferris wheel. Light tries to convince Mia that they will be happier without the Death Note, at first seemingly dissuaded, Mia takes the Death Note when Light turns to look out, much to Light's intense dismay. Confused at first, she realized that Light must have written her name in the book, with her death contingent on her taking the Death Note from him. With both of them doomed, Ryuk causes the Ferris wheel to collapse. Mia falls to her death, while Light and the Death Note fall into the water. The page with Light's name on it drifts into a burn barrel, an event witnessed by L. Though Light is rescued from the water, he has fallen into a coma.

Two days later, a man leaves the Death Note at Light's bedside. When Light wakes up, he finds his father there, who tells him he knows that Light is Kira. James explains that he found a news clipping about Skomal's death in Light's room and realized that he was Kira's first victim. Light explains that he used the Death Note at the school to plan out Mia's death in a way that would ensure his own page got burned if she took the Death Note. He also manipulated several criminals to induce him into a medical coma, having them use the Death Note during his comatose absence to give himself an alibi. With Kira continuing to kill while Light was in a coma, L is taken off the case and forced to return to Japan. As his plane is about to take off, he ponders a comment Light made during their standoff, realizing Mia's involvement, he stops the plane and races to her home to search her possessions. He finds the Death Note page with the names of the FBI agents she killed on it, and in a hysterical fit, contemplates writing a name on the page. Back in Light's hospital room, Ryuk appears, laughing. When Light asks him why he's laughing, he simply comments "You humans are so interesting".

The plot of the story, as stated in the beginning of this review, is loosely based on the Japanese manga of the same name written by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.

What did I think of it?

Considering that upon release it received mixed to negative reviews from critics and audiences and much of the criticism was directed towards the incoherent writing, pacing, and numerous changes from the source material, I liked it at first; however, after watching it over and over again, I can see why people hated it.

The film follows the same concept as the manga; however, it does it sloppily.

There is just so much wrong with this movie on so many levels:

- The mother is killed in the movie which is why no one sees her.

- The female lead is supposed to be Misa (Sure it was close to Misa, but whitewashing and Hollywood made it Mia).

- The setting is completely different from the manga.

- It adds another person playing Kira (like in the manga), but it made it so that the two already know each other from school. In the manga, they have no recollection of knowing each other until they eventually meet later in the series.

- Rem (another Shinigami in the series) wasn’t even present/mentioned.

- There were multiple Death Notes/Shinigami in the manga but only one in the film.

- The Shinigami eyes are hardly even mentioned in the film (maybe like once or twice).

- All the characters have been whitewashed (because Hollywood).

- L is black (not trying to be racist, but L needed to be Asian or white).

- L was killed off in the manga but not the film.

However, there are a couple saving graces. Wingard's direction, production design and the cast received some praise (particularly Dafoe's performance as Ryuk). The cinematography was absolutely brilliant given the shades and hues setting the mood of the film. Gory as all hell (I love me some gore).

The saving graces, however], did not save the film from being completely laughable. It made Light seem weaker than his Japanese manga counterpart, even with the whole power trip. There were several key characters missing in the film that were present in the manga but not this film.

Because of all of this, I give this a solid 2/10

Disappointing and an all-around bad flick.

#shane smith #Film Review #death note #this is a film?

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jestyrsfilmreviews · 8 years

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Gods of Egypt, A Brief Review

Title: Gods of Egypt

Release Date: February 26, 2016

Director: Alex Proyas

Writer(s): Matt Shazama & Burk Sharpless

Main Characters: Brenton Thwaites as Bek, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Horus, Gerard Butler as Set, Chadwick Boseman as Thoth, Élodie Yung as Hathor, Courtney Eaton as Zaya, Rufus Sewell as Urshu, Geoffrey Rush as Ra, Bryan Brown as Osiris

Gods of Egypt is a 2016 Australian-American fantasy action film directed by Alex Proyas. It stars Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Brenton Thwaites, Chadwick Boseman, Élodie Yung, Courtney Eaton, Rufus Sewell, Gerard Butler and Geoffrey Rush. In the film, which features ancient Egyptian deities, Butler plays the god of darkness Set who takes over the Egyptian empire, and Thwaites plays the mortal hero Bek who partners with the god Horus, played by Coster-Waldau, to save the world and rescue his love.

In an alternative Egypt, the world is flat and gods live among mortal humans. The Egyptian gods are distinguished from humans by their greater height, golden blood, and ability to transform into animal-headed deity forms.

Bek (Thwaites), a mortal thief with little faith in gods and their good will towards mortals, with his love Zaya (Eaton) are attending the coronation of Horus (Coster-Waldau, famous for playing Jamie Lannister in HBO’s Game of Thrones), lord of the air, by his father, the abdicating King of Egypt Osiris (Brown). Horus is shown getting ready for his coronation as his love Hathor (Yung), the goddess of love surprises him. Horus hints at marriage and they discuss Hathor's protection bracelet made of the stars which Horus gave to her to protect and save her from her previous role as a guide to dead souls in the underworld. However, during the ceremony Osiris is killed by his jealous brother Set (Butler), god of the desert, who seizes the throne and declares a new regime where the dead will have to pay with riches to pass into the afterlife. Horus is stripped of his eyes, which are the source of his power, and almost killed. Hathor pleads with Set to spare him and he is instead exiled. Hathor becomes an enslaved mistress to Set.

A year later Bek has been working as a slave building monuments, while Zaya is now under the ownership of the chief architect Urshu. Believing that Horus is the only one who can defeat Set, she gives Bek the floorplans to Set's treasure vault. Bek is able to steal back one of Horus' eyes . However, Urshu finds out about their theft and kills Zaya as the couple flee. Bek takes her body to the blind Horus and makes a bargain: Horus agrees to bringing Zaya back from the dead for his eye and Bek's knowledge about Set's pyramid.

Later, they are travelling to Ra's (Rush) divine vessel above the Earth. Horus is unable to convince Ra to regrant him his power in full or to intervene and defeat Set himself, as Ra is both neutral about their conflict and daily at war with an enormous shadow beast, Apophis, that threatens to devour the world. Nevertheless, Horus obtains divine waters from Ra's vessel, which can be used at Set's pyramid to extinguish the desert thirst and weaken him gravely. Ra tells Horus that his weakness is the result of him not fulfilling his destiny, which Horus believes means avenging his parents' deaths.

Set asks Hathor to take him to the underworld which he next desires to conquer, but she refuses and manages to escape. Eventually, Hathor finds Bek and Horus. Horus at first doesn't trust her, as she is Set's mistress who had blinded him, while she tries to convince him that Set is her enemy as well. When they tell her of their plan regarding Set's pyramid, she warns them of a guardian sphinx (Kenneth Ransom) who will kill anyone not wise enough to solve a riddle. The group then heads to the library of Thoth (Boseman) the god of wisdom, recruiting him to solve the riddle.

Arriving at Set's shrine, they overcome its traps, including the sphinx, to reach the source of Set's power. But before they can pour the divine water in, Set traps them and reveals Horus' deception to Bek: that he is unable to bring Zaya back from the dead. Set destroys their flask of divine water and kills Thoth by taking his brain, but Horus is able to save Hathor and Bek.

Horus admits before the enraged Bek to caring more about his revenge than the mortals. Hathor feels guilt for not exposing the deception, and as the goddess of love helps the doomed lovers. She sacrifices her own safety for Zaya's payment into the afterlife, by giving Bek the protective bracelet which stops the underworld souls from overwhelming her and calling Anubis to take him to Zaya. Therefore, she lets herself be dragged to the underworld, while Horus realizes that he still loves her.

Having obtained Thoth's brain, Osiris's heart, one of Horus's eyes and wings from the Goddess of protection and Set's wife, Set has them combined with himself. Set travels to Ra, appealing to his father for approval and asking why Osiris was favored, while he was denied leadership and children. Ra claims that all of Set's prior mistreatments were tests preparing Set for his true role, the honor and burden of taking Ra's place as the defender of the world aboard his solar barge fighting against the demon Apophis. Set is dismayed to hear his destiny is to be alone above the planet until he dies, and refuses. He wants to destroy the afterlife so that he can be immortal. Ra tries to fight him, but cannot, as Set has taken the powers of the other gods. He then stabs Ra, taking his fiery spear of power, and casts him off the boat, freeing Apophis to consume both the mortal and underword realms.

Bek finds Zaya who refuses Hathor's gift as she doesn't want an afterlife without Bek, but then Apophis attacks and the gate to the afterlife is closed. Bek returns to the mortal world where Horus is amazed that Bek still wants to help take down Set, but Bek tells him it was Zaya who told him to, as she still has faith in Horus.

Horus climbs up the outer wall of an obelisk Set is standing on and attempts to battle him, but is heavily outmatched. Bek ascends on the inside and joins the battle removing Horus's stolen eye from Set's armor, being wounded in the process. As Bek slides toward the edge of the obelisk, he throws the eye toward Horus who must choose to catch it or save Bek instead. Horus reaches for Bek and apologizes for all he has put him through. As they plummet toward the ground, Horus finds that he now has the power to transform into his divine form, and he catches Bek and flies him to safety. Horus realizes that it wasn't the recovery of his eye or revenge that was his destiny, it was the protection of his people that he needed to fight for. Now Horus has the strength for battling Set, and he gains the obelisk and kills him. After the battle and Set's death, he then finds Ra wounded and floating in space and returns his spear to him, allowing Ra to once again repel Apophis.

As Horus returns to Bek, a child holds out his other eye which she has found, while people cheer him. But Horus's joy turns to sadness as he arrives to find Bek dying. Horus carries him to Osiris's tomb and lays him beside Zaya. Ra, his grandfather, arrives and offers to bestow any power on him to repay Horus for his life and Egypt's survival, but all Horus wants is bringing Bek and Zaya back to life. The other gods are also revived and have their attributes restored. Horus is crowned king by Thoth and declares the afterlife will be for those who do good in the world. Bek is made chief advisor, and he gives Horus back Hathor's bracelet, letting Horus leave to rescue her from the underworld.

The plot of the movie and cinematography was somewhat good to me, personally and the casting was a marvel. However, to be fairly honest, this movie was almost entirely CGI with none of the promising, long-lasting effects. I mean, CGI metal gods? Seriously? That seems to be unoriginal and brings shame to the Egyptian gods of almost 3000+ years ago. The only saving grace of this movie was the fact that I recognized 3 actor in this movie that played their roles almost perfectly: Coster-Waldau, Rush and Butler.

I give this movie a D at most with a rating of 3/10. Not one of the best movies I’ve seen, to be fairly honest.

#shane smith #review #Film Review #gods of egypt

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jestyrsfilmreviews · 8 years

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Deadpool, A Brief Review

Title: Deadpool

Release Date: February 12, 2016

Director: Tim Miller

Writer(s): Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick

Main Characters: Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson/Deadpool, Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Ed Skrein as Ajax, T.J. Miller as Weasel, Gina Carano as Angel Dust, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Stefan Kapičić as Colossus

Deadpool is a 2016 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name starring Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth (Deadpool, for those who haven’t figured it out already).

Let me start off by just saying that this movie was one that many, many, MANY (did I mention many?) Marvel fans have been waiting for a long time ever since the atrocity known as X-Men Origins: Wolverine. That movie in particular was the film that had the worst portrayal of Deadpool to be made. Reynolds himself said that he was even blackmailed to play Deadpool in X-Men Origins. He wanted to be the Deadpool everyone wanted to see and then some. And he delivered...and produced the project! And left home with the Deadpool costume (yes, he did people)!

Where to begin? Let’s start of with the plot of this film.

WARNING! Spoilers are present in this review. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! TURN AWAY NOW IF YOU DON’T WANT THIS TO BE SPOILED!

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Now for the cheeky bastards that have already seen the movie (like myself), let’s being, shall we? Here we go:

Wade Wilson (Reynolds) is a mercenary who spends his time in New York City protecting teenage girls from would-be stalkers. He meets escort Vanessa Carlysle (Baccarin) at a local bar and they become romantically attached for nearly a year. He proposes to her one night, but then he suddenly collapses. Wade is diagnosed with terminal cancer and though Vanessa remains by his side, he fears losing her.

One night, at the bar that he met Vanessa, he is approached by a recruiter from a secret program. He is offered an experimental cure for his cancer, but he rebuffs the man and leaves. Desperate to live, he reconsiders and leaves Vanessa in the middle of the night to undergo the procedure. He is injected with a special serum by Francis Freeman (Skrein) and tortured for days by Angel Dust (Carano) in order to trigger a mutation. After weeks of no success, Wade is strapped into an airtight chamber after insulting Francis. The drop in oxygen triggers a healing factor that takes his cancer "as far as it can go", severely disfiguring his face and skin in the process, but effectively rendering him immortal. He escapes from the chamber by blowing it up and attempts to kill Francis, only stopping when he claims he can cure Wade's disfigurement. He is then impaled by rebar and left for dead in the destruction of the lab.

Although he tracks Vanessa down, he cannot come to terms with his complexion, and he keeps himself away from her. Wade moves into the home of an elderly blind woman named Al (portrayed by Leslie Uggams), and with the advice of his best friend Weasel (Miller), he becomes a masked vigilante named "Deadpool", and begins hunting down Francis and dismantling his organization.

Following a string of leads from various syndicates, Deadpool attacks a convoy of cars on an expressway before getting his hands on Francis, demanding a cure to his disfigurement. The confrontation is suddenly interrupted by the X-Men Colossus (Kapičić) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Hildebrand), who want him to join the team. Their intervention enables Francis to run off, and when Colossus handcuffs himself to Deadpool on their way back to the X-Mansion, Deadpool cuts off his own hand and escapes back to his home with Blind Al. His hand regenerates overnight (in a very *ahem* interesting way).

The next night, Weasel convinces Deadpool to go back to Vanessa, but when they arrive at the strip club she works at, Deadpool discovers that she has been kidnapped, and Francis and Angel Dust tell him to meet up with them on a decommissioned aircraft carrier at a scrapyard.

Deadpool convinces Colossus and Negasonic to help him, and the trio take a cab to the scrapyard, where Colossus and Negasonic have a grueling battle with Angel Dust while Deadpool slashes through an army of goons on his way toward Francis. Deadpool and Francis then engage in bloody hand-to-hand combat before Negasonic uses her power to destroy the aircraft carrier. In the end, Deadpool gains the upper hand in the fight and Francis admits that there is no cure for Wade's disfigurement. Although Colossus urges Deadpool to spare Francis and be a true hero, he shoots Francis in the head, finally killing him and avenging himself. Deadpool removes his mask and shows Vanessa his new face. Though she is angry that he left her, she accepts him and they reconcile by kissing.

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I did not put in the post-credits scene because I will let the people (who have not watched the film) watch it when they see it. NOW, the plot is out of the way, what did I think of this movie? Well considering I am a HUGE Deadpool fan, I loved it from beginning to end. The cinematography was astounding, the characters were easy to connect with (especially with the Merc with a Mouth himself), and the plot (though it jumped around profusely) was spot on. This movie stayed true to the comic book by far.

This film has garnered a whopping $260.8 million of its budget of $58 million on its opening weekend. I guess you could say, they made that money back and then some! Well-deserved for that film because Deadpool broke box office records, beating movies like Fifty Shades of Grey and American Sniper for the top February opening weekend box office revenue and top R-rated film box office revenue. Knowing that there will be a sequel for this movie (yes, it was already greenlit and a script is underway), it has me even more excited to see more of the Merc with a Mouth.

This movie deserves JESTYR’S SEAL OF APPROVAL! A++! 10/10! I urge you to see this film! You will not be disappointed.

#Film Review #deadpool #shane smith

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jestyrsfilmreviews · 9 years

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Inside Out, A Brief Review

Title: Inside Out

Release Date: June 19, 2015

Director: Pete Docter

Writer(s): Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, and Josh Cooley (screenplay); Pete Docter and Ronnie del Carmen (story)

Main Characters: Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Wright), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), Riley (Kaitlyn Dias), Bing Bong (Richard Kind), Mother (Diane Lane), Father (Kyle MacLachlan)

Inside Out is a 2015 American 3D computer-animated fantasy comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios, released by Walt Disney Pictures and directed by Pete Docter. The film is set in the mind of a young girl, Riley (Dias), where five personified emotions—Joy, Anger, Disgust, Fear, and Sadness (Poehler, Black, Kaling, Hader, and Wright)—try to lead her through life as she moves with her family to a new city.

While reading interviews about this film, what surprised me was this: Docter said that he first began developing Inside Out in 2009 after noticing changes in his daughter's personality as she grew older. The film's producers consulted numerous psychologists and researched the mind in preparation for building its story. Initial drafts were unsatisfactory, and the production was revised significantly with the realization that interpersonal relationships guide human emotions.

The plot for the movie is absolutely amazing! So here is a SPOILER ALERT!!!!! Warning: if you want to see the movie for yourself, do not read further

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If you’ve made it this far and you have seen the movie OR if you have no desire to see the film, here you go:

When Riley is born, her primary emotion, Joy, appears and starts guiding her. As Riley grows older, Joy is joined by other emotions: Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger. The emotions live in "Headquarters," Riley's conscious mind, where they influence Riley's actions and memories. Her memories are housed in colored spheres, with the color depending on the emotion of the memory. At the end of every waking period, the memories are sent to long-term storage. The most important memories, known as "core memories," power five "islands" that each reflect a different aspect of Riley's personality: Family Island, Friendship Island, Hockey Island, Honesty Island, and Goofball Island.

When Riley is eleven, her family relocates from Minnesota to San Francisco after her father gets a new job. They move into an empty and messy apartment, and although Joy tries to keep the situation positive, the other emotions are unimpressed. Sadness touches a happy memory and accidentally turns it into a sad one, which Joy is unable to restore. Joy keeps Sadness occupied with reading "mind manuals" in order to keep Riley in a happy state.

On Riley's first day at her new school, Sadness makes her cry in front of her class, creating a new, sad core memory. Joy attempts to dispose of the new memory, but her struggle with Sadness leads to all the core memories being knocked from their container. Before Joy can put them back, she, Sadness, and the core memories are sucked out of Headquarters through a memory tube. They end up in "Long-Term Memory," a labyrinth-like place where all of Riley's past memories are stored. As they make their way through, they come across "mind workers" sending Riley's faded memories into the "Memory Dump," an enormous abyss between Headquarters and the rest of Riley's mind.

Back at Headquarters, Anger, Disgust, and Fear attempt to take charge in the wake of Joy's absence, but accidentally instigate a confrontation between Riley and her parents. Goofball Island (which has shut down like the other islands without the core memories to power them) crumbles and falls into the Dump. When Joy sees the island crumbling, she realizes she must quickly return to Headquarters to avert potentially disastrous results for Riley. She and Sadness soon run into Riley's former imaginary friend Bing-Bong (Kind), a pink, elephantine creature who is desperate to reconnect with Riley. He tells them they can get back to Headquarters by riding the Train of Thought. The three attempt to take a shortcut through a chamber that houses abstract thought, but get stuck in the chamber and miss the Train. They then pass through "Imagination Land," where Riley's fantasies are created. When they reach "Preschool Land," however, they find it being demolished and thrown into the Dump, along with Bing-Bong's imaginary song-powered rocket. Bing-Bong becomes despondent and is comforted by Sadness as Joy watches in confusion.

Despite their best efforts, Anger, Fear, and Disgust continue to see Riley's life falling apart. Friendship Island falls when Riley gets mad at her old best friend, and Hockey Island falls after she fails tryouts for a new hockey team. Anger determines that returning Riley to her old life is the only way to keep her happy. He considers implanting a light bulb "idea" to run away into Riley's mind, but Fear talks him out of it. Meanwhile, Joy, Sadness, and Bing-Bong catch the Train, but it stops running when Riley goes to sleep. They attempt to wake Riley up by infiltrating "Dream Productions," a movie studio where Riley's dreams and nightmares are created. Sadness suggests scaring Riley awake, but Joy tries to create a happy dream, which fails. Bing-Bong is apprehended by security and taken to the Subconscious, which houses Riley's darkest secrets and worst fears. Joy and Sadness help Bing-Bong escape and lure a memory of a monstrous clown to Dream Productions, which wakes Riley up and starts the Train. Anger plants the idea to run away in Riley's controlling console despite Fear's objections; and Riley steals her mother's credit card to pay for a bus ticket back to Minnesota, causing Honesty Island to disintegrate and destroy the Train.

Joy sees a recall tube nearby that can take them back to Headquarters, but she leaves Sadness behind to keep her from affecting the core memories. However, Family Island crumbles and breaks the tube, sending Joy into the Dump, along with Bing-Bong when he tries to rescue her. Joy frantically tries to escape, but Bing-Bong tells her it is impossible. Joy then looks at Riley's forgotten memories and breaks into tears, saying she only wants Riley to be happy. She watches a core memory in which Riley's family and hockey team cheered for her, but discovers they were cheering her up because she felt sad about costing her team a win. She realizes that Sadness is the signal to others that Riley needs help.

Joy and Bing-Bong come across Bing-Bong's rocket and attempt to ride it out of the Dump. On their third try, Bing-Bong jumps out, allowing Joy to reach the ledge above. Joy gets one last look back at Bing-Bong before he fades away, then seeks out Sadness, who has decided Riley is better off without her. She floats away on a cloud, but Joy uses various tools from Imagination Land to launch herself toward Sadness and grab her before they both fly back to Headquarters. Anger's idea has resulted in Riley's control console freezing meaning she can no longer feel anything. As Anger has had second thoughts about Riley running away, everyone looks to Joy to stop Riley as she boards the bus. However, she lets Sadness take control, and Sadness succeeds in extracting the idea, prompting Riley to get off the bus before it leaves and return home. She breaks down in tears and admits to her parents that she misses her old life. As her parents comfort her, Joy and Sadness create a new, two-colored core memory that in turn creates a new, expanded island. After a year, Riley adapts to her new life, and her emotions all work together to help her lead a happy and fun life.

During the credits, the emotions of other people in San Francisco are shown.

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ON WITH THE ACTUAL REVIEW!!!!!!!

Inside Out received universal critical acclaim, and I can see why it did! I thoroughly loved the movie solely for the purpose of how relatable it is. We all go through the emotions that Riley felt and there are times where we do not feel anything at all. And I think that the message of the movie is that sometimes you have to be sad to be happy again, whether if it’s an outside force or internal kick. It’s a great message to follow.

I enjoyed the comedy aspect, a few innuendos were thrown around, the animation was spectacular (especially for the fact that it was different from any other Pixar movie I have personally seen throughout my life); everything about this movie is beyond perfect. It was worth the money to go see with family, friends, loved ones, etc.

I give this film my JESTYR SEAL OF APPROVAL! This film deserves a 10/10! I urge you to see this film if you have not already!

#shane smith #Film Review #inside out

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jestyrsfilmreviews · 9 years

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A Two-Faced Charade, A Brief Review

Title: A Two-Faced Charade, The Story Revealed

Release Date: December 2014

Director: Charlie Anderson

Writer(s): Charlie Anderson & Nina Tollas

Main Characters: JT (Jeremy Tollas), Elise (Pamela Fila), Clayton (ShaunPaul Costello), The “Voice” (Tollas, Matt Davies, Megan Zontek)

A Two-Faced Charade, The Story Revealed is a 2014 American thriller short film written and directed by Charlie Anderson. This short film is based on the metalcore band Famous Last Words album “Two-Faced Charade” and stars FLW vocalist Jeremy Tollas as JT.

The plot is as follows:

JT has fallen in love with his next-door neighbor named Elise (Fila) and wants to have her for himself. However, JT finds out that she is in a relationship with a guy named Clayton (Costello). After JT leaves the bar (where he found out the cold truth), he then becomes haunted by an evil version of himself only known as the “Voice” (Tollas, Davies, Zontek) to try and “get her back”. It begs the question “What would you do for your heart's deepest desire? How far would you go for your one true love?” JT takes it upon himself to resort to the one thing that is a surefire way to get the love of his life: murder the boyfriend.

This short film, as stated by Tollas, takes you into the mind of a truly, desperate psychopath. It shows you just how far the human psyche will go to fulfill the dark, twisted needs of a madman in love.

As far as the acting goes, I was truly impressed. All of the actors in this short film did a very good job, but who really surprised me was Tollas. I knew Tollas was a musician, but it goes to show that even musicians do possess the ability to act. Tollas’s acting was very believable. The cinematography was on-point because throughout the entire film, I could imagine a vignette around the main character when his evil side took over. The use of low lighting and dark themes throughout made this short film a masterpiece, in my opinion. The film was very well-thought out.

I give this film a 9.5/10. This was truly enjoyable.

If you enjoy thrillers and want to see this film, click the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCTaNoT22bg

You can also buy this film (as well as FLW merch) through this website here:

http://www.2fcmovie.com/own-2/

#shane smith #film review #brief review #a two-faced charade #famous last words #jeremy tollas

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jestyrsfilmreviews · 9 years

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Remember the FSoG review I did a while back? Well guess what happened?

The director of the movie (Sam Taylor-Wood) and the actor who portrayed as Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) have both abandoned ship for the sequel!

Here's a link to the story to give you some perspective as to WHY they left:

http://moviepilot.com/posts/2015/02/23/fifty-shades-of-grey-to-lose-director-and-mr-grey-himself-2722339?lt_source=external,manual,manual

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jestyrsfilmreviews · 9 years

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The Boy Next Door, A Brief Film Review

Title: The Boy Next Door

Release: January 23, 2015

Director: Rob Cohen

Writer: Barbara Curry

Main Characters: Claire Peterson (Jennifer Lopez), Noah (Ryan Guzman), Vicky (Kristen Chenoweth), Garrett Peterson (John Corbett), Kevin (Ian Nelson)

The Boy Next Door is a 2015 American erotic thriller film directed by Rob Cohen and written by Barbara Curry. Lopez plays a high school teacher named Claire who, in the midst of a divorce, has a one-night stand with a younger neighbor (Guzman), who develops a dangerous obsession with her.

I saw this today with my girlfriend thinking that it'd be a pretty decent flick. Her and I were in for a big surprise when we saw it from start to finish.

The plot is as follows (SPOILER ALERT):

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Claire Peterson separates from her husband Garrett, after he was caught cheating with his secretary. Her colleague and best friend Vicky Lansing (Chenoweth) urges Claire to divorce. Claire meets teenager Noah Sandborn— the orphaned nephew of her wheelchair-bound neighbor—who has just moved in next door. Noah befriends Kevin (Nelson), Claire's teenage son, and begins attending his school, where Claire teaches English literature. Noah is drawn to Claire, expressing love for Homer's Iliad. With Kevin and Garrett away on a fishing trip, Claire watches a naked Noah in his room through her window. (This got a lot of the women in the audience to have a mini-orgasm)

Claire goes on a miserable double date with Vicky and her boyfriend Ethan (Travis Schuldt), and his ill-mannered friend Cooper. With Kevin still away, Noah calls Claire over to help him cook. She ends up having dinner with him, during which he unashamedly flirts with her. Despite Claire's hesitation, she lets Noah seduce her and they have sex.

The next morning, Claire tells Noah that she regrets their night together, causing him to punch a wall in rage. The school year begins, with Noah joining an uncomfortable Claire's class after hacking into her computer, making it appear as if she had requested this. Noah manipulates Kevin into hating his father, causing him to lash out at Garrett. Later, Kevin overexerts himself at the gymnasium and goes into shock; Noah saves his life by injecting him with his EpiPen. Claire receives flowers from Noah, and she confronts him about this. Noah witnesses Claire on a date with Garrett, and his obsession with her escalates.

After an incident where Noah—in defense of Kevin—slams a bully's head into a locker repeatedly, Vicky (who is vice principal at the school) discovers that Noah was kicked out of his previous school for disorderly conduct. After an encounter where Noah insults her (Calling her a "dried-up fucking cunt" (His words, not mine), she expels him.

During the fall fling, Claire goes to investigate a leak in the boy's bathroom, where she instead sees the words "I fucked Claire Peterson" written on the wall before Noah emerges. He attempts to force himself on her, but she fends him off and demands that he stay away from her and Kevin.

The following day, Noah leaves a printer running in Claire's classroom, with images of them having sex scattered everywhere. When Garrett's car brakes fail to work, he and Kevin are nearly involved in an accident. Noah blackmails Claire; telling her that he has a tape of them having sex, which he will relinquish to her if she continues sleeping with him. She refuses, and organizes a plot with Vicky to steer Noah away from his house. Claire breaks into Noah's house and sees hundreds of images of herself in his basement. She finds his laptop, deleting their sex tape, and also sees images of car brakes, implying that he rigged Garrett's brakes. She meets with Detective Chou (François Chau), who informs her that Noah's father was killed after swerving into a truck with his minivan.

Noah binds and gags Vicky, using an audio recording of her voice to lure Claire to her house. When Claire arrives, she discovers Vicky's dead body, with her throat having been slashed by Noah. A horrified Claire contacts the police, but runs into Noah again. He reveals to her that his mother killed herself after his father cheated on her, so he rigged the brakes of his father's minivan, killing him and his mistress. Noah takes Claire to a barn house where he has kidnapped Garrett and Kevin, threatening to kill them unless Claire stays with him. A violent altercation occurs as Claire attempts to free them. Noah pours kerosene around the barn, causing it to ignite in flames. Garrett, having freed himself, attempts to choke Noah with a rope, prompting Noah to shoot him in the chest. Claire stabs Noah's eye with Kevin's EpiPen, and when he later holds Kevin at gunpoint, she pulls a switch that drops an engine on him. This effectively kills Noah. Claire and Kevin help a wounded Garrett exit the burning barn house.

What a great film to see on Valentine's Day, amirite?

But enough with the plot! What did I think of the film? It thought it wasn't that bad. I mean, sure it got shitty reviews, but it made about eight times the original budget of $4 million. I think this deserves more recognition! My girl and I thoroughly enjoyed it through its many jumpscares, plot twists, and (I should be ashamed to say it) the sex scene.

J-Lo proves that she is a force to be reckoned with in both music and film! And just for the acting alone, along with cinematography, story, plot, and plain authenticity of a thriller, I give this flick a 7.5/10. Sure, it may be a bit of a lower score than anticipated, but the film is definitely a must-see if you love thriller flicks!

#shane smith #the boy next door #film review #brief film review

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jestyrsfilmreviews · 9 years

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Fifty Shades of Grey, A Brief Film Review

Title: Fifty Shades of Grey

Release: February 13, 2015

Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson

Writer(s): Kelly Marcel (Screenplay), E.L. James (Author of the book)

Main Characters: Ana Steele (Dakota Johnson), Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan), Kate Kavanagh (Eloise Mumford), Elliot Grey (Luke Grimes), Mia Grey (Rita Ora)

Fifty Shades of Grey is a 2015 American erotic romantic drama film directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson with a screenplay by Kelly Marcel. Based on E. L. James' bestselling novel, the film stars Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele, a college graduate who begins a sadomasochistic relationship with young business magnate Christian Grey (Dornan).

The plot is as follows: Virginal student Anastasia Steele goes to interview wealthy, mysterious, handsome, charismatic entrepreneur Christian Grey. The attraction between them is immediate and electric. But Ana learns that Christian is only interested in a relationship on his own controlling terms. As they embark on an intense and passionate affair, he introduces her to his dark and very particular tastes. Now she finds herself exploring her own desires for the first time.

This is one of the most controversial films to be put onto the silver screen. How do I say that? Well let's look at it this way:

1.) At first, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) was half-tempted to give the film an NC-17 rating, as expected by the screenwriter Marcel. But they decided to give the flick an R rating basing its decision on "strong sexual content including dialogue, some unusual behavior and graphic nudity, and language."

2.) The countries of Malaysia and Kenya banned the film entirely, where it was scheduled for a February 12, 2015, release. It was denied a certificate by the Malaysian Film Censorship Board (LPF) and was deemed too "unnatural" and "sadistic" for Malaysian cinemas. The LPF chairman, Abdul Halim Abdul Hamid, said Fifty Shades was "more pornography than a movie." The film was also banned in Kenya. Additionally, in the Philippines, the film's sex scenes were to be censored after protests from various religious groups, and as a result it is in limited release in the Philippines.

3.) On January 28, 2014, a campaign in the United States by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation started two petitions to boycott the film's release. Their website makes more than 50 allegations that the film has a negative impact on the community. It said, "Hollywood is advertising the Fifty Shades story as an erotic love affair, but it is really about sexual abuse and violence against women. The porn industry has poised men and women to receive the message that sexual violence is enjoyable. Fifty Shades models this porn message and Hollywood cashes the check." By February 7, one of the petitions had garnered more than 53,000 signatures. But the film went on to be released today, JUST in time for Valentine's Day.

Now, enough with the facts! Onto the review with this question: how was the film?

After seeing it at an early screening on February 12, let me be one to tell you...that it's meh. In my honest opinion (While crediting rottentomatoes.com), while the flick is creatively endowed than that of its print counterpart, FSoG is a less satisfying experience on screen.

Maybe the worst part of it all is this little factoid right here: before its wide theatrical release, it has already been confirmed that FSoG's sequels, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, are expected to have a theatrical release as well, with FSD to be released sometime in 2016.

So with all of that said, I give Fifty Shades of Grey a rather disappointing 3.5/10. Now before you get all up in arms about my rating, let me explain why I gave this film a bad rating:

1.) Though it may have been a successful bestselling novel, the portrayal of the characters in the film adaptation seemed dull. It seemed to be expressionless. Hell, even MORE expressionless than that of Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in The Twilight Saga. (Well, I shouldn't say that because of the amount of sexual tension and lust strewn about in this film).

2.) I've read the book myself AND its sequels (THANK YOU, EX-GIRLFRIEND'S NAME WHO I'LL NOT MENTION). After reading them, I burned them...literally.

3.) I have NO F***ING CLUE who the actors are. I've never even heard of either Dakota Johnson nor Jamie Dornan. If I saw a couple flicks that either one of them have been in, then maybe I'll give them a fair chance. But as of right now, yawn.

So now you know. My true reasons for rating this film. Now if you'll excuse me, I must plan mine and my girlfriend's Valentine's Day plans. And it includes seeing this..."blockbuster" (and I use the term lightly) again. Though I won't be too huge of a fan of seeing the film again, at least I'll be with my love.

#shane smith #fifty shades movie #short film review #Film Review

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jestyrsfilmreviews · 9 years

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Fear Clinic, A Brief Review

Title: Fear Clinic

Release: October 22, 2014

Director: Robert Green Hall

Writer(s): Aaron Drane, Robert Green Hall

Main Characters: Dr. Andover (Robert Englund), Blake (Thomas Dekker), Gage (Kevin Gage), Sara (Fiona Dourif), Bauer (Corey Taylor)

Fear Clinic is a 2014 feature film by Robert Green Hall, based upon the web series of the same name. The movie, which was partially funded through crowdsourcing, stars Robert Englund as a psychiatrist that tries to cure phobias by using extreme methods.

The film's plot is as follows: After a tragedy shatters their lives and leaves them with crippling phobias, five people decide to seek treatment through Dr. Andover (Englund) and his "Fear Chamber" (or a fear clinic). In this device, the patients are put into complete isolation and must face their worst fears in various nightmarish hallucinations. The patients eventually leave Andover's care, only to return a year later when they find that their phobias are still present. However even as the patients ready themselves to re-enter Andover's machine, the doctor begins to wonder if there is something more sinister working through his creation.

Now we move on to the production In 2011 Hall announced that he was interested in creating a feature length version of the webseries. The movie would expand upon the basic story of the original series and bring back Englund, Danielle Harris and Lucas Till. The original Fear Clinic had in fact been intended as a feature length film, entitled Fear Chamber, but was turned into a shorter episodic format. Hall raised part of the funding for this film by using the fundraising site Indiegogo, and actress Fiona Dourif and Slipknot's Corey Taylor were confirmed to be performing in the film. Harris and Kane Hodder, initially intended to reprise their roles, later withdrew from the project.

Filming began in Medina, Ohio during December 2013 at a former nursing home and a local diner.Of the film's script, Hall commented that it would be darker and more surreal in tone than the web series. Shortly after Fear Clinic moved into post-production, the distribution rights were picked up by Anchor Bay Entertainment and it released in October 2014.

Sadly, it didn't hit movie theaters (which kind of upset me), but I was more than lucky enough to watch it on YouTube. After watching it there, I am currently in the process of pre-ordering it for BluRay.

I have not seen the web series of Fear Clinic, but this movie sure as hell did make me want to see it. I may have not mentioned this before, but I love horror flicks and anything having to do with the subject of fear. This film takes the cake.

I give this film an 8/10. Great film, great cast, great cinematography; all around great flick. Go check it out for yourselves!

#Film Review #brief film review #shane smith #fear clinic

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jestyrsfilmreviews · 10 years

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A Million Ways to Die in the West, A Film Review

Title: A Million Ways to Die in the West

Release: May 30, 2014

Director: Seth MacFarlane

Writer(s): Seth MacFarlane, Scott Stuber, and Jason Clark

Main Characters: Albert Stark (Seth MacFarlane), Anna Barnes-Leatherwood (Charlize Theron), Louise (Amanda Seyfried), Clinch Leatherwood (Liam Neeson), Edward (Giovanni Ribisi), Foy (Neil Patrick Harris), Ruth (Sarah Silverman)

A Million Ways to Die in the West is a 2014 western comedy film written and produced by Seth MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin, and Wellesley Wild. Directed by and starring MacFarlane himself, the film features an ensemble cast also including Charlize Theron as the outlaw's wife (and eventually Stark's love interest) Anna Barnes-Leatherwood, Amanda Seyfried as Stark's ex Louise, Neil Patrick Harris as Louise's new boyfriend Foy, Giovanni Ribisi as Albert's best friend Edward, Sarah Silverman as Edward's girlfriend Ruth (who is also a prostitute), and Liam Neeson as the outlaw Clinch Leatherback.

The plot is as follows:

In 1882, in the town of Old Stump, Arizona, cowardly sheep farmer Albert Stark (MacFarlane) is dumped by his beloved girlfriend Louise (Seyfried) as a result of his withdrawal from a duel. He prepares to leave for San Francisco, believing that the frontier holds nothing for him.

Meanwhile, infamous outlaw Clinch Leatherwood (Neeson) robs and kills an old prospector for a nugget of gold. He orders one of his men, Lewis (Evan Jones), to escort his wife Anna (Theron) to Old Stump to lie low while he continues his banditry. Lewis and Anna arrive in town under the guise of two siblings intending to build a farm, but Lewis is arrested after shooting a man in a saloon. During the ensuing brawl, Albert saves Anna from being crushed by two of the brawlers and the two form a friendship.

They attend a county fair at which Louise's new boyfriend, the foppish Foy (Harris), challenges Albert to a shooting contest. Albert is defeated, but Anna steps up and defeats Foy. Foy insults Albert who angrily challenges Foy to a duel in a week's time.

Anna teaches Albert how to shoot. During a barn dance the night before the duel, Anna slips Foy a Mickey. After leaving the dance, Albert and Anna kiss before heading home. Upon breaking out of jail and murdering the sheriff (Rex Linn), Lewis sees the kiss and reports it to Clinch.

On the day of the duel Foy arrives late and goes into convulsions due to the laxative he had unknowingly imbibed. Albert, who has decided that Louise is not worth the trouble, once again forfeits the duel. He retires to the saloon, but Clinch arrives and demands to know who kissed his wife. When no one comes forward, Clinch shoots a nearby cowboy (Ryan Reynolds). He reveals that Anna is his wife and threatens to continue killing unless his wife's lover duels him at noon the next day. Clinch later compels Anna to reveal Albert's name and then prepares to have sex with her, but she knocks him unconscious and escapes.

Anna returns to Albert's farm where he confronts her. Clinch pursues Anna to the farm and recaptures her, but Albert escapes. While fleeing he is captured by a tribe of Native Americans who threaten to burn him to death, but they spare him when he reveals that he can speak their language. They give him a bowl of peyote, which sends him flashing back to his birth and through traumatic events of his childhood before making him realize that he loves Anna. Albert returns to Old Stump and confronts Clinch. He wounds Clinch with a bullet poisoned with rattlesnake venom before having his own gun shot out of his hand, but manages to stall until Clinch succumbs to the poison and dies. Louise attempts to win back Albert, but he rejects her and instead enters a relationship with Anna. Albert also receives a bounty for killing Clinch and uses the money to buy more sheep.

At the fair, the proprietor of a racially charged shooting game asks who would like to take a shot. Django Freeman (Jamie Foxx) steps up and shoots the man.

Now onto the review itself:

The film, in my opinion, was disappointing. This film was one of those films where the parts that the viewer saw in the previews were funny. I am glad I didn't see it in theaters because it would have been a bit of a waste of $12 for the ticket.

Don't get me wrong, I love anything MacFarlane puts out. His hit TV animated sitcom Family Guy is comedy genius at its finest and his first film Ted did tremendously well; however, AMWTDITW was one film I was just utterly disappointed with. I felt like MacFarlane tried a bit too hard to create a satire of the Western genre. It's toilet-bowl comedy: dying from farts, immature characters; you name it.

But on the flip-side, there were a few parts that made me laugh out loud: calling cholera "The Black Shit", Stark's sheep on the roof that suffers from mental retardation, guys breathing in toxic fumes and dying from their farts, explicit shadow puppets; those were some of the funnier parts.

But through all the comedic segments in the film, this was a little disappointing.

I give this film 6.5/10 stars. Great cast and great setting, but the shaky plot and small amount of laugh made the movie suffer immensely.

#shane smith #Film Review #a million ways to die in the west #seth macfarlane

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jestyrsfilmreviews · 10 years

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The Angriest Man In Brooklyn, A Film Review

Title: The Angriest Man in Brooklyn

Release: May 23, 2014

Director: Phil Alden Robinson

Writer: Daniel Taplitz

Characters: Henry Altmann (Robin Williams), Sharon Gill (Mila Kunis), Bette Altmann (Melissa Leo), Aaron Altmann (Peter Dinklage)

The Angriest Man in Brooklyn is a 2014 American dramedy film directed by Phil Alden Robinson. The film stars the late Robin Williams as Henry Altmann, who is mistakenly told by Dr. Sharon Gill (Kunis) that he has 90 minutes to live due to a brain aneurysm near the brain stem. As the patient races around the city, trying to right his wrongs, the doctor attempts to find him as he tries to find what he must do in the final moments of his life.

Inspired by the 1997 Israeli movie “The 92 Minutes of Mr. Baum,” in which actor-director Assi Dayan tried to imagine how the worst possible news could possibly bring out the best in someone, this schmaltzy remake from “Field of Dreams” helmer Phil Alden Robinson (directing his first film since 2002’s “The Sum of All Fears”) seems to fancy itself a Frank Capra-esque tearjerker. In one of two voiceover tracks, Henry enumerates all the things he can’t abide, at least one of which — delivered while he sits in traffic near New York’s Washington Square Park — casts into doubt whether this guy’s really a Brooklynite at all.

Instead of getting angrier (after all, he spent two hours waiting for the diagnosis), Henry storms out and starts re-prioritizing his final moments, treating the 90-minute estimate like a ticking clock. That’s far too little time for him to call up Queen Latifah and schedule a “Last Holiday” sequel, so Henry focuses on repairing what he can of his life “because in the end, family is all we have” — and because Henry wasn’t always so angry.

This we know courtesy of a 25-years-earlier opening scene, which depicts a much-happier Henry frolicking with his wife (Leo) and two sons in what looks like a TV commercial for one of those medications that’s not allowed to say what it cures. Somewhere along the way, Henry lost one of his children to a car accident (the film flashes back so that, as in the aforementioned “World’s Greatest Dad” scene, Williams can play the devastated dad receiving the news) and alienated the other (Hamish Linklater) by rejecting his dream of becoming a professional dancer.

It seems the only person with whom Henry remains close is his brother (Dinklage), whom he brusquely pushes aside to make amends with the others, while trying his best to maintain his temper. And because this whole melancholy adventure technically qualifies as a comedy, it’s safe to assume that every foreign-born cabbie (Daniel Raymont), stuttering shop clerk (James Earl Jones) and irritating traffic cop (Anthony Jabre) has been put in his way just to antagonize him.

Though much of the script borders on unbearable, compounded by “Juno” composer Mateo Messina’s tell-you-how-to-feel score, writer Daniel Taplitz manages to sneak in some poignant self-help aphorisms here and there. For the umpteenth time in his career, from “Dead Poets Society” to his recent “Boulevard,” Williams is finding another way to drive home what may as well be his mantra: carpe diem. As Henry contemplates what to put on his tombstone, Taplitz’s line may be a little clunky, but it works: “It’s not the dates that matter, it’s the dash.”

The only saving grace about this film is that there's a rarely dramatized but profoundly understandable emotion that "The Angriest Man in Brooklyn" conveys: the anticipation of regret. Robinson's film starts as a caustic comedy, and becomes a teary, life-affirming, and sentimental journey of a dying dad. A boisterous anger mismanagement road movie of sorts - if you count chasing all around Brooklyn back streets in part by hijacked taxi. With Robin Williams lending depth to a furiously flaky role, while Kunis plays doctor as guilt tripping femme fatale.

I personally didn't like the film; however, I rented this film because it was one of William's last films before he died. I figured "Why not?" Williams was one of my true inspirations and seeing him in this film was intense. Though the film was not favorable at all, Williams put on a great performance.

I give this film a 4.75/10. The film was not good and the storyline was all over the place, but the saving grace of Williams's role in the film made it worth while.

#Film Review #the angriest man in brooklyn #shane smith

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jestyrsfilmreviews · 10 years

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22 Jump Street, A Film Review and Analysis

Title: 22 Jump Street

Release Date: June 13, 2014

Directors: Phil Lord & Christopher Miller

Writers: Jonah Hill & Michael Bacall (Story)

Main Characters: Morton Schmidt (Jonah Hill), Greg Jenko (Channing Tatum), Ghost (Peter Stormare), Captain Dickson (Ice Cube)

22 Jump Street is a 2014 American action comedy film directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and is the sequel to the 2012 film 21 Jump Street based on the television series of the same name.

This film takes place two years after Schmidt (Hill) and Jenko's (Tatum) success in the 21 Jump Street program. They return to the streets chasing drug dealers. I died laughing (not literally) when Schmidt had to "get into character" (by that, he meant he disguised himself as a gringo with a spot-on Spanish accent).

They thought by going to actual college that they would be hunting down real criminals once again. However, unannounced to them, they were assigned to an online university, only looking for key words and phrases during online lectures that might give off any indication of any illegal crime happening around the city. Eventually, they come across the meeting time and location of another powerful gang in the docks. However, after failing in the pursuit of a group of dealers led by Ghost (Stormare), Deputy Chief Hardy (Nick Offerman) puts the duo back on the program to work for Captain Dickson (Ice Cube)—now located across the street at 22 Jump Street. Their assignment is to go undercover as college students and locate the supplier of a drug known as "WHYPHY" (pronounced "wi-fi") that killed a student photographed buying it on campus.

At college, Jenko quickly makes friends with a pair of jocks named Zook (Wyatt Russell) and Rooster (Jimmy Tatro), two football player fraternity members that become the prime suspects of the investigation. Jenko starts attending parties with the jocks who do not take as kindly to Schmidt. Meanwhile, Schmidt gets the attention of an art student, Maya (Amber Stevens), by feigning an interest in slam poetry. The two sleep together, to the disapproval of Maya's roommate Mercedes (Jillian Bell), and it is revealed that Maya is the daughter of...

.

Wait for it...

...Captain Dickson. Despite sleeping together, Maya tells Schmidt not to take it seriously, and he starts to feel left out as Jenko bonds more and more with Zook who encourages him to join the football team.

Schmidt and Jenko visit Mr Walters (Rob Riggle) and Eric (Dave Franco) in jail for advice on how to look for the WHYPHY supplier. Walters notices a unique tattoo on the arm of the dealer in the photograph and insists that if they find the tattoo, they will have found their man. Whilst hanging out with Zook and Rooster, Jenko notices that Rooster does not have the tattoo but sees it on Zook's arm. Schmidt and Jenko are invited to join the fraternity led by the jocks but Schmidt refuses, furthering the tension between the two. At a counseling session, they realize that perhaps Zook was buying the drugs rather than selling them, and soon after find Ghost and his men on campus. A chase ensues and Ghost once again evades the pair. Jenko reveals to Schmidt that he's been offered a football scholarship with Zook and is unsure whether or not he wants to continue to be a police officer. Schmidt decides for him by telling officers on the scene that Jenko had nothing to do with the melee caused by the chase. Immediately afterwards, Schmidt moves out of the dorm and Maya finds out who he really is and leaves him. Dr. Murphy (Marc Evan Jackson), a psychology professor who they visit early in the film, is deemed the supplier when traces of WHYPHY are found in his office. He is subsequently arrested and the case closed.

Schmidt, back on park patrol, realizes Ghost pays tuition for one of the students at the university after looking in the case file. Jenko spots WHYPHY circulating on campus again and determines the real supplier, still at large, will go down to Puerto Mexico on Spring Break to spread the drug to other schools. Jenko asks Schmidt for help so that the two can have one final mission together, and the pair head to the beach where Ghost is likely to be dealing WHYPHY. Inside a bar, they find Mercedes, revealed to be Ghost's daughter, as the supplier giving instructions to other dealers. They also find out their old roommates, nicknamed the Twins, are also in on the deal. The pair, backed up by Dickson, ambush the meeting and give chase as they flee. Mercedes is able to handcuff Dickson and take him hostage, pursued by Schmidt. Meanwhile, Jenko goes after Ghost. After a fist fight with Mercedes, Schmidt is held at gunpoint by her but Maya (who happens to be on break at the same location) sneaks up and knocks her out. Schmidt goes to help Jenko who is now on the roof of a high-rise hotel in pursuit of Ghost, who shoots Jenko in the shoulder once again. Ghost attempts to escape in a helicopter and Jenko jumps across to it but struggles to hold on with his injured arm. Schmidt makes the same jump and the two fall into the sea, but not before Jenko is able to throw a grenade into the helicopter, killing Ghost. Back on land, Jenko tells Schmidt that he still wants to be a police officer as he believes their differences help their partnership, and the two reconcile in front of a cheering crowd. Dickson approaches them claiming to have a new mission undercover at a med school.

During the credits, a series of mock sequels and vignettes are shown depicting the two going undercover in various places, such as culinary school, dance academy, flight school, seminary (in which Schmidt is played by Seth Rogendue to a "contract dispute"), and space camp (2121 Jump Street). Detective Booker (Richard Grieco) returns in Jump Street Generations, and Ghost is revealed to have survived the explosion, returning in 34 Jump Street: Return of the Ghost. A fictional franchise is also born from the events of the film, including an animated series, video games, and toys.

This film was filled with a ton of laughs and twists. I urge you all...if you haven't yet seen this film, watch it! 8.5/10!

#film review #22 jump street #shane smith #film analysis

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jestyrsfilmreviews · 10 years

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Mean Creek, A Brief Review

Title: Mean Creek

Release Date: January 15, 2004

Director: Jacob Aaron Estes

Writer: Jacob Aaron Estes

Main Characters: Sam (Rory Culkin), George (Josh Peck), Marty (Scott Mechlowicz), Rocky (Trevor Morgan), Millie (Carly Schroeder), Clyde (Ryan Kelley)

Mean Creek is a 2004 American independent drama film written and directed by Jacob Aaron Estes. The film stars Rory Culkin as a young and shy kid named Sam who got beaten up by a dyslexic boy named George (Peck).

The plot is as follows: Sam admits to his brother, Rocky (Morgan), that he got beaten up after he picked up George's video camera while George was filming himself playing basketball. Rocky devises a plan to exact revenge on George and recruits his friends, Clyde (Kelley) and Marty (Mechlowicz), to assist him with his plan. Part of the prank entails taking George on a boating trip to celebrate Sam's birthday party. The ultimate joke, in their opinion, will be when they get him to strip in a game of truth or dare, then make him run home naked. Sam invites his girlfriend Millie (Schroeder) along. He does not tell her the plan until they arrive near the river. Millie refuses to continue until Sam promises that he will call the plan off, which Sam agrees to do. Sam tells his brother to stop, and Rocky tells his friends what Sam has conveyed to him. Although Clyde has no problem with it, Marty is very reluctant to not go through with the plan. Throughout the trip, George attempts clumsily to fit in with the others by telling jokes, which the other members of the group do not find amusing. The group soon realizes that although George is annoying, he is very lonely and just wants to be accepted.On the boat, Marty goes against the others by starting a game of truth or dare, though the rest decide to go along. After George shoots Marty with a water gun in good fun, George makes a funny quip about Marty's father, not remembering that it is a sore subject. This sets Marty off, who tells George the whole plan and starts to ridicule him.Angered and humiliated, George launches into a vulgar tirade against everyone else on the boat, ending by crudely mocking Marty's dead father. Marty snaps and Rocky, in an attempt to stop the fight, accidentally pushes George off the boat. Unable to swim, George struggles to remain afloat in the water. As the others regard the scene in horror, George accidentally hits his head with his video camera and does not come to the surface. Rocky dives into the water but is unable to find George. Minutes later, George appears face down in the shallow water close to the shore. Rocky exhorts the others to help him bring George to shore, where Millie gives him CPR. The effort is in vain as George is dead and it is apparent that he cannot be revived. Scared that they will face the consequences, the kids decide to bury the body where no one could find it.

This film was, without a doubt, a surprisingly good movie. Casting was on point, cinematography was great, and the dialogue was excellently written. I was even surprised to see Josh Peck, of Drake and Josh fame, as a dyslexic bully who was alone and wanted to be accepted. I feel like that this reflects in a lot of bullies in our lives because they just to feel accepted and surrounded by friends because their home lives are terrible.

I was actually looking forward to a happy ending, where Sam and George become good friends and George would be able to follow his dream: make a movie about his life. But sadly, we can't always get what we want because there was none. George drowns and he has his body buried deep in the forest.

I think this film is VASTLY underrated in terms of its fanbase. I urge everybody to see this film because it deserves to be recognized. Knowing that this film was only shown at Sundance and Cannes, and had a limited release, made me really disappointed because I would have loved to see it in theaters.

8/10!

#shane smith #small film review #mean creek

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jestyrsfilmreviews · 10 years

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Her, A Brief Review

Title: Her

Release Date: October 13, 2013 (NYFF); December 18, 2013 (Theaters)

Director: Spike Jonze

Writer: Spike Jonze

Main Characters: Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Pheonix), Samantha (Scarlett Johansson), Amy (Amy Adams), Catherine (Rooney Mara), Amelia (Olivia Wilde)

Her is a 2013 American comedy-drama film that was written, produced, and directed by Spike Jonze.The film stars Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, and Scarlett Johansson as the voice of Samantha. The film centers on a man who develops a relationship with an intelligent computer operating system with a female voice and personality. It marks Jonze's solo screenwriting debut.

I have heard my Film professor, Rob Rector, talking about this particular movie for a week or two about this film and he talked about how beautifully written and portrayed this movie was. I didn't see it in theaters because at the time, I did not have any money to see it; so I did the next best thing: rent it through Redbox. And I have to say, this was well worth the $1.53 renting.

It follows a lonely man (Phoenix) who works at an OS facility and forms a relationship with a female-voiced OS system, who names itself "Samantha" (Johansson) Theodore is fascinated by her ability to learn and grow psychologically. They bond over their discussions about love and life, such as when Theodore explains that he is avoiding signing his divorce papers because of his reluctance to let go of Catherine (Mara). Samantha proves to be constantly available, always curious and interested, supportive and undemanding. He does this because of the fact that he was unhappy because of his impending divorce from childhood sweetheart Catherine.

Later on in the film, Theodore is convinced by Samantha to go on a blind date with a woman (Olivia Wilde) his friend has been trying to set him up with. To his surprise, he and the woman hit it off. As they are kissing, the woman asks if Theodore is willing to commit to another date with her, and when he hesitates, she leaves. Theodore mentions this to Samantha and they talk about relationships. Theodore explains that although he and Amy (Amy Adams) dated briefly in college, they are only good friends and Amy is married. Theodore and Samantha's intimacy grows through a verbal sexual encounter during which Samantha claims she can feel his touch. They develop a relationship, which reflects positively in Theodore's writing.

Knowing that this film takes place in the year 2025 (Where technology exponentially improved) made it pretty interesting to watch. It really kept me interested because it made me think, "Is this what the future holds for us? Will we have any interactivity with technology, like video games and hold conversations with our OS systems, in the near future?"

Through some of the research, Spike Jonze took five months to write the first draft of his script and IMMEDIATELY envisioned that Phoenix was the first choice. I can see why: Phoenix is a great actor.

"Her" received widespread critical acclaim. The film was praised for its direction, screenplay, production design, score and Scarlett Johansson's vocal portrayal of Samantha. Jonze's screenplay earned many Best Screenplay awards in 2013 and 2014, including the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

I have absolutely loved this movie from start to finish. I can see why my Film professor loved this movie: it's filled with laughs, the cinematography is great, the story is amazing; I urge everyone to see this film if they ever get the chance to. Start to finish, beginning to end, this film is a masterpiece. 10/10!

#shane smith #brief film review #her #her movie

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jestyrsfilmreviews · 10 years

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I, Frankenstein, A Brief Review

Title: I, Frankenstein

Release Date: January 24, 2014

Director: Stuart Beattie

Writer: Kevin Grevioux

Main Characters: Adam Frankenstein (Aaron Eckhart), Prince Naberius (Bill Nighy), Terra Wade (Yvonne Strahovski), Leonore (Miranda Otto), Gideon (Jai Courtney), Dekar (Kevin Grevioux)

I, Frankenstein is a 2014 American fantasy action film written and directed by Stuart Beattie and based on the graphic novel by Kevin Grevioux.

Among many ratings, this film had received mainly negative reviews, stating that the graphic novel of the same name had given away some of the major plot points in the film, which really got to me. So I decided to buy the graphic novel on my Kindle (Because I love reading graphic novels and comics) while watching the movie and I have to say, I see what they're saying. I absolutely hated it. It copied almost everything from the graphic novel, just like 2009's Watchmen (which was really notorious on their part, giving it generally negative reviews, as well).

The choice of casting was absolutely dreadful. Casting Aaron Eckhart (who more notably portrayed Harvey Dent/Two-Face in 2008's The Dark Knight) as Adam Frankenstein was an alright choice, but I would have casted someone more suited for the role (e.g. Arnold Schwarzeneggar). Even casting Bill Nighy (who more notably portrayed as Barbossa in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise) as Prince Naberius was an absolutely bad move.

As I was watching the film, I couldn't help but cringe at the film's CGI. A lot of people nowadays say that today's CGI is better than it was "x" amount of years ago, where I think it's vice versa. CGI back in the day (when I wasn't even born yet, but I watched some old films where the CGI was "bad" according to some colleagues of mine) was revolutionary and today's CGI is constantly trying to up the ante, but filmmakers are absolutely trying too hard.

In terms of plot, as said before, it was copied straight from the graphic novel (NO! BAD DIRECTOR! BAD! NO!).

In terms of the film's score, it is very pleasing to the ears. THIS was the only good thing about the film. The composers of the film, Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek, had composed very great music that made me think that this film was worth giving it a second chance...but I was wrong. The music was great, but I didn't give a damn about the actual film itself. The music was on point.

I would not recommend anyone to see this film, let alone some of my friends who are into this sort of thing. I feel like it's safe to say that this film was not worth the $11.50 I paid to see this film in theaters nor the $1.53 to rent it from Redbox. But if anyone is a fan of movies ripped off from the original text, by all means...go for it.

If I would give this a professional score out of 10, I'd give it a 2/10. No questions asked. I was thoroughly disappointed and I wish I hadn't spent the $11.50 to see the film in theaters. The music, again, was great...but it just could not save the film from its own demise, even though it barely did get back its budget money (Which its budget was $65 million, breaking even and making a profit of $6.1 million).

#shane smith #small review #Film Review #i frankenstein

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jestyrsfilmreviews · 10 years

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Video Game High School, A Brief Review

Title: Video Game High School

Release Date: May 11, 2012

Director: Brandon Laatsch (season 1); Matthew Arnold (season 2-present)

Writers: Matthew Arnold, Will Campos, and Brian Firenzi

Main Characters: BrianD (Josh Baylock), Jenny Matrix (Johanna Braddy), The Law (Brian Firenzi), Ki Swan (Ellary Porterfield), Mary Matrix (Cynthia Watros), Ted Wong (Jimmy Wong)

Video Game High School is an action-comedy web series from Rocket Jump Studios. It was written by Matthew Arnold, Will Campos and Brian Firenzi and directed by Matthew Arnold, Brandon Laatsch and Freddie Wong. The series stars Josh Blaylock as protagonist BrianD, Jimmy Wong as Ted Wong, Ellary Porterfield as Ki Swan, Johanna Braddy as Jenny Matrix, and Brian Firenzi as The Law. Rocket Jump Studios describes the series as "a show about best friends, first loves, and landing that perfect head shot."

The series is set in the near future where video gaming elevates its best players to stardom by its position as the world's most popular competitive sport. Video Game High School (VGHS) is an elite and prestigious facility which teaches a curriculum of video games of all genres.

The show's protagonist, BrianD (Baylock), gains entry to the school after unknowingly defeating "The Law" (Firenzi), an international first-person shooter star, on live television. The show follows BrianD and the friends (Wong and Porterfield) and enemies he makes at the school, playing on standard tropes of school dramas with a video game backdrop.

The show uses live-action scenes with the characters to show action within the games. The games depicted are inventions of the show, the first-person shooter depicted is named Field of Fire.

Video Game High School is co-created by Freddie Wong, Will Campos, Brian Firenzi and Matt Arnold. In addition to acting as showrunner, Matt is also a writer, along with Will Campos and Brian Firenzi (founder of 5secondfilms.com). The series is based on a concept by Will Campos and Chris Pappavaselio. The team found funding for the series through Kickstarter, where they set a funding goal for $75,000 to be raised in a 30 day period. That amount was quickly pledged in less than 24 hours and continued to climb from there. On October 22, 2011, pledging came to a close. A total of $273,725 was raised for the project from 5,661 backers.

The team at Rocket Jump chose a webseries as the medium because they "strongly believe the foundations for the future of digitally distributed content will be laid by webseries". Production began in mid-October, with the project finishing in early 2012. Principal photography for the film began on October 25, and ended in late November. The final four days of shooting took place at the Eagle Mountain iron mine and Mojave Desert. Post-production started shortly after and ended in early 2012. The trailer for the series premiered on YouTube on May 11 on freddiew's channel.

Later, the show was edited into a two-hour long movie and released on other mediums, including DVD, Blu-ray,iTunes and Netflix.

Season 1 episodes were released in May, June, and July 2012, first on the Rocket Jump website, and a week later on YouTube channel "freddiew." People who pledged to the project's fundraiser received HD digital downloads and DVDs. The Kickstarter fundraiser for season 2 ended in February 2013 with the project more than sufficiently funded. The second season was released in July and August 2013. In July 2013 Freddie Wong said that a third season was being worked on, and filming began in March 2014.

Normally, stuff like this would belong on sites like YouTube and Vimeo. Why it wasn't put on TV? I'll never know. I implore everyone to go see this web series if they already haven't. Start with the first season's first episode and make your way through both seasons. I, on the other hand, will be waiting very patiently for Season 3.

Great web series, great cast, great crew, great storyline; EVERYTHING about this show is great! 10/10

#shane smith #short review #small film review #small web series review #vghs

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