Requested by my friend and entrepreneur extraordinaire, Callye Keen. FInd him on Instagram @callyekeen
How I or you feel about any piece of art doesn’t determine the worth of that art or provide any conclusive commentary on whether said art is “good.” Art in any form be it music, paintings, television or chalk on a sidewalk derives its meaning from the emotional response it elicits. That all being said, and I will arrive at my point very soon, I have an entirely self-inflicted responsibility to provide my skewed and semi-interesting view on movies and television. And my opinion of Rocky IV is that I smile to ear to ear every time I see it, I’ll never tire of Rocky versus Drago, and the soundtrack helps me to push myself when I’m jogging. I’d say about a quarter of the movie is training montage and I’m 100% OK with that. Stallone knows his audience and he gives them what they want. It’s admirable. Ivan Drago is larger than life, extremely dangerous and compassionless in his dedication to crushing anyone stupid enough to face him. He’s the perfect foil for Rocky. Even before Creed II humanized Drago I sensed he was a victim of the unbearable pressure his God-given talent and size afforded him. That he shows a complete lack of remorse after killing Apollo balances it out and fills up his mustache-twirling-villain ledger. We all have a list of movies that once started we feel compelled to finish. Rocky IV does it for me every time. I don’t see why anyone would go out of their way to criticize a movie that sets a goal for itself and accomplishes it with stunning accuracy.
I can make a case that Drago hitting the mat is the most stunning and satisfying overcome-the-odds moment in sports movie history. The earlier moment when Rocky first cuts him cuts deep for the viewer also. 10 out of 10.
Requested by a member of the Facebook Quick Community.
Can we get a movie with just Gosling and the anthropomorphic cigarette smoking bumblebee from his dreams? My totally out of context intro serves to illustrate that everything Gosling does is eminently watchable whereas Russell Crowe…not so much. I’m not saying Crowe is a bad actor, he’s quite good, only that I can’t recall a Gosling role I didn’t like whereas with Crowe it begins with Gladiator and drops precipitously from there. All said, the two have solid chemistry and the 1977 setting is an interesting neon-tinged backdrop. And the wardrobes, oh the wardrobes. I couldn’t dress as cool as these two if I tried. I also loved seeing Kim Basinger again. Can we get more roles for Basinger? Hopefully her agent sees this. Real Quick: The highlight for me was the sweet but strained relationship between Gosling and his daughter. She knows he is a badly flawed man and loves him anyway. We could learn a thing or two from her.
Requested by my friend and cosplay extraordinaire, VegasPG. Find her on instagram @VegasPG
Sword-fighting demon puppets? Sign me up. The Dark Crystal is a fairly simple fantasy tale of Good versus Evil. That which elevates it to such beloved status within its genre is Jim Henson’s singular, otherworldly ability to create believable worlds that aren’t really there and to do it all in-camera. Henson is legendary for a reason. The character designs are all variations of interesting, beautiful, nightmarish or haunting and each puppet moves as differently as individual humans do. The film smacks of similarly toned fantasy classic The Neverending Story in being targeted at least partially to children while providing a smattering of unnerving sequences terrifying in their own right. I've watched the film just once and the imagery is seared into my brain forever. The immersion and attention to detail is so overwhelming you truly forget you are watching animatronics after a few minutes. Each puppet and their animations drip with real life dread and seem hostile and dangerous. Sesame Street this is not. Experiencing The Dark Crystal in present day makes one wonder why filmmakers have largely abandoned puppets (I know - it sounds quaint just typing the word). Could they achieve the same results more cheaply and believably with practical in-camera effects a la Predator, Aliens and this film? Necessity is truly the mother of invention. Rest in Peace, Jim.
The Dark Crystal is a visual feast and timeless fantasy classic just as mesmerizing today as it was almost 40 years ago. It receives a score of 8.5/10 for general audiences and 9.5/10 for fantasy aficionados.
Coming soon!
Coming soon!
Coming soon!