I cannot praise Bates Motel enough for the way it weaves its storytelling (or Vera Farmiga for being Vera Farmiga).  Last week things ended dramatically and with a huge question mark about how Sheriff Romero and the local police would handle everything that went down at the Bates Motel.  Further, what kind of truth would Norma spin or try to hide before they got there?  The answer this week is: none.  Like last week where the Bates all came clean to one another, Norma finally dropped the act and put all of her faith in Sheriff Romero, telling him the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  What came of it?  Nothing.  For now.  Hit the jump for why you should never expect stray dogs to understand commands.

Director Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) turned in one of the year’s most stunning visual epics with his adaptation of Life of Pi and was rewarded with an Oscar for his work.  Now you can enjoy the beautiful spectacle and powerful message of the story in the comfort of your own home with the movie’s release on Blu-ray.  Life of Pi is one of those rare films where the 3D component actually complements the viewing experience in a noticeable way, which is why it’s drawn comparisons to James Cameron’s Avatar.  This description works just fine on a superficial level, but Life of Pi has so much more to offer; new discoveries both on screen and embedded within the story make repeat watching a rather rewarding experience.  Hit the jump for my review of Life of Pi on Blu-ray.

Christopher Guest is one of a kind.  The writer/director/producer/actor carved out a niche of his own in the filmmaking community with the brilliant 1984 comedy This Is Spinal Tap, directed by Rob Reiner, and went on to helm a string of comedy hits himself in his distinctive “mockumentary” vein.  Though all of his films have something great and unique to offer, there’s something particularly special about 2000’s Best in Show.  The film’s characters are ridiculous and at times loathesome, but there’s a sincerity to the picture that prevents things from ever becoming too cynical.  The result is a delightfully hilarious comedy classic.  Hit the jump for my review of Best in Show on Blu-ray.

Entitlement is a central facet of the American Dream. If you work hard, you should be rewarded. We believe we live in a meritocracy despite all evidence to the contrary. In some walks of life, you can get out what you put in. It’s a truth in exercise, and it’s mostly been a truth for the films of Michael Bay. He is a director completely without subtlety and grace, and is one of the most financially successful directors in American history. His films are cinematic excess in their purest form; indifferent to story and character, they have disgustingly large budgets pumped in and grandiose spectacle pumped out. His new film, Pain & Gain, may not have the funds of his recent blockbusters, but it wholeheartedly shares the cocky and reckless spirit of his controversial oeuvre. Sympathetic to his meathead protagonists, Bay has crafted a picture that is energetic, fun, and almost too large for life.

During our recent set visit to Pixar Animation Studios for Monsters University, we were treated to the first 40 minutes of footage from the film.  This first act had the task of reintroducing audiences to younger – and less mature – versions of Mike Wazowski (voiced by Billy Crystal) and James “Sulley” Sullivan (voiced by John Goodman).  The majority of this time was spent allowing viewers to acclimate themselves to these new looks at familiar characters; it isn’t until nearly the end of the first act that a host of new characters are introduced by their names and individually bizarre personality traits.  While I had some reservations about a Monsters, Inc. prequel heading into the visit, this footage preview turned me right around and got me excited for the full film; I can’t wait to see it!  Hit the jump for more and be aware that spoilers follow.

It ain’t easy taking a popular cult film and adapting it into a successful TV series (emphasis on successful), but the advent of alternative digital platforms such as Netflix and Hulu are opening up more possibilities.  Enter Amazon and it’s Zombieland series pilot.  The series comes from Zombieland screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick and stars Tyler Ross (Milkshake) as Columbus, Maiara Walsh (Switched at Birth) as Wichita, Izabela Vidovic (Help for the Holidays) as Little Rock, and Kirk Ward (Fully Loaded) as Tallahassee.  Reese and Wernick are hoping for a 13-episode first season, but if this pilot is any indication, then they’ll be struggling to abide by Rule #33: Keep Hope Alive.  Hit the jump for my review.

Today, Netflix released all 13 episodes of its new original horror series Hemlock Grove, based on the novel of the same name by Brian McGreevy and produced by Eli Roth.  After the critical success of the subscription platform’s House of Cards series, it’s easy to see why viewers would be excited for the next offering.  Hemlock Grove though is worlds away from House of Cards, and while many outlets have slammed the series as being practically unwatchable, I actually have to give it credit for a few things despite its larger flaws.  Put it in the category of “guilty pleasure.”  And, actually, it manages to have a little something for everyone, even those who aren’t horror genre fans.  Hit the jump for more.

While I’m a fan of the wackier side of sci-fi shows airing on the SyFy network (Eureka, Warehouse 13), the more dramatic actioner Continuum came as a welcome surprise.  Focusing on a futuristic cop – Protector Kiera Cameron (Rachel Nichols) – who finds herself thrown back in time 65 years to our present day, Continuum explores what happens to the future when events are changed in the past.  The series, created by Simon Barry, could easily have fallen victim to anachronistic gags and time-travel tropes.  Instead, smart writing, fast-paced action and an increasingly complicated plot make Continuum a show worthy of binge watching in a weekend.

Hit the jump for my review of season one of Continuum on Blu-ray.

When science fiction wants to present thoughtful subtext, it can’t go broad.  The freedom to construct a world has to come down to precise themes.  The world can be derivative (or “inspired by” if you want to be charitable), and the themes can be universal, but they have to be cohesive.  In casting a wide net for influences, Joseph Kosinski‘s Oblivion mashes-up the ideas from better movies, and doesn’t put them towards abstraction or ambiguity, but towards ambivalence.  The film is more concerned with its gorgeous visuals and rousing score while the emotions become lost in a shuffle of reveals and fragmented ideas.

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger were a cinematic match made in heaven.  The duo began collaborating on movies in 1939, and worked together off and on for over three decades.  Though their films were credited to both as the writers, directors and producers, Powell was more of the director of the two, while Pressburger was the writer.  Though their works have been spotlighted by the Criterion collection since they started making laserdiscs, they are the sort of filmmakers that will never be as well known as David Lean or Danny Boyle, but are arguably among the best – if not the best – filmmakers that England ever produced.  1943’s The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is a strong contender for their greatest film.  Criterion has just released it on Blu-ray and our review follows after the jump.

There have been many attempts to marry the TV and gaming worlds with interactive features that encourage viewers to immerse fully in a fantasy universe.  Most don’t take.  But the Syfy channel and game developer Trion Worlds are betting big — like a reported $100 million big — that their collaboration of science fiction TV show and first person shooter MMO will turn out to be a hit.

Defiance is set a mere 33 years in the future, where humans now live side by side with a number of alien races.  The world looks exceptionally different than it does now, with alien technology augmenting our science, and something called the “Pale Wars” destroying much of the planet.  St. Louis, it turns out, is one of the only refuges of civilization left, but those within its gated walls still have plenty to fear.  Hit the jump for more on this new series, and whether it’s worth a watch.

Has everyone recovered from the Mad Men premiere?  So many mixed emotions this week about that double-dose first episode this season — some great moments, but a dark way to open the new season.  This week though, “Collaborators” settled back down into the show we maybe expect it to be.  We actually spent some time in the Sterling Cooper Draper (Pryce?) offices, and were treated therein to a Reverse Don effect.  There was still plenty of Don staring off into the past and into keyholes (Jon Hamm directed this episode and did an admirable job) and lots of questions about the future, but we also got a healthy dose of office politics and another comparison of Pete’s life versus Don’s.  Hit the jump for why “if you come within 50 feet of this house and so much as open your fly to urinate, I will destroy you.”

Reading the description of a film–and I’m not just talking the marketing spin, but even an honest informative blurb–oftentimes results in false preconceptions about a movie.  That Obscure Object of Desire is just such a film.  “Consumed by his obsessive desire to possess her, his feelings progressively change from overflowing passion to a self-destructive hatred,” inspires visions in tone (if not in content) along the lines of Fatal Attraction.  Not so.

That having been said, such preconceptions did not destroy my enjoyment of the film at all.

Something about Da Vinci’s Demons, a new 8-part Starz miniseries, felt very familiar as I was watching its first two episodes.  The handsome, fit young man, the flowing blouse (chest always exposed), the leather “tunic” that really just looks like a regular modern leather jacket, a portrait of a genius as a young, lusty rogue — yes, I’ve got it: it’s Shakespeare In Love!  Tom Riley, as Leonardo da Vinci, is particularly reminiscent of Joseph Fiennes in his portrayal of a young and lusty William Shakespeare, and it’s neither a wholly good or wholly bad thing.  Hit the jump for my preview of this upcoming drama (which is worth a watch) and why, as it says, “history is a lie.”

[This is a re-post of my review from the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.  Disconnect opens today in limited release.]

Modern technology has radically changed the way we interact socially. Go stand in a line, and I guarantee at least a few people will have whipped out their smartphones and are happily ignoring the world around them. We don’t call anymore; we text as if that were the same as a discussion. As author, psychologist, and MIT professor Sherry Turkle recently noted in a New York Times editorial this past April, “we have sacrificed conversation for mere connection.” Henry Alex Rubin‘s Disconnect ignores this contemporary issue, and sacrifices worthwhile social commentary for mere cautionary tales. Disconnect has all the dramatic weight of a driver’s education video, but then pads its thin plots with three loosely-connected narratives, two of which feature character actions so ludicrous that the movie becomes almost completely disconnected from reality.