I love how Steven Spielberg continues to skirt expectations from his core fanbase by providing them with films that are mature and often times thought provoking. Where in “Lincoln” could have been another hollow biography about one of the greatest presidents of the United States, he transforms it in to an intellectual exercise and exploration in to the most important event in American history. “Lincoln” is a beat by beat relaying of the events before and during the passing of the Emancipation Proclamation and how the passing would come to affect everyone within the inner circle of Abraham Lincoln. “Lincoln” is mostly a look in to the seething fear of the American status quo whom spent most of their time worrying how freeing the slaves would affect their own luxuries and lot in life. The irony of the conflict is that most of the men featured were against the bill passed because they worried the African Americans would soon become an equal voice in America thus turning the white man in to a minority.
Tag Archives: L
Les Misérables (2012)
Sadly, I’ve never been to the iconic musical of “Les Miserables,” nor have I ever seen any of the previous adaptations of the Victor Hugo novel. I’ve also never read the novel. In actuality the most I’ve ever seen or known about “Les Miserables” is through an episode of “Animaniacs” where a condensed version of the musical was adapted through animated cats and dogs. When you’re through laughing at me, I like to think that not being knowledgeable about the material gives me somewhat of a different perspective. I’ve seen fans of the musical bash the film for missing the point, and vice versa. As for my thoughts on Tom Hooper’s 2012 adaptation, director Tom Hooper’s adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel is an often breathtaking and compelling bit of epic musical that kept me considerably compelled and entertained from the moment it began.
Let's Make a Movie (2012)
In order for “Let’s Make a Movie” to be half as good as it is, it really had to cast the right performer for the character of Cassie Thompson, and director Elana A. Mudgan accomplishes that task with Hallie York. Granted, “Let’s Make a Movie” is a really good and entertaining dramedy about the obstacles of filmmaking, but Hallie York really is the heart and soul of the film. On surface level, York doesn’t seem like a polished actress, but York really manages to carry the film with her portrayal of the troubled and conflicted young Cassie, who is struggling to find a direction in her life. Badgered by her parents to find something useful to do with her life, Cassie quits her job to work on an indie film that she is convinced will grant her success as a film director.
LOL (2012)
In vogue bright eyed teen stars are a dime a dozen in America, and they have a shorter shelf life than a can of beans. Often times a teen star can rise and fade before anyone even remembers their name, and it’s a struggle to fight for career success beyond being young and beautiful. What’s worse is teen stars are more and more presenting talent and aren’t the manufactured product that Disney keeps churning out. Miley Cyrus has shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that, like most teen Disney stars the studio churns out year after year, she’s pretty much fading in to the background.
The Lord of the G-Strings: The Femaleship of the String (2003)
I still don’t quite understand the appeal of Seduction Cinema. Hell, even I find the movies they release to be entertaining and appealing. The women are hot, sure, but this is the age of the internet where pictures and videos of hot women are at your finger tips in seconds. And surely there are more hardcore films out there with hotter women. Surely, it can’t be the sex scenes since all of the sequences involve light kissing and mild petting. Watching a movie from Seduction Cinema is akin to getting your crotch rubbed over thick pants.
Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day (2012)
Zeppelin is thankfully not a band that has spent many years announcing their retirement only to return a few years later for a revival tour. When they perform it’s a special occasion, because they rarely ever get together to jam. When they’re together, they make magic, and you know it may never happen again. Since the death of John Bonham, the surviving members of Zeppelin have spent years hesitant to try to re-capture the magic that was Led Zeppelin, so they don’t make it a habit of re-uniting and continuing on. In 2007, the band came together to perform at the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert for a rare line up of some of their greatest and most rocking tunes ever recorded, and took it upon themselves to make it available to fans.
Lego Star Wars: The Padawan Menace (2011)
Wow. That’s all I can say right now. Wow. “Lego Star Wars” is good. Really good. In fact it’s quite great. It’s funny. It’s witty. It’s clever. And in many ways it’s brilliant. Sure it’s Lego propaganda meant for the kids, but there’s so much humor that will be accessible to Star Wars geeks, that it’s tough not to enjoy this. This is one of the finest examples of “Star Wars” satire that I’ve seen since “Robot Chicken.” Basically, the premise is as simple as it can get. Yoda is on a field trip with a group of Jedi Padawans and on their last stop of the trip, they visit the Galactic Senate to see how the political system works.