After doing full career retrospectives on Michael Mann and Quentin Tarantino last year, it didn’t take long to figure out whose directorial career the Aftertaste was going to tackle next. An influencer, and someone whose films can be dissected to death, Christopher Nolan is someone who has a firm grasp on what kind of vision he wants to display. From Batman to focused World War II stories, Nolan has certainly run the gamut of what kind of stories he has to tell. But with the only Nolan related things covered in this podcast being his Dark Knight Trilogy, as well as him having a film called Tenet scheduled to come out this summer, we felt it was time to tackle the rest of his career. So join myself, Jack, and Matt as we look at what his career outside of the cowl has consisted of, while leading up to a review of Tenet.
While not a huge hit with us, Insomnia impressed execs enough to give him the keys to their biggest franchise. Although the two Joel Schumacher films left a bad taste in the mouths of fans, there was still an urge from Warner Bros to let their new wunderkind director run wild with the Caped Crusader. But will a man who had near zero experience with action scenes have enough gusto to take Batman to never before seen heights?
Join Matt, Jack, and myself as we do the podcast we said we wouldn’t do as Jack and I covered the Nolan Trilogy a few years ago. But listener requests along with us wanting to let Matt run wild with his opinions on made us think twice. Does it create conflict? Listen to find out!
This week we take a look at the somewhat overlooked Werner Herzog film Rescue Dawn. One of Christian Bale’s notable early performances, and based on a true story, the guys dive into one of the more contentious conversations we have hosted on Movie Homework. What works, what doesn’t, and why is everyone talking about shitting their pants so often? Download now to find out!
For the first retrospective of 2019, I wanted to take the Aftertaste into realms it hadn’t been in. Yes we have covered a variety of franchises and film series. But one thing we haven’t done is focus on the resume of one filmmaker and one filmmaker only. Who better to do this with than the master of the ‘ultimate man film’, Michael Mann. With a wide variety of films and a meticulous style that has attempted to be replicated but has never been duplicated, Mann presents quite a set of films to look at. In order to do so, we once again brought in Michael Guarnieri from the Hannibal Lecter Retrospective to do what he had originally contacted me to do to begin with. A Michael Mann Retrospective.
Leaving the ego of Jamie Foxx far behind, Michael Mann returned to the big screen in 2009 with a film detailing the bank robberies of John Dillinger called Public Enemies. Now, he had the star power of Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, along with Oscar winner Marion Cotillard, at his side, and as a result gathered a $200 million hit. But is it any good?
Listen as myself, Mike, and Matt go down the final home stretch of Michael Mann’s career with the first of two podcasts this week. And be sure to sit through the bloopers as well, as Matt makes a dare that all Bingers should ensure he follows up on. Also, don’t forget to join us on Friday when our long awaited review of the film starring Mr Chris Hemsworth entitled Black Hat gets posted!
This column will introduce you to the most popular movies that are coming out in theaters this weekend.
What movie will you see?
Disneynature: Born in China
Who doesn’t love Disneynature docs? Oh you do?!?!?!? Then GTFO. Anyway, Born in China follows a panda bear, her cub, a golden monkey, a snow leopard, and her cubs. Not much else to say. John Krasinski narrates this nature doc, while Chuan Lu writes and directs. Lu has written and directed several Chinese films, however, this is his first documentary. Go see Born in China this weekend.
Free Fire
Boston. 1978. Two gangs set out to have a meeting in a warehouse, however, it soon turns into a shootout. Sounds like Bostonpalooza to me. Anyway, starring in this action thriller are Sharlto Copley, Armie Hammer, Cillian Murphy, Brie Larson, and more. The writer and director of this flick is Ben Wheatley. Wheatley wrote and directed Kill List as well as directed High-Rise and a segment for The ABC’s of Death. I believe someone called into the Binge with a review of this flick a couple weeks ago. Check out Free Fire this weekend.
The Promise
Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac. Need I say more? Fine. The Promise tells the story of a love triangle during the last days of the Ottoman Empire. Ugh. Also starring in this historical drama are Shohreh Aghdashloo (X-Men: The Last Stand), Angela Sarafyan (Westworld), James “that’ll do pig” Cromwell, Jean Reno, Michael Stahl-David (Cloverfield), and more. Writing and directing this film is Terry George. George has written In the Name of the Father, Hart’s War, and has directed Hotel Rwanda, and Reservation Road. Go check out this movie this weekend, however I can’t Promise that it’s good.
Unforgettable
An ex-wife decides to make life a living hell for her ex-husbands new wife. Geez, take it easy lady. Starring in this dramatic thriller are Rosario Dawson, Katherine Heigl, Geoff Stults (Wedding Crashers), and more. Denise Di Novi is the director of Unforgettable. Di Novi has only directed one episode of Bones, however, has been a producer in the film industry since the 80’s. Is this movie gonna be forgettable? Find out this weekend.
Here we are again, Bingers. Time to tackle a franchise for your listening pleasure. Though this time, we will be tackling two at a time. Sort of.
Let me explain where I’m coming from here. For our special lead in to Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, I decided to look at the two characters surrounding it by asking two other guys from the site, who also happen to be huge fans of their respected characters, to come on the Aftertaste and discuss them both at length.
First up, Batman. And doing the honors of dissecting this character with me is the New England Patriots loving, Pulp Fiction addict (cue echo) JACK VALLEY. Listen in as Jackie Boy and I go over each portion of Bats in his media conquering pedestal.
Some of the questions we go over here:
How did Jack become such a big fan of the character?
Just how big WAS Nicholson’s contract to appear in Batman, and why was he paid for movies he wasn’t even in?
How much does the Halle Berry starring Catwoman fit into the DC universe, if at all?
What does Batman ’66 have in common with Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises?
What is Jack’s LEAST favorite characterization of Bruce Wayne?
What is the biggest missed opportunity of Tim Burton’s two directed Batman films?
Who else was paid to NOT be in Batman Returns?
What does Batman & Robin have in common with The Dark Knight Rises?
Is the relationship between Wayne and Gordon in the Nolan films similar to how it was in the comics?
How’s Nolan’s characterization of Scarecrow?
What is the’George Bush Theory’ that surrounds The Dark Knight?
How do we feel Batman Vs Superman Dawn of Justice looks?
So click that little download button on the bottom of this page and get ready for a bat of a good time. Gross.
While thinking about the holiday season, who DOESN’T picture Christian Bale wielding an ax to the music of Huey Lewis & The News? Well, once again proving how alcohol inhibits their outlook on life, Garrett, Moreno, and Jason show that’s exactly what they think about as this week’s Binge Movie Aftertaste podcast welcomes actress and American Psycho screenwriter Guinevere Turner for an episode of laid back and drunken questioning which not only highlights her uniquely funny outlook on Hollywood life, but also provides the hosts with one of the coolest games ever invented by a guest.
The boys get things started by wasting absolutely no time in bringing up the disastrous experience Turner had while writing the script to the first Blood Rayne movie for none other than notorious director Uwe Boll. After touching on her first Comic Con experience from earlier this year, Turner spends some time discussing the script writing approach she took in penning the long in development hell screen adaptation for American Psycho. It is around this time in which Turner reveals a game she sometimes plays while watching movies called Swap The Canadian. Listen to find out why the hosts are aching to play.
They then move on to talk about Turner’s current projects. One is an acting gig in a movie called Crazy Bitches (trailer below), and the other is as writer of a film which details circumstances surrounding Charles Manson’s cult of followers. All this plus her friendship with Kevin Smith, the eight years in the making Notorious Betty Page, the purpose of fake Facebook accounts, a King (Queen) of Hollywood bit which is going to be awful tough to beat, and much more. So grab your favorite frosty beverage and listen to all the madness. Just don’t go psycho while doing so.
Chris Nolan is my boy. Through and through, I really believe he has one of the best film resumes out there right now, standing alongside Tarantino and PTA. While the former two innovate through their scripting, nostalgia and art-house film styles, Nolan has been taking the blockbuster and putting it on notice, even innovating in technical ways that other filmmakers scoff at. If there is one film in his oeuvre that has always bothered me, it’s been The Prestige. I remember seeing it on the big screen and calling the twist halfway through the film due to Nolan’s complete ignorance towards the lighting on a certain character in key scenes. Overall, I do really like The Prestige and believe the storytelling techniques at work, coupled with the quality of filmmaking Nolan is displaying combine for a really entertaining film, albeit with one severe misstep that forever tarnished my view of the film. I’ve always hated the ending of this movie, but not for the reasons you might think. I truly believe the ending to The Prestige is Nolan’s worst piece of writing, not from the actual physical nature of what’s being said, but rather the conclusion of the story and where the characters are left off by the ending. In order to properly explain this, I have to start at the beginning with a quick recap. So here goes:
MASSIVE SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT, PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK
The Prestige is the story, to me anyways, of two magicians competing for the spotlight and how that competition defined their lives, and ultimately dominated them. Their journeys take them down very different paths, but ultimately they both are proven to be two sides of the same coin. Angier, played by Hugh Jackman, is the more cunning, possibly more affable personality, clearly more focused on showmanship than actual craft. Borden, played by Christian Bale, lacks the showmanship but excels at the craft in ways Angier can’t quite wrap his head around. When we first meet these characters, they are audience marks for a magician, helping with an act where Angier’s wife, played by Piper Perabo, is tied to a line, hoisted over a tank of water and dropped in. After a minute, she is to escape, hence the trick. The second time we see this performed, it is suggested that Borden ties a different knot, thereby causing Angier’s wife to drown and starting the chain of events that continue to define the men through the years. It is here where the film, in my eyes, very clearly sets up Angier as the protagonist and Borden as the antagonist. However, the script pulls you back and forth so many times it’s difficult to determine who is in the right, even I will admit that, by the end of the film.
Through various circumstances, a lot happens in the interim. Angier becomes obsessed with getting a better trick than Borden, and Borden becomes obsessed with Angier’s tricks getting better. The two men’s obsessions get the better of them, as Angier wastes years, time and money trying to find the answers to the mystery of how Borden does his Transported Man trick, all the while Borden begins having trouble at home with his wife and newborn daughter. Eventually, Borden’s wife hangs herself because she believes she is living with two different men, referring to Borden’s continual mood swings. The truth to this is that she is living with two men, Borden and his double, created in Tesla’s machine. We learn in the final moments of the film that the two men shared each others’ lives, taking turns back and forth, to be the absolute best showmen they could be. Borden loses sight of the effect this has on his wife, and it leads to her death. This underscores Borden as the supreme asshole of the film. Not only did his actions lead to the death of his wife, they led to the death of Angiers’ wife years earlier. Beyond anything else, it’s difficult to get past these two pieces of the story and still root for Borden.
Now here’s where the film really gets me. Angier devises a plan, seen in the opening shots, to get Borden sent to prison. It works and he uses the psuedonym Lord Cordlow to buy up Borden’s tricks and adopt his daughter. In my mind, while this does seem a bit deviant, considering Borden’s transgressions I still side with Angier on this. Yes, taking a little girl’s father away is unspeakable, but so is leading to the murder of two women and causing a life to be irreconcilably damaged in the process. Angier planned on caring for her and giving her a good home, and I believe he would have. Michael Caine’s character, however, sees that this is what he’s done and takes steps to find out Borden’s copy is still alive and needs to reunite him with his daughter. And, of course, this happens, after Borden murders Angier. This is unapologetic bullshit. Asking an audience to get on one man’s side after this entire story is ridiculous and should have been handled differently. I would never make the case that Angier is the better man, as again, I believe the story pushes these characters beyond what any normal, good men would do, but to say that Borden gets to live happily ever after with Uncle Alfred and his daughter is fucking stupid. It’s a happy ending that makes no sense, and it never has. You know what ending would have made sense, though? A bullet catch.
Think about it for a minute. Angier’s final speech was all about the “looks on their faces”, and making the audience applaud. Angier, while driven by anger and guilt, wanted to make Borden pay for what he did, but Borden wanted and achieved the same against Angier. If the point of the story was about these men and their decades long struggle to be the better magician, wouldn’t a bullet catch be the ultimate example of Angier having a trick that is at least equal in skill and admiration to Borden’s cloned life? In writing this, there are a few holes in this ending as well, and obviously the movie would have to use a slightly different structure, but overall The Prestige ends up being a fable for family and duality, but not with the characters anyone was expecting. You’d think that after a rant like this I am not a fan of this movie but it’s quite the opposite. I like this movie enough to care about the fact that the ending doesn’t match the quality of everything before it. If you haven’t seen this since it came out, I’d urge you to do so and really pay attention to the ending this time, especially with the way in which they set the film up.
I just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone but Law (that drunk asshole) and hope you all enjoy it whichever way you want to. Binge on!
Welcome to the September 28th edition of Working the Weekend with Luke. Hopefully, your part of the world is as beautiful as mine has been this weekend. Leaves are turned and falling to the grass which makes for some nice piles for my daughters, yet it’s warm enough to put on the shorts. So I hope you’re making the best of the good weather if you have it. I know I’d like to, so I’ll get to a few things and let you be on your way.
NEIGHBORS
So I finally got around to watching Neighbors last night. Between two kids and work and the outrageous pricing, I really don’t get to the theater much anymore, so even as excited as I was when I saw the trailer earlier this year, I decided to wait until the DVD release. Now, the way it usually goes with me and comedies is that they continue to get funnier with more viewings and I’m hoping this one follows that same recipe, because the first showing left me wanting a little more from it.
I should have known better than to expect something different than usual from Seth Rogen’s acting, so that one is on me, but it’s starting to get a little tiresome. Even Adam Sandler breaks out of his normal style occasionally, but hey, if I was making that kind of money doing the same shit over and over, why change it up?
I will say that I enjoy Dave Franco much more than his brother. He’s got some really good scenes in the movie and any chance I have to take a shot at James Franco, I’m going to take it. So that’s really all for that.
The most pleasant surprise of Neighbors, however, is Zac Efron. I think he makes the entire movie work and is just straight up hysterical. From the opening to the dance-off (which is a really good scene overall) to the end, he played this part perfectly. Hopefully, he continues to keep doing things like this, because I think he’s got a real knack for it.
Overall, I did like Neighbors. I just don’t think I love it yet. But hey, it won’t keep me from watching it over and over until I do.
BINGE MEDIA SPORTS IS NOW ON TWITTER
If you’re new to this column, then you may not know that I’m also the writer for Binge Media Sports. Actually, I wrote a little piece on some MLB topics just yesterday and if you missed it, just click HERE to check it out.
The big news today is that this morning, Binge Media Sports now has its own Twitter account. So if you’d like to add a little more social media to your life, look no further than @BingeSports. I’ll keep you posted on the world of sports and when I can, send out some live tweets during the big events. Binge Media Sports. All the balls. All the time.
TRILOGY COUNTDOWN
After taking a week off, the trilogy countdown continues today with #4. On a quick side note, I want to thank all of you who took the time to read last week’s edition. If you missed it, I wrote about the two year anniversary of my father’s passing and did a Top 10 list about the movies that I connect to him. You can check it out HERE.
But now on to the countdown.
#10-THE INFERNAL AFFAIRS TRILOGY-IF YOU MISSED IT, CLICK HERE
#9-THE NAKED GUN TRILOGY-IF YOU MISSED IT, CLICK HERE
#8-THE LECTER TRILOGY-IF YOU MISSED IT, CLICK HERE
#7-THE MAN WITH NO NAME TRILOGY-IF YOU MISSED IT, CLICK HERE
#6-THE KARATE KID TRILOGY-IF YOU MISSED IT, CLICK HERE
#5-THE BACK TO THE FUTURE TRILOGY-IF YOU MISSED IT, CLICK HERE
#4-THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY
BATMAN BEGINS, THE DARK KNIGHT, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
If you know me, then you know I prefer DC to Marvel, even with all the success Marvel is having right now. It’s mainly due to my infatuation with Superman, but there’s no Superman trilogy so I’ve got Christopher Nolan’s trilogy at #4.
After the monstrosity that was Batman & Robin which gave us Batnipples and the third Caped Crusader in four movies, the franchise was in desperate need of a reboot and we got a good one. But who would be the new Bruce Wayne? Who had the face and the talent to play a rich guy with a secret?
Patrick Bateman…err, Christian Bale was the answer. We got an all new origin story in Batman Begins and early on, we knew that this was going to be a lot darker than the previous versions we’d seen. And we got some Liam Neeson and Ken Watanabe to boot, not to mention Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman.
And I haven’t even mentioned Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon, which really revived his career, and I think we can all be thankful for that. Throw in Cillian Murphy’s chilling portrayal as Scarecrow and you’ve got yourself one damn fine opener.
So how do you follow up a good movie? With a great one, of course. The Dark Knight is probably the best of the trilogy and gives us a few new problems to deal with. He wouldn’t have been my first choice, but Aaron Echkart did a great job as Harvey Dent a/k/a Two-Face. Christian Bale continued to do a great job as Bruce Wayne/Batman, although I can’t understand why he continued to talk in the Batman voice to Rachel, but I suppose that’s neither here nor there. But let’s be honest. What makes the movie great is the guy that nobody wanted for the villain.
Remember when word got out that Heath Ledger had been cast to play Joker? Remember how many people hated the choice? Oops. Ledger was brilliant and there’s not much more to say than that.
Now, I know most people were disappointed with The Dark Knight Rises? I will admit that it wasn’t as good as the second film, but I really enjoyed it. Maybe it’s because I could look at this all day…..
….or maybe it’s because Tom Hardy is a straight-up badass as Bane…..
….but I thought this was a great ending to a great trilogy. Are there a few questions that may need answering? Sure. But as a whole, The Dark Knight Trilogy was beautifully written, perfectly cast, and greatly executed. It’s got the ability to stand on its own as a story and you really don’t have to compare it to any other Batman that we’ve seen. But we all know that’s not going to happen as we know what we’re getting next year.
My guess is that the same people who are bashing Affleck are the same ones who were bashing Ledger. But that’s another topic for another day.
That’ll do it for this week’s edition of Working the Weekend with Luke. Make sure to check back next week as the countdown gets animated next week with #3. Again, don’t forget to start following Binge Media Sports on Twitter and while you’re there, hit me up @THElukenorris.
But before I go, you know you want your Beverly Hills, 90210 clip of the week. Yep, it’s from the pilot and yep, Brandon’s hair is dope.