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 column will introduce you to the most popular movies that are coming out in theaters this weekend.
What movie will you see?
Dunkirk
Set during World War II…..you know what, the tagline says it all: “When 400 men couldn’t get home, home came for them.” Starring in this historical war drama are Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Harry Styles, Cillian Murphy, and more. The writer and director of Dunkirk is non-other than Christopher Nolan. Nolan has directed The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, Interstellar, Momento, and more. There are rumors saying that Nolan is remaking Momento. I know, right? Anyway, don’t be a dumb jerk, go check out Dunkirk.
Girls Trip
4 friends get together and travel to New Orleans for the Essence Festival and I’m sure they get into shenanigans. What happens in NOLA, sta….forget it. Starring in this comedy are Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Tiffany Haddish, and more. Malcolm D. Lee is the director of this flick. Lee has directed The Best Man, Undercover Brother, Scary Movie 5, Barbershop: The Next Cut, and more. Take a trip to the theater and see Girls Trip.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
Alpha, a city that is home to thousands of species is under attack. Special ops, Valerian and Laureline must save Alpha and the universe. Starring in this fantastical sci-fi action flick are Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Rihanna (of Battleship fame), Ethan Hawke, Herbie Hancock, and more. Luc Besson is the writer and director of Valerian. Besson has directed The Fifth Element, Léon: The Professional, Lucy, The Family, and much more. Go check out Valerian in theaters.
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.
This column will introduce you to the most popular movies that are coming out in theaters this weekend and why you should go see them. Which one will you see?
Anthropoid
Reasons to see this:
Based on a true story, Anthropoid is the name of the WWII mission to assassinate SS General Reinhard Heydrich, who is third in command after Hitler and Hammerer. Cast includes, Cillian Murphy, Jamie Dornan(50 Shades dude), Toby Jones(Dr. Zola from Captain America), and more. Writing and directing this biographical, historical thriller is Sean Ellis. Ellis has written and directed Cash Back and The Broken, as well as several shorts. If this interests you, then make it a mission to go see Anthropoid this weekend.
Blood Father
Reasons to see this:
Do you miss Mel Gibson. Me too. Well, Mel is back!!! Mel plays John Link, an ex-con who reunites with his daughter and has to protect her from the drug dealers who are trying to kill her. Also starring in this action flick is, Erin Moriarty, Diego Luna, Michael Parks, and William H. Macy. Jean-Francois Richet is the director of this picture. Richet has been around the action genre before, directing Assault on Precinct 13, and Mesrine Parts 1 & 2. Since Edge of Darkness in 2010, Mel has only been in The Beaver, Get the Gringo, Machete Kills, and Expendables 3. However, there is a movie coming out in November that he directed called Hacksaw Ridge. Well, I can’t wait to see Mel kick ass again. Go check out Mel this weekend.
Florence Foster Jenkins
Reasons to see this:
96 time Academy Award nominated actress Meryl “Oscar” Streep plays Florence Foster Jenkins, a heiress who dreams to become an opera singer, despite her awful singing voice. This is based on a true story, if you wanted to know. Other cast members are, Hugh Grant, Simon Helberg(Big Band Theory), and Rebecca Ferguson(M.I. Rogue Nation). Stephen Frears is the director of this movie. Some of his other directorial films include, High Fidelity, The Queen, and Philomena. I do not have a clever line to end this one, so if this interests you, then go see it. Thats it.
Hell or High Water
Reasons to see this:
In this southern crime/drama, two brothers resort to extreme measures to save their family’s farm. The brothers are played by Chris Pine and Ben Foster, while the local sheriff is played by Jeff Bridges. David Mackenzie who seems to be familiar in the drama genre(based on his filmography), is the director of this film. If this seems like something you would be interested in, then get to the theater this weekend, come hell or high water.
Pete’s Dragon
Reasons to see this:
Disney’s remake of the 1977 film, entitled Pete’s Dragon is about Grace Meacham (played by Bryace Dallas Howard) who finds a boy(Pete) living in the woods with a dragon(Elliot). Grace and her father(played by Robert Redford) set out to uncover the boys identity and the story behind Elliot. Other cast members include, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, and Oakes Fegley, who plays Pete. Directing this film is David Lowery, who has really only directed shorts and is directing a live-action Peter Pan movie(like we need another). In the mood for a live-action, Disney adventure story, then hit the theater to see My Dragon.
Sausage Party
Reasons to see this:
This R-rated CG animated Pixar-esque spoof is about supermarket groceries dreaming to be chosen by a shopper. However, they soon learn the truth about what happens after they’ve been bought. The cast includes, Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, Michael Cera, James Franco, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Paul Rudd, Salma Hayek, Edward Norton, and more. There are two directors at this sausage party, Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon. Vernons directorial filmography includes, Shrek 2, Monsters vs. Aliens, and Madagascar 3. Tiernan has really only directed a shit ton of Thomas and Friends movies. If you’re planning on going to a Sausage Party this weekend, go to the one at the theater. Unless you want the other thing. Up to you.
Better late than never. Believe it or not. even before the tragic death of horror maven Wes Craven, I had been planning on doing a column on this little gem of a film for awhile. Yes, I could have chosen a myriad of possibilities from his resume, and Deadly Friend was on the cusp of being included. But in the end, I decided to take another look at one of Craven’s most overlooked films.
Background: After the hellish experience of working on Cursed for the Weinsteins, Craven and his longtime producing partner Marianne Maddalena were looking to do something different and out of the norm. IE: something that would not require a ton of supervision and toying with a vision. This would lead them to Dreamworks Studios, and on a desk lie a script written by Carl Ellsworth entitled Red Eye. Craven knew right away he needed to do it, and before they knew it, both Craven and Maddalena were choosing the best cast to work with of their careers. Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins) and Rachel McAdams (The Notebook) signed on and they were off & running, resulting in one of the smoothest shoots of Craven’s career.
As far as what I was taking into my first viewing, there was a lot going on at the time Red Eye was released in August of 2005. Someone close to me was melding a broken heart, and I was on the cusp of moving into a brand new city, on my way to finishing college. The perfect opportunity was there to help this person’s situation by taking her to the brand new movie by one of my most influential directors and starring one of her favorite actresses.
What I Thought Then: Sometimes walking into a movie carrying baggage gives you a different perspective of the actual movie itself. After spending an hour drying the tears of the person I walked in with, Red Eye ended up being exactly what we needed. In fact, it was such a great experience she went to her MySpace (remember that place?) to rave about the film. At the time, I was shocked at how Red Eye seemed to be three films in one. In the very beginning, we see the beginning stages of a romantic comedy, as Murphy saves McAdams from a disgruntled passenger and they develop a sweet bond. We then see the makings of a tense thriller, as the moment Rippner (Murphy) answers Lisa’s (McAdams) question of what his business is with ‘as luck would have it, my business is you,’ the movie turns. And when the plane touches down, Red Eye turns into an all out action film. Even after directing Meryl Streep in an Oscar nominated performance in Music of the Heart, it was a real head turn to see Craven direct such a talented cast. Both stars were on a rapid rise, and Craven had the deep challenge of directing scenes that called for tense thrills within the confines of a commercial flight. Trust me, it is much more difficult than it sounds.
But Craven pulls it off. When I first saw the movie, I held Red Eye‘s midsection as its strongest. From the seats surrounding our protagonist occupied by suspicious passengers to the small confined space within the plane’s bathroom, Craven did wonders in weaving a mystery ball of tension filled yarn. It’s when the plane touches down when I feel Red Eye falls apart. We rapidly go from having our hearts in our throats to laughing at how a boat can pull up to within perfect striking distance of a deputy secretary of homeland security’s suite, aim a rocket launcher in perfect propensity of the room and take them all out with one shot. Of course, this isn’t the fault of Craven’s, as he did not write the script. In fact, he helped this craziness out by injecting one or two shots establishing the presence of the launcher during the film’s opening credit sequence.
Still, we both walked out of Red Eye satisfied. The movie had enough tension of a high class thriller and just enough action for those in the audience going to theaters in the heart of August still starved for summer action. Mostly, I was satisfied the person I was with was feeling better about her situation. And really, isn’t that what the movies are all about?
What I Think Now: In revisiting Red Eye, I still hold the middle section in very high regard. I had not watched it in close to eight years, so these scenes still thrilled me to no end and were deeply satisfying. It was like watching it for the first time, as I had completely forgotten about Lisa’s scrawling on the bathroom mirror asking for help, and just how fast Rippner’s intentions and glare turned. I also liked its beginning scenes more this time around. Craven’s establishing shots of Brian Cox as Lisa’s dad and even the slight hint of romantic comedy gave inklings of muscles Craven was anxious to flex. Craven helming a romantic comedy may seem out of the norm. But these scenes proved to me that he could in fact have done it if attempted.
Unfortunately, now I am even more harsh on the end of Red Eye than I was then. It is just so out of left field, and scenes of Rippner running around with a self inflicted tracheotomy chasing Lisa at her house border on ridiculous. Though, in taking another look, the scenes are more than a little reminiscent of Nancy taking Freddy apart when she finally pulls him out of his ‘dream world’ in the first Nightmare on Elm Street. Both heroines set up traps for the villains. The thing is, I was not drawn into either scenario. Still, it was nice seeing Craven take his new villain in an offbeat direction while also also giving a sly nod to his most famous incarnation.
In Conclusion:Red Eye has many, many things going for it. It is a taut thriller. It is a showcase for two actors on the rise. And it is a movie that comes in under 85 minutes, proving a movie does not have to be long winded in order to be entertaining. Its last leg hurts it, and a little script tweaking would have been extra beneficial. Still, watching Red Eye today, I cannot help but think of the film as Craven doing what he does best, while at the same time having fun without the worry of the Weinsteins being over his shoulder every other minute. You’re not going to see a director more on his game than here. Wes, you are missed. Though the beauty of Hollywood is that his work will live forever. So if you have an hour and a half to kill and you need a thrill, Red Eye would certainly fit the bill.
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.