From a career standpoint, the years 2004 – 2013 were not very kind to Keanu Reeves. Sure, The Matrix had made him very wealthy, and his internet reputation was about as good as a celebrity could get without Harvey Weinstein sized payoffs. But with the exception of 2005’s IMO underrated Constantine, Reeves was having trouble finding a new franchise to stomp out of the gate with. 47 Ronin anyone? But along came 2014, and a little movie about a guy who killed two men with a pencil.
After taking a slight sabbatical with Jurassic Park, me, Alyx, and Jack finally get back together to finish out this series of John Wick films (for now) by looking at Chapter 2. We all pretty universally loved the last film. But at the end of the last podcast, Alyx teased that he was not a big fan of this one, and he was looking forward to revisiting it so that he can form an established opinion on it. Will he still feel the same way?
Listen below to find out. And keep checking back as I have more franchises to tackle, including the rest of Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible, and a little story about a Predator in the forest.
From a career standpoint, the years 2004 – 2013 were not very kind to Keanu Reeves. Sure, The Matrix had made him very wealthy, and his internet reputation was about as good as a celebrity could get without Harvey Weinstein sized payoffs. But with the exception of 2005’s IMO underrated Constantine, Reeves was having trouble finding a new franchise to stomp out of the gate with. 47 Ronin anyone? But along came 2014, and a little movie about a guy who killed two men with a pencil.
Join me, Alyx, and Jack as we look at the two films of the ever growing John Wick franchise, and wonder if it was by fluke or crook that Reeves once again found box office gold. Is the movie worth its reputation? Or is it guilty of building a John Wick type aura where everyone fears it, but talks highly of it anyway? Download below to find out.
Be sure to tune in next week when we look at 2017’s John Wick Chapter 2, as well as talk about what is planned for the rest of The Aftertaste’s year.
You know, a lot of times I like to spend this space giving an almost written striptease about which side of the fence the hosts stand when it comes to how we rate the film(s) featured. But there is no beating around the bush this week. None of the hosts on this podcast give this week’s movie, 2003’s The Matrix Revolutions, higher than a 5.
What went wrong? How did the Wachowskis get to the point where they felt a film like this would best serve to end a trilogy? And how many of these ideas are good compared to what should have been cut to begin with?
We explore all avenues of the questions above, as well as some new ones, in this final podcast of Binge’s Matrix Retrospective. I would like to thank Jack and Alyx for going on this journey through The Matrix with me. One of these days, we will do a series which ends on a high note.
If you listened to this week’s outrageous Bingecast, I divulged what series was going to be covered next. If not, take a listen to the end of this show as I go over what to expect in the next couple months retrospective wise. So plug in, sit back, and listen to our dialogue. I mean, it HAS to be better than what the Wachowskis set forth here. Right? RIGHT??!!
In 2003, The Matrix was king. Four years following its global phenomenon stamping run in theaters, hype was mounting to the highest degree for The Wachowskis’ long in development two follow-ups, both of which were due in the Star Wars-less year of 2003. Producer Joel Silver was in eight page magazine articles proclaiming what his two filmmakers have up their sleeves will once again blow everyone’s minds. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss were tight lipped about where their characters could possibly go after reaching the heights of the first film. And ‘Larry Fish’ Laurence Fishburne was…apparently eating at the buffet table in anticipation.
Once the first of those two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded, was finally released in May of 2003, a whole film going community became completely divided, with most on the side of asking where everything went wrong. But where do the three hosts of this podcast stand?
Listen as fights ensue, and long winded monologues & onscreen fights are psychoanalyzed. Was the film overhyped, or is it just an underrated blockbuster? And were we actually looking forward to the third film (which we review next week) when it was over? Listen below to find out!
After a couple weeks of scheduling mix-ups from us when it came to The Matrix series, Jack, Alyx, and myself have finally shown up to record our look at The Animatrix, the world expanding set of 8 anime films based on the Wachowskis original 1999 vision of The Matrix.
Reviewing anime was a first for The Aftertaste, so all of us go into our thoughts and history with the genre. We then delve into the sometimes simple, other times dense stories The Animatrix have to tell. Listen to hear which ones we liked, which ones we didn’t, and if they really worked at building our anticipation for those sequels. The first of which, The Matrix Reloaded, will get reviewed next week.
So strap yourselves in and join us on our adventures with The Kid and Bi6637. Don’t recognize those names? Well then watch the movie first you dicks.
There is absolutely no doubt how much the movie making landscape changed in March of 1999. That was when famed action producer Joel Silver (Lethal Weapon) released the vision of two siblings known as The Matrix. Made on a budget of $63 million, the science fiction thriller became a phenomenon, to the point that it took the visual effects Oscar from George Lucas’s Episode 1. It was then that it became abundantly clear that a new vision had arrived.
Join Alyx, Jack, and myself as we go down the rabbit hole of The Matrix, and dissect what it was about this movie that grabbed the movie going public so tight. And keep coming back, as one by one we will pull apart each film in the series (yes, even The Animatrix) and debate whether this groundbreaking series really became the pariah it is perceived by many to be. Hopefully, all other podcasts in this series will end like this one, which consists of one host completely kicking himself for his rating afterwards.
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?
Fifty Shades Darker
Reasons to see this:
Fifty Shades 2. Christian and Anastasia are back, and that’s about it. Starring in this erotic romance novel are Jamie Dornan, Dakota Johnson, Kim Basinger, Marcia “Sampsons” Gay Harden, and more. This book is #11 on the top 100 Bestselling Books of All Time in the United Kingdom. Thanks Nate P. Go see Fifty Shades Darker this weekend.
John Wick: Chapter 2
Reasons to see this:
John Wick is back to kick ass and kill Babadiiicks. Starring in this action sequel are Keanu “whoa” Reeves, Ruby Rose, Bridget Moynahan, Ian McShane, Peter Stormare, Laurence Fishburne (Matrix reunion), John Leguizamo, and more. Returning to direct the sequel is Chad Stahelski. Stahelski is also signed on to direct the remake of Highlander. Don’t be a diiick. Go see John BabaWiiick this weekend.
The Lego Batman Movie
Reasons to see this:
The title says it all. Lending their voices in this animated interlocking toy brick flick are Will Arnett, Rosario Dawson, Ralph Fiennes, Jenny Slate, Zack Galifianakis, Michael Cera, Mariah Carey, and Billy Dee Williams. Directing LEGO Batman is Chris McKay. McKay has directed 40 Robot Chicken episodes, as well as working in the Animation department for The Lego Movie. Love Legos? Love Batman? If the answer is yes, then see it this weekend.
A United Kingdom
Reasons to see this:
This biographical drama, set in the late 40’s, tells the story of Prince Seretse Khama of Botswana who causes a stir when he marries a white woman. This cast includes David Oyelowo, Rosamund Pike, Jack Davenport (Pirates of the Caribbean), Tom Felton (Harry Potter), and more. Amma Asante is the director of this film. Asante has directed A Way of Life and Belle. Check out this film this weekend.
Going without Jason Morris this week, Johnny Moreno and I take the reigns of Binge Movie Aftertaste by ourselves. And even though we certainly missed our lovely co-host, we ended up with one of the most interesting conversations we have ever had, this being with the director of Synapse, Kenlon Clark.
We start things off by catching up and talking about what we have seen this week, and I reveal that Insidious Chapter 3 didn’t exactly float my boat. In fact, I felt the boat sink after that horrible film was over. I also mention that I saw San Andreas, which I had a much better time with. And then the constant mentions of Inception begin, as Moreno and I both talk about how much we cannot get enough of this movie.
We keep the Inception conversation going when we get music video/film director Kenlon Clark on the line. Clark doesn’t waste any time out Inception-ing us by revealing he owns the film’s script and studies its intricacies on a regular basis. Yeah, we suck. Clark spends some time talking about his music video career, and how obsessive he is about storyboarding. Past Aftertaste guest Adam Simon is brought up, and Clark talks about how he met Synapse writer Simon, and subsequently ended up with the Synapse directing gig. He then mentions we can expect some exciting stuff from this duo in the future.
Moreno and I then bring up the Keanu Reeves hosted documentary Side By Side, which looks at the the debate between the uses of film versus digital in filmmaking. Some interesting points are made, and Clark even says that he attended a screening in LA that featured a Q&A with Reeves himself. No, he did NOT apologize for the Matrix sequels.
All this plus some scattered King of Hollywood talk, when people can expect to see Synapse….and did I mention the Inception talk? After Clark hangs up, Moreno and I get into a conversation about what the existence of these so-called Big Trouble in Little China remake rumors mean for the future of our favorite childhood films. Hint: It’s only a matter of time before everything you grew up with gets re imagined. I then question the lack of judgment I had by hanging up on Clark before getting into this conversation. Once again, we suck.
We would like to thank Clark for coming on the podcast, and you can bet both he and Simon will return to the Binge airwaves very soon. Check out the trailer to Synapse below.
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, Ana De Armas, and Ignacia Allamand
After watching Knock Knock‘s first teaser, I found my interest incredibly peaked. You had brash director Eli Roth’s name in the credits of something that seemed more nuanced and grounded than the torture porn master director has come to be known for. The initial teaser built mood, and it seemed that Roth had matured to the point of making a movie that did not rely on shock to move the plot forward. And of course, prominently displayed, is Keanu Reeves. Fresh off last year’s career renaissance John Wick, Reeves (whose name is also on Knock Knock‘s marquee as executive producer) seemed intent on trying to capitalize on that film’s success by putting his career in Roth’s still not proven to be capable hands. I am here to say that after one viewing of Knock Knock, I have absolutely no intent of giving Roth anymore chances, and I dare you to not watch the clock during its entire 96 minute running time.
The real tragedy of Knock Knock is that its first third is actually quite good. We are introduced to Evan Webber (Reeves) as his family wakes him up to tell him that they are going out of town for a few days so that he can have alone time and get work done. At this point of the film, Roth does a (gulp) credible job of establishing that Evan is a good family man. Almost to the point of stuffing it down our throats. Will Evan smoke a joint to relax himself? Nope. Even though he’s tempted, he never lights up. Instead, loud music takes weed’s place, and Evan is portrayed as one step away from being an obedient stay at home dad. Suddenly, there is a knock on the door. He opens it up, and sees two beautiful rain-soaked women named Bel (Armas) and Genesis (real life Mrs Roth Izzo). Telling Evan they were stranded while on their way to a party, he allows them to stay as long as it takes for an Uber to come pick them up. Even after learning the wait time for the next Uber’s appearance is 45 minutes, Evan reluctantly goes against his initially established inhibition and lets the two flirtatious women stay until they’re picked up.
Now believe it or not, I was with the film in these parts of its narrative. Roth does a (double gulp) nice job of establishing Evan’s attempted avoidance of the inevitable situation before him, and all scenes leading up to the girls’ arrival leads us to believe Evan will come out without committing adultery. Of course, this being a Roth film, we know things will turn out differently, and all assumptions I’ve had of this being a ‘more mature’ Roth film go right out the window when the two women play ‘monkey in the middle’ with Evan’s inhaler.
After telling the Uber to leave, Reeves eventually succumbs to the women’s advances, and Roth chooses this moment to pretend he’s arty by filming part of their threesome through steamy shower glass. The next morning, Evan wakes up to the women tearing his place apart and defacing his wife’s art work. Where Knock Knock goes wrong is Roth had many opportunities to explain what Bel and Genesis’s motives were for doing this, but instead chooses to have them do stupid things such as make jokes about Evan’s hair. I didn’t want a Bond villain type reveal of their plot. But something, SOMETHING for us to gnaw on would have been nice. Nope, what little explanation we get is the lazy work of a man directing his first film. But the year isn’t 2003. And Roth isn’t directing Cabin Fever anymore. What’s worse, Roth goes for a lighter version of the torture porn that made him so successful with 2007’s Hostel. Though instead of ripping out eyes, he painfully (for the viewer) has his antagonists bring the film to a grinding halt by playing a stupid pretend game show with the protagonist.
Roth doesn’t help his cause by making the two girls far from menacing. They turn their types of performances on a dime, and a better director could have minimized how badly the women come off. Instead, it looks like he pulled a Rob Zombie and just told Izzo to shriek and act like Sherri Moon. Armas is slightly better, but it is of no use. In other words, their performances are so broad that any form of anti-infidelity statement Roth seems to be trying to convey is offset. After all, here is a movie where the guy we supposedly want to get out of the situation he’s in…calls the two women ‘fucking cunts’ and ‘bitches.’ So this is the more mature Roth I’d heard about, huh?
Don’t see this movie. Stay far away from this movie. Reeves is much better than this. That being said, I can see him in a role like this had the movie been directed by almost anyone else. He could absolutely start taking the types of roles Michael Douglas did in the late 80s through the mid 90s. For example, I think Reeves would make the great protagonist of a Basic Instinct type plot. But under Roth’s direction, Knock Knock -a pseudo remake of 1977’s Death Game– Reeves’s characterization, and more importantly the film’s narrative, fails miserably.
Keep telling us how screwed you were out of Green Inferno‘s release, Roth. Piles of manure like this are tough enough to swallow without you trying so hard to shovel us more.