We’re reaching the end of the summer movie season, and folks just seem to be duking it out for the top of the box office. Meanwhile, the Emmy’s draw ever closer, and the entertainment world took a double hit. This week, we’ll mourn those we’ve lost, catch up on the Emmy nominees, rock out with Frank, get Tied Up and, sadly, we will indeed get “shell shocked”. So strap in for this week’s buzz.
Movies: June brought us Transformers 4 (and our weekly readers will know just how highly we esteemed that quad-quel) and now Michael Bay is determined to bookend the summer with suck, by taking on another franchise from the Reagan years and taking it way too seriously. To quote Wiz Khalifa (as, in these situations, is only appropriate): Knock, knock, you about to get shell shocked.
The film takes great pains to be “cool”, but never actually succeeds. It has the kind of action sequences that we’ve come to expect from Bay so much we made a Fios ad about it. But in terms of characters and plot? The film is too dark and bombastic to justify the utter lack of either element in the manner the rubber-suited 90’s nostalgia flick could. Sure, the Renaissance painter-named reptiles have always been one-dimensional archetypes, but at least in the past they were archetypes that were fun to watch (and not so troublingly racially aligned, as they have in recent years been made, incorporating phrases like “What’s up, my ninja?” or “Ninja please” into TMNT conversational canon). Megan fox brings her usual scene-soul-stealing qualities to the role of April O’Neill, and at least improves the visual experience of the film, distracting us from the CG turtles which more resemble the Goombas from the 90’s Super Mario movie than the beloved Eastman & Laird creations of our youth.
The film isn’t abysmal, in fact far from it. It’s certainly endurable enough to take your 5 year old to if you don’t want to run the risk of them calling someone “100% a dick” after seeing Guardians of the Galaxy (but seriously, just run that risk. Guardians is way better, and the characters look like they should. Just sayin’;). That said, it also can’t, in virtually any way, be considered good. This isn’t like Man of Steel, which fans bemoaned but the uninitiated enjoyed alright. This is The Amazing Spider-Man 2 level “eh”. Opinions have ranged from general apathy to rage on the film, and while this reviewer sides more with the “who really cares? It’s turtles” end of the spectrum, we also appreciate those who had every toy Testudine lined up in their bedroom feeling outraged at the ways the film strays from and distorts classic TMNT lore. Though the box office has already apparently justified a sequel, that doesn’t necessarily mean one is necessary. Then again, neither is this. At its core, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles isn’t terrible, nor is it good. It’s just simply unnecessary. (It’s theme tune on the other hand…)
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Maybe you wanna avoid getting “shell-shocked” this weekend. Looking for something a little more on the obscure side? Well, you can’t get much more obscure than Michael Fassbender in a plaster head playing indie rock, can you? Very loosely based on British cult icon Frank Sidebottom, Frank is, as Fassbender described it “…about a man with ambition but no talent who teams up with a group of musicians with talent but no ambition”. The quirky comedy is in select cities August 15th and wide release later in the month. Is it the most accessible movie of all time? Far from it. It’s as though Wes Anderson directed Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains, and quite frankly, that’s alright by us.
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Emmy Catch-Up
Every week, we here at Man of the Hour will catch you up on one show in each of the major Emmy categories: Drama, Comedy, Miniseries, Movie, Variety and Animation (find our first part here). We’ll tell you what it’s about, what it’s up for, where to catch up and even pick a highlight from the season (which is of course fairly spoilerific, so perhaps avoid clicking play if you haven’t seen the show).
Drama: Breaking Bad
What is it: Last year’s winner for Best Drama, Breaking Bad came to a close this year. The story of a cancer-afflicted chemistry teacher who cooks meth in order to provide for his family grew into a crime epic exploring the true nature of evil, and what darkness lies within the average man. The final season of the binge-able and infinitely watchable series saw Walt on the run, beaten down, and coming back for a final hoorah.
What else is it up for: Breaking Bad is up for a total of 16 Emmys this year, including 2 nominations for Best Writing, Best Directing, and acting nods for Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn and Aaron Paul.
Where to catch up: Every season is available for streaming on Netflix.
Best scene: How could we not pick the final moments of the series? The finale was brilliantly executed all around, but these final moments (SPOILERS) when a gun shot Walt walks through the Neo-Nazi’s meth lab as Badfinger’s “Baby Blue” plays, perfectly summarizing Walt’s demise, and his reason for being: “Guess I got what I deserved, kept you waiting there too long my love. All this time without a word, didn’t know you’d think that I’d forget, or I’d regret the special love I had for you, my baby blue.
Comedy: Louie
What is it: Back for a fourth season after a hiatus (so Louis C.K. could film Blue Jasmine and American Hustle), the show came back strong, and even bucked its own format by forgoing the usual lack of continuity for a six part “The Elevator” exploring Louie’s “relationship” with a Hungarian woman, and meta-textually attacking both C.K. and the show’s lack of commitment. It was shaping up to be another brilliant season, but it concluded with a really troubling series of events with love interest Pamela, including an attempted rape that’s completely ignored (proving C.K. really doesn’t understand what sexual assault is), leaving it off on a sour note.
What else is it up for: Louie is up for a total of 5 Emmys this year, including Best Writing, Best Directing, Best Casting, an acting nomination for Louie C.K. and of course Best Comedy.
Where to catch up: Past seasons of Louie are available on Netflix, and the current season is available on FXNow.
Best scene: Louie is at its best when its real. Sometimes C.K. bites off more than he can chew, but he gets being a parent more than any other filmmaker out there, and brilliantly captures the tension of losing his daughter in this surprisingly gripping sequence.
Mini-Series: Treme
What is it: A great series from The Wire creator David Simon, Treme never received the love of viewers it deserved, relegated to a mini-series order of 5 episodes for its final run. It’s a shame that only now is this show about post-Katrina life in New Orleans getting the awards recognition it deserved, but better late than never.
What else is it up for: Treme is up for 4 Emmys this year, including Best Writing, Best Casting, Best Sound Mixing and Best Mini-Series.
Where to catch up: Every season of Treme is available on HBO Go
Best scene: A final, beautiful moment set to “Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?” that perfectly captures what Treme was all about: the people and the music.
Movie: The Trip to Bountiful
What is it: Taking the two leads (Cicely Tyson and Vanessa Williams) from the recent Tony winning Broadway run, and adding Blair Underwood and Keke Palmer, Lifetime adapted the classic play, which tells the story of Carrie Watts, an older woman who wishes to return to her small town of Bountiful to live out her final days, only to be stopped at every turn.
What else is it up for: The Trip to Bountiful is up for 2 Emmys, Best Television Movie and Best Lead Actress for Cicely Tyson.
Where to catch up: The Trip to Bountiful is currently unavailable for streaming
Best scene: Cicely Tyson won the Tony for her performance, and this film showcases her brilliance, particularly when playing off of Underwood and Williams, like in this scene.
Variety: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
What is it: A ten-year winner in the category, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart went from “The Most Trusted Name in Fake News” to simply “The Most Trusted Name in News”, mostly through its humorous dissection of the crassly biased and unprofessional cable-news monstrosity, an through wearing its own bias on its sleeve, allowing its viewers to be informed without being brainwashed. This season saw Jon return from Egypt, recharged and ready to take on the American political landscape once more.
What else is it up for: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is up for a total of 6 Emmys this year: Best Writing, Best Directing, Best Technical Direction, two Editing nominations and Best Variety Series.
Where to catch up: Select episodes of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart are available on Hulu and ComedyCentral.com
Best scene: Jon has taken on many causes in his time, be it the 9/11 first responders or the victims of V.A. Hospital backlogs, but it was this season he took his strongest and most controversial yet: pizza. After someone had the gall to declare Chicago deep-dish pizza better than New York’s, Jon took up the sword and spewed the most hate-filled vitriol he could muster, to hilarious effect. Watch it here.
Animation: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
What is it: The newest animated incarnation of the 80’s classic characters, this CGI take on the turtles retains most of the original mythos, but attempts to engage younger viewers by decreasing the age of former reporter April O’Neill to her early teens, and more intriguingly introducing a revamped version of Karai, the adopted daughter of the villainous Shredder.
What else is it up for: This is the only nomination for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles this year.
Where to catch up: The final 5 episodes of season 2 are available on Hulu Plus
Best scene: During the “Manhattan Project” arc, the turtles discover portals to other universes, which results in them gazing into the “universe” of the original 1987 series. After grappling with a worm monster, the turtles depart wondering where the worm wound up, resulting in the finest tribute to the original run (featuring the original voice actors) ever attempted.
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News: The entertainment world suffered two very terrible losses this week, barely a day apart. Neither should overshadow the other, and both should be honored as masters of their craft. Rather than focus on the circumstances of their death, let us remember instead the triumphs of their life.
Lauren Bacall was the last of the Hollywood icons (at least if you go by the lyrics of Madonna’s “Vogue”;). Born Betty Joan Perske in The Bronx on September 16th, 1924, Bacall began her career as a teen model in, what else, Vogue magazine, and took acting lessons from the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts alongside Kirk Douglas, and made her Broadway debut at just 17. From there, Howard Hawks’ cast her in her screen debut as a lead in the classic 1944 film To Have and Have Not opposite Humphrey Bogart, with whom she would fall in love on set and marry the next year. He career put her on screen alongside legends like Gregory Peck, John Wayne, Gary Cooper, and indeed made a legend of Bacall herself. Praised as an icon by no less than the American Film Institute and the Kennedy Center, Bacall continued working into her final year, when the notoriously “picky” Bacall took a voice role on Family Guy in the episode “Mom’s the Word” as an older woman attempting to seduce Peter Griffin. In her time, Bacall battled the Hollywood Blacklist and McCarthyism, campaigned for RFK and chronicled her life in some of the most rich and poignant Hollywood insider tomes, Lauren Bacall By Myself and Now. Whether you remember her on stage in Applause, tugging your heartstrings in Written on the Wind or getting mugged by Christopher on The Sopranos, you’ll never forget the face that made “The Look” that stirred Bogey’s passion.
The recent and massive outpouring of sadness and admiration expressed from his co-stars, friends, family and fans, it seems unlikely anyone needs a reminder of the powerful loss we suffered when it was announced Robin Williams had left us too soon. The Oscar winner had a wit that was as razor sharp as it was rapid-fire, and a heart so great and generous he funded a full tuition every year for a student at his alma mater, Julliard, at which he studied alongside Christopher Reeve. He was nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards three times (for Good Morning, Vietnam!, Dead Poets Society and the grossly under-appreciated The Fisher King) finally winning in 1998 for his supporting role in Good Will Hunting. His accolades also included two Emmys, four Golden Globes and five Grammy Awards. His memorable performances in films like The Birdcage, Jumanji, Patch Adams, Mrs. Doubtfire and Aladdin solidified his status as a staple of cinema, and wit his passing, lesser known roles like What Dreams May Come, One Hour Photo and Death to Smoochie are receiving public reevaluations. His impact on the world of comedy is inarguable, with notable figures like Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and Conan O’Brien already paying tribute, and fans across the world taking to social media to express their shock and sorrow. Whether you choose this time to discover Awakenings or just revisit Hook, remember the unique artist that was, not the tabloid stories that are sure to follow in the wake of this tragedy.
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Short Film: Much like the old adage don’t judge a book by it’s cover, one shouldn’t necessarily judge a film by its title sequence. Some absolutely classic films have terribly unmemorable opening credits. That said, for those of us who worship at the alter of Saul Bass, a low budget film with a great title sequence is enough to peak our interest. Throw in a crime story with twists, turns, guns and money and, well, gentlemen, you had my curiosity. But now you have my attention.
Tied Up stars writer Brady Kirchberg as Seth, a pharmacist whose brother Johnny (Michael Derek) gets in deep debt to the vile, villainous Dutch (a terrifyingly intense Ras Enoch McCurdie). Packed with the kind of heated crime film dialogue that always burns up the screen and padded out with some scene transitions that are extremely impressive for an indie short (the film is as technically impressive as the previously reviewedYour Lucky Day, but one ventures to guess with a fraction of the budget). Of course, the film makes some awkward shot choices, and at times jumps from plot twist to plot twist a bit too quickly to follow (the single set stick-up flick it emulates, Reservoir Dogs, knew to keep the story beats spread out and pronounced), but between Derek’s furious desperation and Kirchberg giving Seth a level of trembling defiance so convincing it makes his third act revelation seem both utterly unexpected and yet undeniably believable, Tied Up is a remarkably fun ride, and an extremely impressive thriller when its length and means are taken into consideration.
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