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Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘FIGHT CLUB – I am Jack’s Podcast’
Fight Club hasn’t aged well. And that’s putting it mildly. It wasn’t that David Fincher and company didn’t have something to say. Certainly, they did. It’s more that the message is muddled and often lost amidst the overpowering stardom of Brad Pitt. You cast a movie star, you get a virtuoso performance. That’s generally not an issue, but when the character is meant to represent the reprehensible, a conundrum ensues. Pitt’s Tyler Durden is a false prophet; we’re not supposed to think he’s cool; and his ramblings—though hovering around actual facts—are not meant to inspire. Most viewers are aware of this, but for some, that meaning was lost. Thus, the dangerous…
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OFFICIAL: Slice of Film Joins WOBAM Entertainment!
WOBAM’s been through many phases of existence, and Katie Rentschler has been there through most of them. Having served as Deputy Editor and web designer for our site, she stepped away in 2019 to pursue other ventures like Full Circle Cinema, Geek Ultimate Alliance, Revenge of the Fans, and her own blog, Slicer Scribbles. Obviously we’ve stayed in touch, and what’s been exciting is watching Katie grow in these creative ventures. With WOBAM also experiencing a new and exciting phase of growth, the opportunity presented itself for us to work together again and offer a home for Katie’s podcast, Slice of Film. Part of the Geek Ultimate Alliance podcasting network,…
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Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘PACIFIC RIM – A Jaeger Bomb’
Pacific Rim is Guillermo del Toro’s homage to the Kaiju movies that fascinated him in his youth. To that end, it is a lovingly crafted and often beautiful film that delivers on the promise of its premise. What is the conceit? Well, in short, Jaegers—giant Earth-protecting mechs—fight invading Kaiju who emerge from a rift within the Pacific Ocean. And for all the movie’s foibles—the plot has many—it does nail it’s most defining element. The fights, in fact, are so visually dazzling that it makes the laborious human moments with wooden Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) all the more painful. Speaking of those foibles, the humans—not just poor Raleigh—encompass a host of them.…
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Hops and Box Office Flops: ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE – Little Fish Stick and Big Tuna
Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a cinematic anomaly. When Snyder had to step away due to a family tragedy, Warner Bros. (WB) essentially hacked the material he left them to bits. Under the guidance of Joss Whedon, Snyder’s originally footage was morphed into a soulless attempt to capture the magic of the MCU. It didn’t work—a topic we explored in-depth on our Joss-Stache League episode. That film appealed to no one, but it particularly riled those faithful to Snyder’s vision. Thus, #ReleaseTheSnyderCut was born—a fan movement spawned from the betrayal many felt the studio had committed. Make no mistake, folks, this movie is a whole new beast. From Steppenwolf’s arc to Darkseid’s ominous presence to…
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Hops and Box Office Flops: GHOST RIDER SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE – Ride Angry
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, which is a sequel to the 2007 original, is so insane it almost works. Nicolas Cage, the Rider or Johnny Blaze, goes full Cage. It’s equal parts glorious and dumbfounding. That is the movie in a nutshell. For everything that works—such as the Rider possessing humongous construction equipment—there are far too many other elements that do not. From the dude from Empire Records overacting literally every piece of dialogue to Idris Elba’s mindbogglingly bad French accent, there are just far too many palm face moments. That said, it is better than the first—despite what the reviews (18% on Rotten Tomatoes with 114 reviews) and the…
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Zack Snyder’s Justice League Review – The Age of Heroes Has Returned
So, this is awkward. Almost four years ago, I reviewed Justice League (2017). and enjoyed it for the Frankenstein it was. I was never a fan of Zack Snyder’s work and didn’t care to see his vision for the DC Universe continue. However, his Justice League changed everything. This is a weird review to write because it’s technically a movie you’ve already seen. The premise is straightforward. Like I said in 2017: “There’s an alien threat coming to take over the world. Batman assembles a team of heroes to try and stop them. It’s simple and straight to the point.” However, the biggest difference is the way Snyder treats his characters. We…
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Hops and Box Office Flops: JOSS-STACHE LEAGUE – Stiff Upper Lip
Joss-stache League (Justice League) is a cobbled together mess. It’s the Frankenstein’s monster of movies. I wish that were an understatement, but, sadly, it is not; and though it bears Zack Snyder’s name in the credits, it is not his movie. According to Fabian Wagner, the original cut’s cinematographer, up to 90% of what they shot is not in it. That’s right, folks: In under two months, Joss Whedon basically reshot the entire thing. Why? Well, the answer to that is long, winding, and even filled with heartbreak. To keep it brief, the studio was no longer in support of Zack’s vision. When Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice failed to break a…
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Hops and Box Office Flops: GREEN LANTERN – Shallow Hal Jordan
Green Lantern is a mess—an expensive one, at that. Its horrid CGI suit tells all the tales one needs to know about how misguided the project was. And it was a misfire that had serious ramifications. In 2011, Green Lantern was meant to serve as the kickoff to a new DC movie universe. That notion was immediately squashed. On a budget over $200 million, it grossed just $219.9 million worldwide. Worse, critics (26% on Rotten Tomatoes with 246 reviews) and audiences (45%) reviled it. There would be no sequel, and there certainly would not be an integrated universe with Ryan Reynold’s Hal Jordan at its center. When you watch it, none of the numbers…
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Hops and Box Office Flops: BALLISTIC ECKS VS SEVER – Moaning Techno and Explosions
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever is bad. Like truly awful. Its plot is convoluted; its action is often nonsensical and unimaginative; and it does little to capitalize on its star power. Antonio Banderas literally has nothing to do. This guy was El Mariachi in Desperado, for Pete’s sake. Let him do more than smoke cigarettes and drink. Anyway, there is a boat load of slow motion, if you’re into that. Most of it is wholly unnecessary, but it’s there; and it probably adds 10 minutes to the runtime—a portion of your life you will never get back. There’s also a lot of sulking and staring. There’s an abundance of Ray Park in a…
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Hops and Box Office Flops: TOP SECRET! – We Know a Little German
Top Secret! was the team of Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker’s follow up to their incredibly successful Airplane! It, like its predecessor, is an indescribably goofy movie—full of off the wall gags, jokes, and non-sequiturs. If you have seen Airplane!, you will understand what kind of humor it is. These guys were the kings of this style of comedy, and Top Secret! certainly lives up to that pedigree. It also introduced moviegoers to Val Kilmer. This was his big screen debut, and it’s clear why he went on to become a household name. Where this movie suffers is a lack of clear narrative focus and a truly defined world. It is set in immediate…
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