Limacher Low Down: I wanted to start by thanking the Academy for enlightening me to a movie that I hadn’t heard about until the nominations came out. Winter’s Bone was well acted and told a great story. I felt a real connection to the characters, and the story told was beyond what I was expecting. Winter’s Bone introduced me to an environment I had no real previous knowledge of, and it opened my eyes to the way things are outside my realm of understanding. Everything about the film was depressing, dark, and yet down-right amazing. I am proud to say I actually watched this movie, and it’s something I won’t soon forget.

Winter’s Bone is the story of Ree (Jennifer Lawrence) a 17 year old girl taking care of her younger siblings and somewhat catatonic mother. Ree finds out early on that her father, Jessup, was released on bond from prison and when Sherriff Baskin (Garrett Dillahunt) tells her how he was able to bond out, Ree takes it upon herself to find Jessup. Though this takes place in a modern setting, these people are poor and rely on cooking meth and meager farming to afford what they have: thus Ree actually walks from place to place in search of her father.

Ree’s journey to find Jessup leads her to several supporting characters, Gail (Lauren Sweester) who attempts to help, but does not have the means. Ree even seeks out someone she has avoided for years, Teardrop (John Hawkes). Teardrop is a gritty man who has no wanton need or desire to help Ree find her father and he rapidly sends her on her way. She finally makes her way to the “head” of the community, Merab (Dale Dickey) who tells Ree that she best move along and leave things alone, or she will regret her choices.

Every road turns up the same result, nothing. People start to get upset that Ree is asking so many questions about Jessup, and they tell Ree to give up. But Ree soon realizes that the only way to help her family, and herself, is by continuing her search for Jessup.

Ree gets a visit from Teardrop who attempts to console Ree and do what he feels is best for the family as well. Ree, still not happy with her progress, seeks out Thump Milton (Ronnie Hall) and sees if she can get some answers out of him. Ree learns the hard way to listen when people say stop, but Teardrop ensures that she remain safe. Teardrop then takes it upon himself to tell Ree the story of Jessup and what he believes may be going on in the community. Teardrop and Ree search for answers, but will they ever get the answers they are looking for?

Winter’s Bone does a great job of expressing emotion and giving a greater understanding of people and the lives that they live. This movie takes you into these people’s lives and portrays a community that most people don’t care to know exists. I was amazed by the acting skills that Jennifer Lawrence portrayed, being in every scene. John Hawkes makes the most of his limited screen time, and shows that he has grown from his time in Deadwood. Everything about this film is just depressing, but when the credits roll it gives a sense of amazement of what you just witnessed.

Limacher Low Down: The King’s Speech has been garnishing critical acclaim and harvested the most Oscar Nominations this year, and I understand why. I went into the theater with no prior knowledge of the story outside of what I had seen in the previews. The movie does a great job of telling a short history of King George VI and the importance of his fateful speech for which the film is named.  The acting was some of the finest I have seen in quite some time, and the story was conveyed well. Everything combined made “The King’s Speech” more than just a typical movie, it made it something which needed to be seen.

“The King’s Speech” starts off with the largest public address (at the time) being presided over by the Duke of York- Albert Fredrick Arthur George (Collin Firth). The speech is rather forgettable as Albert stammers throughout. Soon after the address is given Albert’s wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), seeks someone best suited to help her husband’s specific need. Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) is the man whose rather unorthodox practices are recommended to Elizabeth.  After a brief meeting, Elizabeth agrees to have him meet her husband, the Duke of York, but Lionel insists the meeting be on his terms, not the Duke’s.

Albert and Lionel’s initial meeting, put in modern perspective, was about as cordial as Beck and Pelosi sharing a Chardonnay. Albert storms out not believing in Lionel and is content in the knowledge he will be stammering the rest of his life. Albert soon comes to terms with Lionel’s methods and decides to return in an attempt to correct his problem. Lionel uses his unorthodox methods to better correct the speech problems that have hindered Albert most of his life. Albert tells of family and history with his stammer which really comes across well to the audience.

King George V (Michael Gambon) attempts to help Albert after delivering his Christmas Day speech – much to no avail. Albert’s brother, Edward (Guy Pearce), is the Prince of Wales and heir apparent to the crown. King George and Albert briefly talk of Edward and his relationship and the troubles it may cause. Quickly the King has fallen ill and unfortunately meets his demise, thus King Edward VIII is announced.  Albert takes the news rather well, and is happy to know that he will not have to speak for the people as long as his brother wears the Crown.

Albert continues his work with Lionel in his attempt to correct his stammer as a way of being taken seriously. Around this point in the movie I was wondering to myself, “Why the Eff-Yu-Sea-Kay was this movie rated R?” Shortly after this thought entered my head, the question was quickly answered in a scene that would make our loyal readers proud! This leads us to problems that King George V and Albert had alluded to earlier. King Edward VIII can no longer be King – so Albert has to bear this news and also has to deal with the heavy pressure of the People of Germany dealing with a little Austrian pain in the ass, named Adolf.

Albert continues to seek the services of Lionel to best prepare for his future speaking engagements. Albert, now King George VI and his family, in the midst of watching their coronation ceremony on film, have a moment of clarity as this media also opens them to the growing power that Adolf Hitler now has in Germany. Shortly after it is announced that England has attempted to resolve a compromise with Germany to stop the invasion of Poland, the British demands are not met. England declares War on Germany, and it is now  up to the King to address his people to prepare them for a dark decade with much anticipated agony.  This leads to the speech that will forever be ingrained in the History of Great Britain.

The film moves quickly, and it feels less like a period piece than most would expect. The acting was excellent, and the piece deserves the praise it has been receiving. There are no weak moments – Collin Firth gives a very memorable performance. The King’s Speech  blends comedy, drama, and history in a way that deserves to be commended. If you enjoy history, good acting, or just want to see what everyone seems to be raving about; it is worth the two hours of your time and ticket price to see “The King’s Speech”.

Limacher Low Down: I gained GREAT interest about seeing this movie after Paul Giamatti won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in Comedy or Musical. I must say there were some humorous lines and moments in the movie, but this was far from a Comedy. . . or Musical for that matter. The movie does a great job at taking the look of a unique man and telling his story through his eyes only; hence the title, it’s Barney’s Version! The movie plays on more than one emotion and at the end you might find yourself evaluating your own life and how things might be different and if it is ever too late to make a change. There are parts where you wonder what the (expletive deleted) is going on, but at the end a special story is revealed.

“Barney’s Version”, based on the novel of the same name by Mordecai Richler, is the story of Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti) who is a hockey loving, scotch drinking, producer of a successful soap opera in Canada. Barney has had some troubles in the past, and we quickly learn that part of his past has been written about and then the flashbacks commence. The first flashback is in Rome, 1975 where Barney is seated at a Café awaiting the arrival of his best friend Boogie (Scott Speedman). Shortly after Boogie arrives he hears the news of Barney being engaged to Clara Chambers (Rachel Lefevre) who is pregnant with Barney’s child. During the ceremony Barney finds out his bride-to-be is really named Clara Charnovsky, and Barney begins to question what else she has possibly lied about. Tragedy strikes and it leaves Barney questioning the relationship all together and leaves Barney lost and confused.

Barney next gets a call from his father that his Uncle wants him to be a Producer at his studio, Totally Useless Productions, and after a while of working his producing magic Barney meets a beautiful woman soon to be known simply as the 2nd Mrs. Panofsky (Minnie Driver). When Barney first meets her parents he asks his father to dinner with them and this is our introduction to Izzy Panofsky (Dustin Hoffman). Izzy is a retired beat cop who has a laid back attitude and a love for his son and wife to be. At the wedding, Barney realizes after being hoisted up on the chair that maybe he once again rushed into things. Barney’s Father-in-Law decides that Barney and Izzy have had enough to drink, and as Barney goes to tell off his new “dad” he eyes a beautiful woman outside the hall, and realizes he just has to talk to her. They share some friendly chit chat and he asks her to accompany him to Rome, of course she declines and leaves. Later in the evening Barney sits down at a table with Boogie and together they watch the new love of his life leave. Boogie agrees she’s a fascinating woman and shows Barney a note she had written with her name on it, Miriam (Rosamund Pike). Barney chases Miriam down and she rejects him so he has to make his way back home dejected that he married the WRONG WOMAN!

Barney and his new wife Honeymoon in Rome where Barney starts to question who some of the guests were. He casually asks who Miriam was, and his wife states her name is Miriam Grant and has no kind words about her. His new wife and Barney start their lives together and Barney seemingly cannot say a kind thing to her, but she talks down to him all the time. (This is Barney’s Version so we hear what he hears!) Barney lets his wife know that he’s going to the cabin he owns up north of Montreal to get away with Boogie for the weekend. Barney and Boogie arrive at the cabin when who else should be there BUT the 2nd Mrs. P. Barney leaves for the city the next day to meet Izzy and talk a few things out, mainly that he married the wrong woman. Barney arrives back at the cabin and discovers he isn’t the only one with angst.

Barney finally gets divorce papers and as soon as he signs them, of course his first call is to his lovely Miriam. Barney and Miriam start their new relationship and Barney could not be happier. Not much time goes by before the two are joined in wedded bliss. Everyone seems happy and Barney and Miriam start a family. They have a son and a daughter and we watch as they quickly grow up. As the kids grow up Miriam decides that she wants to go back to work and a friend of theirs, Blair (Bruce Greenwood), offers her a job to work with him. Barney grows concerned over this fact because he always had the sense that Blair was interested in Miriam and vice-versa. Years go by and Barney and Miriam continue their relationship and love for each other to the point where their children have moved away. Barney and Izzy go for a walk to visit the grave of Barney’s mother where Izzy talks straight to Barney about how he will understand how important it is to spend eternity with one you love, then goes on to say “I need to get laid!” Barney takes this advice and doesn’t know what to do with it because he still doesn’t understand.  Barney gets a call later that night and his father had gotten his wish, but with a catch.

Barney makes a few bad choices and suffers from the consequences of his choices. Barney starts to analyze his life and melts down analyzing what his life used to be. Barney ages quickly due to his heavy drinking and other choices he made early in life. Barney sinks down into a shell of the person he once was, and this translates really well on screen. All the questions that might be asked throughout the movie all get answered at the end, and it leaves you with a sense of completion. The performances are well acted and really connect with the audience. The movie was wonderfully done, and you can really feel a connection at the end as well. While it isn’t the brightest movie ever made, “Barney’s Version” tells a story that most movies don’t. And the fact the movie follows one character without branching out to see other points of view makes it even more special to witness on screen. You may wonder just what in the hell Barney was thinking in parts, but you also have to remember that it is his story, and he has nothing to hide.

If you want to see a movie that makes you laugh, touches you, and runs the gamut of emotions, go see “Barney’s Version”.

Limacher Low Down: Grown Ups on the surface seemed like it might be a sophomoric comedy that you would expect from this cast of merry-men – and it was!   It was evident throughout that all of the stars were genuinely having fun, and it made the movie that much more enjoyable.

Grown Ups is about the reunion of five friends who grew up in the same small town.  Lenny Feder (Adam Sandler) is married and successful with a beautiful wife, Roxanne (Salma Hayek) and has three kids who have been pampered their whole lives. Eric Lamonsoff (Kevin James) is a good family man who really cares about his family and it shows. Kurt McKenzie (Chris Rock) is a stay at home husband and father while his wife, Deanne (Maya Rudolph) works and supports her family  – including her mother Mama Ronzoni (Ebony Jo-Ann) who loves to make fun of her son-in-law. Marcus Higgins (David Spade) is the ladies man and womanizer of the group.  On the other end of the spectrum is Rob Hilliard (Rob Schneider) who is married to a woman twice his age, Gloria (Joyce Van Patten).

When the group first gets together the sparks fly with all the quips and the different ways they find to rip into one another.  Most of these burns happen so fast, you’ll be begging for TiVo.  It’s the way comedy should be.  The story develops quickly, showing everyone getting to know each other and everyone’s kids doing their best to get along as well.  The father’s share experiences of their childhood and the kids don’t seem to know how to take it in this day of technology. The story stays on course and flows throughout the movie. The jokes and insults amongst friends keep coming, and without any one joke being told twice, I continued to laugh throughout the whole movie.

There wasn’t really a plot line, but it didn’t need one.  It’s just about making people laugh and having a good time at the movies.  It was enjoyable from beginning to end!  And, don’t worry, the previews don’t give away the best material, in fact the “pool pissing scene” with the blue dye was the LEAST funny part of the movie.

I enjoyed this one from the opening credits till the very end.  People may frown at some of the off-color nature of the jokes, but it’s comedy amongst friends and it comes across as a good time had by all. No one actor stole the show, and each character added something special to the movie – yes, even Rob Schneider!

From time to time, rarely at iRATEfilms, we get such divergent opinions of the same film that it perplexes me as an editor.  Two critics that don’t always see eye to eye might not always agree on a film’s delivery, but Little Fockers stands out as Sergio simply loved it and Limacher loathed it!  Click the image below to be taken to each review, then tell me, the hapless master-of-puppets, who got it right and who got it wrong.  -Swift

(more…)

Behind the scene images here.

Limacher Low Down: The Kids Are All Right gives a greater insight to the nuclear family of the 21st Century, or at least that was the attempt. The movie tried to blend a good mix of comedy and drama, but it didn’t come across that way – in fact, to me, it was more like a tale of two movies. Sure, it had funny parts, but by the time the credits started rolling I was left pondering what the fuck was THAT? The movie had this great build up only to let me down more than when they opened Al Capone’s Vault! (Anyone remember that?) The acting was good; the story helped define the characters, but there was something about how it ended that just makes me wonder . . . why?

The Kids Are All Right begins with us meeting the family, the Lesbian Couple of Nic (Anette Benning) and Jules (Julianne Moore) and their two kids Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson). Yes, Laser.  We quickly learn that much like every family they all have their quirks, but they stick together through everything. Laser wants to learn the identity of the man who donated the sperm that his mother, Jules, was inseminated with. It just so happens that Nic was inseminated with the same donor’s sperm a few years before to have Joni. Joni being 18 is of legal age to attempt to locate the man, but is reluctant to at first. Enter Paul (Mark Ruffalo) who is a successful small business owner and somewhat of a womanizer as well. Paul receives a call from the sperm bank and agrees to talk to the person who is seeking him out.

Joni quickly calls Paul and sets up a meeting for Laser and herself to their potential father. The cliche questions from the test-tube children get asked, and there are a few awkward moments between the kids and their donor father. The kids quickly start to enjoy the company, but agree that their moms can NEVER find out. Guess what?  After a unique scene between the mothers and son, the moms find out that Joni and Laser actually met Paul. The moms agree that they too want to meet Paul and see the man whose sperm they used to have their children – insert obvious turkey baster dinner humor here.

The family all convenes and we learn more about each person from one of the more humorous scenes in the movie. Nic seems to be more reserved about Paul, but Jules really takes to him and that leads us into the roller coaster that is the rest of the film. The story takes a turn when Jules, who has just started her own landscaping architecture company, agrees to come and work on Paul’s recently acquired house. One thing leads to another and Paul and Jules become attracted to each other and start a torrid love affair that no one knows about. This all seems to beg the question of “when did this turn into ‘Chasing Amy’?”

And, all that leads to the end of the film where all the possible questions could be answered, but still left me frustrated and wondering why the film-makers built such a strong foundation only to have everything collapse at the end. I enjoyed the first half of the movie and then got really let down with the conclusion. I will say that the movie had a great amount of upside, and the trailer really grabbed my attention and made me want to see this but at the end of the movie I was just left questioning so many aspects. The humor came quick and dies out way too soon, and the drama seemed a little over the top at times as well. The movie might be great for some, but not for all and I fit in with the latter!

Limacher Low Down: Faster is a movie that I thought would be action packed with a basic revenge story line tying all the violence together, and I was WAY OFF! Faster was slower than a street sweeper at times, but the acting and plot is what takes center stage in this movie. With multiple twists and turns that take the viewer on an enjoyable ride, but for the action nut Faster will leave a somewhat bitter taste in your mouth. It wasn’t terrible, but some predictability and lack of over the top action takes away from how much better this movie could have been.

Faster starts off when a man simply known as Driver (Dwayne Johnson) is getting out of jail. We know nothing of his past or what he plans to do. The first thing he does is get a car (a Chevy Chevelle SS) that was waiting for him and we’re off to the races. The revenge starts off within the first five minutes, but the question is still why the is this guy so angry? The first kill is the one they constantly show in previews with Driver making his way through an office to find his first “victim”.

We learn that Driver hired Roy Grone (Mike Epps) to find all the people he was after and supply him with a car. Meanwhile back at the crime scene we meet Cop (Billy Bob Thornton) an officer 10 days from retirement, down on his luck, and seeking one last case to retire on. Cop’s supervising officer on the case is Cicero (Carla Gugino), who once again plays the grizzled woman who feels the need to be the hard-ass. While the two of them are investigating tapes they realize that the victim knows Driver and apparently knows what is coming.

Next we see pictures of a kid who seemed to have it hard when he was a child only to become a multi-millionaire in his adult life. He gets a call from his “Boss” and gets told he has some work from an anonymous person who wants Driver taken out. If you haven’t guessed by now this guy is named Killer (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). He gets the info he needs to have on Driver and as the old cliché goes, the chase is on.

Driver and Killer have short little gun play when Driver is going down his list and we now have all the pieces in place to really make this movie take off. Unfortunately the movie stalls out in certain parts, but it’s the build of the story that takes over for the lack of action. As the movie progresses we find out the back story on Driver and why he was seeking revenge on the people he wants to see dead.

This is one of those movies where everyone has baggage and to add to character development we learn just enough about each person to gain that better understanding the will “drive” the viewer to the finish. The movie, I suppose, will keep some people guessing as to what will happen next and if Driver will ever be satisfied or if his conscience will catch up to him before he completes his list. The end is a good twist and kind of gives off that “WHAT THE FUCK?!!?” feeling that really adds to the overall feel of the movie. With that said, I will not give anything away, but I WILL SAY that truth be told, I was a little upset by the lack of action; but sometimes people have to sacrifice one thing to get another in return. The acting was better than I expected, and the story was well written and does make for an interesting viewing. If you enjoy the old school, slow paced, story driven, revenge style movies than Faster is worth checking out, but if you want a thrilling action flick, you may be disappointed.

Welcome!

David Limacher and Rick Swift got to briefly, well not really briefly, chat with Adam Rifkin and Ali Cobrin of the Showtime series, “Look”.   Listen to the whole interview here!

We broke the interview up into sections below, because we know how few people listen to a full hour interview – even if it is the best damned interview you ever heard!  So, click on the snippets (section titles) you feel are worthy of your time, but definitely listen to the section where Adam explains what Look is all about, below:

What is “Look”?

Adam Rifkin:  “Look” explores the things that people do when they don’t think they are being watched.

What the show does is explore the intersecting lives of about six different main story-lines all from the point of view of surveillance cameras, but not just big brother it also incorporates “little brother” – cell phone cameras, webcams, flip cams, and Facebook, Twitter, YouTube all the different ways we voluntarily put ourselves under surveillance through these new medias.

Chicago born?

David Limacher:  I read that you are both from the Chicago area.

AR:  It’s true; we are both graduates of the Chicago Academy of the Arts High School.

DL:  So, how did you make your moves from Chicago to Hollywood?

AR:  I had always wanted to be a film-maker, ever since I was knee high to a cricket, as they say.  For as long as I can remember, that is all I have ever wanted to do.  I made films with my friends while growing up in Chicago, so as soon as I was old enough I high-tailed it to Hollywood to make real movies.  It’s just that simple.

AC:  My story is exactly the same, except in front of the camera side.  I grew up in the valley world and the theater world in Chicago, and when I graduated high school I came right out to Hollywood.

How is “Look” shot, and why do the actors feel it is more theater than film?

Ali Cobrin:  In a typical TV show or movie, you know the cameras are there, so you are acting for the camera, standing on marks, and worrying about sight-lines.  But in this show you are shooting while walking around and having dialog and engaging in natural conversations as students are walking around not knowing we are shooting.

AR:  One of the ways we shoot the show, unlike conventional means, like Ali was saying . . . we actually hide the cameras, and we never close the locations – the actors were wearing radio mics and would be off by themselves, saying their dialog, but it just looks like they were having a conversation.  Most of the time, people had no idea anything was being shot at all.

Why isn’t the show listed under “Series” on Showtime On Demand?

[Editor's note, right about here is where the NSA took a strong interest in our interview and tapped into the conversation (you'll hear hellacious feedback and echoes) - that is my story and I am sticking to it!]

AR:  It’s not in the Series section, because it isn’t a Showtime original series – how the series came about, the evolution is inside baseball stuff.  The series is based on the film I did in 2007 which was really popular in the college art house scene in 2008.  The series being on Late Night has more to do with how it got captured by Showtime and not an original series of theirs.

Ali, can you talk about the character you play on the series?  Molly

[Note, the NSA dropped us, but the TSA picked us up, probably wanted to hear more about Molly too, so I am transcribing word for word what Ali said, below.  –Swift]

AC:  Molly is a girl in high school and she starts off the year like this is going to be a totally new year for her.  She has new friends and is hanging out with like the popular girls, the jocks, and that type of thing.  And, she’s a little naive, and she’s kind of the pet project of the typical mean queen of the high school and she goes through a wild ride her, I guess, Junior year in high school.

About the acting, is the show completely scripted?

AR:  The show is completely scripted; I do give the actors freedom to make the lines their own.  You know with most shows, you write the episode and you shoot it, but I had the luxury of knowing I was going to be writing and shooting every episode.  So, I wrote the series like a five and a half hour movie and instead of going to the mini-mart 11 times, we went there once and shot it in two days, all 11 episodes worth.  We did that with the entire season, and it really lets us get a really big look, with lots of characters and lots of locations on a modest budget.

AC:  Well, Adam was really great about, I know, from watching the episodes I have heard from here or there that I had a feeling were not in the script.  There’s one line I know that I said that was not in the script, “My hair looks like a frizzball.”

AR:  That was between takes, and we used it.

How did iRATEfilms hear about “Look”?

DL:  I stumbled across “Look” on On Demand on the convenient mart concert.

AC:  That was fun, that was a fun day on set.

AR:  Can I say something about you saying that?  One of my closest friends is a film-maker also, Valerie Breiman, she wrote and directed the movie “Love and Sex” with Jon Favreau and Famke Janssen.  And I was showing her some of the rough-cuts of the series way back when we were still editing them, and she said with the episode with the concert in it and while watching the concert scene, “People are going to stumble on this when they are switching channels and go, ‘what the hell is this’ and keep watching.”  You just proved her right!

Concert scene, controlled chaos?

AR:  We had to run a pretty tight ship; we had very little time to shoot 11 episodes.  I mean, anytime you are doing any sort of production . . . it is chaotic.

DL:  See, that scene really interested me and made me want to get more into the show and watch it more and more.  That was one of the only times, that I can recall, where the main characters were all together, for the most part.

AR:  That’s the idea, the fact that all these character’s lives intersect whether they are aware of it or not.

AC:  It also happens a few more times throughout the series, which I think is really rewarding dramatically – if you watch the entire series through.

DL:  The way these people’s lives intersect, it shows that people are in other people’s lives more than they realize.

What’s the deal with the Security Guards?   Can I drink beer all day and ogle women too?

AR:  Those guys are based on real guys!  We were doing research at several locations, from government buildings to shopping centers, these guys were based on real security guards we found at a certain mall who were actually submitting images of their favorite security grabs to YouTube.

We now live in a society where we are constantly being monitored, it is just a matter of fact now.

AR:  In the old days, a mini-mart video would only be stored as long as it took to reset the tape, now every bit of footage is stored forever, somewhere, digitally.  You might not be doing anything that someone’s going to want to dig up ten years from now, but it is there if someone wants to find it.

Everything that is caught on camera is permanent!

AC:  When people look at their Facebook, they need to realize it is stuck there, permanently.

AR:  Right, every piece of our lives is retrievable now.  What we do with the show is to only use retrievable data, even the text subtitles are based on the fact that these digital texts are stored, permanently, somewhere  –  so we can use them in the show.

Why the time stamps on the footage?

AR:  You look at actual surveillance footage at a mall or a mini-mart and you are going to find the time stamps – all the different shots reflect all the way these surveillance camera films would look.  We perfected it after working on Look the film, in 2007.

As film-makers, are you for or against the extremely voyeuristic society we live in now?

AR:  The numbers of cameras are growing exponentially, and the amount of personal surveillance we put ourselves under is in no way slowing down.  With the series, and the movie, but specifically with the series I did not want to take a stand and say I am all pro-camera or I am all anti-camera.

I think there are compelling arguments for both – we’ve seen the London bombers get caught because of these cameras.  But, conversely we had that poor kid who just killed himself at Rutgers, because his roommate posted him having a gay tryst online – and he was completely humiliated.  The issue is so complex; it is impossible to say it is all bad or all good.

The TSA is only the beginning.

AR: I am sure you guys are aware of the current controversy of all the airport scanners that take pictures of you under your clothes.  Well, that is gonna play a big part in season two.

AC:  Adam, also, now you can be on the NET while flying, season two definitely needs characters skyping on the plane.

DL:  It is good to hear you talking about season two.

AR:  Well, I will tell you it continues to be the number one show for its time slot on Showtime, last week’s viewership spiked 84%, which is spectacular; I am so excited.

Has the knowledge of all these cameras made either of you change the way you live your lives?

AC:  Surveillance wise, no, because you are captured on countless cameras just walking to the bank or buying groceries.  But, what I am worried about and I am aware of is online stuff.  I remember growing up and hearing “The internet is a scary place; consult your parents, blah blah blah.”

AR:  Tell them about tweeting photos.

AC:  The new thing is to let everyone know where you are and geo-tag pics you send immediately, meaning there is a location and a google map and it like lets you know if you are on the same block and everything.

AR:  Even if you remove that geo-tagging setting, the URL itself is geo-tagged, so it will forever be tagged to the URL, so wait a little while before tweeting your location if you don’t want anyone to know where you are.

AC:  Oh, wow, I didn’t know that.

AR:  Even if you have just watched “Look” you can’t be constantly vigilant about all the different ways you are being monitored – so, eventually you just live your life.  I will say this; it is like the best time in the world to be a stalker . . . they have really come into their own now.

What the heck is Facebook Stalking?

AC: I have a lot of friends in college, and a favorite past-time they have they literally call it Facebook stalking – for sure, people are checking up on ex’s and friends seeing who they are with.  That’s Facebook stalking.

GET ME TO THE GODDAMNED LOOK!

DL:  Today’s age of technology, people can give you instant feedback.

AC:  Exactly.

AR:  That’s awesome.

DL:  For me personally, it’s like I have to wait for a new episode every Sunday night – Dexter, you are just re-hashing season’s one through three – just get me to the God-Damned Look!

AR:  You are our hero!

What do Adam Rifkin and Ali Cobrin think about imdb?

AR:  Love it; before we had to use these things called “books” and they were huge and still only contained a fraction of the information that imdb has.  Also, with imdb, your past is your past, you can’t hide from it.

AC:  As a culture, everyone should be more forgiving and understanding of everyone and themselves, because there are no secrets.

Rick Swift:  Yea, nobody can hide anymore.

Incidentally, here are links to their respective pages for Adam & Ali.

Did you know Adam Rifkin was Writer/Director of 1994’s “The Chase”?

AR: That is correct.

DL:  That is like one of my favorite movies of the 90s.

RS:  Ditto, you know I wanted to ask you a question about that, because as I was preparing for this interview I was thinking about that movie before I even knew you were involved with the film.  Because “The Chase” ties in with where we are now with “Look”.

AR:  I remember calling the Fox rep after the OJ Simpson chase and asking them to re-release it, but they felt it would be in poor taste to exploit the case.  Which, is funny, because that was arguably the most exploited event of the decade.

RS:  I remember actually seeing “The Chase” after the OJ case was unfolding.

AR:  Yea, that movie caught on big once it went to cable.

Did you know he also wrote the script for Zoom?

DL:  Rick Swift and I both liked the plot of “Zoom”.

AR:  Thanks; working on big studio films like “Zoom”, “Underdog”, and “Mousehunt” gives me the opportunity to tackle other projects like “Night at the Golden Eagle”, “The Dark Backward” and “Look”. But, I love working on big projects as well as the more personal projects and feel they both are essential parts in shaping my career.

. . . and directed Detroit Rock City, to name a few others . . .

AR:  Giuseppe Andrews and Miles Dougal are both in that as well as “Look”.  I have known Miles since my days at the Chicago Academy of the Arts high school, and our production designer, Brett Snodgrass, is also from the academy.

In fact, I wrote the roles in Look the movie and the series for Giuseppe and Miles.

Show sounds great, so, where can I find “Look” if I don’t have Showtime?

AR:  It’s all coming.  We don’t have dates, but it is definitely going to be on DVD and Netflix soon, just keep a lookout.

Where can we find out more about the series?

Here’s a link to Ali’s page, just click on the pic!

@AliCobrin

Here is Adam’s page, click on the pic, I mean, by now if you can’t figure that out . . . sheesh.

@AdamRifkin

@Looktvseries

Friends with Benefits and The Hole 3D!

AC:  I have a role in the Joe Dante thriller called “The Hole 3D” and that is out and about for people to see.  And I am guest starring in an upcoming NBC show, “Friends with Benefits”.

DL:  You aren’t a guest star in our eyes, you are a star in our eyes and that is how we are going to promote it, so we got to speak to you before the show releases.  What is that about and does it compare to “Look”?

AC:  Thank you, it’s funny, because you can compare “Look” to everything, because “Look” is about real life.  “Friends with Benefits” is about a group of friends in their mid-twenties who are in Chicago and hooking up and finding the benefits of being friends with benefits.

AR:  It’s a big show coming on NBC.

Goodbye and thanks for sharing your time with us at iRATEfilms.com.

DL:  For everybody who is listening, we have been speaking to Ali Cobrin, who plays Molly on the show, “Look” and Adam Rifkin, who is the creator, producer, director of “Look” and multiple other things that are excellent – the guy has the Midas touch!

AR:  Thank you very much.

AC:  Thank you.

RS:  We are very interested in finding out what else you are going to be involved in, and I hope we can keep in touch.

AR:  Absolutely.  We will.  Thank you, and we will definitely take you up on that and we should all keep in touch; that is really cool.

Check out all the ways to reach us, and we are free for any and all interviews!

Check out “Look” on Showtime now, and follow them on Twitter (@Looktvseries) or at their direct site – (www.looktheseries.com) and, of course, tell your friends – Remember you are being watched . . . always!  Be sure and check back soon, because Rick Swift’s review of “Look” the film will be up shortly!

—More, Retired, Extremely Dangerous images here—

Limacher Low Down: RED does something that seems to have been lost in quite a few movies recently, which is to blend action and comedy together in an enjoyable manner. The cast is spectacular, and each person adds their own element of humor and action to the movie which made it a fun flick. The only really bad thing about Red is the fact there are so MANY quality scenes being shown in the previews! It makes me want to call the studio and bitch them out for spoiling some surprises, particularly action sequences that the audience would enjoy even more. That being said, if you missed the previews, you are lucky – it’s worth the price of admission to go on the ride.

RED starts when we see Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) living in Cleveland and just trying his best to live his life like a “normal” person. He’s getting checks from the government that he tears up, just so he can talk to his favorite receptionist, Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker).

One night a shit load of guys in black come and storm Frank’s house, which is shown in the previews, and Frank has to figure out why they were after him. Frank involves Sarah in his dangerous affairs. We next meet Joe Matheson (Morgan Freeman), who is retired and trying to indulge in the only thing worth a damn at his retirement home – the view.  Immediately after that, we are introduced to the CIA agent in charge of bringing Frank in, William Cooper (Karl Urban). I won’t go into detail here, but there is an excellent sequence when Frank and William first meet.  (You probably saw that in the previews too!)

Flash forward to Frank and Sarah taking a trip through the Bayou to meet up with a reclusive former CIA agent, Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich) in Pensacola. Boggs is bat shit crazy, but is the comic relief of the movie. Boggs, Frank, and Sarah make their way through the airport when all hell breaks loose, and we learn that you can’t train crazy but crazy comes in handy in another scene yet again shown in the previews. Frank decides that the CIA must be behind what is happening.

Who does Frank call when he has questions about people trying to kill him, and to make sure it IS the CIA, well his former enemy from the Soviet Union of course, Ivan Simanov (Brian Cox). Ivan and Frank have history, but decide to let bygones be bygones after some negotiating and share stories of how they got out of their former lines of work.

The movie takes the viewer on many twists and turns that are enjoyable to watch, but the group isn’t quite complete yet, they need one more person. Enter, Victoria (Helen Mirren). The group has learned of the person who may be behind the deaths of agents and friends that used to work together and it leads to one place and one man who may have the answers. The group knows that they need to complete their latest “mission” by any means necessary, and a plan comes together.

Everyone adds their own little niche to the group, and the casting was perfect for everyone in this movie and how they played their parts. This really shows when the action starts to pick up, and every time you look around somebody is getting shot at or there’s an explosion that shakes the theater at every turn. Boggs once again shows that you can’t train crazy, and in a scene that still remains funny even after you see it in ALL the previews, chases after the people who are behind the murders with a chest loaded with explosives. The movie takes somewhat of a twist at the end that I will not spoil here.  I will just say that the movie was fun and what action/comedies should be more like. I say that if you want a movie that is fun with plenty of action to keep your attention as well spend your money and go see RED!