Observe the Fauna

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Animal Kingdom was a movie definitely outside what I would consider my “genre-zone”. I enjoy fantastical stories where non-fiction roams free. This flick is a grimy street crime story that focuses more on the criminal family’s point of view than the cops which was definitely an interesting experience.

Off the bat there are frightful images of what I assume to be crimes of the past displayed in photos, documentation, flickering on and off throughout the credits. Then the film opens to a scene where Joshua ‘J’ Cody (Super-newcomer James Frecheville) is sitting by his sleeping mother. Now, let me just interject, this kid Josh is apparently a heartless, soulless confused person, made that way because apparently he had a shitty childhood. How is that so obvious without being told? Well, a few seconds after you see the two on the couch, paramedics charge in as Josh keeps ogling at the TV watching Deal or No Deal.

“What has she taken?” a paramedic says to him. “Heroin” Josh shrugs all nonchalantly and from here, his mother passes away and he gets taken in by the crime-portion of his family that his mom was trying to keep him away from. He doesn’t really get pulled into a life of crime; he doesn’t turn into a monster, nothing like that. He actually joins the family while they are “on the run”; denying everything that involved with something labeled “The Armed Robbery Squad” that they never ever explain for some frustrating reason. They are not truly on the run though; they kind of just deny embroilment.

So, Janine Cody (Jacki Weaver), Josh’s Grandmother, watches over this “squad” which is comprised of four “uncles”…well, three for now.  Josh explains in an Australian voice over, how he is connected to each of the three uncles currently present in the house. It’s a sweet scene that is most likely meant to dull the sense for what is about to come and fuck up the happy feelings.   After his little spiel on his family and how “everyone feels safe around Barry Brown (Joel Edgerton)” he is sent to get a beer from the kitchen.  With his ever permanent blank expression, he shuffles slowly into the kitchen to grab a few bottles. Suddenly, Uncle Andrew (came right in through the back door, snuck in all sneaky) had decided that hiding in a hotel alone wasn’t making him feel safe enough so he came back to the house.

From the arrival of this bastard, Josh goes from living a shitty life to living in an insane world. Vigilante police are gunning his family down with no remorse and Josh’s motivation becomes one of pure survival. Forget the fact you have a girlfriend and a paranoid uncle. Oh did I mention, according to Janine, Uncle Andrew should start taking his PILLS again? The man is nuts, you have got to see how the rest of this films plays out, it’s ridiculous. I say “ridiculous”,of course, with a positive connotation.

The casting in this movie was great, the acting trailing behind just as enjoyable. There is something about this Joshua character that makes the audience think he is a complete idiot. I am not sure if it’s his four minute stare sessions at the most insensitive times, the fact he ends up with seven lines in the whole movie, how he ignores everybody’s suggestions, or how he involves the girlfriend with his crime bullshit.

I would be bothered by this moron’s behavior if it wasn’t the fact that his mother just over-dosed and his family is dropping like flies. The effect and purpose of the title “Animal Kingdom” is so obvious throughout the movie.  There were slow-motion scenes akin to discovery channel’s  “lion chases zebra to death” segments. You can see the feral expressions of the characters throughout the scenes. There is a certain part that I fell in love with. The police corner (someone) and they chase him out into “the bush” (what they call wilderness in Australia) and they shoot him down, they then pose like a weird lion pack (It’s odd, but I liked it) and the person they killed falls to the ground instantly. The next frame is focused on the dead person’s face with flies buzzing around. Just a carcass that is being processed in the circle of life; it was a great moment.

Something that was really “neat” was their use of sound in the movie. The slow-motion scenes (there are several and drag on a bit too much in my opinion) are filled with loud, border-line torturous ambient music. And the rest of the movie is pretty much just filled with dialogue, nothing too memorable regarding audio except the fact they should have just gone with a silent scene.

So, among what is probably my most disliked of genres, Animal Kingdom stands the hell out. It is a great movie filled with suspense, action, and unfamiliar faces. I know I probably say it a lot, but it was a great change of pace from the usual thing. Hell, maybe I will watch some other films I have avoided just because of this one.

“When you need her and do not want her, she must stay. When you want her and do not need her, she must go.”

***Click here for more stills and behind the scenes stuff***

“What you need is Nanny McPhee”, little “c” big “P”.  Emma Thompson brings you another installment to the McPhee franchise. The second adventure of the pretty much super nanny tells of a poor woman named Isabel  Green (Maggie Gyllenhal) who half-owns a farm with Uncle Phil (Rhys Ifans). From the intro scene you can pretty much assume that Isabel and her three children Megsie, Vincent, and Norman are broke as shit.  The farm is pretty much in ruins and Uncle Bill is just AMPED to sell this farm off.

They couldn’t afford to keep their tractor and therefore, can’t harvest the barley. Mr. Green, Isabel’s husband, is far away “at the war” and constantly writes his wife. The film doesn’t give on how long he has been gone but it was apparent that it has been quite a while. The house is all a mess…aged. Isabel can’t handle the kids alone, and the Uncle is completely and wholly set on getting this farm sold fast. You see, his life is literally on the line. The appearance of Miss Topsey and Miss Turvey (Sinead Matthews and Katy Brand respectively) reveals that the bastard may have gambled the farm away in some weird Casino! Hmph, if only he had Isabel’s consent to make the sale that would spare him.

To make matters worse, Isabel’s sister send her own two children to the farm…the cousins. Of course they are spoiled, rich, snobby, hilarious brats but they really do, surprisingly, grow on you…almost stealing the movie away from the “main kids.” From here, the plot develops to the point where “(Maggie) needs Nanny McPhee.”

Now we meet the hella ugly, Nanny McPhee and see what she is all about. (Note Emma Thompson is Prof. Trelawney from Harry Potter and Maggie Smith plays Prof. McGonagall!)
The acting was, woot woot, on point.

I have to admit, I was hesitant to watch something that looked like Mary Poppins WITHOUT singing. However, the children that were casted completely stole the show. Cyril is my personal favorite of the entire cast with his obnoxious retorts and complaints of his situation. His display of sarcasm and arrogance light the screen up and come, like a surprise ninja kick every time. No one was unbelievable and the whole film held a consistent “Nanny McPhee” aura, making it stand out from your usual kids films.

The move itself was shocking. Mostly because I found myself wanting to keep watching it, then, wanting it to be longer. The plot flowed very smoothly and there was no sign of foolishness anywhere. No unneeded extra characters or idiotic plot twists, or unexplainable “conveniences” here!  You can always tell when a movie’s engine has stopped running , followed by a swift kick in the ass to force-start it.

Eyegasm. The special effects were pretty much perfect and never seen before. There was not anything epic or spectacular done, but the effects added so much life and personally not only to the movie, but to Nanny McPhee. This movie has a life of its own and I didn’t even have the awkward looming feeling of enjoying a movie for kids.  It was geared towards children but presented adult problems like divorce, love, jealousy, and good morals. Everything was so clever and wrapped up so well.

I love it when a movie gives me closure. Speaking of closure, prepare yourself for a very unexpected ending (I am not sure how, just do it) that turns out to be rather suspenseful. The person next to me jumped to the edge of his chair and clutched the arm holders with anxiety! I hope you guys do enjoy it as much as I do, and as much as you want to hear more from me, I must go. *Thunk*

Fans Bent Out of Shape

***Whether you are a loyal fan or not, you gotta see more images, click here***

The Last Airbender by M. Night Shyamalan is a HIT if you are one of the few who never saw the cartoon it was based on. As a nonviewer of the series myself, I didn’t see anything wrong with the film. The fans on the other hand were so upset by the film that when the ending credits came about and one expected the usual applause of a film well done, I heard a minor uproar. Accompanying boo’s being delivered gratuitously, there was a “What the hell was that?” and my personal favorite “…I don’t remember Ang being such a vagina.” So since the views were so different, I thought I would try something different this time around.

Anime Fan

Are you serious M Night? He wants us to accept this as an adaptation to the Avatar cartoon series? How does the director not even get the names right? “Ang” somehow becomes pronounced “Ung” and “Sokka” pronounced “Sew-ka”.  That “twist” M Night is famous for just happened to be the fact he fucking changed the ending of the story. Stupid move.

Non-Anime Viewer

I think M Night’s film was almost flawless. The acting was phenomenal and chemistry on the screen is not something you see every day. The Last Airbender is loaded with slap-stick comedy that both children and adults would find entertaining. The bending in the films was out of this world! “Bending” is the ability or power to control the elements using your flow of chi and choreographed martial arts moves to physically control the elements to pretty much do your bidding. Benders can fling formed clumps or balls of the earth, fire, air, or water at their opponents. It appears to be that air, water, fire, and earth bending each has their martial arts style representative of the given element. The bending and the fights is what made the film such a blast for me. Even Sokka, who does not have the ability, kicked serious butt with his boomerang sword thing.

Anime Fan

No don’t get me wrong, the 3D graphics rocked my fucking socks off and the elemental effects were so real it was hard to remember that it was actually just 3D and not some alien holographic technology. The ending is really what killed it for me. If you saw the shows “Book One: Water” you would be flabbergasted as to why the hell you sat through what I call “this garbage.”

Non Anime Fan

Well being that it was indeed based on a cartoon, and keep in mind, M Night changed things up to keep it more realistic, he said so himself as did Jackson Rathbone.

Anime Fan

Pah-hahaha. Why? M Night should have stuck to the show’s details if he was making an adaptation of it! I mean, story-wise the movie was pretty accurate. Some small things that bothered me just didn’t let me love the movie. In the show, the Fire Nation is feared and powerful not because they are everywhere like ants, but because they are the only types for “benders” that can summon fire out of their ass (not literally) and use it at will. I sincerely don’t think the movie would have lost any of its realism by adding this key detail at all. Trying to keep it real, he changed the schematics of the movie. It takes a special kind of genius to ruin something with such a firm outline. I was not asking for a replica of the show, but wow. I’ll just say leave it to M Night to add what one could call a “twist” to something set in stone. You are right about the acting though. Most of the characters not only looked their cartoon counterparts, but the actors almost possess their voices. Sokka and Katara’s relationship is a great parallel to the cartoon and everything was present. Another thing I don’t really feel right about was the fact that he made the different nations completely different races. I am not sure what he was playing at there; it sort of threw me off.

Non Anime Fan

Well that’s good then. Everything seems to be structurally consistent with the show except for these few major details. I observed the greatest upset more towards the end of the movie. Even never having seen the series, the ending was pretty anticlimactic . . . yet consistent with Ang’s (or Ung’s) character. For anyone who doesn’t know, “Book One: Water”, is the first in a three seasons series, suggesting this film is the first of a trilogy! I can’t wait for it. The “fans” may not be pleased but I sure as hell was.

Anime Fan

I am not watching that shit again.

Sergio Diaz encountered more than Michael Welch as he was introduced to the Miami Twi-hards.

Walking into the Gusman center for the first time, the first thing I notice is the amazing architecture and the way the entire place is dramatically set up – just awesome. Complete with a really neat green-screen photo booth where fans are able to take photos immersing them into the Twilight universe.  The locale is abuzz with excitement and everyone scuttles left and right erratically, like roaches, snatching things from either the merchandise table or the concession stand.  I see one fan that is literally jumping with excitement as her boy dons Vampire eyes *cue Twilight screams*.  {Click here for images from the event} I rip her politely from the merchandise line and she is more than happy to give me an interview.

Fan Interview with Arrienne – here

Spinlight City’s music blazes through the entire house.  It’s my first time hearing them but I must admit they are pretty damn good. You can find them on the Eclipse soundtrack, of course. I walk down into the massive auditorium/theatre area and it is vast – two floors and every wall covered in highly detailed statues with what looks like an aqua light shining on them revealing the elaborate gold/gold-plated trim. Where the hell am I again? “ahhhhhhh!” The screams bust my ears as a Y100 (the local radio station) DJ walks on stage and immediately introduces Michael Welch.

FAN QnA with Michael Welch – here

SergD’s 1 on 1 interview with Welch – here

Jackson Rathbone: “There is this fantastic shot, about six minutes of constant, uncut footage!”

***For more images from the event, click here!***

Nicola Peltz: “It’s going to be crazy!”

I had the extreme honor of meeting the charming Jackson Rathbone and the beautiful Nicola Peltz. It was in the courtyard of the Aventura mall, where about 300 excited fans lined up to meet and greet the young stars.  Passers by in the mall were leaning over the railings in a precarious effort to see what all the commotion was about.  No one fell, so no bending powers were required.

iRATEfilms was hanging with the media studs, lucky I wore my big boy pants as we were pretty much the only blog of our kind there. Yea, we stepped on the toes of CBS, FOX, and Primer Impacto, but, like our editor, Rick always says, we are little but we’re ruthless.

At four, the crowd erupted in a shrill squeal that shattered three store windows showering those below with shards of horrific glassy death as passers-by gawked at the spectacle below.  Yes, I am exaggerating, ever hear of poetic license?  I mean, come on, you KNOW this makes the story better.

The screams were understandable, being that some of these die-hard fans were planted as early as 5am.  Their delightful melody alerted me that Jackson and Nicola were indeed approaching. As they traversed the crimson gauntlet, I heard several, “I love you Nicola” and “Jackson, you are sexy marry me” comments.  Finally, I had them in my sights, and after a brief introduction, I got down to the interview.

SD- I have got to ask you guys…are you fans of the “Avatar: The Last Airbender” animated series?

JR- Oh yeah, I liked how all the fight scenes were so well choreographed especially.

NP- Omg, definitely…I have seen all three seasons which were amazing and it is really great being a part of the live-action interpretation!

SD-What did you take from the characters in the show that helped you portray them in the movie?

JR-Well we drew as much as we could, like, there is some of the slapstick taken out with Zuko to make the movie more realistic. I mean, there is so much in 24 episodes that has to be condensed into a movie it  was a pretty difficult task.

SD- With that said, I assume there is going to be tons of action in the movie and some of M Night’s single shot scenes?

JR- M Night is such a master of his craft. There is this fantastic shot, about 6 minutes of constant uncut footage. There are about a hundred stunt doubles flying everywhere and there are explosions going off…boom boom boom…

NP- yeah, there was ice flying everywhere too. The “bending” scenes with the elements are really cool and well done. There were so many special effects in the film going on at once. It’s going to be crazy.

SD- That sounds very epic. What was it like being there with everything going on? Were you doing your own stunts throughout the movie?

NP-  Amazing  working with M Night and everyone on the set. Yes I did do most of my own stunts throughout the movie-my stunt double Michelle is amazing and does such good job.

JR- I did most of my own stunts also. Everything was choreographed to the T so it was a challenge in itself to even practice the movements for the stunts.

NP- It was a lot of fun and a lot of exercise.

Before I realized it, the interview was over, I heard myself thanking them and said a tiny prayer in my heart as they approached the FOX crew.  The fanboy in me wanted to give each of them a great big hug and present them with a hand-stitched pillow like their super fan . . . pictured here.  But, I was on official orders from the dreaded Rick Swift to behave myself, lest he yank my front row seats at the screening.  I think any fans of great action or anime must check this one out, you know I am!

***Need more Knight and Day images?  Click here.***

Knight and Day was a great action movie directed by James Mangold whose credits include: Girl Interrupted, 3:10 to Yuma, and Walk the Line. It was well balanced.  There were times were I was on the edge of my seat, cringing as every second rode out on the various action romps littered throughout the film. On the other hand, this movie had a great sense of humor to it that I really enjoyed.  I am not going to lie though, it was pretty much your average Indiana Jones kind of comedic feature, along the lines of chatting through a mine cart ride or a joke or two snuck in right before a death defying slow-motion “explosion evasion dive”.

Except for the occasional corny childhood dreams and sand frolicking moments and a specifically horribly done villain, the movie was fantastic. The action sequences were spectacular and I just wanted more and more of them. The locales were fantastic with Spain, Austria, USA and Jamaica on the dream vacation list.

Cameron Diaz plays June Havens, a woman who is just going through the airport process, trying to make it to her sister’s wedding. Through the tedious scanners and check-ins she has constant run-ins with a mystery man she can’t help but think is her prince charming. After a few comedic encounters, the man introduces himself as Roy Miller (Tom Cruise).  The pulse picks up as soon as June makes it onto a plane with him that, according to Miller, “wasn’t meant to be”.  The dialogue in the film is refreshing and the on screen chemistry between Cruise and Diaz shines through like the first sunshine after a rainstorm.

FBI Agent Fitzgerald played by Peter Sarsgaard was a pretty bland character but lent enough to the film to be considered the villain. He is after Miller and has the whole FBI to back him up…fools. Then there is the stupid, awkward stereotype Latin gangster, arms dealer, Antonio (Jordi Molla) who was probably as annoying as Jar Jar Binks. Truly it doesn’t get more generic and fake than him, and because of that he becomes more a distraction than a supplement to the film. I would get a sour-lame taste in my mouth every time he showed up, regardless which scene it was. I cannot go on without saying Cruise and Diaz both had minor moments within the film that were too cliché for words.

June and Roy must protect oddball Simon Feck (Paul Dune from Little Miss Sunshine) from Fitz and Antonio.  Think of the Indiana, Marion ,and Mutt trio from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull when June, Roy, and Simon are hauling ass, jumping, fighting, kicking, shooting, etc.  Except Simon is approximately eighty-five percent less helpful in everything he attempts.  But, this feeb has a super genius, young mind that developed a never ending power source and, duh, everyone wants it.

The movie moved at the perfect pace…to me. Of course everyone is going to have their own opinions on the matter. Throughout, the two heroes June and Roy are hunted down in plenty of eye popping  scenes one can only describe as visual  bliss. The story is straight, clear, and surprisingly, not sappy! I am weary of all the meaningful movies out with morals and values and cries with hugs.

It’s definitely worth watching, and I believe you will find it more refreshing than you think. Though it sounds like you have heard it done before in regards to the story or the characters, you may find yourself surprised.  Major props to James Mangold and writer Patrick O’Neil for creating such an amped-up-laugh-your-ass-off thrill fest!

***Need more Splice images?  Click here!***

Is it humane to use human DNA in genetic splicing if it can change human life as we know it? Director Vincenzo Natali’s Splice conveys an intense message that is profound and truly terrifying…in concept. As I leave the theatre, I sift through the film in my head trying to figure out why the previews made it seem like the next great horror film. This film was more disturbing than anything.  It did have the classic recurring recipe for a “creature feature” film a la Frankenstein or Species, where scientists make and develop a creature as their child until it “evolves” enough to be a worldly hazard, which is when they have to take responsibility for their scientific breakthroughs gone wrong and destroy the creatures themselves.

We have our “mad scientists” Colin Clive (Adrien Brody) and Elsa Lanchester (Sarah Polley) who create something for the good of man-kind, despite the moral outrage it would obviously cause. Already extracting a beneficial protein that would help livestock from two spliced flesh-sacks named Fred and Ginger; they ask to push the envelope to human splicing. How those creatures ended up so phallic is beyond me.

The couple feels in their hearts that the benefits of human splicing, like the definite cure to major diseases and some forms of cancer, will out-weigh the morality of it. So, as top genetic splicers of NERD (Nucleic Exchange Research and Development) they emphasize this point with utmost passion not only to have NERD turn down the idea, but it put a stop to their splicing program altogether. They had to now focus on the routine of extracting the protein from Fred and Ginger.

Furious and filled with spiteful curiosity, Clive and Elsa decide to carry on the experiment in secret with human DNA. They do so in a lab within the same building…one wonders the security level of the entire company. “Only until it is an embryo…” Elsa says wide-eyed to Clive. Clive seems like he doesn’t want to go through with the experiment but succumbs to his spouse’s mercilessly bad ideas (It’s his hobby).

As the creature rapidly evolves it becomes more and more dangerous. Follow this with the “hide rapid growing creature” routine of constantly finding bigger hiding places, and we have the basis for the film. Add what someone could laughably call a twist and some “romance”, and it becomes the film we know as Splice.

The acting by Brody and Polley was for the most part, enthralling. Their extreme transition from focused and composed scientists, to deranged and delusional researchers was done with reasonable pace and was very believable. Androgynous newcomer Delphine Chanéac’s performance role of the grown-up creature the scientists named Dren was one of the best I have seen. I will go as far as to say she lent more to the character of Dren than the special effects did. Unfortunately, I feel that the acting was one of the few things that kept the film going. The visuals were all great and the character development was…interesting to say the least.

I understand the film is a look into the future of bio-engineering and the moral issues revolving around genetic engineering. However this gets diluted by stereotypical supporting characters and events becoming increasingly illogical. There are certain events or “facts” without premise or reason that are tossed in to get a perceptible reaction from the audience besides the awkward stare I myself wore as I watched on. The development of Dren in the early stages and the dedication of the scientists as parental figures are touching. It really pulls you right in, preparing you for what you think will be a thrilling and almost inspirational final third part of the movie cleverly wrapping everything up.

The reality is that around this time the plot becomes forced and predictable. The relationship between Clive and Elsa becomes a weird train-crash of bestiality and feigned motherhood that is rushed along by Elsa’s inflexibility and extreme naivety and Clive’s apparent decision to relinquish all control of his love life and scientific career.

My feelings on the movie fall all over the emotional spectrum.  The most discernible being frustration but this is attributed to the aforementioned trailer. With sharp movements and a chilling sound track, you would assume when the announcer ominously breaks in with a deep pitched “Splice”. It was a personal let down. The movie was admittedly exciting in the “what the f&*% is happening” kind of way but so much so that it actually becomes pretty laughable. I think hard core sci-fi and bio buffs will thoroughly enjoy this movie.  Everyone else should brace themselves for a strange genre mixture of creature feature, drama, and romance. Horror fans specifically, STAY AWAY because you will be bloody disappointed.