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Sibling filmmakers Jay and Mark Duplass made an impressive feature film debut in 2005 with The Puffy Chair. Critically acclaimed, The Puffy Chair possessed a low tech, naturalistic cinema verite style that has since become labeled “mumblecore,” and helped establish the Duplass Brothers as two rising talents in the world of indie filmmaking. Their sophomore film, the oddly titled Baghead, finds the Duplass Brothers returning the same aesthetic that defined The Puffy Chair, with both Jay and Mark serving as directors. Read the rest of this post �

Superheroes and movies based on comic books are proving to be some of the most successful films of all time, with flicks like Spider-Man and Iron Man raking in tons of money at the box office and on home video. The most recent superhero movie, Hancock—starring Will smith as a reluctant alcoholic with super powers—is the latest film featuring a crime fighter with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. But the key with Hancock, as opposed to films like the upcoming Hellboy II and The Dark Knight, is that the film is not based on an existing comic book.

While Hancock draws much of its inspiration from the world of comics, it does not completely succeed as a film. There have been plenty of other films that have featured superheroes, or have been heavily influenced by comics, without actually being based on comics. Here is a quick look at several films that could be comic book movies, but are not comic book movies. Read the rest of this post �

One of the biggest problems with Hancock, the new action comedy starring Will Smith as an unlikable superhero, is the same problem that plagued Smith’s last film, I Am Legend. That problem is Smith himself, a charismatic and capable actor who never seems quite right in either role. With Smith quickly coming up on this 40th birthday, he still has a youthful look that undermines performances like those in Hancock and I Am Legend, where he is supposed to be worn out and world weary. Yes, he does a good job with the material, but he doesn’t completely sell the material, especially in Hancock, where the character transforms from an unpleasant, alcoholic superhero hated by everyone, to the beloved hero of the day. Read the rest of this post �

Written, produced, edited, photographed and directed by Ti West, Trigger Man is the sort of psychological thriller that has a certain amount going for it, but runs the risk of not quite finding its audience. It is, above all else, a horror film, only without the conventional trappings of a horror film. With a total run time of 80 minutes, the film spends the first thirty minutes very casually setting things up before it gets going with a sort of pace that most horror fans expect. This can make a for a film that is both a challenge to watch in the beginning—at least for horror fans—and for non-horror fans a challenge to get through once the tension really kicks in. Read the rest of this post �

Economist and conservative Republican Larry Hunter is part of a growing movement known as Obamacons—conservatives who support Democratic candidate Barack Obama. Syndicated columnist Robert Novak wrote an interesting piece about Obamacons that you can read here. In Novack’s piece, he quotes something Hunter had written earlier this month about the GOP, in which he said, “The Republican Party is a dead rotting carcass with a few decrepit old leaders stumbling around like zombies in a horror version of ‘Weekend With Bernie,’ handcuffed to a corpse.” Read the rest of this post �

One of my best friends, Von Porter, created this animated short featuring Barack Obamarock. Enjoy and pass along to a friend.

Comedic legend George Carlin is dead. I could go on at length about how funny he was, but instead I will let him speak for himself.

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The other night I went with my friend Geoff to Sportfight, the locally promoted mixed martial arts event featuring fighters primarily from the west coast. I’ve been marginally into MMA for many years now, ever since watching the first UFC events back in the 1990s, before they were even calling it MMA. My interest in mixed-style fighting is an extension of my interest in both boxing and the martial arts, both of which I followed more closely in my youth. Anyway, Geoff and I decided to check out Sportfight, and my buddy Andrew managed to hook us up with some comps, so we were good to go. Read the rest of this post �

There were over 200 film produced during the 1970s that could be called “blaxploitation,” ranging from the classic to the completely forgotten. But few have attained the level of infamy that Mandingo has. This is one of those films with a reputation that precedes it, conjuring up all sorts of lurid images. And that’s not to say that Mandingo’s reputation as a sweaty bit of racist sexploitation trash is not well-deserved, ‘cause it is. It’s just that of all the blaxploitation films that have lingered in the collective pop-culture consciousness, it qualifies as neither the very best, nor the very worst. In fact, in some ways – especially when compared to so many of the other films of the era and genre – Mandingo can be a bit mediocre. Read the rest of this post �

Beyond the shadow of a doubt, Richard Pryor was one of the funniest comedians of all time. The ironic thing is that if you were to watch any of Pryor’s movies that are not his concert films, you would never get a sense of how funny he really was. There is no denying that films like Bustin’ Loose and Brewster’s Millions were a tremendous waste of his comedic talent. But what’s even more ironic is that Pryor was usually at his best as an actor when he was in films that were more serious. Director Paul Schrader’s Blue Collarremains one of Pryor’s finest moments on screen (his comedy concerts not included), and showcases him as a versatile performer. Pryor would never star in a film as good as Blue Collar, although he would get other opportunities to showcase his abilities as more than just a comic, including 1982’s Some Kind of Hero. Read the rest of this post �