Monthly Archives: January 2014

Weekly Roundup of Movie Memorabilia On eBay : Velociraptor Edition

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JurassicParkCageAccording to scientists, about 95% of the world’s ocean remains unexplored. One could say the same about eBay.

Thanks to this tweet, I was alerted to the existence of the actual velociraptor cage from “Jurassic Park” (pictured above), which is being sold on eBay for about $100,000. This is good if you have a serious velociraptor/Jeff Goldblum problem, but even better if you are a film buff with way too much cash to spend.

So, this led me to tumble down the movie memorabilia section wormhole on eBay. As you might expect, much of the stuff on there is centered on “Star Wars” and other sci-fi and horror classics. But then, there is some stuff that is just too odd to explain. They cost the kind of money that only Jordan Belfort and Nicolas Cage would be willing to spend.

What I am about to show you barely scratches the surface. Today, I introduce the first part of a new weekly roundup of the most awesome, weirdest, and inexplicable movie memorabilia you can find on eBay. The qualifications: it must be an actual prop or costume from a film. So keep your damn Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle lunch boxes to yourself.

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2014 Sundance Films I Am Most Excited For

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Never thought J.K. Simmons could look this scary. Image via Sundance Film Guide

Unfortunately, I did not get to attend the Sundance Film Festival this year. This is tough, because if you’ve been to it once, then you just want to go again and again.

While I couldn’t be there in person, that doesn’t mean that I couldn’t follow all of the action vicariously. Guys, the Internet is a wonderful thing.

Through descriptions and reviews of all of the films that were screened at the Festival, I was able to compile a list of this year’s entries that I want to see the most. Who knows, maybe one of these could be the next “Reservoir Dogs” or “Clerks.” Whatever happens, at least one of (if not all) of these films will have a character who either plays ukelele or looks really sad while taking a shower.

Read the list below:

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Movie Review: Short Term 12

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Image via New York Times

Sometimes, you see a film that makes you happy and it is hard to explain why. Maybe it is fairly dark, but it also begins with someone telling a story about shitting their pants after eating a taco. That’s what you get with “Short Term 12″: a very serious drama that also manages to capture all of life’s joyful, fleeting moments.

“Short Term 12″ is the feature film debut of director Destin Cretton. The film is set in a foster-care facility. Cretton worked at one in real life. The story might not be true, but elements of it feel like they were definitely taken from experience.

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A Fan’s Plea: Why Quentin Tarantino Should Go Ahead and Make The Hateful Eight Anyway

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quentin-tarantino-christoph-waltz-winning-oscar-inglourious basterdsIt was the betrayal heard around Hollywood.

On Tuesday night, Deadline reported that Quentin Tarantino would shelve his highly anticipated new script “The Hateful Eight” after word that an industry insider had supposedly leaked his script. The source of the leak is still unknown, though Tarantino firmly believes that it wasn’t Tim Roth’s doing. For once, Mr. Orange isn’t the rat.

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Movie Review: Dallas Buyers Club

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dallasbuyersclubBecause it is Oscar season, that means that by Constitutional law, there must be at least one movie about homophobia and AIDS. “Dallas Buyers Club,” an interesting and important true story that deserved to be made into a film, does just that. While it stumbles sometimes, it works exactly when it needs to.

There are a lot of boobs and a lot of rodeos in “Dallas Buyers Club.” But the film also has a lot of heart, and there is absolutely no nuance as to who is the good guy and who is the bad guy here. Based on a true story, “Dallas Buyers Club” is set in the year 1985, fittingly not long after Rock Hudson‘s death from AIDS. Ron Woodruff (Matthew McConaughey) is an electrician some of the time, and a hustler for the remaining amount. His bad habits lead to the discovery that he has HIV. Given his fervent homophobia, he doesn’t immediately take too kindly to this news.

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Five Other Great Movies from this Year’s Oscar Nominated Directors

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Flirting with Disaster (1996)

Patricia Arquette in overalls. Filed Under: 1990s

Ever since I first started to learn about film, I have always been fascinated by directorial style. Bad directors are bad because they have no distinct style. They are fine with being derivative of their time. Good directors think ahead, follow patterns, and ultimately evolve.

This year’s crop of directors nominated for Oscars are as talented as they are diverse. Some are old pros, and some are just breaking out. Some are deeply funny, and others are deeply serious. Looking at their past works is the best way to understand what they are doing in the present.

I (with the help of a friend, more on that after the jump) have gone through the careers of all five of this year’s Oscar nominated directors. I didn’t necessarily chose their best works, but rather I chose the ones you might not have seen (because honestly, you don’t need me to know that “Raging Bull” is great), or the one’s that exemplify each director in an interesting way. Without further adieu, here is my list of five other great movies from this year’s Oscar Nominated directors:

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Oscars 2014: The Snubs

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Still from Frances HaHere comes the most fun part of Oscar season: declaring how you would have voted if you had earned Academy credentials. In just one post, any blogger can immediately feel superior. So please, just let me have this.

Now, it is fairly reasonable to expect that the Academy cannot reward anything. In the future, most people don’t even remember all of the nominees, and a lot of films that get overlooked by the Oscars do fine in the future. For instance, “The Searchers,” one of the most influential films of all time, was completely ignored by the Academy when it came out in 1956. It seems like history has not been as kind to “Around the World in 80 Days.”

None of us know what the future will hold. So instead, let’s live in the moment and ponder where the Academy got it completely wrong. If I was a voter, here are the actors, writers, directors, and films that I would have included on the ballot:

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Oscars 2014: The Silver Linings

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Image via Film School Rejects

Note: I wish I thought of this headline last year when “Silver Linings Playbook” was nominated. Better late than never?

On the morning that the Oscar nominations are announced, Hollywood must look a lot like the opening of “The Lion King.” The sun rises, and every animal out there (or in this case, actors, agents, managers, etc.) put aside their differences and march down to Pride Rock (or in this case, a stage) to hear who will could be crowned as the next rulers of Hollywood.

The circle of life is naturally repetitive, and every year consists of equal parts happiness and outrage over the nominations. For every nomination that voters get right, there’s about three they get wrong. For instance, I could write an entire article about the egregious snubbing of “Inside Llewyn Davis.” But I’ll save that for later, as it is worth staying positive and acknowledging when the establishment honors the right people and films. Credit where credit is due, here is where the Academy got it right this year:

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Golden Globes 2014: I Liked Some Things, I Didn’t Like Some Things

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I miss these guys.

Last night’s Golden Globes ceremony was filled with surprises. Frankly, a night of surprises is much better than a night where everything goes according to plan.

While a lot of talented people and deserving films and TV shows went home empty handed, it was a pure joy to see Matthew McConaughey take on his Wooderson persona while finally being awarded for his recent career renaissance. In just a few seconds, all of those years he spent in rom-com limbo were virtually forgotten.

While Tina Fey and Amy Poehler might not have been as good as they were last year (though that Clooney line from the opening monologue killed it), they are still Tina Fey and Amy Poehler so their presence alone makes me happy enough. The Globes are not as exciting as the Oscars, but it sure is fun to see Emma Thompson stand on stage barefoot while many winners actually looked genuinely surprised when their names were called.

Read below for a detailed breakdown of some of the highlights of the night. Here is what I liked, what I didn’t like, and what I still don’t have definite feelings about:

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Movie Review: Lone Survivor

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mark-wahlberg-in-lone-survivor-movie-2Everything about “Lone Survivor” looks like a giant military recruitment ad. From the swelling score to the soaring helicopters, the trailers looked like something that a recruiter would bring and show in a high school auditorium.

Now, there is nothing wrong with supporting the military. It is just nice to know that a movie is not trying to advertise with us, even if that is what most movies do anyway. Instead, “Lone Survivor” is a uniquely small war film that is more about man’s battle against the elements than a way to make our enemies look bad.

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