Comedian Ken Hamlett drops by to answer the seven questions and to learn why Silas may have to move.
Available in video only on our audio only podcast or on our Youtube Channel. Pick whichever one below
Audio Only Podcast
Video
Comedian Ken Hamlett drops by to answer the seven questions and to learn why Silas may have to move.
Available in video only on our audio only podcast or on our Youtube Channel. Pick whichever one below
Audio Only Podcast
Video
Empire of Light (2022)
Rated R ‧ Romance/Drama ‧ 1h 59m
Written by Sam Mendes
Directed by Sam Mendes
THE CAST
Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, Monica Dolan, Tom Brooke, Tanya Moodie, Hannah Onslow, Crystal Clarke, Toby Jones, and Colin Firth.
THE STORY
(In their own words) A romance develops in a beautiful old cinema In the south coast of England in the 1980s.
THE BEST
The BEST things about the film
THE WORST
The WORST things about the Film
MY THOUGHTS
Most films are about one or two elements. This is really a character driven piece about an unlikely romance between a middle-aged white woman and a college age young black man in the 1980s. The film seems relatively simple, but I think it’s a lot more complex than most people will give it credit for. This film delved into mental health, workplace sexual harassment, racism, and taboo matters of the heart. At first it seems like it’s just going to be another film about the joy of cinema, when there’s actually more discussion about how the main character won’t take time to go sit and watch a movie. The story moves swiftly and your affection for each of the characters grows in complex ways, much like what happens between the characters.
THE LESSON
If you move fast enough you can’t see the darkness
IS IT REWATCHABLE
Yes
THE FINAL WORD
Olivia Coleman shines as the lead actress is this character driven romance drama set at a film house in 1980s England. Sam Mendes directs this film with much care and attention to careful pacing and tender moments between characters. Very much a character driven piece it is interesting, thoughtful and full of partial explorations of the challenges within a complicated relationship and mental health issues. A well-done film that meanders at times and lacks a huge understanding of why we are seeing this story. Nonetheless, it is worth seeing for Coleman’s performance, insight into the 80s in England, and exemplary film direction.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
Empire Of Light gets a Like It.
THE TRAILER
THE MEME REVIEW
Prey (2022)
R ‧ Scifi/Action – 1 hour 39 Minutes
Written by Patrick Aison
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg
THE CAST
THE STORY
(In their own words) In the Comanche Nation in 1717, a fierce and highly skilled warrior named Naru learns the prey she is stalking is a highly evolved alien with a technologically advanced arsenal
THE BEST
The BEST things about the film
THE WORST
The WORST things about the Film
THE REVIEW
I will admit, I rolled my eyes when I heard they were coming out with a fifth installment of the Predator franchise called Prey. Like, haven’t we mined this franchise for enough material yet? However, once I learned about the premise I became intrigued. This installment is technically a prequel to the others, set long ago in Native American land in 1717. From the trailer it was unclear if the Predator was the one hunting the members of the Comanche Nation or if it was the other way around. Which actually is kind of an accurate question even during the film.
The story centers around a young female warrior, Naru (Amber Midthunder) who’s trying to earn the respect of her fellow tribemates, when suddenly The Predator shows up. Seemingly, the Predator seems like he’s just there to find prey to hunt. To her, it’s a sign from the gods that she’s ready to be a hunter and she’s ready to capture him. But things don’t go as easily as she hoped.
Midhunter does a wonderful job in the lead role, showing herself to be a formidable opponent of the predator and someone who deserves the respect of it and her peers.
At this point, the success of the film and to an extent. really comes down to whether the story they tell with the Predator is a good one. We aren’t expecting surprises, we know what the Predator’s people can do…so it is really about did they come up with a good story and execute it well. I feel like they did on both counts.
The film was full of captivating drama and action, it gave us enough of a sense to not really know how it would end throughout. We didn’t know how these folks with less technology would stand a chance against the predator.
I enjoyed this film a lot. I’m not entirely in love with it, but it is probably the best entry into the Predator franchise since the original. I really enjoyed seeing the intersection of scifi/fantasy and the old technology living of the Comanche Nation.
This is a great popcorn film.
THE LESSON
Never underestimate your opponent.
If you won’t fight back, you may not be worth it.
THE FINAL WORD
The fifth installment of the Predator franchise is probably the best one in decades. Intense, action packed, and a creative 1717 Comanche Nation setting.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
Prey gets a Like It
WHERE TO WATCH
Prey will be streaming on Hulu in the U.S. on Friday, August 5.
THE TRAILER
Gone In The Night (2022)
Rating ‧ Thriller/Mystery‧ 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Written by Matthew Derby and Eli Horowitz
Directed by Eli Horowitz
THE CAST
Winona Ryder, Dermot Mulroney, Dustin Ingram, John Gallagher Jr., And Brianne Tju
THE STORY
(In their own words) Upon arriving at a remote cabin for a getaway, a woman and her boyfriend discover another couple already staying there. They decide to share the rental for the night, but the boyfriend’s disappearance sparks a race for answers.
THE BEST
The BEST things about the film
THE WORST
The WORST things about the Film
THE REVIEW
The film feels like a late night movie you catch repeating on HBO a bunch so you finally watch it and wonder…”I thought Winona was doing pretty well at this point in her career, I wonder why she did this film. “ Winona Ryder is certainly the draw to the film and her acting is quite wonderful and nuanced…she didn’t need to do this film, but the film definitely needed her. She really does a wonderful job in the film. She is the source of making every seen engaging, mysterious, and you want her to solve the mystery. The film simply wouldn’t have worked without her cast in the film.
That being said, the rest of the cast does a really good job in their respective roles. Brianne Tju has a really interesting quality to her that brings an air of mystery. You always get the sense that there’s something she isn’t saying. She certainly has that “it” factor.
What the film does well is tone. It does a really good job of creating an intriguing atmosphere that while watching, you can somewhat go along with the story. But it’s one of those films that the more you think about it, the film starts to unravel.
THE LESSON
Learn to be okay within your own skin.
THE FINAL WORD
Winona Ryder is outstanding in this mystery that will have you on the edge of your seat for the first half of the film and then scratching your head for the last third.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
Gone In The Night gets a Like It.
THE TRAILER
Bullet Train (2022)
R ‧ Action Comedy Thriller ‧ 2 Hour 6 Minutes
Directed by David Leitch
Screenplay by Zak Olkewicz. Based on the Japanese novel Maria Beetle (published in English as Bullet Train) by Kōtarō Isaka.
THE CAST
Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Benito A Martínez Ocasio, and Sandra Bullock.
THE STORY
(In their own words) Five assassins find themselves on a fast moving bullet train from Tokyo to Morioka with only a few stops in between. They discover their missions are not unrelated to each other.
THE BEST
Three BEST things about the film
THE WORST
The WORST things about the Film
THE REVIEW
Bullet Train is a high speed adventure with surprisingly well rounded characters. In this kind of
action film, you don’t expect the arch of the film to take you through so much character building. We end up with some really fleshed out characters that make you root for them throughout.
The film is an exaggeration. That’s the “world of the play.” When looking and examining a film like this you can’t judge the action sequences by the terms of a realistic drama, you have to look at the world that is created for the audience. Does the movie stay within the laws and world framework that they establish early on. While Bullet Train is in an absurd world.
It is in a world of exaggerated violence, characters, and therefore it is not a stretch when the world of physics get pushed to their max, and beyond. There are people who will judge this film based on how realistic it is and that simply isn’t fair. If the film breaks its rules it has established, it is jarring and the audience can feel it, that never happens in the film.
Bullet Train is my kind of action film. It is smartly written, full of comedy, suspenseful all the way until the end, and has some hidden lessons. In this film it comes from Brad Pitt’s character, Ladybug, who is about teaching yourself to have a good mindset.
To me, the film is less of a “who dunnit, and more of a “who DIDN’T do it.” It is full of twists and callbacks to earlier actions, people, and items, so you really have to pay attention during the film.
Bullet Train is easily one of my favorite action films of the year.
THE LESSON
Thomas The Train can really teach you to know people.
THE FINAL WORD
Bullet Train is funny, suspenseful, and full of exaggerated displays of violence. One of Brad Pitt’s most entertaining roles in quite a while. Bullet Train is a fun ride that doesn’t disappoint. One of my favorite action films of the year.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
Bullet Train gets a Love It.
THE TRAILER
Zora Iman Crews comes on to talk about her upcoming Mockumentary The Daphne Project.
NOPE (2022)
R ‧ Horror/Thriller ‧ 2 Hours 11 Minutes
Written and Directed by Jordan Peele
THE CAST
THE STORY
(In their own words) Caretakers at a California horse ranch encounter a mysterious force that affects human and animal behavior.
THE BEST
BEST things about the film
THE WORST
The three WORST things about the Film
THE REVIEW
Nope is a lot of things. It’s a horror, it’s thriller, it’s comedic, it’s…..a Jordan Peele film. While other filmmakers are out there just crafting new stories, Peele is out there creating his own genre.
This marks director and writer Jordan’s Peele third film and third horror film….with the Peele style. This is easily his best work yet. A clear story, great characters, great performances and underlying themes and messages that will not be obvious to everyone when they first walk away. But there is a lot there. I think this film will be studied and studied. It’s a very layered film.
The trailers for this film frankly give too much away, and yet, tell you nothing. It’s kind of amazing. I didn’t watch trailers for NOPE since the first teaser until after I watched the film. I’m glad I got fully surprised.
The film is incredibly imaginative, well crafted, and full of suspense. The film flew by as I was on the edge of my seat from anticipation of the entire film.
How scary? Like Silence of the Lambs? Gory at all?
I feel like if I say it’s not gory, people will come after me. I think the gore is actually minimal but it is used incredibly and effectively.
I’m not sure how scary it is. I walked in planning to pee my pants. I was pretty tense the whole time.
THE LESSON
Keep your head down.
THE FINAL WORD
Nope is a “yep”.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
NOPE gets a LOVE IT.
THE TRAILER
THE REVIEWER
When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.
This week, Silas is joined by director Dan Chen and two people who were subjects for his premiere documentary Accepted, Isaac and Aighty. This documentary focuses on a K-12 school in Louisiana with a 100% college acceptance rate and a 33% Ivy League school acceptance rate. But something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Listen up and then watch the film coming out this July 1st.
Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)
R ‧ Comedy/Drama ‧1 Hour 47 Minutes
Written by Cooper Raiff
Directed by Cooper Raiff
THE CAST
Cooper Raiff, Dakota Johnson, Raúl Castillo, Odeya Rush, Evan Assante, Vanessa Burghardt, Brad Garrett, and Leslie Mann
THE STORY
(In their own words) A man who works as a bar mitzvah party host strikes up a unique friendship with a young woman and her teenage daughter.
THE REAL STORY
A young man who can’t help falling in too quickly gets caught up being a nice guy to a (slightly) older woman and tests his own boundaries and hers in this “coming of love” story.
THE BEST
The BEST things about the film
THE WORST
The WORST things about the Film
THE LESSON
Love is hard.
Finding your soulmate doesn’t mean it will be easy.
THE FINAL WORD
Cha Cha Smooth is funny, charming, and exceptionally directed film. It’s the kind of film that I love; one that focuses on a good story and acting. It examines flawed characters and gives us a better insight into what it is to be human.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
I give Cha Cha Real Smooth a Love It.
WHERE TO WATCH
Cha Cha Real Smooth is streaming exclusively on Apple TV+
THE TRAILER
THE REVIEWER
When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.
Written by Katy Brand
Directed by Sophie Brand
THE CAST
Emma Thompson, Daryl McCormack
THE STORY
(In their own words) Nancy Stokes, a 55-year-old widow, is yearning for some adventure, human connection, and some sex–some good sex.
THE BEST
Three BEST things about the film
THE WORST
The three WORST things about the Film
THE REVIEW
After recently seeing film after film of huge casts in giant Hollywood blockbusters,Good Luck To You, Leo Grande is a breath of fresh air. Getting the opportunity to watch two exquisite acting performances by Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack is a welcome palette cleanser.
This film is very honest, raw, brave, and pretty sexy. It’s a film about exploring sexuality and sensuality. It’s about coming to terms with parts of life you missed and deciding it isn’t too late to explore them.
Nancy Stokes hires an escort so that she can enjoy sex with a younger man. Mostly so she can experience something she never experienced in her life long marriage; sexual pleasure. Her deceased husband was the only lover she ever had in her life, and sex was a bit utilitarian.
Her escort, the dashing Leo Grande, teaches her to open up, both sexually and about her life.
The film is broken into four different acts with three of them being in the same location, with just the two of them on screen. This gives us a rare treat in film these days; the exploration of characters through dialogue. Emma and Daryl both have wonderful chemistry with each other. The dialogue runs smooth and unforced, the scenes make sense from beat to beat, and we get to see monologues. Monologues in modern cinema are so rare when the film is not based off of a play or novel, it was so great to see that there are still screenwriters who know how to write them. I was just really impressed by the writing of the film.
And with that, you really have to give huge props to the director, Sophie Hyde. Making an interesting feature length film with mostly two actors is not an easy task. She hit all the moments nicely, created really nice builds, and kept the pacing perfect. This might be the best direction I’ve seen in a film this year.
This film is going to be streaming on Hulu and I really do feel like this will be a trophy piece film for them. If they can find more films like this, it could get known as a place to watch films with terrific performances.
THE LESSON
It’s never too late to learn to enjoy yourself.
Pleasure isn’t something to be ashamed of.
THE FINAL WORD
An acting triumph. Excellent writing and wonderful performances make this a much watch for people who love acting. Be prepared to take a cold shower after.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
Good Luck To You, Leo Grande gets a strong Like It
THE TRAILER
THE REVIEWER
When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.