Sunday night sure was a doozy — a double dose of ‘events’ – the final game of the NBA Finals (Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers) and a much anticipated episode of HBO’s “Game of Thrones”. It doesn’t matter in which order you watched, just as long as you caught both, right? If there was any parallel to be drawn, it’d be that things appeared hopeless given the odds for both the Cleveland Cavaliers (who were earlier down 3-1 in the series) and Jon Snow’s army being dwarfed (sorry Tyrion) by an army twice the size (Bolton’s army).
Puff the Magic Dragons
Before we scooted off to the ‘Battle for Winterfell’, we need to know how things in Mereen are ‘fairing’. After all, the Slave Masters are last seen attacking the city. As Tyrion tries to catch Daenarys up to speed on the events as of late (while, you know, the city continues being attacked), they devise a plan – basically Daenarys gets on her dragon, Drogon, while the other two dragons escape from their cell and help burn all the Slave Masters’ ships.
Later, we come to see that the Greyjoy sibilings (Yara and Theon) try to make an alliance with Daenarys (with Tyrions consult and initial reservation due to his past experiences with Theon). The Mother of Dragons agrees to the alliance so long as they support her as ruler of the seven kingdoms and the Greyjoys still get to keep the Iron Islands but they must also stop rape and pillaging – which Yara reluctantly agrees to.
Will this mean that they’ll all begin heading way to King’s Landing finally? Don’t count on it. There’s still two more seasons and that Euron Greyjoy guy must still be dealt with. Plus, you need to remember that it is likely that Cersei may use wildfire to burn King’s Landing to the ground as Tyrion was keen in mentioning to Daenarys. Maybe there won’t be a city to claim once all that Faith of the Seven hubbub is dealt with.
Bastard v Bastard: The Dawn of Injustice
The inevitable battle finally gets its due. With small numbers but loyal men, Snow finds that he has no other options in fighting the Boltons. Even though Sansa tried to explain that Ramsay Bolton is a conniving, heartless human being and that Rickon is as good as dead, we still get a little pre-war emotional game to play to Jon Snow’s do gooder intentions. Brought out to initially believe he’s been freed, Ramsay toys with Rickon to run to Jon Snow as he uses his bow and arrow to shoot at him but intentionally misses until Snow is brought out of the pack to rescue his brother. Then Ramsay kills Rickon. This essentially starts the battle and boy was it glorious to watch. The idea of ‘epic’ war scene is turned on its head when we get a more gruesome, realistic take on a war when everyone is wielding sharp objects. Heck, there were so many times Snow could’ve been killed but he kept getting lucky. There was even a point where dead bodies were continuing to pile upon him and he was close to suffocating to death. As all of this was happening, the cowardly Ramsay gawked in the distance with confidence. Once Bolton’s army surrounded Snow’s, it looked like things were done and over with until (unsurprisingly) Sansa and Little Finger arrive with the Knights of the Vale to assist. I know that this last minute rescue is for ‘theatrics’ but come on. Why would Sansa not reveal any of her correspondence to her brother? It may have even helped save other’s lives if they knew they had more men to work with. I hope they hit on that later. Anyways, so Ramsay runs back to the castle only to find it immediately stormed upon by the wilding giant (Wun Wun), who is eventually killed with an arrow to the eye (thanks a lot Ramsay). Although Ramsay could’ve been killed by numerous other men, Snow decides to fight him on his own and eventually ends up on top of him where he continues to pummel him in the face. Snow stops when he sees Sansa distraught and eventually we have a nice little ‘payback’ scene where Ramsay is tied up and put into the same room as his ravenous dogs (whom he hasn’t fed in seven days) and is made dinner for the night. Sansa does remind him before he is killed that any mention of the name ‘Bolton’ will disappear from existence and he will mean nothing. It’s a good redemption for Sansa, who was once held captive by Ramsay and continually raped as he obligatory wife. However, I do see the writers of the show making Sansa realize that she’s later pregnant from all of this. After all, it was Ramsay’s intention to bring forth an heir.
I should touch upon the Davos’ developing subplot. Before the battle, we see him going for a walk to clear his head and in doing so he finds a souvenir that he gave to Stannis’ daughter before she was burned alive. This souvenir helps deduce that Malisandre is responsible for all of it. I’m not sure why it took the presence of a souvenir to remember that the witch lady could be responsible for killing someone he held dear. I had forgotten that Davos wasn’t present when Stannis’ daughter was publicly slain.
Oh, and you can also add the idea of the Mormont army being an army of strong men that ride on bears as a buildup that meant nothing when it came down to the Battle for Winterfell. They were nowhere to be seen.
Takeaway: This episode focused more on women empowerment with Daenarys taking hold of Mereen (again), Daenarys’ obvious admiration for Yara and her desire to lead the Iron Islands and Sansa’s redemption and role at the Battle of Winterfell. Sansa is who she is because her idea of ‘dress up and being a queen’ was destroyed by Joffrey and Ramsay. She’s been through hell and back and that is apparent. In fact, she’s seemingly more level headed than her brother (maybe this is just because she knows the enemy so well). She’d been emotionally hardened, unlike her brother (well, cousin) Jon Snow. It will be interesting to see how their dynamic plays out now that Winterfell is now theirs once again. I do not see them leaving Winterfell for a while until they battle the White Walkers and Jon Snow realizing who his real parents are.
The Avengers 2: Age of Ultron – The box office smash sequel pits the Avengers against a one-dimensional villain. This has moments of awesome but mostly settles as a bloated super hero movie. Full review here.
October 6th
Magic Mike XXL – Channing Tatum and pals bare it all…again. McConaughey decided to focus on better movies and does not appear in this oversized sequel. Elizabeth Banks, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, and Jada Pinkett Smith co-star.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl – This is a movie about two aspiring, young filmmaker friends that end up making a film for a girl that has leukemia. They learn more about their friendship and the fragility of life. The cast includes Hugh “Wolverine” Jackman, Olivia Cooke, Nick Offerman (Parks & Recreation), Molly Shannon (SNL alum) and Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead, upcoming 2nd season of Daredevil).
Manglehorn – A dramedy about a locksmith (Al Pacino) that has trouble living in the present. Can we just get a The Devil’s Advocate sequel already?! Pacino seems to be wasting time on these cutesy movies that have a limited audience. Anyways, the movie focuses on how this locksmith mopes through life in a small Texas town and lives in his tragic, lovelorn past when he desperately needs to change his present. The movie is directed by David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express, Your Highness) and co-stars Holly Hunter.
Insidious: Chapter 3 – In this prequel, a girl tries to contact her late mother so she recruits a reluctant psychic with grave results. For some reason Dermot Mulroney is in this. Why? Rotten Tomatoes: 53%.
Road Hard – This comedy follows a character named Bruce Madsen, a successful actor/comedian, who decides to change things up and go back to his roots and perform in the comedy club circuit. Things don’t turn out as expected which forces Bruce (played by Adam Carolla) to reevaluate his career. This sounds like an auto-biographical snooze fest! Anyways, the movie co-stars David Koechner (Anchorman, Waiting).
Batkid Begins – This follows a five year-old boy, suffering from leukemia that gets a chance to be Batman for a day via the Make a Wish foundation.
10,000 Saints – A group of smugglers learn the hard price of growing up and the value of family in the backdrop of 1980s New York City. The cast includes Ethan Hawke (Boyhood, Gattaca) , Asa Butterfield (Ender’s Game, Hugo) , Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit), Emile Hirsch (The Girl Next Door), and Emily Mortimer. There may be a reason this was released direct to video.
Dark Places – From the author of Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn) comes a story about a woman (Libby) trying to run away from her tragic past and her brother, who she blames for murdering the rest of her family. She is then contacted by a group that specializes in unsolved cases. Libby (played by Charlize Theron) must decide if she wants to accept the past or truly find the killer responsible. This movie came and went in theaters. The movie co-stars Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass), Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road), and Christina Hendricks (Mad Men). It holds a 39% on Rotten Tomatoes. Proceed with caution!
Escobar: Paradise Lost – Nick and his brother move from Canada to Colombia during the 1980s to set up a surf shop. There, Nick falls for Maria, who happens to be the niece of Pablo Escobar. Things get worse from there as Nick is recruited to stash away Escobar’s assets before he serves a jail sentence. I’m slightly interested in this but I have to say that Narcoson Netflix deals primarily with Escobar’s rise/fall and that seems a lot more interesting. This film features Benicio Del Toro (Traffic, upcoming Sicario) as Escobar and co-stars Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games).
Final Girl – Veronica is new in town and becomes a target for a group of boys who hunt and kill women in the woods for sport. The tables are turned when Veronica is actually a trained assassin. Abigail Breslin (Ender’s Game, Maggie) stars alongside Wes Bentley (that creepy video recorder dude from American Beauty, bearded weirdo in The Hunger Games).
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief – This is a riveting documentary that chronicles the rise of the Church of Scientology and the followers and defectors that provide insight into the often shocking inner workings of the fastest growing church. Archival footage and interviews with current and former members (that include many Hollywood stars – Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Paul Haggis, etc.) make this a documentary worth catching. My full review is here.
People Places Things – Flight of the Concords alum, Jermaine Clement, stars in this comedy about a happily married professor with two kids that deals with the affair between his friend and his wife. He finds out that the single life with kids isn’t what he was expecting. I happen to enjoy Clement’s sense of humor and may give this a go.
Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! – Talk about beating a dead horse. That wasn’t a request. Ian Ziering (Beverly Hills 90210) and Tara Reid (American Pie) try to hold onto their careers in the popular, purposefully bad SyFy original movie. The outlandish, most once famous cast includes: Frankie Muniz, Bo Derek, David Hassehoff and Mark Cuban (as the President). You know what’s better than a purposefully bad movie? An unintentionally bad movie. See: The Room, Birdemic: Shock and Terror.
What We Did On Our Holiday – As Gordy nears his 75th Birthday, his son and his family decide to visit him in Scotland. Things go awry when his son’s kids are brutally honest and are unable to keep any secrets, which makes an already awkward family trip more awkward. The film stars David Tennant (Doctor Who), Billy Connolly, and Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl).
October 13th
San Andreas – Hey, what’s shakin’?! Well, the Rock of course! This is an epic destruction movie for people that enjoy flashy special effects and a sub-par story or…..they just go for the Rock. I don’t blame them. Believe it or not, the movie co-stars Carla Gugino (Watchmen) and Paul Giamatti (Sideways).
Tommorowland – This film probably had the most promise this summer but was an utter disappointment. The marketing was interesting and the director, Brad Bird, has had nothing but success with his earlier films: The Incredibles, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Iron Giant. Check out a full review here.
The Gallows – A group of high school students try to put on a play that failed twenty years earlier and resulted in the death of a student, Charlie. The event is meant to be cathartic for the town on the anniversary of Charlie’s death, but a group of students sabotage the production to help the lead actor avoid stage fright. The group’s actions have grave consequences as Charlie’s story isn’t finished. This story is actually more elaborate than more horror films but still sounds boring.
Dope – We follow a high school student named Butler (Blake Anderson) who tries to stay on the straight and narrow amongst a town (Inglewood, CA) that would rather get by on dealing drugs and making easy money. Butler has aspirations of going to Harvard and leaving the city behind but is tested one night at a party. Lenny Kravitz’s daughter, Zoe Kravitz, costars.
October 20th
Jurassic World – Doctor John Hammond’s future dinosaur world is realized twenty two years later in Jurassic World. Just as any company would do if public interest were waning, they need to innovate new ways to attract people across the world. Of course, if your company happens to be a giant dinosaur zoo, innovation can spell doom in the form of a genetically modified dinosaur, the Indominus Rex. The movie is a lot of fun if you don’t think too much about the story. Check out my full review here.The movie stars Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation, Guardians of the Galaxy), Bryce Dallas Howard (The Village), and Jake Johnson (New Girl, Let’s Be Cops).
Paper Towns – A high school student, Quentin, has always pined for Margo his entire life and when she breaks into his house asking for his help in a revenge plot, he agrees. After their adventure, Margo has disappeared from their school but not without leaving clues for Quentin to follow that will end up changing how he really feels for her. This is based off the book of the same name by author John Green (who also wrote The Fault in Our Stars). The film stars up and comer, Cara Delevingne (upcoming Suicide Squad) and Nat Wolff. You’d have to drag me to see a movie like this. Quirky, romantic movies irritate me because they are highly unrealistic yet pretend they aren’t.
Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ – I don’t usually cover Japanese anime movies but I guess I’m always a little fond of the Dragon Ball Z tv show (when it aired on Cartoon Network back in the day). This details how big baddie, Frieza, is back after falling to Goku’s Super Saiyan years ago. Frieza is hell bent on revenge, even without an actual body. It’s up to Goku and Vegeta to work together. I’d probably save this for hung over Sunday mornings (before football of course).
The Vatican Tapes – Two Vatican priests are out to exorcise a woman believed to be possessed by the Anti-Christ. They must work to save her soul and for humanity…blah..blah…This uninspired movie stars Dougray Scott (MI: 2), Djimon Hounsou (Amistad) , and Michael Pena (Ant-Man). Rotten Tomatoes score: 13%.
Testament of Youth – Alicia Vikander (Ex-Machina) and Kit Harrington (Game of Thrones) star in this World War I drama. Vera Brittain (Vikander) postpones her studies to become a nurse as her loved ones, including Harrington head to war. Brittain later becomes a writer, feminist, and pacifist. The film doesn’t sound that interesting but is getting decent reviews. Rotten Tomatoes: 81%.
Z for Zachariah – This tale centers on a lone female survivor (Margot Robbie) of the apocalypse and the last two known men alive (Chiwetel Ejiofor and Chris Pine) who try to court for her affections. The three must find a way to work together in order to survive. So, it seems that this is about how two dudes wanna do it with Robbie. I don’t blame them. What if the movie casted Amy Schumer instead of Margot Robbie? I believe both men would rather roam the Earth looking for another lady.
I Spit on Your Grave 3: Vengeance is Mine – Jennifer is a girl that is just trying to overcome the torture she’s experienced and live a normal life. When one of Jennifer’s friends is murdered and those responsible escapes, she turns on revenge mode while the rest of the city erupts with rapists and serial killers. Pass!
The Wolfpack – This is a documentary that follows six brothers that live the majority of their lives in a New York apartment. They rely on movies in order to understand the real world. They all reenact scenes of their favorite movies. As the brothers get older, they desire interactions with the real world and everything begins to change when one of them runs away. Sounds like this may be worth checking out.
October 27th
Pixels – Adam Sandler is trying to fart on the box office again with this sad attempt at appealing to the thirty something group that relishes arcade games. The story involves how aliens receive golden age transmissions of video games being played, interpret the message as the real thing and declare war on Earth in the form of well-known classic games that include Donkey Kong and Pac Man. The President enlists his childhood friend, Sandler, to beat the aliens at their own game. He also enlists a rag tag group that includes Peter Dinklage, Josh Gad, and Kevin James. The film is directed by Chris Columbus (the 1st two Harry Potter movies).
Southpaw – Jake Gyllenhaal gains a ton of muscle to play a left handed boxer who must overcome the death of his wife. After much inner turmoil and with the fate of his relationship with his daughter at stake, he must climb out and be the best boxer he can be so he can be the best father he can be. The movie received mixed reviews but I wouldn’t mind renting this. I mean, it’s Gyllenhaal and after his performance in Nightcrawler, I expect a solid performance.
The Gift – A husband and wife (Simon and Robin) move into a new home and run into an old acquaintance, Gordo, of Simon’s from high school. The couple accepts a gift of wine and invites him to their house for dinner. Gordo begins to leave more gifts and starts to stalk Robin while she’s home alone. Simon tries to tell Gordo that he is not welcome only then to be threatened by a 25 year old secret about Simon. The movie stars Jason Bateman (Arrested Development), Rebecca Hall (The Town) and Joel Edgerton (The Great Gatsby, Exodus: Gods and Kings). The film is also the directorial debut of Joel Edgerton. I really wanted to see this film but had scheduling conflicts. The film has a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. I’ll be sure to rent this.
Max – This is supposed to be an uplifting family drama/adventure that centers around a military dog named Max. After Max’s handler, Kyle, is killed, he is then returned to Kyle’s family and ends up helping them heal from their loss. Thomas Haden Church (Sideways), Lauren Graham (Bad Santa), and Robbie Amell (Flash) star.
The Human Centipede III: The Final Sequence – The outrageous idea of a singular digestive system through multiple people is expanded upon in this latest installment from the Dutch filmmaker, Tom Six. This time, they are attempting to utilize 500 people (which are being sewn together a$$ to mouth) to create the largest, singular digestive system the world has ever known. The creepy actor from the original film, Dieter Laser, reprises his role as the crazed doctor. The movie even co-stars Eric Roberts (Best of the Best, The Dark Knight). Not for the easily grossed out.
Ever since I saw the promos with Andy Sandberg sporting an Andre Agassi wig for the tennis mockumentary, 7 Days of Hell, I’ve been anxious to give this a go. The 43 minute TV movie is told in the vein of 30 for 30 where some actual sports insiders and other comedians chime in to the happenings of an infamous rivalry that ultimately culminates at the 2001 championship match at Wimbledon.
Sandberg is wacky as expected and doesn’t disappoint in the slightest with his Aaron Williams character (adopted into the tennis superstar family – Williams sisters). He was the rock star of tennis until a fateful day (he killed a guy during a match) resulted in the announcement of his retirement of tennis. After his unsuccessful attempt at revolutionizing the underwear industry and a stint with hardcore drugs, he finds himself in prison until he hears Charles Poole making a statement that he could beat anyone, including Aaron Williams.
Charles Poole (Kit Harrington of Game of Thrones) is the impossibly dumb tennis star that only plays tennis to please his mother (Mary Steenburgen). As he quickly rises to fame, everyone becomes fascinated with the idea of Poole versus Williams. The idea seemed far off as Aaron Williams hasn’t played tennis in years but he miraculously makes it to the finals. As the match began into its first day, many were hoping either party would just win so they could go home. The weather, a couple of streakers, a car accident, etc. are to blame for the longest fought tennis match in history.
The movie is full of memorable moments and had me laughing out loud. If you especially enjoy the 30 for 30 documentary series, you’ll likely get more appreciation for this. You add the writing of Andy Sandberg and you have a longer SNL skit that doesn’t overstay its welcome.
The TV movie features many other celebrities that include Will Forte, Fred Armisen, David Copperfield (in a very funny role), Howie Mandel, John McEnroe, Serena Williams, Lena Dunham, Michael Sheen and Jon Hamm (as the narrator). It is directed by Jake Szymanski and written by Murray Miller (Girls).
The movie premiered on July 12th and can be seen on HBO.
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