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  • Episode 06 : Overdrinkers - Attack of the Clones/The Empire Strikes Back

    Three geeks (Mike, Jeremy and Brian) attempt to only talk about the love stories in the Star Wars saga and end up not knowing where to draw the line. They even talk about the Ewok movies, for goodness sake... #Newsletter #Podcasts #StarWars #AttackoftheClones #TheEmpireStrikesBack #JeremyKolodziejski #BrianCastellano #MikeBurdge

  • Episode 05 : Hot Takes - John Wick Chapter 2

    Robert and Jack venture back into the world of Wick. Can a sequel to lightning-in-a-bottle raise the bar? #Newsletter #Podcasts #JohnWick2 #JackKolodziejski #RobertAnderson #HotTakes

  • Django Unchained : Black Excellence Unchained

    The first time you watched Django Unchained, did you make it all the way through? I didn't. About 44 minutes in, I pressed the pause button on my controller and thought twice. Immediately the sight of Black men and women in chains turned me off, even with the preconceived understanding that this film was about slavery. This led to my thoughts about historical inaccuracies being depicted: like a freed slave bounty hunter, and how it didn't quite make sense. But what I wondered most about, was the film’s over usage of “the N word.” It offended me. Filmmaker Spike Lee was quoted in an interview with Vibe, saying he would not watch the film, explaining, "All I'm going to say is that it's disrespectful to my ancestors. That's just me.... I'm not speaking on behalf of anybody else." Tarantino made sure to accurately depict that part of our ugly history. I remember speaking with Black, Spanish and White friends who loved the movie, who saw it for what it was "meant for:” entertainment. They weren't surprised that I didn't make it through the film, but didn't want to partake in the reasons why. Why saturate the film with such a negative word, taking away from an artform so well written, directed and acted? In this regard, I wondered why Tarantino hadn’t been as creative as he was in Inglorious Basterds? You see, Samuel L. Jackson defended heavy use of “the n word,” stating, "Tarantino using 'nigger' too many times is like complaining they said 'kike' too many times in a movie about Nazis.” However, actor Jesse Williams is noted saying, "These anti-semitic terms were not used nearly as frequently in Tarantino's film about Nazis, Inglorious Basterds.” He was suggesting that the Jewish community would not have accepted it. “The N word,” has been accepted and used as a term of endearment by a growing percentage of African Americans. It's associated with the culture. Some would say it's cool to be able to say the word, that if you're not Black and get away with it, you are given a pass. Now, more than ever, it's become a word that millennials have adopted in similar endearing ways, as well as the original definition of an ignorant or stupid person. Coming from a culture that embraces a word that, when I showed my parents The Chappelle Show for the first time - it was the episode with Clayton Bigsby, the Black white supremacist - they asked me to change the channel. It was more of a demand, actually. More pressing is why is it acceptable to offend one race, even if there has been great efforts to disassociate the word from the African American culture? I couldn't get over this, so I didn't indulge in the movie. The second time I attempted to watch Django Unchained I succeeded in my attempt. I was finally able to get over myself, and watch a lot of my favorite actors perform extremely well in a production by a director whom I don't admire, but give credit where credits due. The set, the red blood splatter on white sheets, roses, and walls. It’s good! They also perfectly captured the institutionalized hatred between slaves and other slaves, the way blacks have treated other blacks systemically, like crabs in a barrel. When our protagonist, Django, is first introduced to Stephen at Candyland, they're immediately combative. Stephen’s view of seeing a slave on a horse was a metaphor for the theme of the movie, like seeing something you've never seen before and being able to achieve that. “Freeman.” Slaves were taught to hate one another based off skin pigmentation. Of course, jobs weren't based solely off of complexion, but it played a significant roll. It became first nature to try and drag the next slave down, which maintained divisions even though there were many efforts to unite as slaves. Django was at odds with Stephen immediately and because this had nothing to do with why he and Schultz were at Candyland, it almost put our heros’ plan at risk. Something else that needs noting: Django’s growing ego. This was a glimpse into what many call nowadays “Black Entitlement.” He was allowing his stature and mission to overcome his humanity, simultaneously forgetting where he came from. According to Bob Hoose, a critic with Plugged In, "This flick is far more concerned with foul-mouthed Grindhouse chatter, revenge-filled rage, skin-tearing bullwhips and bullets, and slow-motion geysers of meat and blood, than in communicating anything truthful and enlightening." Let’s not pretend, this wasn't a film about slavery. It would be dishonest of me to not mention how great of a job Tarantino did recreating our country’s deep horrible history in a Spaghetti Western, not a "big issue" movie. Education through entertainment. What is really meant to entertain us in Django Unchained is violence. Slavery is just the pretext of what is meant to entertain us. Many people appreciate the level of heightened cinematic cruelty and violence Tarantino goes to in most of his films in order to open discussion on very singular concepts: the mentality of criminals in Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs, the passive misogyny in Kill Bill, the morality and immorality of mental illness in Natural Born Killers and the normalization of genocide in Inglorious Basterds. In this regard, I have always admired his consistency to treat slavery with the same pulpy eye he is known for, but whether or not this is disrespectful, is truly in the eye of the beholder. Great controversial movies invite individual perspectives from each viewer to form contrasting opinions. That’s why they’re so controversial! "I want to do them like they're genre films, but they deal with everything that America has never dealt with because it's ashamed of it, and other countries don't really deal with because they don't feel they have the right to." -Quentin Tarantino Richard Brody backed up the director’s claims when he wrote in the New York Times that Tarantino's, "Vision of slavery's monstrosity is historically accurate.... Tarantino rightly depicts slavery as no mere administrative ownership but a grievous and monstrous infliction of cruelty." Django Unchained was released in 2012 as an American revisionist film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, as a tribute to Spaghetti Westerns: a cheaply produced movie about the American Old West typically made in Europe by an Italian producer and director. In 2007, development of Tarantino's version came about while writing a book on Sergio Corbucci, the director of 1966’s Django. The star-studded cast includes Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, and Samuel L. Jackson. The film grossed $425 million worldwide in theaters, tripling their $100 million budget, making it Tarantino's highest grossing theatrical release. Although the movie is depicting slavery - and treading water on introducing a fictional Black superhero to mainstream audiences - the irony is: the White director and actor were winning the film industry awards. Waltz, who did a tremendous job, won several awards for his performance, among them Best Supporting Actor at the BAFTAs, Golden Globes, and the Academy Awards. Tarantino won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA Award for writing the film's original screenplay. Having given the movie 1 1/2 chances, I figured it would make sense to watch it again with some friends, and discuss the movie afterwards to capture some real life reactions and commentary. Invoke real emotion. A close friend asked if I viewed the main character as a superhero? It hadn't occurred to me that Jamie Foxx's performance transcended the role that he was playing. A free man on a horse that looked like the Black boy in chains. The free man on a horse wielding a gun and killing outlaw White men for fun, while receiving a profit to do so. It hit home, especially at the end, when you see how empowered he makes the other slaves feel. A Black superhero slave who would do anything for his Black slave wife. A Black man standing up for his Black woman, and going to the world’s end to protect her, in a time when that beautiful kind of love was being customarily destroyed. Reality check: filmmaker Michael Moore praised Django Unchained, tweeting that the movie, "is one of the best film satires ever. A rare American movie on slavery and the origins of our sick racist history." And still, in reality, I see no changes. All I see is Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz and Quentin Tarantino receiving awards and accolades. It's not surprising that a film on "slavery," or anything else I've touched on in this review, or any other critic has for that matter, that the two African American leads didn't receive any awards for their roles in what was arguably the best film of the year, and one that made millions think twice. The film grossed almost 4x as much as it was budgeted for, which leads me to my last question: Who exactly was this movie made for: Black people or White people? Off first glance, and even after the first time watching Django Unchained in its entirety, the case could be easy to make that this was for White America, those willing to view something graphically entertaining. After analyzing and rewatching this film, speaking and listening to others who have taken similar actions, I've come to believe that this movie was made for Black America. Black love. Black superhero. Black history. Black excellence, which is quite marginalized throughout world media. What do you think? Ali T. Muhammad Watching movies is one of the few moments that he's able to get out of his own head and into someone else's. He believes that there is a serious educational proponent used in making and watching films. As an avid reader, he's learned to appreciate what one can get from reading books and watching movies. Westerns, suspense thrillers and sci-fi are his favorite genres, but Legends of the Falls is his favorite movie of all time, followed by Pulp Fiction, The Usual Suspects, Interview with the Vampire and Malcolm X. #Newsletter #Articles #DjangoUnchained #Love #BlackHistoryMonth #February #AliTMuhammad

  • Episode 04 : Quarter Mile at a Time - The Fast and the Furious

    Jack, Robert and Mike take on the "Fast and Furious" franchise, one film at a time, leading up to the release of the newest installment, "The Fate of the Furious." Join them for the ride, but buckle up or something. Make sure you have enough gas. Double check your windshield wiper fluid. Come to full stops. #Newsletter #Podcasts #TheFastandtheFurious #QuarterMileataTime #VinDiesel #PaulWalker #RobertAnderson #JackKolodziejski #MikeBurdge

  • The Lobster : An Absurdist Love Story

    (Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Lobster.) Movies can be fairly easy to categorize and label. Writers and directors in the movie biz often stay warm and cozy in their lucrative little genre homes. Quentin Tarantino has a pulpy, revenge story mansion, JJ Abrams has a few old sci-fi homes that he’s flipped using lens flare and M. Night Shyamalan owns a little horror cabin that constantly drips "twists" from its ceiling into a little bucket. Though these creators are masters of their genres, (and even stray outside of them from time to time), we as audience members perpetuate the constant categorization of this visual medium. Filmmakers may set out to make a genre specific flick, but in most cases they are just creating something and we as the audience try to make sense of it by shoving it into various boxes. Every once in a while there are films that come along that are deep and complex, taking from multiple genres that cannot necessarily be put into just one box. Usually for those we label the flick as a “drama” and throw an Oscar at it. In the case of a little darling called The Lobster, this is a film that maybe fits into many genre boxes, as well as none of them at all. The Lobster, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, is a story that follows the newly single David, played by Colin Farrell, as he is sent to a hotel where if you don’t find a suitable mate by the end of your forty-five day stay, you are turned into an animal of your choosing. The film’s world is a strange future or side step from our own. The way characters speak to each other is dry and monotone, devoid of exclamations or emotion. They usually state exactly how they feel, not having the luxury of being coy. These characters are not self-aware. No one questions the strange logic of, “Well, if you can’t fall in love you should probably be a horse or something.” They all appear to understand this consequence as a necessary evil, regardless of some character’s rejection of the hotel and its practices. Value isn’t something that can be achieved by the individual; instead you are only deemed fit for society once you are coupled with another person. The film has a cruel caste system of only two classes: humans and animals. Humanity isn’t something you’re entitled to, and the most humane way to deal with those who can’t be rehabilitated from bachelor life is to turn them into animals. One of the many genres attached to this film is that of a “dystopia.” Though the film never indicates any big fallout of the previous society or explanation of how things became the way they are, the film’s IMDB page states the synopsis as, “In a dystopian near future…” However, there are references to our actual world. On the eve of a character’s last day in the hotel, she is asked what she’d like to do, and she responds, “I want to watch the movie Stand by Me.” Her logic being that she won’t be able to watch it as an animal. The ingredients of your sci-fi dystopia are all there. Scenes in the world’s major city, only ominously referred to as The City, feature a police force whose sole purpose is to find single citizens and ask if they have their relationship status papers. In the beginning of the film we see David being screened before getting sent to The Hotel. They ask him questions like: how long was his last relationship, clothing size and sexual preference. In this scene, we learn there are no half steps. David asks if they have his shoe size in a half size, or if he could choose a bisexual option before getting sent to the hotel, and we learn that he cannot; he must make choices and choose binaries. Clearly there is some kind of regime in this film. And what kind of dystopia would it be if we didn’t have a rebel sect? The Loners, escapees from The Hotel who live in the woods, are the other major “faction” in this film. Hotel guests are forced to hunt these Loners with tranquilizer rifles, and for every Loner they catch, they earn an extra day’s stay at The Hotel. David eventually defects to The Loners, only to learn that love is simply not allowed within their little community. These characters are also dry and emotionless. They just don’t want to be turned into animals and this is literally their only other choice. The Loner’s leader, played by Lea Seydoux, seeks to not only exist outside of The Hotel, but to also play devil’s advocate to its philosophy. In the later portion of the film The Loners go on a mission to break up the various couples in The Hotel, either by revealing their harsh personal truths, or making them prove that one could live without their spouse. The world of The Lobster can be viewed as a dystopian binary where love doesn’t exist. Coupling is made efficient by the world’s regime, and those who reject that regime choose to live without coupling all together. There is no room for love or emotion in this world. Though this film can be viewed as a dystopian film, its Wikipedia summary adds an extra word to the synopsis that most accurately describes the film; the website refers to it as “an absurdist dystopia.” Absurdism is a philosophical school of thought that began to come into existence in Post-World War II Europe. Absurdism states that humanity’s inherent search for meaning is useless; there is too much unknown, making any sense of certainty impossible. This school of thought also permeated the world of theatre during the same time, and is simply referred to as, “Theatre of the Absurd.” In 1960, Martin Esslin coined, “Theatre of the Absurd” in his essay of the same name. This term was a designation for a series of plays written in the 1950’s that were considered Absurdist fiction. The authors of some of these plays are Samuel Beckett and Eugene Ionesco. Their plays feature characters with no backgrounds, and dialogue that appears broken, often not achieving complete coherency. The plays are impossible to predict because they have no concrete destination. You are left with a sense of disorientation, watching a world that doesn’t make sense through the lens of characters that have no meaning. This is Theatre of the Absurd. Esslin states in his essay: “The dissolution, devaluation, and relativization of language is, after all, also the theme of much of present-day depth psychology, which has shown what in former times was regarded as a rational expression of logically arrived at conclusions to be the mere rationalization of subconscious emotional impulses. Not everything that we say means what we intend it to mean.” Absurdism deems language as a tool no longer able to actually express meaning. As much as Theatre of the Absurd is about the devaluation of language, The Lobster seems to be about the devaluation of love. The film may be able to fit into another box: a love story. When characters are sent to The Hotel, the phrase “love” or “romance” doesn’t seem to be in any of the character’s vocabulary. They are instead replaced with words like “match.” During the film’s latter half, David falls for a woman in The Loner group, who is only referred to as “The Short Sighted Woman,” played by Rachel Weisz. Both she and David are short sighted, which becomes the groundwork for their love. They are the first and only characters that have any chemistry in the film. When The Loner leader catches wind of their love, she blinds The Short Sighted Woman, trying perhaps to challenge David’s love for her, or to eliminate it all together. The film ends with David leaving The Short Sighted Woman at a table in a diner to go blind himself, hopefully reestablishing their connection. The last scene of the movie we see is David never returning to the table. The Lobster is trying to say something about the way we love one another, the way we seek relationships. Love is a devalued idea in the world of this movie, if it even exists at all. At The Hotel, people are shoved into dances and romantic situations like cattle. They seek to find their mate as a survival tactic, not because they actually like the person. We view romance like puppets pantomiming the act of being in love. Even when we witness characters whom might actually love each other, (no matter what the status of their eyesight), that proves to be false. Perhaps the film is trying to tell us that love is an absurd notion all in and of itself. People search for love as much as they search for the meaning of life, and if we use the absurdist definition in the same way, then the search for love is quite the fruitless endeavor. Albert Camus, a founding father of absurdist philosophy, wrote about a figure in Greek mythology known as Sisyphus. Sisyphus is doomed to roll a boulder up a hill for eternity, just for the boulder to keep rolling back down the hill. He is trapped in a loop. Camus states, “The struggle itself […] is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus to be happy.” Is The Lobster saying that love is a boulder we constantly attempt to push up a hill? Do we as humans get the same fulfillment searching for love rather than actually finding it? To that point, is love even real at all? The film functions on many levels, and this is only one interpretation. It is indeed one part dystopia, one part absurd-drama. Another quote from Esslin’s article speaks to the audience of Absurdist Theatre: “The spectators of the Theatre of the Absurd are thus confronted with a grotesquely heightened picture of their own world: A world without faith, meaning and genuine freedom of will.” This statement rings true with how we, the audience, watch The Lobster; we are given a heightened world where the characters fight for their own agency, but even they themselves don’t fully grasp the concept. I don’t fully buy into the absurdist philosophy. I see Theatre of the Absurd and The Lobster as warnings of what our lives could become: cold and meaningless. I think it’s an admiral endeavor to search for meaning and love. So, try to live a little more like Sisyphus, because you just might actually get that boulder to the top of something. Robert Anderson Robert has a degree in Screenwriting and Playwriting and works in multiple genres. He's just your typical man-child who enjoys most things nerd culture. You can follow him on Twitter @RoBaeBae #RobertAnderson #Review #TheLobster #Newsletter

  • Episode 03 : Overdrinkers - The Notebook

    Mike and Stamper discuss the underrated/overrated modern romantic classic from Nick Cassevettes. They also discover they are both obsessed with James Marsden in slightly unhealthy ways. #Overdrinkers #TheNotebook #KatelynStamper #MikeBurdge #BabyGoose

  • Reservoir Dogs SHH Screening Overview

    With our 2nd SHH event happening this weekend, what better time to share with you exactly what the hell goes down at one of these events! But first a little backstory: over the past two years, Story Screen has worked as a pop-up exhibitor, showing several films at our secret outdoor location in Beacon, including: First Blood, Predator, Legend and even an Evil Dead 2/Army of Darkness double-feature, all utilizing local businesses and friends to create our Beacon Backyard BBQ Bash series. Live DJ’s and tasty burgers, as well as kegs donated by local bars and restaurants kept us going all night at these events until the bonfires died down. We want to build off these successful outdoor occasions and start incorporating local businesses from Beacon with unique spaces, molding them to create different atmospheres. We want to take the film experience off the screen, surrounding everyone in the audience with the movie itself - whether through props, staging, food, drink and a host of other special surprises - throughout the entire evening’s screening. So we created SHH (Something’s Happening Here), the special exhibition arm of Story Screen. Our staff has been working hard to make sure our guests get the very best experience out of each and every SHH event. The lovely people at Denning’s Point Distillery joined our family, as we turned their once-car-garage-now-liquor-distillery into the warehouse from Reservoir Dogs, complete with bloody aftermath. We created the setting of the film’s location AFTER the events of the film had occurred, showing the warehouse, as it would now be considered a crime scene. Harry’s Hot Sandwiches delivered fast food style burgers and fries for our 50+ audience members, and More Good supplied us with all the delicious craft syrup sodas we could ask for. And of course, delicious brews and cocktails from Denning’s Point never went out of style the whole night, as we projected the Quentin Tarantino classic directly onto the white brick wall of the warehouse. Afterward the film finished, we raffled-off gifts, such as: unique posters designed by local artists just for the event, as well as vinyl records, books, movies and other fun surprises. Everyone walked away happy though, as each and every guest was awarded a Story Screen Playbill, complete with an article written by Story Screen Writer, Robert Anderson (which you can read here), as well as a pair of black sunglasses and a Story Screen keychain made by FabHaus, connected to a black, 3-D printed ear, made especially for us by our friends at Hatch Abstraction. It was a monumental night. Our next screening will turn Oak Vino Wine Bar into a speakeasy for our presentation of Casablanca. Our guests will be treated to amazing wine, live music, delicious food and treats, as well as gifts and several surprises throughout the night. For more information on that screening, check out Casablanca SHH Event Page. Tickets are going fast! Included below are some photos taken by our very own Jordan Roque, throughout the night at our Reservoir Dogs screening, where you can see just how crazy cool the evening really was. We hope to catch you at any of our upcoming screenings in and around Beacon, NY in the upcoming months. So to make sure you never miss out on a Story Screen event, sign up for our Newsletter (you can do so at the bottom of this page!) Thanks again! -The Story Screen Family #Articles #Newsletter #ReservoirDogs #SHH #RobertAnderson #HarrysHotSandwiches #DenningsPoint #MoreGood #JordanRoque

  • Episode 02 : Hot Takes - xXx : The Return of Xander Cage

    Podcasting heads Jack and Robert take on Mr. Diesel's franchise return in their first Hot Take! Give it a listen, ya badass! #Podcasts #JackKolodziejski #RobertAnderson #xXx #VinDiesel #SoBadass #HotTakes

  • Episode 01 : Favorites of 2016 Review

    It's our first podcast! Rejoice! Starting things off, Jack, Robert, Bernadette and Mike tackle their favorite films of 2016 - from Deadpool to Moonlight or Rogue One to The Lobster - in this special two part episode of: Story Screen Presents. Each guest selected three films that really stuck with them throughout the year, and the table discusses each film, roundtable style, allowing tangents to lead where they may. Someone even brings up Daredevil. (No, not that one. The OTHER one). Be on the lookout for more podcasts coming to this site in the coming months, as we reveal several series that will continue to scratch those audio needs of you film lovers out there. Listen below and be sure to subscribe to our Soundcloud channel so you never miss our voices. #2016 #RobertAnderson #JackKolodziejski #BernadetteGorman #MikeBurdge #Newsletter #Podcasts #StoryScreenPresents

  • Edward Scissorhands: And I Will Bring the Ambrosia Salad

    In a strange nameless town in Nowhere, USA, with streets lined with Barbadian-style homes, a gothic Frankenstein pops a suburban bubble with an innocent prick of his scissor-hands. In a true testament to the filmmaker, this cultic fable presents itself as pure entertainment, but below the surface, the message slowly rises in suspense to keep its viewers engaged until the very end, going beyond the typical confines of its genre. Though Edward Scissorhands may seem like another phantasmagoric Tim Burton film, it is unexpectedly profound, full of stark symbolism as a commentary on American culture. On a planet of stifled creativity and individuality, there is bound to be a clash between two worlds: the outcasts and the conformists. Each character represents various overarching facets of society - the Pariah, the Pollyanna, the exploiter, the bully, the growing teenager struggling to uphold social expectations, etc. which all serve as important players in a symbiotic civilization. This factor on its own, ever so slightly roots the story in reality at its most basic state. Collectively, the townspeople are the personification of the fear of judgment of others in the struggle to conform. The film’s mise en scene of panoramic shots capturing both the pastel town and Edward’s dark and bizarre mansion sets the narrative: a looming fear of the outside world penetrating an isolated world of sterility. It’s clear that Burton placed a lot of value on the importance of viewer perspective to act as a platform for conceptual thought that exists beyond the script. Intimate shots of Peg, (the surrogate of a mother he never had) and Edward, imply that they exist on a similar wavelength in the same world, the difference being Peg’s desperate grasp at uniformity hides the fact that her values fundamentally differ from her neighbors’. As opposed to being portrayed as a true monster, the contrast of Edward’s shocking appearance paired with close up shots of his wistful eyes, his scarred face and his whisper of a voice, reinforce the fact that eccentricity is often feared, though it is largely harmless. Throughout the film, Edward accidentally cuts himself or others in an expression of emotional pain, and though they eventually scar over, he is still marked with the memories of prejudice and rejection. Initially, his “handicap” appeals to the community’s self-centered sensibilities, and he is therefore regarded as “exceptional.” Yet later on in the film, his arrest for a framed robbery attempt is the beginning of his decline, and the true starting point of his failure to fit in. He is subsequently deemed untrustworthy and a threat to the town’s hollow lifestyle. The constant attention from nosy neighbors slowly shifts from amazement and intrigue to harmful rumors that threaten the Boggs’ livelihood and Edward’s physical safety. In a moment of chaos, the police sergeant makes the choice to lie to the town, telling them that Edward is “taken care of,” while secretly letting him go free. He understands that people conform out of a need for security, but that the world can be dangerous for those who penetrate those barriers. In allowing Edward to retreat back to his home, he sends the message that it is better to exist in a place where you’re free to be yourself. This scene in particular stands out because it is one of the very few moments of intimacy between two characters, because eavesdroppers and gossipers are always within earshot. It is a moment of mutual understanding, and it is first time throughout the entire film that someone breaks through the facade and really communicates with Edward on a personal level. The movie comes across as crazy: a gothic outcast with scissors for hands in a colorful town full of nutty, intolerant, busybodies, eating 1960’s Jell-O party ambrosia salad. Peppered throughout the film are scenes of Edward, wielding his scissor-hands as hair shears, creating masterful ice sculptures and pruning the neighbor’s bushes into dinosaurs. The true underlying theme of the film becomes apparent within the last ten minutes, when Kim realizes that she loves Edward, even though he is regarded as some kind of freak, leading her to reject both the town and their values which speaks to the moral of the story: that “different” is not a bad word. Though chased from the town with fire and pitchforks, Edward undoubtedly left his mark. When he retreats, it snows for the very first time in town and continues every year after, essentially making people realize that change is an unavoidable fact of life. Oftentimes, the best films are those that can be simultaneously weird and entertaining, while acting as a tool to discuss the world at large. Whether you’re seeking entertainment or substance, Edward Scissorhands has the ability to satisfy the cinematographic desires of any and all moviegoers. Amanda Spinosa Amanda is an artist/writer with a degree in visual and critical studies from the School of Visual Arts, though 90% of her day is spent looking at pictures of dogs. Instagram: @spin.osa #EdwardScissorhands #December #AmandaSpinosa #Newsletter #Review

  • Lethal Weapon: A Bullet Through the Eggnog

    A family man who’s, “Getting too old for this shit,” and a suicidal, ex-special forces operative, attempt to solve the mysterious death of a banker's daughter in Richard Donner’s infamous buddy cop action flick, Lethal Weapon. The film has all the makings of your typical action movie - drugs, shootouts, catch phrases, martial arts, explosions - all wrapped up neatly with a Christmas bow. But why the holiday setting? This isn’t some arbitrary Hollywood move of “Hey, the movie comes out during the holiday season so let’s throw some Santa’s in there." The choice appears to be deliberate; Lethal Weapon was released March 6th, 1987, months after the holiday season. The film constantly reminds you that it’s Christmas: from playing Jingle Bells over the opening title screen, to its ending on Christmas day. It’s a theme that’s so strangely at odds with the actual plot of the movie that you wonder why it’s even there at all. If you take out the holiday decorations, the occasional Santas and the Jingle Bells, the plot of Lethal Weapon remains the same: two cops trying to solve a suicide case who stumble onto something greater. So again: why is the film trying to tell us it’s Christmastime? The film is set in Los Angeles, which I’d imagine to be a strange place during the holiday season. L.A.’s hot climate and lack of snow seems (at least to myself, a New Yorker) strange. Even visually, to see folks wearing shorts and t-shirts amongst holiday décor is an odd juxtaposition. Christmas in L.A. is a battle of tropes; this perhaps speaks to the duality between buddy-cop power-couple, Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) and Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson). Murtaugh is a family man, a cop who plays by the rules, but more importantly he’s happy. He’s the “Christmas." Riggs on the other hand is suicidal; he’s a loose-cannon narcotics officer with a history of being trigger-happy. He has no fear; after his wife’s death, he has nothing left to lose. He’s the “Los Angeles." This mismatching of characters creates a sort of yin and yang between the two. The film on the other hand, doesn’t necessarily find the same harmony as a Christmas-wrapped action movie. As much as the film is trying to tell us it’s Christmastime, its other major element is suicide. The film's inciting incident is the suicide of banker, Michael Hunsaker’s (Tom Atkins) troubled daughter-turned-prostitute, Amanda Hunsaker (Jackie Swanson). This death sets the plot into motion. We are also constantly reminded that Riggs himself is suicidal. In a scene (that’s far too good to actually be in this ridiculous movie) Riggs puts a gun in his mouth and cries as he contemplates suicide. Later in the film we have back-to-back suicide attempts. Riggs and Murtaugh respond to a "jumper" and Riggs saves the man’s life by making them both jump off of the building into a safety net. The next scene features Riggs confessing to Murtaugh his own suicidal thoughts, almost pulling the trigger on himself in front of a painted storefront window saying, “Everything must go.” When Riggs confronts the jumper on the roof, he tries to calm him down by saying, “A lot of people have problems, especially during this silly season.” This line may reveal why suicide is so prevalent in the film. A common myth about the holiday season (that a few searches on google can disprove) is that suicide rates skyrocket during this time of year. Perhaps Lethal Weapon is trying to show us the ugly side of the holiday season. In a time sugar-coated with happiness, there are people among us who are depressed, there are people who are experiencing great loss, there’s no stopping the cold reality of everyday life. As most action movies tend to do, the last two-thirds of Lethal Weapon is an orgy of violence abandoning a lot of its holiday motifs - excluding the death of Michael Hunsaker: he gets shot in the back and the bullet exits through a half-gallon of eggnog he’s holding (it’s literally the best thing I’ve ever seen). The film ends on a happy note. Riggs is invited over to the Murtaugh household for Christmas dinner and gives his partner a gift: the hollow point bullet he was saving for his suicide, claiming he doesn’t need it anymore. So why is this movie set during Christmastime? It’s cheesy, but I think it’s what saves Riggs’ life. The gift of friendship between these two cops saves Riggs. The holiday spirit is somewhere deeply hidden in Lethal Weapon, you just have to take out a few drug lords to find it. Robert Anderson Robert has a degree in Screenwriting and Playwriting and works in multiple genres. He's just your typical man-child who enjoys most things nerd culture. You can follow him on Twitter @RoBaeBae #LethalWeapon #RobertAnderson #December #Newsletter #Review

  • Scrooged: Bah! Humbug!

    At this time of year, when it seems rampant consumerism has usurped the spirit of Christmas, it helps take the edge off to watch a movie whose message is, “put a little love in your heart.” An updated take on the Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol, Scrooged, is a campy tale of redemption and holiday cheer with a dark sense of humor. Bill Murray is in his element as cold-blooded television executive, Frank Cross. Cross views Christmas as a marketing gimmick to be exploited for ratings and profit. When a soft-spoken employee suggests that the network’s promo for a live Christmas Eve special might scare people, Cross fires him and cancels his Christmas bonus. He gifts the majority of his friends and employees hand towels, including his younger brother. Cross brings selfishness to new heights of absurdity in his black high-rise office and he seems to enjoy it. Visited by the ghost of his former boss, Cross is warned that he’ll meet a fiery end if he doesn’t change his ways. Forced to relive the pain and joy of Christmas’ past with a foulmouthed cabbie, and knocked senseless by a fairy in the present, the film is a wild ride of highs and lows. The guiding light of Cross’ redemption is his old flame Claire, a humanitarian sweetheart who calls him “Lumpy.” Part of what makes Scrooged so enjoyable is nostalgia – a time when VCR’s were an expensive novelty, and offices had both stocked bars and full-time secretaries. Murray is by turns charming and frightening as Cross, but always a delightful miscreant. At its heart, the story of Christmas is one of salvation. Cross finds his own through his love for others and isn’t that just what Christmas should be about? Liz Velez Liz has a background in film & television production and has worked with NBC, Comedy Central, VH1, and Spotify. Her interests include diversity/representation in media, gender & sexuality politics, social justice and the impact of pop culture in shaping popular opinion. She also slays at drunken karaoke. You can follow her on Twitter @telitlikeitliz #Scrooged #December #Newsletter #LizVelez #BillMurray #Review

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