Showing posts with label chris pratt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chris pratt. Show all posts
Monday, August 6, 2018
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Saturday, January 2, 2016
justin lockwood's favorite entertainment of 2015
I found this to be a pretty tremendous year for pop culture, with many of the most anticipated releases proving worthy of the hype. Here are my favorites in film, TV, and (first of all) music.
Rebel Heart - Madonna
I’d been waiting a decade for another truly great Madonna album. American Life, Hard Candy, and MDNA all had their moments, but none were outstanding at the level of Ray of Light or Confessions on a Dance Floor. With Rebel Heart, Madge finally stopped chasing other people’s trends and did her thing, across a satisfyingly diverse array of 19 (!) songs. From the propulsive “Living for Love” (her best single since “Hung Up”) to the haunting “Ghosttown” to the awesomely sassy “Bitch I’m Madonna,” Rebel Heart proved the 57-year-old’s still got it.
"American Horror Story"
I’ve loved this show across uneven seasons, and this was a particularly good year for the franchise. "Hotel" took some time winning me over, but wound up being the darkest, most involving and consistently surprising entry since "Asylum" (my all-time favorite). Lady Gaga is solid, though the ever-dependable Denis O’Hare steals the show and is utterly transcendent as Liz Taylor. Looking back in the calendar year, the spotty Freak Show came to a hugely satisfying conclusion and provided a fitting coda (!) to Jessica Lange’s work on the series.
Jurassic World
My expectations were high for this sequel to one of my most beloved movies, and director Colin Trevorrow met them and then some. Sure, the Romancing the Stone leads are a little shopworn, but who cares when the cast is so appealing, the concepts are interesting, and the action is so much fun?
"Scream Queens"
Speaking of fun, TV doesn’t get much more entertaining than this campy horror spoof starring Jamie Lee Curtis (bow down!) and the terrific Emma Roberts. The show committed to its silliness and central mystery with razor sharp writing and a uniformly awesome ensemble, with Niecy Nash’s security guard and Glen Powell’s dopey frat boy among the standouts.
The Final Girls
A fitting companion piece of sorts to "Scream Queens," The Final Girls is a tremendously enjoyable love letter to 80s dead teenager flicks with real emotional heart. It’s both hysterically funny and really, truly affecting.
"The Comeback"
I discovered Michael King’s cult favorite "The Comeback" just in time for its triumphant second season, which earned star Lisa Kudrow a well-deserved Emmy nod. The meta premise seemed a little too high concept: Kudrow’s indomitable Valerie Cherish agrees to play a nasty version of herself, in an edgy series from the producer who tormented her on a would-be comeback vehicle years earlier. But the season proved immensely affecting, funny, and honest, with a finale that broke with convention in an unexpected but all too appropriate way.
Krampus
Michael Dougherty’s Trick ‘R Treat was my favorite horror film of the last decade, so I was intrigued to see his encore. He returns to the holiday fold with a ferociously entertaining movie that balances frights and laughs with the same deftness as that cult classic. A strong cast brings a dysfunctional family to life, and the story lurches through gags and creepy set pieces to arrive at a stunning denouement.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
I wasn’t chomping at the bit like a hardcore fan, but even if I was I doubt I’d be disappointed in JJ Abrams’ assured addition to the Star Wars canon. The wunderkind uses his knack for story, humor, and wow! visuals to return George Lucas’ saga to form after the lackluster prequels. The new characters, notably Daisy Ridley’s plucky Rey and John Boyega’s arresting, conflicted Finn, somehow already feel as timeless as Luke, Han, and Leia. The importance of the two leads’ race and gender, too, cannot be overstated. After all, Star Wars is a saga for all of us.
Friday, May 22, 2015
Monday, January 12, 2015
Monday, January 5, 2015
justin lockwood's top 10, very idiosyncratic entertainment of 2014
Snowpiercer
This movie was fantastic. The dystopian sci-fi thing’s been done to death; so has the 1% versus the little people allegory. But Joon Ho-Bong’s tale of a near future in which Earth’s survivors are forced onto a train after the planet freezes over, and the impoverished “coach class” stages a revolt against their oppressive overlords, is completely original. By turns scary, funny, dramatic, and philosophical, this is a movie that builds its world thoroughly and unforgettably. Tilda Swinton stands out as the hilariously snobbish face of the ruling class, but the whole cast, from veteran actor John Hurt to Chris Evans and Octavia Spencer, is terrific.
Transparent
What great television. Amazon knocked it out of the park with this fiercely original dramedy about a transwoman (Jeffrey Tambor, let’s go ahead and call him an Emmy winner already) and her dysfunctional adult children. Show runner Jill Solloway has crafted a gorgeously shot, utterly believable program that does a better job than most indie movies at depicting messy modern life. The fact that the kids are sometimes hard to like is probably part of the point, but you won’t be bored watching them, or their “mappa.”
Ultraviolence
I don’t care what the haters say. Lana Del Rey is a goddess. With her sultry delivery, often graphic lyrics, and hypnotic beats, she’s a true original. Ultraviolence isn’t as good as her first album—does anybody beat the sophomore curse?—but it’s got four incredible tracks (“Fucked My Way Up to the Top” is probably my favorite) and nary a false note on the rest.
“Too Many Cooks”
Yes, that “Too Many Cooks.” You may think of it as just that viral video with the annoyingly catchy theme song, but I was stunned by this oddity’s creativity and its potent subtext about our media addicted culture.
Olive Kitteridge
I discovered this HBO miniseries almost by accident—I’d never heard of it, my roommate was curious—and it turned out to be one of the best things I saw all year. Director Lisa Choldenko evokes a strong sense of place in this New England character study boasting top notch performances by Francis McDormand, Richard Jenkins, and Bill Murray. It's effortlessly real and engrossing.
Stage Fright
I’d been looking forward to this slasher musical for a few years, so if I was a little disappointed, I may have been suffering from high expectations. Jerome Sable and Eli Battalion’s movie is a campy extravaganza with an excellent score, fine performances, and wit to spare. It’s probably the most fun I had at the movies this year.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Speaking of fun, Marvel’s “riskiest” production turned out to be its best. James Gunn’s saga of interstellar misfits benefitted from a great script, delightful performances—even the ones by CGI talking trees and raccoons—and the best 70s soundtrack since Running With Scissors. If every summer movie was this good, the industry would probably be saved.
The Comeback
I was lucky enough to discover the cult favorite "The Comeback" this year, just before star Lisa Kudrow and co-creator Michael Patrick King revived it on HBO. The new season nails the original’s curious blend of awkward humor, pop commentary, and emotional poignancy. Kudrow is perhaps even better this time around as the desperate, long suffering former sitcom star who’s subjected to endless indignities when she signs up to play a skewed version of herself on her old enemy Paulie G’s “edgy” HBO show. The show, meanwhile, imbues its merciless satire with genuine heart and humanism.
Palo Alto
James Franco’s thisclose to eye rolling punchline status for his endless stream of projects, but Palo Alto, adapted from his short story collection and costarring the man himself, is outstanding. Director Gia Coppola—seriously, what is it with that family?—proves herself both a dazzling visual stylist and a skilled director of actors. It’s one of the best movies about teenagers I’ve ever seen, with the kids played by excellent performers like Emma Roberts—probably our best young actress these days—and breakout Nat Wolff. Even Franco acquits himself admirably by playing a hunky soccer coach who spoofs his real-life persona almost as well as This Is the End did.
The Canal
Horror fans who complain the genre’s in a slump should skip studio dreck like Ouija and seek out indies like this one. Irish director Ivan Kavanagh builds suspense and dread masterfully in this tale of a troubled family man (Rupert Evans, utterly compelling) who’s either being haunted by ghosts or losing his mind. It’s not perfect, but it’s so effective and sumptuously executed that anyone who likes scary movies owes it to themselves to check it out.
Bad Hair
The first movie I saw at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival was also one of the best. This intimate Venezuelan drama about a boy (an astonishing Samuel Lange Zambrano) whose quest for straight hair incites homophobic panic in his stressed out mom (Samantha Castillo) plays like a slice of life. In its quiet, unassuming way, Bad Hair depicts the bleak realities of Venezuela and the sometimes painful way parents treat their children. It’s devastating, but you can’t take your eyes off it.
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