I love movies that pull you in with raw storytelling and then top it off with an ending that makes you think twice about what you just saw — Take Shelter is definitely one of those. While some brain teasers like Inception give you a massive scale and top notch production, Take Shelter is much more subtle and honest. It’s so personal at times that it’s almost uncomfortable. But you keep watching because it’s such a captivating story, with the perfected performances keeping your interest until the ending which leaves much to be discussed.

It stars Michael Shannon as Curtis. A man in his mid 30’s who has several extremely disturbing dreams. One of which has a very cool sequence that leads to all of the furniture in the house to levitate. Those dark dreams create a real dread within him of an oncoming apocalyptic storm. In his anxiety, he starts renovating a storm shelter in his backyard to protect his family which takes a heavy toll on his marriage. His extreme behavior deeply concerns his wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and their friends. For example, he’ll react to thunder when there are no clouds in the sky. The dreams that Shannon has feel so real, at times you’re questioning if a lot of the events that take place are real or not. At times you feel the dread that Curtis feels because the dreams come off as real. Other times you don’t feel it and Curtis looks like someone who belongs in a mental institution.

Take Shelter is so patient at times that it feels really slow. But it’s a good slow, if there is such a thing. The lack of noticeable music and the constant uneven feeling of Curtis given by Michael Shannon makes the entire film feel surreal. The most admirable quality of Take Shelter with the exception of the acting, is that you really get the feeling that bad things can happen at any time. You feel the storm coming almost as Curtis does, but that’s because you’re living in his reality. You’re seeing what he is seeing which makes it tough to distinguish what is real and what is not.

The film feels more like a book than a film due to its cold intimacy. It might not be for traditional moviegoers simply because of how long it is. In all honesty, it could probably use a trimming of about 20 mins and still have the same impact, but it wouldn’t be as good. Take Shelter is gloomy, dark, and at times tough to watch. But for those who can appreciate great acting along with patient storytelling and great character development, you’ll love Take Shelter.

Netflix This: Take Shelter

Follow Josh on Twitter: @JWingface

J.J. Abrams is attached to another disaster show with mysterious elements layered in. His previous credit was the hit show LOST which ran for six seasons on ABC. Now he is backing a series called Revolution, a show set in a drastically different future where humankind no longer possesses the power of electricity after a mysterious incident wipes it all out. The show’s pilot was also directed by Iron Man Director Jon Favreau and looks to feature a decent size budget considering all the VFX involved. Hit the jump to get a look.

Watch me.

The show looks pretty cool right? This should be right up the alley of LOST fans — bands of people looking to survive outside the comforts of the modern world while struggling to discover the mysteries within their own. So this isn’t just another survive on an island or post-apocalyptic future type show, it’s also a discover how ‘we’ got there show. Just like LOST right? I don’t mind, because I loved LOST and this looks like another show filled with intrigue, action, and fun to keep me entertained. I’ll definitely be giving Revolution a shot this Fall.

Revolution will air Monday nights at 10/9 c this Fall on NBC.

As a bonus, I thought I’d pass along this short called RUIN I discovered thanks to fellow Mash writer Mike. He commented on how the visuals in these two videos are very similar — both are set in the ruins of our modernized world. While Revolution is going to be a live-action NBC television show, RUIN is an animated short that looks to evolve into a web series — the end of this video teases of more to come. This video is not only extremely interesting to watch unfold, but the visuals are crisp and well imagined. The main character spends a portion of the short escaping on a motorcycle, a breathtaking, perfectly shot, and exquisitely animated sequence. You should definitely not miss your opportunity to watch this.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery

It’s time to shine a light on the millions of mindless, faceless henchmen who have lost their lives to fight our heroes. No longer shall hordes of alien races be massacred at the hands of one man. No longer will packs of secret agents drop like flies. No longer wil— oh, who am I kidding? Hollywood isn’t going to change. But this trend has bothered me for years. Whenever a hero (or villain) needs to prove their abilities to audiences, the filmmakers send mass of bodies their way, only to be wiped out one by one with a single blow. It’s tiresome. It’s dull. It’s boring. It’s utterly pointless.

[MILD SPOILERS AHEAD]

The best example is at the forefront of entertainment right now – The Avengers. Twice in this Marvel masterpiece (not saying a whole lot, but it is still a wonderful movie), a large number of “people” are killed in battle, with no background provided and barely a face shown. I understand their purpose in movies. Don’t get me wrong, they do work for big set pieces. If you want to show scale, what better way to do it than with a lot of bodies. It just seems so mundane. It’s like a speed bump for the real point of the scene.

In one scene of The Avengers, a good two dozen S.H.I.E.L.D agents are pretty easily killed aboard the Helicarrier. I understand this mass murder creates a more sinister death toll for the main villain, but it brings up the important question — what the hell does it take to qualify as a S.H.I.E.L.D agent? It kind of belittles the whole idea of the organization beyond the big three (Nick Fury, Agent Coulson and Agent Hill).

On the other end of the movie is the enormous action sequence in the final act.  A portal to a corner of the universe opens up a swarming nest of angry alien soldiers and they basically get picked off like nothing. Those enormous mecha-eels aside, the countless clone army of aliens wasted a good 15 minutes of screen time. Sure, we get to see our superheroes use their powers in different ways, but it just seems so useless and time-consuming when all it takes is one backhanded slap of Captain America’s shield or one bullet from Black Widow’s hand pistol to disable these grimy aliens. Loki disguises their presence as a sort of distraction, so at least Joss Whedon had the audacity to acknowledge them, but this is far too rare. That’s the problem with clone armies. They never seem to do any damage after the initial, “Oooh there are so many of them” reaction. They never hurt our heroes and they have terrible aim.

One of the rare occasions where a film presented a mass of people and still managed to provide intimate moments with non-main characters is Saving Private Ryan. The beach invasion is a classic example of large-scale action that understands how to get up close and personal and remind us that each character has a life. Even if it’s just a matter of walking by a wounded soldier screaming at the top of his lungs, it is felt by the audience. Yes, they were the good guys, but there are moments where the Germans even get some pity – of sorts. I’m not asking filmmakers to tell us directly what these droves of soldiers are fighting for, but I need to have a better idea.

I have absolutely no idea why the alien race was fighting for Loki. I understand why Loki did what he did, but why would these alien creatures risk their lives for him? What do they get out of this? Will they get the galactic equivalent to four acres and a mule? Do they have a damn good life insurance plan? Are they brainwashed? Are they programmed? It’s hard enough to watch these useless CGI creatures attack superheroes and get taken out one by one, so at least let me know what they are fighting for as individuals. Because I guarantee you they didn’t know who Loki was a few hours beforehand. It’s just exhausting trying to get through all the bullshit to the real fight. Maybe that’s part of the intention. Let the heroes win a bit before struggling.

Looking forward to The Dark Knight Rises, which has a clear war scene, I already kind of know what the police are fighting for — they are police, so it is obvious. But I’m not sure what Bane has on these mercenaries justifying them fighting to their death. Of course, assuming they are mercenaries, they are likely being paid very well, but I sure hope that pay is worth risking your life. It’s just very hard to tell these days what somebody would lay down their life for in the thick of battle. You don’t see a single alien or mercenary stopping, turning around and yelling, “Fuckkkk thiiiss sshiiittttttt.”

All I ask of Hollywood blockbusters is a second or two for the little guy. Just let the audience members that care know why hundreds of people, aliens, or whatever are fighting for the cause that one man is leading. Otherwise, the only assumption I will make is that they are doing what some religious extremists do, which is fight to the death on purpose just to die in the fray.

GRADE: B

This film is still making rounds in the distribution circuit, but will most likely be difficult to find at your local theater. Bully is an indie film, but has gotten quite a bit of play because of the important message it carries. I saw the movie a few weeks back, but because of all the other things going on in life I didn’t get to this review until now. Despite seeing it so long ago and it barely still being in theaters, I had to cook up a review about this film because its importance. Students, parents, soon-to-be parents, teachers, anyone associated with the education system needs to see just how widespread bullying is in schools today. Bullying in America is a massive problem that is causing both measurable and immeasurable harm to those who are tormented. This film shows how cruel kids in school are today, and how the afflicted can no longer escape persecution outside the school grounds with evolving social media and tech — kids today are entering a new age of bullying.

The film follows a handful of teenagers who were, and in some cases still are, picked on heavily in school. It also heavily centers on the parents involved in this uphill battle. Bully documents the struggle for teens to deal with the difficulties of not only learning in school but assimilating to the environment while being ostracized by their cruel peers. One of the teens is a lesbian in a very opinionated, bigoted, rural town. She speaks of experiences most of us wouldn’t believe, like a teacher making fun of her homosexuality in front of an entire class. The stories from all these teens and their families are extremely sad and full of hurt, but they should not be ignored. A film like this is an excellent way for the bullies to see how their words and actions impact the bullied. It’s an excellent way for school administrators to see their efforts are often useless and to help push them to understand they need to do more.

While most of us have endured some facet of bullying in our lives, the lengths kids will go today to feel better about themselves by putting another down seems much more drastic than I remember. While I am sure many of the words and the kids on each side of the fence are the same (bully vs. the bullied), the practices are more extreme and permanent, not to mention more public when broadcasted on social media. This has led to irreparable damage on so many developing minds, even in drastic cases, suicide. It really is sad to see and hear about — such petty cruelty in many cases cuts far too deep.

On the production side of things, this has to be one of the worst shot movies I’ve ever seen, and it’s a documentary. Quite often, the film follows the teens in their daily life — but being a documentary, it also features plenty of interviews. For some reason, director Lee Hirsch instructed all his camera crew to move the camera in and out of focus, constantly throughout the film, even in the middle of interviews. These rack focuses serve no purpose — they’re distracting and extremely annoying. People in the film are literally just sitting there being interviewed and all the sudden the camera goes out of focus, and then back. Such a tacky presentation to a topic as important as this one.

Overall, despite the laughable camerawork, the message of Bully rings true. It’s a movie all involved in education need to see at least once, especially parents and school personnel. Bullies can be extremely vicious and the bullied oftentimes believe extreme measures are the only way out — whether that be cutting, sinking into depression, retaliation, or even suicide, the results are never positive.

What Should You Do? The film might still be in a theater in your area, but most likely not. Your best bet is to look for Bully on DVD or Netflix when it hits the market. After you see it, spread the movie to others.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery

GRADE: C

Sacha Baron Cohen first made his mark on the short-lived, but hysterical HBO comedy The Ali G Show back in 2003. What made that such a cult classic amongst comedy lovers was his interaction with real people while portraying these ridiculous satirical characters. He evoked real reactions from these unsuspecting victims, causing hilariously uncomfortable and awkward situations. His three staple characters (Ali G, Borat and Bruno) each gained their own spin-off feature film, with the Ali G Indahouse being the only truly 100% scripted effort. Ali G Indahouse was by far the worst of the three, as it struggled to translate what made these characters great (“reality comedy”) into a 90 minute fictional script. Cohen’s latest character, General Admiral Aladeen, the featured star of his new film The Dictator, suffers the same fate as Ali G. The unique comedic essence of “punking” people in real life is completely lost, resulting in a very disappointing outing from someone with such comedic balls.

There’s not much to say about this story, as it follows a cookie-cutter comedic formula that we’ve seen a thousand times. Our antagonist is a bad guy doing really bad things to start off. He brutally rules a fictional North African country (Wadiya), in which he has people executed on command for simply disagreeing with him, and has a plethora of paintings and statues on display throughout the country to showcase his supreme greatness. It’s an attempt to parody the Totalitarian landscape of the Middle East and North Korea which have thoroughly complicated international affairs over the past throughout history, and have directly and indirectly caused many wars and political conflicts. But, you knew that.

Cookie-cutter formula continues. We then see our bad guy, Aladeen, go through a personal journey of enlightenment and self-awakening, after his identity gets taken away when his iconic beard is cut off at a United Nations summit in New York (foul play by a trusted ally?), and then, thanks to the help of a romantic interest (horribly played by the sometimes unbearable Anna Faris) realizes the error of his ways and tries to make things right.

Timely? Yes. We get it. Kim Jong Il recently died. He was a dictator, too. And the Libyan uprising caused by Muammar Gaddafi’s genocide was a constant headline for most of last year, until he was killed by his own citizens. Funny? Sometimes. There are some raunchy gags that made me chuckle, like anyone with a funny bone. But the attempt at parody or to paint any kind of insightful or intelligent picture on such a serious matter, like Borat knocked out of the park, is completely absent. Borat exposed America’s inherent bigotry towards racism, sexism and terrorism, in a hilarious and unconventional way. The Dictator? Not sure about you, but seeing Aladeen assist in delivering a baby by shoving his hands up a woman’s vagina, losing his cell phone in her uterus, and then spending several minutes trying to retrieve it (featuring several POV shots from inside her uterus) is not funny at all. I literally facepalmed during the entire sequence.

You may say, “why are you over-thinking this? It’s outrageous, raunchy Sacha!” Well, who Cohen is as a comedian, pointing out the hypocrisy and flaws of American culture, sets the precedent for his future efforts. He attempts similar call-outs in The Dictator, but within the outrageous scripted environment in which it’s set, it falls completely flat. As in the film, Aladeen addresses the media and spouts off a list of things, sarcastically/ironically, that America “Isn’t”…i.e. “America isn’t a country that blatantly divides social classes and hides inherent racism,” etc, etc, etc. Cohen tries to inject some actual satirical substance that “says something” in this speech, but you can’t have 90 minutes of dick and fart jokes, and then try to make a true metaphorical statement in 90 seconds.

Another wasted opportunity with The Dictator is the lack of notable memorable moments from well-known actors in supporting roles, and lazy pop culture references to generate LOLs. Aladeen gets whatever he wants, whenever he wants. He’s the “Supreme Leader,” as he’s often referred to by his subjects throughout the film. But seeing him bang Megan Fox in exchange for money, at which point he gives her a jewel and she scoffly responds “What am I, a Kardashian?” is an extremely lazy attempt to randomly integrate a pop culture reference to garner laughs. We all know who the Kardashians are, and know that they’re famous for having sex! LOL. Come on, Cohen. You’re better than that. John C. Reilly is a brighter spot, on this subject, at playing a bigoted Secret Service agent in charge of Aladeen’s security. He blatantly rips on Aladeen for being an “Arab” peppered  with a slew of other racial insults. It’s a chuckle-worthy parody on America’s Right Wing/Tea Party hatred for the Middle East (and pretty much all foreigners) but that’s about it.

It’s just really disappointing for me – both as a big fan of Cohen and someone who loves raunchy humor. For me, The Dictator doesn’t work with what it’s trying to accomplish (parody the hypocrisy and appalling existence of a deplorable world leader) and with what makes Cohen a great comedian (interacting with real people while portraying these ridiculous characters, and letting the real reactions from them BE the comedy in and of itself).

The Dictator is definitely worth seeing once, as there are a few funny moments. But I would absolutely advise not paying money to see it in theaters.

What Should You Do? Wait for DVD or Netflix.

Don’t you get tired of people talking on their cell phones and texting at the theater? Don’t you get annoyed when two people are whispering to one another, or even talking constantly? Don’t you get annoyed when a lady stays in the theater during Paranormal Activity 3 with a crying infant? The latter happened to me, at the press screening actually, ruined the “quiet” horror flick. Crying. The mom still had the baby in the theater. Someone sternly asked her to leave (#mightHaveBeenMe).

Theater etiquette could almost be considered an ancient virtue standing up against today’s theater goers. Here at The Movie Mash, we stand to speak out against it — this time around in the form of a Mortal Kombat inspired short video. Haven’t you ever imagined having this type of a brawl with some of those more annoying movie patrons?

Check it.

Hats off to the very talented Rajiv Weliwitigoda for helping me out with this video. Many may remember Rajiv also starred in the iPhone 4s ‘Siri Thought’ Video I made — look for the two of us collaborating on a few more ‘Theater Etiquette” shorts over the Summer. If you enjoyed this video, go to my YouTube Channel. Subscribe. It helps. (let’s go viral) Spread this post on Facebook, etc., etc. Let’s stop the cellphones from killing our theater experience.

Did You Like This Video’s ‘Message’?

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery

Two of Hollywood’s biggest names are about to tackle each other in the wrestling ring of politics in this sure-to-be-funny comedy. The Campaign is about two rival politicians (Ferrell & Galifianakis) who are trying to win an election to represent a small district in North Carolina. Cam Brady (Ferrell), who usually runs unopposed,  is going for his 5th term in office until the moronic Marty Huggins comes along. DURHERRRRR! Feast your eyes on the trailer after the jump.

Here is the first trailer for The Campaign:

The Campaign – Bande Annonce VO by WarnerBrosPicturesFrance

I love the idea of this movie. Zach and Will battling each other for a political seat is a fantastic set-up. However, there were a couple of things about the trailer that bothered me. I wasn’t at all feeling the idea of Zach being some dim-witted dumb shit who just wants to run for office. And I don’t think Will Ferrell is capable of portraying a political figure without some sort of southern dialect. It worked so well on SNL, but it’s kind of old now.

With the 2012 election season coming up, it’s very timely and current to have a movie like this.Especially considering there might be no enterprise goofier than politics; but this film looks almost too goofy. The bit with Ferrell punching the baby is pretty funny, and judging from the trailer there will be one-liners-a-plenty. Overall, this film feels like a misfire. Hopefully, the second trailer will prove me wrong, but I think we’ve seen pretty much all we need to.

The Campaign is set to be released on August 10th.

Are You Excited For This Pairing?

Follow Josh on Twitter: @JWingface

GRADE: C

A Tim Burton movie starring Johnny Depp? Say what? Of course I’m kidding, because this is not the first time this pair has collaborated with one another — not to mention another Burton regular Danny Elfman scoring Dark Shadows and Helena Bonham Carter also being in the mix. All the familiar sights and sounds were there, but towards the end I was just hoping it would end quickly. All the cards on the table, I am not a big fan of Tim Burton anyway. He’s just not my type of storyteller. Even aside from this obvious bias, Dark Shadows is not a very good movie — most of all because I could not buy into or care for Depp’s Barnabas Collins, his plight, or any of the other supporting cast members.

The stunning Eva Green stars as the conniving witch Angelique who goes crazy when Barnabas will not return her love. She uses her dark magic to kill Barnabas’ true love, his parents, she haunts his family, she overtakes the Collins’ fishing business, and worst of all, she makes Depp’s character even pastier by turning him into a vampire and locking him in a steel coffin for centuries — he eventually breaks free in the 1970′s awaking in an era he is completely unfamiliar with. This led to some comical proceedings, but Barnabas’ fish-out-of-water antics grew old far too quickly. His plight to get revenge on Eva Green’s manipulative character didn’t carry much weight either, despite their chemistry onscreen together — the story and all its unfolding pieces were tired.

The film had a strong supporting cast in Jackie Earle Haley, Chloë Grace Moretz, Helena Bonham Carter, Jonny Lee Miller, and Michelle Pfeiffer. Even amidst all these notable names, none really brought anything of worth to the table minus Haley. His role was humorous and one of the few bright spots in the aforementioned ‘blah’ supporting cast.

The biggest downfall of Dark Shadows came from Barnabas trying ever so desperately to win the heart of the Collins family nanny. Despite the film dedicating so much time to this storyline, there was no heart in the proceedings, I felt no drive to will them together as an audience member. The pair had no chemistry, a stark contrast from Barnabas and the film’s antagonist Angelique. Even with the conflict between the two, the odd couple had some of the best scenes in the movie together — not to mention one of the absolute worst sex scenes I’ve ever seen.

Overall, Dark Shadows may please die-hard Burton fans who blindly follow his work, but I even doubt they will be pleased. For the rest of us, this comes off as another disappointment, something that has become more common in recent Burton flicks. The film lacks a sense of humanity to make us care about the characters and lacks chemistry between Depp’s character and his depicted love. Again, I’ve never been a fan of Burton’s work (except for Big Fish) and this film is another example why — overly pasty white people, a trivial story intertwined with dark elements and images mixed with a light-hearted Elfman soundtrack does nothing for me.

What Should You Do? Skip this one in the theater. If you’re really curious, wait for the rental.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery

For some strange reason, there are two Snow White movies making runs this year. Mirror Mirror is a comedy with Julia Roberts as The Queen and Lily Collins as Snow White. It came out late March and took a nosedive right out of the gate. No surprise because it looked really dumb and half-assed. Snow White And The Huntsman on the other hand has Charlize Theron as The Queen and Kristen Stewart as Snow White — this darker take on the tale looks much better. We spotlighted the trailer for the film in a previous post, but now we have a new clip that features The Queen and The Huntsman discussing the capture of Snow White. Hit the jump to check it out.

Here’s the new clip from Snow White And The Huntsman:

The clip reveals nothing new about the film. But to not talk about how well Charlize fits this evil role would be a crime. We have never seen her like this. She gets that look of intimidation down solid, along with the cold, powerful cruelty inside that pours out with almost every word that she says. Plus she’s incredibly gorgeous.

Chris Hemsworth also fits his part as The Huntsman very well. When there’s a need for a hunky warrior with great acting ability, you’re getting one of the best in the biz right now with Chris. There is a back story to The Huntsman that will unfurl within the narrative, something that has left The Huntsman with some carelessness. He has no issue being candid with The Queen, trait she clearly does not share.

Snow White And The Huntsman is set to be released on June 1st.

Are You Pumped For Snow White And The Huntsman?

Follow Josh on Twitter: @JWingface

Any movie with Ryan Gosling these days is worth seeing. Put him as a crime fighting gangster alongside some of the biggest and brightest in Hollywood and book seats at this year’s award shows. That’s what Gangster Squad screamed to me when I first watched this trailer. Gosling is just the tip of the iceberg however — Sean Penn stars as a ‘god-like’ crooked kingpin fighting against Josh Brolin and his team of off the radar enforcement in a Los Angeles story based on true events. Director Ruben Fleischer also has re-teamed with the gorgeous and very busy Emma Stone — the pair worked together on Zombieland. If this trailer is any indication, Gangster Squad is going to be a force to be reckoned with in 2012.

Check it.

Right? The look, the feel, the setting, the performances, the action, they all seem to fit right. Aside from this trailer, when a cast of stars all assemble in a movie like this one has to assume there is something special within the pages of the script — or Gangster Squad has one hell of a Casting Director. Aside from the talent listed above, the film stars: Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi, Nick Nolte, Michael Peña, and Robert Patrick. That’s an ensemble cast crafted with nothing but stars. I love these type of gangster films and Gangster Squad has the appearance of a possible classic in the genre.

Gangster Squad has no official release date, but will drop sometime in late 2012.

Do You Think This Will Be A Classic?

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery