just a closer look at culture

I wanted to use this blog to allow you to explore my thoughts on popular media. That's top ten songs, crazy youtube videos, movies, tv, games, etc... I think it's just stupid for Christians to blindly follow whatever is popular, but just as inappropriate to discredit everything "secular." As a Christian, I'm interested in what Jesus would think. That's all. If you disagree, please leave a comment or post.

Permalink
Permalink : /
Permalink

The Hard Truths Behind Dan Harmon's Community Ousting | Vulture

popculturebrain:

Joe Adalian addresses more questions re: this thing we can’t stop talking about. I found this very hopeful…

Will Sony’s firing of Harmon impact his ability to find a new home in Hollywood?
We hope not. Even before last week’s unpleasantness went down, Adult Swim announced it was developing a new show with Harmon. And Vulture has heard that Harmon’s agents have already been fielding numerous calls from other networks and even some film studios about taking meetings with Harmon. We’ve also corresponded with network development execs who’ve indicated that they’ve heard the “stories” about Harmon and aren’t deterred: They want to talk about getting into business with him. 

Permalink

MORE CASTING NEWS: Jason Gedrick has joined the cast of Dexter for Season 7! Gedrick will appear in a multi-episode arc playing the manager of a Miami-area gentlemen’s club that becomes linked to a high-profile murder case.

Permalink : /
Permalink popculturebrain: Review: Chronicle Found footage is a played out genre. Gimmicky and distracting, it’s a fun concept, but in most cases detracts from a story that could have been fine with out it. In very few instances is it necessary, and even when it is, the mode creates too many arbitrary rules for the filmmakers. It’s a constricting device. I have very little patience for found footage thrillers. Similarly, super hero origin stories are just as, if not more, played out. From the most legendary, decades old heroes (Marvel, DC) to new ones being created yearly (Hancock, Sky High — and I bring those up because of their relevance here), it’s something we’re familiar with and have seen in many variations. There’s not a lot of need to watch it agin. All that said, Chronicle is utterly surprising and a hell of a good time.  Relative unknowns Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, and Michael B Jordan play high school students, of varying social status, who stumble upon an underground, vaguely-extra terrestrial crystal which bestows upon them mischievous telekinetic abilities. It’s all shown through the lens of Andrew’s (DeHaan) video camera, though DeHaan appears on screen frequently (but we’ll get to that later). The boys’ performances are believable if mired by stereotypical high school bro characteristics. Their emotions hit in the ways they should. Casting unknowns was smart for the sake realism, as is the Seattle setting. First time director Josh Trank procures rich performances out of his young cast.  Trank directs a script by Max Landis (son of director John Landis, whose influence is apparent) and succeeds with flying colors. It wears its $15 million budget well, appearing to have a much higher value. Special effects are impressively executed and hardly ever distracting. The third act and final climax are blow-you-away epic with bold choices and even bolder camera work. Found footage films are nothing without good cinematography and the filmmakers threw in a lot of neat little tricks here to redeem the showy conceit. The entire concept of found footage is poorly set up with Andrew simply wanting to “record everything” and not giving a good reason why, but as the boys begin to develop their powers, Trank, Landis, and cinematographer Matthew Jensen are able to do something not seen before in the genre. They turn the camera around with no camera man. If the boys can make the camera float, they can suddenly be in shots together without someone having to hold it. Kind of genius if you ask me. This affords Jensen and Trank the luxury of having all three main characters appear on screen at one time and avoids “the guy behind the camera” problem (see TJ Miller in Cloverfield). And yet, this manipulation can only take them so far. A female love interest is flimsily introduced for one of the guys as a blogger and she too video tapes everything, so you get some stuff from her camera, and all of a sudden there are two angles. (Though I did enjoy a scene in which it’s an over the shoulder of her on one of the guys but you can still see her face in a mirror.) Then as the action ramps you get lame excuses for police cameras (SPOILER: why Andrew needs a camera on him when he’s in the hospital bed makes no sense) and cell phone footage from bystanders. They toe the line of smart ways around “found footage” and distracting methods that pull you right out of it.  Landis’s script while not revolutionary is a nice tweak on the origin story. Its character voices are clear if entangled in a bit of melodrama. Some beats are slightly predictable while others are widely exhilarating. He wisely doesn’t spend a lot of time on the how and why (how did they get these powers? why isn’t anyone coming after them?) and relies on what feel like honest choices in a forward moving drama. It’s slick and invigorating culminating in an ending that’s supremely done and escapes cliche.  For its low budget, Chronicle may not have been too much of a risk for a studio but for the audience, making another found footage movie and another super hero origin story was. Thankfully Landis and Trank didn’t think it was overkill and they were right. (One last thought: If you liked Attack the Block, chances are you’ll enjoy this.)
Permalink
Permalink

james…

officialjamesbarnett:

Saying we believe in Jesus but failing to put our trust in him will no more save us than if we jumped out of an airplane yelling, “I believe in parachutes!”

Permalink

BBC Acquires ‘Lilyhammer’; Hit Norwegian Show Debuts On Netflix Today In U.S. | Deadline

(Source: popculturebrain)

Permalink

Ministry of Truth Film Ratings: Film Rating: The Whistleblower

ministryoftruthfilmratings:


The Whistleblower————————————7/10


Directed by Larysa Kondracki, Written by Larysa Kondracki and Eilis Kirwan, Starring Rachel Weisz, Vanessa Redgrave, Monica Bellucci, David Strathairn and Roxana Condurache


IMDB SYNOPSIS- A drama based on the experiences of Kathryn Bolkovac, a…

Permalink
Permalink
Permalink

Ministry of Truth Film Ratings: Film Rating: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close #fb

ministryoftruthfilmratings:


Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close ————7/10

Directed by Stephen Daldry, Written by Eric Roth, Starring Thomas Horn, Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Max von Sydow and Jeffrey Wright


Fandango Synopsis- Oskar, who lost his father in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, is convinced…

Permalink
Permalink epic4chan: philosophy student  画