Celluloid Failsafe

Having a strong interest in film, I want to share my thoughts and opinions on the art with the world. However, I feel that I'm not that good at writing because I often struggle with expanding on my ideas. I plan to use this blog to both speak my mind and perfect my writing the best I can.

[megaweapon93]

Behold, the gift of Hertzfeldt has arrived at my apartment! I think I know what I'm doing tonight! "Oh, what a happy day it is today..."

[theplaylistfilm]

Grueling and beautiful: ‘THE REVENANT’ is available now on Digital HD  and its physical release – on 4K Ultra HD Disc, Blu-ray & DVD – arrives on April 19. Want to win a Digital HD copy of ‘The Revenant’ right now? 

Email us (”Revenant contest” in subject line) follow us on Tumblr and tell us the name of your favorite Leonardo DiCaprio movie. Good luck! 

Related content:

Review: Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Fierce And Unremitting ‘The Revenant’ Starring Leonardo DiCaprio And Tom Hardy

Interview: Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki Talks ‘The Revenant’, Working With Terrence Malick, Muting The Ego & Much More

20 Survival Films That Will Take You Into The Abyss

*DHD codes are only available for U.S. territories.

[megaweapon93]

Everybody already has the option to watch "The Revenant" on the go and for free. Some call it "camping," others call it "being in a park." Either option is not disappointing in comparison.

[funimation]

Guess which Boy, Beast, and Girl are leaping to home video this summer? Find out on our blog!

http://funi.to/1R1MbN5

[megaweapon93]

Mamoru Hosoda has had a steady climb in popularity within the past decade, making his own feature-length contributions to the anime world. I have only seen two of Hosoda’s films to date (”Summer Wars” and “The Boy and the Beast,” three if you count the Digimon movie) and yet I am already interested in seeing what else he has done and where he will go next. Last week, Funimation announced a new line of Blu-rays that will shed light on Hosoda’s filmography and I have already preordered my copy of the first title, a rerelease of the director’s first non-franchise film. Having heard about how loaded it’s going to be, I won’t mind if I have to repurchase “Summer Wars” or hold out on “The Boy and the Beast.”

[megaweapon93]

The past, revived...

"Only Yesterday," the latest film from Studio Ghibli to take North America by storm, is actually one that hasn't been widely available in the country since it was first put out 25 years ago. This was because Disney had been hesitantly sitting on it for so long due to some risqué material in the film that I will not publicly write about. Now that Gkids had already volunteered to finish the job, we finally get the film that most people have been long unable to see and all the feels that come with it.

The film introduces us to Taeko, a young woman who goes on vacation reuniting with her relatives in the countryside where she grew up. Much signifigantly, Taeko also spends the movie reflecting on her childhood past. Much like anyone who has ever grown up, she’s had her hopes, dreams, letdowns, traumas, and other escapades and it’s through the simple act of reminiscing that Taeko ultimately learns more about herself than she did back in the day.

If "Inside Out" shows how we are guided by our emotions, then "Only Yesterday" is about how the past can define who we are. What we've done and the people we've been with can help teach us how we can better ourselves in the future. You may not figure this out right away, but it’s a life lesson that will definitely stick with you like every other Ghibli film. To paraphrase, "if you have a bad day, tomorrow will be better. If tomorrow is bad, then try again."

[megaweapon93]

Today's Amazon haul is weird and wonderful!

[megaweapon93]

In light of having "Only Yesterday" in Chicago this weekend, I got the official Ghibli documentary (or so it's been dubbed).

[megaweapon93]

If everything is beautiful, then nothing is.

I have recently come to the conclusion that in order to write, there had to be times when I needed to watch something so that I may have some inspiration. In light of watching Don Hertzfeldt’s recent short, “World of Tomorrow,” a good while back, I had already decided to get myself an iTunes copy of his only feature film to date, “It’s Such A Beautiful Day.” Technically, this hour-long work is actually a compilation of three of Hertzfeldt’s shorts. Combined, they unveil a loosely-structured plot revolving around the events and situations that are navigated by a man named Bill.

Much like “World of Tomorrow,” “It’s Such A Beautiful Day” covers such themes of life, death, time, and our own lingering mortality. But it touches upon having a mental illness and, as a result, the film seems to dive even further exploring its topics to the point that it becomes a direct assault of the mind. It is a work that is both beautiful and existential, yet there’s a good chance that you may need to take some aspirin afterwards. In fact, I once heard that Hertzfeldt was putting together another feature film about Antarctica. Whatever he’s got in store, I say in fittingly gleeful dread, “God help us all...”

[megaweapon93]

This face exists because my electric razor blades have dulled out and getting a new electric razor would be expensive. The face hair sure does get itchy after a while.

[megaweapon93]

It left me a sobbing wreck and now it's mine for less than most places.

[megaweapon93]

Coogler Rising

This past month, I won a bunch of Blu-rays from Anchor Bay on Instagram for Black History Month and it wasn’t until yesterday that I slowly started going through my package to see what I would have interest in. While I still find myself unable to connect with today’s African-American culture, that still doesn’t mean I can’t come across something special once in a while. Case in point: “Fruitvale Station,” which I have long heard about and yet it took me this long to finally catch up with it, especially since its director, Ryan Coogler, would go on to make the surprise hit “Creed.”

On New Year’s Day, 2009, a young man named Oscar Grant was senselessly killed by policemen. By recreating Grant’s last 24 hours prior to his murder, “Fruitvale Station” depicts our real-life protagonist as a decent man trying to get his life back together. This sort of direction makes the impending outcome hurt even more when you consider that these kind of shootings are happening much too often. At the same time, it’s also interesting to see how someone like director Coogler got started knowing that he was able to hit hard even before he was set to take on the “Rocky” sequel/spin-off/reboot. Maybe he can unleash even more emotion bombs when he unleashes his MCU entry “Black Panther.”

[megaweapon93]

Oscar Fallout ‘016

So the Oscars happened a couple of days ago and it was yet another year of disappointment for me. I wasn't live-blogging like most people but I have got to give kudos to deserving winners such as "Fury Road," "Inside Out," Brie, and Ennio as well as Chris Rock for being the first decent host in awhile. (Why take a massive selfie when you can help your daughters sell Girl Scout cookies? Best dad of the night, anyone?) I am also wagging the finger at those who robbed from other, more deserving talent such as "Spotlight," "The Revenant," Vikander, Rylance, Hungary, Chile, Ireland, myself for not seeing as many of the documentary nominees like I wanted to, and Sam Smith. (Sam Smith basically won for whining and yawning, which is something that I imagine most reality TV stars do as well.)

[megaweapon93]

My #Criterion flash sale haul has arrived and it's got 2-3 relatable, young men stuck in a rut.

[megaweapon93]

Country Repair

America is a terrible country with terrible morals. We have betrayed our origins and have become more stupid, violent, and intolerant in the process. There are people who have wondered how we can fix our country proper. Michael Moore, possibly the most divisive documentarian working today, has an answer: visit other countries and learn about what they properly accomplished in comparison to us. It’s the biggest case of “learning by example” as we try to determine “Where to Invade Next.”

I have rarely seen anything from Michael Moore and I may have been too young to appreciate his work at the time. However, there is no doubt that “Where to Invade Next” is funny, educational, has heart, and is very important. Often, Moore approaches his topics with a satirical and childlike viewpoint that adds to the irony of how inferior we are to everyone else. At the same time, he’s also hopeful that America can ultimately fix itself and you may be surprised by the answers that he finds in the end (among other things).

[megaweapon93]

For Black History Month, the folks at @anchorbayent set me up with this sweet prize pack. That's six movies and two TV shows, one of which I already own.

[megaweapon93]

At its heart, “Zootopia” is about stereotypes and exploiting a society where one side of the population is a massive majority. Though all the animals in the film, predator and prey alike, live together, many judge others solely on their heritage. Others want the minorities simply taken out. These are just a few of the barriers that have to be broken by both of the film’s leads, a ‘sly’ fox and a 'cute’ bunny. This pair hate and label each other at the beginning of the film, and learn to look deeper by the end. Most Disney movies have messages—but in the current social climate, these feels a bit more immediate, and it’s handled with a lot more complexity than we’re used to.

An article on Disney Animation Studios that I recently found on io9

If that’s the case, does this mean the police in the movie are "secretly" the bad guys?

[megaweapon93]

For $6, I found the film that introduced free-running to America (at least that's my understanding) and its sequel.

[megaweapon93]

Garrett takes on this year’s Oscar-nominated short films!

With every Oscar season each year comes a favorite tradition of mine: that of binge-watching the nominated short films in theaters. I find it a unique and fantastic experience because I am able to see so much at once in an actual theater with actual people around me. There’s always something different for everyone each and every year and most of the nominees are fresh new talent whether it be here in the States or outside the country.

My pick for the live-action short Oscar feels like a tough call between the following three titles; I feel like I should catch them again when they come to iTunes later in the month:

-My first pick is ”Ave Maria,” an entertaining piece about a group of Palestinian nuns who come to aid an Israeli family when their car breaks down outside their West Bank covenant. Given that I am Jewish and am well aware of the ongoing conflict between the two nations, it felt refreshing to see how some people can solve their issues without resorting to violence.

-From Germany, ”Everything Will Be Okay” tracks a day out for a divorced father and her daughter that seems to go wrong once suspicions are raised for the daughter as the day progresses.

-”Day One” charts the trials and tribulations of a young woman’s first day at work as an army translator as the lives of those around her fall in her hands. I feel like I can give kudos to both “Day One” and “Everything Will Be Okay” for playing with my expectations and toying with my emotions.

My pick for the animated short Oscar is, without question, “World of Tomorrow.” For about a year, I have heard much praise over the internet revolving around Don Hertzfeldt’s latest endeavor. I have made a couple attempts in the past to try and catch it in theaters, but other responsibilities have gotten in my way. So when I was finally able to see “World of Tomorrow” in theaters, I was amazed to find that everyone was right and more.

In “World of Tomorrow,” a young girl is given a tour of mankind’s technologically-connected future by her future clone. It’s clear that only Hertzfeldt can imagine our ultimate destiny the way he can because what we find is equal parts hilarious and existential as subjects revolving around time, memory, and mortality are brought to the table. You will never want to look at shooting stars the same way again!