Is Tarantino the best new-age director of our lifetime?

Quite probably.

Is ‘Jackie Brown’ one of his most underappreciated films – regardless of the cult status it’s gained in the years since its inception?

Also, yes.

One of the lesser known Tarantino classics – adapted from an Elmore Leonard novel of the same name, ‘Jackie Brown’ is a story about a woman who’s nearing middle age and has landed herself in a heap of legal trouble. With her wits, charms, and guile – will she get herself out of the jam? Well, when 70s grindhouse star Pam Grier is playing a character; “she ain’t nobody’s sucka”.

See Grier’s other films, ‘Coffy’ and ‘Foxy Brown’ for examples of this.

JACKIE BROWN

Directed & Written by: Quentin Tarantino 

Original date of Release: December 25th / 1997

I’m a sucker for a good arthouse film. 

‘Ex Machina’ is definitely that – and much more.

Directed by Alex Garland in 2015, this film is an introspection on life, love, and creation; through the lens of artificial intelligence. With all the recent advancements in AI – I figured it was time to cover a fine piece of filmmaking that takes an in-depth look at the concept of synthetically created people.

 Once relegated to science fiction; the creation of “Turing tested” androids now seems like a distinct possibility – in the years to come. As of late, every company has begun to invest in AI Language Models, Automated Processes (driver assist, autopilot, Amazon’s Just Walk Out), and fully autonomous robots for personal and commercial use(s).

1. Robert Downey Jr. is one of the highest paid actors in the world; holding the 8th, 9th, and 10th spot for “Highest-earning actors for a single production” (List of highest paid actors - Wikipedia).

2. He is known for his ability to improvise dialogue and for his extended monologues on-screen.

3. When is his birthday? Robert Downey Jr. was born on April 4th / 1965.

4. In Christopher Nolan’s film, ‘Oppenheimer’ he portrayed Former Acting Secretary of US Commerce ‘Lewis Strauss’ one of the first members of the US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and a pivotal figure in WW2.

5. He has grossed over 14 billion worldwide from his various projects.

6. Robert Downey Jr. helped to launch the MCU by starring in the first ‘Iron Man’ film (2008).

7. He plays “James Barris” a character in the experiential “A Scanner Darkly”, a groundbreaking indie film based on a story (of the same name) by Philip K. Dick. This movie was shot entirely using rotoscoping; a process in which animators trace over live action footage. 

Well, Harvey Weinstein is in the news again.

I’m sure you’ve heard – a recent appeals court has thrown out Weinstein’s 23 year conviction for sexual assault against three women in 2020. Before everyone floods the streets in a #METOO movement – like the world has never seen, it would pay to keep in mind that the septuagenarian film mogul is still set to serve a 16 year prison term for a conviction from another rape case in 2022.

So there is justice, kind of?

Without getting too into the nitty-gritty of the legal situation: character witnesses were introduced into the 2020 court case to supply background on Weinstein, in favour of the prosecution. At the time – the prosecution was hoping that these witnesses would establish a modus operandi for the jury, and convince them of the defendant’s (Weinstein) guilt. And it was a success – the jury ruled against Weistein, serving him a 23 year sentence in prison.

-James Cameron was born in Kapuskasing, Ontario.

-His films have earned over 8 billion in total gross sales (worldwide).

-James Cameron is one of the most prolific directors of our lifetime.

-His net worth is in excess of 800 million, which makes him the 4th richest director in the world.

-Some of his biggest (and most culturally relevant) releases include ‘Titanic’, ‘Aliens’, ‘Avatar’, ‘Avatar 2: The Way of Water’, ‘Terminator 2’, ‘Terminator’, and ‘The Abyss’.

-James Cameron’s style is bombastic. His pictures tend to incorporate massive set pieces, cutting-edge special effects, and big name actors/actresses.

-In the 90s he almost made a Spider-Man film starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the web-slinger and Schwarzenegger as “Spidey’s” many-limbed foe Dr. Octopus.

-His country of birth is Canada.

-James Cameron has helped to revolutionize the special effects industry, and is seen as one of the most important progenitors of modern science fiction.

-His ability for visual composition is among the top of mainstream Hollywood directors.

Why not an apocalypse themed movie?

Ever wondered what it would be like to hang out with Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, James Franco, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, and Jay Baruchel, as they all get blitzed off their asses – during the end of the world?

If your response is “Armegeddon outta’ here!” then please, stop reading.

But if you do have a penchant for these members of the ‘Superbad’ alumni; their gross-out comedy and stoner hijinks, then by all means read on – in fact, you better be prepared for what may be the laziest movie of all-time. Is that a bad thing? No, not necessarily, and at its heart the meta-commentary in ‘This is the End’ about Hollywood slackers wouldn’t be complete unless the film ignores most (if not all) story structure elements; skewering Joseph Campbell’s ‘Hero’s Journey’ writing wheel and encouraging an hour and half of improvisational humour.

-Emerald Fennell received her first acting role in 2007, playing “Sheena” on the television series Trial & Retribution.

-Her birthday is Oct. 1st, 1985

-Emerald Fennell’s story is empowering to women everywhere; working hard for years in Hollywood and later being able to showcase her artistique inspirateur (artistic inspiration) for the masses.

-’Saltburn’ is the talk of the town, although the reception was a bit lukewarm in comparison to her last feature — the picture has still garnered praise for being an innovative reimagining of ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’. 

The film examines social hierarchies among the elite and how it affects our societal obsession with status.

Road House (2024)

I was hesitant going in.

Hell, I think we all were.

But thankfully, the pairing of Jake Gyllenhaal and Connor McGregor managed to work, and gave us a smashing update to the 80s classic that we all know and love, ‘Road House’ (1989).

Yet, there will be detractors –- those who prefer Swayze’s take on the beat-em-up action flick — which enthralled audiences with its unabashed update of a revisionist western. Interestingly, the original ‘Road House’ was a retelling of ‘Shane’, a 1957 western – that starred a laconic hero who rolled into town and went head-to-head with the local riff-raff.

Take 1 part milk-toast neurotic (Ben Stiller’s signature character trait)

and mix well with 1 manic-pixie dream girl played by Jennifer Aniston.

The result?

In the end, you get a movie that managed to achieve a level of popularity rarely seen in offbeat romantic comedies. In the early “aughts” (2001-2009) this formula was still fairly fresh, and the way in which John Hamburg directs ‘Along Came Polly’ highlights the importance of character driven comedy over laugh-a-minute antics.

There is a studio that isn’t really that known to the public, and it’s responsible for housing the productions of some major motion pictures. It isn’t a production company in itself, no, rather it is just a space for established film studios to rent out – enabling them to utilize Toronto’s largest modernized  film production facility.

 I know. It’s a tad confusing, isn’t it?

Well, to simplify things – here’s a quote from Wikipedia: “A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company that makes films. They may have their own privately owned studio facility or facilities; however, most firms in the entertainment industry have never owned their own studios, but have rented space from other companies. The day-to-day filming operations are generally handled by their production company subsidiary.” [1]

1. Sidney Sweeney was born on September 12, 1997 in Spokane, Washington.

2. She began her acting career at a young age, appearing in commercials and short films.

3. Sweeney made her television debut in 2009 on the series "Heroes".

4. She gained recognition for her role as Emaline Addario in the Netflix series "Everything Sucks!" in 2018.

5. Sweeney has also appeared in popular TV shows such as "The Handmaid's Tale," "Sharp Objects," and "Euphoria."

6. In 2019, she starred in the horror film "Countdown."

7. Sidney Sweeney has a strong presence on social media, with over 2 million followers on Instagram.