Trashwire
Movie reviews, Whatcha Watchin podcast, and more
Author: Alexis Gentry
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My Chemical Romance emerges from the coffin as The Fabulous Killjoys
The music video for “Na Na Na”, the first single from the upcoming My Chemical Romance album Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, marks a welcome departure from the gloom and doom of The Black Parade with bright colors, a fun low-budget attitude and a new narrative style.
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Zach Galifianakis hits dramedy tone in It’s Kind of a Funny Story
Films that deal with mental illness often take one of two paths: they go for light hearted comedy, joking about inappropriate outbursts or hallucinations, or they take the tragic route and focus on the ways mental illness can destroy families or shatter the lives of its victims. It’s Kind of a Funny Story combines these…
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The Social Network breaks from tradition of nerds in cinema
From Anthony Michael Hall in Sixteen Candles to McLovin, Hollywood loves nerds. Typically, nerds in movies are portrayed as people who have been wrongly rejected by their school society, but are really great human beings underneath their acne, glasses and knowledge of all things Star Trek. The Social Network is different in that billionaire nerd…
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Ben Affleck shows his talent in The Town
Ben Affleck is a lot like a mediocre basketball player who becomes a successful coach. He may not be able to dunk, but he can certainly create some winning plays. In The Town, he shows us that his skills as a writer and director can elevate the game of an often-ridiculed actor.
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Easy A scores a B
I’m sure that during the pitch meeting for Easy A, someone described it as Saved meets Mean Girls. It’s got the sexy-but-funny redheaded leading lady of Tina Fey’s witty high school flick and the self-righteous religious villains of the pre-Juno teen pregnancy comedy. It’s a recipe that can’t go wrong…most of the time.
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Machete, a superhero for the immigration age
The release of Machete could not have been more perfectly timed. With the immigration debate reigning as media’s hot button de jour, a film that makes a bold political statement with stellar filmmaking and performances is sure to stir up some controversy.
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Scott Pilgrim vs the World is a knock out
I’m just gonna go ahead and say it: Scott Pilgrim vs the World is one of my favorite movies this year. The quick editing, unique visual style, impressive cast and seeing Michael Cera take a welcome departure from the usual charmingly befuddled geeky character make this film a total knock out.
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The Expendables, the best unintentional comedy of the year
It’s too bad The Expendables isn’t billed as a comedy, because it’s one of the funniest movies I’ve seen all year. Imagine if Tommy Wiseau was picked to write and direct The A-Team, but at the last second, they couldn’t secure the rights, so they had to make a low-budget rip off with aging action…
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Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg make a great team in The Other Guys
There have been dozens of buddy cop movies. Most are about an odd couple of renegades who don’t do anything by the books but end up solving the case with explosions and catch-phrases. The Other Guys follows this formula while taking the piss out of it at the same time.
