Catching Up On Cinema

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This week, Kyle and Trevor review Joseph Kosinski's, Top Gun: Maverick (2022)!

A long gestating project originally pitched as “legacy sequel” from original Top Gun (1986) director, Tony Scott, Top Gun: Maverick (2022) is refreshingly sincere crowd pleaser from Joseph Kosinski.

In spite of the film losing Scott's participation due to his untimely passing, Kosinski, having previously directed the aesthetically wondrous (but emotionally overwrought) Tron: Legacy (2010), as well as the Tom Cruise vehicle Oblivion (2013), was a natural fit to helm Top Gun: Maverick.

Bearing a structure more akin to an action heavy heist/caper rather than the original's sports drama format, Top Gun: Maverick is often blunt, and always straightforward with its storytelling, though in many ways, these attributes prove to be its greatest strengths.

Deliberately repetitious, both in terms of dialogue and in terms of structure, Top Gun: Maverick can be grating in its early sequences, however at a certain point it becomes apparent that the film is training you, much in the way its training its characters, to identify and anticipate the stakes of the drama in order to maximize the impact of its bombastic finale.

Beautifully shot, and possessed of a health dose of (rather than heaping pile of) symmetry and reverence to/for the original Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick is the rare “legacy sequel” that puts a premium on continuing the story of its protagonist e.g. “Maverick”, rather than exploiting him as an ambassador between audiences and the next generation of twee action figure heroes and heroines.

Beautifully elemental in the way it communicates with the viewer, Top Gun: Maverick's soul is made of equal parts heart and cheese, but make no mistake, it is top of the line crowd pleasing action cinema, and entirely worthy of its incredible success.

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This week on Catching Up On Cinema, Kyle returns to the program to review Mark Mylod's, The Menu (2022)!

A deviously clever, pitch black comedy thriller, The Menu boasts stellar performances from Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Nicholas Hoult, among others.

Bubbling over with subtext and meta text relating to the complicated relationship between those that produce and those that consume, The Menu is a lovingly crafted piece of entertainment, as well as a provocative and timely work of social and artistic commentary.

A well considered production that perseveres in spite of changing both director and lead actress prior to production, The Menu is a film that asks you to savor its thematic flourishes, but thankfully manages to offer a satisfying meal for those that would prefer to get to the cheeseburger, er, meat of the matter.

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Happy New Year!

In this, the first episode of Catching Up On Cinema for the year 2023, Trevor does a solo review of Chuck Russell's, Paradise City (2022)!

Billed as both the latest and (potentially) last of Bruce Willis' rather unfortunate string of direct-to-video films, Paradise City (2022) is a bland actioner that, while admittedly hamstrung by a cognitively comprised star and a tight shooting schedule, largely fails to add up to the sum of its parts.

Despite a boasting a capable director in the form of Chuck Russell, decent production values, and a cast of eager supporting players, Paradise City is coherent and seldom embarrassing, but sadly not much more than that.

Bonus points for successfully telling a (simple) story and achieving feature length, e.g. being a film.

Also, bonus points for the part where the dude is dropped into the greenscreen volcano.

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It's once again time for Catching Up On Cinema's monthly Catching Up On Blu-Ray episode!

Join Trevor and Brad from the Cinema Speak podcast as they take a look at the blu-ray releases for December 2022!

Happy New Year!

Check out Brad's podcast, Cinema Speak on Libsyn at Cinema Speak, or on Twitter and Instagram.

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It's once again time for Catching Up On Cinema's monthly, “Tales From the Shelf” episode!

In this installment, Trevor is once again joined by his good buddy Brad from the Cinema Speak podcast to discuss "Aquatic Adventures".

Spotlighted this episode, are noteworthy films from Trevor and Brad that involve action set amid, under, or atop the water.

Brad's Picks:

Titanic (1997)

Zombi 2 (1979)

Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

The Beach Bum (2019)

Trevor's Picks:

The Beast (1996)

Godzilla 1984, Shin Gojira (2016) and Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)

Northern Limit Line (2015), Dunkirk (2017) Saving Private Ryan (1998)

And stick around for the "speed round," where Trevor and Brad quickly talk about a handful of their runner-up picks.

Check out Brad's podcast, Cinema Speak on Libsyn at Cinema Speak, or on Twitter and Instagram.

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This December is “Satanic Santa” month at Catching Up On Cinema!

All month long, we'll be reviewing Christmas movies featuring murderous, rampaging Santa Claus!

This week, Trevor reviews Dick Maas', Sint / Saint (2010)!

A Dutch film concerning an evil Sinterklaas coming to murder the populace of Amsterdam, Sint (2010) is a visually dynamic and gory holiday horror-comedy that unfortunately fails to fully deliver on the promise of its premise.

Unevenly paced, and lacking in character, Sint shows flashes of brilliance in its more energetic moments, but on the whole, sadly fails to make an impression.

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This December is “Satanic Santa” month at Catching Up On Cinema!

All month long, we'll be reviewing Christmas movies featuring murderous, rampaging Santa Claus!

This week, Kyle and Trevor review Joe Begos', Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022)!

Released as a Shudder Original on the streaming service of the same name, Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022) is a holiday themed slasher film from director Joe Begos.

Originally conceived as (another) remake of Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984), Christmas Bloody Christmas, as it exists in its completed form, more closely resembles a remake of The Terminator (1984), solely due to the structure of its 3rd act, and inclusion of a tenacious, mechanical killer, rather than anything having to do with plot or execution.

Possessed of a thin concept that is oddly reminiscent of Joe Dante's, Small Soldiers (1998), Christmas Bloody Christmas is a dirt simple, though unfortunately somewhat tedious slasher.

Perhaps best presented as a 45 minute episode of Creepshow, rather than a feature length film, Christmas Bloody Christmas is unexpectedly talkie in its first half, featuring numerous overlong, scenes of bawdy, overlapping dialogue that are remarkably naturalistic in delivery and pacing, but utterly unwelcome in a film with a concept and aesthetic presentation such as this.

Often a delight to look at, Christmas Bloody Christmas boasts fantastic set dressings and production design, featuring audacious and hyper-stylized lighting schemes that bathe each scene with gorgeous, or alternatively, hideous, splashes of color.

Noisy, and maximalist in nature, Christmas Bloody Christmas betrays the promise of its aesthetics and rock stupid concept by failing to deliver in the execution of its kill sequences.

Unexpectedly restrained in the guts and gore department, Christmas Bloody Christmas features no less than 3 instances of kills that are not just cut away from before the fluids start flowing, but unfairly teased as kills that have clear potential to deliver visceral thrills.

At least one of the aforementioned kill-botches bears some evidence of perhaps being the result of a failed or incomplete practical effect, however this is just a guess from this reviewer.

A flawed slasher that shows craft and verve in writing, lighting and performance, perhaps too much given the overly indulgent nature of its many dialogue sequences, Christmas Bloody Christmas is not a horror film without strengths, however for this reviewer, it is a film that needed many of its darlings killed, in favor of processing them into a leaner and more digestible package.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

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This December is “Satanic Santa” month at Catching Up On Cinema!

All month long, we'll be reviewing Christmas movies featuring murderous, rampaging Santa Claus!

This week, Kyle and Trevor review Eshom and Ian Nelms', Fatman (2020)!

Starring Mel Gibson as a world weary Chris Cringle on the edge of (2 days?) to retirement, Fatman (2020) is an unconventional Christmas film that is possessed of interesting ideas, but sadly fails to expand on any of them to any satisfying degree.

In the universe of Fatman, Santa Claus is not only real, he is a known entity to the U.S. Government, and a core contributor the world economy.

In Fatman, Santa is a small business owner that lives on a farm, owns guns, and (grudingly) pays taxes.

While the core plot of the film involves a wealthy and nefarious young brat hiring a hitman to kill Santa after receiving a well-deserved lump of a coal on Christmas morning, the majority of the runtime of Fatman is devoted to Mel Gibson griping about the taxman, and watching the always entertaining Walton Goggins go on an extended roadtrip.

Not funny enough to be a comedy, and not action oriented enough to satisfy the Redbox crowd, Fatman is a strange beast of an indie film that occasionally probes interesting material with its scripting, but is a sadly lacking in cohesiveness, resulting in a movie that is perhaps more interesting to talk about than to actually watch or enjoy.

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This December is “Satanic Santa” month at Catching Up On Cinema!

All month long, we'll be reviewing Christmas movies featuring murderous, rampaging Santa Claus!

This week, Kyle and Trevor review David Steiman's, Santa's Slay (2005)!

Starring former NFL player and pro wrestler Bill Goldberg as the titular Santa, Santa's Slay (2005) is an unrepentantly juvenile and lewd horror-comedy with its tongue firmly planted in its rosy, sugar plumb encrusted cheeks.

Clumsily scripted, but ably performed, Santa's Slay is a Christmas film penned by a writer's room of young bros raised purely on a media diet of South Park, Vince Russo-era WCW, and a never ending loop of Girls Gone Wild commercials.

Eric Cartman was their father.

Scott Steiner, their mother.

The steel drum anthem of the Girls That Have Gone Wild For Want of Beer and Beads, their evening lullaby.

Lit like a Scary Movie film, with a horrendous soundtrack consisting of unknowable, bargain bin Christmas(?) songs and low grade midi tracks, Santa's Slay is nevertheless a competent production, with fine costuming for the title character, a larger comprehensible narrative, and occasionally decent production values.

A fun, good-bad ride for the majority of its scant 78 minute runtime, Santa's Slay unfortunately fails to outright stick the landing, with a baffling and utterly flat finale that feels suspiciously like a result of the production losing access to Bill Goldberg prior to filming a proper conclusion.

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It's once again time for Catching Up On Cinema's monthly Catching Up On Blu-Ray episode!

Join Trevor and Brad from the Cinema Speak podcast as they take a look at the blu-ray releases for November 2022!

Check out Brad's podcast, Cinema Speak on Libsyn at Cinema Speak, or on Twitter and Instagram.

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