Catching Up On Cinema

*WARNING!* This episode contains FULL spoilers for The Matrix Resurrections (2021)! *WARNING!*

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Happy New Year!

This January at Catching Up On Cinema, we'll be doing a bit of housekeeping and Catching Up On cinema from the year 2021.

First up, Trevor and Kyle sit down to review Lana Wachowski's, The Matrix Resurrections (2021)!

Spawned from the massively influential trilogy of films from the early 2000's, Resurrections serves as a sloppy and underwhelming follow up to a series that truly deserved better.

A somewhat contentious production with a tricky path to completion, the film, as is expected from both creator and franchise alike, contains elements of metatextual commentary that are legitimately interesting, but unfortunately do little to aid the narrative or engage the viewer.

Though the film contains many returning cast and crew, namely Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss in the lead roles, the absence of composer Don Davis and martial arts choreographer Yuen Woo-ping are both unfortunate and eminently noticeable.

An unnecessary sequel among a sea of addendums and appendages to long lived franchises, the film has the good conscience to be cheeky regarding the questionable nature of it's own existence, however this only results in an aggressively dull narrative, and one that unfortunately does not benefit from the excess and bombast of it's predecessors.

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

This time around, Trevor is once again joined by his good friend Brad from the Cinema Speak podcast in reviewing the month's physical media releases.

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

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“Kyle's Cold Christmas” event month concludes at Catching Up On Cinema with Trevor's solo review of Marvin Kren's, Blood Glacier (2013)!

With a plot concerning hybrid monsters spawned from microorganisms housed within a bloody red glacier in the Austrian alps, the film is a surprisingly sincere and deftly constructed creature feature.

Featuring lovely on location shots, and practical puppet creatures, the film is far from the most impressive of monster films, however it earns a whole host of brownie points for it's earnest tone and the low tech presentation of it's monsters.

Happy New Year from all of us here at Catching Up On Cinema!

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On Youtube!

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 explore some of the films from their respective collections that sport some “Amazing Artwork”!

Brad's Picks:

Urban Legend (1998)

The Vanishing (1988)

Homegrown Horrors Vol. 1 (Vinegar Syndrome – Beyond Dream's Door, Final Exam and Winter Beast)

The James Bond Collection (MGM, individual releases)

The Master (2012)

Trevor's Picks:

Versus (2000)

Ultraman Mebius & the Ultra Brothers (2006), Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy (2009) and Kamen Rider: The Next (2007)

In Search of Darkness (2019) and In Search of Darkness: Part II (2020)

Resurrection of Golden Wolf (1979)

Ichi the Killer (2001), MD Geist (1986), Mechanical Violator Hakaider (1995), Mirai Ninja (1988), Crying Fist (2005) and Shamo (2007)

And make sure to stick around as the 2 wrap things up with a customary “Speed Round” of runner up films that didn't quite make the cut.

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

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“Kyle's Cold Christmas” event month continues at Catching Up On Cinema, sans Kyle, with Trevor and his brother Matt's review of Ruben Ostlund's, Force Majeure (2014)!

Titled “Turist” in it's native Sweden, the film is a thoughtful and wry examination of a struggling family of ski vacationers.

While any back of the box plot description of the film will likely greatly emphasize an avalanche as the catalyst for the plot, the deeply layered structure of the narrative, and the subtly of the characterizations therein make for a film that feels confident in allowing large pieces of the narrative to exist beyond the borders of the frame.

A film that benefits from subsequent viewings, the film is rich with thematic content, in particular concerning masculinity and gender roles.

A beautiful and often hilarious film, Force Majeure is a delightful watch, that opens the door for equally delightful discussion.

Be sure to check out Matt's podcasts:

Couch Co-Op:

https://open.spotify.com/show/3G7mrJd8DEVcSC2BH1VSMe

https://open.spotify.com/show/75OxnIkQ6SMV5SQ39abwlY

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Kyle returns to Catching Up On Cinema after a month long absence to kickoff December 2021's, “Kyle's Cold Christmas” event month!

This week, Trevor and Kyle review Philipp Stolzl's German mountaineering drama, North Face (2008)!

Based on true events, the film concerns a group of German and Austrian climber's arduous attempt to be the first to summit the North face of the infamous Eiger peak.T

Set in the 1930's, during the reign of the Nazi party in Germany, the film deftly combines elements of socio-political commentary sprinkled amidst utterly breathtaking sequences of daring and heroism.

At times brutal and painful to watch, the film pulls no punches in it's depiction of the harsh weather and terrain of the Eiger.

A truly exceptional survival-adventure film, North Face stands as one of finer films that Trevor has selected to review for Catching Up On Cinema.

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Kyle returns to Catching Up On Cinema after a month long absence to kickoff December 2021's, “Kyle's Cold Christmas” event month!

First up this month is our review of Xavier Gens', Cold Skin (2017)!

Shot on location in on scenic beaches of the Canary Islands, the film is heavily allegorical in nature, with very explicit references being made to World War I, and The Divine Comedy.

Deliberately repetitious in it's structure, the film suffers from a bit of an identity crisis, mostly failing to comfortably settle into a rhythm or tone, resulting in either a heady character study interrupted by action beats, or a rather tame horror film weighed down by frequent lulls in the action.

Not at all lacking in creativity or enthusiasm, the film plays host to many interesting ideas and allegories, but ultimately fails to engage due to it's inconsistent pace and tone, coupled with a less than satisfying conclusion.

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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 in resuming the alphabetical exploration of their respective movie collections, this month advancing to films beginning with the letter “B”.

Brad's Picks:

Blow Out (1981)

Burn After Reading (2008

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

The Beach Bum (2019)

Trevor's Picks:

Brazil (1985)

Beetlejuice (1988), Batman (1989), Batman Returns (1992) and Big Eyes (2014)

Backdraft (1991)

And make sure to stick around as the 2 wrap things up with a customary “Speed Round” of runner up films that didn't quite make the cut.

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

Follow us on Instagram @catchinguponcinema

Follow us on Twitter @CatchingCinema

Like, share, subscribe, and we'll catch you next time!

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This month is “No Theme November” at Catching Up On Cinema!

This week, Trevor is joined by friend and frequent collaborator, Brad from the Cinema Speak podcast, to review Brian De Palma's, Snake Eyes (1998)!

Not especially successful in it's day, both critically and financial, the film is a ripe candidate for reevaluation, as while the film certainly has it's weaknesses, it's audio-visual flair and tense setpieces more than offset those liabilities.

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

Follow us on Instagram @catchinguponcinema

Follow us on Twitter @CatchingCinema

Like, share, subscribe, and we'll catch you next time!

linktr.ee/CatchingUpOnCinema

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

This time around, Trevor is once again joined by his good friend Brad from the Cinema Speak podcast in reviewing the month's physical media releases.

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

Follow us on Instagram @catchinguponcinema

Follow us on Twitter @CatchingCinema

Like, share, subscribe, and we'll catch you next time!