Podcast Reaction: Villains Edition

This week the podcast came out a day early, but I got a new Kindle Fire and don’t know yet how to download the show before going to work to listen during my lunch break.  And no, downloading at work isn’t an option.  Because reasons.  There are some, but I won’t go into them.  Anyway, here’s the podcast reaction.

I don’t really have anything else to add to the discussion of The Martian.  It’s a great book, and I gave a SPOILER-FREE review for it elsewhere.  Like right here.

Instead, let’s talk about how to make a good villain.

What 2015 Movie Could Surpass Mad Max on My Top Movies List?

In his mini-review of Mad Max: Fury Road, Ryan accurately says that Mad Max is the best movie of the year. That is true. It sits way atop my list for the year so far. He then says only Episode 7 has a chance to pass it up. Go home, Ryan. You’re drunk. Here are some flicks who can go past even the awesomeness that was Max.

“Proof of Concept” is Fan Trailers That Can Actually Get Made!

From ComingSoon.Net

From District 9 to Whiplash to Deadpool, many proof-of-concept teasers have been good enough to push a greenlight from studios, but The Leviathan may be the mother of them all.Academy Award-nominee Ruairí Robinson (Fifty Percent Grey, The Last Days on Mars) has just dropped this 3-minute short that pitches The Leviathan as a full-throttle sci-fi adrenaline ride through the clouds. Do yourself a favor and check it out below!

Here’s a synopsis for the film, which takes cues from literary sources such as “Moby Dick” and “Dune”: “By the early 22nd century mankind had colonized many worlds. Faster than light travelwas made possible by harvesting exotic matter from the eggs of the largest species mankind has ever seen. Those that take part in the hunt are mostly involuntary labor.”

Here’s the amazing teaser trailer from the creators.  I say give it some budget!

Monday Morning Entertainment

So, as I type this up on a Friday evening, I have no idea if all the predictors are true and J.K. Simmons gets his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor as an abusive drum teacher in the movie Whiplash.  What I do know is that there is a parody about a incredibly lax steel drum teacher, and I present it here, though I suspect seeing Whiplash may help out a bit.

Why The Oscars Suck: Best Picture Nominations

This may have something to do with today’s column. Or it doesn’t. Only you can decide.

Dear Oscars,

You suck for so many reasons it’s hard to pick just one. You are a self-congratulatory, over-hyped, out-of-touch celebration of how you don’t understand your audience. You pile heaps of affection onto movies that most of your audience didn’t see and couldn’t care about. You are bland, boring, predictable, boring, elitist, and boring. But I’ve been told I can only focus on a single area of your suckitude so I picked why you suck on your biggest award: Best Picture.

The End Of Marvel Universe Is Only The Beginning (Read: We’re All In A Time Loop)

HULK SMASH TIME LOOP. Hulk smash Marvel Universe. Actually, Hulk smash nothing, since we’re about to reboot the entire Marvel Universe. Yep, you read that correctly… the whole Marvel Universe is about to be rebooted. System failure? Nope, this is not your standard reboot.

Gabbing Geek Analysis: 2015 Oscar Nominations

Oh…my…God!  The Oscars are my Superbowl so the day the nominations are announced is like the Conference Championship Games.  I also enjoy the Superbowl because, living in Texas, it is a state law that you must love football.  It’s anyone’s year but more and more it is looking like the Patriots are going to…wait a minute.  I was talking about the Oscar nominations.  Sorry.  I get distracted sometimes!  Ooohhhh… SQUIRREL!

Watson’s Top 145 Movies of 2014!

This week, I unveiled my Top 20 and bottom 20 movies.  What about the other 105 flicks that made up the crazy list?  For your browsing amusement, here is the ENTIRE list of 2014 movies viewed by Gabbing Geek film fan extraordinaire.  Enjoy!

The best films of the year deserve much greater examination.  For a full review of each film #1-10, check out my list.

“Hello, Jenny. If you had been in the 1950s, I wouldn’t have been chemically castrated because you could have changed me!”

Watson’s Top Ten Movies of 2014!

Ah.  Now we get to the cream of the crop!  The ten best films of 2014!  Hope you enjoyed your year of films as much as I did mine.  This was a strong year for movies; both blockbuster and arthouse.  While there wasn’t an all-time Hall of Fame entry (like Dark Knight or Godfather), we did have many 5 star worthy films.   Any of these ten films would have been a worthy choice for #1, in fact many of them even flirted with the top spot during the year, but when the dust settled here was the final list.