"The World's End" (13) - Edgar Wright

Feeling blue?

What is my purpose?

From Rick and Morty by Dan Harmon, the best new animation show out there. In honor of Community squeaking out yet another season.

Watch the original: "Taxi" (FR) > "Taxi" (US)

Like "Point Of No Return", "Taxi" is also a remake of a far superior Luc Besson production . The dvd covers alone should tell you that much. While it might be a little more difficult to get your hands on than the other original titles I've mentioned so far , it's certainly worth the effort. "Taxi" is a fun, high-octane action comedy. Oh, and, small detail, it launched the career of  a certain actress named Marion Cotillard.

     

Short Film: "The Nest" (14) by David Cronenberg

I'm not sure how I feel about this. It's not that it's completely uninteresting or anything -- it's a 9 minute all-in-one POV short after all -- but this would probably never create any kind of buzz if it wasn't directed by such a well established director, right? Hell it's not even that weird or disturbing. Or maybe I've just been watching too many messed up Asian films lately. Still, props to Evelyne Brochu (who you may know from Orphan Black) for allowing herself to appear in such an unflattering manner. This really just makes me wish for more on-screen David Cronenberg, like in Clive Barker's "Nightbreed".

"The Right Stuff" (83) - Philip Kaufman

Best movies about guys moving on: HIGH FIDELITY, SWINGERS, CHUNGKING EXPRESS

Because sometimes it's ok for guys to want to watch a romantic comedy, here are three great movies about guys moving on from heavy relationships:

"High Fidelity" is worth viewing if only to see how someone like Jack Black could ever become a star. He steals just about every scene he's in, and the record shop banter between the workers is something to behold. Aside from that, this is John Cusack and Stephen Frears firing on all cylinders. The fourth wall breaking narration is clever, the humor is fresh, and the emotions are heartfelt without ever getting sappy. Fuck Ian.

"Swingers", the little indie film that made Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau (who wrote the script), is a pretty divisive film. You either hate it or you love it. Personally, I think it's an hilarious snapshot of L.A wannabes, and Jon Favreau is so awkward at times it hurts. I know on which side I firmly stand on this one. Fun fact: Doug Liman directed this. Yes, that Doug Liman from "The Bourne Identity" and "Edge of Tomorrow".  

Now, as good as the two previous titles are, "Chungking Express" blows them away. To me, it's still Wong Kar Wai's best film, so much so that it's hard to imagine it was a mostly improvised side-project while he was stuck in the middle of making "Ashes of Time". It's an infectious uplifting masterpiece, and I can't stop watching that video right now:

Best Car Chases: RONIN, TO LIVE AND DIE IN LA, THE DRIVER

Ronin is a great action thriller with an amazing cast -- De Niro, Jean Reno, Stellen Skarsgard, and Sean Bean among others. Set in France, it features great car chases including this one towards the end of the film. If you haven't seen it yet, I suggest you skip this clip and just get your hands on the movie somehow.

When thinking of William Friedkin and car chases, most people usually think about Gene Hackman and the famous scene from The French Connection. While that one is certainly a classic, I personally prefer this one from To Live And Die In La. It's absolutely epic and culminates in a against-traffic freeway mayhem.

Cool soundtrack or not, I'd take The Driver over Winging Refn's Drive anyday. The latter is heavily influenced by Walter Hill's underrated gem, and it doesn't feature a young Isabelle Adjani. People often talk about Bullitt as having the best car chases in history, but I think there's a certain McQueen bias going on. This, is my favorite car movie.

"Love Exposure" (08) - Sion Sono

Don't fear the 237 minute runtime. It's a genre-bending masterpiece by the single most exciting Japanese director out there.

"I started peek-a-panties because I had to sin."

WATCH THE ORIGINAL: LA FEMME NIKITA > POINT OF NO RETURN

Though not as painful a remake as The Tourist, Point Of No Return ('93) deserves to be called out as one of the worst Hollywood remakes of all time. Not only does it lack the flair of the original, Bridget Fonda is completely miscast in this near shot-for-shot remake of Luc Besson's über-awesome La Femme Nikita ('90). 

THE DOUBLE (13) - Richard Ayoade

LE SAMOURAI (67) - Jean-Pierre Melville

CHARLIE

We're strong as a rock, hard like one too.

IS THIS A LOGLINE OR REALITY:

Akin to inbreeding, blind political partisanship, transmitted through generations, has turned Americans into an uninformed, vegetative bunch.

ICHI THE KILLER (01) - Takashi Miike

VIVIAN JAFFE

 Have you ever transcended space and time?

ALBERT MARKOVSKI 

Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... 

No, I don't know what you're talking about.

- I <3 Huckabees

BEST MARTIAL ARTS SCENES FROM ASIAN CINEMA Part 2: SPL, The Grandmaster, Ip Man

An incredibly brutal Donnie Yen scene. This one from SPL:

With The Grandmaster, Wong Kar Wai and cinematographer Philippe Le Sourd gave us the most beautifully shot martial arts movie ever:

And here is a fight from the other Ip Man movie with Donnie Yen:

WATCH THE ORIGINAL: DEATH AT A FUNERAL (UK ) > DEATH AT A FUNERAL (US)

I must admit I never watched the remake of Death At A Funeral. Partly due to the horrible reviews, but mostly because suffering through the trailer at the theater was torturous enough. I just can't respect a lazy copy. Not only is the original already in English, they even use the very same dwarf -- actor Peter Dinklage, Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones. Jump on the original if you appreciate British humor. It's really funny.

THE DUELISTS (77) - Ridley Scott

This one just makes me sad Kubrick's Napoleon never happened.

BEST MARTIAL ARTS SCENES FROM ASIAN CINEMA Part 1: The Protector, The Raid, Flash Point, and First of Legend

The Protector is rather silly as a whole, but this scene is without a doubt the highlight of Tony Jaa's career. It's basically an impressive Cuaron-like long take with Muay Thai ass-kickery. I wonder how many takes they had to do...redressing that set after each shot's destruction must have been a pain: 

THE COUNSELOR (13) - Ridley Scott

Take that Jean Claude Van Damme.

Spoilery stills after the break.

VULGARIA (12) - Ho-Cheung Pang

GRAVITY (13) - Alfonso Cuaron

THE TRIP: Part 3

We're watching Gravity, in 3D. What a surreal experience. The past week saw us stuck in Lander, Wy. for three days as all the roads around us were closed due to heavy snowfall, and just last night... Let's just say I woke up on the floor of a rundown pottery shop with a homeless-looking man staring at me through the cracked storefront window. Man, I can really empathize with Sandra Bullock's character right now.

KOWALSKI

 I get it. It's nice up here. 

You can just shut down all the systems,
 turn out all the lights,

 and just close your eyes and tune out everyone. 

There's nobody up here that can hurt you. 

It's safe. 

I mean, what's the point of going on? 

What's the point of living? 

Your kid died. Doesn't get any rougher than that. 

But still, it's a matter of what you do now. 

If you decide to go, then you gotta just get on with it. 

Sit back, enjoy the ride. 

You gotta plant both your feet on the ground and start livin' life. 

Hey, Ryan? 

It's time to go home.

THEY LIVE (88) - John Carpenter

THE DESCENT (05) - Neil Marshall

ROBOCOP (87) - Paul Verhoeven

THE SPANISH PRISONER (97) - David Mamet

Someone talked

SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (91) - Jonathan Demme

"A census taker once tried to test me.
 I ate his liver with some fava beans."
- Hannibal Lecter

HOMICIDE (91) - David Mamet

Grofaz.

DARK BLUE (02) - Ron Shelton

A crooked cop facing his legacy

HOUSE OF GAME (87) - David Mamet

Joe Mantegna introduced hidden in the shadows.

Joe Mantegna, revealed as the unredeemable con that he is,
 dies in a harsh overhead light. Lindsay Crouse,
her back turned to us, now lives on the edge of it.

M (31) - Fritz Lang

The first serial killer genre entry.

THE GRANDMASTER (13) - Kar Wai Wong

WHY DONT YOU PLAY IN HELL (13) - Sion Sono

Yes, these are flying CG heads...

It's a somewhat disappointing Sono film,
but there's some great imagery nonetheless.

THE DIVIDE (11) - Xavier Gens

May just as well be a low-budget
 prequel to the Fallout video-game series.  

THE TRIP: Part 2

I've probably never ridden more than ten miles at a time, and I stick to mountain bikes. I don't like riding in the city, in the middle of traffic. It's too dangerous. People drive like maniacs out here. My neighbor told me that during one of his rides two girls got hit by a drunk driver who swerved into the bike lane. They're in a coma. He wonders why I won't join him.

It all seems silly now. Life hangs by a thread. It'd be foolish to try and recount every single brush with death we've had over the course of this trip. Between the weekend warriors in their rented RVs, and the Kentuckians whose behaviors behind the wheel can only be explained by Meth, at some point you just stick your head down, push forward, and hope for the best. We probably also shouldn't have ridden at night so damn often.

We left late in the season. Very late. Crossing the country on a bicycle in the fall is not generally advised, but what can you do. We left Portland on September 1st. Montana, Wyoming, Colorado... those places get cold in October. The days get shorter too. We usually wait for the sun to come up, which means we don't start riding as early as we should to make it to our destination by nightfall. Sometimes, the sun doesn't come up, and we're greeted by rain, snow, or hail. Those days are fun. I just start counting when it gets too rough out there. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... I don't stop until we reach our destination, and, if I lose count, I just start all over again. Dan said he hadn't realized he was biking with Rainman.

It works though. The other day, I received a message from this crazy girl we crossed paths with. She's biking from Canada to Mexico. Said she got caught in a crosswind in the middle of nowhere and thought she was going to die. But she remembered what I said. She blanked everything out, started counting, and kept on pushing. Said it saved her. Cool.

We ourselves get stuck in forty mile an hour headwinds in Wyoming. We're leaving Jeffrey Dahmer city -- don't ask -- and we're riding at a snail's pace. It's exhausting. By Dan's estimate, we won't reach our intended campground before midnight. The gas station attendant, where we stop for lunch, tells us a truck overturned up ahead.

47 RONIN (13) - Carl Rinsch

Almost leads you to believe this might be a great movie, doesn't it?
Too bad this shot is at the very end.

SNOWPIERCER (13) - Joon-ho Bong

THE DRIVER (78) - Walter Hill

WATCH THE ORIGINAL: ANTHONY ZIMMER > THE TOURIST

It's no secret Hollywood loves a good retread. Unfortunately for us moviegoers, the originals, which are generally far superior, rarely ever receive proper theatrical distribution in the US. As a result, these movies go largely unnoticed. Here is my first attempt to rectify the situation.

I don't think it's too controversial to say that Johnnie Depp and Angelina Jolie's The Tourist was a flaming pile of shit. Anthony Zimmer ('05), the French movie it's based on is infinitely better. Check it out, if only for gorgeous Sophie Marceau, and see just how much the remake got wrong.   

ENTER THE VOID (09) - Gaspar Noe

ENEMY (13) - Denis Villeneuve

CACHE (05) - Michael Haneke

FALLING ANGELS (95) - Wong Kar Wai

"How dare you? I went to Oxford." "Yes, for lunch!"

"I like movies more than girls, but I like sex more than movies." - some guy

Goofing around with photoshop: Alien Immigration - The Wall Won't Stop Them

"Sitting through Transformers: Age of Extinction is like binge-watching the death of the human spirit." -Devin Faraci

Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts II - 14

From the end of The Raid 2: Berandal. The song was also reworked into The Social Network's Magnetic track by Trent Reznor.

FURY - Official International Trailer

SPORTS SAMPLE: World Cup 2014 - French Match Previews

France vs Nigeria:

French fans can't imagine anything besides a victory tonight as they face-off against the underdog Nigerians. As Soccer has often taught us though, this is usually the first forbearing sign of a huge upset. So, should the French be worried deep down, or will this round just be a simple formality?

Let's see. Nigeria's main argument for obtaining a good result today is not a threat to the French defense, but rather their goalkeeper: Vincent Enyama. Enyama has had stellar season playing for his French club Lille and has kept his good form going into the World Cup. And as we all know, defense wins championships.

Even though they obviously have some quality in their ranks, we don't expect the Nigerians to outplay the French during 90 minutes and pose a real threat. Still, if Enyama were to have an Ochoa-like performance and keep his team in the game, it wouldn't be all that shocking to see Odemwingie or one of his partners sneak one in past Hugo Lloris. After all, Sakho's status is currently in doubt as he deals with some hamstring issues, and Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny wasn't all that reassuring in the last game.

Actually, the whole team's performance against Ecuador was a bit worrying. Though Deschamps made a lot of changes to the squad, we saw that Benzema and his partners aren't going to steamroll over teams, like they did Switzerland and Honduras, unless they have everyone at full strength. One key injury during the game, to Valbuena or Matuidi for example, could easily spell doom for the teams title chances.

Finally, let's not forget that a similar meaningless third group game against Sweden at the last Euro ended up having a terrible effect on the team's morale as they switched out too many players and completely broke their positive dynamic.

So, will Enyama and his teammate manufacture the first big knockout stage upset? Let's wait and see.

--

France vs Ecuador:

Surprising moves announced by France coach Didier Deschamps today as Pogba and Griezmann are slotted to come off the bench against Switzerland. Sissoko and Giroud will start the game instead.

Seeing as there's been no word of last-minute injuries, it would appear that Deschamps values Giroud's height and physicality over Griezmann's close quarter dribbling skills for this matchup. Though Griezmann has quickly proved himself a worthy Ribery replacement, Giroud was in great form during preparation matches, including a successful association with Benzema against Jamaica (8-0). His nod doesn't give us much cause for concern. 

More puzzling however, is the decision to start Sissoko over the 21 year old Juventus star who has already established himself as the technical leader of Deschamp's promising triangle midfield. Pogba did receive a yellow card following an impulsive response to a foul by Honduras' Palacios, but most French fans would probably prefer running the risk of having him be suspended during the third game against Ecuador, rather than in a decisive round of sixteen match. Sissoko hasn't shown much so far with the national team, some supporters even wondering if he belonged in the squad altogether, but he certainly seems to have Deschamps' trust.    

Let's see how it will all work out.

--

France vs Switzerland:

Having won its first two games, France coach Didier Deschamps will be looking to give some starters much needed rest in anticipation of the knockout stage. Sissoko who scored against Switzerland (5-2 win) and had an all around solid performance, will start in place of Valbuena.  Koscielny, the Arsenal defender, will be seeing his first minutes of the world cup as he replaces the ailing Varane (stomach bug), so will Sagna, Digne, and Schneiderlin who will replace the suspended Cabaye. Finally, Griezmann should reenter the starting lineup subbing in for Giroud.

In spite of all these changes look for France to maintain their current form. They may struggle out of the gates but there ultimately seems to be to much talent, and cohesion, within this squad to not finish on top of their group.

TODD
 How old are you?

CHARLIE 
Old enough to know knights are cool, 
but dragons aren't real.

THE TRIP: Part 1

I

I wake up to total darkness. I freak out. He left me. Dan took the tent and left me, alone, in the middle of the forest. This realization not only terrifies me, but it sickens me as the million reasons for which he could have done this race through my head. I'm screwed. This is the end for me. It's winter, I have no shelter, and, worst of all, my Trek 520's a nightmare. As I panic, my eyes slowly begin adjusting to the darkness. I notice a light. Just a sliver, bleeding through a blind. I relax.

I'm in a comfortable bed in the middle of Yellowstone National Park. Dan is sleeping in the next bungalow. A park employee took pity on us last night. She told us we could stay in employee housing if we wanted. It's the last day of the season and most of the staff has already left. It's snowing outside. We've been on the road for over a month, and we're not even halfway.

Halfway, Oregon. Halfway to what? Nobody knows. There was a sign on the road though. "Halfway to halfway" it read. We had to take a picture. A little further, we bought a cantaloupe from a deserted produce stand by the side of the road. Suggested donation was a dollar. We dropped the money into a tin box. This wasn't the first time. Oregonians are trusting people.

A friendly stranger, a blurry distant memory, told us that happened to another pair of cyclists. One of them took his things and left the other in the middle of the night. Guess that one guy must have been really annoying. Must be why I assumed Dan left. Or maybe it's because my bike has been slowing us down every step of the way. I'm sure it's frustrating for him.

List of nightmares: finicky caliper brakes, broken crank arm, bent rim, mangled spokes, flat-happy touring tires. The bike is a nearly thirty year old steel frame. I love it, but I should have known better. People think it's a beauty though. "It's in great shape," they said. "It will take you all the way no problem," they claimed. I'm told I'll get a good price for it in New York though.

Two months and a half. That's the estimate. During that time, we'll have ridden from Portland to the Oregon coast, and then all the way to New York City through the Cascades, the Rockies, the Ozarks, and the Appalachians. Those damned Appalachians. Can't wait for Nashville, though. I'm dying for some hot chicken.

My buddy from Tennessee thinks I'm crazy, but he's impressed. To him, it seems like I eat fried chicken just about every other day. He's not wrong. You wouldn't tell from looking at me though. I'm not in the best of shapes, but I'm definitely on the skinny side. Skinny with a side of unfit. Used to work out and exercise, but I'm not in college anymore. Got other hobbies now. I've been sitting behind a desk, staring at a monitor and a television for the past two years. And things aren't much different at home.

Sometimes, I think I'm going crazy. Good thing Dan decided to move to New York on a bicycle. When he asked me if I wanted to tag along, well I knew I couldn't refuse. It's not like I want to sit on a bike for four thousand miles, but I have to get out of L.A. Seems like the sensible thing to do.