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Movie review: The Predator
And welcome to complete newbies review of The Predator – a 4th (or 6th) movie in the series that I'm completely unfamiliar with!
IMDb summary: When a young boy accidentally triggers the universe's most lethal hunters' return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled science teacher can prevent the end of the human race.
The Predator was written by Fred Dekker and Shane Black (who also directed this film and has also starred in the original while also doing some re-writes on its script). Now, my statement in the opening of this review (that I know nothing) isn't completely true. Having been a fan of movies almost my entire life, I have seen bits and pieces of the previous films on TV as well as come across plot-details and news about them online. Initially, I thought that I might watch the previous films before seeing The Predator but then I decided that 'fresh eyes' type of perspective might also be interesting. And I wasn't disappointed in that respect – I thought that the film had enough exposition and world building for me to get the plot without having the knowledge of the previous films. I was also able to spot the most famous references as they were pretty heavy-handed with those. And that's about the only two compliments I can give this movie's writing.
My other two main complaints were the portrayal of autism and just the intellectual quality of the plot. First of all, portraying autism as a superpower of sorts is not a new thing and has been put to films before. And while I do get the sentiment – trying to empower people with disabilities – I think that these films, including The Predator, achieve the absolute opposite. They showcase one's disability – autism in this case – as the defining feature that makes people special rather than portraying than as successful individuals despite their disability. Show how people can be successful having dealt with their disability rather than celebrating the disability!
My second negative point about The Predator was just its plot in general. I had so questions many questions starting with 'why', 'what', and 'how' that I honestly lost count. Why the film began as a pretty straight-up action film soon devolved into a mess of plot-lines of multiple Predators and multiple one-dimensional characters (if they even had a single dimension to them). The *spoiler* idea that one of the Predators was humanities savior just gave me an instant flashback to the new Alien movies and their unsuccessful attempts to play with the ideas of human creation, saint-hood, etc.
Shane Black directed The Predator, while in truth he directed at least two movies within it. A buddy-cop/soldier action comedy (which he knows how to do as The Nice Guys is amazing film) and a more serious/darker action film (which he is not great at (Iron Man 3…). The action itself was pretty decent and I liked the smaller Predator's probably real costume – it looked intimidating and real. On the other hand, the bigger Predator looked like a cartoon doll and was most definitely CGI (and not particularly effective CGI).
The Predator's cast consisted of a variety of lesser known actors, including as Boyd Holbrook (Logan) in the lead and Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight, 12 Strong) as his new soldier-buddy. They had other teammates too but they were highly interchangeable and forgettable. Also, their humor was quite cringe-y most of the time. Jacob Tremblay played Holbrook's soon and was good. This wasn't the first time he had to play a disabled person, he also did that in Wonder. His character in Room wasn't disabled but that was still a very challenging role. Olivia Munn (X-Men: Apocalypse) was fun to watch as the scientist of the group even if her acting style didn't fit the tone of the group at all. Sterling K.Brown was fine as the human villain too.
In short, The Predator was a lackluster blockbuster that I couldn't enjoy as a newbie. I feel so sorry for the fans who were expecting something. Or maybe they knew what to expect?
Trailer: The Predator trailer
September 25, 2018 September 25, 2018 Lou Tagged 80s, acting, action, action comedy, action film, action movie, actors, alien, apocalypse, boyd holbrook, buddy movie, cgi, cinema, cinema review, comedy, comedy movie, directing, director, film, film review, film reviews, filming, films, iron man 3, jacob tremblay, kiss kiss bang bang, logan, marvel, moonlight, motion capture, motion picture, motion picture review, motion pictures, movie, movie film, movie preview, movie review, movie reviews, movies, olivia munn, predator, review, reviewing, room, shane black, sterling k.brown, summer movies, the nice guys, the predator, thriller, trailer, trevante rhodes, wonder, writing, xmen	Leave a comment
Movie review: Blade Runner 2049
The long-awaited (by some) sequel to another 1980s hit – Blade Runner 2049 – has reached theaters, so, let's see whether it was worth the wait and all the hype.
IMDb summary: A young blade runner's discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former blade runner Rick Deckard, who's been missing for thirty years.
The original Blade Runner has been a cult classic for years but I've never expected it to get a sequel 3 decades later because of the lack of mainstream success. Undoubtedly, it has aged well: the story is still solid and is open to as many different interpretations as there are versions of the film. The pacing is a bit slow but that can be seen as a feature of the time. The effects are great too even if you can tell that they have that particular 1980s futuristic style. Even though I did like the original film, I wouldn't have been as excited about its sequel if they hadn't gotten Dennis Villeneuve to direct it. His attachment to the project was the factor that immensely increased my interest the movie! Besides, the marketing shorts, which filled in the 30-year-old gap between the two feature films – the anime Black Out 2022, and the live action shorts 2036: Nexus Dawn and 2048: Nowhere to Run – have acted as great tasters for the sequel and doubled the hype as well!
Blade Runner 2049 was written by Hampton Fancher (the writer of the original) and Michael Green (the writer of Logan, Alien: Covenant, and the upcoming Murder on the Orient Express, the co-creator of American Gods). This duo of scriptwriters did an amazing job: they paid homage to the original (both the plot and the thematic concepts) and expanded upon it/them extremely successfully.
The first two acts of the sequel were structured as a mystery: a smart yet straightforward one man's quest for answers. The third act upped the complexity: it had a tonne of exciting reveals and a bunch of sidelines converging with the main one. The writing for the lead character was just brilliant too. Every act of the film had some kind of twist relating to him: either the fact that he was a replicant at the beginning, a potential offspring of a replicant in the second act and just a decoy for the actual child in the end. It was amazing to see a character go from not knowing who he was to finding actual answers but quickly realizing that he was asking the wrong questions in the first place. He both found and lost an identity before our eyes in the time span of two hours. It was such a great and different character arc.
Two huge thematic concepts that 2049 introduced were the virtual/holographic humans and the procreation ability of the replicants. These two ideas pushed the question of 'what is humanity ?' so much farther than I ever dream it could go. I still can't wrap my head around these two concepts.
Denis Villeneuve, who has quickly become one of the most critically acclaimed directors of our time with films like Prisoners, Sicario, and especially last year's Arrival, directed the Blade Runner sequel and did a spectacular job. To begin with, he stayed faithful to the original with the pacing and the style of the visuals. Having said that, Villeneuve also built upon what was already there. 2049 was a really long and quite a slow film, however, it never dragged. It was always intense, intriguing, and exciting – way more than the original ever was.
When it comes to visuals, they were just breathtaking. The set design (by Alessandra Querzola + production design by Dennis Gassner), the costume design (by Renée April), the lighting and the cinematography (by Roger Deakins) – all these different departments just brought their A-game and created such a cohesive masterpiece. The scope was epic and awe-inspiring. The shots were composed so beautifully, you could just freeze them and frame every single image. The colors were so vibrant and just popped off the screen. The shots also lingered a lot (that's why the movie was so long) but the combination of the visuals and the amazing score made them so impactful, powerful, and effective. In general, the soundtrack (by Benjamin Wallfisch and none other than Hans Zimmer) was so cool and that new instrumental theme was so heart wrenching.
A lot of films have tried to emulate a similar style but none of them have come close to Blade Runner 2049 (Ghost in the Shell looked good but wasted the visuals on an awful story). A few of noteworthy sequences in this picture were: 1. the interplay between the shadows and the light in the pyramid; 2. the memory-construction scene – such a brilliant example of storytelling within a bigger story; 3. the zoom/enhance effect carried over from the first film; 4. a very unique sex scene (not an adjective I've ever thought I'd use to describe a sex scene; and 5. an impeccable looking de-aging moment – that technology has never looked better.
Blade Runner 2049 had quite an extensive cast, full of fan-favorite actors in roles of varying sizes. At the centre of it was Ryan Gosling, who has lent his talents to a variety of genres throughout his career, including but not limited to musicals (La La Land), art films (Only God Forgives), indies with mainstream appeal (Drive), mainstream romantic dramas (The Notebook), arty romantic dramas (Blue Valentine), comedies (Crazy,Stupid,Love), political dramas (The Ides of March), action comedies (The Nice Guys), biopics (The Big Short), and crime dramas (Gangster Squad). Finally, he has added sci-fi to this extensive list with the lead role in Blade Runner 2049, which he was just absolutely brilliant in: powerful, vulnerable, dramatic, emotional. Totally marvelous.
Harrison Ford has come back to another role from his younger days. He has already retired Han Solo and will be back as Indiana Jones in 2020. In Blade Runner 2049, he only appeared in the third act but that was enough to make an impression.
The film also had quite a few female characters. Ana de Armas (War Dogs) was amazing as the virtual girlfriend, Sylvia Hoeks (Renegades) was wonderful as the warrior replicant, Robin Wright (Wonder Woman) was a badass police chief,
Mackenzie Davis (Black Mirror's 'San Junipero' episode) had a fun appearance and, lastly, Carla Juri had a surprisingly important role. Guardians of the Galaxy's Dave Bautista appeared in a short but the most dramatically challenging role of his career so far, while Captain Phillips's and Eye in the Sky's Barkhad Abdi also had a cameo (wish he got more roles). Lastly, Jared Leto (Suicide Squad) played the main antagonist and, although his role was unsettling and quite creepy, it seemed quite normal by Leto's standards. He was great in it, though.
In short, Blade Runner 2049 was one of those wow pictures that stays with you, long after you are done watching it. Gorgeously looking, carefully written, brilliantly acted sequel that is *gasp* better than the original.
Trailer: Blade Runner 2049
October 6, 2017 October 6, 2017 Lou Tagged 1980s, 2036: nexus dawn, 2048: nowhere to run, 30 seconds to mars, action, action film, action movie, alessandra querzola, alien, alien covenant, american gods, ana de armas, arrival, art, art cinema, atari, barkhad abdi, benjamin wallfisch, black mirror, black out 2022, blade runner, blade runner 2, blade runner 2049, blade runner 2049 movie, blade runner 2049 review, blade runner sequel, blue valentine, captain phillips, carla juri, cinema, cinema review, cinematography, crazy stupid love, dave bautista, deckard, denis villeneuve, dennis gassner, drax, drive, eye in the sky, film, film review, film reviews, filming, films, future, gangster squad, ghost in the shell, guardians of the galaxy, hampton fancher, han solo, hans zimmer, harrison ford, indiana jones, jared leto, la la land, logan, mackenzie davis, marvel, mcu, michael green, motion picture, motion picture review, motion pictures, movie, movie film, movie preview, movie review, movie reviews, movies, moving, murder on the orient express, only god forgives, overdrive, prisoners, renee april, renegades, replicants, review, robin wright, roger deakins, ryan gosling, san junipero, sci-fi, science, science fiction, scifi, sequel, sicario, star wars, star wars the force awakens, suicide squad, sylvia hoeks, the big short, the ides of march, the joker, the nice guys, the notebook, war dogs, wonder woman	8 Comments
Movie review: Death Note
The latest of Netflix's original films (and, arguably, the most interesting one) is streaming worldwide, so, let's talk about it. This is the review of Death Note.
IMDb summary: Light Turner, a bright student, stumbles across a mystical notebook that has the power to kill any person whose name he writes in it. Light decides to launch a secret crusade to rid the streets of criminals. Soon, the student-turned-vigilante finds himself pursued by a famous detective known only by the alias L.
2017's Death Note is a live-action adaptation of a beloved anime/manga franchise. The Netflix's version of this IP has been called the 'American adaptation' with the hopes of stopping or minimizing the criticism on the topic of whitewashing. Weirdly, I haven't seen the same argument being used to defend Ghost in the Shell. Also, I find it strange that, in this day and age, somebody would make a movie purely for the American audience, when it is definitely gonna be seen all over the globe.
Death Note's script was written by Charles Parlapanides and Vlas Parlapanides (the duo behind 2011's Immortals – a Henry Cavill pre-Superman film), and Jeremy Slater (who wrote, oh no, 2015's Fantastic Four). Going in line with the idea of Americanization, the screenwriters efficiently grounded the film's story in an American life by opening the movie with the sequence set in a stereotypical American high-school. This was a first and a very obvious change from the original material. As I'm not familiar with neither the original Death Note anime or manga, I'd be interested to find out what other changes occurred? How were the characters different (excluding the race switch)? How much of the original plot-points were retained? Were the changes made because of the Americanization or for some other reason? The picture still did have some Japanese elements (mainly two: the word 'Kira' and its meaning remained and a few minor Japanese characters were involved in the narrative).
Speaking about the fantasy part of the story – I found it very fascinating and now I get why every anime fan loves Death Note. I thought that the film set up the mystical side of its story very well, although Light's transition into being the full-on Kira figure was a bit sudden. Nevertheless, I did like that the movie raised questions about the vigilante justice (on a massive scale) and questioned the limits that some people might be willing to push past. Other, more real-world-related topics, which were touched upon in the film, were bullying, anti-socialness, and the unproductive parent-child relationships.
As the narrative is usually made or broken by its characters, let's discuss them. I very much enjoyed the writing for Light. I loved how smart he was and, yet, how he still made stupid mistakes appropriate for his age (like telling his girlfriend about the book, although, I'm quite happy that the scriptwriters allowed him to 'show and tell' rather than act like Iron Fist, who only tells his story without any proof and expects others to believe him). Light's opposite and equal – L – was also quite nicely realized. I loved the fact that the stand-off between these two was happening on a whole other level of brilliance. Their genius-ness could be seen in 1)L's initial detective skills and 2)Light's ability to avoid culpability in the end. I also liked how the main difference – one's readiness to kill and other's refusal to, was highlighted in the movie.
Another important character in the film was Mia, Light's girlfriend. The writing for her was the worst, mostly because the secrets and the reveals, related to her, were fairly obvious. However, I noticed an interesting parallel between Death Note's notebook having an influence over Mia similarly to how Tom Ridley's diary had a hold on Ginny in HP2.
Adam Wingard directed the 2017's Death Note and did a good job. His previous work mostly belongs to the horror genre and it looks like he brought elements of it to Death Note too and turned the psychological thriller/detective thriller into more of a horror film. He did that by using plenty of jump scares and really gruesome and gory violence. The graphic content didn't detract from the plot but it didn't add to it either. The final product also definitely had a feeling of a Hollywood film, due to its soundtrack (by Atticus Ross and Leopold Ross) and all the slow motion (so the Americanization of the property continued from the script into the visuals and the sounds).
The character design of Ryuk was quite good. He looked terrifying enough and kinda reminded me of the clown in the new IT film. I applaud the filmmakers for using mostly practical effects – puppets and costumes -to bring this character to life (CGI was only used for the face). I'll comment on the look of the other characters in the acting category.
Lastly, the 3rd act of the film was quite strong. The final chase (L going after Light) was neatly paced and I liked its instrumental score and the urban setting. The ferry's wheel sequence was also exciting and entertainingly crazy, especially when all the characters came clean.
The director's next project is Godzilla vs. Kong for Legendary's MonsterVerse.
Nat Wolff was really good in the lead role of L. He played the lead character as a psychotic but vulnerable genius.Wolff is slowly building his career, he first popped on everyone's radar with a small part in The Fault in Our Stars and later starred in the John Green follow-up movie Paper Towns.
L was played by Lakeith Stanfield. The actor had previous small roles in Selma, Straight Outta Compton and Get Out (which I'm going to review in a couple of days). The idea to cast an African American actor in the role added some diversity and accuracy for a US-based film. Still, I don't think that this type of diversity can work as an apology for not casting Asian talent in any of the lead roles. And yet, while the character did not retain neither its original race nor the iconic hair, his sitting position remained the same, which was a nice. Also, if we take the character's look on its own and don't compare him to anyone else, I have to admit – L did look very cool .
Mia was played by Margaret Qualley (The Nice Guys). I thought that she was the weakest of the cast. Her character's shadiness was very obvious, presumably because the actress performance lacked subtlety. Willem Dafoe voiced and did the facial expressions for Ryuk. His voice fit the character neatly and the facial expressions were sinister enough.
In brief, Death Note was an okay adaptation of a beloved anime (but honestly, the bar has been set pretty low by Ghost in the Shell). Whitewashing aside, the film had a couple of writing problems, but, in general, was enjoyable.
Trailer: Death Note trailer
August 27, 2017 August 27, 2017 Lou Tagged action film, adam wingard, adaptation, americanization, anime, anime adaptation, blair witch, charles parlapanides, death note, death note 2017, directing, fantastic four, film, film review, film reviews, filming, films, get out, ghost in the shell, godzilla, godzilla vs. kong, henry cavill, hollywood, horror, immortals, indie, indie film, it, jeremy slater, king kong, kira, kong, l, lakeith stanfield, light, live action, manga, margaret qualley, motion, motion capture, motion picture, motion picture review, motion pictures, movie, movie film, movie preview, movie review, movie reviews, movies, nat wolff, netflix original, paper towns, review, ryuk, selma, straight outta compton, summer, summer movies, superman, the fault in our stars, the guest, the nice guys, thriller, vlas parlapanides, whitewashing, willem dafoe, writing	7 Comments
5 ideas about a movie: The Beguiled
A festival favorite and one of the strongest summer contenders for the awards season – The Beguiled – has premiered, so, let's review it!
IMDb summary: The unexpected arrival of a wounded Union soldier at a girls' school in Virginia during the American Civil War leads to jealousy and betrayal.
The Beguiled was both written and directed by Sofia Coppola, latter of which was awarded at the Cannes Film Festival – she became the second woman ever to the Best Director Award. I've seen some of her films (The Bling Ring and Lost in Translation), but I've always had her other pictures on my 'To watch' list. I really need to do a movie marathon consisting of not just hers but of The Coppola's family tree films.
The movie's script was based on a book A Painted Devil by Thomas P. Cullinan and the main topic being explored was the taboo issue of female sexuality and, especially, the repressed female sexuality and its dangers. Thus, all the character development mostly revolved around this issue, with not much attention being paid to anything else. The actions of the women did not make them into likable characters, while their choices at the end of the film were really quite shocking, which, I guess, was the intention. I did like the jab at the 'Southern Comfort', though – it's the food that kills you. Literally.
The writing for the lone male character was the best and he was the most well-rounded individual. His slay manipulations could really be seen in Colin Farrel's (The Lobster, Fantastic Beasts) performance: he knew what each of the ladies wanted him to be and fulfilled that role. He was the older brother and an adult of the world to talk to, he was someone to impress and a potential suitor. Mostly, though, he was the personification of the budding sexual fantasies. These type of manipulations in his demeanor and the bursts of anger made me kinda see his demise as weirdly justified.
Coppola's directing was full of classical elements, like the steady camera, the old school ratio, and the long shots. These long shots really dictated the pacing of the film. The Beguiled was slow but carefully crafted, however, I did feel that, on a few occasions, some shots were lingering for too long without any intensity in them to make up for the lack of literal action. Nevertheless, I did enjoy the way Coppola realized the setting of the Civil War, with the noises of the battle going off in the background, but never allowed it to overpower the romantic drama happening within the house. The Beguiled wasn't a Civil War film but a romantic thriller set during it. For the first hour, it was quite innocent (flirty and cute), while the last half hour was full of unforeseen cruelty and insane choices (all those repressed feelings were just bubbling over).
I've already briefly touched upon Farrel's smooth performance, so, now let's look at the female cast. Nicole Kidman (Genius, Lion), Coppola's usual partner Kirsten Dunst (Hidden Figures, Midnight Special), Elle Fanning (Trumbo, The Neon Demon), Angourie Rice (The Nice Guys, Spider-Man), and Oona Laurence (Southpaw, Bad Moms, Pete's Dragon) all starred in the picture. The sexual tensions and frustrations were palpable in all of their performances with the exception of the youngest cast member Laurence.
In short, The Beguiled is a beautiful and slow art-house cinema offering that focuses on a theme that is still not as widely discussed as it should be, in the year 2017.
Trailer: The Beguiled trailer
July 27, 2017 July 27, 2017 Lou Tagged a painted devil, a very murray christmas, academy awards, american civil war, angourie rice, art, art cinema, art house, awards, awards contender, awards season, bad moms, before i go to sleep, cannes film festival, cinema, cinema review, colin farell, colin farre, colin farrel, coppola, coppolas, directing, elle fanning, fantastic beasts, fantastic beasts and where to find them, female sexuality, festival, festival movie, festival picture, film, film festival, film review, film reviews, filming, films, genius, hidden figures, homecoming, independant film, indie, indie film, kirsten dunst, lion, lost in translation, maleficient, marie antoinete, midnight special, motion picture, motion picture review, motion pictures, movie, movie film, movie preview, movie review, movie reviews, movies, nicole kidman, oona laurence, pete's dragon, review, sexual tension, sexuality, sofia coppola, southpaw, spider man, summer movies, the beguiled, the beguiled film, the beguiled review, the bling ring, the lobster, the neon demon, the nice guys, the virgin suicides, thomas p. cullinan, trumbo, writing	7 Comments
Movie review: Spider-Man: Homecoming
The 3rd cinematic reimagining of the Spider-Man character has reached cinemas in a form of Spider-Man: Homecoming. Let's see whether third time's a charm!
IMDb summary: Peter Parker, with the help of his mentor Tony Stark, tries to balance his life as an ordinary high school student in New York City while fighting crime as his superhero alter ego Spider-Man when a new threat emerges.
Spider-Man: Homecoming was written by 6(!) people and it wasn't a mess. The scriptwriters included the comedy writing duo Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, the director Jon Watts, Christopher Ford (who wrote Robot & Frank), Chris McKenna (he worked on The Winter Soldier), and Erik Sommers (wrote The Lego Batman Movie). The script was a perfect blend of two coming of ages stories: one of growing up into an adult and the other one of evolving as a hero. I loved the two narratives separately as well as how they worked together.
The Spider-Man side of the story was, thankfully, not an origin story, but still showed the character's beginnings (Year One, basically). I loved the inclusion of the 'Training Wheels Protocol' and also enjoyed seeing that handful of moments of Spider-Man failing – they added a lot of realism and believability to the character. The plotlines concerning Peter Parker were also great. The advertised John Hughes-like feeling was actually present in the film and did work (we even saw a scene from Ferris Bueller's Day Off playing on TV)! I also loved how the high school setting and the student characters were realized. Those awkward commercials were spot on, while the students weren't just walking stereotypes – they were actually multidimensional. Flash was a popular rich kid, a bully, and a nerd (or at least a wannabe one), Liz was the 'pretty girl' who was also smart and a great leader, and MJ was a mixture of a nerd and a hippie. My favorite supporting character was Ned cause I could relate the most to him. I mean, I was making the Lego Star Wars figurines a day before I saw the movie. I also loved his unapologetic excitement about the amazing things that were happening to Peter cause that's how I feel about Marvel movies. Peter's family's plotline also worked. I loved how the screenwriters acknowledged that everyone online loves the new Aunt May by making other characters (not just Tony Stark) flirt with her. I also liked how the death of Uncle Ben wasn't pushed but only mentioned in passing.
The feeling of a wider MCU was also there but all the tie-ins did not overshadow the standalone narrative of the film. Iron Man was, once again, kinda to blame for the creation of a new villain (the trend continues), but the character himself did not appear much on screen. He didn't even have a full-on action scene, only a small one. I did, however, really love his and Peper Pots's moment at the end. In addition, the idea to set the movie's opening during the Civil War, but to show it from Peter's perspective, was superb. Not only was that whole sequence funny, but its format – the vlog – was so appropriate for a high schooler and the tone of the picture. The fact that Vulture's tech was made from the scraps from the previous MCU battles was neat too. I also loved how, by the time Homecoming rolled around, he has been doing his thing for at least half a decade already. However, I wish that the new Stark's Damage Control Firm would have consisted of the characters from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. because there have been episodes of the show were those characters cleaned up the mess left by the Avengers. This would have a been a perfect moment to finally allow them to appear in a movie.
Finally, the two big reveals of the film were great too. I did not expect Vulture to be Liz's dad (need to brush up on my comic book knowledge). The twist in the end fight, where Peter had to save Vulture rather than fight it, was brilliant too.
Jon Watts directed Spider-Man: Homecoming (he also co-wrote it) and did a spectacular job. This was only his 3rd feature film but he just absolutely nailed the realization of the character. The youthful vibe and the contagious energy were perfect. The sweet moments and the funky fast pace worked too. The way the intense action scenes co-existed next to the high school awkwardness was just wonderful. The action sequences were extremely cool and entertaining too (I just wish we haven't seen big parts of them in the trailers). They had the staple Spider-Man swings but were also fresh and exciting. The 80s style credits were a nice finish as well. Watts also did a good job of integrating a character into the broader MCU while also showing the daily life and the ground level work that Spider-Man did on the streets. Homecoming was basically a PG version of the Marvel Netflix's shows.
In summary, I can't really explain it, but the experience of watching Spider-Man: Homecoming was one of pure fun. This film made me realize why Spider-Man is the best selling and the most popular Marvel character (or even the most popular superhero ever).
The credits scenes
Spider-Man: Homecoming, like all superhero films, had a few extra scenes during the credits. The mid-credits one worked as an epilog for the standalone story of the film and expanded on the character of Vulture, by showing that he has an honor code. The post-credits scene was a continuation of the gag involving Captain America. Cap broke the 4th wall and praised the fans for their patients, while also making a fun of them. The 4th wall breaking joke did work in a Spider-Man film because of who the character is and because of the funny tone of Homecoming (however, it wasn't as appropriate as it were for Deadpool).
After blowing everyone away as Spider-Man/Peter Parker, Tom Holland (In The Heart Of The Sea) has grown into the character and has become the best version of the character I have seen on film. He was actually believable as a high schooler, a nerd, and the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Peter's classmates, played by Jacob Batalon and Tony Revolori (The Grand Budapest Hotel), were really good too, as the best friend and the bully, respectively. Laura Harrier played the love-interest, while the highly discussed role of MJ, played by Zendaya (who will soon star in The Greatest Showman), was just a slightly bigger than a cameo. Angourie Rice (The Nice Guys) also had a cameo appearance as a potential love interest in the later films.
The ex-Batman and ex-Birdam Michael Keaton (Spotlight) donned another comic book costume inspired by a bird and nailed the villainous role. He was menacing but also someone that a viewer could identify with. Marisa Tomei was good and her aunt-nephew relationship with Peter was believable and cute. Donald Glover's (The Martian) involvement in the film was a nice thank you for all his work in attempting to bring a Miles Morales/Spiderman film into existence. Lastly, Robert Downey Jr. (The Judge) reprised the role that has basically become an extension of himself but, thankfully, he didn't steal the scenes he was in but rather embellished them. Jon Favreau's (Chef, The Jungle Book) return as Happy Hogan was just delightful – he was in more of the film than RDJ and that actually worked in favor of the picture and made more sense for the story.
In short, Spider-Man: Homecoming is a triumphant return for the character of Spider-Man. Finally, the justice has been done and we have the perfect Spider-Man film. I, honestly, can't remember the last Marvel stand-alone movie I loved this much (and Civil War doesn't count, that was a team-up).
Trailer: Spider-Man: Homecoming trailer
July 14, 2017 July 14, 2017 Lou Tagged action, action comedy, action film, action movie, agents of shield, angourie rice, atlanta, aunt may, avengers, avengers age of ultron, batman, birdman, captain amerIca, captain america civil war, captain america the winter soldier, chef, chris mckenna, christopher ford, cinema, cinema review, civil war, comic book, comic book movie, comic books, comics, coming of age, deadpool, donal glover, due date, erik sommers, ferris buller's day off, fil, film, film review, film reviews, filming, films, flash, homecoming, in the heart of the sea, infinity war, iron man, iron spider, jacob batalon, john francis daley, john hughes, jon favreau, jon watts, jonathan goldstein, laura harrier, marisa tomei, marvel, marvel cinematic universe, marvel entertainment, marvel review, marvel studios, michael keaton, mj, motion picture, motion picture review, motion pictures, movie, movie film, movie preview, movie review, movie reviews, movies, music, ned, peper pots, peter parker, rdj, review, robert downey jr., robot and frank, spider man, spider man homecoming, spiderman, spiderman homecoming, spotlight, summer, summer movies, the grand budapest hotel, the greatest showman, the judge, the jungle book, the lego batman movie, the martian, the nice guys, the winter soldier, tom holland, tony revolori, tony stark, vulture, zendaya	16 Comments
Movie review: The Mummy
Movie reviews, Music
Welcome to another movie review of a film that literally could have come out at any time in the last two decades – The Mummy!
IMDb summary: An ancient princess is awakened from her crypt beneath the desert, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia, and terrors that defy human comprehension.
The Mummy is the official beginning of the rebooted Universal Monsters franchise, now titled Dark Universe. The first attempt to revive this classical (1920s-1950s) series happened in 2014 with the release of Dracula Untold, however, since the film underperformed, it was later made non-canon. And yet, I still feel like it might be reinstated into the franchise, as The Mummy is not fairing much better, neither critically nor financially. One last note – Universal's Monster Dark Universe should NOT be confused with Legendary's MonsterVerse, which has Godzilla and King Kong instead of The Invisible Man, Frankenstein, and The Mummy.
The 14th The Mummy film was written by David Koepp (who has worked on some of my favorite pictures – Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible, Panic Room; some stinkers like Indy 4 and Mortdecai; and some who were somewhere in between, like Inferno and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit; he is also writing Indy 5), Christopher McQuarrie (who worked on The Usual Suspects and a trifecta of Tom Cruise films: Jack Reacher, Edge of Tomorrow, and MI 5; he is next both scripting and directing MI 6) and the actor Dylan Kussman (the least accomplished screenwriter on the project – this is only his 3rd project as a writer). The story credits were also given to Jon Spaihts (Prometheus, Doctor Strange, Passengers), the actress Jenny Lumet (she wrote Rachel Getting Married), and the director of the film.
I actually quite enjoyed the writing for The Mummy – it was definitely better than the writing for a few blockbusters that I've seen this summer movie season already. The film started on a really solid footing – the set up was good and interesting enough even if a bit heavy-handed and dense (I always liked the mixture of history and fantasy, so maybe that's why I liked that ancient Egypt sequence) – but the promising script fizzled out in the 3rd act (the love story and the solution to defeating The Mummy were both predictable). Also, the set-up story was repeated too many times. The viewers did not need to hear the same exposition 3 or more times.
The characters were great though – I liked the fact that we got to see the narrative through the 'everyman's' perspective (even if Tom Cruise isn't really an 'everyman'). What I liked the most about his characters was the fact that he was a genuine idiot – let me explain – his character was a thief and not even a very good one, so the stupid actions that he had to make during the plot actually sorta made sense. It would have been illogical if a super smart person acted that certain way that action movie narratives require. I also liked the contrast between the two leads, how she was a scientist and he was totally clueless about most of the stuff except how much everything is worth on the black market. The duo of the two military partners was also good – I liked how one was an adventurer and the other wanted nothing more than not to be there. These contrasts between the characters gave rise to some funny moments. Actually, The Mummy was a way funnier movie in general than I expected it to be. A lot of the funny moments stemed from the awkward encounters or involved characters reacting to stuff – nothing too original but at least these scenes weren't cringe-y.
Looking to the future of the series, the two main things should be kept in mind. First, Russel Crowe's double identity (Jekyll and Hyde, good and evil) will probably come into play in the next film. He, as the head of Prodigium, is the connecting tissue for the Dark Universe, so his involvement in all the films is all but guaranteed. Second, Tom Cruise's character's double identity, acuired in the final act, will probably be also explored further, maybe in other Dark Universe films or perhaps in The Mummy 2, when or if that movie materializes (the future is unclear due to lukewarm reception from critics and moviegoers alike).
The Mummy was directed by the screenwriter Alex Kurtzman – this was only his second directorial attempt and it wasn't a bad one for sure. The pacing was fine and the action sequences were serviceable too. The design of The Mummy was really cool looking as well and her powers were realized well (even if they were really vague). I especially liked that reanimation effect – it lookes appropriatelly disgusting. The world building/the visualization of mythology was fine too. The design for The Mummy's victims-turned-zombies could have been better though – they looked like they were in/from World War Z. Overall, a good directing effort – not groundbreaking but nothing to be ashamed of either.
The Mummy had a pretty well-known cast. The biggest name was, of course, Tom Cruise, in the lead role Nick Morton. Say what you want about him as a person, but I still belive that Cruise is a good actor, especially when he is in his element – an action movie. He is good at physical stunts and charming AF. This time around, he also got a chance to show off his comedic skills – haven't seen those in a while. His next film is Doug Liman's American Made. Annabelle Wallis (quite an unknow actress to me) starred as Jennifer Halsey and was good too. This was defintely her biggest role to date. She also had a small part in the new King Arthur film, which I'm finally seeing in a couple of days.
Sofia Boutella played Princess Ahmanet. She has made a name for herself by performing physically interesting or challenging roles in pictures like Kingsman and Star Trek Beyond. Those skills really helped her embody The Mummy as well. Her next film is Atomic Blonde. Russell Crowe (Noah, The Nice Guys) was also good as Dr. Henry Jekyll. I like the fact that they were able to get a serious actor into this franchise – maybe that will give it more gravitas?
The comedian/actor Jake Johnson (21 Jump Street, Neighbors, Mike and Dave Need Weding Dates) starred as the sidekick to Tom Cruise's character and did a good job being the comic relief. Lastly, Marwan Kenzari, who I just saw in The Promise a handful of days ago, played a security officer. I knew he looked familiar and I was rocking my brain, trying to remembering who he was, everytime he appeared on screen.
In short, while The Mummy is a rocky start to Universal's Dark Universe, it is a perfectly fine summer action movie. It doesn't have any deeper themes, but it is also not convoluted, offensive or boring.
Trailer: The Mummy trailer
June 12, 2017 June 13, 2017 Lou Tagged 21 jump street, acting, action, action adventure, action comedy, action film, action movie, adventure, alex kurtzman, american made, annabelle wallis, blockbuster, bride of frankenstein, christopher mcquarrie, cinema, cinema review, dark universe, david koepp, directing, doctor strange, dr jekyll and mr hyde, dracula, dracula untold, dylan kussman, edge of tomorrow, film, film review, film reviews, filming, films, frankenstein, godzilla, history, inferno, jack reacher, jack reacher never go back, jack ryan, jake johnson, jekyll and hyde, jenny lumet, jon spaiths, Jurassic park, king arthur, king kong, kingsman, kingsman the secret service, kong, kong skull island, legendary monsterverse, live day repeat, marwan kenzari, mike and dave need wedding dates, mission impossible, mission impossible rogue nation, monsterverse, mortdecai, motion picture, motion picture review, motion pictures, movie, movie film, movie preview, movie review, movie reviews, movies, neighbors, nick morton, noah, panic room, passengers, prometheus, rachel getting married, review, reviewing, rogue nation, russel crowe, sofia, sofia boutella, star trek, star trek beyond, summer, summer movie season, summer movies, the invisible man, the mummy, the mummy reboot, the mummy remake, the mummy review, the nice guys, the promise, tom cruise, universal monster, universal monsters, universal's dark universe, world war z, writing	9 Comments
BEST, WORST, and MISSED movies of 2016!
Movie previews, Movie reviews
Yes, it's that time of the year again for me to list my favorite and least favorite pictures. Like last year, I will also give you a top 5 of the films that you might have missed because of various reasons but which are worth a watch. 2015's lists are here.
A short warning before we start: I have not seen all the pictures released this year, especially the majority of the awards contenders, so do not expect to find a lot of them here. Also, this is not an objective ranking of films – these are my subjective personal preferences. That means that the movie you hated might have been one of my favorites and vice versa. Similarly, a film that the critics bashed or a movie that bombed at the box office might also find itself on my best list. Without further ado, let's begin:
The first 5 places on my list are all occupied by big blockbusters. Not surprisingly, two Marvel movies managed to squeeze into the list at number 1 and 5, respectively. The fact that a Harry Potter and a Star Wars film made the list at 4th and 3rd place isn't unexpected either. The biggest shocker of this year and the first half of my list finds itself at number 2. I was extremely worried about Deadpool but it totally blew my mind. Even though it came out back in February, I still cannot forget it and that's why it is a runner-up on my favorite movie list.
The second half on the Top 10 spotlights a few 'regular' movies. Here we have my favorite indie picture at number 6, my favorite drama at number 7 and the best sci-fi I've seen in years at number 8. The list closes with my favorite animation of the year from none other than Disney at 9th place (it was so hard to pick the best animated picture – we had a few good ones in 2016) and the best historical film of the year at 10th place.
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
I wouldn't necessarily state that these films are the worst that I have seen this year but rather the most disappointing. The problem that I had with the majority of them was the fact that they wasted their potential and were extremely generic.
This list has a few sequels that nobody asked for (1st, 3rd, 7th). It also has a couple of YA adaptations that should not have been made the way they were at number 2 and number 8. It has a film that was basically destined to be bad at number 4. Plus, the list has my biggest disappointment of the year at number 5. Lastly, at the 6th place, we find a generic comedy that was not that funny; at number 9 – the worst Spielberg movie possibly ever and, in the last place, we have another bland thriller that was not that thrilling.
Missed Movies:
Everybody Wants Some!! – the latest coming of age drama from Richard Linklater and the spiritual successor to Dazed and Confused, Everybody Want Some!! was a great film that not a lot of people saw. It came out in spring and had a neat story, nice directing, and great performances from a whole cast.
Eye in the Sky – a modern and very topical thriller about contemporary warfare. It was suspenseful and intriguing. The film also featured the last on-screen performance by Alan Rickman.
Eddie the Eagle – the feel-good film of the year. It had an inspiring story about a loveable underdog played by Taron Egerton. Wolverine himself provided the support.
Nocturnal Animals – the second feature from the designer Tom Ford that had one of the most inventive and exciting narratives this year. The film was engaging, it asked questions, and was visually stunning.
The Nice Guys – an actually funny comedy from this summer that nobody saw! It had both style and substance! The lead duo – Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe – were amazing too!
So, these are my lists for the year! What movies did you love or hate in 2016? What is a film that you think I should watch that came out this year? Leave the answers in the comments bellow! I am looking forward to reviewing and discussing movies with you in 2017!
My dorm room's wardrobe
December 31, 2016 December 30, 2016 Lou Tagged 2016 films, 2016 movies, adaptation, alan rickman, alice 2, alice in wonderland, alice through the looking glass, allegiant, animated, animated movie, animation, arrival, art cinema, assasin's creed, best movies, best movies of 2016, boyhood, captain america civil war, cinema, cinema review, cinematography, cinephille, comedy, dazed and confused, deadpool, disney, doctor strange, eddie the eagle, everybody wants some, eye in the sky, fantastic beasts and where to find them, film, film review, film reviews, filming, films, hacksaw ridge, harry potter, hell or high water, independence day, independence day resurgence, indie, indie film, jack reacher, jack reacher never go back, jason bourne, kingsman, linklater, list, marvel, mel gibson, mike and dave need wedding dates, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, motion picture, motion picture review, motion pictures, movie, movie film, movie preview, movie review, movies, nocturnal animals, review, richard linklater, rogue one, rogue one a star wars story, russel crowe, ryan gosling, sequel, speilberg, star wars, steven spielberg, sully, summary, taron egerton, the bfg, the divergent series allegiant, the girl on the train, the nice guys, thriller, tom ford, top 10, top picks, top10, worst movies, worst movies of 2016, writing, ya, ya adaptation, zootopia	4 Comments
Movie review: La La Land
Today, I had a chance to see the current awards front-runner – the film La La Land – so let's review it! I have read a lot of emotional (both positive and negative) tweets about it in my feed these past few weeks, but, as usual, I decided to make up my own mind by watching it.
IMDb summary: A jazz pianist falls for an aspiring actress in Los Angeles.
I would like to begin by saying that La La Land is very much an indie picture – it won't please the majority of the mainstream audiences and it certainly didn't appeal to the majority of the people at my screening, who were complaining throughout the whole runtime. Despite their actions, I took La La Land for what it was – a niche musical about Hollywood – and had a great time watching it.
La La Land was written by Damien Chazelle, who also directed the picture. Chazelle is best known for directing and writing 2014's awards winner Whiplash, but he also wrote the recent 10 Cloverfield Lane. I, personally, found La La Land's story to be interesting. It wasn't the most original but it was executed quite well. I, as a fan of cinema, have always enjoyed movies set in LA and Hollywood. Musicals have also always been my guilty pleasure genre. La La Land combined both of these things in a more successful way than Hail, Caesar – another recent film about Hollywood that featured some musical numbers. Lastly, I loved all the homages in La La Land, especially, the Rebel Without a Cause recreation.
Thematically, the film was also quite good. The character development was great as well – the two leads appeared as fully rounded and real characters. I saw some complaints saying that the lead female character was really unlikeable. To my mind, firstly, the characters don't necessarily have to be likable to interesting. Secondly, I thought that not only the female lead but the male lead had some qualities that made them unlikeable. Besides, real people aren't always likable too, so why should then the movie characters be over-idealized versions of us? I though that the main pair's relationship had its ups and downs and that both individuals involved were damaged as well as rewarded by it. She might not have gotten to fulfill her dreams without him but neither would he have reached his goals without her. Not surprisingly, one of my favorite scenes from the writing perspective was their argument over dinner – it had great timing and a lot of emotional weight. Overall, I did enjoy the message of the film, so dream big because somebody has to.
For the most part, I really enjoyed La La Land's directing. I loved the mixture of the long tracking shots and the speedy montages. I liked the upbeat energy of it, the dreamy atmosphere, the colorful pallet as well as the beautiful settings and the whole mise-en-scene. However, I think that the picture's pace was a bit uneven and that the film was a tiny bit too long.
My biggest problem with La La Land was the fact that the movie was confused about its genre. Maybe this was an intentional decision and if so, I don't think that this particular blend of genres worked. La La Land, at times, was a realistic, grounded, quite modern film, close to a drama. However, a few scenes later, it would very much remind of a filmed theater performance – the levels of overdramatization would go through the roof. This would happen a lot during the musical numbers, which sometimes made the movie seem like a live TV special, like Grease: Live! and Hairspray: Live! I wish the filmmakers would have picked one direction and followed it: either make La La Land into a fully modern or a fully traditional musical.
So, even though La La Land didn't reach the quality of Singing in the Rain, it still had some pretty enjoyable sequences. A couple of my favorites were all the times when Ryan Gosling's character played the main theme of the film. I also really like Gosling's and Stone's interaction during the 'I ran' performance. The dream sequence was also lovely and looked visually stunning. I liked The Messengers' gig scene too. However, my favorite sequence was the dance with the city's skyline in the background.
Justin Hurwitz was responsible for the soundtrack and I think he did a neat job. Although I'm not the biggest fan of jazz, I did appreciate its tunes and all the nostalgia surrounding them in this film. Other songs were beautiful as well but not catchy in that pop-music kinda way. Nevertheless, City of Stars is a magnificent song.
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone made for a great lead duo. Their chemistry was amazing as usual, as this was not the first time they worked together – they have also started in Crazy, Stupid, Love (one of my favorite romantic comedies) and a passable thriller Gangster Squad. Both of the actors did a good job with their singing – theirs were not the best singing performances I've seen in a film but they weren't the worst either. I absolutely loved the dancing, though. I don't know if the two of them are going to win any big awards in the acting category but I could definitely spot a few scenes that were included in their awards reels. For Gosling, it could have been any of the piano playing scenes, while for Stone it was most likely the audition storytelling/singing sequence.
A few of my favorite Stone's film are Easy A, Magic in the Moonlight, Irrational Man, and Birdman. Going forward, she has a sport's comedy Battle of the Sexes listed for next year. Gosling's best film are Blue Valentine, Drive, The Big Short, and The Nice Guys. He will star in the Blade Runner sequel next year.
The film's supporting cast didn't have much to do in the film, but I'd like to mention two individuals who stood out. First one was, of course, well-known singer John Legend – has was great. The second one – J.K.Simmons – it was nice of him to cameo in a different movie by Chazelle as Whiplash earned Simmons an Academy Award and it was nice of Chazelle to include him in the film for the same reason.
To conclude, La La Land was a gorgeous looking film with a nice story, lovely performances, and great music. However, I can't recommend it as a must-watch as I think that only a very open minded audience would enjoy it. With musicals, like this one, you just have to go with everything and do not find the random bursting out into song moments awkward or uncomfortable.
Trailer: La La Land trailer
December 19, 2016 January 11, 2017 Lou Tagged academy awards, art, art cinema, awards, awards contender, awards movies, awards season, best movies, blade runner, blue valentine, chazelle, cinema, cinema review, cinematography, classical music, crazy stupid love, damien chazelle, dancing, easy a, emma stone, film, film review, film reviews, filming, films, gangster squad, hail caesar, hollywood, homages, indie film, indie review, irrational man, jazz, jk simmons, john legend, la, la la land, la la land review, magic in the moonlight, mo, motion picture, motion picture review, motion pictures, movie, movie film, movie preview, movie review, movie reviews, movies, music, musical, musical review, old hollywod, rebel without a cause, romance, ryan gosling, singing, singing in the rain, the big short, the nice guys, themes, whiplash	12 Comments
2016 Summer Movies RANKED
The summer movie season has come to a close, so, it's time to rank the films that Hollywood offered us this year. The 2015's summer movie list is here if you want to check it out.
Now, summer movie season doesn't technically start until April or even May, but, since this is my blog, I will be including some pictures that came out in March because they were big summer-type blockbusters. Also, I will be diving the features into categories – these categories will mostly focus on the genre. While I haven't seen all the movies that have been released, I've definitely watched and reviewed the majority of them so my list(s) will be quite extensive. Lastly, the previous rates that I've given these films don't really count – I will take them into consideration and will also try to be as objective as possible, but my subjective feelings and likes/dislikes will also play a role. Either way, I hope you will enjoy this list and check out the reviews that you might have missed or that just simply interest you!
Comic-Book Movies:
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (theatrical cut)
Live-Action Fairytales:
The Huntsman: Winter's War
Pete's Dragon
Sci-Fi/Action Movies:
TMNT: Out of Shadows
Thrillers:
Dramas:
Comedies:
Eddie The Eagle
Everybody Wants Some!!
Bad Moms
Autumn is usually a slow time for movies before the awards season really kicks in. However, I'm looking forward to a few cinematic adaptations of bestsellers, coming out this fall, including Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Girl on a Train and Inferno. In addition, Marvel's Magic Movie – Doctor Strange and Disney's Moana will also reach theaters, while possible mainstream awards' contenders like The Magnificient Seven, Sully, Snowden, and Arrival will also premiere. The Harry Potter world will be expanded with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, while Tom Cruise will give as another solid action film – Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. I'm quite excited for all these pictures and you can definitely look forward to their reviews in the near future.
Also, I would like to thank all my followers for taking the time to click the 'Follow' button, for reading, liking and commenting on my posts. It means a lot to me and I can't wait to continue writing and discussing movies with you! I also appreciate the fact that you do tolerate my other post – mainly sport and sightseeing ones! Thank You again!
September 5, 2016 August 28, 2017 Lou Tagged 2016, 2016 best movies, 2016 movies, 2016 summer movie season, a hologram for the kind, alice through the looking glass, animated, animated movie, animated picture, animation, apocalypse, arrival, awards, awards contender, awards season, bad moms, bastille day, batman the killing joke, batman v superman, ben hur, cafe society, captain amerIca, captain america civil war, central intelligence, civil war, comedy, comic book movie, comics, deadpool, disney, doctor strange, drama, eddie the eagle, everybody wants some, eye in the sky, fairy tale, fantastic beasts and where to find them, feature, feture, film, film list, film review, film reviews, filming, films, finding dory, florence foster jenkins, genius, genre, ghostbusters, girl on a train, harry potter, independant film, independence day, independence day resurgence, inferno, jack reacher, jack reacher never go back, jason bourne, list, listing, live action, live action fairy tale, m, marvel, me before you, mike and dave need wedding dates, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, moana, money monster, motion picture, motion picture review, motion pictures, movie, movie film, movie list, movie preview, movie review, movie reviews, movies, nerve, now you see me, now you see me 2, pete's dragon, review, reviewing, snowden, star trek beyond, suicide squad, sully, summer, summer film list, summer movie list, summer movies, summer movies ranked, summer of 2016, teenage mutant ninja turtles, teenage mutant ninja turtles out of shadows, the bfg, the huntsman, the huntsman winter's war, the jungle book, the legend of tarzan, the magnificient seven, the neon demon, the nice guys, the secret life of pets, the shallows, thriller, tmnt, tmnt out of shadows, tom cruise, war dogs, warcraft, x men, x-men: apocalypse, xmen	2 Comments
Another buddy comedy has hit theaters, so let's review it!
IMDb summary: Based on the true story of two young men, David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, who won a $300 million contract from the Pentagon to arm America's allies in Afghanistan.
War Dogs is kinda similar to the other to buddy comedies of this summer – The Nice Guys and Central Intelligence, in that they all have a contrasting duo in a lead. The film also shares some topical similarities (greed) with Pain & Gain and even The Wolf of Wall Street.
War Dogs was written by Stephen Chin, Todd Phillips, and Jason Smilovic, based on Guy Lawson's book Arms and the Dudes, which was inspired by true events. The film's narrative was fine – it had a few clever things to say about war, mainly, that was is an economy. It also explored the greed of people and portrayed it as the biggest flaw of humanity. Lastly, the movie touched upon the performative aspect of communication – War Dogs showed how specific individuals can read other people and modify their own manners and appearance to fit the vision that the others have of them.
The first act of the film felt a bit choppy – I couldn't figure out where the story was going, but in the middle of the 2nd act, everything started to flow nicely. War Dogs also had a lot of narration and, while, to my mind, it worked well, to a lot of movie-goers it is a bad thing. The picture's ending was a bit abrupt, though. I did not feel that there was a full resolution and I also thought that the two criminals got away way too easily.
Todd Phillips of The Hangover trilogy was at the helm of this picture and did a good job. War Dogs was quite a slow but really well made and entertaining film. I wanted to see a bit more action but I guess they decided to go the drama route and explore the relationship between the two characters. The intro montage set the stage for the upcoming story neatly and explained the premise clearly and concisely. I also liked the structure of the feature – how it was divided into a bunch of vignette-like parts. The names of these vignettes, which were just random lines of dialogue, were also cool and perfectly summarized the main ideas of these specific pieces of the film. The soundtrack wasn't bad either.
The two leads of the movie were played by Jonah Hill and Miles Teller. Their characters were both clever idiots, only Hill's character was the more crazy and greedy one, while Teller's character was presented as the protagonist, the everyday-man that the audiences are supposed to root for.
Hill was amazing as the selfish Efraim Diveroli, the only element of his performance that annoyed me slightly was that laugh. He played a similar character in the already mentioned The Wolf of Wall Street. In addition, Hill isn't new to the buddy comedy genre – his big break was in Superbad (the teen comedy about two guys), while in the recent years he has returned to the genre with Changing Tatum and 21+22 Jump Street. Now, Hill replaced Tatum with Teller but, thankfully, Hill's and Teller's chemistry is as good if not better.
Miles Teller was also great in the role of David Packouz. I've told you numerous times that I'm a fan of his and was extremely soud after Fantastic Four turned out the way it did. I hope that Teller will start clicking with the audiences soon, because he is a really talented actor. If you don't belive me, just watch Whiplash. He was also good in small comedies 21 and Over, Two Night Stand and That Awkward Moment. Going forward, Teller has a boxing movie coming up as well as a drama and an action flick. I don't know if he will return to the Divergent franchise as the last installment of that series is still up in the air and will probably go to the TV.
An important supporting role was played by Bradley Cooper who also produced the picture. Cooper was fine in the movie but I was actually much more interested to find out that he produces basically all his big films like Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, and American Sniper. Going forward, he has a few voice roles for Marvel/Disney and Universal.
In short, War Dogs was a fine summer picture that had a great release date – if it would have come out earlier in the summer, it would have probably been burried underneath the big blockbusters. The film had okay directing and writing, while the standout feature of the movie were the performances of and the chemistry between the two leads.
Trailer: War Dogs trailer
August 24, 2016 Lou Tagged 21 and over, 21 jump street, 22 jump street, allegiant, american hustle, american sniper, bradley cooper, buddy comedy, central intelligence, channing tatum, comedy, comedy movie, directing, divergent, drama, fanfourstick, fantastic four, feature, film, film review, film reviews, filming, films, guardians of the galaxy, hail caesar, insurgent, jonah hill, miles teller, motion picture, motion picture review, motion pictures, movie, movie film, movie review, movie reviews, movies, pain and gain, review, silver linings playbook, soundtrack, stop motion, superbad, that awkward moment, the hangover, the hangover trilogy, the nice guys, the wolf of wall street, todd phillips, two night stand, war dogs, war dogs review, whiplash, writing	10 Comments


I have a gateway with several VPN's on. Some via the Internet, and some routed internally via MPLS lines. These all work fine. Now I'm trying to set up a new site-to-site VPN and it isn't working.
So my peer IP is a DMZ interface - 12.12.12.178.
I'm VPNing to remote peer IP 192.168.145.10.
On the firewall I'm routing 192.168.145.0/24 via 12.12.12.224.
I have an existing VPN set up in the same way via a different DMZ interface and that works fine - although I'm reminded that we had exactly the same problem when setting that up, and I fixed it on my side. I just can't remember what I did to fix it, hence asking for help!
The problem is that the remote side is seeing me coming from the gateway's public "main IP" - shown as A.A.A.A on the diagram. In Ikeview I see IP's 192.168.145.10 and 12.12.12.178 in packets 1 to 5, then in packet 6 I'm sending my public A.A.A.A IP to the remote peer. I don't understand why?
On my gateway I've got VPN link selection set as follows, using the routing table, which is correct.
I can't really alter this otherwise existing VPN's will stop working.
Does anyone know what else I need to do to stop P1 Packet 6 sending my A.A.A.A IP instead of the correct 12.12.12.178 IP?
I believe what you are seeing is that your gateway is sending it's Main IP as the Ike ID for the VPN tunnel and the peer not completing the process and essentially the tunnel not forming.
Do you know what the far end of the tunnel gateway is? I know on cisco ASA they can either turn off some strict checking of the Ike Id against the peer IP, or they can set the IKE to your main IP but have the peer IP as the IP that you desire.
No worries Matt. Glad you got it sorted.


The King Memorial MARTA station provides access to several apartment communities and residential loft buildings near downtown Atlanta and Georgia State University. The area is hip, urban and historic, with attractions such as Oakland Cemetery, Grant Park and the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site nearby. See below for area information and the list of nearby apartments.
Many of the apartments are new in the area due to recent neighborhood revitalization. A mixed-used development is planned next to the station, so there will be more amenities and foot traffic in the future, though for now you have to leave the neighborhood to buy most your groceries. Neighborhood highlights include easy access to downtown Atlanta and the BeltLine in addition to outdoor recreation options at nearby Grant Park and Selena S. Butler Park.
The King Memorial MARTA station is on the blue and green rail and provides direct service to downtown Atlanta, Philips Arena, Georgia Dome, Edgewood Retail District (where you can reach a Kroger and Target), Little 5 Points and many restaurant options in Downtown Decatur.
In 2014, the biggest crime issue in the area was vehicle theft followed by robbery. There have also been a handful of aggravated assaults, but closer to the King Historic District and not in the areas near the apartments (source: APD).


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This little Stanley block plane, the first woodworking tool I owned and still one of my favorites, has a surprising heft. I cradle it in my left palm, sole up, where the contours of the lever cap – the assembly that holds the blade in place – fit neatly into the two deep furrows, what palm readers call the head and heart lines, that mark the deepest cleft of my skin. My hand feels pleased, as always, to discover something that fulfills it so precisely. I can just see my fate line tracing its way over the edge of my palm and disappearing between my first and second fingers. My fingers themselves are curled slightly, nestling the plane. Small scars trace the landscape of my knuckles, souvenirs from countless unremembered mishaps with fishing hooks and carving knives and pavement. This left hand, the central instrument for my interactions with the world, has been bitten by frost and by dogs, scraped along gravel roads, burned while setting bonfires with gasoline, made to suffer innumerable indignities. Most of the skin on the palm and pads of the fingers was once abraded off during a long and desperate slide down a gritty rope after a climbing harness broke. The hand was immersed many times in buckets of acetone and xylene and lacquer thinner in the days before anyone thought much about how toxic that stuff was. It is the hand that first reached for the man who lay face down in the water after he jumped from the bridge, and the one with which I greeted both my children, their first touch outside the womb.
My right hand is less supple than the left, rougher, simpler. It didn't seem to mind when a shard of coral from a bodysurfing accident lodged itself alongside the third finger, inhabiting that warm space for over a year before sliding out. And at the lake, when I inadvertently pierced the thumb with a homemade arrow, it never complained but let the wound heal quietly into the delicate white ridge that lies there today. There's not much of a thumb joint left on my right hand after too many unreasonable demands made by ski poles and water-ski bars and sailing ropes. I seem never to have learned there are limits to how long my thumb can lock my grip and hold all my weight. Nowadays, if I don't apply too much pressure, my right thumb works fine, but if I try to lift a phone book by its spine or carry a two-by-four across the shop with a single, overhand grip, I can cripple the joint for a month.
My hands guide the plane along this fine, straight-grained maple as the blade lifts small shavings into the throat and twists them into a myriad of spiraling shapes. The sharp edge slices the wood into ribbons of parchment rolled tight, a secret testament. The test of good planing is to be able to unroll the shavings onto an open book and read through them to the text beneath. If the shavings are thin enough – a few thousandths of an inch – the words magically appear as though written on the wood, just as they did when we were kids writing in lemon juice and holding the paper over a candle flame. The magic of memory is only one of many spells woven by the work of hands.
The perceptual accuracy of the human body routinely exceeds that of the finest instruments we can devise. The eye can detect a single photon. And the well-trained ear is capable of hearing sound variations undetectable by machines. I depend on machines; I'm not going to be throwing clogs into them anytime soon. But no matter how advanced they become, the important work in my craft is done by hands: careful selection, by sight and by touch, of woods and grain, the refinement of softly eased edges, the clarity and smoothness of hand-rubbed surfaces.
The powerful lever of my elbow opens and closes as I push the plane along the wood and retrieve it for another stroke. High up my arm two opposing muscles act as a piston: the triceps at the back and biceps on the front, the three-headed and two-headed dragons of labor. The muscles wind toward the shoulder, anchoring their five heads in and around the bones. Their origin lies just below the watchful eye of a raven who perches on the bony outcrop at the crest of my shoulder called the coracoid process: coraco is Greek for raven.
As my hands and arms tire, the maple not yet smooth, I begin to rock back and forth with the rhythm of the plane, pressing forward as the shavings make a trill like a fishing lure sent out on a long cast, looking for the deepest water. The more sustained sound means the shavings are becoming longer, the surface of the wood closer to – but never reaching – absolute flatness. I'm aware of my legs coordinating the motion, the large muscles with names like vastus lateralis and gastrocnemius ("the belly of the leg") pumping to get my trunk on the upswing as I pull the plane back, and rolling down with momentum as I return the plane to the wood. And facilitating it all, way down in the unappreciated hinterland of my body, are my feet. They don't get much fanfare yet make possible many aspects of this work that would otherwise be difficult. Especially the big toe, which in ancient times was called the hallux, meaning "thumb of man": it helps me stay on balance, remain planted firmly in the work. Thus the feet and the hands are companions in the labor of the body, ensuring that I am both solidly grounded and free to glide on the shimmering wings of creative work.
In learning this craft I am what is usually called self-taught. Yet I don't think of it that way, of my self as the guide, but rather as having learned under the auspices of an elusive presence: the still, implacable mountain of the creative. It makes sense to me that Fu Xi, the most ancient of Taoist sages and the traditionally acknowledged originator of the eight trigrams, is depicted as a living mountain. After all, mountains are symbols of ascent toward refinement, illumination, understanding. They are the abodes of gods and are sometimes gods themselves.
The angle of the V-cut for the ramps is important, too. The front ramp must be shallow enough to allow plenty of room for shavings to accumulate and for my fingers to scoop them out. The rear ramp must position the blade in such a way that it has enough leverage to shear off wood fibers. This is a delicate balance, and it's one of the things woodworkers debate endlessly. The mechanics involved are complex; since I don't understand them, it seems best just to press on.
I choose an angle of forty-five degrees for the ramps, smack in the middle between zero and ninety on the complex spectrum of blade mechanics.1 I make the cut, which frees a triangular section and leaves the front and rear ramps. I save the triangular piece – I'll use it later for the wedge that will hold the blade in place.
I use a router to shape the cap screw channel. The cap screw is part of the chip breaker assembly, which fastens to the blade, stabilizing it and preventing shavings from growing too large and unwieldy. It is the blade's companion, the way a scabbard is a sword's companion. As I shape the channel, the router's spinning cutter sends small shards of wood out in all directions, like strands of pale confetti or a fireworks of tiny shavings. Then I make the cross-pin, a small wooden bolt like a clavicle designed to hold the wedge and blade in place. I like to make small pieces using only hand tools – knives, rasps, rifflers – so I spend a quiet hour just whittling, shaping the pin and test-fitting it, trying not to slice the ends of my fingers. I pay attention to the way my hands hold the wood, search for where it's still rough, slide over the smooth parts where the work is done.
Now, with all the parts of the body complete (but not the sole), I'm ready to assemble the plane with glue. I place the cross-pin through its mounting holes and position the cheeks on either side of the ramps that will house the open throat. As I go through the steps of naming and placing each piece, I realize how much their names – throat, cheeks, mouth – evoke the language of the voice, of singing. This feels good and right for the use to which this instrument will be put.
With the sole affixed I make final adjustments to the mouth of the plane, where shavings will spiral up toward the throat. Technically, the mouth is the opening in the sole through which the blade protrudes like a sharp tongue. The throat is where the shavings end up, farther up the body of the plane alongside the cheeks. The mouth must be formed precisely: wide enough that the blade can move through it in a range of depths, yet narrow enough that it holds the surface of the wood flat just in front of the blade. When the mouth is properly formed, wood fibers are pressed down right up to the moment they encounter the blade. This helps prevent "tearout" of the wood. The term is self-descriptive but doesn't begin to capture the frustration one experiences when chunks of the wood suddenly tear off, leaving ragged cavities in an otherwise smooth surface. I pay close attention to the mouth, using my sharpest and favorite chisel – forged of Japanese aogami hagane, or fine "blue steel" – to pare away the excess wood in small increments, feeling the hard lignum vitae yield to the steel. The final strokes of the chisel are a joy: simple, rewarding work.
I fit the blade into the throat as though the plane were swallowing a sword. Then I shape the small maple wedge that will press against the cross-pin and hold the blade in place during use. This takes a bit of finicking, pushing the blade into place, carefully inserting the wedge, looking for gaps in the mating surface or signs of poor alignment. But in the end it fits; the entire assembly is solid and strong. The last thing now – the very last – is flattening the sole.
The traditional Taoists have their own ideas about flattening the soul, preparing it for proper use: alchemical practices, esoteric spiritual exercises, mysterious philosophies. These devotions are intended to provide a means of refining the spirit, of flattening out the self-important ego, of letting go of illusion. They call this work, among other things, "cooking in the cauldron of the eight trigrams."2 It is a means of transformation, as the wood in my hands is being transformed, and as I am being transformed by the work of my hands.
I move the sole back and forth on the surface of the glass, wet and dark with abrasive particles. I gaze into its surface, watching, waiting for the image to clear. And when it does, I'll see my own true face, what the ancient Taoists would call my original face. But I don't see that face, at least not yet. Instead, I see a mountain.
From the back patio of our little house in Maui on the slope where Pu'u Kukui, the "hill of enlightenment," meets the sea, I could trace with my eye the path we had chosen to climb. The long, knife-edge ridge was clearly visible as it rose up from the lowlands, growing more dense as it went until it disappeared into a canopy spread out across a stretch of terrain, deep in shadow, that lay beneath the summit. The grove of pines on the peak made a small outline against the backdrop of the brightening day. Along the remote, lush slopes of Pu'u Kukui, the most pristine spirit of nature still prevailed: stars wheeling overhead and the earth, replete, humming.
Perhaps it was not boars that made the path. It could as easily have been the menehune, elves of Hawaiian lore who live deep in the mountains and are renowned as craftsmen. Or other elusive beings: after all, Taoist legend speaks of Peng-lai, the island abode of immortals, somewhere in the sea east of China. Ancient explorers seeking the sacred mushrooms of that place claim to have seen the island vanish into the depths.3 Maui lies directly east of China, at a distance of about 5,000 miles; and I have seen the low clouds of an approaching tropical storm hide even the high peaks of that island behind great bastions of moisture that reflect the sea and erase the land, giving the impression of a dark blue sky that extends to the horizon.
We climbed for roughly three hours along a narrow ridge. As the trail ascended, the ground fell away on either side until, high up, the path became a narrow passage along a sharp crest with hundreds of feet of vertical drop on either side. On the cliffs a riot of climbing shoots, creepers, and moss filled every niche. Shrubs and hardy trees clung to the face, their branches and trunks meandering out into empty air and back again. Eventually the crest opened out onto a wider, more gentle slope from which we could see down into Honokohau Valley with its sheer, thousand-foot cliff of many waterfalls called "the wall of tears." Farther on we stopped for a rest at Violet Lake, where a rare form of native violet nestled alongside greensword, lobelia, and tiny ohia with their soft-spiked red blossoms.
I was glad we stopped, for as I had climbed higher it became clear to me that the summit was a place of ancient sacredness. It would have seemed an intrusion, a trespass, to enter that domain without a specific and compelling purpose. We had none. A small grove of trees lay to one side of the bog and I wandered over there. I wanted to be alone in this most remote place, to sit and listen to water dripping on the leaves. But I never quite formed those thoughts. Rather I found myself, at a certain moment, within a rough circle made by the moss-covered trees. Looking up through the branches overhead, I could see clouds, dark in the dwindling day.


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Local News / News / Student Spotlight
Q&A: Local Rap Duo ZAP Talk About Their Inspiration and More
by Audric Macone · May 30, 2019
Gun$linger (Zack Stevens) performing live at Bombs Away Cafe while Jaapur (Jasper Eckert) keeps the beats flowing from the DJ booth in the back. (Photo by Aaron Ojeda)
Jasper Eckert preps his DJ equipment on stage. His partner, Zack Stevens, is connecting the sound equipment and making sure the sounds are loud and vivid.
Eckert begins to play some beats off speakers that make the whole room shake. The bumpy noise is introduced to Stevens' voice as he begins to rap. They are practicing for their performance at Bomb's Away Cafe.
These aspiring musicians combine to make the duo ZAP. Stevens, known as Gun$linger, is the rapper/producer, and Eckert, known as Jaapur, is the engineer/DJ of the group.
How did you get involved with music?
Eckert: The first memory I have of creating music is realizing what harmonics are on a guitar. Before I could really socialize with adults, when I was 3 or 4 years old, I was in the hallway with my Dad's guitar hitting it in specific spots to make it sound super cool.
Stevens: Through lyrical writing first, which was inspired by music from a very young age. Inspired by rock, blues and most of the music that my parents were listening to, I started writing lyrics when I was about 9 years old. I started picking up actual instruments around middle school. From there I was in a couple of bands with Jasper.
What surprised you the most being a musician?
Eckert: When someone approaches you as an artist, and not a musician.
What do you find the most challenging?
Stevens: Being able to promote yourself independently is a very big task. We just don't have a lot of outlets other than the very standard ones, and it's becoming even more common for people to put their music on iTunes and Spotify. It's so easily accessible that it is actually diluting what you're doing in a sense.
What is the best thing since you've started being a musician?
Stevens: The ability to express emotion where I can't in words. I am able to do that in music, whether that is instrumentally, lyrically, or both. That's the most fulfilling part because there isn't a lot of success in this industry. I've had some milestones, but as far as making money off of this consistently, there hasn't been a lot of that.
When your family found out that you were planning to be a musician, what did they say?
Stevens: It's still a realization that my parents have constantly as I continue to pursue music and try to make it my full-time vocation. It's definitely not something that I explicitly said to them, it's just something that through my actions, it has been shown and will continue to be shown.
Eckert: I feel like it was a slow realization. I didn't have to tell anybody, everybody just realized it after a while. For some part of my family, it was a lot easier to understand and support than others.
Who is someone that has influenced your work?
Stevens: My older brother was the reason I got into writing hip-hop lyrics. I always looked up to my brother, so it was almost like he inspired me to aspire to be what he grew up listening to, and still listens to.
Hip-hop has become the most popular genre in music, do you think that will affect your audience?
Eckert: I definitely wouldn't have had the inspiration from hip-hop if it weren't so popular. The fact that it's the most popular genre right now, I think isn't necessarily in my favor as much as another genre would be. My creations of music are more drawn towards electronic, so I make hip-hop beats in an electronic fashion.
If you weren't making music, what do you think you would do instead?
Stevens: I'd be struggling man. If I didn't have music, a lot of my dire situations that are really difficult would seem much more difficult. It's just really hard for me to put myself in the shoes of someone who isn't an artist because I don't really see myself doing anything else.
Eckert: If you took away music from my life there would be enough of a person there. I would probably be doing some other sort of expressive outlet that allows me to feel OK with the human experience.
As a musician, what sort of trends have you seen?
Eckert: Numbers, people think songs are good just because of numbers.
How would your audience best describe you?
Eckert: Eclectic and diverse. Inconsistent with those who don't recognize my style. My album has three different genres on it at least. They are very different songs. There are common themes of course, but overall, down to try new things, expressive, and experimental.
Is it difficult to find people to work with?
Stevens: Yes and no. People can be standoffish because they think they know better, but collaborating comes with the understanding that not everything you say, or contribute, is going to be a part of that collaboration. People need to realize it is an equal contribution. Otherwise, it will just be two people butting heads. It's not hard to find people to work with, but finding the right people.
What else can you tell me about ZAP?
Eckert: It's basically our names combined, Zack and Jasper, ZAP. We made it in high school and then released a really experimental three-track EP. We're trying to make our next release the most, potent. We also have so much unreleased music, we need to get around to just making releases happen.
Story by Audric Macone
Jasper Eckert AKA JAAPUR. DJ and engineer for other artists.
New album: Star is the universe Part 2 coming soon
From: Corvallis
Interests: Creating art
Zack Stevens AKA Gun$linger. Rapper and producer, writes and creates all his music. New single "Without You" available on most streaming services.
From: Eugene
Interests: Making and creating connections.
Tags: Audric MaconeGun$lingerHip-hopJaapurJasper EckertZack StevensZAP
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text:
/**
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 * A collection of helper methods used by Xooie modules.
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define('xooie/helpers', ['jquery'], function ($) {
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


To help us make the Broadland Catchment Partnership website a positive place for everyone, we've been using the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. These guidelines explain how to make web content more accessible for people with disabilities, and user friendly for everyone.
The guidelines have three levels of accessibility (A, AA and AAA). We've chosen Level AA as the target for the Broadland Catchment Partnership website.


raumplus sliding doors make space. They can be used to create open-plan interiors without having to lose the protection and discretion offered by enclosed areas. Used as room dividers, our doors can temporarily section off any zone – from kitchens an bathrooms through guest and conference areas – when you need to shut out eyes, noises, or odors. And when you're done, the "temporary wall" can be removed in an instant, restoring your open-plan interior's generous spaces.


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Home Science Dennis believes he sees Jupiter in Belgian skies: How to distinguish visible stars and when to see them?
Dennis believes he sees Jupiter in Belgian skies: How to distinguish visible stars and when to see them?
Cary Douglas Sep 03, 2022 0 Comments
Sometimes even without our knowledge, we are used to seeing stars other than normal stars in our sky after dark. Dennis looked into the clear Brussels night sky a few days ago and wondered if the star he saw was the most distant planet, Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, 628 million kilometers from Earth.
"It's hard to say for sure it's Jupiter because the photo isn't of extraordinary quality, but it's possible", explains Dr. Lee Bin San Baum of the Royal Observatory of Belgium."That night, three planets were visible in the sky: Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.".
If Dennis had photographed the sky before 9 p.m., it would have excluded Saturn rising after that time. And if he took the photo before midnight, it couldn't have been Mars, which rises even later.
Depending on their positions relative to Earth and the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are visible after sunset, before sunset, or even during most of the night.
5 Planets visible to the naked eye according to periods
Depending on the time of year and night, the 5 closest planets to Earth, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are visible to the naked eye. The other two planets in the solar system, Uranus and Neptune, are out of range.
If Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are visible throughout the night, this is not the case for Mercury and Venus: being closer to the Sun than the Earth, it is impossible for these planets to be behind the Earth in relation to the Sun.
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You can see below Monitoring calendar About the visible dates of planets in our sky. Note that this table shows the months of 2022. Visibility varies from year to year.
(c) Royal Observatory of Belgium
How to distinguish them, an ignorant?
Now that we know when to look for them, we still need to know how to tell them apart. "Not easy for the uninitiated eye", says Dr. Lê Binh San Pham."From a distance, visible planets look like stars in the sky, but they do not twinkle". Also, since these planets revolve around the Sun, unlike the stars, their positions are comparable to those of the stars.
A few things are similar to try to identify them: First is Venus, which some call the 'evening star'. It is much brighter than the others, followed by Jupiter, the second most visible planet. As for Mars, because of the color of its soil, it is distinguished by its luminous glow, although it is not always visible, especially when the planet is far from the Sun.
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About the Author: Cary Douglas
"Beer trailblazer. Web buff. Problem solver. Pop culture fan. Hipster-friendly travel aficionado."
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Cedar roofs are beautiful and practically the trademark of New England. They are also very practical because of the fact they can far outlast an asphalt roofing system. The only requirement besides proper installation is maintaining the cedar shingles.
The red cedar loses its red hue rapidly due to the natural degradation from the Sun's UV Rays. Therefore a silver color is considered to be proper aging. Unfortunately it is rare for a roof to demonstrate this coloring, largely in part due to other natural entities. Algae, bacteria, mildew and fungus love to grow on the ever so porous cedar. You will be hard pressed to find a cedar roof anywhere in Massachusetts that is completely silver in color due to the overbearing nature of algae. Oftentimes you will see cedar roofs that have a black hue to them, this is a bacteria growth that some people confuse with the proper aging I spoke about above.
This bacteria is called Gleoecapsa Magma and has been around for thousands of years. It has a life cycle like every growing thing on the planet, and during this cycle the millions of present bacteria are in a constant state of growing and dying. All the while feeding on and decomposing your roofing system and also creating a nutrient base that lichen and moss will grow on and feed on.
Moss and lichen growth are very bad for any wooden roof largely due to the fact they decompose the roof and they cause over saturation of the shingles due to their absorbing properties.
It is imperative that you keep your roof clean and free from these growths if you want to get a decent life span out of your roof.
I get a lot of questions from my customers asking if they should seal their roof. My answer is always the same. There is a fine line with sealing a cedar roof because of the fact that you can hurt the roof by preventing its ability to breath. Cedar needs to breath or it could rot from moisture that can get trapped under and inside the shakes. Not only that but you will then be entering into a maintenance plan with your roof. It is far more cost effective to just clean it every 5 years or so than to re seal it every 2 years.
If you are looking for an expert for Cedar Roof Restoration in Cape Cod, MA, then please call 508-209-7795 or complete our online request form.


Orange County Breakers tennis player Nicole Gibbs hits a return during a Mylan World Team Tennis match against the Springfield Lasers on Monday during the Breakers' first home match in Newport Beach.
Newport Beach-based tennis team Orange County Breakers had their first home game of the season Monday, pulling out a close win 23-15 against the Springfield Lasers.
For more information, visit breakerstennis.com.
Breaker Steve Johnson finished the night strong with a 5-2 win in men's singles.
Steve Johnson (left) and Ken Skupski during the men's doubles match against the Lasers. Johnson and Skupski won 5-2.