I went a very traditional route when it came to my approach to film.  Classes in undergrad that turned to a Masters degree at NYU in Cinema Studies. I firmly believe that to be a good critic you need to understand cinema as more than just entertainment, flickering images on screen whose importance only lasts for the two hours that you’re there.  I also believe that film is its own medium, with its own rules that cannot be cobbled together from an understanding of other disciplines.  I went to school to help me understand cinema in that way, but I know many people who simply watched and read and learned from their peers; who began life, like me, as English majors, or journalists, or art historians.  Or just film buffs, obsessed with the latest release as well as the most obscure cult classic.  What unites us is an unabashed love of film, and a need to talk about it not just as a piece of entertainment but as something that is endemic to our culture, to our existences.

Being as traditionally trained as you can get in the film world, I of course have worshipped at the altar of Andre Bazin, Cahiers du Cinema, Pauline Kael and Andrew Sarris.  So why do I feel that so-called ‘legitimate’ film criticism has completely lost its way? I’m not talking about blogs or websites, but about the sources that, for a very long time, I snobbishly venerated over sites, believing that their criticism meant more than the common fanboy/girl in the multiplex.  I’m talking about the New York Times, the New Yorker, The Washington Post.  The people that are paid good money to give their opinion on movies.  These are supposed to be the legitimate critics, the intellectual voices.

Reading the regular critical reviews of Iron Man 3, I was struck once more by how really, incredibly … snobbish they were.  How they were treating a summer blockbuster as though they expected it to be 8 ½. I am a firm believer in film as a measure of the cultural zeitgeist, and maybe Manohla Dargis and Anthony Lane have a point when they talk about the juxtaposition of terrorism and the tribulations of Iron Man.  But it is as though they have approached the film with the snooty understanding that they know better than the film – that they are, in fact, superior to the movie they’re watching, long before they’ve ever seen it.

The kind of criticism that comes from Dargis, Scott, Lane, Denby et al. has become obsolete not because they work for newspapers and magazines, but because they decline to accept the fact that film – and film criticism – has changed since the days of Sarris and Kael.    While those critics were instrumental with bringing certain mainstream attractions to the attention of the cognescenti (the Western gained prominence due to them, as did American gangster films, and the cult of the auteur), they did not ultimately dictate the way films were made (as much as they wanted to).  Hollywood in particular remained independent of the critical discourse – the Dream Factory did not care what you thought of their dreams.  Kael and Sarris were lone voices in a land where film still held less importance (again, according to the canon) than theatre or literature.

Andre Bazin, bein’ critical.

Times have changed.  Lest we forget, film criticism is still a young discipline.  Over the years, it has been more or less a mimic of theatre, literary and art criticism. It has long been the arbiter of what is ‘good’ film and what is ‘bad.’ Or rather, what is important and what is mere ‘entertainment.’ Critics like Kael and Sarris cast themselves as cultural gatekeepers, defining cinema as they saw fit. And we should not ignore or lambast their contributions to the discipline. But like most mainstream criticism, Sarris and Kael (and yes, Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel too) were far too limited in their outlook.  They wanted there to be good and bad cinema, and they wanted to be the ones to tell the public what that is.  Now, with the increase of niche marketing, with the appreciation and commodification of cult films and badness for badness’s sake, with the growth of genre as the defining factor in many films, that type of criticism simply won’t wash.  There’s no such thing as good or bad anymore.

Films are no longer quite as genre-stratified as we’d like them to be.  When Dargis reviews Iron Man 3, she writes as though she were Pauline Kael informing you of whether or not this film is worthwhile.  No one thinks that way any more – film criticism has become markedly democratic, thanks to blogs and social media.  Now everyone with a computer can weigh in with their opinion.  Some of those opinions are monosyballic; others are intelligent and well-thought out surveys of the contemporary culture.  But the sheer amount of criticism, good and bad, means that a single critic or cadre of critics quality controlling cinematic production is impossible.  And that, I think, seriously pisses off the mainstream critics.

I don’t think that intellectual film criticism is obsolete.  But critics like Dargis and Scott need to look to their own houses, rather than complaining about the state of the cinematic culture.  The cinematic culture is alive and well and full of people, young and old, who want to discuss cinema in a serious and meaningful way.  The reason why these critics are becoming obsolete is not because the world, the media and film have materially changed, edging out intellectualism in favor of supposedly geeky fanboys who just want Superman again.  The mainstream critics devalue that world because they don’t understand it, and don’t want to.  They are becoming obsolete not because film culture has changed; they are becoming obsolete because they refuse to change with it. That’s what obsolescence is.

Sharlto Copley, the lead in District 9 and also a lead antagonist for Matt Damon in this summer’s Elysium, is featured in this trailer for the indie sci-fi flick Europa Report, due out in June. Check out the mysterious footage below:

More found footage stuff is fine by me, as I normally like that sort of thing (Thumbs up to Cloverfield and Chronicle) and this type of story is right up my alley, PLUS I like this trailer more than I like the one for Gravity, because that one gave me such an Open Water feeling (not a complete negative – but just not all that exciting) that I’d rather check this one out. Plus Copley is awesome and hopefully we get much more of him in the coming years.

♥♥♥1/2

What say you?

Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.

The characters, who are actually the twin children of Magneto (heard of him?) will be appearing alongside our favorite group of superheroes in the sequel. Whedon said in a recent interview:

“You know, they had a rough beginning. They’re interesting to me because they sort of represent the part of the world that wouldn’t necessarily agree with The Avengers. So they’re not there to make things easier. I’m not putting any characters in the movie that will make things easier.”

I’m not a comic book aficionado but the combination of universes here can get a little tricky because Marvel doesn’t own the rights to Magneto so you’d have to wonder if we’ll actually learn of their background or if it will be changed or… who knows.

In Whedon We Trust.

So now the question is… who gets to play these two? Cast it up in the comments below!

I appreciate this new wave of sneak peeks where directors get all tech-savvy and tweet out pictures from behind the scenes. But Bryan Singer is doing it all the time! Ease up a bit, huh?

That being said…

He gave us two really good ones this past week that I felt needed to be shared with all of you.

First up is Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence in makeup as Mystique which means fanboys everywhere get excited because it’s kinda like she’s naked! And blue! And… say something good about her acting abilities so you’re not being misogynistic!!!

Here’s the best actress out there right now, ready for action:

Then… he tweeted a picture of Peter Dinklage, the “Game of Thrones” actor extraordinaire, reading the script. Sounds uninteresting. Until you see it…

The mustache has some experts speculating that Dinklage, who’s role has been kept under wraps thus far, will be playing Bolivar Trask, the man who invents the Sentinels, who also happens to sport a pretty sweet ‘stache. The Sentinels are supposed to be making an appearance in the film, which features every X-Men actor ever, so this could prove to be correct. The only catch is that Trask did make an appearance in the deservedly forgotten X-Men: The Last Stand and with the combination of the original trilogy with the First Class universe, you’d have to wonder how Singer could pull that off…

That being said, it’s getting a little convoluted around here and one can only hope that Bryan Singer knows what he’s doing.

How are you feeling about Days of Future Past? Nervous? Excited?

And it’s very much like the first one…

And it’s exactly what it should be. Enjoy:

Ok, so here’s my idea that will never happen:

EVERY trailer that is going to be posted for this film (due out in December) needs to be EXACTLY like this. Do not show us any footage. Do not give up any of the jokes. Do. Not. Spoil. Anything.

We’ll be there. Just deliver the goods in December and all will be just fine.

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Les Anderson (Corey Haim) dreams of escaping the dreary confines of the school bus; to speed through the streets in a fast car with the hottest girl in school, Mercedes Lane (Heather Graham), hugging up on him from the passenger seat. Unfortunately, Les has these dreams during driver’s ed, the one class he needs to pay attention in if he ever hopes to pass his driving test and make those dreams a reality. Before his big test day, fate intervenes and Les scores a date with Mercedes, but fate, the cruel mistress she is, giveth opportunity and taketh freedom. With no license, Les should cancel his plans, but when Mercedes calls, he slips out in his grandpa’s Cadillac for a night he’ll never forget… and he doesn’t know how unforgettable it’s about to be!

License to Drive is Les Anderson’s coming of age story, but it is also a rite of passage for several of the cast and crew involved. It’s writer Neil Tolkin’s first produced script. It is director Greg Beeman’s first feature. It is the first credited feature role for both Heather Graham and Michael Manasseri. I’m sure there are others, but you get the point. Besides, the firsts don’t matter nearly as much as how well does it handle?

License to Drive is a poor man’s Superbad. Is that weird to say? Obviously, License to Drive released nearly twenty years prior to Superbad, but that’s not to say Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen weren’t inspired by its exaggerated events. Les has two friends, his best bud Dean (Corey Feldman), and their dorkier third wheel, Charles (Michael Manasseri). Unlike McLovin, Charles is completely forgettable. Les and Dean are thick as thieves, and as such a close friend, Dean both contributes to and deflates the stressful situations Les encounters.

Les’s embellished adventures are pretty standard 80s fare in so much that they are anything but standard. Grandpa’s Caddy gets towed, dented, and stolen and Les must contend with drunks and assholes all night. Only a couple of his encounters are truly wild; in most situations Les’s quick thinking keeps the zany idling. When more cooky is needed, the story turns to Les’s parents; played by Richard Masur and Carol Kane. Masur is a fun, sarcastic father figure while Kane gets to unleash her wide-eyed kookiness as the pregnant mom.

Also wide-eyed, but more so in the young and not-so-innocent way is Heather Graham who, as Mercedes, makes an irresistible motivator for a 16-year old to defy his parents and the law. Though Les’s libido is in overdrive, it always takes a backseat to the safety of his grandpa’s car. That’s the overall issue with License to Drive; the comedy never really revs up, but Les’s night on the town still manages to be an amusing ride.

♥♥♥

Feels like forever since we’ve had one of these, no?

A serial killer horror-comedy period piece…in the wrong hands, American Psycho might have been a nightmare all its own. But director Mary Harron (I Shot Andy Warhol), who also adapted the screenplay of Bret Easton Ellis’ novel, delivered a pop culture postcard complete with one of the all-time great breakout roles in Christian Bale’s Patrick Bateman. (Yes, Bale had been around since his childhood, but AP made him a star as an adult.) The Vern championed the 2000 film, and won the MOTM poll in a tight race over Dead Alive, the selection from French Toast Sunday, though as it turned out, two members of FTS ended up joining Vern on the LAMBcast discussing the film anyway (more on that below).

Before we get to the links, here’s the IMDb summary for the film, for those that aren’t familiar with it:

“A wealthy New York investment banking executive hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he escalates deeper into his illogical, gratuitous fantasies.”

Now, let’s see what your fellow LAMBs had to say about it. Thanks to the LAMBs that sent in their posts for this edition of the MOTM.

* French Toast Sunday

* Net-flixation (1)

* Net-flixation (2)

* Net-flixation (3)

* The Vern’s Video Vortex

* The Whorer

It’s also time to vote on next month’s movie. Once again, I put out the call for MOTM Champions. The gist is this: I ask for volunteers – people to select a film to be placed on the poll (up to 5 per month, as usual), then promote it on their site, Facebook, Twitter, whatever. Should their film win, they are guaranteed a spot on the LAMBcast episode where we will discuss said film. As a bonus (?), they will also get to host that segment of the show. This month, we have just two potential Champions – the sites are listed along with the films in the poll below (and in the sidebar). You have one week to vote (and promote your movies!). I’ll be putting out the call for the next MOTM in a few weeks, so stay tuned.

[polldaddy poll=7117926]

As we do every month, the LAMBcast is tied in with the MOTM. This time around, as mentioned, Vern hosted the discussion on the MOTM, and was joined by Lindsay, Jess, and Kristen.

Also on tap:

* Rants and Raves of the Week
* Last LAMB Standing

A couple notes:

* The show can be found, of course, via iTunes – just do a search for “LAMBcast.” Also, I always post a link to the show on the LAMBcast’s Facebook page, and there’s a player there if you’d like to listen online.

* Shows will eventually make their way to the LAMBcast Archives. If you’d ever like to catch up on back episodes, go there.

* If you’re interested, you too can be a LAMBcaster – we love new blood! For more information on the LAMBcast, check out the topic at the LAMB Forums. Music provided royalty-free by Kevin MacLeod’s Incompetech website. Big thanks to Kevin for providing this service. Opening song by Cake. The LAMBcast loves feedback, too – if you’d like yours read on a future show, leave it in the comments section at the LAMB. Please visit and like our Facebook page, and finally, we’re on iTunes, and would still love a review, even if it’s a bad one.

Thanks for listening!

For the 67th episode of the MILFcast, I am not joined by my co-co-host Dylan Fields (Co-Founder of Man, I Love Films) and Chris “Tank” Tanski (of the Title Pending Movie Podcast w/Tank & Fogs) to discuss the following:

- What we’ve been watching (Iron Man 3, Disconnect, Upstream Color).

- We each pick two movies to remake and pick the casts.

- We answer The Serious 7.

- We finish with THE GAME!!!

You can follow Kai on PopCircle by CLICKING HERE!!!
You can follow Kai & Heather on Twitter: @kaiderman @heather_kenobi
You can follow our guest on Twitter as well: @P0LISHPHEN0M

Here are the standings for THE GAME:
1. Lauren HB – 17 points
2. Ryan Haggerty – 16 points
3. Jose Prendes – 15 points
4. Dylan Fields – 15 points
5. Scot Nolahn – 15 points
6. Rachel Thuro – 12 points
7. Jessica Rogers – 7 points

If you have a question for Heather, you can e-mail it to kai@manilovefilms.com or leave it in the comments section below.

You can find MILFcast on podOmatic by clicking here. You can also subscribe or download for free on iTunes. If you like the show, please leave us some feedback on iTunes. Please drop a comment, request an older episode or leave any feedback on the episode below at:kai@manilovefilms.com

Music for the podcast provided by Man, I Love Films’ own Steve Bush. See all of Steve’s original music, or contact him to get some of your own, by clicking here!!!

BEGINNER

EXPERT (2 pts)

Standings:
J.D.: 41
Stevee: 24
Kano: 21
Andy: 17
Red: 16
Kai: 13
C.S., Tom: 7
Rachel: 6
Nic Cage, Nick, David Bishop, Sebastian: 5
Scott, MarkusWelby1, Justin: 4
Marc: 3
Dan O., TheGreatWhiteDope, Fitz, SJHoneywell, Scott, Jess, MovieBuffNtn: 2
Simon, Jason, Joel, James, Fredo, JayCluitt, Andrew: 1

Here are the altered/actual posters from last week:

That’s right – it’s Cinematic Captions, the only game in the world whose outcome is fully dependent on your ability to make me chuckle. Or even smirk a lot. Many have tried. Most have failed! Do you have what it takes? We’ll find out today!

But first, your winners!

HONORABLE MENTION:
“I was in the Virgin Islands once. I met a girl. We ate lobster, drank piña coladas. At sunset, we made love like sea otters. That was a pretty good day. Why couldn’t I get that day over, and over, and over…” – SJ Honeywell

Ah, but Josh is a contributor, so your winner is (for the second week in a row)… STEVE HONEYWELL!

THE LEADERBOARD

Colin (4)
Steve Bush (3)
Dave Enkosky (2)
Steve Honeywell (2)
Geoff (1)
Will (1)
Andrew (1)

THE CONTRIBUTOR LEADERBOARD

Josh (2)
Sebastian (1)
Wayne (1)

Amuse me!