Trailer Alert: Avengers 2: Age of Ultron

I have said it before and I will say it again, I HATED the first Avengers movie. I thought it was utter garbage and I saw it more than once. I did so in the hopes that it would get better, that it would grow on me...never did. So I wasn't looking forward to the sequel at all because it may suck just as bad as its predecessor, but I have to admit that the trailer completely fucking ROCKS! Will it be enough to get my butt in a seat remains to be seen but for now bravo Joss Whedon. The story seems solid and the villain is a childhood favorite of mine so this trailer kicks ass. Check it out Kornheads and let me know what you think.

Nas: Time Is Illmatic

Nas: Time is Illmatic, the debut documentary from director One9 is a magnificent trip down memory lane. The film seems to almost ask you, where were you when you first heard the most influential rap album ever dropped, Illmatic. One9 and writer Erik Parker have put together a film that somehow recaptured the energy of New York during what has proven to be one of the most pivotal times in rap music and hip hop culture. Because of that I give Nas: Time is Illmatic four buckets of Killer Korn.










I can't even begin to lie, this movie brought me back to a time that got pushed to the back of my mind. Thanks to adulthood and adulthood issues, the early to mid nineties got shoved aside because room had to be made for current shit that comes with growing older so this movie was the key that unlocked that door where all those memories were stored. I still listen to Illmatic but I somehow put away the memories that came along with that twenty year old classic. This movie unearthed them and forced me to remember them no matter how pleasing or painful they may have been. Leafing through those times in my memory book made me smile and made me understand why I still relish Nas' classic Illmatic, when I hear that album it transports me back to a time when things were fun's like time stands still.

I was twenty five when Illmatic dropped and I was introduced to it by my boy George and to say that my mind was blown would be an understatement. That was the second time rap music has done that too me. The first time was when I heard Eric B. & Rakim's 12" Eric B. is President, Nas followed that up with Illmatic, and then Eminem blew me away with The Marshall Mathers LP. It was Nas' Illmatic however that hit me the hardest and Nas: Time Is Illmatic offers behind the scenes information on the making of that album that a true fan will always be thankful for. The film is chock full of interviews by those that had a hand in putting Nas on, getting Nas signed, and having a hand in creating his classic debut. The film does more than that though, it takes you on a journey of Nas' life. From the start it vividly details the pain, trials, tribulations, and victories he's had throughout his life and career and it all culminates at the one place that would have seemed like a billion miles away from the housing project Nas grew up in, Harvard University.

Nas: Time is Illmatic touches on all the highs and lows of his life. It speaks to the rivalries he's had with other artists, the loss of his mother and best friend, the breakup and re-connection with his father and so much more. The cinematography was a bit off at times bordering on annoying by Frank Larson but he pulls it together more times than he loses it. For a debut film it was an amazing film and for a true fan of Nasir Jones, this was made for you. If you love Nas and Illmatic then I highly recommend Time. If you aren't that big of a fan of his but remember that period of New York fondly then you should check this movie out if you can, you will not leave disappointed and I'll see you at the theater.  

Gone Girl

Gone Girl, the latest film from master director David Fincher is a stylized, creepy, and insanely good movie on the pitfalls of marriage and a statement on society's unquenchable thirst for scandal. I did not read the novel by Gillian Flynn, who also write the screenplay, and after seeing this movie, I have no desire (or need) to. I don't see how the book could be that much better than the movie and because of that I am giving Gone Girl four and a half buckets of Killer Korn.










THIS IS NOT A DATE FILM! You might want to read that last sentence over again before you think of taking your significant other to the theater to check this movie out with you. That's not to say that this movie isn't exceptional because it is in EVERY way, it just doesn't cast a very pretty light on relationships. And if your significant other happens to be engaged to you, skip this film altogether, seriously. Go see something else, you'll be happy you did. Gone Girl is another notch in the belt of David Fincher, an artist I have been a big fan of since Se7en and who I list as one of my top three favorite directors. He has yet to fail to entertain me and that's saying a lot these days but he's consistently put out quality material so I have consistently been faithful. That consistency has paid off yet again. Gone Girl is adapted from the Gillian Flynn novel of the same name and in a stroke of genius (I don't know whose stroke it was actually) Gillian also wrote the screenplay which gave her a chance to fix or change some things she probably wished she could have fixed or changed in her book. Much in the same way Don Winslow, author of Savages and screenwriter of the movie changed the ending (for the better in my opinion) of Oliver Stone's film. From what I know of the changes made it seems Gillian improved upon her story.

Gone Girl stars Ben Affleck as Nick Dunne, the amazing Rosamund Pike as Amy Dunne, Tyler Perry as Nick's lawyer Tanner Bolt, Carrie Coon as Nick's fraternal twin Margo Dunne, Neil Patrick Harris as the long suffering Desi Collings, Kim Dickens as lead investigator Detective Rhonda Boney, and Patrick Fugit as Boney's partner Officer Gilpin. It's an impressive cast and everyone holds their own but make no mistake, this movie belongs to Rosamund Pike. She is absolutely phenomenal and if she isn't nominated come Oscar time that would be a crime. This creepy, gripping story is told initially from Nick's point of view and if you haven't read the book Fincher certainly makes Nick seem like a sociopath who could have easily killed his wife. Nick lies to the police, hides clues, and is overall smarmy in the first act of the movie. The second act is Nick trying desperately to prove his innocence as he and his team try to piece together what could have happened to Amy. The second act is gripping and tense as you watch Nick walk on that thin ice as the police finds Amy's journal which is chock full of slightly incriminating details regarding Nick. The third act though is where this film shines and where Fincher proves how much better a director he is than 80% of the clowns that are behind the camera these days.

Don't get me wrong, Gone Girl isn't without it's flaws. There's way too much Nick running around at night trying to get into houses, the part where they talk about Amy looking to buy a gun was completely unbelievable, Nick's father was barely in the story, and it could have been at least 15 to 20 minutes shorter. Those sins are completely forgivable though because you will be so wrapped up in this drama that you probably won't notice any one of those things. This movie sets you up and just when it has you right where it wants you, it yanks the rug right out from under you sending you careening head over foot. As usual Fincher employs the talented cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, the two have worked together since Fincher's Fight Club and Gone Girl is another masterful job. Scored by the Oscar Award winning duo of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the music is moody, dark, brooding, and lush. Coming off their obscure score of Fincher's Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl is more straight ahead, direct, and perfect. This movie is a must see regardless of your having read the book or not, you will not be sorry you did unless of course you bring your significant other with you. I told you not to, you never listen to me. I'll see you at the theater (if you can make it out of the house).

The Drop

The Drop, the latest film from writer/director Michael R. Roskam is a gritty, tense, and grown up film with a story line that you can definitely sink your teeth into. The Drop will keep you guessing from the first frame to the end of the film and it is exceptional in between those two points. It's not my pick for best film of the year so far, just the second best and because of that I give The Drop five buckets of Killer Korn.












This is the movie so many other films this year aspired to be (yes I am talking about you Equalizer and A Walk Among The Tombstones), and it's a movie that you just may want to see twice. I know I do. The performances were amazing, from top billed on down there was no weak link in the chain and the story was truly well crafted. Why this movie is receiving such very little buzz is beyond me but I will rant and rave about it until everyone else catches up with it. The Drop is adapted from a short story called Animal Rescue by master storyteller Dennis Lehane who in turn wrote the screenplay (nothing beats continuity). The Drop was so good that I now want to read that story. The movie stars Tom Hardy as Bob, and I have to say I was truly impressed by his performance. Based on the last film I saw him in I didn't think he had something like this in him. He's joined by Noomi Rapace who plays the closed off and walled in Nadia, John Ortiz who plays the wise religious Detective Torres, Matthias Schoenaerts who plays the mentally unstable Eric Deeds, and in his last role ever there's James Gandolfini who plays the scheming Cousin Marv.

The story opens with the audience being clued in that throughout the city there are bars that are drop bars, collecting all sorts of dirty money from those that deal in it. The kind of money no one wants the government knowing about. Those bars never know when they are going to be designated a drop bar until maybe a day or two in advance and Cousin Marv's bar, Cousin Marv is the drop bar du jour. The story starts with the bar being held up at gunpoint after a day of collecting all sorts of illegal monies from an assortment of characters. Bob notices something about one of the robbers and tell Detective Torres, but on the flip side of that, the people that now own Cousin Marv want the money that was taken and they want Cousin Marv and Bob to get them their money. At the same time this is going on, Bob adopts an abused but adorable pit bull puppy he found in one of Nadia's garbage cans on his way home. Dennis finds a way to weave these two stories together as only he can and Tom Hardy brings Bob to life in such a way that will make you pick your jaw up off the floor at the end.

The Drop as stated above is the kind of adult fare one can really sink their teeth in. They can slap down their money or card, purchase a ticket, and walk out utterly satisfied that what they just saw was how movies should be done today. Every facet of movie making is done flawlessly here. From direction, production design, lighting, acting, to cinematography no complaints can be lodged, no fault can be found. I went to see The Drop simply because Dennis Lehane is one of my favorite writers, little did I know that this movie would possess a redeeming performance by Hardy AND one great last performance from Gandolfini. Cousin Marv isn't a stretch from Tony Soprano but it was a role Gandofini knows how to portray convincingly and does. The score by Marco Betrami was subtle and beautiful, heartbreaking almost and a job well done. All in all The Drop is a MUST SEE film. It can even be placed on the MUST SEE AGAIN list, and if you do you just may see me on line. I'll see you at the theater!