RED DAWN

Unfortunately the RED DAWN remake just continues to miss its mark as it progresses to its limp ending. I'm a big fan of the 1984 original which sets up an unthinkably epic invasion but then simmers down to a grey character piece about kids being thrown into an adult conflict (and becomes less about the politics of the conflict itself). One of the biggest problem with this remake is that it replaces the rural North American landscape of mountains & snow with a generic urban battlefield. This really deadens the idea of a Middle-America front where local kids can use their backyard as an advantage.

Red Dawn (2012)

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Directed by Dan Bradley. With Chris Hemsworth, Isabel Lucas, Josh Hutcherson, Josh Peck. A group of teenagers look to save their town from an invasion of North Korean soldiers.

HFR Hobbits

I'm going to have to do a "do over" for the HOBBIT 2. I saw it in 3D IMAX HFR (High Frame Rate) and the HFR made it look like a live telecast of a stage production. It's not that I didn't appreciate the pristine clarity of having more frames, it just didn't fit the subject matter. HFR makes sets look more like sets, it makes makeup look more like makeup, and it makes CGI look more like CGI. If it were a Discovery Channel documentary then HFR shots of nature would probably be breathtaking. Hold that thought - HFR would be incredible for porn! Seriously! And as sharp and as detailed as the Red Epic imagery was in the HOBBIT, I'm sad to say that the IMAX photography in THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE was so much more impressive (despite the movie being inferior).

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

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Directed by Peter Jackson. With Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott. The dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim Erebor, their homeland, from Smaug. Bilbo Baggins is in possession of a mysterious 

MAN OF STEEL

MAN OF STEEL has the unique distinction (along with THE DARK KNIGHT RISES) of being a film that I'm absolutely shocked at how much I dislike it. Just the idea that Kryptonians were photon gun wielding, dragon riding, melodrama queens was hard enough to get past but then the fragmented story telling, the blatant product placements, and barrage of uneven VFX just made the overly serious tone so laughably unjustified. There were some notions that I liked but most of those are inherent to the Superman legacy and not unique to this film. I still think DKR is worst but the idea that the two film worlds will merge in the upcoming sequel (with the same creative team) makes me a bit nauseous.

Man of Steel (2013)

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Directed by Zack Snyder. With Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane. A young itinerant worker is forced to confront his secret extraterrestrial heritage when Earth is invaded by members of 

BLACKFISH

BLACKFISH is great - it really captures a wide range of emotions as it profiles both the human and killer whale players. In this respect this film succeeds where a film like GRIZZLY MAN is limited in how it can explore the aggressor animal as a unique personality. And it's quite haunting that a 3 time killer can still be visited at the park.

Blackfish (2013)

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Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite. With Tilikum, Dave Duffus, Samantha Berg, Dean Gomersall. Notorious killer whale Tilikum is responsible for the deaths of three individuals, including a top killer whale trainer. Blackfish shows the sometimes devastating consequences of keeping such intelligent an...

AHS: S2

AMERICAN HORROR STORY Season 2 had a decent start with episode 1. Like season 1 the story seems to just regurgitate well established horror tropes but Jessica Lange's performance and the hyper kinetic editing really propel things forward. The effect is quite fascinating.

American Horror Story (TV Series 2011– )

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Created by Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy. With Evan Peters, Jessica Lange, Lily Rabe, Frances Conroy. An anthology series that centers on different characters and locations, including a haunted house, an insane asylum and a witch coven.

THE PURGE

THE PURGE is an exceedingly frustrating film to watch but you'll probably watch it to the ending just to see what happens. Character's make bizarre decisions and waffle to the plot's convenience. That's not to say some of the situations aren't compelling, it's just based on such a flawed sense of reality. THE MIST is a much better twisting of the human condition and THE STRANGERS is much better home invasion horror film. But I do appreciate that this film makes me want to punch my TV - at least I'm feeling something.

The Purge (2013)

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Directed by James DeMonaco. With Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Max Burkholder, Adelaide Kane. In the future, a wealthy family is held hostage for harboring the target of a murderous syndicate during the Purge, a 12-hour period in which any and all crime is legalized.

ONLY GOD FORGIVES

There's definitely something curious about ONLY GOD FORGIVES but ultimately it wasn't for me. I get it when maybe one character is stilted and morose and brooding but when everyone is like that it just makes the film hard to watch. I guess I'm in the DRIVE camp.

Only God Forgives (2013)

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Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. With Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vithaya Pansringarm, Gordon Brown. Julian, a drug-smuggler thriving in Bangkok's criminal underworld, sees his life get even more 

THE YELLOW SEA

I didn't hate CHASER but was left wanting so I passed on THE YELLOW SEA until now (a year later). I thought it was going to be another depressing drama but this movie is a brutal cluster f*** of an action-thriller with so many cringe worthy twists. It hurls the main character into so many impossible situations and even though his escapes are improbable at times they're all so bloody entertaining. And it all feels fairly organic in its grit and shaky cam unlike other slickly stylized K-thrillers like OLDBOY or MAN FROM NOWHERE - though this film is certainly in the same class. Axes and knifes go ape-shit in the film!

Hwanghae (2010)

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Directed by Hong-jin Na. With Jung-woo Ha, Yun-seok Kim, Seong-Ha Cho, Man-shik Jeong. The story of a cab driver in Yanji City, a region between North Korea, China and Russia. His wife goes to Korea to earn money, but he doesn't hear from her since in 6 months. He plays mah-jong to make some extra c...

THIS IS THE END

The porn mag argument between James Franco and Danny McBride in THIS IS THE END cracked me up. That's the kind of argument I look forward to having with my "friends."

This Is the End (2013)

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Directed by Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen. With James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel. While attending a party at James Franco's house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse.

THE CONJURING

After a few false starts and exposure to many spoilers, I still enjoyed THE CONJURING. Even after knowing of specific scares I still felt creeped out and the melodrama at the end worked for me. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, EVIL DEAD (remake), even INSIDIOUS want to be THE CONJURING but fall short on their gimmicks (SINISTER is another good film that delivered beyond its gimmicks).

The Conjuring (2013)

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Directed by James Wan. With Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor. Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse.

GRABBERS

GRABBERS certainly has the ambition to be the Irish TREMORS but ultimately lacks the ensemble cast and memorable characters. The "stay drunk to survive" is brilliantly silly but there should've been much more humor about it and at least another level of cleverness to truly be a TREMORS contender.

Grabbers (2012)

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Directed by Jon Wright. With Richard Coyle, Ruth Bradley, Russell Tovey, Lalor Roddy. When an island off the coast of Ireland is invaded by bloodsucking aliens, the heroes discover that getting drunk is the only way to survive.

Hard Cover or Kindle?

An unexpected dilemma! Should I get the hard cover or Kindle version of "I Think I Am in Friend-Love With You" by Yumi Sakugawa :: Comic Book Artist + Illustrator. I'm leaning towards the hard cover because I like the tactile feel of illustrations on paper but then I'm also a committed Kindle user. Argh! The digital divide is making me do a mental JCVD split!

I Think I Am In Friend-Love With You

www.amazon.com

I have a confession to make. I think I am in friend-love with you.What's friend-love? It's that super-awesome bond you share with someone who makes you happy every time you text each other, or meet up for an epic outing. It's not love-love. You don't want to swap saliva; you want to swap favorite...

From where I sit

I spent hours researching and writing about what it means to record video in a movie theater - the laws, the industry, the etiquette, the social impact. It's all very fascinating, but in the end if the debate is taking away from the experience of the movie, well then it's all lost on me as a filmmaker.

RIP Syd Field

Syd Field's book SCREENPLAY was my film school before I went to film school. Sad to hear he's gone.

Influential Screenwriting Teacher Syd Field Dead at 77

variety.com

Syd Field, the influential screenwriting teacher who taught a generation of top scribes how to shape feature films, died Sunday at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 77. According to a release from ...

EVIL DEAD - a little late to the party

I really liked the visual palette of the 1st half of EVIL DEAD but thought it got muddy by the end. This re-did is not a bad film but I think it's been somewhat invalidated by recent advents like CABIN IN THE WOODS and the proliferation of zombie movies and TV. If this is supposed to be a "re-imagining" for a "new generation" then it has to be a little more self-aware of where horror movies are at and not just turn up the dials on sound, gore, blood, sfx, etc, etc.

Evil Dead (2013)

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Directed by Fede Alvarez. With Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Jessica Lucas, Lou Taylor Pucci. Five friends head to a remote cabin, where the discovery of a Book of the Dead leads them to unwittingly summon up 

SAKE-BOMB Theatrical Premiere

Tonight's the night. SAKE-BOMB the film I DP'd goes live at the The Downtown Independent theater in LA until the 11/14. And this Sunday the film will screen in San Diego at the San Diego Asian Film Festival. I'm sicky-vicky (as Minami likes to say) but I'll try and be there to stir up some trouble.

Join

SAKE-BOMB Los Angeles Theatrical Premiere!

Today at 9:30pm

The Downtown Independent in Los Angeles, California

You were invited by Junya Sakino

The Rifkin Effect

Director Adam Rifkin (REALITY SHOW) is funding his latest film penned by Penn Jillette (Penn & Teller). Perfect for a little Halloween cheer - reserve your spot on the project now!

Director's Cut by Penn Jillette and Adam Rifkin

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"Director's Cut" is a crazy idea for a movie. It's scary, funny, and very meta. I want a movie that gets my blood racing, makes me laugh but also gives me something to think about, with maybe a little sexy thrown in. Hollywood doesn't make many movies like 

PS: That's me with Adam Rifkin at SXSW 2013!

Pictures & Photos of Sam Yano - IMDb

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1313135872/nm2740656

View photos of Sam Yano on IMDb!

Pacific Rim

PACIFIC RIM: Got the 3D Bluray but watched it in 2D since I'm the only one that had 3D glasses. I was hoping to like it in a MATRIX way (being blown away visually and conceptually) but I only liked it in an INDEPENDENCE DAY way (visually impressive but conceptually never got deeper than the premise offered up in the trailers). 

And I think it didn't appeal to Japanese audiences because the film chose to focus on the "human" story rather than making the robots and monsters the main event. The robots had some distinction but still took a backseat to their pilots and the drift system. The monsters had some physical variations but were basically generic bad guys with no unique motives. In fact the plot was almost exactly INDEPENDENCE DAY which in itself was nothing special other its scale.

Which is all too bad. I would have liked to seen a film where the giant robots and kaiju combatants were distinctly characterized over the self-absorbed soap operas of their pilots (other than Idris Elba - which was just him being him - I thought the acting was abysmal).

PA4

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4: Nothing new here - if anything it's a regression of the series. At least part 3 led to an interesting revelation at the end - part 4 just reiterates the same premise with a different setting. I'm not sure what's so "unrated" about the unrated version.

Just a Note 2 you

PSA: I'm selling my Samsung Galaxy Note 2. We had great times - a majority of my posts and tweets came from this phone. Au revoir mon cheri!

Samsung Galaxy Note II SCH-I605 - 16GB - Titanium gray Verizon Smartphone EXTRAS

www.ebay.com

Samsung Galaxy Note II SCH-I605 - 16GB - Titanium gray Verizon Smartphone EXTRAS in Cell Phones & Accessories, Cell Phones & Smartphones | eBay