<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/"><channel><title><![CDATA[Reel Opinions]]></title><description><![CDATA[Reviews, thoughts, and more!]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/</link><image><url>http://reelopinions.com/favicon.png</url><title>Reel Opinions</title><link>http://reelopinions.com/</link></image><generator>Ghost 2.9</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 16 Mar 2021 12:07:31 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="http://reelopinions.com/rss/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><ttl>60</ttl><item><title><![CDATA[Review | Nomadland]]></title><description><![CDATA[Nomadland is a film you really need to be in the right mind set for.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-nomadland/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__6048eb0127daae278613990b</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[2021]]></category><category><![CDATA[Film]]></category><category><![CDATA[Frances McDormand]]></category><category><![CDATA[Chloe Zhao]]></category><category><![CDATA[Nomadland]]></category><category><![CDATA[Drama]]></category><category><![CDATA[Video]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Jack Gracie]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 10 Mar 2021 16:30:20 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/Nomadland.png" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z-Wn2XEvBpY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure><h3 id="rough-transcription">Rough Transcription</h3><img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/Nomadland.png" alt="Review | Nomadland"/><p><br>It's a slow thoughtfully paced film that follows Fern through her transition to living a nomad lifestyle.<br><br>Would I say the story is great, no. Would I say the story is the point, also no. It's a film that's encouraging the viewer to go with the flow of the characters thoughts, and while that does result in a clear arc for Fern, I think most would find it's story too thread-bare to sustain their attention.<br><br>This isn't a criticism of people that wouldn't like it, I think personally if I was in a different mood I don't think I would have liked it as much. It feels like a conceptially toned down modern Malik film. It's about a journey with the characters where everything can be taken very literally, but aspects of these scenes can also be taken as representations of what the characters are processing.<br><br>Can tell it was directed by someone that knew editing, it was very instictual with the cuts and shots. Multiple times there were shots that I understood exactly what was being said. They were simple yes, and I most likely am taking my own interpretation, but it drew me into the character and made me feel like I was experiencing the characters thought process. In this process it jumps back and forth intime mentally while constantly progressing linearlly which I thought was impressive.<br><br>I also think that it's relatively simple style does cover some technically impressive things hidden under the hood of the film. There's a number of moments of skilled detailed directing that helped bring the film alive andcould easily go unnoticed.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p><p>However, the film is not flawless.</p><p>Music can be a fine line between expressive and dictating, and I think the score in this crossed that line a few times. </p><p>Additionally the film lost it's steam towards, as it seemed to retread some things without adding much. For instance there was a scene which was fine on it's own, referencing something that has happened to a character from earlier in the film. However, I felt a prior scene already addressed this in a more emotive and subtler way. Sections of the film could have been restructed and ended up with a slimer runtime that said just as much.<br><br>At the moment it's very easy to idealize the concept of travelling, or just setting off on one direction with no due course. Maybe that's an aspect that factored into me enjoying this, but honestly the main thing was that I found it very relaxing to watch. Its almost meditative in it's style and pacing.<br><br>I find myself often criticising films at the moment for feeling like it has nothing to say. They don't need to be platforms preaching moral truth, but I appreciate a backbone of belief or a perspective that it is inviting the viewer to witness with the explicit purpose of having something to gleem from it. This film doesn't have that and I think it benefitted from it.<br><br>It's not making forward statements on American welfare even though it's extremely well positioned to do so. I've seen some argue that it's cheapened by not taking these shots but that's not what the film is attempting. It just wants to get you into the mindset of a personal journey. It's purposefully detatching you from the film to think your own thoughts on what's being presented, whilst still offering a base connecting narrative.<br><br>Besides that I think that the film does largely speak for itself. I mean the film follows a group of people that discuss how they've worked themselves to the bone every day of their lives only to find themselves near the end with barely enough to afford living in a van. A number of them talk about their personal struggles with their mental or physical health and how they're limited by the American Health system.<br><br>I've seen one or two reviews go so far to suggest that the film glorifies poverty. I don't think that showing poor people being happy. I think it's naive to suggest that without money people should just be miserable. Yes, they're not rallying against the system that opresses them, but they're reflecting on that and trying to make a change in the small ways they can.<br><br>Ultimatly though I can understand if the lack of strong direct messaging on that front bothers someone. It's an angry time and the companies that she's shown working for are contributing to large scale problems globally, so yeah if you're angry I get it, but I think that just because a small film is attempting to focus it's story on someone that needs to work at these companies to afford to live doesn't mean it needs to grandstand to<br><br>It's wrong that people are put in this situation. It's not wrong that some of them are the happiest they've ever been living out of their vans. They're seperate perspectives but they're parrallel, not opposing.<br><br>I may have gotten sidetracked but ultimatly I enjoyed the film, it's slow. It's pretty barebones, and I won't be returning to it, but I enjoyed my time with it and I felt better for having watched it, which has been a rare occurance of late.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | Lockdown Lowdown]]></title><description><![CDATA[We talk PS5, Wandavision, and around the big other worldwide thing happening at the moment.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-lockdown-lowdown/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__6047abcd27daae27861398e4</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[2021]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Marvel]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><category><![CDATA[PS5]]></category><category><![CDATA[Playstation]]></category><category><![CDATA[Videogames]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Reel Opinions]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 09 Mar 2021 17:16:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/PS5.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/PS5.jpg" alt="Podcast | Lockdown Lowdown"/><p>Just a chill hang with the guys. Listen to Harrison's thoughts on the new Playstation and accessibility, as well as our thoughts on WandaVision at the halfway point (yes we're behind).</p><!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/31--Lockdown-Lowdown-es3m3e" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | Talkin' Tenet]]></title><description><![CDATA[.ees on emit gnoL]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-talkin-tenet/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11c7</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[2020]]></category><category><![CDATA[Christopher Nolan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sci-fi]]></category><category><![CDATA[Action]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Robert Patterson]]></category><category><![CDATA[John David Washington]]></category><category><![CDATA[Elizabeth Bebicki]]></category><category><![CDATA[Michael Caine]]></category><category><![CDATA[Kenneth Branagh]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Reel Opinions]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 31 Aug 2020 09:09:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/tenet.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/tenet.jpg" alt="Podcast | Talkin' Tenet"/><p>We reversed our entropy enough to go back in time to when we made episodes.</p><!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/30--Tenet-eiu63n" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | Best of 2019]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jack and Harrison take a trip down the UK release schedule.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-best-of-2019/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11d7</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Lists]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[2019]]></category><category><![CDATA[Action]]></category><category><![CDATA[Leonardo DiCaprio]]></category><category><![CDATA[Brad Pitt]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 15 Feb 2020 16:27:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Leonardo_DiCaprio_Brad_Pitt_Men_Once_Upon_A_Time_568252_1920x1080.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Leonardo_DiCaprio_Brad_Pitt_Men_Once_Upon_A_Time_568252_1920x1080.jpg" alt="Podcast | Best of 2019"/><p>Harrison has been on a plane. Jack has achieved nothing.</p><!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/29--Best-of-2019-earr29" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum]]></title><description><![CDATA[Who would have thought that this franchise would become one of our most consistent?]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-john-wick-chapter-3-parabellum/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11c8</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Video]]></category><category><![CDATA[Action]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 25 May 2019 09:18:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/jw.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SgJJ44UJCGM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview | Christian Kaestner VFX (Captain Marvel)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Harrison sits down for a chat with the Framestore VFX supervisor of Captain Marvel, Christian Kaestner.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/interview-christian-kaestner-vfx-captain-marvel/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11ca</guid><category><![CDATA[Interview]]></category><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[VFX]]></category><category><![CDATA[2018]]></category><category><![CDATA[Marvel]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Brie Larson]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 2019 09:24:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/190307-captain-marvel-ew-545p_a8df74b886a67d183882468d91819626.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/Interview--Christian-Kaestner-VFX-Captain-Marvel-e3nbmr" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | Enough About Disco Sticks]]></title><description><![CDATA[Harrison and Jack sleepily stagger through an amalgam of topics.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-enough-about-disco-sticks/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11c9</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Drama]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bohemian Rhapsody]]></category><category><![CDATA[Musicals]]></category><category><![CDATA[Rami Malek]]></category><category><![CDATA[A Star is Born]]></category><category><![CDATA[Lady Gaga]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bradley Cooper]]></category><category><![CDATA[Vice]]></category><category><![CDATA[First Reformed]]></category><category><![CDATA[Curse of the Obra Dinn]]></category><category><![CDATA[Incident in a Ghost Land]]></category><category><![CDATA[Oscars]]></category><category><![CDATA[2019]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 04 Apr 2019 09:20:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/bohemian-rhapsody-2.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/bohemian-rhapsody-2.jpg" alt="Podcast | Enough About Disco Sticks"/><p>Topics covered:<br><br>A Star is Born // 2:05 - 9:50</br></br></p><p>Bohemian Rhapsody // 9:50 - 28:38</p><p>Best Editing // 28:28 - 29:56</p><p>Vice // 29:56 - 35:20</p><p>First Reformed // 35:20 - 37:34</p><p>Curse of the Obra Dinn // 37:34 - 47:00</p><p>Incident in a Ghost Land // 47:00 - 55:14</p><!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/28--Enough-About-Disco-Sticks-e3kmqb" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | Aquaboi & Bandersnatch]]></title><description><![CDATA[Pick your own plot storytelling and 'is there a plot' storytelling]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-aquaboi-bandersnatch/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11d8</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Action]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Superheros]]></category><category><![CDATA[Aquaman]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bandersnatch]]></category><category><![CDATA[Black Mirror]]></category><category><![CDATA[TV]]></category><category><![CDATA[Film]]></category><category><![CDATA[2019]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 23 Mar 2019 16:35:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/181220-aquaman-3-cs-1251p_a6781919d934c7e374f756f0b58b4ace.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/181220-aquaman-3-cs-1251p_a6781919d934c7e374f756f0b58b4ace.jpg" alt="Podcast | Aquaboi & Bandersnatch"/><p>As you may tell by the title this episode is coming to you a little late. We have one more very delayed episode out soonish. Also the audio for this one is a bit all over the place, sorry...</p><!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/27--Aquaboi--Bandersnatch-e39uv7" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | Glass]]></title><description><![CDATA[Chris returns to cover the final (maybe) addition to the Unbreakable trilogy]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-glass/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604fac7427daae2786139a7d</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[2019]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><category><![CDATA[Superheros]]></category><category><![CDATA[Anya Taylor-Joy]]></category><category><![CDATA[James McAvoy]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bruce Willis]]></category><category><![CDATA[Samuel L Jackson]]></category><category><![CDATA[M Night Shyamalan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Super Natural]]></category><category><![CDATA[Action]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mystery]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Chris Evans]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 09 Feb 2019 18:56:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/image-asset.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UrFWKXyetzQ?list=PL83HfUZnPnvAUt32OZ_dPYMAasKHvu13J" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview | Bart Layton (American Animals)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Bart Layton talks about melding the mediums of documentary with fiction]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/interview-bart-layton-american-animals/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11cb</guid><category><![CDATA[Interview]]></category><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[American Animals]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bart Layton]]></category><category><![CDATA[Director]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[2019]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 18 Jan 2019 10:26:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/maxresdefault.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/maxresdefault.jpg" alt="Interview | Bart Layton (American Animals)"/><p>You heard us discuss it in the last episode, now hear Harrison chat to the director of his favourite film of 2018, American Animals. Bart Layton talks about melding the mediums of documentary with fiction as well as the themes of privilege and wishing for personal struggle.</p><!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/Interview--Bart-Layton-American-Animals-e2v7jf" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | First World Problems and the Vatican's Ghost Squad]]></title><description><![CDATA[We're back with more discussions about films only half of us have seen.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-first-world-problems-and-the-vaticans-ghost-squad/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11d9</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sorry to Bother You]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Nun]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><category><![CDATA[2018]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[American Animals]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bart Layton]]></category><category><![CDATA[Lakeith Stanfield]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 21 Dec 2018 16:38:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/maxresdefault--2-.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/maxresdefault--2-.jpg" alt="Podcast | First World Problems and the Vatican's Ghost Squad"/><p>Topics Covered: American Animals, Sorry To Bother You, The Nun.</p><!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/26--First-World-Problems-and-the-Vaticans-Ghost-Squad-e2qhbv" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | Mary Poppins Returns]]></title><description><![CDATA[Supercalireviewlisticthisissooriginal]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-mary-poppins-returns/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11cc</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Video]]></category><category><![CDATA[Family]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Jack Gracie]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 20 Dec 2018 10:31:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/mary.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RdWFp7SfloE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | The Hauntings of Grindlewald]]></title><description><![CDATA[As always our attempts at a short episode have failed. ]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-the-hauntings-of-grindlewald/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11da</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[TV]]></category><category><![CDATA[Netflix]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Haunting of Hill House]]></category><category><![CDATA[Harry Potter]]></category><category><![CDATA[Johnny Depp]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fantastic Beasts]]></category><category><![CDATA[Film]]></category><category><![CDATA[2018]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 14 Dec 2018 16:41:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/91-IG35GuPL._RI_.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/91-IG35GuPL._RI_.jpg" alt="Podcast | The Hauntings of Grindlewald"/><p>Topics covered: Choosing what to review, Crimes of Grindlewald, The Haunting of Hill House, The Night Comes For Us, and Wreck it Ralph 2.</p><!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/25--The-Hauntings-of-Grindlewald-e2p0ra" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | Ralph Breaks the Internet]]></title><description><![CDATA[Despite a couple of flaws, this superior sequel is overflowing with charm.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-ralph-breaks-the-internet/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11bf</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Animation]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 09 Dec 2018 18:13:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/7d14dce6-eef9-11e8-b312-d5ded9c11306.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OJPrwWWIEJU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | Swearing Is Wicked Lame Kids]]></title><description><![CDATA[We do eventually end up talking about Blackkklansman I swear.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-swearing-is-wicked-lame-kids/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11db</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Drama]]></category><category><![CDATA[Blackkklansman]]></category><category><![CDATA[John David Washington]]></category><category><![CDATA[Spike Lee]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[2018]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Adam Driver]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 30 Nov 2018 16:44:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/blackkklansman-e1534868898837.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/blackkklansman-e1534868898837.jpg" alt="Podcast | Swearing Is Wicked Lame Kids"/><p>In which Jack and Harrison discuss Blackkklansman, swearing in films, the dissapearance of Fan Bingbing, and the wierd popularity of the X-Men trailer. We do eventually end up talking about Blackkklansman I swear, or rather I don't because that's not a rad thing to do.</p><!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/24--Swearing-Is-Wicked-Lame-Kids-e2lv0k" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald]]></title><description><![CDATA[J.K Rowling goes full Lucas. You never go full Lucas.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-crimes-grindlewald/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11c1</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Video]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 27 Nov 2018 18:18:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/fantastic-beasts-crimes-of-grindelwald-jude-law-hi-res-1.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SHgqaCALY7M?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | The Christmas Chronicles]]></title><description><![CDATA[So let's talk about that horrifying chainsaw elf.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-the-christmas-chronicles/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11c0</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Video]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 27 Nov 2018 18:15:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/Who-Will-Star-in-Christmas-Chronicles-2.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/G9tggWVs-o8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | Krampus Origins]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you’re hoping for some trashy fun, then this arduous chore will not satisfy that craving.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-krampus-origins/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11c2</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 12 Nov 2018 18:19:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/krampus-origins-trailer.png" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/krampus-origins-trailer.png" alt="Review | Krampus Origins"/><p><br>Even by the miserable standards of other Folkloric characters, Krampus has a particularly wretched cinematic legacy. On second thought, ‘’cinematic’’ might not be the most appropriate term for his outings. After all, whilst the festive menace has certainly appeared in his fair share of films, he’s only graced multiplex screens on one occasion. This was for Michael Dougherty’s supremely enjoyable, 2015 Horror-Comedy, <strong>Krampus</strong>, which can be distinguished as ‘’the only proper one’’.<br><br>Elsewhere, the anthropomorphic goat-demon has been firmly relegated to straight-to-DVD atrocities, such as <strong>Krampus: The Christmas Devil</strong> (Deplorable), <strong>Krampus: The Reckoning</strong> (Ghastly), <strong>Krampus: Unleashed</strong> (Bilious) and something called <strong>Mother Krampus</strong> (???). Naturally, these are all cheap cash-ins, farted out around the Yuletide in order to fill up supermarket bargain bins and the more undernourished sections on Amazon Prime.<br><br>Targeted at less discerning viewers (like yours truly), they aim to sucker in anyone with an itch for holiday horror, which is a gambit that must surely pay off for them, otherwise they wouldn’t keep doing it. Indeed, for us connoisseurs of trash, watching these dumpster fires is a veritable Holiday tradition, akin to putting up a tree, caroling, or spending the entirety of Christmas day neglecting your social obligations, so that you can play a new video game.<br><br>And with the release of <strong>Krampus Origins,</strong> the season is upon us yet again! To be fair, this year’s offering is nowhere near as horrendous as some of its forebears, by virtue of being largely in focus and having some form of a screenplay. Nevertheless, it’s still a laborious watch, one that is severely weighed down by a humourless tone, weak production-values and crippling pacing issues.<br><br>The film opens at the tail end of World War 1, with a largely irrelevant prologue sequence set deep behind enemy lines. Here, we watch as a band of American soldiers, garbed in ill-fitting uniforms, carry out a search-and-destroy raid on a German bunker. After successfully clearing the base of hostiles, the grunts begin to scour the area for intel. In the process, one of them happens upon an ancient tome that is filled with all kinds of eldritch knowledge, cryptic spells and handy instructions for performing occult rituals. The young man confiscates the writings but before he can deliver them to his superiors, he is unceremoniously gunned down by a hidden enemy squadron.<br><br>Fast forward 3 weeks later and we are now in small-town Arizona, where the soldier’s possessions are promptly bequeathed to his wife, who is a teacher at the local orphanage. Overcome with sorrow, the grieving widow does not take the opportunity to examine these belongings and instead dumps them on her desk. As you have likely guessed, the aforementioned evil text is among the items and is quickly purloined by one of the school’s disruptive students.<br><br>Suffice it to say, it’s not long before the little trouble-maker is reading aloud from the malevolent manuscript, because presumably that’s how children entertained themselves prior to the advent of <strong>Shrek</strong> memes and <strong>Fornite.</strong> Anyway, to cut a long-story-short, she accidentally invokes the spirit of Krampus, at which point a generic slasher movie is set in motion. Albeit one where all the exciting stuff occurs off-screen.<br><br>In case it was somehow not obvious, <strong>Krampus Origins</strong> is a load of cack. But that comes with territory where you’re making this kind of schlock. What’s less predictable though, are all the strange and idiosyncratic ways that the film manages to screw up.<br><br>For instance, the production design is all over the place. Some of the period detail is beautiful realised, with authentic looking paraphernalia, old-timey cars and even era-appropriate branding. Yet on the flip side, everything is so dreadfully sparse, with sets that are frankly naked and unfinished . You subsequently get the impression that the crew stumbled across a disused factory, roughly 5 minutes before shooting, and then hastily tried to renovate it in a feeble attempt to eradicate any trace of modernity. Because the rooms are all conspicuously bare, the furnishings are non-existent, and you can see where the plug sockets have been visibly ripped from the walls. This might come across as nit-picky, but it’s very distracting once you notice it.<br><br>Likewise, the central MacGuffin (The Spell Book) might be one of the <em>least</em> believable props in movie history. Again, you could dispute that this isn’t a worthy subject of criticism but they insist on shoving the bloody thing in your face with all these endless close-ups. It’s like they’re proud of it!<br><br>Consequently, you have no choice but to scrutinise the blatantly fake and freshly-printed document. To their credit, they’ve attempted to make the spine look charred and degraded, but their method for doing this is to merely slap some flimsy black material over the cover. Likewise, they have obviously crumpled up the pages and dipped them in tea in order to artificially yellow them, like you would with a school project! You can’t turn a blind eye to this kind of awfulness.<br><br>Nor can you overlook the astonishingly bad audio quality. On that note, was every other line recorded on a separate device? Because some people sound like they’re in front of a mic in a professional studio, some sound like they’re on location in an echoey corridor and others sound like they’re communicating from the great beyond, ala the little girl in <strong>Poltergeist</strong>. Occasionally, the ADR becomes so tinny and muffled that conversations devolve into incomprehensible mumbling, a problem that is exacerbated to-no-end by the fact that half of the cast seem to have been ‘’discovered’ at the nearest community theatre.<br><br>You really can’t understand what the hell they’re supposed to be saying and this is a quality that the film unaccountably doubles-down on, by giving half of the characters weird vocal quirks and irritating mannerisms. To wit, there’s the one kid with the unconvincing stutter, the one with the badly affected British accent (who curiously has the sociolect of a Victorian aristocrat) and the one who turns up halfway through and may-or-may-not have a speech impediment.<br><br>Oh, and there’s also the drunk priest, who overdoes the slurring to such a ludicrous extent, that you’d be forgiven for assuming that he has a learning difficulty. When all these actors are thrust together into the same dizzying exchange, it can be an incredibly grating to sit through, but also perversely amusing at the same time.<br><br>Best of all however is the undignified depiction of Krampus himself, who is just as embarrassing as everyone else, if not worse! This is partly down to the demon’s (cost-friendly) ability to shapeshift and impersonate others. Granted, that could be an interesting twist if the script was willing to expand upon the idea, but it’s clearly just a transparent way of keeping the effects budget down. In fact, the villain spends the vast majority of the film incognito as a crappy Damien Thorn rip-off and doing very little Krampusing.<br><br>So, anyone hoping for fun, creature-feature action is going to be sorely disappointed. Instead, you’ll have to settle for watching another ‘’creepy’’ kid movie, as if we don’t have enough of <em>those</em> already. It doesn’t help that he’s such an adorable little tyke and his most menacing attribute is that he gives people hard stares, like he’s fucking Paddington or something!<br><br>Having said that, when Krampus finally bothers to shed his disguise- in the last 20 minutes of the movie- then you instantly understand why the filmmakers were so hesitant to reveal him. With a visual design straight out of <strong>Monty Python and the Holy Grail</strong> and a voice so preposterously throaty that it makes Dr Claw sound like Taylor Swift, he is a legitimately risible antagonist. Compounding the issue, he also inexplicably draws out the last syllable of <em>every</em> word, like someone who is suffering from painful constipation.<br><br>Whilst all of that might seem amusing on paper, it’s worth reiterating that <strong>Krampus Origins</strong> is not a candidate for the ‘’so-bad-it’s-good’’ club. On the contrary, it’s an aggressively morose slog, one that is severely lacking in incident, drama and scares (The titular ”origin” is also absent, with Krampus being an established entity at the beginning of the film). Even the small nuggets of amusement that can be gleaned, like the unintentional laughs described above, are few-and-far between.<br><br>Honestly, it’s a tad depressing, what with all the illusions to orphaned children and wartime tragedies. There are no (deliberate) moments of levity to alleviate the mood either, which you’d think would be a key ingredient for any Krampus story. He’s evil Santa for Christ sake! Why would you place that character in anything <em>other</em> than a horror-comedy?  Alas if you’re hoping for some trashy fun, then this arduous chore will not satisfy that craving. Nor will it satiate anyone who is looking for a fundamentally competent film.<br><br>Oh well, at least we still have the proper one.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p><figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/msOyJSKp8tU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hollywood's Unhealthy Obsession With Movie Ratings Needs to End]]></title><description><![CDATA[From a sanitised Die Hard sequel to an R-rated Star Trek, when it comes to ratings Hollywood is incapable of leaving well enough alone.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/hollywoods-unhealthy-obsession-with-movie-ratings-needs-to-end/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11c3</guid><category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 15 Oct 2018 17:22:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/rated-r.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/rated-r.jpg" alt="Hollywood's Unhealthy Obsession With Movie Ratings Needs to End"/><p><strong>The Dark Age of PG-13-ification</strong><br><br><strong>Alien Vs Predator</strong>, <strong>The Expendables 3</strong>, <strong>World War Z</strong>, <strong>Max Payne</strong>, <strong>Live Free or Die Hard</strong>, <strong>Prom Night</strong> (2008), <strong>Terminator Genisys</strong>, <strong>Total Recall</strong> (2012). If I were to ask you what underlying factor links together those films, how would you respond? Aside from by saying that they’re all distinctly mediocre or outright terrible. Granted that is a very salient point, but there’s something more specific unifying this miserable bunch.<br><br>Indeed, the true commonality here is that each of these limp releases was infamously neutered by their respective studios, all for the sake of lowering the MPAA rating. With conspicuously absent violence and embarrassingly-censored language, these sanitized misfires all fell completely flat. This is because they were forced to sacrifice their integrity at the altar of an ill-fitting PG-13 certificate.</br></br></br></br></p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/AvP-600x326.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Hollywood's Unhealthy Obsession With Movie Ratings Needs to End"/></figure><p>You may recall a time when this undignified fate was imposed upon most blockbusters. After all, it used to be standard practice for the industry to water down explicitly mature properties, in order to make them more palatable to younger viewers. This was especially true around the turn of the millennium, when Hollywood inexplicably convinced itself that R-ratings were no longer profitable and so turned its back on them altogether.<br><br>This arbitrary mindset lead to studios sabotaging their own products, so that they could appeal to a broader audience and maximise ticket sales. There was a subsequent pandemic of lameness, with iconic horrors being reduced to tame, bloodless affairs (<strong>The Fog</strong>) and action flicks transforming into timid shadows of their former selves (<strong>Taken 2</strong>).<br><br>Fans were naturally opposed to the trend and yearned for the halcyon days of high body-counts, graphic decapitations and liberally deployed F-bombs. But it wasn’t just the ‘’basement dwellers’’ complaining either, as slowly-but-surely everyone became sick of the dreaded ‘’PG-13-ification’’. This fatigue extended from the general public, to professional reviewers and even filmmakers themselves, who felt like they were being routinely hamstrung.<br><br><strong>The Triumphant R-Resurgence</strong><br><br>However, you’ve probably noticed a dramatic shift occurring in the last few years, with the pendulum swinging in the other direction entirely. Now, studios can’t get enough of R-ratings and are trying to cram as much NSFW content into their releases as humanly possible. They’re even going so far as to <a href="https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2018/03/fox-could-be-overhauling-the-new-mutants-reshooting-nearly-fifty-percent-of-the-film/">commission reshoots</a> and <a href="https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2016/06/blu-ray-review-batman-v-superman-dawn-of-justice-ultimate-edition-2016/">alternative cuts</a>, all with the express purpose of bumping up the certificate. It’s like they’ve done a complete 180!</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/deadpool1-gallery-image-600x338.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Hollywood's Unhealthy Obsession With Movie Ratings Needs to End"/></figure><p>This seismic change can largely be attributed to the earth-shattering success of <strong>Deadpool</strong>, the plucky underdog that surpassed all box-office expectations back in 2016. Indeed, off the back of the watershed hit, Hollywood has been (re)convinced that ‘’mature’’ films can be commercially viable. By extension, the potty-mouthed sensation has almost single-handedly ushered in a new era of R-rated supremacy and everybody wants a piece of the action.<br><br>As a result, the industry is currently in the midst of a veritable frenzy, with studios going out of their way to find any edgy or risque franchises to call their own. In fact, the R-rating has now become a badge of honour among movies: one that is synonymous with cool; fun; and daringness. In comparison, having a PG-13 just makes you look kind of stuffy and behind-the-times.<br><br><strong>History Repeats Itself</strong><br><br>As one of those whiners who spent years lamenting the ostracism of the R-rating, I can attest that this transition has been vindicating. What’s more, some truly fantastic films have spawned from the mania, ones that would have otherwise been unthinkable, like the recent <strong>It</strong> adaptation and <strong>Logan</strong>.<br><br>Still, it would be naive to think that studios have learned their lesson. Sure, they’ve gleaned something from the merc-with-a-mouth’s lucrative performance, yet the conclusion they’ve arrived at is typically misguided and simplistic. They should have realised the value of taking risks and of placing greater confidence in their filmmakers. They should have seen the error of their ways and resolved to no longer tamper with art. But instead, they are now under the impression that an R-rating is the be-all-and-end-all and that gore, nudity, or profanity will automatically make their films more popular. Which is why they’re now trying to compel their productions into meeting this criteria.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/logan-600x413.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Hollywood's Unhealthy Obsession With Movie Ratings Needs to End"/></figure><p>Because make no mistake, they’re still interfering with movies and feebly trying to contrive ways of second-guessing the market. The only difference is that they’re now doing it in the inverse direction and want everything to be ‘’hardcore’’, irrespective of whether it makes any goddamn sense! I mean, just look at some of these proposed reimaginings: R-rated <strong>Star Trek</strong>; R-rated <strong>Transformers</strong>, R-rated <strong>Superman</strong>! It’s madness.<br><br>Just like <strong>Alien Vs Predator</strong> never suited a PG-13, these properties have absolutely no business adopting a restricted certificate. Having Bumblebee say “Fuck” isn’t going to improve things for the <strong>Transformers</strong> series, it’s just going to feel awkward and jarring. Likewise, <strong>Star Trek</strong> is supposed to be a hopeful and optimistic vision of the future: one built on notions of tolerance; open-mindedness; and peaceful cohabitation. So to reconfigure the whole thing as a gritty nightmare about the “Horrors of Space” would be a betrayal of its very essence.<br><br>In fact, slapping an out-of-place R over the top of <strong>Star Trek</strong> will cause just as much damage as stripping the R away from <strong>Die Hard</strong> did. The principle remains the same, as the industry is still meddling with its films and is still prioritising those MPAA ratings over their creative instinct.<br><br>Whilst having an R might be in vogue right now, that doesn’t negate the fact that each movie needs to be assessed on its own terms! Some, like <strong>Star Wars</strong> or <strong>Spider-Man</strong>, ought to be suitable for consumption by anyone. They’re innocent adventure stories and need to have a lighter feel that’s in keeping with that tone. Contrastingly, things like <strong>The Raid</strong>, <strong>John Wick</strong>, or <strong>Kingsman</strong> absolutely rely on being able to push the boat out and so need the flexibility that a higher certificate provides.</br></br></br></br></br></br></p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/transformers-sound-editing-600x337.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Hollywood's Unhealthy Obsession With Movie Ratings Needs to End"/></figure><p>The thing is, producers should be able to easily identify which of their properties fall into which camp. Yet they have repeatedly demonstrated that they are incapable of making these judgements sensibly. First they thought that a <strong>Robocop</strong> remake would be worthwhile without the blood, and now they seem to think that the key to salvaging <strong>Transformers</strong> is to have Optimus Prime orchestrate a gang-bang or something. Frankly, if a person believes that such a franchise (which let me remind you, is based on a toyline) would benefit from an R-rating, then they’re probably not the right person to be helming that particular project. Honestly, the situation is getting out of hand. And should things carry on in this vein, then R-mania is going to have just as many casualties as PG-13-ification ever did.<br><br><strong>R-Ratings Are Not a Magic Fix</strong><br><br>Of course, we all know this isn’t really about the improving quality of films. No, if an adult <strong>Transformers</strong> ever does materialise, then it won’t be a creatively-motivated decision. On the contrary, it’ll be the result of some cynical executive sticking their nose in and deciding that such a venture would increase their profit margins. Why? Because Rs are the “in thing” right now and there’s no artistic justification beyond that.<br><br>Speaking of which, does anyone else feel like these transparent attempts to ride on <strong>Deadpool</strong>’<strong>s</strong> coattails are becoming increasingly desperate? Look at <strong>The Happytime Murders</strong>. Its marketing was wholly dependent upon the viewer being attracted to lazy dick jokes and other tired, raunchy gags. The fact that they didn’t shown anything especially funny was presumably irrelevant, because it was R and that was meant to be enough. It’s all the trailer had to work with and it milked that selling point for every last drop, practically screaming “Look, we’re edgy! We’ve got swearing! Please like us!”</br></br></br></br></br></br></p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/happytime-murders-stx-entertainment-600x325.png" class="kg-image" alt="Hollywood's Unhealthy Obsession With Movie Ratings Needs to End"/></figure><p>Worse still, a lot of people seem to be drinking the Kool-Aid on this one. You can already see pundits getting carried away, placing far too much weight on the intrinsic merit of an R, as if they expect it to inherently lead to better movies. For instance, there’s a staggering amount of articles out there suggesting that <strong>Venom’s</strong> fate ultimately hinged on whether it would attain a restricted certificate, like that alone would have made the difference between it being a bad or good film. Likewise, <strong>The Predator</strong> was swept up in a similar discussion and when we all discovered that it actually was going to be an R, then the delirious excitement this generated ended up overshadowing the more important things: like the troubling behind the scenes rumours and the well-documented reshoots. Even decade-old movies are now being roped into the discussion, with <a href="https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2018/04/nicolas-cage-wants-r-rated-ghost-rider-someone-else-part/">Nic Cage positing that <strong>Ghost Rider</strong> would have been more bearable had it only been an R</a> (I suppose that’d be true if you ignore the bad screenwriting, lackluster direction and poor VFX).<br><br>But in the end a certificate couldn’t save <strong>Venom</strong>, nor would it have ever rescued <strong>Ghost Rider.</strong> For adult content alone is not enough to centre a movie on. Admittedly, when used well things like violence can complement a film, but in these instances it’s just the icing on the cake. Now that might seem obvious to you, but it’s a lesson that the industry could do with internalising. After all, as long as they continue to steer films into specific ratings (be it G, PG-13, or R), then they are just shooting themselves in the foot.<br><br>Obviously there are some caveats to this. Like if Paul King wanted to open <strong>Pandington 3</strong> with unsimulated oral sex, then it would probably be wise for someone to intervene. But unless directors intend on doing something that blatantly inappropriate (you know, like a <em>fucking</em> R-rated <strong>Star Trek</strong>), then producers should simply let the creative process take its natural course. Because ratings need to be earned organically and more importantly, they should always be the end-result of unfettered artistic decisions. Not the other way around.</br></br></br></br></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | For the Love of the Boogeyman: 40 Years of Halloween]]></title><description><![CDATA[Although it clearly comes from a place of love, For the Love of the Boogeyman is a shallow documentary that has little new to offer.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-love-of-boogeyman/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11c4</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 13 Oct 2018 18:26:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/maxresdefault--1-.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/maxresdefault--1-.jpg" alt="Review | For the Love of the Boogeyman: 40 Years of Halloween"/><p>Ask any genre enthusiast to break down the success of <strong>Halloween</strong> and they are all-but-guaranteed to have a full-blown thesis prepared for such an occasion. With notes by their side, they will readily launch into an impassioned sermon; expounding upon the film’s merit as a cinematic milestone and waxing poetic about everything from its economic use of lighting, to its meticulous framing and atmospheric score.<br><br>Indeed, there’s no shortage of people lining up to feleate Carpenter’s iconic masterwork. I myself wrote a particularly conceited essay about it at University, despite being unable to formulate a remotely compelling argument. I just ended up reiterating what countless others had already articulated before me and ultimately failed to say anything more insightful than ”that Michael Myers is well creepy!’<br><br>Unfortunately, a similar critique can be leveled at <strong>For the Love of the Boogeyman,</strong> a sycophantic documentary that tellingly markets itself as being made ‘by fans and for the fans”. Translation: ”it’s a fawning circle-jerk, with little-to-no substance and a startling lack of fresh perspective”.  So in that sense, it is strikingly reminiscent of my flimsy uni assignment, only much longer and with less uses of the word ”thus”.<br><br>You see, there’s no illuminating analysis to speak of here, just people repeating variations on the phrase ”first and last word in genre film-making”. Which would be fine if you were doing a quick review or perhaps a blog post. But there’s not enough meat on those bones to justify a paltry video-essay, never mind a 40 minute project comprised of dozens of interviewees!<br><br>What’s worse is that, over the course of the piece, alternate readings are never even hinted at, giving it a very narrow view. This is partly because the talking heads are all interchangeable, with comparable interests and matching opinions. Consequently, they all approach the material from the same, bland position. There’s no contrast to the discussion here. No variety. No back and forth. Just people rabbiting on in circles about how much they love a 40 year-old movie.<br><br>Given that none of the presenters actually worked on <strong>Halloween</strong>, you would think that they’d at least have interesting takes to make their commentary worth listening to. But they don’t! They just offer banal praise of every facet of the film-making, like they’re dutifully ticking off all the Oscar categories or something.<br><br>”The acting is great. And the directing is great. And the cinematography is great. And the production design is great. And the music is great. And the best animated film is great!’ If you want to simulate the experience of watching <strong>For the Love of the Boogeyman</strong>, simply copy and paste that quote about 200 times and you’ll get the picture.<br><br>It’s just a surface-level appraisal that only serves to endorse a pre-established consensus. No one needs to be told that <strong>Halloween</strong> is a fantastic movie, that’s pretty well cemented by now. If that’s all you’ve got to say, then your project has more in common with an episode of Collider Movie Talk than it does with an actual documentary.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p><p>Although this shortcoming is disappointing, it isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker.<br>After all, it can be nice to listen to people talk passionately about something they love, even if they don’t have anything especially original to contribute. What <em>severely</em> hampers <strong>Boogeyman</strong> however, is the fact that its interviewees deliver near-identical soundbites throughout.<br><br>It turns out that they’re not only on the same page as one another, but sometimes the exact same fucking sentence! Every time that someone comments on a specific aspect of the movie- be it Jamie Lee Curtis’ formidable performance, the unknowable presence of The Shape, or the way that synth music acts as a metaphorical voice for Michael Myers- you then have to listen to that same point being repeated ad nauseum by about 20 other people Before long  you start to feel like you’re in some kind of hellish echo chamber.<br><br>Of course, it’s only natural that people will have similar feelings when talking about one of the greatest horror films ever made. The talking heads aren’t necessarily to blame for that. But if you’re the person putting this documentary together, then it’s your job to weed out such duplications.<br><br>Speaking of editing, the rhythm of cutting here is awfully distracting, as we’re constantly jumping around between talking heads without a chance to properly settle. You rarely stay with a single person for longer than 10 seconds, so none of them are afforded the opportunity to meaningfully expand upon their arguments or substantiate them with evidence. Sometimes you can even hear them being cut-short mid-sentence, just so they can be interrupted by someone else. It all adds to the insubstantial feeling that presides over the entire documentary, where everything comes across so slight and bitty.<br><br>At least the visuals are okay: cycling through different locations and giving us cool memorabilia to look at (kudos to Paul Stier and Nathan Thomas Milliner for the impressive artwork). It would have been nice to have clips from <strong>Halloween</strong> to better illustrate points and break up the interviews but if there were legal obstructions preventing this from happening, then the production team obviously can’t be blamed for that.<br><br>Over all, <strong>For the Love of the Boogeyman’s</strong> is a rather simplistic and under-cooked offering. You could argue that it’s intention is not really to pick apart its subject, and that it just wants to celebrate the anniversary of a landmark release. But if that’s the case, then there are far more entertaining ways of doing that.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p><figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CtSsPQWqxFM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | Eighth Grade]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jack finds something in a time capsule. A rather embarrasing, yet optimistic, review.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-eighth-grade/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11c5</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Video]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Jack Gracie]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 08 Oct 2018 08:33:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/eigth-grade.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<hr><figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6shXiqZ_5iI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure></hr>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | Upgrade]]></title><description><![CDATA[Whannel demonstrates that a low-budget needn’t be an obstacle to creativity]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-upgrade/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11c6</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 04 Sep 2018 08:36:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/upgrade2018_feature.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/upgrade2018_feature.jpg" alt="Review | Upgrade"/><p>As the mastermind behind several modestly-funded hits, like <strong>Insidious</strong> and the early <strong>Saw</strong> movies, Leigh Whannel has repeatedly proven that you don’t need the resources of a Hollywood Blockbuster in order to thrill audiences.<br><br>Instead, all you need is a strong idea, a little ingenuity and some talented colleagues to help bring your vision to the screen. If all these elements converge, then you should have no trouble competing with high-profile franchises and comic-book adaptations.<br><br>Whannel clearly appreciates this, as each of his projects has been made on a shoestring budget. Moreover, whilst his output hasn’t been universally great, he has consistently shown that he is a competent pair of hands and a dependable money-maker to boot. Because of this aptitude for working cheap, he has now garnered enough industry cred to pursue whatever zany passion project takes his fancy.<br><br>Which brings us to the writer-turned-director’s latest offering, <strong>Upgrade</strong>. A genre blending, cyberpunk, revenge flick, this is something that Whannel has been developing for years and like all of his previous work it has generated a lot of buzz despite its relatively humble origins (the estimated budget is somewhere around the $5 million mark, which probably wouldn’t cover the catering for most blockbusters). Praised for its intriguing premise and stylised hyper-violence, the film has already established a cult following, with many pundits suggesting that it puts its more expensive peers to shame.<br><br>Now- two months after its US release- <strong>Upgrade</strong> is debuting overseas, which means that the rest of the world can finally jump aboard the hype train. But is the unassuming thriller really worth all the pomp and circumstance?<br/></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/upgrade-600x338.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Review | Upgrade"/></figure><p>Set in a future that is just around the corner, the film focuses on Grey (Logan Marshall-Green), a technophobe who has the misfortune of living in a society completely dominated by computers. Law enforcement is reliant upon drone surveillance, smart houses take care of their own upkeep and even recreational drug use has been supplanted by an addiction to VR. Everything is ostensibly smoother and more convenient, yet Grey remains ever-sceptical and yearns for the golden age of vinyl records, analogue devices and vehicles that require actual human drivers.<br><br>One day, after refurbishing an old car for a famous tech guru, Grey is treated to a showcase of the inventor’s latest creation; an AI chip named STEM. The scientist excitedly explains that the revolutionary implant can be inserted into a person’s body to serve as a kind of secondary brain, giving the recipient enhanced motor skills, heightened agility and even increased intelligence. Of course, Grey is characteristically cynical about this and suggests that mankind doesn’t really need such an upgrade.<br><br>This attitude changes however, when a fateful car accident leaves both Grey and his wife susceptible to violent criminals. In an ensuing attack, the former is left paralysed from the waist down and the latter is tragically killed.<br><br>Determined to track down his mysterious assailants, the bereaved husband abandons his old-fashioned ideals and volunteers as a Guinea pig for STEM, in the hope that he can regain his ability to walk and get revenge. In the process, he finds that he is not only restored to his original condition, but that he has even been augmented with incredible new skills. Now armed with superhuman senses, a proficiency in martial arts and the capacity to switch off his pain receptors, Grey decides to find his wife’s killers and assassinate them in increasingly gory ways.</br></br></br></br></br></br></p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Upgrade-2-600x400.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Review | Upgrade"/></figure><p>Right off the bat, it’s fair to say that the premise is absolutely terrific, like <strong>Death Wish</strong> crossed with a particularly good episode of <strong>Black Mirror.</strong> Yet that only gives you a rough idea of what’s in store and to spoil the interesting twists would be a disservice to Whannel’s sharp writing and inventive storytelling.<br><br>Sure the surface-level gist of ‘’spouse-on-a quest-for-revenge’’ has been trotted out a thousand times before in cinema, but here it’s all being presented with a fresh coat of cybernetic-enhanced paint. After all, the movie’s core gimmick changes everything from how the investigation scenes play out, to how the protagonist conceals his vigilantism from the police.<br><br>Best of all though is how the idea affects the action sequences, which are all expertly shot, masterfully choreographed and dizzyingly energetic. To give you a flavour of what makes these moments so special, Grey can hand over total control to STEM whenever he is faced with confrontation. Once the AI takes the wheel in these scenarios, then our hero is transformed into a perfect killing machine, capable of mesmerising acrobatics, astonishing brutality and predicting his opponent’s next move with the utmost accuracy.<br><br>As is to be expected, the resultant fights are pleasingly ferocious, if a little infrequent and too short (the slow pacing is a bit of an issue). They are also strangely funny as well, because STEM is unable to influence anything above Grey’s neck, and so the system has to manually move his head out of the way to dodge incoming blows. This makes for a unique visual, reminiscent of something from a slapstick cartoon. It’s also amusing to see the squeamish hero forced into the role of a bemused observer, powerless as his own independently limbs flail around and cause all kinds of mayhem.<br><br>With these enjoyably kinetic scenes, Whannel demonstrates that a low-budget needn’t be an obstacle to creativity and he also gives Marshall-Green a proper opportunity to show off his surprising comedic muscles. On that note, the actor’s animated depiction of a man constantly amazed by his own actions injects welcome levity into a character that could otherwise be quite dour and unlikeable. That being said, he’s still very good at carrying the film through its more emotional beats when the need arises.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/--------600x261.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Review | Upgrade"/></figure><p>Elsewhere, every of other aspect of <strong>Upgrade</strong> is spot on. The believable sci-fi setting is remarkably well-thought out and realistic. There are no jetpacks, no flying cars, or spaceships, just tiny little details like surgeons who use X-ray contact lenses to perform operations.<br><br>This is a smart decision on the part of the screenwriter, as the refreshingly grounded approach allows the film to tackle some fairly ambitious themes in its second half, examining humanity’s dependence on technology and whether or not we are making ourselves obsolete. In fact, as the film moves towards its climax, it becomes less concerned with set-pieces and instead dedicates itself to a more cerebral breed of science-fiction.<br><br>It then all culminates in a darkly shocking ending that will stay with you for days. In this sense, it’s a rare film that actually disguises its intelligence and demonstrates that being clever and being fun don’t have to be mutually exclusive concepts.</br></br></br></br></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | The Meg]]></title><description><![CDATA[That's one bad film Harry]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-the-meg-2/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11cf</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Action]]></category><category><![CDATA[Video]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 03 Sep 2018 08:41:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/gsmea1rx9mly2ufrw3hm.png" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QKgrShZCNek?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | Extinction]]></title><description><![CDATA[A tragic case study in offering ''too little too late''.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-extinction/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11d0</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Video]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sci-fi]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 02 Aug 2018 09:42:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/netflixextinction-blogroll-1531263222755_1280w.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6R9OAt_p1Rg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | Friday the 13th: The Game- Single Player Update]]></title><description><![CDATA[At its best, it successfully taps into the sinister, power fantasy of Friday the 13th... but the fun rapidly dissipates.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-friday-the-13th-single-player/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11d1</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Videogames]]></category><category><![CDATA[Single-player]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 02 Jun 2018 16:14:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/friday-the-13th-the-game-ultimate-slasher-edition-switch-hero.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/friday-the-13th-the-game-ultimate-slasher-edition-switch-hero.jpg" alt="Review | Friday the 13th: The Game- Single Player Update"/><p>It’s only been a few months since the <a href="https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2018/02/video-game-review-friday-13th-game-january-update/">last update</a> to <strong>Friday the 13th: The Game,</strong> but in that short space of time, the combined teams over at Gun Media and IIIFonic have been furiously making announcements, pledging new features at an absolutely manic rate.<br><br>They arguably got a little over-eager in this regard, with a level of promise-making seldom observed outside of national politics. It was as if the developers had a pathological compulsion to please and were therefore willing to say <em>anything</em> in order to keep their fanbase happy.</br></br></p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Jason_Part_5_Screenshot_01.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Review | Friday the 13th: The Game- Single Player Update"/></figure><p><br>Indeed, IIIFonic forecast- amongst other things- new playable characters, the ability to weapon swap, various balancing tweaks, <strong>Jason X</strong> content, and a revised punishment for rage quitters (more on that later). Oh, and they also vowed to finally introduce dedicated servers, along with a proper single-player mode as well.<br><br>This ambition cannot be faulted and it’s abundantly clear that the developers really do care about their product. In fact, their tendency to over-hype things is of the more affable, Peter Molyneux variety, in the sense that it stems from misguided passion and blind optimism, rather than conscious deception. Having said that, they have still dug themselves into a bit of hole. Earnest intent aside, they are selling a product, which means that they should appropriately manage expectations, instead of stoke them up to 11.<br><br>After all, because of the team’s inability to simply <em>stop announcing things</em>, there is now a massive anticipation associated with the new patch. It certainty has an an awful lot to deliver on, perhaps too much, because as it stands, there are certain things conspicuously missing here (most notably: those dedicated servers!). Moreover, the content that <em>has</em> been included is far from refined.<br><br>Whilst the minor improvements- i.e.balancing adjustments; revamped animations and cosmetic upgrades- are all fine, the meatier additions leave something to be desired.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p><h2 id="introducing-the-single-player-challenges">Introducing the Single-Player Challenges</h2><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/33.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Review | Friday the 13th: The Game- Single Player Update"/></figure><p><br>In particular, the new single-player mode is a complete mess. Which is a shame, given that A) its absence has long been a sticking point for many critics and B) the gameplay foundations are perfectly solid. Alas, as is becoming a recurring theme with <strong>Friday the 13th</strong>, whilst everything is fantastic on paper, the technical execution is disappointingly lacking.<br><br>The new mode is kind of reminiscent of a bargain-basement <strong>Hitman</strong>, in which you take control of Jason and are tasked with picking off a group of typically amorous teens in either stealthy or creative ways. In total, there’s only 10 missions to sink your teeth into, but to incentivise further replay the developers have included a litany of extra trials, some of which are mutually exclusive. This means that completionists will have to do the whole thing multiple times if they want to 100% it.<br><br>Each map has 3 standard ”skulls”: one for ensuring that there are no survivors; one for doing so whilst remaining undetected, and one for meeting an arbitrary score target. Meanwhile, there are also bespoke objectives tailored to each level, ranging from ”murder the designated teen in a specific way”, to ”ensure that no one reaches an allocated landmark”. As aforementioned, you can’t always do these things simultaneously, or even in a clean attempt. Therefore if you want to meet all of the requirements in a given scenario, you’ll need to re-experience it several times.</br></br></br></br></br></p><h3 id="the-good-bits">The Good Bits</h3><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/8xSXa3jtZumHAp0yxu1JnRus--1-.webp" class="kg-image" alt="Review | Friday the 13th: The Game- Single Player Update"/></figure><p><br>On the surface, these missions could be fun, given that they are building upon tried-and-tested mechanics for an entirely new experience. This should make for a nice change of pace from the multiplayer, as you get far more opportunity to be tactical with your approach.  You’re not working against the clock to hunt down <em>knowing</em> victims anymore, instead you’re dealing with unsuspecting cattle in much more contained venues. This means that you’re no longer playing an expansive game of hide-and-seek and thus have greater scope to experiment and play around.<br><br>There’s plenty of fan-service thrown into the mix as well, with scenes fastidiously recreated from the films. There’s a meticulous attention to detail in the environments, dialogue is lifted directly from the source material and classic kills are replicated in all their outlandish glory. Being able to homage the entire climax of <strong>The Final Chapter</strong>, or pull off the famous speargun kill from <strong>Friday the 13th</strong>: <strong>Part 3,</strong> is doubtlessly going to thrill any devotee of the franchise.<br><br>Speaking of which, the plethora of new fatalities is easily the highlight of this particular offering. Figuring out where they are and how to execute them is a real treat, and you can tell that the devious think tank over at IIIFonic had a blast devising them.</br></br></br></br></br></p><p>At its best, the new campaign successfully taps into the sinister, power fantasy appeal of <strong>Friday the 13th</strong>. Role-playing as an unstoppable killing machine, stalking your would-be victims from the shadows and then perfectly executing your fiendish plan is an exhilarating process.</p><p>Or at least that’s true at the beginning, but the fun rapidly dissipates.</p><h3 id="the-negatives">The Negatives</h3><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/MPpfihbfKznix5Bzfc7FrT.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Review | Friday the 13th: The Game- Single Player Update"/></figure><p>As with the earlier iterations of <strong>Friday’s</strong> multiplayer, the novelty of this solo experience is quickly undermined by just how frustrating, janky and fundamentally broken it is. The performance is wildly unstable, the AI behaviour is erratic and difficult-to-gauge and glitches are ludicrously rampant, along with persistent frame-rate drops and recurring crashes. Even the controls have somehow been botched, despite the fact that they’re identical to the existing ones. In particular, the interact button proves to be a fickle mistress, often neglecting to carry out its duties, presumably out of sheer contempt for the player.<br><br>When all of these problems converge – and they regularly do – then you’re effectively presented with a Kobayashi Maru situation, i.e: a true no-win scenario. The game insists that <em>you</em> are at fault, either because someone got away or because you were spotted. But make no mistake, you didn’t fail it. <em>It</em> failed <em>you</em>.<br><br>You’re not to blame if the command prompts aren’t responding, or if a door refuses to open. Nor can you help it if a counsellor never arrives because they got stuck on a rock. Likewise, if divine Providence has intervened to save Chad by teleporting him halfway across the fucking map, then that shouldn’t reflect badly on you. The game did not uphold its end of the bargain. It ceased to function and it will do so <em>many, many</em> times.<br><br>This wouldn’t be so grating, were it not for the fact that <em>every single time</em> you restart a level, you are forced to endure the exact same, <em>unskippable</em> cut scene. As a result, if you are having a notably tough time with a challenge (or if the game unaccountably freezes on you) then you’ll have to endure the opening cut-scene on an endless loop and it wont be long before you’re capable of reciting the dialogue in its entirety.<br><br>For instance, take this little exchange from Chapter 10:</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p><blockquote><strong>Tiffany:</strong> Mind if I dance with him?<br><strong>Vanessa:</strong> Actually, I’m gonna take a swim. Something stinks in here.<br><strong>Tiffany:</strong> Hey big stuff, show me your moves?<br><strong>Kenny:</strong> Sure Milady.<br/></br></br></br></blockquote><p>To clarify, I didn’t have to look that up. This scene has been committed to memory, etched onto the very matter of my brain, after only a single play session. That would be excruciating enough if it was my fault, but more-often-than-not the restart happened when the game just shit itself and decided to punish me for it!<br><br>What’s even worse is that sometimes these openings (which I have to stress <em>are</em> unskippable) don’t even play properly. On <em>both</em> the PS4 and Xbox One versions, there is a specific intro that has a good chance of crashing the game and it was not uncommon for me to see clones of NPCs materialise in the middle of a cut-scene.<br><br>And as for the defective AI, that’s possibly the biggest ball-ache of all. They can’t seem to decide if they’re working to a preordained path, or if they’re instead improvising their behaviour. I think it’s supposed to be the former, but it doesn’t always work like that, as if we’re in <strong>Westworld</strong> or something and the characters are rebelling against their narrative.</br></br></br></br></p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Bots.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Review | Friday the 13th: The Game- Single Player Update"/></figure><p><br>This is highly disruptive to the gameplay, because achieving the perfect stealth-run requires you to know <em>exactly</em> where the NPCs go to isolate themselves and <em>exactly</em> when they do it. Everything needs to be in precise synchronicity for this, otherwise all your planning goes down the drain. Even a split second going amiss can make the difference between a kill and a missed opportunity, or between a character facing one direction and them facing another, so they need to be regimented!<br><br>Admittedly, there are many stealth games out there that use unscripted AI and don’t have things like designated patrol routes (<strong>Metal Gear Solid V, Alien Isolation</strong>). In those games, you obviously can’t rely on set patterns and have to adapt to situations as they unfold. However if that’s the case, then the level design should properly account for this off-the-cuff dynamic.<br><br>Yet that’s not how it works in <strong>Friday the 13th,</strong> and so you can never be certain how to proceed.  You can’t predict if the AI will suddenly verge from the path that it has invariably taken in every other instance. Sure, Eric is programmed to go outside after he’s been rejected by Tiffany, but the one time that you prepare for him doing this will be the one time that he inexplicably remains inside.<br><br>Hell, the NPC behaviour is so volatile that on one occasion a wheelchair-bound character miraculously recovered and went for a fucking moonlight stroll!</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p><h3 id="and-the-bloody-salt-mines">And the bloody Salt Mines</h3><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Salt-Mines-compressor.png" class="kg-image" alt="Review | Friday the 13th: The Game- Single Player Update"/></figure><p><br>Those single-player challenges might be blatantly unfinished, but at least you can ignore them and it wont have much of an impact on the rest of the game. The ”<a href="http://www.f13game.com/news/welcome-to-the-salt-mines/">Salt Mines</a>” on the other hand, are a much more dangerous proposition. Conceived as a deterrent to rage-quitters, this new system threatens to segregate any players who are deemed to be ”salty” by IIIFonic. In other words, it’s a method of shaming those who ostensibly have a history of poor sportsmanship.<br><br>Again, this is theoretically viable and anywhere else it would be a welcome solution to the problem of sore losers. But in a game as notoriously unreliable as <strong>Friday the 13th,</strong> it’s rather galling that they have the nerve to introduce this. Yes, people are guilty of quitting matches early and I have no shame in admitting to it myself. Why? Because the game practically dares me to.<br><br>When the lag becomes unbearable, when cheaters are exploiting glaringly unaddressed bugs and when my character freezes in the middle of an animation (and thus become useless), then of course I’m going to quit. As a working adult with real-life commitments, I don’t have the time to simply power through these badly performing matches. I’m only going to stick around for the ones that work.<br><br>For the game to brand me as a ”salty”, simply because I refuse to put up with its shit, is just a step too far in my book. If a car habitually stalled every time you tried to change gear, you wouldn’t grin and bear it. You’d get a new car. And you wouldn’t expect the manufacturer to come out publicaly and criticise your driving ability like a bunch of knobheads.<br><br>So, before you start condescending me about how’ ‘losing is a part of playing’, why don’t you get your product into an acceptable state first? Because until it’s fixed, I am going to continue leaving broken matches. And the day that I am sent to the salt mines for that crime, will be the day that I stop giving this mess a chance and put it away for good.<br><br><strong>Pros:</strong><br><br>+ Free cosmetic additions, balancing tweaks and a new playable counsellor.<br>+ Inventive deaths and references are enjoyable. <br>+ Single Player Challenges are fun initally.<br><br><strong>Cons:</strong><br><br>– <em>Still</em> no dedicated servers<br>– Single Player feels rushed and annoying<br>– Unskippable, recurring cut-scenes<br>– Salt Mines are just a bad idea<br/></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p><h2 id="rating-5-10">Rating: 5/10</h2>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Backstory Scripts | At the Mountains of Madness]]></title><description><![CDATA[Join us for discussions on the meaning of life, religion, and mutated penguins.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/at-the-mountains-of-madness-backstory-scripts/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11be</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Backstory Scripts]]></category><category><![CDATA[2018]]></category><category><![CDATA[Guillermo Del Toro]]></category><category><![CDATA[Screenwriting]]></category><category><![CDATA[Lovecraft]]></category><category><![CDATA[At the Mountains of Madness]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2018 09:53:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/mountains-of-madness.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/mountains-of-madness.jpg" alt="Backstory Scripts | At the Mountains of Madness"/><p>It's time to take a trip into the unknown... yes, the movie industry! It's another episode where we find a large, mostly unmemorable, ship crew slowly picked off one by one by a mysterious entity. Join us for discussions on the meaning of life, religion, and mutated penguins.<br><br>At the Mountains of Madness is adapted from the 1931 tale by H.P. Lovecraft of the same name. The 2010 script is a passion project of Guillermo Del Toro, written by him and Matthew Robins.<br><br>Audio mixing by Jack.<br>Foley and soundscapes found through Freesound.<br>Art by Ivan Laliashvili</br></br></br></br></br></br></p><figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/biZkoIFaKPw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | Gehenna: Where Death Live]]></title><description><![CDATA["There are some fates worse than death" is more than a tagline, it's this films goal.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-gehenna/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11d2</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 21 May 2018 17:52:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/gehenna.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/gehenna.jpg" alt="Review | Gehenna: Where Death Live"/><p><strong>Gehenna: Where Death Lives</strong> doesn’t have much going for it, but it does boast one of the most fitting taglines in cinema history: ‘’Some fates are <em>much</em> worse than death’… Indeed.<br><br>For instance you could:</br></br></p><ul><li>Awaken underground, unable to see or breathe, prematurely entombed within a small wooden coffin.</li><li>Contract a debilitating wasting disease and slowly wither away as your loved ones watch-on in bewildered horror.</li><li>Suffer from the infamous ‘’locked in syndrome’’, with a looping series of infomercials playing on the TV in front of you.</li><li>Watch <strong>Gehenna: Where Death Lives.</strong></li></ul><p>Should you find yourself in the latter scenario, then there are very few people in this world who will be able to understand your pain. So please, exercise some viewerly discretion and heed my warning: stay well away from <strong>Gehenna: Where Death Lives</strong>.<br><br>If you still insist on watching it, then I implore you to keep reading.  At least that way you will be fully prepared for the galling tedium that’s to come…<br><br>Before going any further, I want to stress that this movie is not funny bad, or even fascinatingly inept. It’s just hard work. So if you decide to give it a shot, then don’t blame me if you have a thoroughly miserable time. Because this is nothing but turgid, uneventful claptrap; completely devoid of scares and entirely lacking in narrative coherence or <em>basic</em> entertainment value.<br><br>Like me, you may have been lured in by the film’s promise of recognisable character actors, like Doug Jones or Lance Henriksen. If that’s the case, then you will be pissed to discover that their combined screen time is approximately 180 seconds, with one them- quite literally – phoning in their performance from behind a desk. To be crystal clear, this film <em>is not</em> the Doug Jones vehicle that the poster is selling you. It doesn’t remotely hinge on one of his signature creepy characters, he just happens to be in it for a solitary scene and then a couple of insert shots thereafter. Still, apparently that’s enough to hang an entire marketing campaign on. Hmmm…<br><br>Your justified sense of rage will doubtlessly swell further, when it turns out that the actual leads of this rotting garbage pile are a bunch of clueless amateurs, who deliver their lines so awkwardly that you’ll swear they’ve never had to use vowels before.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p><figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H2QQjKbPzv8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure><p><br>To make matters worse, the filmmakers presumably thought that lights were only for high-falutin Oscar movies, and so elected to abandon them altogether. It certainly feels that way, with some sequences being so needlessly dark that they might as well be in a radio play for all the difference it would make. As a result, the majority of your viewing experience will be spent hopelessly squinting, trying to discern what the hell is happening on screen. Rest assured, it’s a waste of effort. Just save your eyesight for something that actually deserves it.<br><br>Oh, and you will also be subjected to relentless attempts at ‘’psychological horror’’, courtesy of a supernatural curse that only makes sense because every character in the film has unaccountably suffered a recent bereavement. It’s thoroughly unclear what would actually happen them otherwise. I suppose the curse would just skip them out?<br><br>It’s around this point that you will start to notice  that the movie is not only intolerably generic and dreadfully acted, but also oppressively stupid. This notion will be later substantiated when a character wanders into a dimly lit room and posits that it looks too similar to all of the others. Upon making this observation, he inexplicably reasons that he <em>must</em> be stuck in some kind of temporal loop.<br><br>He says this, despite the fact that bunkers aren’t exactly known for having varied interior designs. In fact, it never once occurs to him that maybe the reason the rooms all look the same, is because they’re all dark, grey and empty. Instead of thinking in this way (you know, like a rational human being) he just infers that the very fabric of reality is deteriorating around him! Granted, he is later proven right, but it still doesn’t change the fact that this was his first fucking assumption!</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/081K6430-1024x683.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Review | Gehenna: Where Death Live"/></figure><p><br>To be fair, characters will come to similarly groundless conclusions throughout the movie, but after a while you’ll stop caring. You’re already long past trying to make sense of this nonsense. You just want it over with. So whenever someone makes an out-of-nowhere remark, or formulates some kind of bizarre and unmotivated plan, you’ll just roll your eyes and mutter ‘’Fine. Whatever it takes to get to the goddamn ending!’’<br><br>Speaking of which, as we approach that long-overdue climax (which involves a twist so heavily telegraphed, that Mr. Magoo could see it coming), you’ll begin to feel a deep-seated anger. A hateful sensation. One that is festering somewhere <em>deep</em> within your very being. If you’re wondering why you’re feeling this way, it won’t be thanks to an opportune organ failure (which would be a sweet mercy), but because you’ve just realized that nothing in this movie is of any consequence whatsoever.<br><br>Indeed, until the last couple of scenes, it’s all just people aimlessly wandering around in the dark. Evidently, this is all part of a calculated effort to stretch the runtime out to an arbitrary 100 minutes, when 80 would have clearly sufficed. Heck, even that’s being generous. There’s not enough material here to justify a 15 minute short, never mind a full-length feature!<br><br>And then as the credits begin to roll, it finally hits you. The eureka moment! At long last, you understand. Understand why this has all been so stilted and arduous. How could you have not seen it before? <strong>Gehenna: Where Death Lives</strong> is not a film in the conventional sense! It is not designed to entertain, tell a compelling story or transport its audience into another word. It has much loftier ambitions than that.<br><br>This isn’t a movie, it’s a statement! And that quote on the poster – it isn’t a promotional tagline. It’s a lesson. A cruel, painful lesson, one that you have gradually come to appreciate. You see it now too, don’t you? There are some fates worse than death.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | Deadpool 2]]></title><description><![CDATA[Deadpool returns with... well it's more Deadpool.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-deadpool-2/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11d3</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Action]]></category><category><![CDATA[Video]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Jack Gracie]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 18 May 2018 18:00:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/deadpool-2.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_eB8m9glGHY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | Mary and the Witches Flower  (メアリと魔女の花)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mary leans on the Ghibli tradition moreso than Ponoc say, but without the sheer charm and joy that made those films so loved to begin with.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-mary-witches-flower/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11b8</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Anime]]></category><category><![CDATA[Video]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Jack Gracie]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2018 13:01:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/mary-witches-flower.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/mary-witches-flower.jpg" alt="Review | Mary and the Witches Flower  (メアリと魔女の花)"/><p>Before I get to the proper review I just wanted to say that there is an interview with the director and the producer of Mary and the Witches Flower up on our website that will be linked in the description. There's only a few questions just because we had limited time and there was translation back and forth. But yeah, give it a read if you're interested in more.<br><br>Mary the Witch's Flower is the first film by Studio Ponoc; meaning "midnight" or "a brand new day" as a majority are staff that have left Studio Ghibli to start their own company. Yonebayashi, the director, he originally did ‘When Marnie Was There’ and ‘The Secret Life of Arietty’, and basically when Studio Ghibli started shutting now and it’s masters announced they were no longer producing feature films, its younger staff thought: "Well... We still want to do stuff. We'd like to have jobs" and so they have set off on their own ways.<br><br>There is a quote from the original book that they cited a lot in a lot of the interview materials  where Mary says at one point: "I want to open this door but I want to open it without using magic no matter how long that takes" and that is kind of how they've cited their mindset going into this film. They wanted a character that liked magic, but then realized at the end of it that they no longer needed magic to be who they were. That is the context that they've seen for moving on from the magic of Studio Ghibli.<br><br>I understand that concept, however I think that they don't push far enough with this film to be completely separate from the past.<br><br>I also think there's something with that statement where you say "We don't want magic" – as it’s disregarding that that is the aspect most people like about Studio Ghibli? They like that it's got this magical element to it, this fantasy, this wonder, and saying we want to leave the magic of Studio Ghibili behind -- I know that they're  highlighting its reputation moreso than the actual style of the films, because this is very much a continuation of that. But it's a touchstone that I think highlights a few of the flaws going into the final product.<br><br>Mary and the Witch's Flower is based on the English novel The Little Broomstick. Mary has moved to live with her elderly aunt in the countryside and it's summer so she's just waiting to start school in this new area. So she's left in the house with just elderly people and nothing to really do and so she's very bored and she slowly starts exploring the nearby countryside. While doing that she follows some cats finds the magical witch's flower and a broomstick. By crushing one of the flower’s berries she gains magical powers for those 24 hours and the broom sets off and takes her away to Endor College where she finds a magical headmistress and plots happens, as it tends to do sometimes.<br><br>As films go it's not particularly flawed in any way, it's just missing that magic that they wanted to kind of step away from. Mary feels like a compilation of all the kind of stubborn Ghibili girls rolled into one, but with nothing in particular defining her. It's also a very similar plot of being whisked away to a magical building run by a kind of creepy crony old woman who uses magic to control the girl at several times and it ultimately wraps into a story of Technology versus nature. So to say this is a film that is entirely branching out from what's happened before would be… untruthful.<br><br>They have also said in all the promotional materials that they didn't deliberately go out to try and make a film that would be popular and make money - they wanted to make something that they wanted to make; and again I think, is that really true? Because, granted, the director’s previous two books that he's adapted into films are English fantasy novels by female writers around the same era, So that's definitely in his MO, but the past two films were definitely smaller in scale and a lot more focused on human drama and emotions. Whereas this is on a much larger scale and just seems to skim over a lot of the human element of the film.<br><br>As you could probably see in the trailer obviously the animation is just top-notch all the way through. I think they've put a majority of the kind of flourishes in the trailer so you've probably already seen it on this video but there are some really amazingly animated sections.<br><br>I don't know why I've left off this review so long because I saw it a while ago and when I think back to it I just think that there wasn't that much to remember about it. Like I said the characters were kind of cut-out, the plot was... I wouldn't venture to say predictable but it wasn't particularly imaginative and the moments where the film was being imaginative it seemed to really brush over to get back to a plot that I wasn't that interested in. In all of the interviews they mentioned how passionate they were about this project and I'd watched the behind-the-scenes documentary on the amount of work that they did put into it and the amount of late nights - but watching the final film you don't feel that. You don't feel the passion.<br><br>You don't feel like this is a story that he really wants to tell. It feels like the story that the studio wants to tell to get a really good first start and I can understand that because starting a studio, especially a high quality animation feature film studio, is just--  it's a very very risky move. It just is. I'm not saying that they don't love animation, obviously they love animation that's why they are wanting to make this, but they need to set a good foundation for that company and I completely understand that but I just think that it means that whatever Ponoc come out with next potentially, or maybe the film after that, if they continue to be successful I just think that this will be looked back on as the safe foundation from which they tried to build something new.<br><br>I can't hate the film for that. But it doesn't mean I have to love it or particularly like it. I don't think there was much to watch back on. I think that if you maybe have a kid, they might enjoy it. Just a kid that loves fantasy in particular But for adults--  like adults can re-watch a lot of the classic Ghibili films and still feel that wonder of it and the fun. Personally I just don't think there was enough of that here to really get me excited about it.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p><p/><figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sWZmdCA47Z0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | The Reset Button]]></title><description><![CDATA[The guys discuss the end of Infinity War and the storytelling behind it.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-the-reset-button/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11dc</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Action]]></category><category><![CDATA[Marvel]]></category><category><![CDATA[Infinity War]]></category><category><![CDATA[Robert Downey JR]]></category><category><![CDATA[Superheros]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[2018]]></category><category><![CDATA[Chris Pratt]]></category><category><![CDATA[Benedict Cumberbatch]]></category><category><![CDATA[Chris Evans]]></category><category><![CDATA[Russo Brothers]]></category><category><![CDATA[Tom Holland]]></category><category><![CDATA[Scarlett Johansson]]></category><category><![CDATA[Jeremy Renner]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2018 15:46:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/AvengersInfinityWar.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/23--The-Reset-Button-e2lufh" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview | Hiromasa Yonebayashi & Yoshiaki Nishimura]]></title><description><![CDATA[Their first feature release, Mary and the Witches' Flower, finally releases in UK cinemas 4th May]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/interview-hiromasa-yonebayashi-yoshiaki-nishimura/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11d4</guid><category><![CDATA[Interview]]></category><category><![CDATA[Anime]]></category><category><![CDATA[Family]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Jack Gracie]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 05 May 2018 18:01:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/poster_mary_web-1.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/poster_mary_web-1.jpg" alt="Interview | Hiromasa Yonebayashi & Yoshiaki Nishimura"/><p>When Studio Ghibli announced it was closing production of feature films in 2014 many saw it as the end of an era, even if they did take back that statement a few years later. However, director Hiromasa Yonebayashi (The Secret World of Arriety, When Marnie was There) and producer Yoshiaki Nishimura (The Tale of Princess Kaguya, When Marnie Was There) instead saw it as a beginning of a new one.<br><br>Thus Studio Ponoc was born, a Serbo-Croatian word, roughly translating to "midnight" to signify "the beginning of a new day."<br><br>Studio Ponoc's goal was to continue in the footsteps of their teachers, taking with them a large group of Ghibli regulars, whilst also braving the new ever-changing world of the modern anime industry.<br><br>Their first feature release, <em>Mary and the Witches' Flower</em>, finally releases in UK cinemas 4th May, so we sat down with the creative pair to discuss the creation, production, and future of the fantasy adventure and their newly founded studio.<br><br><em><strong>How did you find the process adapting the book to the script?</strong></em><br><br>Our previous work Marnie was a very quiet piece exploring a girl’s internal journey and this time we wanted to make something very action packed which had a lot of. We were looking for books and read many many original texts and that’s when we encountered [The Little Broomstick]. The book itself is very very interesting, it’s full of fun with a lot of speed and it makes you really get excited.<br><br>Upon making the film we wanted to add another transformation scene which was the animals which altered to other beings. Mary had issues with herself but through her adventure she tries to use her strength and power to help her friends, which leads her to manifest herself into another being. That’s her vertical pull. Her horizontal pull is Mrs Mumblechook and Dr Dee as they’re trying to alter other people and that is another gigantic theme.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Mary-and-the-Witchs-Flower-US-poster.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Interview | Hiromasa Yonebayashi & Yoshiaki Nishimura"/></figure><p><br><em><strong>Yonebayashi-San, you’ve said that the essential theme of the film is transformation, and while some grander animated moments such as the animals escaping are incredibly difficult to create you put much more effort into the scenes where Mary loses her power and has to change herself. What is the difficulty you find in expressing internal transformation versus external transformation?</strong></em><br><br>Initially Mary has an inferiority complex about her ginger red hair and she was so unhappy that she would curse herself in the mirror - but eventually through her adventure they don’t matter to her. Initially she was thinking only of herself but eventually she discovered that she was able to sacrifice herself to save other people. That was the theme when I was designing these aspects.<br><br>Also there is a symbol on Mary's palm that indicates when she is granted power, enormous power. But when she really needed the power the most she was unable to use it, she would just see a little scar on her palm. Nevertheless, she would turn her palm into a fist and proceed to go forward. We wanted to portray her determination. That even when she loses the magical power she is determined to go ahead. We thought that this was important and would resonated with a lot of audiences.<br><br><em><strong>So what lessons are you taking from Mary and the Witches Flower, in both production and directing, into your next release Ponoc Short Films Theatre?</strong></em><br><br>We employed lots of hand-drawn animators for Mary and we are confident that we fully employed their strength and power for the hand drawn animation. With the short films we are trying to employ lots of hand drawn animation and lots of CG animation as well, and it is our challenge to mix these two medias. Hand drawn animation and computer graphics.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p><p><strong>Mary and the Witches Flower comes to UK cinemas 4th May.</strong></p><figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I2IQqNP1ajg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | A Quiet Place]]></title><description><![CDATA[While A Quiet Place manages to captivate with it's intriguing concept, it ultimately comes across as slightly toothless.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-a-quiet-place/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11d5</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><category><![CDATA[Video]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 02 May 2018 18:06:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/quiet-place.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c4xMzcrLULw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | Avengers: Infinity War (Spoiler free!)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Does the biggest film of the year live up to the hype?]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-infinity-war-spoilers/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11d6</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Video]]></category><category><![CDATA[Action]]></category><category><![CDATA[Marvel]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Jack Gracie]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 25 Apr 2018 19:02:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/maxresdefault74.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PebXG6oLsgw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure><img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/maxresdefault74.jpg" alt="Review | Avengers: Infinity War (Spoiler free!)"/><p><strong>Transcript</strong><br><br>Hi and welcome back to Reel Opinions. It's a big one. It's Avengers Infinity War which comes out I suppose 36 hours from when this comes out I think, and it's good. It's genuinely really good. It already says in the title of the video but just to clarify, definitely no spoilers are here. Not even vaguely spoiler stuff, I just want to keep focusing on... not necessarily vague points but nonspecific.<br><br>I'm going to be splitting up this review kind of into two parts. One focusing on the experience of the film and the other being the film itself which will make sense when I get onto it. If you were just a big Marvel fan and you're going through the reviews on YouTube trying to find if you should believe the hype or not then I would say, one, listen just to the first half of this video, and two, yes I would say so. Which is rare for me because I don't think I've said that for a Marvel film for a long time. Possibly not since the first Avengers.<br><br>The reason I'm going to be breaking up the review into two parts is that as a film I think it's great but has a few flaws but as like a movie cinematic event I think that it is the most effective it's being in a long long time and I think that even for myself, not a super fan of the series, I found myself honestly captivated and enthralled as to what was going to come next. Even staying away from fan theories you hear the fan theories and I think one very important point to make is that it surprised me which is not something a Marvel film has done in a long time. It genuinely surprised me, there were moments where I couldn't believe that they made those choices. Perhaps more because I kind of view it so much as a (in context) as a very safe series so maybe that led into me being much more surprised. But I think that just leads into my ongoing point that I think fans are definitely going to get exactly what they were hoping for with this film. I really enjoyed it.<br><br>The comedy is an improvement still on civil war and becomes much more hit than miss it is still hit and miss for me but much more hit this time. All of the matchups I think with characters meeting each other for the first time, I think that they play off each other very well in almost every single scene - and coming into that the creative way which the Russos dealt with the fight choreography in Civil War definitely continues with this. Constantly trying to find new ways to just make these superheroes combine and find new interesting ways to try and make their powers fun to watch. I'm just so surprised that I think that they did manage to live up to the expectations of everything that's been set up to this film. I think there could be some controversial decisions that maybe some fans don't enjoy but I don't think any fan could say that they didn't deliver on the premise of this film. As a cinema experience I would say that it was the one of the most enjoyable I've had in a long time, genuinely, and again coming not as a complete super fan of the series.<br><br>Now is the part of the video where I'll jump into some of the flaws that I found with it - so if you just wanted to hear the full positive stuff maybe tune out now. I'm not ripping into it or anything just that it's small aspects where I wasn't necessarily disappointed but I thought it could be improved upon and certain story beats that I think could be if anything just cut or changed. Again with being vague and spoiler free.<br><br>Firstly is the cinematography which, considering the amount that they poured into this film does not I think look as impressive as they hoped and I find that the ways in which the Russos put the camera I find actually takes away sometimes from what's happening on screen. I don't think that they portray action in the best way that they possibly could. However, I will say that every time they have a creative idea involving shots then that's pulled off very well, surprisingly, so it's a weird mixture where I think when the moments where it counts I think they pull off some really great visual moments, but in a lot of the hand-to-hand combat and less important moments in this film I think that the camerawork feels like sloppy and almost unclear at points. Not to a point where it's completely detrimental to the film, but parts where I just thought it didn't feel like it was tightly made. Maybe they are going for slightly more off-the-cuff aspect to it, to try and give a kind of more realistic feel to everything, but I think they just kind of came off as – when you're doing it in such a massive CGI world for a lot of the film it doesn't come off that way, it comes off as kind of easy camerawork and I think it shows off a lot of how they are directors that have come from TV.<br><br>Another middling point is that sometimes I think some of the initial interactions between the characters I think happened very quickly just because want to get this show on the road. This doesn't feel like a long film but this is a long film they have a lot to get through and so I can understand that sometimes they need to rush through some introductions but I think like, for instance, some of the characters meeting aliens for the first time that seemed to be very brushed under the rug and just kind of "Let's go. Keep up the pace. We got to keep going." From the moment the film starts it never really stops going the whole film and I find it admirable but yeah I just think there were certain parts that were brushed under the rug a bit too much to get on with the action. There's only one newly established character in this film which is Peter Dinklage and I thought his character was stupid. I didn't take it seriously the whole time he was on screen and I know you could say that this was a film where you're not meant to take everything completely seriously but it was just a silly character.<br><br>I'm genuinely amazed for some of the story points that they went with in the end. Oh, and the story points thing that I wanted to touch on is just that I briefly said about fan theories earlier and I think that that has kind of come into play into the script. I've talked a lot in recent reviews about how the idea that fans reactions to things, because of internet culture, I think media is becoming a lot more reactionary to fans responses for things and I think certain scenes in this play into that a tiny bit. Not so necessarily much in a fanservice way but just in a way that it's clearly playing off fans expectations and again for those scenes.<br><br>I think that they could have been played differently or to be honest scrapped in order of more character building moments as opposed to setting up more questions just for the sake of more questions.<br><br>Again, I'm trying to stay vague but if someone watches the film and then comes back to this review I think that they might pretty easily put what scenes I'm trying to explain. It was genuinely impressive film, a really fun experience in the cinema, and while I don't think it will be like my favourite film of the year or anything like that I think that this goes to show it's just if anything it proves it as a big experiment that I think has paid off and I think that is ultimately going to cement it in a lot of fans hearts as like a true favorite series now.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | My Hero Academia (僕のヒーローアカデミア)]]></title><description><![CDATA[With season three now starting Jack takes a look at the series with enough charm to counter superhero-fatigue]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-my-hero-academia-pu-nohiroakademia/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__6040fd5c27daae27861398a0</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Video]]></category><category><![CDATA[Anime]]></category><category><![CDATA[Superheros]]></category><category><![CDATA[TV]]></category><category><![CDATA[2018]]></category><category><![CDATA[My Hero Acadamia]]></category><category><![CDATA[Series]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Jack Gracie]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 21 Apr 2018 14:31:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/heroaca.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lt1r1s1nnog?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure><h2 id="transcript">Transcript</h2><img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/heroaca.jpg" alt="Review | My Hero Academia (僕のヒーローアカデミア)"/><p>Hi and welcome back to Reel Opinions! So it's been a while since I covered any anime stuff and that's because I kind of just got burnt out on trying to keep up to date with all the seasonal stuff and trying to put out reviews for the channel, and I think it just led to me being really sick of all the mediocrity of all the stuff that comes out season upon season.<br><br>So I'm doing this review for three reasons really:</br></br></p><ol><li>Because it's something I've already watched</li><li>Because it's relevant again and,</li><li>Because this is a show that kind of just gets me excited to watch stuff again.</li></ol><p>I'm hoping if I talk about it a bit then it's gonna make me more enthusiastic in myself to go and watch more stuff and start bringing reviews back onto the channel again, because they always tend to do much better than anything else we cover.<br><br>The show that I'm covering is My Hero Academia or Boku no Hero Academia or however much japanese you want to put in it to feel good about yourself. I'm covering season two, but really I'm just covering the whole show up until this point as season three just started two weeks ago.<br><br>If you don't know anything about it the series takes place in a world where 80% of the population have developed quirks, which are essentially just like X-Men mutant powers, and so because of this, they have naturally developed superheroes into society. They are not vigilantes in that they are accepted by society but also they work independently. They have their own agencies and they are paid by the government depending on how many people they save or how much stuff they protect, etc, etc. So it's a very optimistic system and that's kind of the groundwork for the rest of the series as it's a very upbeat and optimistic look at superheroes and superheroes in society.<br><br>The story follows Deku who is a middle school kid who is born without a quirk,he's one of the 20%, and because of this he's kind of been the underdog his whole life, kind of picked upon and weak, he idolizes the best hero of them all, All Might, who is effectively the Superman of this world - nothing can touch him. Deku aspires to be a hero one day despite not having any powers. If he sees someone in trouble he will jump into the fray and one of these situations leads to him eventually meeting All Might. This isn't a spoiler by the way, this is just setting up for the entire show. All Might reveals to him that his power is the only power in the world that can be passed on from person to person, so All Might passes on his power to him. Deku, now filled with this unimaginable power, has now got the chance to try out for Hero Academy, which is the superhero training high school.<br><br>The best praise that I can give this show is that it's a very good Saturday morning cartoon. It doesn't do anything particularly, completely different. It doesn't go completely wild, but it does everything that has been done before very well... and with enough of a twist they just makes it that much different. For instance, Deku has essentially the most generic superhero power of all, in fact maybe in the whole show, which is just super strength - but the way they put the twist on it is that because he has not had powers ever in his life, and this power is more than he can possibly control using, just 1% of the power is enough to break his bones and leave him permanently damaged. So it's not a case of, flick the switch, now he's the most powerful character. It's about him slowly learning to adapt this power to his body and slowly learning to use it bit by bit and using different aspects of it. Like applying the strength to different parts of his body. Because of that it means that he still gets a progression despite the fact that you know he has the strongest superpower and it's not only that he is being beaten down by other people around him when he gets into fights but also that he's beating himself down in order to progress himself and so I think that he becomes quite compelling despite the fact that he can kind of fall into protagonist problems at times, which is just because he's the central focus of the series he doesn't tend to have as much characterizations as those on the fringes.<br><br>Another example of a power that's done slightly differently is that his school antagonist, his best friend turned bully, Bakugo, he has fire powers. Again, very generic thing, but it's not completely as his sweat is kind of like nitroglycerin, so he controls explosions. When I say powers I don't mean-- you've probably already seen in the clips that I'm showing, but it physically changes them as well. Even for a kid show it's not afraid to go into some of the weirder things like there is the person that has the ability to move any of their body parts to another part of their body. Which is just... freakishly fascinating. The idea that he can move his eyes to his palms to look around corners or move his ear to his foot to listen out for footsteps. There's someone that has headphone jacks for ears, and people that are born with mechanical parts embedded into them, like exhausts into their legs. It's making them physically different, which makes it much more entertaining to watch.<br><br>I've kind of talked about the design of the characters but I will also say that all of the characters themselves are admittedly trope-y, but with just enough earnestness put into them that you grow to enjoy them. It's because of these characters that I think that it just pushes the enjoyment to another level when it comes to the fights, which are by far the best bit of the show.<br><br>Season one, I watched it and I honestly was not too fussed about this show. It felt like it was going a bit too slow for my taste and it hadn't really done enough to separate itself from generic superhero-ness, coming into the second season I was just more watching it because I had watched the first season and I was willing to drop it. Then they get into the sports festival arc. They start pitting the characters against one another and it becomes 10 times more interesting and much more enjoyable - where every episode is two characters facing up against one another. They continue to combine their powers in interesting ways and they clash their personalities alongside the physical battles in ways that made the show so much more compelling in that I was watching it and finishing the episode and thinking "Oh, I enjoyed that way more than I thought I was going to. I'm way more into this show that I thought I was."<br><br>That is why, again, I compare it to an idea of a really good Saturday morning cartoon. I was looking forward to this every single week for season 2 because I could just sit down and I knew I was going to get 22 minutes of a fun action series. Where you get really stellar animation, well-developed characters - all of the characters are fundamentally kind of set in their ways because that just is the way that Shonen tends to lend itself... The person has to have a very firm mindset in order for it to be meaningful when they change it, and so it does tend to lead it to a bit of over-monologuing, which can bog down a lot of Shonen shows. But, that again is why I come back to the idea of it being a good Saturday morning cartoon. If you watch it week by week then I think that the monologuing would be maybe not as bad and I think that it maybe provides a bit of a pacing break between the action, which is nice. If you were to binge it all in one go I think that it could get quite bogged down in these moments. So the show got me back interested with the battles against one another and then that arc ended and I was disappointed, only for it to continue improving on what it already had with the introduction of the villain, Stain.<br><br>Which, again, is the perfect example of take something that has been done a hundred times before and give it a twist. Because he is a villain and he is asking "what does it mean to be a hero?" There's already comments writing "Argh but that's already been done in this film, that film, blah blah blah..." but what I mean is that he knows he is a villain, that's the whole interesting factor of it, is that he is a villain that believes in heroes and he thinks that there are too many fake heroes about with the fact that they have become essentially like public servants and through that he is disgusted by so many weak heroes that he wants to draw out the strongest heroes and he wants people to be doing it not because they can make money doing it, he wants to push to make true heroes a thing again... and he's doing that by becoming a serial killer. Which, again, in the kid show is kind of darker than you're expecting - and the serial killing ties into his very interesting quirk. This alone is interesting enough but then it leads to him coming into combat with the kids. The eventual fight is a tiny bit dragged out for my liking, but even though it is a kids cartoon you can still worry for the state that the characters are going to get in, because it's willing to go slightly darker than the usual show.<br><br>I think you could argue that the show is just kind of silly and maybe you could also argue that it's a bit overhyped, and not as good as people think. But for me personally, while I do find that some episodes definitely vary in quality and some episodes don't even need to exist like recap episodes. Ultimately I still found it fun to come back to every single week, which I can't say for a lot of shows, and consistently entertaining and consistently well produced for something that, again, is a kids show. It could just be a very slapdash adaptation of the books but it is trying to be the best that it can be, and like I said it's all covered with this optimism that just makes you really excited to watch it. <br><br>I think there is a reason why this is becoming the next big series out of Japan and I think that if anyone is interested in the Marvel films or at the very least interested in superheroes and is put off by the Marvel films. I've repeated it so many times in all the podcasts and everything - I like superheroes, but the Marvel films, I just do not find them interesting anymore. I don't get excited for them anymore. But this... gets me excited again and this makes me happy to watch superheroes and see interesting powers. I missed flame powers, ice powers, stuff interacting with one another and actually having interesting combinations every week and always trying to find new ways to make it fun - as opposed to just increasingly bigger people punching each other.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | Ghost Stories]]></title><description><![CDATA[By embracing old-fashioned creepiness and witty plotting, Ghost Stories distinguishes itself from the typical Blumhouse fare.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-ghost-stories/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604a131827daae2786139999</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><category><![CDATA[2018]]></category><category><![CDATA[Ghost Stories]]></category><category><![CDATA[Andy Nyman]]></category><category><![CDATA[Jeremy Dyson]]></category><category><![CDATA[Martin Freeman]]></category><category><![CDATA[Paul Whitehouse]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 16 Apr 2018 11:56:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/ghost-stories.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/ghost-stories.jpg" alt="Review | Ghost Stories"/><p>Harrison looks at the play adapted horror anthology (of sorts), Ghost Stories.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VR3zSGBS1pQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure><p/><h2 id="transcript">Transcript</h2><p>Today I'm going to be reviewing 'Ghost Stories' which is written and directed by Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson and they're the people who actually wrote and created and directed the stage play on which this is based.<br><br>It's kind of a horror anthology although I don't think that description is entirely accurate because the stories have a bit more of a connective tissue than anthology might suggest, but the basic gist is that this is about a guy called Professor Goodman who is a celebrity debunker of the paranormal. He sees himself as this like really intellectual rationalist and he has an extreme distaste for superstition and basically for any system of belief because it tore his family apart when he was younger because of his dad's extreme Jewish faith. He chose this career path because of his idol and his inspiration who was another celebrity paranormal debunker; but then this idol went missing no one knew what happened to him and it was kind of ironic that this guy who spent his life deconstructing mysteries would then go missing and become a mystery himself.<br><br>So it's surprising when Dr. Goodman is actually contacted by this guy out of the blue. He goes to visit him and his inspiration has now done a complete 180 and now believes in ghosts. What the guy says is "look, here are three cases that I cannot, with my rational mind, even I can't explain what happened in these three cases. You take a look at them and if you can tell me, if you can explain how this could happen, how these things could have happened, without ghosts, without the supernatural, then great I'll sleep easier at night. But I can't do it." What the film is then is Professor Goodman going to the three witnesses of these supernatural events, hearing their stories, which are then presented to us, and him trying to figure out whether or not there is a rational explanation for these things. There's also a more overarching story involving Professor Goodman himself, but that would be criminal to spoil.<br><br>So that's the very basic gist of what this film is about and I want to say I don't like ghost films that much. Especially modern ghost films. I think they're all the same, I think that they follow the exact same beats all the time, and I really am getting fed up with ghost films especially after all the Blumhouse stuff and the recent resurgence of them. With that being said this was the closest I've ever come to thinking there might be a foreseeable enjoyable future for the genre because I really really liked this film. It's not particularly scary, and that's something I'm gonna come to later. That's my main criticism, that I didn't find it that effective as a horror film. What it is is very well written with clever jokes, really tight intricate plotting that gets really twisty but never disappears up its own arse, well-rounded likable characters and in some cases unlikable characters that are just as well fleshed out and realized, and it's so well directed! That was my biggest surprise.<br><br>Andy Neyman and Jeremy Dyson, they've done stuff before. They've dip their toes into acting and into writing. I think Andy Neyman has done like some of the Darren brown stuff but they haven't made movies before. Obviously they've done the stage play but I was so impressed by how well they've transitioned into big-screen directing because this is, this looks so much better than all the Blumhouse stuff. This looks like a film made by someone who’s been making films for years. All of the technical aspects are really well done particularly the cinematography in the horror sequences especially. They use the frame in a way that's always really unsettling and clever the lighting looks brilliant, it's all great and it means that the sort of tense build-up stuff you're not just on edge because you're waiting for a loud noise you're on edge because they have so well presented and mounted it all. Towards the end as it gets a bit more fantastical they do some really clever visual flourishes as well, so I was really impressed with their directing.<br><br>I was also really impressed by all of the performances. We have people like Martin Freeman and Paul Whitehouse who if you're English you'll recognize him from adverts or TV (if you're American maybe not) but they give fantastic performances, but particularly Andy Neyman who is the person I was most impressed with throughout the whole thing. For his acting, for his writing, for his directing. I thought he was great.<br><br>It does slip into some of the modern horror cliches. It has the sort of quiet quiet BANG moments, and it has like creepy ghost girls, and those kind of generic things that I think things like The Conjuring and Insidious have turned me against - but it does them way better and it has a lot more going on under the surface. They've got a very layered interesting story to it. The whole thing-- You get it's titled as 'Ghost Stories' and the best moments of this film feel like that kind of campfire urban legend tale. It's not just like people wandering around and then a ghost gets in their face and goes BOO it has the construction and the sort of creepiness of a classic ghost story at times, mixed with a modern blend of humor.<br><br>It never goes full horror comedy, they're just realistic lines that are kind of funny that the characters say, and that worked really well too but as it moves into its like final third it gets really unpredictable, really strange, and quite dark, and I loved I loved the final third of this film in the same way that I think you love a particularly good episode of Black Mirror. The way that it all gets flipped on its head at the end and the way that you realize that there've been subtle clues leading up to events throughout the film. It's something that I would honestly want to watch again because of how well it all fits together in the end and because of how smart it is.<br><br>It does put some slightly clever spins on things you've seen before. There's a great joke about phone signal reception which is obviously something that if you watch horror films you get fed up with quite a lot because there's always "Oh there's no signal out here." Which is a problem no one ever has in the modern day but they have quite a good joke about that, and there's also the fact that the main character is a professional skeptic means that the thing that's often quite annoying in these ghost films where you have to watch people be unreasonably cynical about stuff that's obviously supernatural. That's made more interesting by the fact that the main character's job is to find rational explanations for things and it leads into a lot of interesting discussions and dissections about faith, about why we believe things, about whether or not it's easier to discount the supernatural or if it's actually harder to, about whether or not it's easier to think there's nothing after death or if it's easier to think the other way around - and it gets quite deep into some of that stuff which made it, again, a lot more interesting than most modern ghost movies.<br><br>So yeah, my main problem with it was that it wasn't that scary because a lot of the time it does these really fantastic build-up sequences where you're waiting for something really creepy to happen and like I said it uses the frame so perfectly, it uses things like focus and sound to really get under your skin, and then it might just end with a door rattling and you kinda go "uegh", but sometimes it does do things that are a little bit more creepy and those moments where, like I said it feels like a traditional ghost story, I think those moments work really really well.<br><br>It doesn't feel like a play either, that was the other thing. A lot of times when you watch these movies adapted from plays it can feel very very theatrical. You know people sat in rooms for ages and there are bits like that, there are some lengthy conversations, like the scenes where Professor Goodman is interviewing people. Like lengthy dialogue scenes, but A) they're well-made and they're well performed so you don't mind and B) I think they keep finding new ways to make it feel cinematic and I was impressed by how cinematic it felt throughout.<br><br>I would really recommend this, particularly to people who like horror. Also to people who like comedy, and also to people who may be a bit fed up of ghost movies because this is the most refreshing and different one that I've seen in a long time. I would give this a really really strong recommendation - an eight out of ten at least? So yeah I would urge people to check this out especially if they're thinking about watching some shitty Blumhouse horror instead. See this one. It's clever. It's clever and it's well made.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mini-Review | I Kill Giants]]></title><description><![CDATA[While earnest I Kill Giants may be remembered as nothing more than a doppelgänger film.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/mini-review-i-kill-giants/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604a5fea27daae27861399fc</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mini-Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fantasy]]></category><category><![CDATA[Family]]></category><category><![CDATA[Children's]]></category><category><![CDATA[2018]]></category><category><![CDATA[Indie]]></category><category><![CDATA[Imogen Poots]]></category><category><![CDATA[Zoe Saldana]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Jack Gracie]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 12 Apr 2018 17:23:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/i-kill-giants.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><img src="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/i-kill-giants.jpg" alt="Mini-Review | I Kill Giants"/><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mini-Review: I Kill Giants <a href="https://t.co/uJYAr9tjZL">pic.twitter.com/uJYAr9tjZL</a></p>&mdash; Reel Opinions (@Reel_Opinions) <a href="https://twitter.com/Reel_Opinions/status/984404464835678211?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
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</figure>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | Bright]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jack and Harrison discuss the numerous ways in which Bright tries and fails to build a fantasy realm with real world implications.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-bright/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604a5f3427daae27861399cf</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Not My Cup of Tea]]></category><category><![CDATA[2018]]></category><category><![CDATA[Max Landis]]></category><category><![CDATA[Will Smith]]></category><category><![CDATA[David Ayer]]></category><category><![CDATA[Joel Edgerton]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fantasy]]></category><category><![CDATA[Netflix]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Reel Opinions]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 12 Apr 2018 17:21:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/bright.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/bright.jpg" alt="Review | Bright"/><p>David Ayer lost a lot of credibility with Suicide Squad, let's see if he can make it up with follow-up Bright. Oh, written by Max Landis? That's a no then.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ISRKCPWiXNE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | The Executioners]]></title><description><![CDATA[There's truly nothing positive that I can say about this film.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-the-executioners/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604a608b27daae2786139a1d</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><category><![CDATA[2018]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 10 Apr 2018 17:27:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/maxresdefault59.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LTGNiZYMNu8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure><img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/maxresdefault59.jpg" alt="Review | The Executioners"/><p>The Executioners is a septic turd of a movie, devoid of any redeeming qualities whatsoever.<br><br>Conceptually, it is indistinct from every other home invasion film in existence, save for the fact that it has a leering obsession with sexual violence and a gang rape scene that seems to go on indefinitely. So if that pitch gets your motor running, then you'll likely have a whale of a time. Otherwise, it's probably best that you stay away and go watch literally <em>anything</em> else.<br><br>Alternating between two settings; ''Crushingly Dull'' and ''Relentlessly Unpleasant'', <strong>The Executioners</strong> manages to be pull of the unenviable trick of being consistently off-putting. When it's not boring, it's sordid. When it's not generic, it's just stupid. And when it is is not tiresome and uneventful, that's only because it is showing us a woman being forced into fellatio.</br></br></br></br></p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/ex-1.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Review | The Executioners"/></figure><p>Not only that, but director Giorgio Serafini has precisely <em>zero</em> new ideas. Even his last minute plot ''inversion'' is a predictable staple of the genre. Without giving too much away, a variation of this reveal is used in almost every home invasion flick (see the infinitely superior <strong>You're Next</strong> or <strong>Better Watch Out</strong> for further reference), so somehow the twists and turns here are <em>also</em> by-the-numbers!<br><br>Worse still, there is a pervasive attitude of seediness that clings to the film throughout, specifically in relation to the (exclusively-female) victims.  The camera is constantly ogling them, even when they are in a states of severe emotional distress/ physical peril, and they take their clothes off at seemingly random intervals, as if they're trying to meet a quota or something.<br><br>Honestly, it's telling that this gawking continues after the aforementioned assault, because the sleaziness of this film truly knows no bounds. How anyone could derive titillation from the sight of naked flesh AFTER already giving us a rape scene is truly beyond me, but apparently Serafini thought he'd give it the old college try.<br><br>Speaking of that churlish, needless rape sequence, boy is it a doozy! Overlong, uncomfortable and shamelessly exploitative, its only purpose in the film is to aggravate and disturb, which is pretty shitty when you think about it. It has no narrative justification for existing, other than to be used as a base shock-tactic. The heroines could have just as easily been under threat by armed killers or burglars and it wouldn't have made an iota of difference. The only reason the filmmakers opted to go with rape is because that's more ''extreme'' and attention-grabbing.<br><br>Did I mention that the whole ordeal is presented as a montage too? Just to make it more untenable and crass.<br><br>Anyone who knows me personally will testify that I am not easily offended or upset and that I have seen FAR worse things than <strong>The Executioners</strong> before. So it's not that I'm overly fragile or sensitive, nor do I automatically have a problem with rape appearing in  films.<br><br>I just think it should have a reason for being there. Which is what I found so objectionable about this film. It went nowhere with its nastiness, there was nothing else to it besides endless misery.  It was like having someone poking at you with a stick, repeatedly asking ''Are you shocked yet? Are you shocked yet?''<br><br>Also aren't these rape-revenge narratives supposed to focus on the eventual retribution and payback? You know, the part of the story that's actually cathartic and exciting for the audience? Take <strong>I Spit on Your Grave</strong> for example. That film dedicates significantly more time to showing the villains getting their, arguably even more brutal, comeuppance. By contrast, <strong>The Executioners</strong> kind of just shies away from all that stuff and is curiously hesitant to show us the perpetrators getting what they deserve. Why unflinchingly depict the suffering of the women like that, but then go so easy on the bad guys? It doesn't make any sense!<br><br>There's truly nothing positive that I can say about this film. The closest I can get to a compliment is that it successfully elicited a visceral reaction from me, but even then, that response was one of vitriol twinned with boredom.<br><br>Whilst it is indeed true that talented filmmakers like David Fincher and Martin Scorsese have made a name for themselves by producing provocative and twisted work, there was crucially always some substance to back up their edge. It takes real skill to do what they do, to keep people watching in-spite of the grime. Alas, Giorgio Serafini does not have that skill, so he comes across less like a dangerous maverick  and more like a desperate try-hard with nothing to say.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | Dead List]]></title><description><![CDATA[Dead List might feel like a glorified home-movie, but it is consistently fun]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-dead-list/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604a616127daae2786139a3a</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[2018]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><category><![CDATA[Dead List]]></category><category><![CDATA[Holden Andrews]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 08 Apr 2018 17:31:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/dead-list-2018-exclusive-trailer-hd-mp4-still001.png" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/94qlqXoMBJQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure><img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/dead-list-2018-exclusive-trailer-hd-mp4-still001.png" alt="Review | Dead List"/><p>If you type the words “Dead List” into Google, then you will be immediately confronted with a terrifying portrait of online culture. Granted, the same could be said for almost <em>any</em> two word combination on the internet. After all, there’s plenty of stuff out there to make you question our worth as a species, like revenge porn, malware viruses, Logan Paul videos and those articles where you have to click on a new page every 50 <em>fucking</em> words. Still, even in the festering cesspit of depravity that is the world wide web,‘’Dead List’’ manages to conjure up some uniquely depressing results.<br><br>For context, there seems to be a worrying abundance of blogs dedicated to forecasting which elderly celebrities will be the next to expire. Each of these sites is repulsive in its own right, but <em>The Death List</em> manages to stand out amongst the bunch, by keeping a running tally of their accurate predictions. They even go as far as to proudly display their score out-of-50 right right at the top of the page, just next to the eminently classy tagline; ‘’on today, gone tomorrow’’. Oh and they have a tacky merchandise store where you can buy their official underwear too. Nice!<br><br>Now as far as I’m concerned, no film should have its SEO comprised by a website that features headlines like ‘’No More Squawking for Hawking’’ and ‘’Hef in Hell?!’’ So in that sense, I feel inclined to be generous to <strong>Dead List,</strong> because no matter how shoddily made it is, it doesn’t deserve to be buried beneath all of this decadent slime. It makes me feel bad for it. Indeed, by virtue of <em>not</em> being a ghoulish mortality aggregate, it should be ranked higher in search engines results.<br><br>Sure, the camera work is ugly and the colour grading will be instantly off-putting to anyone with eyes. And yes, the production values are consistently appalling, the acting is at times embarrassing and the script is full of accidentally hilarious moments (e.g. ‘’There’s not enough space in this 5-seater to fit 4 people. Sorry you’re gonna have to get in the trunk!’’)<br><br>But beneath this scrappy, amateurish surface is an anthology rife with creative vigour and affectionate direction. For this very reason, I can honestly say that I found <strong>Dead List</strong> to be strangely charming and endearing, as it’s blatantly a misguided labour of love. Each of the film’s discrete chapters has something worth recommending in it, be it an interesting, if not particularly well realised concept, an inventive, if not particularly frightening scare, or just some fascinatingly inept decisions.<br><br>Even the lamest sequence, a silly, <strong>Drag Me to Hell</strong> riff with a demonic hag, offers up plenty of unintentional amusement. Which is still amusement. Most of the laughs stem from a ludicrously hammy performance, courtesy of Susan Stangl, who plays the cackling witch with such demented relish, that she begins to resemble a <strong>Monty Python</strong> character. Every single moment she is on screen is glorious, as she comically presses her face against windows, manically bulges her eyes and generally overacts to a cartoonist degree.<br><br>Curiously enough, not all of the highlights are of the so-bad-its good variety. As with any anthology, this is of course a mixed-bag, but what’s striking is how much the episodes differ in quality. Whilst some are enjoyably terrible, others are just legitimately enjoyable!  For instance, a protracted sequence with a monstrous clown (obviously riding on the coattails of <strong>It</strong>) has some surprisingly novel ideas, such as balloon art that doubles up as a voodoo doll and a sentient chain of magic handkerchiefs that act like a snake.<br><br>The framing device that links together all of the disparate segments is also fairly clever. Essentially, a struggling actor is driving home following a disastrous audition, when a cryptic book mysteriously lands on the roof of his car. He takes the artefact home, with the intention of selling it online, only for his roommate (who is inexplicably schooled in the dark arts) to interject, explaining that the book can be used to sentence people to death by way of a mystical force. All you have to do is scribble down the target’s name and then let the eldritch horrors do the rest.<br><br>Tempted by this offer, our protagonist decides to eliminate his competition and writes down the names of all his acting buddies, so that they can never steal a role from him again.  Each chapter then presents the fallout of this decision, with the chosen individuals being menaced by a different threat. Oh and to spice things up, it’s all presented out of sequence and with overlapping chronology, kind of like <strong>Pulp Fiction.</strong><br><br>This is a relatively strong premise; think <strong>Death Note</strong> by way of <strong>Kill Your Friends.</strong> What works about it is that the vague nature of the malevolent force allows the filmmakers to change things up at any given time, without having to worry about how it all fits into the larger scheme of things. As a result, one minute we might be treated to a clunky race relations parable, the next we’re transported into a pulpy body horror movie.<br><br>In this regard, the overarching conceit of ‘’write down a name and then something bad will happen’’ is very liberating and stops the movie from ever falling into a repetitive rut. Because the book seemingly has an unlimited scope for what it can do, the filmmakers are free to transition between various different tones and sub-genres of horror, whilst still maintaining the sense of narrative progression that you would get with a traditional film. It’s the best of both worlds really; preserving the anything-goes sensibility of an anthology, but also facilitating a more focused narrative.<br><br>All in all,  <strong>Dead List</strong> might feel like a glorified home-movie, but it is consistently fun. Sometimes it manages to hold your attention by making you laugh <em>at</em> it (thanks to its DIY makeup effects and wonky performances)  but this is often balanced out by moments that show genuine promise and talent. Either way it’s never boring, which is more than I can say for a lot of straight to VOD releases.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | Isle of Dogs]]></title><description><![CDATA[Wes Anderson's second animated feature is his most entertaining yet!]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-isle-of-dogs/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11ce</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Video]]></category><category><![CDATA[Animation]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[James Chadwick]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 07 Apr 2018 11:01:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/isle-of-doogie.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L1y_QsA3Mss?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure><img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/isle-of-doogie.jpg" alt="Review | Isle of Dogs"/><p>Isle of Dogs is the latest work of style-supremo Wes Anderson. It is his second crack at stop motion animation but this is a marked improvement on Fantastic Mr Fox.<br><br>You feel that Anderson wouldn’t have got back to stop motion unless he felt he had a great story to tell, and that’s true of this film. It’s a dog-based caper and is perhaps one of Anderson’s most fun and enjoyable movies to date.<br><br>I saw this in a cinema full of kids during the Easter holidays but I think it’s fair to say that this isn’t really a film for children despite the PG rating. There’s the usual sense of melancholy which doesn’t really chime for younger viewers but I think anyone can enjoy the incredibly detailed animation so perhaps I'm not the right person to say that.<br><br>And that is a great point to start on. The level of detail and thought that has gone into every frame is incredible. The Isle of Dogs is an abandoned island upon which all of the dogs in the fictional city of Megasaki are banished after an epidemic of dog flu breaks out. There are two narratives at play; one is a young boy's desire to find his pet dog which was sent to the island and the other is of the dog's desire to flee the island and overcome the dog flu. The settings are divided between this island and Megasaki city. The island is a place in decay, abandoned by humans and now serving as little more than a rubbish dump. The beautifully detailed mise-en-scene makes this animated world feel real and genuinely inhospitable. The city seems vast and densly populated and demostrates extensive research into Japanese culture and architecture. A couple of scenes which demonstrate this are one in which sushi is prepared and another where a kidney is transplated. It sounds completely inane but it is honestly staggering. It's probably the most I have been in awe of something in a film for some time.<br><br>You might be concerned by the fact that all of the human characters speak Japanese in the film without any subtitles. But Anderson deals with this intelligently. During the speeches, an interpreter, voiced by Frances McDormand sits in a booth as if to translate it to a television audience watching at home. Greta Gerwig voices Tracy Walker, a foreign exchange student, who acts as another means of translating the words of the Japanese human characters. It's hard to explain the ways in which Anderson achieves this but he does very well in making this accessible.<br><br>The rest of the voice cast is superb. This animated film gives the director a chance to work with many of his regular muses as well as a host of new talents. The actors' doggy doubles are perfect. Gondo is a rough around the edges gangster dog voiced by Harvey Keitel while Scarlett Johansson voices an immaculately groomed pooch.<br><br>The cast deliver some very funny dog-based lines - even for those like myself who wouldn't claim to be 'dog' people. Bryan Cranstone voices Chief, who is perhaps main dog of the piece. He repeats the warning 'I bite'. The way that Anderson maps human personality traits onto the dogs whilst they retain their canine characteristics has neither the cuteness of Disney nor the abrasiveness of Family Guy. They are melancholic muts.<br><br>For me Fantastic Mr Fox felt like a bit of a mistep for Anderson. The character and story was well loved and well known in its original literary form by Roald Dahl. With Isle of Dogs, Anderson has more creative freedom and uses it to create a film that has all the fun, adventure and wonderful camera work of Moonrise Kingdom or Grand Budapest Hotel. It does carry on in the vein of those films rather than Anderson's early work but that's no bad thing. There is enough there to please the hardcore fans.<br><br>As for the soundtrack, whilst there is only one pop song used in the film, the score is absolutely brilliant and more than makes up for it. I love the music in Anderson's films but I didn't find myself wishing for 60s pop over Alexandre Desplat's wonderful score.<br><br>Being released so soon after the awards season you know that this movie will disregarded by the big awards next season. But that's fine. This is a fun film which doesn't claim to be anything more. If you love Wes Anderson it is essential viewing, if you love dogs it's essential viewing or if have even just a passing interest in films and want to see stop-motion animation at its absolute peak then this is a must. If it isn't Anderson's best film, it is at least his most mainstream.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview | Natalie Burn for 'The Executioners]]></title><description><![CDATA[Harrison talks with the star of new horror flick, The Executioners]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/interview-natalie-burn-for-the-executioners/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604907ac27daae2786139963</guid><category><![CDATA[Interview]]></category><category><![CDATA[2018]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Executioners]]></category><category><![CDATA[Natalie Burn]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 04 Apr 2018 16:56:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/natalie.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/natalie.jpg" alt="Interview | Natalie Burn for 'The Executioners"/><p><strong>You’re clearly a versatile talent, skilled in the realms of acting, writing, dancing, choreography and more.  What compels you to dip your toes into all of these different areas and how do you manage to keep on top of it all?</strong><br><br>The love to create is what compels me to wake up each morning knowing that I get to choose to live my life and everyday fight for the things that make me happy. It doesn’t matter what form it is, as long as I get to inspire others with my creativity. I consider myself an artist and artist don’t limit themselves. With all of my approaches to the art, on any given day, I have to prioritize what gets addressed first and then move down the list. There’s no formula on how to get it done, it just has to and to be honest I wish I had time to do even more. On another note I don’t think that anyone is born with a talent; I think people are born with a passion and the talent gets created over time. For example, I started to train to be a ballerina at 3 years old and rose to become a professional. But I got there through hard work and dedication. Every teacher that saw me said that I had no talent whatsoever in dancing but yet I took it upon myself to not only prove them wrong but prove myself right. My talent came from my work ethic. I truly believe that when we recognize talented people in the world excelling in their respective professions, we are acknowledging their dedicated hours of work that they have put in. With that being said, when I moved on to become an actress I didn’t ask anyone’s opinion if I was talented enough to become one. I set-up a goal, I saw a path and I took it. And every day of my life, what makes me happy is that I follow my passion. That one day my passion will turn into talent and that talent will one day be undeniably acknowledged by the ones I consider the greatest. Anyone can be talented at something but it's up to them to figure it out. Malcolm Gladwell wrote once that “it takes roughly 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field.” When you know you're the best at something, that’s when you have found your talent.<br><br><strong>Speaking of your diverse workload, you’re also an accomplished producer. Right now you’re shepherding 59 Rows of Teeth through pre-production. I know it’s still early days, but what can you tell us about the project?</strong><br><br>When I first read “59 Rows of Teeth” working title today is “The Bayou” I was intrigued by the charters that Peter Iliff developed. It took me to his world and I was fascinated by this story overall. That’s how I remember movies that inspire me, actors that push me to be better. It’s the characters that great writers create. So, I contacted Peter and I told him that I believed in his script, could he hopefully take a chance and believe in me as a young producer? He responded with a very quick rebuttal question: But you’re an actress. Why would you pick a project where you can’t star as the lead? To which I replied, “because this story needs to be told and something is drawing me to it.” Passion will drive us toward paths we did not know had our names on them already. With this particular film, it has been 2 and a half years walking on this path and we are finally seeing the fruits of our labor... I can’t say too much because things are still being finalized contractually but just know that this is a piece that I worked very hard on and I can't wait to share it with the world. It will have Gary Fleder sitting in the director's chair with my movie company “Born to Burn Films” co-producing the project with Millennium Films. Production begins this summer.<br><br><strong>Do you ever find that your behind-the-scenes experience enriches your acting work? Does it give you a broader perspective and make it easier to work with writers and directors?</strong><br><br>Yes, it definitely broadens my perspective. It opens up our tunnel vision of what we believe our roles to be when we are given tasks to do. Being an actress, I believe it’s ignorant to think that my way is the only one that matters because there are so many other moving parts that go into creating a film. For instance, when I’m auditioning for a movie and I don’t book it, I don’t take it personally. I understand that there are other elements involved in casting a film that I don’t have control over. Sometimes there are things that actors don’t see that producers have to deal with when going down these avenues of creation. Being a producer has taught me a great deal and it showed me the hard work that other people put in that never gets seen nor recognized. Actors and actresses get so many accolades &amp; praise for what they do while the majority of those same people don’t realize that there are hundreds of others behind the scenes that make the movie possible in the first place. They all work symbiotically, including those actors on screen, to be able to show the world a film. In my opinion, to make a movie It is truly a collaborative effort.<br><br><strong>Alongside your extensive dance education, you’ve also received training in kickboxing, jiu-jitsu, wire work, sword fighting and have even picked up a few languages along the way. It’s certainly an impressive resume. Of all these things, which was the most challenging to learn and which are you most proud of?</strong><br><br>Without a doubt, the most challenging thing in my life that I struggled with was becoming a professional ballerina. There’s nothing more difficult than getting up every day at ungodly hours of the morning and taking a ballet class. Walking up to that barre and doing the same exercises over and over again, day after day. You literally put your body through agony and hide injuries so that you can move forward without losing your edge. It is such a brutal profession and it is not remorseful. If you can’t do it, there are a 100 girls waiting for you to fail and take your spot. Ballet challenges your body and your mind while bringing you to the line of your pain threshold. It has been the one place that has truly taught me to never give up, that failure is not an option. That quality has helped me in my professional work as an actor and producer. The passion and desire to not quit has served me well and continues to propel me forward. When I make the decision to not fail I always find solutions. And that demand to be perfect, with ballet and now my acting, pushed me to places I never thought I could reach because it forced me to go into the unknown. “Only when we reach our “do not cross” line and pass it will we truly know what we can really do.”<br><br><strong>Moving onto The Executioners itself now, I was interested in how the film initially presented itself as a simple home-invasion flick. I mention this because the premise actively subverts our expectations on a few occasions. I wondering if you could talk a little about that?</strong><br><br>When I first read the script I was drawn to how the story unfolded and where it took me. I conversed with the writer about the elements and my character i was curious to get a better understanding of which direction this film would go.  Once I had a better grip on things I saw that the director and the writer wanted to leave things ambiguous for the audience. They wanted the audience to have the opportunity to create their own conclusions on things and allow them to have debates about it after the credits rolled. It is a harsh movie to watch but it was intended that way in order to reveal what is being said within the hidden lines of this story. It starts off as a home invasion film and it turns around to become a twist driven movie filled with violence and sexual deviance. The director chose this path so that the ending makes sense thus validating the dark turns this story makes. Two things that drew me to this psychological thriller was the twist in the middle with the women taking back the power and using it on their oppressors. I loved how we show women in a place of controlling decision making in this film as well as the second quality to this story which was my character “Kay” and her unique journey through these forced trails &amp; tribulations she faces and what she ultimately does with that challenge. Again, this film is not an easy pill for many to swallow but that was the intention of our director. He has great rhymes &amp; reasons for why it goes where it goes.<br><br><strong>On that note, the script also plays around with the audience’s sympathies. The characters are put into a highly distressing situation and this causes them to make rash decisions and clash with one another. Was this exciting ground to cover as an actor?</strong><br><br>As an actor, I never play for the audience. I do my research, I trigger my imagination and I truly submerge into my character. I don’t know how the other girls find what they need that will serve their instruments but when we come together, it is truly exciting. The script comes alive and characters clash while as actors we bond. When there is trust amongst your fellow actors, there is true freedom to explore and create. That ebb &amp; flow becomes the lifeline of any scene, moment, act, etc. and your scene partners connection becomes as thick as blood. We were a part of many intimate, demanding and violent scenes so the support of not only your acting peers but of a professional/respectful crew goes a long way. The safe environment creates a great breeding ground for everyone’s imagination to flourish and grow. The most exciting thing for me when I get to sink my teeth into a character that myself Natalie will disagree with what “they” will do so I have to find that common ground where we can both operate as one. It’s in those moments of trust between one another that I begin to fall in love with my roles and I no longer find disagreements with their reactions. That is the most exciting quality of my journey with my characters. I find my disagreements, go deeper to solve them, and then I let my acting go and just live in a role that is truly alive &amp; uninhibited.<br><br><strong>Towards the middle of the movie, we venture into an extremely dark territory. Some of the things that happen are really disturbing, specifically those involving Kay. Was it daunting to film these scenes, as they’re unflinching and don’t really shy away from showing what happens.</strong><br><br>It was definitely difficult &amp; uncomfortable to shoot those scenes but that’s what was needed in order for the story to work and I felt like I was truly living in the moment. Comfort kills in anything we strive to achieve in life and acting is no different. The more uncomfortable I was, the more it showed on the screen which worked perfectly in those scenes it was in those moments that I felt “Kay” took over me completely. On top of those complex scenes, there were crew and lights and cameras so all of that, combined with where I was going emotionally, added to the uneasy air that I was taking in. My biggest fear was to be fake in those high-stress moments that I wanted to be as real as possible. As actors, the more we give ourselves over to the vulnerable parts of us, the more we live in our truth, the more real we become on screen. And we were very lucky to shoot those scenes during the middle of production. We had all shared secrets with one another by then and that knowledge kept us connected to one another during those tough scenes. We supported each other no matter the cost. By the end of production, we all had an undeniable bond with one another.<br><br><strong>Before the inciting incident, we spend quite a lot of time with the characters just hanging out as friends. Given this, did you do anything special to develop your chemistry as a group, or did you just fall into a natural rhythm?</strong><br><br>Each one of us knew what we were getting ourselves into when we shot this movie. And being professionals we knew we had to get to know one another to create real bonds because “winging it” on set to find chemistry was not an option for us. From day one we found out all kinds of things about one another from our likes to our dislikes. I took it even a step further by confiding in secret with actors that had solo scenes with me. So by sharing private moments with them, we were able to take our trust to the next level and that, in turn, allowed our intimate scenes to blossom &amp; live. Also, all of our shoots were at night so in the beginning, we thought it was cool &amp; fun. Waking up late with one another and turning in before the sunrise. But after 7 days straight of the same thing, we all started to get delusional as a group. We never saw the sun and since we all were having the same experience it was even more things to connect us that was unique to our investment to one another. On a lighter note, being in Orlando we all went to Universal Studios together during one of our off days and let me tell you: if you can’t bond with someone, free falling on a rollercoaster or getting freaked out in a haunted maze, then you must be stranger than the home invaders from our film.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p><h3 id="spoilers-below-for-the-executioners">Spoilers below for The Executioners</h3><p><strong>At the end of the film, we discover that Kay has actually orchestrated the entire thing in order to stir up publicity for her new book. Was it this reveal that attracted you to the character?</strong><br><br>Yes. When I read the script the director told me he saw me as Kay and I agreed. Kay has a lot of depth to her and I was very intrigued to explore that abyss as an actress. I usually do not get to play these types of characters so I saw it as a beckoning challenge. It was an opportunity to take her where I wanted to go as I had free reign to do so, (and obviously with the discretion of the director’s vision), too.  create something unique. I still remember the first day of shooting. I had changed into my costume and when the director saw me, he jokingly asked: “are we shooting a Greek mythology film?” I was dressed all in white with elegant boots that had laced up my legs. I looked like a holy virgin. He wanted the wardrobe dept. to get something different for me. I pulled him to the side and told him to trust me. That I knew how I saw this character in my mind and that he would be satisfied with my vision. He agreed and I went with the make-up &amp; wardrobe people to find my new costume. We halted production that day to a standstill. And with these type of independent movies to lose a day of shooting can be debilitating. The next day, he saw me dressed up as this awkward girl with glasses on, a pencil in my hair, weird notes scribbled into the palm of my hand and an unassuming outfit on. He was overjoyed with excitement. He said, “that’s EXACTLY how I imagined Kay to be like!”<br><br><strong>I’m curious, after reading the script, did you consciously play Kay as a secret villain, leaving hints scattered throughout your performance? Or was your approach to try and conceal her true nature so that it would be more surprising for the audience?</strong><br><br>I definitely played her as NOT the villain. I spoke to the director several times about it because I was trying to leave hints throughout my performance. After the 3rd day of shooting he pulled me to the side and said “Natalie, I saw some of the playbacks we did the other day and I love what you’re doing but I need you to play her as someone who has NO IDEA what’s happening and not gives away anything that is going on. That way the end will be that much more surprising to the audience.” He continued, saying that at the beginning of the film we have enough hints dropped that give our audience clues as to what might be happening and he didn’t want to insult their intelligence. I complied with his notes but as an actress I still tried to do my best, to plant seeds here &amp; there in hopes that the audience caught things. Certain reactions Kay had that happened to other characters, over exaggerated laughs or screams, moments that affected Kay, etc. I was doing my best to subtly show that, honoring the ending so that the audience could have a chance to figure it out but could still be surprised. One of my favorite “twist-character-movies” that inspired me in creating “Kay” is “The Usual Suspects.” To play a villain is any actors dream come true and to play a SECRET villain is even more daunting &amp; invigorating. Luckily I got to play both.<br><br>You can find our review for The Executioners here: <a href="https://reelopinions.com/2018/04/10/review-the-executioners/">https://reelopinions.com/review-the-executioners/</a></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p><h3 id="the-executioners-is-out-now-on-vod">The Executioners is out now on VOD</h3>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | Pacific Rim: Uprising]]></title><description><![CDATA[SWOOSH! KLONK! ZAM! QUNCKKK! CLANK! AIEEE! VRONK! THUNK!]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-pacific-rim-uprising/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604a625727daae2786139a57</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[2018]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sci-fi]]></category><category><![CDATA[Guillermo Del Toro]]></category><category><![CDATA[John Boyega]]></category><category><![CDATA[Video]]></category><category><![CDATA[Charlie Day]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 01 Apr 2018 17:35:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/maxresdefault3.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/maxresdefault3.jpg" alt="Review | Pacific Rim: Uprising"/><p>No, this is <em>not</em> an itemised list of all the onomatopoeia used in the 60s <strong>Batman</strong> show (Although incidentally, every single one of those phrases has appeared in there somewhere. Even QUNCKKK!) Instead, it is a transcription of how Guillermo del Toro likely pitched his 2013 schlock epic <strong>Pacific Rim.</strong><br><br>Picture the scene; the dignified artist marching down the hallways of Legendary Entertainment, psyching himself up to wow the room with his latest idea. He walks into the production office and introduces himself to the execs, masking his nervousness beneath a cool facade of confidence. Once the pleasantries have been dispensed, he takes a seat opposite the studio heads and opens up a mysterious briefcase.<br><br>For their part, the producers are all simmering in anticipation, expecting something really special. After all, del Toro is renowned for filling notebooks-upon-notebooks with his ingenious sketches and deranged scribblings. So whatever is in that briefcase, it’s gotta be good.<br><br>It comes as something of a surprise then, when the esteemed auteur instead produces a heap of vintage action-figures (depicting various anime mechs and giant movie monsters) and starts gleefully mashing them together like an overgrown version of Andy from <strong>Toy Story.</strong> The revered filmmaker treats the producers to 20 minutes of this man-child lunacy, accompanying the action with his own acapella sound-effects and voices. Then, when he is finally finished, he composes himself, puts his playthings away and stares expectantly at his audience. Patiently awaiting the greenlight.<br><br>And sure enough, they give him just that, along with $190 million with which he recreate this demented play-session as a major summer release.<br><br>Okay, granted this is probably not how <strong>Pacific Rim</strong> truly came to be, but when you’re actually watching the movie, the above scenario feels entirely plausible. Because it doesn’t come across as a typical studio product, aimed at selling as much merchandise as possible. Rather, it feels like a particularly excitable 10-year-old (one weaned on a diet of Saturday morning cartoons and old B-Movies) was given the keys to a multi-million dollar blockbuster and just went nuts with the opportunity.<br><br>There was something so sincere about the youthful exuberance behind the film, making it clear that del Toro saw it as more than just a quick paycheck. Perhaps it seemed like a brainless spectacle to everyone else, but to him it was obviously something greater. It was a chance to let his enthusiastic imagination run wild and translate his childhood fantasies onto to the big screen.<br><br>Now here we are, five years, two films and a couple of Academy Awards later, and Del Toro’s baby is finally getting its long overdue sequel, in the form of <strong>Pacific Rim Uprising</strong>. The only problem is that the project has spent so long in development hell, that its creator has since absconded to other things. Which is hardly surprising, given that del Toro is a man with about a thousand ideas gestating at any given moment. Indeed, he already left <strong>The Hobbit</strong> for similar reasons.<br><br>Still, given that <strong>Pacific Rim</strong> was very much <em>his</em> brain child, many have questioned if the franchise can feasibly survive without his nurturing influence. This concern is only exacerbated when you learn that the reigns have been handed over to Steven S. DeKnight**,** a man whose IMDB is curiously bereft of any cinematic offerings. How could this guy (responsible for that risible <strong>Spartacus</strong> series) possibly hope to follow in the footsteps of one of the finest filmmakers of this generation? Honestly, how could anyone?<br><br>Well, to be fair to DeKnight, he actually does a pretty decent job here. Sure, he’s no del Toro and mostly provides workmanlike direction, but he is equally far removed from the likes of Michael Bay or Roland Emmerich, managing to craft impressive set-pieces without ever slipping into the monotonous and disorienting excess of, say, <strong>Transformers</strong>. It’s a credit to DeKnight that, no matter how much destruction is unfolding on-screen and no matter how many pieces he is maneuvering around, you can always keep a track of where everyone is and what they are doing.<br><br>Not only are his fight scenes refreshingly coherent and well-staged, but they are also pleasingly resourceful and inventive. For example, there’s the introduction of the ‘’gravity sling’, a weapon this is used to great effect when a Jaeger, quite literally, pulls down a series of skyscrapers on top of an advancing monster. There’s also a fun chase scene that takes place <em>inside</em> one of the robots, cleverly using its internal mechanisms and compartments as a kind of obstacle course. When it’s indulging in fun gimmicks like this, <strong>Pacific Rim Uprising</strong> is a riotous blast, offering up thrills that other franchises could only dream of.<br><br>Alas, whilst DeKnight seems to appreciate the ingredients of a diverting action sequence, he is less skilful when it comes to communicating the scope of proceedings. In the first film, the towering Jaegers and massive Kaijus always felt palpably immense, because del Toro used tiny details to emphasise their scale. For instance, he had oceans be displaced whenever a monster climbed onto land, the same way that water is unsettled when a person gets out of the bathtub. He also made use of thoughtful shot compositions, in order to show how the behemoths dwarfed their human counterparts and our feeble man-made structures.<br><br>DeKnight on the other hand, doesn’t really have a knack for awe-inspiring visuals or dramatic presentation. Exemplifying this is the fact that, for some reason, the action is shot at Jaeger height throughout and so we never get a look at things from the ground-level. This means that, instead of feeling like giant colossi are rampaging through sprawling cities, it just looks like two normal size entities duking it out in a miniature village. As a consequence of this shortcoming, there’s nothing here to rival <strong>Godzilla’s</strong> jaw-dropping H.A.L.O jump sequence, or <strong>Cloverfield’s</strong> iconic decapitation of the statue of liberty.<br><br>In short, without any kind of cinematic flair, everything in <strong>Uprising</strong> feels oddly small. The previously stunning Kaiju design is uninspired too and the promising world building from the original is largely brushed aside (bar a couple of references to the Black Market). Where the first film was bursting with intriguing lore and almost mythical imagery, this one feels far more restrained, with blander visuals and less ambition. For this reason, del Toro fans will no doubt miss the first film’s comparative artistry and breadth.<br><br>Neverthless, <strong>Uprising</strong> does improve upon its predecessor in at least a couple of ways. Most surprisingly of all, the narrative has been considerably bulked up, with an interesting conflict revolving around remotely piloted Jaegers and a clever, legitimately unpredictable twist that builds upon a minor plot point from the first movie.<br><br>Moreover, the characters are vastly superior this time around, with John Boyega’s Jake proving to be a much more magnetic protagonist than Charlie Hunnam’s Raleigh ever was. This is mostly down to the former’s significant charisma, as he routinely manages to save what would otherwise be excruciating comedy scenes, on the strength of his sheer likeability alone. Meanwhile, newcomer Cailee Spaeny is a charming presence who elevates a potentially annoying character into someone you can actually care about. The pair of leads play off each other well and their mentor/protege dynamic gives the film a strong emotional core.<br><br>Oh and Charlie Day gets to go absolutely batshit this time, which is good news for <strong>It’s Always Sunny</strong> fans.<br><br>Overall, <strong>Pacific Rim Uprising</strong> lacks the magic touch of its creator, with downgraded visuals and a lower calibre of imagination. That being said, it’s still thoroughly entertaining and manages to preserve just enough of the original’s DNA to succeed on its own merit. If you like big monster movies, this is well worth checking out.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p><figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bILIvEHocBk?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | Our Top 10s of 2017]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ben, James, Jack, Harrison, and a special guest read out their favorites of the year.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-our-top-10s-of-2017/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11dd</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Lists]]></category><category><![CDATA[Blade Runner]]></category><category><![CDATA[Ryan Gosling]]></category><category><![CDATA[Harrison Ford]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sci-fi]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[2017]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 21 Mar 2018 16:57:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/blade-runner-2049-2560x1440-officer-k-hd-12826.webp" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/blade-runner-2049-2560x1440-officer-k-hd-12826.webp" alt="Podcast | Our Top 10s of 2017"/><p>Somehow the scheduling gods looked down upon us and we managed to organised four of us onto the same podcast! </p><!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/22--Our-Top-10s-of-2017-e2lufj" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | What to expect in 2018]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jack and Harrison try to figure out what film will require the most therapy to recover from in the next 12 months. ]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-what-to-expect-in-2018/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11de</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Lists]]></category><category><![CDATA[2018]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Suspiria]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 25 Feb 2018 17:03:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/SUSPIRIA.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/21--What-to-expect-in-2018-e2lufk" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | The 2017 Wrap Up (Stuff we missed)]]></title><description><![CDATA[... but mostly Star Wars]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-the-2017-wrap-up-stuff-we-missed/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11df</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Star Wars]]></category><category><![CDATA[2017]]></category><category><![CDATA[Lists]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 02 Feb 2018 17:08:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/porg-main_16933d3b.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/20--The-2017-Wrap-Up-Stuff-we-missed-e2lufi" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | A Stranger Things 2 Review]]></title><description><![CDATA[We return to Hawkins for another season of the smash Netflix show.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-a-stranger-things-2-review/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11e0</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[TV]]></category><category><![CDATA[Stranger Things]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><category><![CDATA[Nostalgia]]></category><category><![CDATA[Netflix]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[2018]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 23 Jan 2018 17:10:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/stranger-things-2-title-new-pic.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/19--A-Stranger-Things-2-Review-e2lufl" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | The Ever-Growing List of Fired Star Wars Directors]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jack and Harrison pretend like they know "the industry"]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-the-ever-growing-list-of-fired-star-wars-directors/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11e1</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Star Wars]]></category><category><![CDATA[Action]]></category><category><![CDATA[Harrison Ford]]></category><category><![CDATA[Donald Glover]]></category><category><![CDATA[Emilia Clark]]></category><category><![CDATA[2017]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Film]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 12 Nov 2017 17:13:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/scale.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/18--The-Ever-Growing-List-of-Fired-Star-Wars-Directors-e2lufr" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | Harrison Explains Resident Evil]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jack attempts to follow.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-harrison-explains-resident-evil/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11e2</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Resident Evil]]></category><category><![CDATA[Explains]]></category><category><![CDATA[2017]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 12 Aug 2017 09:50:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Resident-Evil-Afterlife-Alice-Chased-by-Zombies.webp" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/17--Harrison-Explains-Resident-Evil-e2lufm" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | Review of the War for the Planet of the Apes]]></title><description><![CDATA[This episode is entirely devoted to an in-depth talk on the Apes trilogy as a whole.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-of-the-war-for-the-planet-of-the-apes/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11e3</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Action]]></category><category><![CDATA[Planet of the Apes]]></category><category><![CDATA[2017]]></category><category><![CDATA[Andy Serkis]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Film]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 28 Jul 2017 09:52:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/c7d16926-08f9-4856-a2de-6025b3b8fb45-caesar-planet-apes.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/c7d16926-08f9-4856-a2de-6025b3b8fb45-caesar-planet-apes.jpg" alt="Podcast | Review of the War for the Planet of the Apes"/><p>This episode is entirely devoted to an in-depth talk on the Apes trilogy as a whole, including our first interview included on the podcast.</p><!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/16--Review-of-the-War-for-the-Planet-of-the-Apes-e2lufp" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | Baby Driver / Spiderman Homecoming / Wonder Woman]]></title><description><![CDATA[We tackle a trio of troublesome tales on this podcast]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-baby-driver/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11e4</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Action]]></category><category><![CDATA[Marvel]]></category><category><![CDATA[Edgar Wright]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wonder Woman]]></category><category><![CDATA[Spiderman]]></category><category><![CDATA[Tom Holland]]></category><category><![CDATA[Baby Driver]]></category><category><![CDATA[2017]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 21 Jul 2017 09:59:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/baby-driver-f71746-72dd13e2-dd72-4ad7-8a4e-d18784b29928.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/15--Baby-Driver--Spiderman-Homecoming--Wonder-Woman-e2lufq" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | A Pirates Franchise Ain’t For Me]]></title><description><![CDATA[Salazar's Dead Men Tell No Revenge Tales.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-a-pirates-franchise-aint-for-me/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11e5</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Disney]]></category><category><![CDATA[Pirates of the Caribbean]]></category><category><![CDATA[Johnny Depp]]></category><category><![CDATA[Pirates]]></category><category><![CDATA[2017]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 28 Jun 2017 10:02:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/1850222.0.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/1850222.0.jpg" alt="Podcast | A Pirates Franchise Ain’t For Me"/><p>Jack and Harrison draw blood from a stone by somehow pulling off a full length talk about Salazar's Dead Men Tell No Revenge Tales.<br/></p><!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/14--A-Pirates-Franchise-Aint-For-Me-e2lufn" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | Legion review and Harrison finds faith]]></title><description><![CDATA[Harrison just has to believe in himself... and his recording device.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-legion-review-and-harrison-finds-faith/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11e6</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Marvel]]></category><category><![CDATA[Action]]></category><category><![CDATA[TV]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Dan Stevens]]></category><category><![CDATA[Legion]]></category><category><![CDATA[Drama]]></category><category><![CDATA[Superheros]]></category><category><![CDATA[2017]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 08 May 2017 10:04:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/legion-season-3-scaled.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/legion-season-3-scaled.jpg" alt="Podcast | Legion review and Harrison finds faith"/><p>Also we discuss a TV show for 50 minutes.</p><!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/13--Legion-Review-and-Harrison-finds-faith-e2lufo" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | Get Out Vs Jet Jaguar]]></title><description><![CDATA[This episode is better than the title I swear.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-get-out-vs-jet-jaguar/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11e7</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><category><![CDATA[Get Out]]></category><category><![CDATA[Lakeith Stanfield]]></category><category><![CDATA[Film]]></category><category><![CDATA[Daniel Kaluuya]]></category><category><![CDATA[Jordan Peele]]></category><category><![CDATA[2017]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 28 Mar 2017 10:07:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/is-get-out-on-netflix.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/13--Legion-Review-and-Harrison-finds-faith-e2lufo" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | Split, Legion, and yet more superheros]]></title><description><![CDATA[A very late discussion of Split.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-legion-split-and-yet-more-superheros/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11e8</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Superheros]]></category><category><![CDATA[Marvel]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><category><![CDATA[Action]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Anya Taylor-Joy]]></category><category><![CDATA[James McAvoy]]></category><category><![CDATA[M Night Shyamalan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Drama]]></category><category><![CDATA[Dan Stevens]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 14 Mar 2017 20:12:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/split-anya-taylor-joy.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/split-anya-taylor-joy.jpg" alt="Podcast | Split, Legion, and yet more superheros"/><p>We took ages to record it, we took ages to edit, here's a very late discussion of Split.</p><!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/11--Legion--Split--and-yet-more-superheros-e2lufs" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | La La Land Po Po Podcast]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jack and Harrison gush over La La Land.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-la-la-land-po-po-podcast/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11e9</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Musicals]]></category><category><![CDATA[Damien Chazelle]]></category><category><![CDATA[Emma Stone]]></category><category><![CDATA[Ryan Gosling]]></category><category><![CDATA[Film]]></category><category><![CDATA[2017]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 23 Feb 2017 20:19:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/maxresdefault2.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/maxresdefault2.jpg" alt="Podcast | La La Land Po Po Podcast"/><p>Just in time for the backlash to the backlash.</p><!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/10--La-La-Land-Po-Po-Podcast-e2lufv" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | Hacksaw Ridge Review]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jack and Harrison discuss the oscar nommed Hacksaw Ridge.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-hacksaw-ridge-review/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11ea</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[2017]]></category><category><![CDATA[War]]></category><category><![CDATA[WWII]]></category><category><![CDATA[Andrew Garfield]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mel Gibson]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 02 Feb 2017 20:22:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/maxresdefault.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/9--Hacksaw-Ridge-Review-e2lufu" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | The Best and Worst of 2016]]></title><description><![CDATA[The RO boys are back!]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-the-best-and-worst-of-2016/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11ec</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Lists]]></category><category><![CDATA[2016]]></category><category><![CDATA[Arrival]]></category><category><![CDATA[Deadpool]]></category><category><![CDATA[Moonlight]]></category><category><![CDATA[Rogue One]]></category><category><![CDATA[Suicide Squad]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 27 Jan 2017 20:29:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/poddo.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/poddo.jpg" alt="Podcast | The Best and Worst of 2016"/><p>We managed to get four whole people onto our latest podcast; where we look back on the highlights and low points of 2016.</p><!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/8--The-Best-and-Worst-of-2016-e2lug0" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | Westworld Review]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jack and Harrison discuss the theory of the mind. ]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-westworld-review/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11eb</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[TV]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Westworld]]></category><category><![CDATA[Drama]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sci-fi]]></category><category><![CDATA[HBO]]></category><category><![CDATA[Western]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 04 Jan 2017 20:27:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/Westworld.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/Westworld.jpg" alt="Podcast | Westworld Review"/><p>Also TV.</p><!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/7--Westworld-Review-e2lug1" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | Decoding Heptapod And Max Landis]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jack and Harrison offer a jam-packed feature length podcast episode! ]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-decoding-heptapod-and-max-landis/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11ed</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Arrival]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 27 Nov 2016 20:34:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/arrival.png" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/arrival.png" alt="Podcast | Decoding Heptapod And Max Landis"/><p>We discuss the ending of Arrival, industry nepotism, the Harry Potter movie universe, George Romero, and get distracted a lot in-between.</p><!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/6--Decoding-Heptapod-And-Max-Landis-e2lug5" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | Doctor Stange ( Spoilers!) And Yet More Trailers]]></title><description><![CDATA[Harrison, Jack, and an ethereal Ben discuss Doctor Strange.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-doctor-stange-spoilers-and-yet-more-trailers/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11ee</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Marvel]]></category><category><![CDATA[Action]]></category><category><![CDATA[2016]]></category><category><![CDATA[Doctor Strange]]></category><category><![CDATA[Benedict Cumberbatch]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 10 Nov 2016 20:37:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/doctor-strange.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/doctor-strange.jpg" alt="Podcast | Doctor Stange ( Spoilers!) And Yet More Trailers"/><p>Followed by a breakdown of a few new trailers.</p><!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/5--Doctor-Stange--Spoilers--And-Yet-More-Trailers-e2lug4" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | The Bye Bye Man and Other Trailers]]></title><description><![CDATA[Harrison and Jack discuss the state of modern trailers in a quick roundup]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-the-bye-bye-man-and-other-trailers/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11ef</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[2016]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><category><![CDATA[Trailer]]></category><category><![CDATA[Don't Breath]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 25 Sep 2016 19:39:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/THE-BYE-BYE-MAN.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/THE-BYE-BYE-MAN.jpg" alt="Podcast | The Bye Bye Man and Other Trailers"/><p>Followed by general news, and a post-credits spoiler filled discussion of Don't Breath's ending.</p><!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/4--The-Bye-Bye-Man-and-Other-Trailers-e2lug2" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | Pre-Pizza Catch Up]]></title><description><![CDATA[Harrison is torn from his one-true love, pizza]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-pre-pizza-catch-up/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11f0</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[2016]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Pizza]]></category><category><![CDATA[Trailer]]></category><category><![CDATA[Suicide Squad]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 21 Sep 2016 18:10:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/Pizza_with_tomatoes.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/Pizza_with_tomatoes.jpg" alt="Podcast | Pre-Pizza Catch Up"/><p>Harrison is torn from his one-true love, pizza, by an ungrateful Jack, just so that they can make sure this is still a thing.</p><!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/3--Pre-Pizza-Catch-Up-e2lug3" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | The 2016 Summer/y]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jack and Harrison discuss, berate, and belittle the slew of releases this year.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-the-2016-summer-y/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11f1</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Film]]></category><category><![CDATA[2016]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Lists]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 04 Sep 2016 18:12:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/summer-style-guide-featured-1-scaled.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/2--The-2016-Summery-e2lug8" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | Lights Out (Spoilers!)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ben, Jack, and Harrison sit down in the dark in the attempt to summon the spirits of filmmaking.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-lights-out-spoilers/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11f2</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><category><![CDATA[Lights Out]]></category><category><![CDATA[2016]]></category><category><![CDATA[Film]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 28 Aug 2016 18:16:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/lights-out1.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/lights-out1.jpg" alt="Review | Lights Out (Spoilers!)"/><p>Beware of spoilers.</p><!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/Review-Lights-Out-Spoilers-e2lug6" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Podcast | Who Gets Fired]]></title><description><![CDATA[Harrison and Jack take a swing at the podcast thing.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/podcast-who-gets-fired/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11f3</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Reel Opinions Podcast]]></category><category><![CDATA[2016]]></category><category><![CDATA[Film]]></category><category><![CDATA[Lists]]></category><category><![CDATA[News]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 21 Aug 2016 18:18:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/poddo.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/dlnl2ppre/image/upload/q_auto/v1/Reel%20Opinions/poddo.jpg" alt="Podcast | Who Gets Fired"/><p> In the first episode of this non-distinctive film show they discuss the general perception of the film industry via the "Open Letter to Warner Bros CEO Kevin Tsujihara About Layoffs, Zack Snyder and Donuts"</p><!--kg-card-begin: html--><iframe id="anchor" src="https://anchor.fm/reelopinions/embed/episodes/1--Who-Gets-Fired-e2lug7" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"/><!--kg-card-end: html-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | The Guest]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Guest is a welcome shot in the arm for the horror genre…. if indeed it even is a horror film.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-the-guest/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11bd</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><category><![CDATA[Video]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 2015 09:31:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/maxresdefault5.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/maxresdefault5.jpg" alt="Review | The Guest"/><p>It hardly needs pointing out that mainstream American horror is in something of a rut at the moment. Most recent titles seem to fall into two similarly unsatisfying camps: personality free remakes of yesteryear’s successes, and those with a more psychological inclination. Unfortunately psychological horror’s meaning appears to have shifted from <em>something that manages to get under your skin and really creep you out</em> to <em>something that makes sudden loud noises every now and then and has a creepy doll in it</em>. Occasionally though, something good does manage to slip through the cracks, <em>The Cabin in the Woods</em> springs to mind with it’s postmodern smarts and real unpredictability. However, it’s rare that the U.S nowadays can produce a clever, well constructed and genuinely original horror film without having to wink at its audience ironically.<br><br>Thankfuly, there is Adam Wingard who proved with his last effort <em>You’re Next</em> that the old ways aren’t quite dead, doing for John Carpenter what <em>Super 8</em> did for Spielberg. With gleeful gore, a synthesizer lead soundtrack and a strong female protagonist, <em>You’re Next</em> didn’t so much provide anything new as it did return, with affection and sincerity, to how things used to be done. His follow up, <em>The Guest,</em> is also filled to the brim with that same genre know-how. However, it’s much harder to classify, in fact it seems to resist labeling altogether, even if it is set at Halloween and was screened at this year’s <em>Frightfest</em>. Not quite an action film, not quite a psychological thriller, not quite a slasher, the film is a mix of all of these and more (it even has a small element of sci-fi) to create something that is hugely enjoyable.<br><br>At a lean 99 minutes, it also tells its story without unnecessary length. A nuclear-family, the Petersons, mourn the loss of their eldest son Caleb to the war in Afghanistan, when one day an unexpected visitor shows up declaring that he knew him. The soldier, David (Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens), is welcomed into the house with open arms, whereupon he reveals that he made a promise to Caleb, to check on his family and make sure that they were okay. He proceeds to do so with extreme dedication: helping youngest child Luke defend himself from bullies, aiding Luke’s Sister Anna with her relationship problems and so on. Seemingly adored by everyone, David continues to live as a house-guest in the Peterson’s home, however it eventually becomes apparent that he is not who he seems to be. Revealing too much more would spoil the fun, but it is always quite clear where things are heading.<br><br>Most of the attention will focus on Steven’s electrifying performance and rightly so. Remarkably charismatic, even when you know of his lethal intentions, it’s hard to side against the supremely polite, overly courteous psychopath. Steven’s succeeds in going back and forth between ultimate nice guy and ultimate bad guy in the blink of an eye, his manner not changing a beat when he does so, making the transition all the more threatening. When he informs someone he is going to kill them with the same inflection with which he gratefully accepts the offer of a beer, it prompts an uneasy chuckle.<br><br>Steven’s winning charisma may be what captures the broader audience’s attention, but for genre aficionados it’s Wingard’s reverence for the old school that will really impress. His understanding of the era he’s throwing back to transcends the mere box ticking of well known conventions. We all know the narrative clichés and tropes, but Wingard has an eye for the little things, the John Carpenter-esque music, the flamboyant lighting, the abrupt scene transitions, the nature of the denouncement – even the font of the title text is spot on! If it wasn’t for the contemporary post-911 concerns and references to laptops and Mobile phones, you’d swear blindly that this was a product of the 1980s. It’s almost a shame that you won’t be able to rent it on VHS, it seems purpose built for it.<br><br>Mixed with these charming, retro details is witty writing, well judged comedy, terrific direction and a fantastic final act, if anything lets it down, it’s the tameness of the violence (all the more disappointing after an early bar fight which suggests things could go entirely the other way). Nevertheless with a true old school spirit and a captivating central performance, <em>The Guest</em> is a welcome shot in the arm for the horror genre…. if indeed it even is a horror film.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p><figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BtV3L3IuTkA?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[What exactly is "Real Horror"?]]></title><description><![CDATA[A semi-rant, semi-reasoned explanation, of why nothing can be objectively scary... except Adam Sandler films.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/what-is-real-horror/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11bc</guid><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 27 Dec 2014 16:50:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/maxresdefault15.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/maxresdefault15.jpg" alt="What exactly is &quot;Real Horror&quot;?"/><p>A semi-rant, semi-reasoned explanation, of why nothing can be objectively scary... except Adam Sandler films. That shit will fuck you up.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="150" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-4oj0x5OCX4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Worst Films of 2014]]></title><description><![CDATA[Harrison and Ben discuss their personal top 10 worst films of the year.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/worst-films-2014/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11bb</guid><category><![CDATA[Lists]]></category><category><![CDATA[Top 10]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Reel Opinions]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 20 Dec 2014 16:48:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/maxresdefault2.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/maxresdefault2.jpg" alt="Worst Films of 2014"/><p>Harrison and Ben discuss their personal top 10 worst films of the year.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jY-w1JWJGxs?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Review | The Pyramid]]></title><description><![CDATA[“What do you mean lights?”]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/review-the-pyramid/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11ba</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Harrison Abbott]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 14 Dec 2014 22:16:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/the-pyramid-1.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<!--kg-card-begin: markdown--><blockquote>
<img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/the-pyramid-1.jpg" alt="Review | The Pyramid"/><p>“What do you mean lights?”<br>
“Lights…. I thought you could use them” replies producer Alexander Aja.<br>
“Why?”<br>
“So that people can see.”<br>
“I’m not following.”<br>
“Never mind.”</br></br></br></br></br></p>
</blockquote>
<!--kg-card-end: markdown--><p>Director Grégory Levasseur isn’t in the mood to argue over mere technicalities, he had bigger concerns on his mind, whether or not his audience could see ANYTHING AT ALL ON SCREEN didn’t matter. They’d got through it so far without worrying about it. No. His mind was elsewhere. For a start, he’s on the final day of shooting and has yet to acquire a script. So far he and the crew have been working with some crayon jottings they found on a napkin at a Burger King. “It’ll do” he shrugged when setting up the camera on day one, and it had been the production ethos ever since. But maybe now was the time to make a change. Dialogue such as “We’re like food in a bowl” and “Can you stop being Archaeologists for 5 minutes and act like human beings!?” can only get you so far.<br><br>He mulls on this thought. Plays with it, loses himself in it. Then out of the perpetual dessert  ahead the assistant director approaches, asks him why  they’re doing a wide shot featuring all of the cast in this found footage movie. Oh damn, found footage, he had forgot. Had he made this error more than once? Days were starting to blur together, nothing was certain anymore. The A.D asks if this means they’ll have to get rid of that shot where the camera tracks up into space and looks down on earth. So he had forgotten before. Oh well.<br><br>“Are you kidding? That’ll take… effort”.<br><br>No. He has more pressing matters to attend to. The visual effects people are on the phone asking if he really wants his monsters to look like the rabbit creatures from the 2002 <em>Scooby Doo</em> movie. Amateurs. Why can’t they understand his dream? Out here, a man has to come to terms with who he really is. Who is Levasseur? A visionary. They might not see that now. But they will. They will. He looks up to the sky. There are no clouds. Just the vast expanse of infinite space. No one to tell them what to do. Here everything plays by his rules. He returns his gaze down, walks onto set.<br><br>Let’s just get this over with. The heat is baring down too hard. Overwhelmed by the stress of the job, the pressure, it’s all too much. One final push. Then home.<br><br>“And action!” His mouth makes the sound, but his mind doesn’t comprehend the words. Then it begins. Indistinct noises. Confused inept actors running around in the dark. He doesn’t listen. Everything around him is a blur. Eventually the murmuring stops.<br><br>“CUT!”<br><br>“That’s a wrap.”<br><br>Sighs of relief. People talk at him. Pay cheques are taken. Flights home are boarded. A trailer is cut. Distribution. Exhibition. Ticket’s purchased. Projection. Cinema dies a little.<br><br>The Uttermost ends of the earth flow sombre under an overcast sky. Leading into the heart of an immense darkness.<br><br><strong><em>The Pyramid</em> (2014), directed by Grégory Levasseur , is distributed in UK cinemas by Twentieth Century Fox, Certificate 15.</strong></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Best Films of 2014]]></title><description><![CDATA[Our first ever Reel Opinions where we talk about the best films of 2014.]]></description><link>http://reelopinions.com/best-films-of-2014/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__604004d324416811f31a11b9</guid><category><![CDATA[Review]]></category><category><![CDATA[Lists]]></category><category><![CDATA[Top 10]]></category><category><![CDATA[Video]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Reel Opinions]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 13 Dec 2014 22:10:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/maxresdefault1.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hkohga7go/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/maxresdefault1.jpg" alt="Best Films of 2014"/><p>Our first ever Reel Opinions where we talk about the best films of 2014.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iFs2xxrRtxE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""/></figure>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>