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The Gushing Cinephile: June 17, 2013

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Hello all and welcome to another week of The Gushing Cinephile! This past week was a big one in the cinematic community as the highly anticipated (a huge understatement) reboot of the Superman franchise was finally released. “Man of Steel” was met with generally mixed to positive reviews from critics but the box office numbers and die-hard fans everywhere beg to differ. “Man of Steel” had the biggest June opening in film history and had one of the highest grossing weekend’s for a film that isn’t a sequel. Looks like fanboys and cinephiles everywhere have spoken, “Man of Steel” is officially a smash hit. I loved the film and look forward to the day when its sequel is released.

Speaking of a “Man of Steel” sequel. Apparently the follow up to Zack Snyder’s 2013 hit is already in the works and has been fast-tracked. David S. Goyer, the first film’s scribe, and the aforementioned Zack Snyder have already been contracted for the sequel which could release as early as 2014. Now, my question to all of you is…how do you feel about the sequel being fast-tracked? Granted, I had a feeling this news was inevitable, but it is still a bit alarming. After taking so long to re-imagine the series and create “Man of Steel,” to rush the sequel seems idiotic. Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy wasn’t rushed and look how well that turned out. If they can pull off a sequel that is as vivid, riveting, and heartfelt as its predecessor in limited time, all the power to them. However, I’d rather them take their time and get it right, what do you think? What did you think of “Man of Steel?” Let me know in the comment section below. I’ll be posting my review for “Man of Steel” hopefully Wednesday or Thursday.

Next up, the brand new, first poster from “Insidious: Chapter 2.” Upon seeing how brilliantly terrifying the trailer looked and how eerie and haunting this poster is, my anticipation for the film has skyrocketed. Check out the poster below.

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Finally, a slew of new trailers were released this past week and the few below really caught my attention.

“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” released its first trailer and the sequel looks even better than the first.

Next up we have the second trailer for “Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa.” I know many of you have no idea as to what or who Alan Partridge is, but check out the trailer anyway. If it catches your attention, check out my review for the television series staring Steve Coogan. It is insanely hilarious, take my word for it.

This is a big one, the first trailer for Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street.” The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, and a plethora of high-profile names.

Last, but certainly not least is the first trailer for “Snowpiecer.” Directed by Joon-ho Bong (The Host, Mother, and Memories of Murder), “Snowpiecer” stars Chris Evans (Avengers) and Kang-ho Song (The Host, Thirst). I am really looking forward to this one, check out the trailer below and let me know what you think.

That’ll do it for this edition of The Gushing Cinephile. Be sure to comment all thoughts below and everyone have a great week!

The Good, The Bad, The Weird (2008)

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Parting ways with convention while still managing to do right by its muse. The Good, The Bad, The Weird is uproariously funny, sufficiently violent, and thunderously acted. Using several intricate, grand settings, outlandish shoot-outs, and the dexterity of each individuals mastery to get the viewers adrenaline pumping. The Good, The Bad, The Weird feels like a much needed overdose of satisfaction. Amongst the whimsical dialogue, cringe-worthy killing, and exhilarating action. The Good, The Bad, The Weird has an ideal balance of never taking itself too seriously and no shortage of pulse-pounding sequences. Directed by Jee-woon Kim who takes a break from horror to create a truly original western-thriller. The Good, The Bad, The Weird is everything you want it to be and so much more.

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In 1930s Manchuria, Tae-goo (Song), a thief, has just executed his daring train robbery and stumbles upon an elaborate map. Chang-yi (Lee), a bandit, has been previously hired to obtain the same map using any means necessary. Do-won (Woo-sung Jung), a bounty hunter, arrives on the scene to collect Chang-yi’s bounty. As Tae-goo and Do-won get caught up in Chang-yi’s train derailment, the possession of the map is lost in the chaos. When Chang-yi and Do-won get caught up in a gun-battle, Tae-goo makes an escape with the map. Upon discovering the map is a set of directions to lost treasure, the three men escalate their pursuits.

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Even though it owes a lot to an outlandishly fun script and tremendous direction. The Good, The Bad, The Weird would be utterly lost without its three funny, sincere, malicious leads. Starring Woo-sung Jung as The Good, Byung-hun Lee as The Bad, and Kang-ho Song as The Weird. There is no doubt that this ensemble inherits each of the three title traits. Although making The Bad also the coolest is quite stereotypical. Byung-hun Lee has his character calm and collected and down to an art, both in his appearance and personality. Typically, the killer with a conscious just so happens to be The Good. However, when Woo-sung Jung delivers his chilling monologue while gazing towards the stars, all is forgiven. Finally, what would The Weird be without the necessary hilarity and apparent clumsiness. The diverse Kang-ho Song does a superb job providing the comic relief and manages to pull together another staggering performance.

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With such a blatant disregard for their own lives, let alone safety. The cops, criminals, and cowboys bring back a time when cinema was appealingly over-the-top. Discombobulating the viewer with daring bullet exchanges, dusty stand-offs, and a deadly train robbery. Jee-woon Kim does a superlative job in both writing and directing The Good, The Bad, The Weird. His absolutely exceptional camerawork and witty, intelligent dialogue is highly addictive and hypnotic…The adding of a second ending to the international release gives any viewer not completely appeased with the original finale a more ambiguous, appropriate ending. Having a choice is a terrific advantage. To say that The Good, The Bad, The Weird’s transcendent cast, direction, and screenplay is a deadly combination would be putting it lightly.

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Heart-pounding, intelligent, and hilarious. The Good, The Bad, The Weird is a sublime nod to classic westerns.

The Good, The Bad, The Weird: 8.5 out of 10.

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