Matt Reviews "Avengers: Age of Ultron"

Matt here.

The long-awaited Avengers sequel has finally hit and like any sequel, there are good points and bad points. This phase in the Marvel cinematic universe (MCU) finds the team going directly into action to face off against HYDRA and Baron Wolfgang von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann) to obtain the scepter previously used by Loki, obtaining the wisdom infinity stone. The audience is not given any review or catching up on what our heroes have been up to lately. So let's review what we know so far: Captain America (Chris Evans) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) have been on missions together and seen the end of S.H.I.E.L.D., which was infiltrated and corrupted by its enemy HYDRA; Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), who, somewhere between Captain America: The Winter Soldier and here, got into a romantic relationship with Black Widow, went off to work at Stark Industries, alongside Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.); after a major battle with Aldrich Killian, who tried to further weaponize the "Extremis" technology, Stark seemingly gives up his Iron Man persona to be with an ailing Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow); Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) has been laying low; Thor (Chris Hemsworth) saved his world, Asgard, and Earth from the evil Malekith, with his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) posing as their father, Odin, and two Asgardians deliver an Infinity Stone (featured in Guardians of the Galaxy) to the Collector (Benecio del Toro), which, thanks to the Guardians, is currently in the custody of the NOVA Corps. Otherwise, the audience is just thrown into the action. What follows is a fun, action-packed beginning to the summer movie season!

 The newest addition to the MCU is the addition of the "miracles" (they're mutants -- let's be real), "the Twins," Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), who have powers beyond a scientific explanation; Wanda has telekinesis, hypnosis, and can emit powerful energy bolts, and Pietro is a super-fast speedster. We find out the two are not the victims they were made out to be in their brief appearance of the post-credit scene in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. As Wanda uses her powers to hypnotize Tony Stark, he sees his worst nightmare of his teammates dying while Earth is faced with another alien invasion. This fear spreads within him and he decides to turn his sentient Iron Man soldiers (oh yeah! They were made too in the interim between films!) into more aware artificial intelligence (AI). The problem is that his AI -- named Ultron -- becomes all too self-aware and decides the only way it can bring about Tony's "world peace" is by destroying those who make the world the most violent: humans. Thus, the Avengers spring into action and it's an entertaining ride to watch.

"There are no strings on me." Ultron first meets the Avengers and makes a rather underrated, sinister threat.

One of the best things about the villain of Ultron is that he is a broad-based villain. Everywhere there is computer AI and the internet, he lives. Plus, he makes several copies of himself, making an innumerable threat. But that is also a problem in Age of Ultron, because, for a villain who seems so much of a huge threat and is capable of being one, the filmmakers don't fully utilize his power of coursing through the world's internet and it is never explained why (I can't say too much now as it would become too much of a spoiler). Sure, there's a brief mention of NEXUS, but how Ultron is prevented from fully using his power is never explained. Of course, in the comic, Ultron is actually created by Hank Pym -- who will be played by Michael Douglas in the Ant-Man film due out this summer -- but, in this film, it is understandable that director/writer Joss Whedon had to keep it in the already-established characters' world. The other best thing about Ultron is he is voiced by James Spader. Spader brings a delightful playfulness to his villainy, his voice oozing with delighted evil (fans of NBC's The Blacklist know what I'm talkin' about!). Ultron is probably one of the best robotic characters I've ever seen on film. Since Ultron is created by Stark in the film, it is understandable that the robot would take on Stark's wit and pompousness. I think he's even better of a villain than Loki. Taylor-Johnson is good as Quicksilver but -- because I'm a DC Comics fan, I have to say -- that character is no Flash. Olsen really brings "the dark" as Scarlet Witch and I can't wait to see how the MCU fits her in to its world. And Paul Bettany's Vision was interesting, I liked the way Bettany portrayed him as well as how he was written, and there was one jaw-dropping moment which Vision silently shows his full strength ... and it's not even in an action sequence! I look forward to seeing how he'll affect the overall function of the Avengers as a whole.

Some of the best parts of this film are some of the small quirks peppered throughout the film; my personal favorite is when all of the Avengers are humorously trying to lift Thor's hammer and Cap -- an insanely buff Evans -- slightly nudges it, and Thor gets a worried look on his face but quickly plays it off like he wasn't worried. Also worth mentioning is the introduction of Ulysses Klaw (Andy Serkis) in Africa -- this is a brief intro to the world of Black Panther (who will be introduced in Captain America: Civil War, and have his own film come out in July 2018). Plus, this has to be my favorite Stan Lee cameo of all the ones he's done so far ("Excelsior!"). What I also liked about the film was the further development of Hawkeye's (Renner) character, and Thor's little side mission where he sees a major foreshadowing. I've said this since The Avengers and I'll say it again: Black Widow should have her own stand-alone film; she has one of the best origin stories in the Marvel universe. There is also definite seeds being planted to foreshadow the famous "Civil War" event storyline (from the comics), which will be the centerpiece to the next Captain America movie (due out in May 2016), most notably the fight between Cap and Stark. I love that this film explored the duality between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. Stark is so intent on wanting to protect the world that he creates destructive devices to do so (sounds like most real-life "politicos" nowadays) -- an idea which is one of the Maximoffs' main reasons for not trusting Stark -- while Rogers believes in overall freedom. I couldn't help but think of Rogers' most quotable line in any of the films he's appeared in when he confronts Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) in Winter Soldier, by pointing to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new weapons and saying: "... Like holding a gun on everyone on Earth and calling it protection. This isn't freedom. This is fear." This will play out more in Civil War. Now, some people may think this film follows the same formula of the first, especially involving the "dysfunctional family" feel. However, this aspect is necessary in this film so that Marvel could set it up for what's to inevitably come. 

A house divided ...

What I wasn't too crazy about was some of Cap's action stunts. I know this is a comic book adaptation movie, but there's still only so much unrealistic action moves I can stomach, and his were too much to bear. Also, Marvel's continuing utilization of the entire "coincidence catastrophe" technique is good in theory. Let me explain. You might notice in every Marvel film that when any major disaster happens in a city or place, miraculously no major lives, cities, and/or places are destroyed (although, in this film, there is plenty of destruction, and I'd like to see what Man of Steel naysayers who were so up-in-arms about the destruction of Metropolis would say after seeing this -- even though I'm sure they'll make excuses). Anyways, like I said, this technique is good in theory in that kids don't see much death and it makes the story all the more optimistic, but it sort of gets old. It gets to be too unrealistic ... even for a film steeped in science fiction and flying men. But it still works nonetheless ... for now.

Overall, Avengers: Age of Ultron is a great way to start the season, another exceptional notch in Marvel's belt, but don't expect too much exposition. Still, there's more story here than in The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies! The cast ups their game as we get glimpses into what they really fear, and makes me really wish there would be a Hulk stand-alone film. But what's most exciting is the mid-end-credit scene. I won't spoil it but it sets up for the next Avengers film: probably one of the most major events in comic book history. Whedon does a great job -- as usual -- but it is the humanity of Avengers: Age of Ultron which ultimately makes this film a memorable addition to the MCU.

Jay Reviews David Zellner's "Kumiko the Treasure Hunter"

Jay here.

If you watch the opening of the Joel and Ethan Coen's classic crime drama, Fargo, you are greeted with these words:

"This is a TRUE STORY. The events depicted in this film took place in Minnesota in 1987.At the request of the survivors the names have been changed. Out of respect for the dead, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred."

For years some folks who have watched the 1996 dark comedy have taken this comment as gospel. There've been plenty of true crime stories turned into feature length films. But, if you are under any illusion that the Coen's had somehow found this outlandish story in a newspaper or something, well you would be wrong. Fargo is purely a fictional tale. There is no truth to it, though many have been fooled.

One such person who becomes fooled by this notion is the main character of David Zellner's new film, Kumiko the Treasure Hunter. The title character, played with quiet intensity by Rinko Kikuchi (Pacific Rim, The Brothers Bloom) is a young misanthropic and introverted Japanese office worker living in Tokyo. When the film opens we see Kumiko discovering a buried chest that contains a waterlogged copy of Fargo on VHS cassette. She takes the tape home and watches it, even though the image is heavily distorted, and is fully convinced that what she is watching actually happened.

Kumiko (Rinko Kikuchi) lives a solitary life with only her rabbit, Bunzo, to relate to. Poor, poor, Bunzo .....

Fed up with her mundane job and becoming more and more lost in her daydreams of wintery Minnesota, Kumiko steals her boss's credit card and hops on a plane to America, determined to track down the buried case of cash that Steve Buscemi's character buried in the snow near the end of the movie. She studies the fence line that borders where Buscemi covered the ransom with snow and an ice scraper, measuring out meticulously post to post, even creating a cross-stitch map to help her indentify the spot.

Once our heroine makes it to Minneapolis she begins the arduous trek across the frozen, snowy landscape of modern-day Minnesota, meeting various natives who mostly try to help her in her stubborn quest to get to Fargo and find the treasure that we all know is not there. She meets a friendly local woman who tries to educate her on the brilliance of James Claville's novel, Shogun and also a helpful deputy (played by the director himself) who wants to make sure she is taken care of, while also trying to convince her that the film she's been watching is fiction.

A caring deputy (David Zellner) tries to help Kumiko and convince her that the Coen Brothers' masterpiece is not, in fact, a true story. She's not buying what he's selling.

I had heard about this movie months before it finally was released at the Ken Theater here in San Diego (named for the Kensington neighborhood it can found in), so I was excited to see it. The premise is an interesting one, and I was intrigued to see an American filmmaker take on story that was so grounded in Japanese culture. The entire first third of the movie takes place in Kumiko's native country and it feels authentic. It's a modern-day Japan, but seen through the young woman's eyes it feels hollow and empty and not to be trusted.

Kumiko the Treasure Hunter definitely surprised me. I went in anticipating a quirky and darkly comical tale on par with a film like Fargo itself, and it does give you that at times. But, overall, what I got was a much more somber story that was less funny but honestly more depressing. One scene where Kumiko has to decide what to do with her pet bunny, Bunzo, before leaving on her flight was particularly depressing to me. I guess nothing gets to us like when bad things happen to pets in movies, huh?

Kumiko finds herself in the dead of winter in northern Minnesota.

Kumiko is a lost soul stuck in a life without purpose. She latches on to this identity of being an adventurer looking for lost gold, or as she calls herself "a Spanish Conquistador". But there is no pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. I won't spoil the ending but I will say it ended the only way it really could.

Overall, I didn't think Kumiko the Treasure Hunter was a waste of money, but it certainly didn't wow me. Part of that could be chalked up to my expectations of what kind of movie it would be.  It's possible I judge it unfairly based on misconceived notions, but all I will say is you have to be in the mood for a much more maudlin film about a young woman, lost in the doldrums of everyday life, who latches onto a fantasy she cannot let go of.

Jay Reviews Alex Garland's "Ex Machina"

Jay here.

The themes behind artificial intelligence, or A.I. as it is more commonly called, has been explored countless times in popular culture. From HAL 9000 to Blade Runner's "Replicants", we continue to be fascinated by the evolutionary possibilities around creating a machine that can think and feel the same as we do. People both are both curious and afraid of the implications behind man creating what could be construed as a new form of life. There are engineers working right now on advanced robotics and complex operating systems that make all of these supposed "flights and fantasy" not seem that far-fetched anymore.

Alex Garland's first feature film as director, Ex Machina, may seem on the surface like another exploration of the same ideas that have been covered in movies like Spike Jonze's Her and Steven Spielberg's A.I. Artificial Intelligence, but if you were thinking that you'd be wrong. In some ways it is similar but Ex Machina separates itself by not being just about an A.I.'s journey to find itself but also about two other men's relationship with it and each other as well.

Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) is a brilliant programmer at the most successful search engine/social networking company in the world. After winning a lottery at his job that rewards him with a one week trip to visit his company's founder and CEO at his top secret research facility, Caleb is full of excitement. He's anxious to meet the man who most label a prodigy and a genius. That man, Nathan (Oscar Issac in a stellar performance) lives out in the middle of what appears to be a natural paradise where his unique home is part post-modern mansion and part high-tech bunker.

Nathan informs Caleb that he has invited him here to help perform a final test that will prove that the A.I. he has invented has an actual consciousness.  He has named his creation, Ava (Alicia Vikander) and she lives in solitude in a sparse room in the bowels of the eccentric billionaire's facility. Over the next seven days Caleb is instructed to meet with Ava, a glass wall separating them, and simply converse with her in order to form an opinion on her viability as a living, thinking, and feeling being.

Ava (Alicia Vikander) and Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) meet everyday to talk through a glass barrier.

Vikander delivers a unique and convincing performance as Ava. She never makes the part feel over ly robotic or forced. She is entirely believable as a subtle sexuality build between her and Caleb until it becomes confusing as to who is testing whom. As time progresses the young man feelings for the imprisoned A.I. start to become more and more transparent.

Oscar Issac is the real revelation here, though, as he continues to prove that he is one of the most exciting acting talents to explode over the last year or so. His Nathan is a drunk and narcissist like so many men of genius turn out to be, but he brings a different weight to the role. In one key scene early on Caleb tells him that if he has truly created an artificial intelligence than it is not the greatest discovery in the history of man, but actually in the history of Gods. Later, Nathan reminds him of this conversation telling Caleb how astute it was to call him a God, which we know Caleb never did.  It illustates perfectly Nathan's obsession with himself, but also there is sadness underneath the surface which reveals itself typically when he binge drinks himself into a stupor.

Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) and Nathan (Oscar Issac) discuss the implications for the future if Ava can be proven to have an actual consciousness,

Issac also gets the award for best impromptu dance sequence in a movie for 2015. I won't spoil it but it's awesomeness must be witnessed firsthand.

The environment this film takes place in is so striking that it almost feels like a character itself. The house is both clean and modern while also blending in perfectly with the wild forest, river and mountains around it. I have to honestly say it has taken the mantle of "House in a Movie I Most Wish I Lived In". It is just that freaking cool.



Because of the limited characters and the fact the entirety of the film takes place in one location, for the most part, Ex Machina feels more akin to watching a stage play. It's brilliance lies in the interactions between its characters and the dialogue that informs their actions. By the time the final third of the movie rolls around the movie shifts into futuristic thriller mode and the tension and suspense is ratcheted up big time as Caleb begins to believe, with some prodding from Ava, that he needs to help free the trapped machine/woman from her prison and her oppressive inventor. The ending will leave you surprised and, if you're like me, applauding.

Garland has proven that, as a writer (Never Let Me Go, Sunshine, The Beach) he is full of smart, accessible stories that can both make you think and entertain and Ex Machina is no different. It's a welcome addition to the pantheon of intelligent science fiction films that explore concept themes around what it means to be human. It is also a brilliant character study of three complex characters whose motivations reveal themselves slowly giving us a exciting thriller at a time we need more intelligent, well-written films like this.

Matt's & Jay's Top 10 Most Shocking, Upsetting Deaths in Pop Culture

Matt here!

The death scene in most pop culture media (i.e., movies, TV, books, comics, etc.) can be a pivotal moment in anyone's favorite medium. After all, it is the death of a beloved -- or hated -- character which can change the entire course of the story. So, Jay and I decided to each pull together our massive pop culture knowledge of deaths and each pick our 10 most shocking, upsetting, core-shaking deaths in the worlds of cinema and literature. Here they are in no particular order:

WARNING: THERE ARE DEFINITE SPOILERS BELOW SO IF YOU SEE ANY TV SHOWS, MOVIES, BOOKS, OR COMICS YOU PLAN ON VIEWING, DO NOT READ ON!!!

Jay's Picks

Artax

The NeverEnding Story 

OK, if you grew up in the 80's, then this death scene has to be at the top of your list. The NeverEnding Story is considered a classic today by all of us who went to the theaters to see it. But, who is the sick, demented son-of-a-bitch who made millions of children endure this heart-wrenching moment in what should be a simple children's fantasy? Well we could blame director, Wolfgang Peterson or writer, Michael Ende, but either way seeing the noble hero, Atreyu (Noah Halloway) fight to try and convince his horse, Artax to fight the all consuming grief of the Swamps of Sadness is still too much to bear. Watching the boy plead with his horse as it slowly sinks into the bog is really just emotional torture, and it all happens near the beginning of the movie. I still want to yell out to Artax along with Atreyu, "You've got to fight the sadness, Artax! ARTAX!!!!"

Hoban "Wash" Wasburne (Alan Tudyk)

Serenity

Before Game of Thrones made it popular, Joss Whedon had built a reputation for not being afraid to kill of one of his main characters with impunity. Well, I think the legions of Firefly fans would agree that no one saw this one coming. After being cancelled by Fox and going on to become one of the biggest cult TV shows to ever fail, Whedon was able to green light a feature film of his space western. That movie was called Serenity, and it totally kicks ass. Most of us who eagerly awaited its release has heard that a main character would die, but after losing Sheppard Book (Ron Glass) about half-way through, I have to admit, I thought he was done with death scenes. Oh, but no, he had to go on and give Wash, the witty pilot of the crew, one of the most shocking and gruesome deaths, ever. Right after he saves the lives of all on board the ship by maneuvering his way out of a giant space battle and crash landing safely on the surface of a planet, Wash is impaled by the space harpoon of an evil Reavers' ship. Damn you, Reavers! He was a leaf on the wind . . . . and he certainly did soar.

Lori Grimes (Sarah Wayne Callies)

The Walking Dead 

This is some demented shit, right here. Be warned. When Lori Grimes, wife of The Walking Dead's main protagonist, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), reveals she is pregnant, for a moment there is a subdued ray of hope for our survivors of the zombie apocalypse. I mean, it's a baby, right? That's a good thing .... yeah, not so much. When a horde of zombies are let into the prison where Rick and Co. have been living, Lori, Carl (Chandler Riggs) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) find themselves trapped. With chaos erupting around them and things looking already their bleakest, the little bundle of joy inside of Lori decides that now is the time to come. As the birth gets more complicated by increased bleeding, Lori directs Maggie to "cut" the baby out of her, knowing that this is the only way to save the infant's life. Of course this means Lori has to sacrifice her own. It is a disturbing violent scene, made all the more sad by the presence of young Carl who has to share this horrific last few moments with his mother. On top of all of that Carl volunteers to stay behind and ensure that his mother doesn't become one of the living dead by putting a bullet in her brain. Very dark stuff and really one the emotional low points of the entire series.

Augustus "Gus" McCrae (Robert Duvall)

Lonesome Dove

Larry McMurtry's Pulitzer-Prize-Winning novel, Lonesome Dove, remains one of my favorites of all time. It is one of the greatest Westerns ever written, perfectly capturing a realistic version of the Old West.  It's difficult to say that there can be any experience better than reading this fantastic book about friendship, love, adventure and discovering one last frontier. But, the mini-series remains one of the best adaptations of previously written material ever produced. The two main characters, Gus McCrae and Woodrow F. Call (Tommy Lee Jones) are opposites in so many ways, but their bond as friends has endured well into their old age. They embark on an epic journey to move a herd of cattle and horses to Montana. Once they reach their destination, Gus is attacked by a tribe of Native Americans and is shot through the leg with an arrow. After barely making it back to the nearest town, the local doctor informs him his leg is infected and has to be amputated. When the leg is removed in his sleep, without his consent, Gus arms himself and refuses to allow the doc or his friend Call take the other leg which now also has to removed to save his life. He slowly dies with his best friend at his side, forcing Call to promise to take his body back to Texas and bury it in an orchard where he spent time with his first love, Clara. I've never been so moved by the death of character in a book. With all his flaws he was such a purely honest, and good-hearted soul and McMurtry wrote him so well that I felt like I knew him.

Eddard "Ned" Stark (Sean Bean)

Game of Thrones

This is another choice that combines both a novel and television show, and I can tell you that as surprised viewers of the popular HBO show, Game of Thrones, were to see the main character die close to the end of the first season, those of us who read the books well before the series aired were even more shocked. George R.R. Martin wrote Game of Thrones in chapters that are presented from the point-of-view of one of the main protagonists.  Jon, Bran, Tyrion, Daenerys, Arya and Sansa all have their stories told through individual chapters, but it is really Eddard's that drive the story forward with his reluctant journey to King's Landing to become the Hand of King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy), his old friend. Ned's slow discovery of the truth behind Cersei Lannister's (Lena Headey) betrayal of her husband, the King, and ultimately his desperate and doomed attempt to secure the Iron Throne by revealing the truth about her relationship with her twin brother, Jaime, find him having to confess himself a traitor. But his decision to lie to save the life of his daughter and himself finds him betrayed by the young King Joffrey (Jack Gleason) on the Steps of Baelor, where he is executed with his own sword.  For the readers and viewers, this was shocking because his story had dominated most of the book, but we should have seen it coming. In the harsh and cruel world of Westeros politics, a honorable and good man like Ned Stark was seriously out of his depth.

Private Mellish (Adam Goldberg)

Saving Private Ryan 

So many soldiers die during Steven Spielberg's epic, World War II masterpiece, Saving Private Ryan, but for me the one that really got to me was the violent death of Private Mellish, played brilliantly by character actor, Adam Goldberg. Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) has led his men on a special mission to locate Private James Ryan (Matt Damon). After the finally find him, the company must mount a desperate defense against a German battalion, making its way into the French town they have occupied. Stationed in the second floor of one of the buildings, Mellish is discovered by a German soldier. The two men engage in desperate battle that captures all of the intensity of a real life or death situation. While they fight in the room, a scared and timid Corporal Upham (Jeremy Davies), a pacifist at heart, slowly climbs the stairs, fully aware of the struggle his fellow brother-in-arms is engaged in. But instead of bursting into the room and saving Mellish, which he could have easily done, Upham's fear overwhelms him as we watch in horror as the German soldier gains the upper hand and slowly plunges a knife into Mellish's chest, while the doomed private pleads for his enemy to stop. What made this death so tough to watch was the combination of such a realistic and violent death and also the young Upham's frustrating inability to muster the courage to help his friend.

Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank)

Million Dollar Baby

Clint Eastwood's Oscar-winning Million Dollar Baby did a fairly good job of hiding its secrets when it first came out. What started out as a simple story of one woman's rise through the ranks of female professional boxing and one man's shot at redemption became something much more tragic and serious. Once she is given a shot at the title, Maggie Fitzgerald suffers a traumatic injury at the hands of her opponent and finds herself paralyzed from the neck down. The remaining third of the film deals with Maggie's horrific ordeal and her trainer, Frankie's (Clint Eastwood) guilt over his perceived role in current state. As the movie nears its close a desperate Maggie pleads with the man who has become a surrogate father to her to help her end her life. Despite Frankie's religious beliefs he decides to give the young woman a lethal injection after sneaking into her hospital room one night. His final moments with Maggie are really heartbreaking and I don't think there was a dry eye in the theater when I saw it. It remains on the short list of movies that are just too painful to warrant a second viewing.

Tara Maclay (Amber Benson)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Tara Maclay's introduction as a love interest for Buffy's wiccan sidekick, Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan) was a huge step forward for the representation of LGBT relationships in television. Up until then, realistic lesbian relationships on a network TV show were pretty much non-existent and pretty much avoided. Tara and Willow's love story was handled very organically and it felt real and not trivialized or made cheap in any way. But in Season 6, Buffy fans were shocked when Tara was accidentally shot by nerdy wannabe villain, Warren Mears (Adam Busch) when he was actually trying to kill Buffy. His shot is deflected and instead the bullet hits Tara who is reconciling with Willow in the second floor bedroom. It happens so quickly and you never see it coming. Its suck a shocking and sad moment because of all the "Scooby Gang", Tara was the most innocent and pure. Her death would send Willow into a dark spiral of revenge and it would take combined efforts of all of her friends to try and stop her from literally destroying the world because of the pain she feels from losing her love.

Fredo Corleone (John Cazale)

The Godfather Part II

Maybe it's not exactly shocking per se, but Fredo's execution, ordered by his younger brother Michael (Al Pacino) has to be one of the saddest deaths in cinema history. It represents not just a despicable moment of fratricide, but also signals the tipping point of the Corleone Family towards something darker than it ever intended to be, and also condemns Michael as a man we might have sympathized with in the past into an evil man, disillusioned that he is doing the right thing for his family's survival. What makes it even worse is that after Fredo's betrayal, he tries to make amends with Michael and after sometime, the younger Corleone accepts his brother's apology in a touching scene at their mother's funeral. The look Michael gives his bodyguard as he hugs his brother is chilling, because we know what no one else in that room knows. Fredo is doomed to pay the price of his brother's vengeance. Even though in a third film some people have mentioned exists but I refuse to accept, Michael ultimately asks for forgiveness for his crimes and pays for them with his daughter's life, his decision to have Fredo killed is an awful crime and one of the most famous deaths in film history.

Matt's Picks

Joyce Summers (Kristine Sutherland) 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Protagonist hero Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is used to slaying demons and battling other disgusting monsters. And when any of her friends or acquaintances died, it usually was due to supernatural means. So it was a major surprise when Buffy’s ailing mother, Joyce (Sutherland) died – not from fighting monsters – but from a brain aneurysm. In the aftermath of realizing she does not need a boyfriend, Riley, and everything is all hunky-dory, Buffy returns home to find her mother’s lifeless body on the couch. What follows in the season 5 episode “The Body” is one of the best written and produced pieces on death in TV history. The scene where Buffy informs Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) of their mom's death alone is wonderfully, emotionally done so well! The entire episode was a gut-punch to Buffy fans everywhere.

Marion Crane (Janet Leigh)

Psycho

Alfred Hitchcock took a novel – written by Robert Bloch, based on the true-life events of Ed Gein – and made one of the most influential suspense thrillers of all time! There were plenty of shocks in this film, but it was Hitchcock’s decision to kill off main protagonist Marion Crane (Leigh) only a quarter-of-the-way into the film – and not simply in some offscreen fashion, but by being repeatedly stabbed in the shower. This was a big surprise at the time (1960) as such a technique had not really yet been done in American cinema. Of course, once Crane is killed, the role of protagonist is transferred to a private investigator named Arbogast (Martin Balsam). However, he is killed and the characters of Lila (Vera Miles) and Sam (John Gavin) are believed to be the protagonists. This is one of the first films where the antagonist – Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) – is the main character. This film opened doors for many emerging and subsequent directors and writers, and it scared a lot of people into locking the bathroom door in their hotel rooms before taking a shower.

Eddard “Ned” Stark

Game of Thrones: A Song of Fire and Ice

To me, one of the most surprising deaths in literature was in George R.R. Martin’s medieval fantasy epic debut novel Game of Thrones: A Song of Fire and Ice, in which supposed protagonist Eddard “Ned” Stark is beheaded by the end of the novel! Reading the story, most would think this is the anchor of the story. Stark is the good guy and the reader relates to him, roots for him. Ned discovers the truth behind Joffrey’s lineage and that he is not the spawn of King Robert Baratheon. He is about to relay this news when he is captured by the late King’s guards – on orders by the King’s widow, Cersei. A deal is struck with Ned that if he will keep his secret of Joffrey’s true lineage and let Joffrey become king, Ned’s life – as well as the lives of his sons and daughters – will be spared and he will be exiled. Fearing for his daughters’ lives, Ned reluctantly makes the deal. However, when young boy Joffrey becomes king due to Cersei’s machinations, he decides to go against the deal and has Ned beheaded, making the reader wish for Joffrey’s death much sooner rather than the dragged-out (especially in the TV series) later. 

Hoban “Wash” Washburne (Alan Tudyk)

Serenity

After surviving the hit series Firefly, and a magnificent space chase to avoid the ruthless, savage Reavers in the film Serenity, one of the fan favorites – the humorous, beloved pilot, Wash (Tudyk) – says one of his sly, funny sayings, then BAM, he is impaled by the Reavers’ ship’s harpoon, killing him instantly. Creator/writer Joss Whedon has always been known for killing off major characters, but none have ever been so shocking or so sad as Wash. It’s one of those moments that leaves every viewer asking Why!? Yet, it adds to the emotional impact of the dire situation the crew has found themselves in. It’s just a shame that Joss had to take away one of the most beloved characters in the – who am I kidding? They’re all beloved! Let this be a warning to you: If you get addicted to a Joss Whedon series, everyone is expendable!

Lt. Col. Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson)

M*A*S*H

The M*A*S*H unit’s leader Lt. Colonel Henry Blake (Stevenson) was a bit of a bumbling, sometimes ineffectual leader, but he was beloved by all of the doctors and nurses in the unit. In season three’s season finale, there were laughs aplenty and a celebratory storyline in which Blake gets news that he gets to go home – every enlisted man on the show’s dream. All seems happy and weepy (in a good way) when the crew says their goodbyes to Blake. However, war truly is hell and this is evidenced in the closing moments of the episode when, during Pierce’s (Alan Alda) and Burns’ (Larry Linville) usual comedic, adversarial banter, a shocked Radar (Gary Burghoff) comes into the operating room and announces the tragic death of Blake due to his plane being shot down by enemy fire. The reaction of the actors is real as none of them knew of Blake’s fate until the scene was shot. It remains one of those deaths which shook TV audiences’ core – especially in a series which was mostly labeled a comedy. 

Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith)

Glee

Some people love this show and some people hated it. And this is not so much shocking as it was upsetting (due to Cory Monteith's untimely death due to drug overdose). I have to first admit that Glee had one of the best debut seasons ever; the first season is nearly flawless. And as a major anchor of that show was the character of Finn Hudson (Monteith) – the high school star quarterback who is blackmailed into joining the fledgling glee club at McKinley High School. He soon became the heart of the entire show. One of the best scenes in season one is in episode 13 when Finn discovers the truth behind his girlfriend Quinn’s (Dianna Agron) pregnancy and becomes angry over finding out the baby actually belonged to Finn’s best friend, Puck (Mark Salling), proving betrayal by both Quinn and Puck, and everyone in the glee club knew but lied to Finn to keep him in the club. In the scene after Finn quits the glee club, club advisor and teacher Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison) asks Finn to rejoin the club, because the group are all panicking at the Sectionals competition, to which Finn asks Mr. Schuester, “Why does it always have to come down to me? Why do I always have to be the bigger man!?” I find this is a question most people can ask and have asked this many times myself. The short answer is … if you know what’s right, it sucks having to do the right thing. This is all summed up in Mr. Schuester’s rather cryptic answer, “Because sometimes being special… sucks.” Finn became the relatable character as well as the hero of the show, so it was a shock when – in real life – Cory Monteith died due to a drug overdose. The way the series handled Finn’s death was cryptic in that they never disclose what Finn died of (I suspect it was a car accident), but the episode, aptly named “The Quarterback” is an emotional rollercoaster where the show brought back some of the heart it had lost after season one; the scene where Finn's mom, Carole (Romy Rosemont), talks about the pain about being a parent of a dead child is probably one of the best written and filmed scenes I've seen on the matter. Sadly, in my opinion, the show lost its heart when it lost Finn/Monteith and never have I seen a series decline after the loss of one of its characters like Glee did. His death and absence was not just a shock and so heartwrenchingly portrayed, but it left a big hole in a show with great potential.

Alexandria DeWitt

Green Lantern #54 (1994)

Ah! Comic books! That medium which is mostly identified as being for kids. However, in 1994, during the “dark age of comics,” probably one of the most shocking deaths in any literature was displayed for all to see: the rather graphic death of Green Lantern Kyle Rayner’s girlfriend, Alexandra DeWitt. Sure, that full-page panel of Green Lantern villain, Black Hand, shooting himself in the head is pretty intense. But it is Alexandria's death which caused me to gasp back when I originally read it in 1994. She is not just killed by strangulation alone, or by some weapon or superpower. DeWitt proves to be a good, down-to-earth, yet supportive, girlfriend to Rayner, but their love is short-lived when the super-villain Major Force strangles her and … stuffs her body into a refrigerator. Rayner comes home after saving a city from an earthquake, hoping to find a special surprise from Alexandria, when he makes the gruesome discovery, and it drives him to quickly forget all of the heroic ideals which made him a Lantern in the first place (Buffy fans might recognize this technique, which Joss Whedon used in a season 2 episode involving Giles and Ms. Calendar). To this day, the “woman in the refrigerator” has left a resonating mark within DC Comics, who continues to push the envelope and explore themes not found in most other comics, as well as the rest of the comic book world.

Agent 355

Y: The Last Man

Brian K. Vaughan’s and artist Pia Guerra’s Y: The Last Man is probably one of the best books – let alone graphic novels – to ever be released the past 15 years! Running from 2002 to 2008, the comic book series tells the story of man-child Yorick Brown and his pet Capuchin monkey, Ampersand. On July 17, 2002, all living mammals that have a Y chromosome (males) simultaneously die (this also includes embryos, fertilized eggs and sperm). All males except Yorick and Ampersand. There are many horrific accidents and society soon plunges into chaos as women think that, without men, the human race is doomed to extinction. What starts off as a tongue-in-cheek title soon takes a very serious angle. Yorick learns that being the only male human left is not all it’s cracked up to be and he learns he has to disguise himself as he sets off to find his mother, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture-and-now-President of the United States, Jennifer Brown; and his girlfriend, Beth, who he believes to be stranded in Australia. Along his journey, he is quickly joined by Agent 355, of the Culper Ring, who is assigned by President Brown to protect Yorick and get him safely to Boston to meet an expert geneticist to see if a cure can be found to the mysterious male-killing virus. Of course, throughout the series, despite a few romantic distractions, Yorick and 355 (as she is only known by) fall in love. By the end of the series, they admit their love for one another. They kiss. And just when 355 is about to confess her real name to Yorick, BAM!!! A sniper’s gunshot to the head kills her instantly. An entire story of cheering for the agent and Yorick to be together is felled with one small, heartbreaking act. Alas, poor Yorick …

William and Margaret

The Decemberists’ “The Hazards of Love”

Lead singer and songwriter for the folk rock band The Decemberists, Colin Meloy, decided he wanted to write a concept album around a story, featuring a cast of characters straight out of a classic Brothers Grimm folk fairy tale. Each character and storyline has its own leitmotif – a musical technique of which I’m a big fan. Throughout the album’s songs, a woman named Margaret finds an injured fawn in the forest one day and when she stops to help it, it transforms into a man named William. The two fall in love, make love, and Margaret becomes pregnant. However, William’s mother, the Forest Queen, learns of the union and is angered. She accuses William of being ungrateful of having been rescued by her when he was a baby and given the gift of immortality. Still, begrudgingly, the Forest Queen grants William one night of mortality to be with Margaret. However, a lecherous, murderous Rake – a very bad man who is unremorseful for killing his three young children – kidnaps and rapes Margaret, and is helped in his escape with her by the Forest Queen. After making a dire deal with the Forest Queen, William eventually catches up to the Rake and rescues Margaret, while the spirits of the Rake’s three dead children take their revenge on him. William and Margaret try to escape but our overcome by the raging river which had been parted by the Forest Queen. As the two sink and drown, they vow their love for each other and have their own wedding of sorts, featured in a beautifully-poignant-yet-tragic love song “The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned),” lastly claiming that “these hazards of love, never more will trouble us.” It’s a wonderful, imaginative tale told through catchy folk alternative progressive rock. But to follow these two lovers and cheer for them and their love only to have them die at the end is as sad as if you were to see it on TV, a movie, or read it in a book. Yet, the music is beautiful, catchy, haunting, and – despite the seriousness of themes – very easily an album which could be played and enjoyed over and over. Romeo and Juliet don’t have anything on these two as they have more against them than some petty family squabble. This remains one of my favorite albums ever but I have to brace myself for that ending! 

Ben (Duane Jones)

Night of the Living Dead

When George A. Romero wrote and directed Night of the Living Dead in 1968, the real world was going through some pretty intense historic moments: namely, the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. The nation was going through some pretty disillusioned times and having muddied thoughts about race, equality and social separation. Romero used Night of the Living Dead as an allegory to society’s ills of that disillusionment and the closed-off nature which was slowly pervading society. So it is no surprise when his main protagonist and hero is Ben (Jones), an African-American man, who finds white woman Barbra (Judith O’Dea) – with a small group of survivors – and helps barricade a small farmhouse from the invading walking dead zombies. Ben survives the entire film and sees hope when he awakens the next morning to find sheriff’s deputies shooting and killing off the remaining zombies. However, that hope is dashed when Ben comes up from the cellar and is shot dead by one of the deputies. This is a very bold statement by Romero, basically saying that because Ben was black (not a zombie), his life was insignificant and forfeit to the deputies, who killed him just because of his skin color. Yes, it’s a downer of an ending – especially in this day and age – and Ben’s death is shocking, but in 1968, it was revolutionary and remains one of my most favorite social commentary films ever! 

25 Documentaries From the Past 10 Years, Available on Netflix, that You Have to Watch Right NOW!

Matt here!

I've learned to love documentaries as I get older, and while there are plenty of scripted shows on that I'm addicted to, there are so many great documentary films which give new meaning to "stranger than fiction." So, I decided to narrow my choices here of documentaries available to stream on Netflix to fall into the time frame of those made within the past 10 years. I have to admit that I'm a big true crime fan so there are plenty of those on this list; and if you like them too, you're in for a treat. But, even if you're not a big true crime fan, there are plenty here that are of other genres. Here they are in alphabetical order:

American: The Bill Hicks Story (2009)

One of the coolest, greatest people to have ever lived finally gets his own bio-doc (biography documentary)! Before comedians such as Denis Leary, Louis C.K., or Lewis Black. Before George Carlin started giving his "political truths" in his stand-up routines. There was William Melvin Hicks -- that's Bill Hicks. The quote "Dissention is the truest form of patriotism" could not apply more than to Hicks. He was a true pioneer, not just in comedy but also in getting people to think. Sadly, today he is still underestimated, overlooked, and underappreciated. When you hear any of the aforementioned comedians make any truly thought-provoking or philosophical observations, Hicks already said it. He was so ahead of his time and is an inspiration to me. Every time I hear one of his routines, I laugh and think! What a concept! He is the real-life Howard Beale (from 1976's Network), and his words are just as important today -- 21 years after his death -- than they were back when he first said them. He was loud, crude, and most times, pissed off, but his comedy and observations were nonetheless funny and true. While Hicks pointed out a lot of hypocrisy and criticisms, he also had a spiritual, positive side to him -- as evidenced in his "Just a Ride" monologue from his 1993 stand-up special Revelations. Sadly, Bill passed away in February 1994, at the age of 32, due to pancreatic cancer. But his spirit lives on and, in an age of biased, opinionated talking heads masquerading as news and political unaccountability, his comedy is still just as relevant – and greatly needed – today as it was back then.

The Battered Bastards of Baseball (2014)

Not many people know the true story of the Portland Mavericks baseball team, who operated between 1973 and 1977. And that would mostly be because they were a minor league team. The team was owned by actor Bing Russell – that’s actor Kurt Russell’s dad. Kurt even played on the team and was vice president of the organization. This documentary features interviews with Kurt Russell as well as some of the long-forgotten players of the team. It is amazing to learn that this team was one of the best the sport has ever seen, and they cause somewhat of a stir – even among major league teams! The Mavericks are the epitome of the underdog spirit of which so many in this country can relate, and the film is a touching, wild, fun watch!

Best of Enemies (2015)

Directors Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville take a bipartisan, no-holds-barred look at two of the most outspoken political speakers of all time: liberal Gore Vidal and conservative William F. Buckley, who first began debating one another on ABC TV at the 1968 Republican National Convention, followed by the Democratic National Convention. Their vitriol for one another is well-documented here and one cannot help but see these two as having an unspoken respect for one another, although it comes out as diplomatic -- sometimes passive-aggressive -- dislike. What is most noticeable about this documentary is that these debates between the two are in many ways the beginning of the talking head political debate opinion shows which now litter today's cable news television channels. The dislike these two have for one another explodes into -- what, at the time, was -- an unprofessional and completely distasteful moment televised for millions of people to see. My favorite moment of the film was at the end when an insightful Vidal voices his ultimate dislike for these kinds of opinionated, bitter debates, all while his voice is run over video footage of today's talking heads on FOX News, CNN, MSNBC, etc. Best of Enemies is one of the best documentaries to look into an era when the two big political parties obviously began their dangerous, populace-splitting rift.

Blackfish (2013)

When the tragic death of SeaWorld Killer Whale (Orca) trainer Dawn Brancheau in February 2010 in Orlando, Florida, by one of the killer whales, Tilikum, occurred, people were shocked. Well, after watching this documentary, you won't be surprised anymore. In fact, you'll be downright saddened and angry. This is a spellbinding documentary about an immoral group of creatures: SeaWorld executives. I know, I know. But SeaWorld gives those animals a good life, and, besides, those animals don't have any real feelings. Well, I've got a movie I think you should see. This doc follows the history of capturing killer whales (particular Tilikum and his history) as well as the previous "accidents" of orca trainers with their animals. Blackfish follows the hidden history of killer whales attacks on people, in theme parks (not in the wild because there are none), as well as the history of Tilikum and what most likely drove him to the unspeakable act. This film is just proof positive why documentaries are just as important as -- if not more so -- the news media, especially in this age of poor, oftentimes biased reporting. You will be subjected to the real injustice of this story – namely the inhumane capturing and treatment of these animals by an industry which only cares about money. The film is a fascinating look into the history of the park but also the knowledge of killer whales and those who’ve worked with both.

Body of War (2007)

With the recent release of the film adaptation of sniper Chris Kyle’s bestselling memoir, American Sniper, making such a splash in Hollywood and in society, I feel people should also be aware of another patriot who served his country, was severely wounded, only to soon find out the bitter truth behind the machinations which made him want to serve in the first place. Twenty-five-year-old Tomas Young signed up for the Army the day after 9/11, in order to fight the evil which attacked our country that day. He is deployed to Iraq and, in less than a week, he is hit by a marksman’s bullet, leaving Tomas with a severed spine and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), permanently paralyzed. Interlaced with Tomas’ struggle to deal with the daunting physical distress from his injuries, is the Congressional proceedings which led to the 2003 Iraq War. One such spotlighted senator is Robert Byrd (from West Virginia), one of the few opponents of going to war during that time (2003). But this isn’t made up of politicians. Tomas evolves into a powerful voice against the war as he struggles to deal with the complexities of a paralyzed body – a testimonial story that pro-war politicians and advocates don’t like to show or see or conveniently forget. This film is comprised of real people – the ones whose sons and daughters, wives and husbands, friends and lovers are being sent over there, as well as those themselves who serve(d) – and it’s about what happens when a majority of those injured heroes who serve come back and the challenges they face.

The Central Park Five (2012)

On April 19, 1989, a woman was attacked and raped while jogging through Central Park in New York at night, thus leaving her in a coma for 12 days. However, that same night, five young African American teenage males were arrested and charged with the assault. All five confessed on tape to the attack and were sentenced to prison. Open-and-shut case, right? Well, this documentary by master documentarian Ken Burns proves – like most cases – this story isn’t so black and white. The documentary follows the entire case as well as features interviews with all kinds of suspects, witnesses, lawyers, and law enforcement officials who were there. This film is a thought-provoking, intense story told with all the right footage and interview testimony to make even the biggest Law & Order fan’s jaw drop!

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son about His Father (2008)

Do yourself a favor and do NOT read anything about this before you watch it. Just watch it! I got so emotionally invested in this true crime film and felt such strong emotions of anger and sadness and love. I've never felt so moved by a documentary – let alone a film – than with this one! There is so much to this doc that it almost seems like a piece of fiction. Sadly, it isn't. Director Kurt Kuenne is an exceptional filmmaker, creating an important film that is well-done with excellent editing, pacing and personal, heartfelt interviews. There are no pulled punches when it comes to presenting the facts and every available video, audio or photograph that Kuenne could unearth about his friend, Andrew Bagby. I fully support the Bagbys (without even knowing them personally) and my heart truly goes out to them. This film should truly be seen by everyone!

The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (2013)

One of the weirdest, yet fascinating, stories I’ve seen. And what’s weirder about it is that not many people even know something like this really happened! It’s the tale of a handful of European idealists whose relocation to the Galapagos Islands turned tragic with murder, missing people and strange rivalries. The documentary – and its story it reports – proves how men’s wickedness can follow wherever men may go. It’s Murder on the Orient Express meets Lord of the Flies. The film specifically follows three sets of visitors to one of the Galapagos Islands in the early 1930s, looking to start a life away from the things of man, only to bring one of the most brutal traits of mankind to the island paradise: murder.

Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia (2013)

Some people absolutely loved Gore Vidal and some downright hated him and thought him to be a snobby intellectual. Love him or hate him, the man contributed much to this country. Nearly every phrase that came from the man's lips was quotable and meaningful. In my estimation, he correctly labelled this country "the United States of Amnesia" on account of Americans easily forgetting their history, thus making every new skirmish or scandal seem brand new and uncharted territory. He especially came to this conclusion after the events of 9/11 and its aftermath (i.e., the 2003 Iraq War). If anything, Vidal was a curmudgeon but I believe it was because of all the ignorance and complacency he saw through said events as well as up until his death on July 31, 2012, at the age of 86. Watching this documentary, I felt sad Vidal is no longer with us as the world needs someone like him with all of the bullshit going on in politics -- on both sides of the spectrum -- today. From his admiration of his maternal grandfather, Senator Thomas Pryor Gore, to his service in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II, to his run for Congress in 1960, to his personal life, to his run-ins with famous politicians, actors, commentators, and writers, United States of Amnesia covers the entirety of his life in glorious detail.

 

Hillsborough (2014)

Whereas Undefeated (on this list, at the bottom) is a celebration of sports, this ESPN “30 for 30” documentary shines light on the dark side of sports – particularly sporting events – when in April 1989, at Sheffield, England’s Hillsborough Stadium, during the FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, there was a massive crushing of fans along the stadium fencing, and ultimately 96 people were killed. This documentary features actual footage of the event as well as witness testimony from both fans/spectators and the constables who worked the event. Hillsborough ultimately uncovers how the tragedy was able to occur and how it was handled. As the documentary progresses, the audience is taken through the tedious journey of trying to get the British government to uncover incompetency and cover-up.

The Imposter (2012)

The term “stranger than fiction” was made for such a film as this! The Imposter starts off seeming so simple in its description, but, what follows as one watches the film, is a discombobulated avenue of so many twists and turns, you can’t help but keep your eyes locked on it. On its face, the story is about 23-year-old Frederic Bourdin, a Frenchman living in Spain, who poses as 16-year-old Texan boy, Nicholas Barclay, who had been missing for 3 years. Despite Bourdin’s physical differences from Barclay, he is welcomed into Barclay’s family’s home and lives the life of a teenage high school boy. Hear from Barclay’s family, the detectives, child welfare officer, and Bourdin himself as to this strange-but-true tale which takes a wickedly weirder turn as something stranger and more sinister may be lying underneath the surface of this con.

Last Days in Vietnam (2014)

An Oscar-nominated documentary, Last Days in Vietnam follows the end of the conflict over in Vietnam with the fall of Saigon, and the mad evacuation of Americans and Vietnamese from that city before it was taken over by the Viet Cong. All different nationalities of eyewitnesses are interviewed and take the viewer into the confusing, stressful, life-altering, death-defying acts and decisions which changed two nations! Directed by Rory Kennedy, this documentary has no politics but rather just captures a moment in time of what happened and how people survived. It's a powerhouse of a documentary and I highly recommend it!

Let the Fire Burn (2013)

Truly one of the most captivating documentaries I've had the pleasure of watching! Director Jason Osder takes previously unreleased archival footage, new footage, and public hearing meeting footage, and edits it together to make a masterpiece of documentary cinema. The film centers on the May 13, 1985, assault on a radical group called MOVE in a Philadelphia neighborhood, which created a six-alarm blaze, destroying 61 homes, and killing 5 children and 6 adults. What's worse is that the blaze was started – and allowed to persist – by Town officials and police. This documentary perfectly captures how intolerance, prejudice and fear can lead to incredible violence. It is a bipartisan film that focuses on the wrongdoings of both sides – the town and police officials, and the MOVE members. I could not take my eyes off of every interview and scene presented – even though they were recorded some 28 years ago! The music is powerfully affective and this documentary is essential viewing about a tragedy in America's history which most in this country either have no knowledge of, or have completely forgotten!

Life Itself (2014)

This definitely should have been an Academy Award/Oscar nominee for Best Documentary Feature, but, given the academy's reputation, it doesn't surprise me that they nominated other, more forgettable documentaries. This one is about famed movie critic and Pulitzer prize-winner Roger Ebert (the other half of the two critics who invented the "two thumbs up/down" critique), and it follows him as he is getting treatment for thyroid cancer. Sadly, Ebert passed away in April 2013, but his legacy -- captured in this film -- lives on. The film follows Ebert from his upbringing in Illinois to his rise as a journalist with the Chicago Sun-Times to his death. As a movie critic myself, I definitely didn't always agree with Ebert's choices or reviews (i.e., he picked the dreadful Synecdoche, New York as his choice for the best film of 2008; and he completely panned one of my favorite films of all time, The Natural), but he was a great writer and he brought a distinctive style to film critique. This film is a moving, emotional picture which any lover of film will enjoy. Throughout his life, Ebert reminded everyone why film is so important to society, what we can gain from it, and joy it brings in our lives.

Making a Murderer (2015)

Netflix's programming has not only given fictional TV series on the primetime TV channels a run for their money, but the company is also starting to get into the documentary game as well. And with entries like Making a Murderer in its resume, the ID Channel better look out! Taking somewhat of a cue from HBO's wildly successful The Jinx (which followed accused killer Robert Durst), Murderer spans 10 episodes, with filmmakers Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi spending 10 years following Steven Avery as he was once wrongfully convicted of a rape he didn't commit. Then, when he is about to take the arresting county police to court to sue them for a large sum of money, a gruesome murder points the same police force -- along with a neighboring town's police force -- to investigate him, making him their number one suspect! I've never seen a crime documentary with so many twists and turns! Of course, the documentary is mostly shot from Avery's and his family's point of view, but there is some compelling evidence to make the audience think that what some would pass off as "conspiracy theories" are actual truths! In a day and age with past cases such as the West Memphis Three, the Central Park Five, and other various wrongfully convicted inmates, this doc adds to the genre! However, there may not be the absolution one looks for. That's what makes this documentary so fascinating and also so addicting to watch! If there is one crime doc to watch, it's this one!

Milius (2013)

He is one of the most prolific screenwriters of the 20^th century – his scenes he wrote for films like Jaws, Dirty Harry, and The Hunt for Red October; or his full screenplays for films like Apocalypse Now, Red Dawn, The Wind and the Lion,  Conan the Barbarian, Dillinger, and 1941. He went to film school with legends like George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, and Randal Kleiser. He is great friends with Steven Spielberg. Yet, unless you’re a film buff, you probably have no idea who John Milius is. And that’s a shame because he is one of the greatest of his craft. This documentary follows Milius’ life, featuring interviews with his peers and fans, as well as clips of the films he helped make memorable. 

My Brother's Bomber (2015)

Filmmaker Ken Dornstein lost his older brother, David, who died on the Pan Am Flight 103, which was bombed and crashed in Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 21, 1988. In this 3-part documentary, Dornstein sets out to discover who exactly was behind the bombing (i.e., who financed it, who built the bomb, who set it, etc.) and hopefully bring him -- or them -- to justice. Along the way, he meets allies in his quest, but his journey also takes him to countries such as Zurich and Libya, meeting and talking with shady characters who may or may not have intelligence community ties! This PBS Frontline doc is suspenseful as much as it is intriguing! One man's search for truth and justice may be a trip from which he can never return -- not just physically, but also emotionally!

Nanking (2007)

Nanking tells the often-underplayed history of the 1937 Japanese invasion of Nanking, China, most referred to as “The Rape of Nanking.” By utilizing diary entries, film archives, photographs (CAUTION: some of the photos are very graphic and disturbingly violent), and interviews with actual survivors of the event, as well as actors portraying the eyewitnesses there, this emotional documentary follows the events which led to the destruction of the once-serene city at the hands of the Japanese army, beginning with the relentless bombing and the eventual foot invasion. There were thousands of rapes of girls and women of all ages, as well as the killing of thousands of innocent lives. Nanking perfectly captures one of the most horrific events in human history (along with the Jewish Holocaust), but, there is hope – and it is found in those who stood against the Japanese by cordoning off a section of the city which was a refuge for Chinese civilians. Among such good Samaritans were a few American missionaries who refused to leave the city even though they could have, a German businessman who believed even Hitler would put a stop to all of the atrocities the Japanese were executing, and an American doctor – all heroes. The film is essential viewing for fully realizing and understanding the scope of the last necessary war.

The Roosevelts - An Intimate History (2014)

Love them or hate them, you cannot deny that both Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt -- fifth cousins, the former a republican, the latter a democrat -- were extremely vital to this country and many, many programs which are a part of our everyday lives today! This 7-part documentary follows first Teddy Roosevelt from his childhood to his death, while also intertwining the births and lives of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt, and their rise in politics. Don't think this is some puff piece of a documentary only focusing on these three individuals' "good sides"; there is also mention of their flaws, infidelities and disappointments. Nevertheless, these presidents were in office before the stupidity which we now see in today's election process, although it was just starting around that time (it was cemented in the early 1960s). I think one of the most appropriate statements in this documentary is when a commentator accurately supposes that both Teddy and FDR would never be elected to office if they run today. In fact, what is most interesting and ironic is when Teddy Roosevelt broke away from the republican party to form his own Bull Moose Party due to, among a few other things, the corruption of the republican party by payouts from bankers and the wealthy. Sounds like we need a Teddy Roosevelt today. And while most may think their candidate today fits a Teddy-like role, sorry to have to tell you this, but ... you're wrong. Watching The Roosevelts, one gets a yearning for a time when presidential candidates still had all of American's interests in their hearts. Sure, they had opposite party obstacles to overcome, but back then, the overall best interest of Americans took precedence -- a concept which sadly is no longer at the forefront of politics today.

Shenandoah (2012)

Filmed in the small town of Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, this documentary centers on four high school star football players and their being charged with the hate crime death of an innocent Latino immigrant, as well as the alleged cover-up and shocking court verdicts. Both sides of the issue are represented as the filmmakers interview the victim’s family and friends, as well as the accused teenagers’ parents and friends. Shenandoah is proof positive of the old adage: “Just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there.” The film is gripping and emotionally resonating – everything a good documentary should be.

Stories We Tell (2012)

Actress Sarah Polley (Go, Dawn of the Dead, Splice) goes behind the camera for this intimate, revealing look at her family and their somewhat complicated history through interviews and reenactments. Looking to get to know more about her mother, Diane, Polley interviews her dad, Michael, as well as brothers, sisters, and family friends to find out more about her mother, who died of cancer close to Polley’s 11^th birthday. What Polley ends up discovering is a long-kept secret which enlightens Polley and proves that everyone has a fascinating story. We simply need to dig a little deeper to find it.

The Thin Blue Line (1988)

Sure, this documentary was not released in the past 10 years, but, being a huge true crime fan (and if you are too), you must check out this film by now-legendary documentary filmmaker Errol Morris. The film centers on Randall Dale Adams, a man convicted and sentenced to life for a murder he says he didn’t commit. The story goes that Adams ran out of gas one nigh out on the town in Texas, and was picked up by 16-year-old David Ray Harris. Somewhere during the night, a police officer is killed and the investigators apprehend Harris. Harris, in turn, accuses Adams of the crime and what follows is the story into whether Adams played any part in the police officer’s murder. There are plenty of interviews with the accused, eyewitnesses, lawyers, investigators and others close to the case, plus reenactments based on testimony. This documentary is where a lot of scripted crime dramas and true-life crime documentaries today have gotten their formula.

TWA Flight 800 (2013)

Of all the documentaries I’ve recently watched, this one may very well be the most important, angering, and heartrending I've seen. The film follows independent investigator and physicist Dr. Tom Stalcup as he enlists the assistance of actual National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators who worked on the investigation of TWA Flight 800 when it crashed in July 1996. After much in-depth research and hundreds of eyewitness interviews, they come to the conclusion that Flight 800 did not crash as a result of a mechanical failure or malfunction of the fuel tank, but rather because of a missile attack. Most may say it sounds crazy or use that "c" word, but, trust me, just watch this once and you'll seriously be questioning what the public was told then, and is still told today by the NTSB and the FBI. A powerfully intense documentary that will keep you thinking about it for several days, weeks, months after watching it.

 

20 Feet from Stardom (2013)

This documentary focuses on some of the most famous backup singers of the 1960s and 1970s, particularly Darlene Love (of The Ronettes), Claudia Lennear (who sang on Joe Cocker’s “Mad Dogs and Englishman” album), and Merry Clayton (who is known for that legendary vocal on The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter”). The documentary covers everyone from Love to Sheryl Crow to newer backup singers like Judith Hill, and features interviews of the musicians who value and profit off of their vocals. This is also a history lesson, going back to the girl group outbreak of the 1960s and exploring the appeal and benefit of the backup singer as a featured guest vocal. As a big fan of classic girl groups, I really enjoyed this film, but also enjoyed it for its amazing soundtrack. To hear some of those classics again and this time, listen for the backup singer’s contribution, is rewarding and gives a whole new sound to the songs you’ve heard hundreds of times.

 

Undefeated (2011)

I have to admit that I'm not a big football fan. In fact, the attraction to being a fan of professional football eludes and mystifies me. However, I love a good football film. Any Given Sunday, The Blind Side, Varsity Blues, Friday Night Lights, We Are Marshall, Remember the Titans, Brian’s Song. Take your pick. I've watched and enjoyed them all. Also, as much as I'm not a big fan of pro football, I strongly believe in the importance of high school football. Again, I'm not a fan of the sport nor did I play it. However, I believe it teaches important aspects regarding character, time management, sacrifice and teamwork. And that's why I love this film. Never has there been a better real-life (non-fictional) film that showcases all of these aspects. Imagine taking The Blind Side and mixing it with the TV series Friday Night Lights, then making it non-fictional, and you would have this documentary! The coach Bill Courtney says at the beginning of the film that football does not build character but reveals it. I don't know if I agreed with this statement a 100% or not. But after thinking about it, I realized that he was right. There can be a teammate who doesn't care about anyone but himself, but football itself will not make him a better person or more selfish one. Football will, however, make him reveal his true self -- a self that has already been implanted within him from early on whether he knew it or not. This is best shown in this film when teammate Chavis Daniels (who is difficult and angry through most of the season) steps up to recognize another teammate Montrail "Money" Brown (who he doesn't get along with), who is having a difficult time. It is a philosophical question to pose on whether Chavis would have had the empathy to stand up for Brown or not if he was not on the football team. However, the question is almost an answer to itself in that Chavis could have always been empathetic but it took football (and/or the coach) to bring it out of him. This is a GREAT film that I cannot recommend enough! It should be watched by anyone who loves football or even those who also don't care much about the sport. Simply a wonderful documentary!