Monthly Archives: February 2015

American Sniper Review: The Hazards of Thematic Confusion

February 24, 2015Movie Reviews, MoviesRoss Miller

The following article is a review of American Sniper, but it goes further in-depth than most of the reviews on this site. Because of this, I am posting this as a “Review” and a “Deep End” article. Due to the nature of the review, spoilers will be discussed.

First off, the good: American Sniper is a technical marvel. The film is the frontrunner in both sound categories at the Oscars this year, and it is obvious why. The way that the sound team layered the background noises in Iraq onto the “silent” moments while Chris Kyle is lining up shots gives everything a additional layer of realism and tension. Also well done is the way these background noises fade out momentarily between breaths and heartbeats prior to Kyle firing his gun. When Kyle returns to America, harmless noises like lawnmower engines and auto-repair work rise up in the sound mix to subtly indicate the way that he is always on edge. Combined with Bradley Cooper’s strong performance, the film is able to say a lot about Kyle’s mental state without throwing it all into the dialogue.

Continue reading American Sniper Review: The Hazards of Thematic Confusion →

Oscar 2015 Predictions

February 20, 2015MoviesRoss Miller

UPDATE: So, the Academy Awards have come and gone this year. I’m going to update each section below to my thoughts on the winners. The new text will all be in bold, so it should be easy to spot.

Some general thoughts: this wasn’t one of my best years for predictions. 17/24 isn’t bad, by most standards, but it’s less than 75%, which is typically where I fall. On the plus side, my misses were usually categories where I had been cynical about my prediction, and the Academy actually went with the option I wanted. So good on them for recognizing the right films for a lot (if not all) categories.

So, without further ado, here is the final, post-mortem Oscar write-up!

It’s that time of year, when the most hardcore of us film lovers start prognosticating on what a particular group of Hollywood insiders thought should be revered! Yes, it’s the Academy Awards, the foremost authority on “good” films, if you don’t consider the public, the fans, the critics, etc.

Yes, most awards are bullshit, but they’re also a fun way for us to start a conversation about what WE thought were the best of the year, and a good way for us to prove that the Hollywood Elite really are as predictable as we think they are. Below are both my predictions (after doing some research online about the “expected” winners) and my personal favorites in each category.

Also worth noting: if you want to see a list of the generally accepted “favorites,” the New York Times has a handy page right here. Continue reading Oscar 2015 Predictions →

Twitch Livestream Archive: Five Nights at Freddy’s

February 18, 2015UncategorizedRoss Miller

Last weekend, I did a livestream of Five Nights at Freddy’s. It was a lot of fun, and I thought I would share it with you all here!

The first video is for Five Nights at Freddy’s, and the second is for Five Nights at Freddy’s 2.

Watch live video from Rosssmiller on Twitch

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Review

February 17, 2015Movie ReviewsRoss Miller

Of all of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ successes, the most significant is the way that it frames its conflict. This is not a movie where I found myself rooting for the humans to destroy the apes, or a movie that made humanity out to be the bad guys who destroy everything in their path. Instead, both sides are made to be sympathetic and are simultaneously given reasons to be afraid of each other. It’s a much more realistic and, dare I say it, “human” way to look at war and diplomacy than one would expect in a summer movie, especially one where a whole “side” of the potential conflict is made-up of talking, horse-riding, CGI apes. Instead of man vs. ape, the conflict is between war and peace, and I found myself very much on the side of peace, despite the obvious future of the “Planet of the Apes” and the demands of a big-budget summer release. I actually cared about both sides.

Continue reading Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Review →

Better Call Saul Review

February 16, 2015Television ReviewsRoss Miller

(I will be discussing spoilers for the first two episodes below)

A lot can be said for Better Call Saul, and how it does or doesn’t recapture the magic of Breaking Bad in its first two episodes, and I’m sure I’ll get to a lot of it below. However, first I would like to examine a single shot in one of the first scenes of the pilot.

The scene, a courtroom waiting for public defender Jimmy McGill (the future Saul Goodman), is a beautifully executed moment of patient impatience. The sound design in this scene is superb; the omnipresent hum of the fluorescent lighting, the pitter-patter of the court stenographer, the ticking of the clock, the creaking of chairs, the occasional stray cough, the slushing of ice in a Big Gulp convenience store soda, all contributing to the rooms increasing ennui. The prosecuting attorney, a stern-looking man in a suit, appears to be jotting notes on his notepad. We then get “the shot,” a close-up of his notepad, where he has been drawing a barbarian on a unicorn.

Continue reading Better Call Saul Review →

Medium Mashup

Where all forms of entertainment and criticism fall under one roof! Come here for reviews, in-depth criticism, discussion podcasts, game streams, and more!