Author: Anton Reyes

Magic Mike XXL And The New American Dream

Magic Mike XXL And The New American Dream

Posted by | Jul 13, 2017 | ,

A few weeks ago, we posed a question to the Audiences Everywhere staff: What movie best represents your understanding of America and your experience as an American? The current moment is a complicated moment to live in America, and a bit of introspection and cultural self-evaluation seems in order for everyone. So, starting on July 4th and continuing through the entire month, we will be running essay responses to this inquiry in an attempt to understand who we are as a nation. If you’re interested in participating, send your essay or pitch to submissions@audienceseverywhere.net. Next in the series, a look...

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Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy is Still the Best

Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy is Still the Best

Posted by | Jul 6, 2017 | ,

This week sees the release of Spider-Man: Homecoming, the sixteenth film in Marvel’s multi-billion dollar Cinematic Universe and the third modern iteration of the Spider-Man character. Undeniably, the era in which Director Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man film was released is completely different from the comic book film landscape we have today, as there were only a handful of identifiable comic book film franchises in theaters at the time, while now we have 11 different inter-connected film series (and that’s not even counting 20th Century Fox’s and DC Comics’ superhero properties). The ever-increasing production of comic book films has dominated Hollywood....

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The House Collapses in House of Cards Season Five

The House Collapses in House of Cards Season Five

Posted by | Jun 19, 2017 | , |

Overview: After formally declaring war on ICO, President Frank Underwood must fight off enemies of all sorts to secure the office of the Presidency. 2017; Netflix; TV-14; 13 episodes. This review may contain spoilers. Act I – We are the Terror: This year, Netflix’s flagship television series, House of Cards, lost itself its original showrunner, Beau Willimon. With a show that had already spent four seasons depicting the contemporary political climate as theater, as a historical battlefield, and as reality television now without its main showrunner, one could argue that it really doesn’t have anything more to offer. However,...

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The Pirates’ Life For Me: Pirates of the Caribbean & Character-Centric Narratives

The Pirates’ Life For Me: Pirates of the Caribbean & Character-Centric Narratives

Posted by | May 25, 2017 |

Gore Verbinski’s Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy could be celebrated as one of the best trilogies of all-time. Okay, arguably. Everything from Klaus Badelt and Hans Zimmer’s epic score, to Dariusz Wolski’s stunning cinematography, to Verbinski’s fantastic direction, all these elements cement this trilogy as a breathtaking fantasy adventure. However, most don’t see it this way. Often, the most well-thought criticisms towards the trilogy usually fall along the lines of pacing issues, the “overstuffing” of characters, and identical plot devices used repeatedly. All this comes off as neglectful of what the trilogy is trying to be: a swashbuckling adventure...

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‘Alien: Covenant’ Brings Death to Life

‘Alien: Covenant’ Brings Death to Life

Posted by | May 18, 2017 | , |

Overview: The crew of the Covenant, a colonist ship bound for a distant planet, intercepts a message that leads them to an uncharted planet and home to a familiar threat. 20th Century Fox; 2017; Rated R; 124 minutes. Covenant: There are two essential films to watch before seeing Alien: Covenant. One is the 2012 film Prometheus and the other is the 1979 film Alien. One is a predecessor to Covenant and the other is what Covenant’s story is supposedly leading up to. Both are directed by Ridley Scott. While there are other Alien films, these are the two to...

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AE’s 2017 Summer Preview

AE’s 2017 Summer Preview

Posted by | Apr 28, 2017 |

The summer season is finally here, and all movie fans know to skip the beach and head to the local cinema, for this is the time of year to feel glorious excitement in the form of moving pictures. There’s no need for summer road trips when cinema can transport you to wild, fascinating places like outer space, or significant eras of human history, or pubescent Tom Holland’s New York apartment. The summer movie season has got it all. These are the movies audiences have been hyped to see for months on end (as well as the movies that studios...

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Five Ideal Directors for ‘Venom’

Five Ideal Directors for ‘Venom’

Posted by | Apr 26, 2017 |

As predicted by Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, Hollywood is learning the wrong lessons after the success of the very bloody, very rated R Deadpool film. Gunn warned of the possibility of greenlit R-rated superhero films that’ll try to be “like Deadpool.” The first confirmation of that came a few weeks ago when Sony Pictures announced their upcoming Venom movie for an October 2018 release. The film will have no connection to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which Venom foe Spider-Man is currently a resident of, and will aim to be very rated R. This news is strange...

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Mighty Avengers Return in the Thor: Ragnarok Trailer

Mighty Avengers Return in the Thor: Ragnarok Trailer

Posted by | Apr 10, 2017 |

Here’s our first look at footage from Taika Waititi’s highly-anticipated Marvel film, Thor: Ragnarok! By Odin’s beard, is this what post-Mad Max: Fury Road superhero movies look like? If so, I’m ready for the Bifrost to take me, because Thor: Ragnarok looks transcendent. If the weirdness of that opening sentence didn’t turn you off, neither will Taika Waititi’s take on the Thor mythology, as it’s showcased here in the first Thor: Ragnarok trailer. After trying Thor out in the Shakespearean drama and fantasy-adventure genres, Marvel Studios seems to be trusting Waititi with taking the God of Thunder to the realm of absurd science-fiction, and this trailer has...

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Live Cargo is Black-and-White Psychedelia

Live Cargo is Black-and-White Psychedelia

Posted by | Mar 31, 2017 | , |

Overview: After a devastating loss, a young couple visit an island for a tropical getaway, but are confronted by personal and societal conflicts instead. Gunpowder & Sky; 2017; Rated PG-13; 88 minutes. Stone Cold Open: The cold open montage of Director Logan Sandler’s Live Cargo relies heavily on images (sometimes coupling images without apparent connection) to establish moods and ideas that will be explored throughout the film. The first three shots of the film are establishing shots of the island that depict it as a sinister and troublesome place to be. Following this is the montage that depicts the...

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Disney’s Live-Action Remakes: The Good, the Bad, and the Boring

Disney’s Live-Action Remakes: The Good, the Bad, and the Boring

Posted by | Mar 28, 2017 |

Aside from resurrecting the Star Wars franchise and creating the biggest television series ever with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Walt Disney Motion Picture Company has found another way of dragging audiences to the theater for “must-see” events: live-action remakes of their classic animated films. Not to sound overly cynical, because there are positives and negatives (and annoyingly neutrals) to Disney’s new approach to earning money, and I’m here to categorize them accordingly. Hopefully, this list highlights what should be praised, criticized and forgotten about Disney’s live-action remakes. The executives of Disney probably won’t read this, but it’s nice to...

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How I Met Your Mother: The Imperfect Love Story

How I Met Your Mother: The Imperfect Love Story

Posted by | Feb 14, 2017 |

It’s been about three years since showrunners Craig Thomas and Carter Bays treated viewers to the finale of their nearly decade-long sitcom, How I Met Your Mother. The series, which focuses on Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) recounting to his children the many events that led up to his first encounter with their mother, grew in popularity as Ted’s fictional journey to meet “the One” grew ever more lonely and desperate. The following the series brought in could be attributed to audiences’ attachment to Ted’s story (possibly due to the similar popularity of heartwarming rom-coms of the 2000s), or to...

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xXx: The Return of Xander Cage is a Satisfying Relaunch

xXx: The Return of Xander Cage is a Satisfying Relaunch

Posted by | Jan 24, 2017 | |

Overview: The death of an ally brings Xander Cage out of self-imposed exile to stop a series of terrorist satellite attacks. Paramount Pictures; 2017; Rated PG-13; 107 mins. Fast & Furious: xXx: The Return of Xander Cage reintroduces the audience to Vin Diesel, as Xander Cage over a decade after his last on-screen appearance, in a scene where he gives a rude finger gesture to the authorities as he launches himself from a radio tower in order to “save” a local town. It’s the ecstatic smile Diesel sports as his character performs this stunt that sets the tone for the...

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AE’s Goblet of Fire: Ranking the Harry Potter Films

AE’s Goblet of Fire: Ranking the Harry Potter Films

Posted by | Nov 16, 2016 | |

“I love magic,” Harry Potter says as he stares in amazement at how the power of magic can turn this little tent into this accommodating big top. Truly, the cinematic depiction of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World is something to behold, not solely for its epic adventures and enthralling world-building but also for what lies within – the emotional sincerity in character introspection. The Harry Potter film series is definitely a unique series in that it introduces our main characters as they’re in their prepubescent childhood stage and ends their stories as they reach adulthood. This makes the film series...

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Inferno Finds Hope in the Chaos of Hell

Inferno Finds Hope in the Chaos of Hell

Posted by | Oct 28, 2016 | |

Overview: Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) must solve a mystery in order to prevent a virus from infecting the world’s population. Columbia Pictures; 2016; PG-13; 121 minutes. Anagram of Hell: Back for his third cinematic mystery hunt, Langdon must solve a mystery that is rooted in Dante’s Inferno. The iconic piece of literature focuses on Dante, a lost soul, and his journey through Hell. Similarly, the film focuses on Langdon, suffering through short-term memory loss, as he navigates a series of historical puzzles and a multiple party pursuit in order to save the world. This simple thriller plot is complemented...

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Halloween Movies for Kids and Cowards: Part III

Halloween Movies for Kids and Cowards: Part III

Posted by | Oct 27, 2016 | |

For the past two years, Audiences Everywhere has compiled a list of relatively tame and child-friendly horror movies to watch on Halloween. This year, we’ve decided to up the scariness factor on these movies just a little in order to help you overcome your fears and maybe learn a few life lessons along the way. Shaun of the Dead Depicted through the eyes of our frivolous main characters, Shaun of the Dead’s zombie apocalypse is perhaps so terrifying because of the way it catches our main characters by surprise, even though the signs were right in front of them....

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