Out and About in LA: We Hate Movies at the Hollywood Improv

If there is one thing Los Angeles is known for it’s…Well “movies”. But another form of media the city loves to consume is comedy. Some of the country’s greatest comedians got their start here in LA and, in one form or another, gone on to great success. It was surprising to me that I have not gone to one of the more famous stand up venues in the city. Luckily that all changed when a certain podcast group in New York City came to town.

Out and About in California: The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

So here’s the deal: I am not a fan of Ronald Reagan. I am too young to experience his time as our President but with enough reading material on him (NEUTRAL I might add) I have a good opinion on the guy. But regardless of how you feel about him he was still one of our leaders; especially in an age where the country almost went into another tailspin. So, for good or ill on HOW he did it, he certainly has a legacy that we all still feel today.

One of the major hotspots my parents wanted to see while visiting me was The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Again, regardless how you feel on the man I have to say: The guy has a hell of a museum decided to his legacy. It might twist some of the facts around and is way too positive at some points for my liking. But overall it was an enjoyable visit. Hell, the views alone in Simi Valley are worth the price of admission. So below are a few highlights of the building and its surrounding vistas. Take your political views out the door and just enjoy what this museum has to offer.

Out and About in LA: Warner Bros Studio Tour

One thing Los Angeles has is a bevy of movie studios. What’s a good thing about that? Well apart from lots of job opportunities you got studio tours! A while back I toured the Sony Studios which was a lot of fun but it felt like it could’ve had more. Luckily my parents, who came to visit a few weeks ago, gave me a surprise trip to Warner Bros Studios! So below are a bevy of photos of what I found interesting with this tour. I would definitely recommend it because: A) It’s a lot longer and B) There are a lot more interesting, historical items to look at.

Presented Without Comment: The Final Member (2012)

As the title states: This is Presented Without Comment….Enjoy!

Today in Photoshop: WHM Podcast Presents The Wolverine 4

For today’s Photoshop it is another fandom piece. But this time instead of Funhaus I am going to another amazing set of comedians with the We Hate Movies podcast. They are a podcast that loves to cover bad movies and their most recent episode in The Shadow they talk about unrealistic body types in superhero movies. This, in turn, led to them discussing how they would like to be involved with another Wolverine sequel where Eric Szyszka will play Sabretooth and Stephen Sajdak (and their third partner in Andrew Jupin directs). So you know where this is going…

Great Movie Scenes #018: 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance (1995)

Michael Haneke is a very frustrating man. His films never have a cheery disposition and every time you finish one of his movies you need to take a nice, cold shower. From his first film to what he’ll bring the rest of his career I very much doubt we’ll use the word ‘happy’ in a review. But there is no denying he is a brilliant filmmaker and one of the things I personally like about him is how he loves to keep the frame on one place for long stretches of time. For example check out an excerpt from an early feature of his called 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance:

Favorite Films: Crumb (1994)

Last year I did a year long feature on my top twenty five favorite films (or at least as of 2016). There was a lot of contenders and it did take me a long time for figure out what is the best of the best. Luckily even with a list finalized that means there are more films to discuss in the future. So this post starts a semi-new series of discussing what are my favorite films outside of the top twenty-five.

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Great Movie Scenes #015: The Mask (1994)

If you want a great example of what made Jim Carrey hot shit during the 1990s look no further than this musical moment in The Mask:

Review: The Horde (2010)

Zombie movies are a dime a dozen these days. Thanks to The Walking Dead we have seen a resurgence of this horror genre like never before. So it comes no surprise that a lot of films and TV series have come along to get in that z-train of money. Most of these attempts I find to be pure garbage and have the lowest of special effects involved. One day while cruising through Netflix I stumbled upon another z-title but we go international as this is a French attempt at cashing in on the undead craze. Starting it up I honestly had no expectations what so ever. By the end I had a smile going from ear to ear and wish The Horde could keep going.

The premise is as simple as it gets. A bunch of corrupt cops storm a building to get revenge on a gang for killing one of their own. It goes south incredibly quickly but before our “heroes” bite it the undead suddenly emerge and now both have to work together if they want to survive. Again, not much of a story here as it is just a simple premise to get the ball rolling. You would think with the gruff characters and bleak setting this would be a harsh movie to watch. That would be a correct statement for the first twenty minutes but if you stick with it long enough you have one hell of a fun movie.

I could not tell you who these filmmakers are or what their previous filmography is. But I want to go find these people and thank them for making one crazy film. This zombie movie is basically The Raid but with zombies and what makes that even more ridiculous is that The Raid wasn’t even conceived until two years AFTER this film. The Horde is a very low-rez action film as we get the most basics of fight sequences and even the gore is hardly squeamish but that’s where this film finds its charm. It finds beauty out of scenes like a middle aged gangster literally sucker punching his way against two zombies. If that isn’t making you want to go out and find this film let me describe this in a few more sentences.

You got some pretty okay CGI along the way which somehow enhances the goofiness. So when you see a row of zombies get blasted by a heavy machine gun it comes out like jam rather than blood. Then you have some ridiculous characters involved including the aforementioned fist fighting gangster. Nothing can top a man named Rene however; who is a senior citizen, racist spouting, and Santa gut wielding coot who practically steals the film with his antics. If this film somehow lost the rest of this cast and just focused on Rene this could easily have turned into the greatest French film since The Rules of the Game. Top that with some truly entertaining action set pieces including a final stand in a garage that is honestly well paced and shot.

If you are a fan of horror films I recommend watching The Horde. It does have an incredibly awkward start and it you would be pressed into thinking this isn’t a good movie. But stick with it once the zombies come in and I promise you are going to have a wonderful time. Again, not a great movie in a technical sense by any stretch of the imagination. But The Horde stands out from a lot of the clones and competitors which makes all the difference.

The Best Films of 2015

And now for the thrilling conclusion! Here are the five, best films of 2015. Let me know how you guys think in the comments below or go to my Facebook page for any insights.