I really liked The Guard. I knew very little about it, and police comedies somehow never amuse me on paper, but about 10 minutes in, I’m glued. After checking its rating on Rotten Tomatoes, its easy to see why nearly everyone I’ve talked to knows about this movie. First of all, I LOVE Brendan Glesson, for his roles in both the Harry Potter series and In Bruges. The man is strikingly comedic and has excellent line delivery in everything I’ve seen.

The film, which also stars Don Cheadle as an FBI agent on investigation in rural Ireland, is a touch slow at times, but I wouldn’t say that it became bothersome. The plot won’t amaze you, but the antics of Gleeson’s eccentric character, “Gerry Boyle” will definitely entertain. Watch it with subtitles, maybe, it’s common knowledge that rural Irish accents are tough to wade through. 

[STATUS REPORT]

BROAD vs. NICHE- I’d say it’s a bit of both! I feel like a large portion of the humor is a little off, maybe culturally specific and doesn’t appeal to all audiences. At the same time, the plot isn’t anything new, save a few funny happenings.

WATCHABILITY- I can’t say I was 100% focused on it, drinking coffee and chatting a touch, but I think that was the beauty of the movie. It allowed me to do that without feeling left out.

WHEN TO WATCH- Go ahead and watch this on a weeknight after you’ve made some sort of easy meal, or gotten take-away with your significant other. 

To clarify, I’ve watched a lot of movies recently and only a handful are standout. And from those, none of them are truly worth your time. So for this week, I present you with a movie that I enjoyed. I would recommend this movie, but it’s not the most important film of your life. For better or worse, this is just an interesting enjoyable film.

I’m not sure if it was the handful of beers I drank in order to make the red eye flight a little more bearable, or if it was just the full experience of Winnebago Man, but I definitely cried during this documentary, which is a response I don’t think anybody would have expected anyone to have. So let me explain.

I had never heard of Winnebago Man prior to watching this film, but it didn’t take long to catch up. Winnebago Man is also known as “The Angriest Man in the World” in honor of a viral outtakes video made from unusable footage taken during a Winnebago promotional video. If you haven’t seen this footage, it’s worth a quick search and you’ll be right up to speed.

The documentary, “Winnebago Man” is the story of one man’s journey to discover the story behind this viral sensation and to offer him a second chance in the industry, or at the very least the opportunity to share his side of the story. And boy did he ever.

Without giving too much away, I was so proud of this film and the results it yields. At the very least, this film helps tell the other side of the story of what happens when we turn to bullying and how important it can be to confront the things that have hurt us in the past and the powerful healing that can come of it.

[STATUS REPORT]

BROAD vs. NICHE – Believe it or not, I think this is a broad movie. I’m sure a lot of people will disagree with me on this one, but I feel like the most important piece of this story is the emotion and the need for empathy in bullying. I think the aggressive Jacob Denvey [Winnebago Man] provides more than enough comic relief for most people to enjoy.

WATCHABILITY – I feel like this movie was so easy to consume. From start to finish, I was in for the long haul. The fact that the premise is so simple and the characters so humorous that it’s really no trouble at all to take a seat and give this film an hour and a half of your time.

WHEN TO WATCH – This feels like a solid movie to watch to kill some time. I watched it while packing before my flight home for the holidays. It would be a great movie to watch on the plane, or after work on a Tuesday, or a weekend morning movie to put on during breakfast. It will feel like a fast watch and it’s not too heavy that it affects the rest of your day.

Howl’s Moving Castle was great. A friend of mine suggested this movie recently and I had a fear that the whole thing would be in Japanese, but to my pleasant surprise the entire film was redubbed in english [starring Billy Crystal] and was actually produced by Disney.

I like Japanese films like this because they typically stray from the routine formula in films and play a little outside of the box by following their own rules which they create themselves through the story in the film. Often times there is a fantasy element that in some unique way feels very believable and plausible while at the same time evoking a childlike awe.

Howl’s Moving Castle has a few slow moments as the story begins to lose some traction or the development gets carried off in a strange direction, but I fear this is the cost we pay for coloring outside of the lines. The ending left me a little lost, but all in all a great experience.

[STATUS REPORT]

BROAD vs. NICHE - This was produced by Disney, but I feel like it was definitely more of a Japanese audience in mind, but it’s also the same director from Spirited Away which is also a beautiful film. I think open minded families might be able to sit down and watch this together, or maybe young adults and their children, but it may not be the style of film that everyone is hoping for as the comic relief is less common than in an American film.

WATCHABILITY - Everything in this film is unique, but that doesn’t mean you always have the patience to wait on it. A lot of the elements and storyline are so exciting that you can’t help but watch and at other times the plot gets too confusing and I lose track of where teh story was headed. But it did not kill me to finish this film.

WHEN TO WATCH - I’d say definitely watch this with someone else in the room. It’s an ok movie for kids who have a creative edge or for friends who like art over explosions. I think this qualifies as a good Monday night movie when you just want to take a load off and do something mildly educational or cultural at the same time.

Loved this film. For starters, I must say that I am of the Zombie persuasion. And to add to taht, I hate that there is a classification of zombies known as “Romero Zombies”. There should be Zombies, and “Vampiric-Future-Dead-Hungries”. But I digress. But the only reason I checked in for this movie from the beginning was that I saw it was a documentary about a 12 year old girl making a feature length film about zombies. I knew it had to be something.

The true joy in this film for me was seeing the passion and hutzpah that 12 year old Emily Hagins had to offer. I was immediately reminded of what drew me into film in the first place. For me, it was not simply about the story that would be told, but the opportunity to open the door to film for so many individuals all at once. Seeing a film is one thing and making a film feels so distant and impossible. It’s like the magician’s big reveal. When you see the trick in action you can’t believe your eyes, but when you go back stage and look at the props you begin to feel captivated by this new art because it is so amazing and now you hold all of the secrets.

All that to say, it was so fun to watch the creative process from the perspective of a 12 year old girl. This film doesn’t prove that anybody can make a movie. It proves that making a movie is hard work, but it is achievable. And for a touch of spoilers, it was exciting to read up about Emily on wikipedia only to find out that she had screened her 3rd feature length film at SXSW in Austin earlier this year.

[STATUS REPORT]

BROAD vs. NICHE - I think documentaries in general can be somewhat of a niche category. I think this falls somewhere in between, but more on the niche side of things. Anyone interested in film, young adults creating art, or zombies in general will probably find a lot of interesting inspiration to pull from this film. I think this is a movie that families could enjoy but probably won’t.

WATCHABILITY - Making a movie is tough!.. so I have discovered. I always assumed and I have tinkered with small shoots and short films but this looked really hard and the worst of it all is that you so badly want her to succeed. I’d say the watchability is at about 90% with a few slow moments here and there but they only add to the tension of the film which I really enjoyed.

WHEN TO WATCH - I don’t really know. It’s kind of an educational inspirational movie, so really you might find yourself watching this on your own as a pep-talk to yourself. But I would recommend to watch this whenever and perhaps pick up a copy of Emily’s movie “Pathogen” and pull a double feature.