So... Hollywood decision making. Artificial Intelligence. That might become a thing, eh? Jay sent me an article about how some Hollywood studios were thinking of handing over the responsibility for deciding what movies to make to AI, and I felt like I should respond to the idea. I'm going to just say that as an analytical person, I am intrigued- from a purely programming perspective.  What sort of algorithm would they create to determine what movies to make?  Will it have numerical values assigned to various tropes, actors, words, locations, etc that will factor into equations that when added up will "equal" a successful movie? Would this algorithm then dictate casting choices, location choices... on set direction choices?  At what point would the decision making of the AI stop, and the human decision making process take over? Would we at some point see an AI being listed in the end credits as a Producer, and possibly a Director?  Heck... given the w...

So. Don Cherry. "You people". It's a thing, eh? I was originally going to write this article examining WHY Don Cherry got fired. It boiled down to the fact he said something incredibly stupid after years of saying incredibly stupid things, and people complained.  He initially refused to admit to, and apologize for, saying the incredibly stupid thing.  Got fired for it.  Then apologized for his incredibly stupid wording. But then, I realized while napping that I just didn't care. I grew up with "Hockey Night in Canada"- but stopped watching when I realized I didn't really like Don Cherry. I don't care that he said stupid things... because he has a history of saying stupid things.  I don't care that he got fired... because his getting fired doesn't actually impact my Life in an adverse way.  I don't care if people are cancelling their subscription to SportNet... because I don't watch SportNet. And I don't care a...

So, a famous director recently said that the Marvel movies aren't "cinema". And then other famous directors chimed in- some for... some against his opinion. Now... a non-famous blogger (me- just in case you're wondering) is chiming in with his one non-famous opinion. Why? Why the fuck not? To answer the question of whether the Marvel movies are "cinema", one has to define what it means to be "cinema".  For me, it consists of movies that explore the human condition in a very intimate, personal way.  Movies that write their own formula for telling their stories are part of "cinema" to me.  A movie that makes you think long and hard about yourself, and your role in the wider world.  A movie that makes you question the long held statutes and rules of Society, while pushing you to find those answers even after the credits have rolled, and the lights have come one.  Movies that challenge you to face the uncomfortable tr...

So the much anticipated Terminator: Dark Fate opened to a paltry -- at least by today's standards -- $29 million opening weekend. And, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the film stands to lose Paramount $130 million. The film cost $185 million to make, and prints and advertising run almost as much, if not more. I once read a movie that cost $150 million needs to earn $700 million worldwide to break even. So Dark Fate's price tag was a lot of money to invest in a film when the previous entry cost almost as much, and didn't break $100 million domestic. I was surprised when Dark Fate was announced. Few enjoyed Terminator Genisys, and no one was asking for another movie. And the early trailers for Dark Fate didn't do anything to build people's anticipation for it. Now film journalists are wondering if the franchise is dead. I hope it is. We haven't had a really good Terminator movie since T2, which suggests the idea played out way back in 1991. Not every ...

Few can argue Netflix set the bar when it comes to streaming content. Hell, they created the concept, and everyone else has been struggling to keep up. Kinda like what Marvel did with the whole cinematic universe thing. Unlike Marvel, Netflix has had a few stumbles along the way. The first was wanting to put ads between shows, which would slow down binge watching. Fortunately the idea never took off. But their next one could be the biggest blunder of all. Word hit Monday Netflix wants to introduce a new feature allowing viewers to speed up or slow down the viewing experience by .5 time or 1.5 times normal. This has filmmakers fuming, with the likes of Brad Bird and Judd Apatow saying, via Twitter, they intend to fight the streaming giant on this one. Why? They believe viewers should watch a film or TV show in the manner the filmmaker intended. And they have a valid point, which I agree with. Films are often deliberately paced so as to build tension, or moments are slowed ...

And here we go; once again the public is afraid a feature film will incite real-world violence. Didn't we just have this discussion a month or so ago about a movie called The Hunt. Let me check: yup, we did . Now we've got a group wanting Warner Bros to get involved in the gun-control movement because it made a movie about a comic-book serial killer, and they're afraid said film is too violent, and could encourage people to mimic what's done on screen. The movie is called Joker, by the way. Granted, this group is made up of family members and friends of victims who died in the 2012 mass shooting at a screening of The Dark Knight Rises, which is a true tragedy -- one that has been repeated throughout the United States far too often. Warner Bros. responded, saying Joker does not endorse real-world violence, and the studio has a long history of supporting the gun-control movement. "It is not the intention of the film, the filmmakers, or the studio...

Sadly there have been two more mass shootings in the United States, tragedies that occur with unfortunate frequency of late. And every time something horrible like this happens, people look for a scapegoat. That scapegoat is quite often entertainment. Wal-Mart, in the wake of these shootings, has pulled video games from store shelves and, just this weekend, Universal Pictures cancelled it's Sept. 27 release of The Hunt, a politically charged thriller about American elitists who hunt other Americans for sport. I've no doubt The Hunt will eventually see the light of day, but its subject matter is probably too politically charged given the recent tragedies, and the right-wing response to them. It's not good optics to release such a film at the moment. But pulling video games off of shelves... really, man? Really!?! And before it was video games it was comic books. And before comic books it was role-playing games. And before that it was violent cartoons. The list of sca...

We're two days away from John Wick Chapter 3 - Parabellum. I've been jonesing for this movie since the final moments of John Wick Chapter 2 two years ago. My anticipation is through the roof. And this worries me. I've been burned by anticipation before. The first time was 1989's Batman. I'd read every article, watched every trailer, devoured every tidbit of knowledge. I stood in line for four hours waiting to see it (no advance ticket sales in those days) and was giddy with excitement when the lights went down.

Jason here. Last week Mike S revisited the 1987 Vietnam War movie Hamburger Hill, and wrote this great review . His best actually. Reading it, I was compelled to watch the movie again, as it'd been a good 30 years since my last viewing. Having experienced John Irvin's flick again, only now with virgin eyes, I was able to appreciate it a lot more than when I originally saw it. Hamburger Hill was released among a slew of Vietnam War movies. Platoon had come out a year before, and nabbed a Best Picture award at the Oscars. That meant everyone and their dog was making Vietnam-themed movies. Yup, Hollywood hasn't changed much.

***TRIGGER WARNING*** If the mention of Brie Larson is likely to inflict upon you great emotional distress, self-righteous outrage, teeth gnashing, or the feeling of the loss of "white male privilege"- don't read any further. ***TRIGGER WARNING*** If the mention of inclusivity, equality, or fairness is likely to induce feelings of being threatened, loss of masculinity, or shrinkage of penis size (even if you don't have one)- don't read any further. ***TRIGGER WARNING*** If the mention of Kevin Costner's 1997 classic, "The Postman" is likely to result in nausea, incoherent growling, and the desire to send me hate male- don't read any further. And fuck you, I liked "The Postman"... If you listened to this week's Extended Edition of the podcast, you'll be aware that Jay closed out the show by calling out the ass hats tearing into Brie Larson regarding comments she made about the demographics she wants to com...

Mike S here to talk about something we touched on in this week's Extended Edition of "We Came From the Basement" with Jason: The possibility of a black Superman and a black James Bond coming to the big screen soon. It could work- more so for Superman than James Bond in my opinion. Why?

Mike S here with words and shit. Not too long ago, Jay briefly discussed an advertisement for "The Nun" that was removed from YouTube due to "shocking content".  And he did so without calling anyone the "P" word . Props to him on that! I've had a few days to ruminate and ponder this situation, and felt I was ready to weigh in on it as well.

Star Wars fans are the latest group of "fandoms" that have become toxic to their chosen franchise, and geekdom in general.  Their outrage at the prequels, a Jamaican sounding alien, a black stormtrooper, the revelation about Rey's parents, the introduction of Rose, the portrayal of an older Luke Skywalker, etc. They make me shake my head.

So. Doctor Who. He's gonna be a woman now. Cue uproar...