These folks represent only a small handful of hard-up citizens of a Welsh community whose miners have gone on strike, and they are but one-half of this film’s equation. The other half is a London-based group of gay and lesbian activists. Led by firebrand Mark Ashton, the group has taken it upon themselves to support the village’s cause, including fundraising untold sums of money to help meet the living expenses of the miners and their families.

It’s an odd pairing of organizations – one that probably no one saw coming – but with devoted leaders on both sides, wonderful things begin to happen. Closed minds are pried open, friendships are forged, and an incredible alliance is built. It’s powerful stuff, made all the more powerful by the fact that it actually happened.

Looks like I’m not the only one who liked the film, either. It currently has an impressive score of 94% on the Tomatometer, and it’s been nominated for seven British Independent Film Awards, the results of which will be announced in December. So if you get the chance, treat yourself to a piece of dramatized history that will actually make you feel good about humanity again. You’ll be proud you did.

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There’s an awful lot of science-y stuff in Interstellar, and I can’t even begin to explain it. But astrophysicist Kip Thorne can. He’s the one who came up with the design theories behind the film’s visual playthings, including a wormhole and a supermassive black hole. And don’t forget about the space-time shenanigans that go along with them. But you don’t have to be a space-geek to enjoy Interstellar. It’s compelling on so many levels, in fact, it’s hard to keep track of what to care about most.

Directed by Christopher Nolan, Interstellar is full of star-power (heh). You’ve got major leading-man material in Matthew McConaughey, two fantastic leading ladies – Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain – and the venerable Michael Caine, who always classes up the place. There are many more familiar faces as well, but I have to save at least a few surprises for you to discover for yourself.

Of the whole cast, however, McConaughey deserves a special shout-out for doing most of the heavy lifting in this nearly three-hour cinematic odyssey. He’ll move you to laughter and to tears (if you’re of such a mind), none of which is surprising given the incredible work we’ve seen from him over the last few years. Interstellar is light-years from How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and the whole planet is the better for it.

The post Interstellar: Heavier Than Gravity Itself appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

And if none of those categories appeal to you? Well, I still think you won’t go wrong with this film. Between the lush Italian backdrop and Rob Brydon’s hilarious impersonations of Al Pacino and Christian Bale, it’s simply got too much going for it. In the spirit of full disclosure, however, I must confess: I might have a tiny crush on Steve Coogan. I haven’t the foggiest notion why, but let’s just set that aside for now and take a closer look at the irrefutable facts of the situation.

The Trip to Italy is the unlikely sequel to 2010’s The Trip, in which Coogan and Brydon take a road trip through the rural north of England sampling – you guessed it – haute cuisine as food critics for the UK’s Observer. I say “unlikely sequel” because the original Trip grossed only $2M at the box office, which means you probably didn’t see it. No matter – you needn’t have seen it in order to appreciate this latest installment, especially when it comes to the humor. I’m not ashamed to say I fell for every joke they proffered, from the urbane to the profane.

Both Trips were brought to you by revered British screenwriter and director Michael Winterbottom, and it’s his genius behind the camera that has people walking out of the theater asking, “Was that fictional or not?” Although much of Italy was improvised by the two leading men, it was indeed fictional. However, if you want to go through life thinking it was more real than not, I don’t think anyone involved would mind. I personally can’t wait to find out where our roving food critics are headed to next! Here’s hoping they save us all a seat at the table.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55OtglvtXuI

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I’ll take a stab and say maybe it’s because you’re a huge Marvel fan, and you can’t bear to see what the makers of this film have done to your beloved heroes, especially considering that one of the screenwriters was completely new to Marvel. Or maybe the exact opposite is true! Maybe you aren’t a Marvel fan – or a fan of any comic-book universe whatsoever – and you can’t imagine that this movie has anything to offer you. No matter which boat you’re sailing in, I’ve got good news for you. Guardians rocks!

Myself, I was sailing in the second boat. I enjoy a comic-book movie more than the average bear, but I’m not a collect-them-all kind of gal, and I certainly wouldn’t know if the film committed any egregious crimes against the Marvel canon. I will say, however, that many of my nearest and dearest do fall in that category, and they were more than satisfied by what director James Gunn delivered. They were, in fact, blissed out from start to finish by the characters, the dialogue, the action, the special effects, the humor, and the surprisingly touching storyline, as was I.

Truth be told, I mostly came for the raccoon. Kids these days have grown up with all this incredible CGI, but I’m old enough to still get a kick out of talking mammals, especially a heavily-armed raccoon with a twisted sense of humor and a keen eye for prosthetics. But the moment the film started, it was not the raccoon but the soundtrack that had me charmed. It starts off with 10cc’s “I’m Not in Love,” throws in some Bowie and some Joan Jett, then comes to a triumphant halt with the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back.” It’s genius, as evidenced by the album’s #1 position on the Billboard 200 for the second week in a row.

The moral of the story? Come for the raccoon – or for the tunes – or for the all-star cast, but be prepared to stay for a fantastic movie, no matter which part of the galaxy you call home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B16Bo47KS2g

The post Guardians of the Galaxy: Made for Everyone appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

Boyhood follows the life of one Texas kiddo from age six to age 18. But unlike most movies that have one actor playing the kid at age six and a different-but-similar-looking-actor playing the kid at age 18, this movie has the same actor, Ellar Coltrane, playing the kid all along the way. Not only that, but we get to check in on Mason every year – see what friends he’s made, what kind of trouble he’s gotten into, what new styles he’s rockin’, what major life mistake his mother’s just made. If you do the math, that means the film was 12+ years in the making. In the age of 6-second Vines, Boyhood represents an astonishing commitment from everyone involved – from Linklater, from Coltrane, and from the actors who play his divorced parents, Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke.

Even if you’re not interested in getting to know Mason and his family, in watching year by year as he grows up and learns to deal with the slings and arrows life throws his way, the film is fascinating to watch just because of the novelty of it. How do you shoot 15 minutes of film every year for 12 years, then splice it together so it all makes a cohesive whole – so that it makes sense from a storyline perspective and visually looks like it came out of the same can? I haven’t the foggiest notion, but Linklater certainly does.

He’s a director known for his cinematic innovations, from compact 24-hour stories like Dazed and Confused, to the sprawling Before Sunrise trilogy, to 2011’s Bernie, for which he ingeniously hired handfuls of town locals to play the town locals. The man’s clearly not afraid to take a risk, even if it means putting your latest film project in the hands of a six-year-old boy and waiting 12 years to see if it pays off.

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