#michael brandt

[adamwatchesmovies]

Wanted (2008)

If Wanted is your favorite film, it might be because you’re the kind of person who dreams of shooting up a school. You think I’m exaggerating. “Come on Adam; sure this film might glorify violence and gunplay, but don’t most action movies?” Yes, but Wanted takes it a step further. The film has such a hard-on for firearms and is so mean-spirited its nastiness will be obvious to everyone. Or it would be if it weren’t drowned out by an idiotic plot with no identity of its own, Maxim Magazine-like titillation, and admittedly dynamic action scenes.

Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is a nobody loser. He has no money, no future or aspirations and worst of all, no will to do anything about it. Everything changes when he crosses paths with Fox (Angelina Jolie). She reveals to him his identity as a member of The Fraternity and the son of the world’s greatest assassin. His crippling panic attacks are actually superhuman killer instincts trying to break out. Daddy’s been murdered and only Wesley can avenge him. Leaving his cheating bitch of a girlfriend, his crummy job and the boss he hates behind, he begins training and prepares to take his revenge.

I am not a fan of the comic book that inspired Wanted. While I admire writer Mark Millar’s vision of a world secretly ruled by supervillains - actual supervillains who gleefully indulge in crimes even the most evil and demented monsters our history has ever produced could dream of - six issues about a rapist who does nothing but shoot innocent people in the face and then laugh about it loses its appeal pretty quickly. In theory, this means I should like the softened-up movie more than the mini-series… but I don’t. Gone are the costumes, the references to well-known works and the amorality of the protagonist. This film has so little in common with its progenitor it’s almost unrecognizable. Instead, it’s a rather by-the-book leather-clad gun-wielding assassin movie… until it becomes so dumb you can’t believe it was written by adults.

To its credit, the film firmly establishes itself as taking place in a world that's not ours. Guns can shoot around their targets if the wielder swings their arm the right way. The chases and stunts prove Wesley and the other members of The Fraternity are indeed the world’s greatest killers. The climax is an orgy of mayhem and bullet holes so well done it makes you forget everything you hated about this movie, if only briefly. Say what you will about Wanted, but it's not boring.

While Wanted may seem like nothing but harmless escapist fantasy, certain aspects make it more than a little distressing. When we meet Wesley, his life belongs at the bottom of the trash can. His girlfriend is having an affair with his best friend so he’s got no friends and no sex life. His boss, an overweight woman (Lorna Scott) has no redeeming qualities (they couldn’t make her just overweight or unbearable, she had to be both). His mother is unimportant and Wesley doesn't know his father. Everything changes when he picks up a gun. Suddenly, Wesley’s looking up Angelina Jolie’s skirt, he’s got millions in the bank, he’s respected, and he’s saving the world… by killing people in ways no one else could. The better he gets at killing, the more fortunes are heaped onto his lap. Even when he loses everything, he has learned to kill and that makes his existence better than ours. He breaks the fourth wall to tell us so.

Perhaps I’m looking too deeply into the importance of the gun in Wanted. I’m sure you’ll nonetheless grant me that this whole Fraternity thing is pretty dumb. Mr. Sloan (Morgan Freeman) interprets the “Loom of Fate”, which weaves a fabric that - once in a while - contains errors. If a strand is misplaced in this way, it’s a 0. In another way, it’s a 1. Through this binary system, the Fraternity has been finding targets for 1,000 years. You read that correctly. At some point in history, some bored weaver looked at a piece of cloth through a microscope, decided - for yucks - to write down the errors in the fabric and realized it could tell us who would turn out to be evil. Wesley just accepts this without batting an eye. Now, when Mr. Sloan is revealed to be corrupt and we learn he’s been lying to our protagonist the whole time, you might think the whole thing’s been made up, but no. In fact, he’s something that’ll bake your noodle: At one point, Fox is assigned to kill Wesley because he will cause the death of thousands… and he does. In his quest for vengeance, Wesley causes a train full of innocent people to derail and fall down the deepest canyon you’ve ever seen. Every single person on that train except for him and Fox dies. Of course, our lead character is too self-obsessed to even think about that tragedy.

Wanted might have some stylish elements in that “curving the bullet" thing and this might also make it memorable in a way, but once you start thinking about this movie, it becomes more than a little uncomfortable. Not helping is the supremely unlikable protagonist. Wanted barely even makes an attempt to emulate the work that inspired it. Some people might say that's a bad thing. Some might not. It just means any way you look at it, this film is dreadful. (June 24, 2022)

[cinesludge]

Movie #11 of 2024: Arthur the King

So I got one of those AMC movie pass things as a gift, and AMC apparently does a thing where they show a movie that's not quite officially out yet but they don't tell you what it will be ahead of time. It's a mystery!

That's how I ended up watching a CGI dog out act Mark Wahlberg, which isn't surprising and this is definitely not a movie I would ever willingly watch.

In fact, looking at the poster, I'm pretty sure this is the exact same design for that Harrison Ford dog movie that came out in 2020. Did I ever tell you I was the finishing editor on promotional dog food spots for that movie? True exciting Hollywood story.

Uhh what were we talking about again? Oh right, Arthur the King I guess is fine and the dog isn't always CGI, but the facial expressions and noises it makes are definitely all super deep fake generative AI deageing-filter Irishman Al Pacino young face style.

It's only 90 minutes which is and I guess it is kinda cool that it's based on a true story which plays out during the end credits. What are the odds I pull the latest dog movie for mystery cinema? It's dumb and you'll think about your dead dog who died of a rare kidney cancer and almost cry the whole time, which is a very common thing that could happen to anyone watching this cheesy movie and not specifically me.

[thenerdsofcolor]

Simu Liu and the Cast and Crew of ‘Arthur the King’ Speak at the LA Premiere

Simu Liu and the Cast and Crew of ‘Arthur the King’ Speak at the LA Premiere @ArthurTheKing #ArthurTheKing

There are no greater examples of loyalty and friendship in this world than the bonds between canines and their humans. One such story occurred in 2014, between a dog named Arthur and an adventurer named Mikael Lindnord. And now that story is getting the big screen treatment it deserves in the new film, Arthur The King! Continue reading Simu Liu and the Cast and Crew of ‘Arthur the King’ Speak at…

[wornoutspines]

Arthur the King | Trailer

#ArthurTheKing seems like the type of movie I'd watch on a sunday afternoon to chill in bed. The trailer is heartwarming. #MovieTrailers

Writer: Mikael Lindnord (novel), Michael Brandt (Screenplay) Director: Simon Cellan Jones Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Nathalie Emmanuel, Simu Liu, Michael Landes Expected February 22, 2024 If you want to support this site, help by getting me coffee from the link below:

[mod-a-day]

Michael Brandt (MBJ) "MOVIETHEME I"

[skullislandproductions]

Happy Birthday to the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, who began their great chase 75 years ago, when “Fast and Furry-ous” was released into theaters September 17th, 1949. This short was directed by Chuck Jones and written by Mike Maltese, who would go on to create many more adventures for the pair.

[operafantomet]

Phantoms wearing “damaged eye” contact lense

ROW 1: Michael Crawford, West End (and briefly Broadway)

ROW 2: Timothy Nolen, Broadway (possibly only promo photos)

ROW 3: Jonathan Roxmouth, World Tour (old and new look)

ROW 4: David Shannon, West End (though only randomly), and Masachika Ichimura, Tokyo (as Mr. Y in “Love Never Dies”)

ROW 5: Kalle Sepp and Koit Toome, Estonia (non-replica)

ROW 6: Stephen Brandt Hansen, Estonia (non-replica), and Joel Zerpe in Sweden (non-replica)

ROW 7: Ramin Karimloo, Italy and Monaco (non-replica)

[issela-santina]

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

aka

oh don't bother me I'm not here for the jazzy prison riot, I'm here to talk to my wife, Simon Pegg, through the surveillance camera

Nicholas Angel looks like he could impersonate Lady Margot Fenring but the mask maker said no and died on him

Jeremy Renner's dream come true: shouting at Tom Cruise

Paula Patton doing the impossible: kicking ass in a mini pencil dress

(this bullet point is specifically dedicated to the brain cell in me who pretends it's a DJ and who decided to play „Sandstorm“ by Darude)

what we need is an explanation about at which point Benji underwent an aesthetic twink death DILF birth between this movie and Rogue Nation

Bogdan and Ethan are actually shippable but so are Ethan and Sidorov. imagine your enemies to lovers

The Impossibles [insert the swelling horns from the scene where Mr. Incredible found out about the deaths of his fellow supes]

EVERYTHING IS BROKEN. THE GADGETS. THAT BITCH WHO KILLED MY COLLEAGUE THAT I KICKED OFF THE TALLEST TOWER IN THE WORLD. KURT HENDRICKS. ME (almost)

Brad Bird seeks revenge on Pixar

Paula Patton looks great in aquamarine actually

“and I catch you” (Branji can I ship?)

Brandt tries to be tough but ends up being a cinnamon roll

Michael Giacchino's punny score saga, I lost count

Pluto is still a planet to me, Benji!!

how to straight flirt with a rich af bigwig who thinks every guy you hang out with is your bf

the sweaty Brandt shot hits different when you survive a heat wave

“oh I thought it was a bigger org but it's just two guys and one of them is a hopeless atomic sadboi”

Benji confesses his love to Ethan and shares his condolences about Julia in the fucking Kremlin. from Russia with love

“next time, I seduce the rich guy” oh Brandt don't you worry ;)

the one true MVP here is the airbag in that BMW Ethan used to nosedive to Hendricks's nuke case

Luther judging Ethan for saying MISSION: ACCOMPLISHED out loud is all of us

Benji truly has autism and it shows. his mouth is his third hand. he's in missions because Ethan likes him back. he sometimes mantra-izes his words into something worth repeating. shaky but focused

omg. Julia. alive. she knows. that her husband's new boyfriend is also a bit protective of her by extension

[maranello]

AUSTRIA, 1998 — Michael Schumacher on the pit wall. (Photo by Marcus Brandt/Bongarts)

[badmovieihave]

Bad movie I have Scream 4 (2011)

[grande-caps]

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocoll Quality : HD screencaptures Amount : 3.376 files Resolution : 1.920 x 1.080 px

-Please like/reblog if taking!

[cinesludge]

Movie #58 of 2023: 3:10 to Yuma: Dan Evans: "What did Doc Potter give his life for, William? McElroy..." Ben Wade: "Little red ants on a hill." Butterfield: "I'll pay you the 200, Dan. Right now. And you can walk away." Dan Evans: "You know, this whole ride... it's been egging on me. That's what the government gave me for my leg - 198 dollars 36 cents and the funny thing is that... when you think about it, which I have been lately, is they weren't paying me to walk away, they were paying me so they could walk away." Ben Wade: "Don't muddy the past in the present, Dan." Dan Evans: "No... Wade, I'm seeing the world the way it is."

[ruleof3bobby]

SEMI-TOUGH (1977) Grade: D+

Burt Reynolds has a couple good lines but for the most part its a big pass. Silly idea, w odd sequences that add much to anything. Heard the book was much different. Skip it.

[duranduratulsa]

Up next on my Wes Craven movie 🎬 🎞 🎥 🎦 📽 marathon...Scream 4 (2011) on amazing blu-ray! #movie #movies #horror #scream #Scream4 #wescraven #RIPWesCraven #Ghostface #NeveCampbell #courteneycox #emmaroberts #haydenpanettiere #roryculkin #KristenBell #AnnaPaquin #LucyHale #AnthonyAnderson #MarleyShelton #AdamBrody #MaryMcDonnell #ErikKnudsen #justinmichaelbrandt #bluray #2010s

[likeafantasy]

SAINT X (2023–)   1.01 A Lovely Nowhere