Assemblog: December 13, 2013

Out of the Furnace

New this week on Popshifter: Brad was less than impressed with Paradise, but excited about Streets Of Fire; I explore the unexpected gravitas of The Wolverine and pay my respects to the new Melvins album Tres Cabrones; LabSplice shows how Arrow fights crime the Bill Gates way through product placement; Jeff waxes nostalgic about holiday tunes; and we’ve got Best Of 2013 lists for you from David Barras (Electric Man), singer/songwriter Willie Nile, our own Danny R. Phillips and Jeffery X Martin.

One of the movies I wanted to see most at this year’s TIFF but was sadly unable to, was Ti West’s The Sacrament, which brings a modern twist to the tale of Jonestown. Good news! Magnolia Pictures has announced limited and VOD release for May of 2014. (Fangoria)

Here’s something that I don’t even need to read more about to be excited for: William Friedkin directing Bette Midler in a Mae West biopic. (Indiewire)

Another potentially fantastic thing? A TV show about the Salem Witch Trials. I have not heard about this theory mentioned on The Mary Sue regarding LSD, but I think we can all agree at this point that there were no actual witches in the Salem Witch Trials. My favorite theory is that the women were widows who owned land and that’s why they were persecuted. At any rate, I am excited.

I confess, I had not heard about White Coffin before but I saw “Adrián Garcia Bogliano” and I became interested. It’s about infanticide, which is a pretty grim topic but one that could provide truly thought-provoking and scary subject matter for a movie. By the way, Bogliano’s Here Comes The Devil is out today. (Twitch)

Remember when we were all dying to know what Wally Pfister’s Transcendence was all about? Now Warner has released a synopsis:

Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is the foremost researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence, working to create a sentient machine that combines the collective intelligence of everything ever known with the full range of human emotions. His highly controversial experiments have made him famous, but they have also made him the prime target of anti-technology extremists who will do whatever it takes to stop him. However, in their attempt to destroy Will, they inadvertently become the catalyst for him to succeed—to be a participant in his own transcendence. For his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) and best friend Max Waters (Paul Bettany), both fellow researchers, the question is not if they can…but if they should. Their worst fears are realized as Will’s thirst for knowledge evolves into a seemingly omnipresent quest for power, to what end is unknown. The only thing that is becoming terrifyingly clear is there may be no way to stop him.

It’s basically guaranteed at this point that I’m going to see this movie, but I do love this plot description. (Collider via /Film)

Another project I’ve been keeping my eye on is the movie adaptation of The Equalizer with Denzel Washington. There’s a still out on the Internets now and while it’s not all that exciting on its own, it does mean that things are still going forward on this promising project. (/Film)

Here are two different yet equally valid critiques of Out of the Furnace. While I feel that the Film School Rejects review is a bit harsh, I do agree that the Casey Affleck scene they mention is far more cliché than Pajiba is willing to admit. It’s definitely worth a watch though, even if it’s not a perfect movie.

If you haven’t seen the new Godzilla trailer yet, here it is. It’s long for a teaser, but it does exactly what it should. I was already pumped for this movie and now that I’ve seen this, even more so. Look how awesome and terrifying Godzilla is here!

This will be the last Assemblog of 2013, and in keeping with the spirit of the season, please to enjoy this classic tune.

—Less Lee Moore, Managing Editor