DOCUMENTARY REVIEW: Penguins

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PENGUINS— 3 STARS

As an update to their multiple Academy Award-winning True-Life Adventures features from decades ago, the Disneynature unit of Mouse House has been championing new nature documentaries since 2008. Annually, Disneynature has laid claim to Earth Day as a choice promotional window for their releases. Their films are a welcome benefit and serve an indestructibly charming purpose. Penguins, their 15th feature, continues the division’s solid track record of making beautiful baubles of a big world beyond our own.

Penguins represents the combined work of over a dozen cinematographers documenting the miraculous and treacherous annual life cycle of the Adelie penguins of Antarctica. Directors Jeff Wilson and 5-time Disneynature veteran Alastair Fothergill sought to give this circle of life character. That’s where the affable Ed Helms comes in as a narrator. He provides color commentary as “Steve,” one such Adelie penguin who is a first-time father for this annual journey. High and low, dry and wet, close and far, and through every blizzard in between, Penguins presents this apprehensive newbie with education and entertainment combined together.

LESSON #1: THE PARENTING CYCLE OF ADELIE PENGUINS — Wilson and Fothergill go to great lengths and keen detail to present a calendar year for Steve. The layers of instinctual behavior captured are fascinating. From the draw of dry land and the exactness of returning to their own birthplaces all the way to the mating rituals and parenting duties of regurgitated food, these birds exude care and wherewithal that is anything but random. For young learners, this is a virtual field trip to the polar vastness that cannot be matched by a trip to the zoo or a spin through a book.

The natural awe stands on its own in Penguins. The ominous majesty of the southernmost continent is not lost on the viewer. This is the windiest place on earth with hurricane-strength blizzards that can gust to 150 miles per hour of -40 windchill frigidity. The ground-level observational photography is the most striking of the documentary’s mix. Scoping into the first breaths of life, the hurdles of natural jeopardy, and outside predatory risks, the close-up observations can often wow. The plentiful production is set to a steady Harry Gregson-Williams score.

Still, for a lighter and alluring tone to its BBC counterparts, Disneynature favors a fair dose of cheekiness for Steve’s exploits. The graceful dawdling and endearing endangerment of these birds fits a little frolic of voyeurism. Proudly and helpfully G-rated, the documentary has its fun with allusion and humor generated by writer David Fowler and its soundtrack choices. Songs like REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling,” Average White Band’s “More Work to Do,” and Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again” are squarely aimed at the escorting adults for unsubtle giggles and grins. Their harmless additions are beats of innuendo meant to capture personified moments that parallel the penguins to us. Through it all, the Disneynature goals of the following lessons never waver.

LESSON #2: EARTH DAY AWARENESS — Disneynature’s purposeful calendar connection is timely and topical. We live in a world with shrinking ice, climate change, and habitat destruction. The settings these documentaries choose are timely and topical to the 21st century Earth. Earth Day is a valuable holiday reminding protection of nature. Penguins does its part.

LESSON #3: MAKING NATURE APPROACHABLE — The wild encounters of a cruel world of survival and prudently softened in Penguins to a family-friendly rating. That leveling opens the door for the widest audience to be engaged and educated in a casual setting.

LESSON #4: MAKING NATURE ADORABLE — The brightest possible smiles of all come from the creative characterization of Penguins to sprinkle a little magic of shared traits. We humans may be the cultured and civilized species of the world, but our miraculous plight to survive and raise new lives, at its core, is not all that far from Steve and his fellow penguins. There is joy in observing and appreciating such displays.

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SHORT FILM REVIEW: Trained

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TRAINED— 3 STARS

In Trained, the urban clatter of one of Chicago’s Red Line commuter trains elevates pulse rates. Two people who begin holding hands on the outside platform in patient anticipation have immediate lust take over with the train’s arrival. Their gazes lock and their lips follow suit. Unbridled passion releases as the public display of affection in the Chicago chill shifts to warmer private interiors. This opening scene of filmmaker Yuri Rutman’s spare yet sizzling short film tantalizingly begs many questions.

What kind of couple are we witnessing? What triggers provoke this passion? A montage follows to show that this wild escapade is not the first time the hearts and loins of these two people have been electrified around the rails of public transportation. This is Jake and Emma, and they are tragically intoxicated by two different things at the expense of each other.

LESSON #1: WHAT IS SIDERDROMOPHILIA? — The suggested question of a trigger is answered by this fetishistic condition. Siderdromophilia is the infirmity where someone cannot get aroused unless he or she is in, on, or around moving trains. Go ahead and raise your eyebrows, but before you giggle, know that siderdromophilia is a documented real thing and legitimate possible diagnosis. As someone wise once said, there are “different strokes for different folks.” Know that about yourself and anyone else before treading deeper into Trained.

Emma, played by lithe model/actress Jenny Diamico, possesses this very specific sexual difficulty. These urges have created a woman of odd scheduling habits. In some moments, the predictive regularity answers cravings while at other times sparks unwanted ones. Delays and deviations, as you could imagine, cause havoc.

This flawed hurdle for intimacy has taken a heavy toll on her relationship with Jake (Rutman, calling his own number). Their relationships seems to be tethered to the physicality. Softer love is a distant need. The couple converses in broken sentences with pensive pauses and defeatist diatribes. Does Jake indulge in this uneven desire or does he rid himself of this frustration?

LESSON #2: TRYING TO FORCE CHANGE IN PEOPLE — Jake’s intoxication is her, which answers his character choices. Jake is hooked and believes he can break through Emma’s siderdromophilia to have his own amorous appetite satiated without the kinky catalyst. There is a selfish lament to this man because he encounters more failure than success in trying to normalize Emma and his own expectations.

As a micro-budget short film Trained is imperfect but endlessly interesting. There is an economy of language where the dialogue is low and empty stares reign. Over-explaining its oddities would be problematic (think back to those giggles of disbelief), so this lack of exposition creates palpable intrigue. Instead, the bleak atmosphere and the torrid sexual encounters captured its angular and voyeuristic camerawork do the talking. Rutman and Diamico never over-perform their dangerous doldrums. They create both the right collisions and the right distances to match the hot-and-cold state of their characters’ relationship.

Buyer beware, there’s no prudity to Trained. This isn’t a movie of plucky introductions and forgone conclusions. These are two people who’s skins are flush with desire yet crawling with their internal flaws, and Rutman doesn’t shy away from those smears. Even the flickering emotions are slight amid its unpredictability. The characters may have no self-control, but the film itself does. The movie is not an excuse to get its own rocks off. There’s an auspicious attempt to make something challenging here with barbed content and topics. Something underwritten and willing to take chances beats overwritten inflation every time.

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MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on the "Kicking the Seat" podcast talking "Avengers: Endgame"

Folks, this was the big one! Immediately after the hush-hush advance press screening of Avengers: Endgame, Ian Simmons of Kicking the Seat called for the “comic council” of film critics to assemble. True to our loyal form, David Fowlie of Keeping it Reel and myself started spoiler-free and then expanded to full spoilers on our fresh and immediate reactions on the big MCU finale. Mere minutes after the epic film’s conclusion, the three of us exhaled for a very spirited conversation. Fast-forward to the 23:00 minute mark if all you want is superhero shenanigans.

Also on this “Kicking the Seat” episode, Ian talks to Movie Madness host Erik Childress about the seventh annual Chicago Critics Film Festival, which takes over the Music Box Theatre from May 17th through the 23rd, and talks about how Decaf Don and Avengers Endgame relate to Bret Easton Ellis's controversial new book, White.

MY FULL "AVENGERS: ENDGAME" REVIEW

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EDITORIAL: Underrated Sci-Fi Movies to Watch on a Date

Five Underrated Sci-fi Movies to Watch on a Date 

 Movies are the best way to spend your date: it's a safe bet; it's always a comfortable choice because you can choose to be intimate and kiss throughout the film or pretend «interested» if you don't feel that comfortable with a new date. But these movies will definitely fascinate you so much that you wouldn't want to take a break and grab another portion of popcorn without pausing the movie. Also, it is a list of most awesome and most underrated films that might not be a huge success in Hollywood but earned many rewards and niche critic's positive reviews. Enjoy all the movies for sci-fi fans. 

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I Origins  

This is a sci-fi melodrama. It's a movie about scientific research which is alternated by the evidence of the divine creation. The main subject of interest was the drawing of the iris of the human eye. The young researcher is fascinated by the study of the evolution of vision, and his girlfriend is convinced that not everything in the world can be explained by scientific terms. Her sudden death plunges him into depression. Years later, life gives him the opportunity to look at reality from a completely different side: all he needs to do is to allow the likelihood of reincarnation. The movie is perfect for those who like difficult stories and tough choices. It has a special flavor and fascinating atmosphere and raises many thoughts about the origin of things. Scientific research against incomprehensible facts, evolution or divine principle: what should we believe in? Is an atheist scientist able to save his convictions? 

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Mr. Nobody 

Nemo wakes a flabby old man. Mr. Nobody was the only mortal in this alternative fictional future. The whole human race has gained immortality, and they are following the story of crazy old Nemo who is waiting for his death through their TV screens. Before his death, a journalist visits him to take an interview. The old man tells him a long story about how many lives he managed to live throughout his long existence, dying multiple times and staying Mr. Nobody. 

Nemo tells several stories at once, jumping from one possible reality to another. When his parents divorced, he did not know whom he wanted to stay with – his mother or father. In the first case, he would experience strong love and lose his beloved person. In the second case scenario, he would take care of a sick father and have problems at school. Every time Nemo has to choose one thing, his life has multiple choices and provides different alternative realities, and everything is somehow connected with the life of the whole Universe. 

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The Signal 

Three hackers began receiving weird messages from a stranger under the nickname NOMAND. The guys could not even imagine that the one who writes those messages is not a human but real extraterrestrial intelligence. After a while, they find themselves in a trap but manage to escape. It seemed that the worst was over, but after some time, a secret organization created by the government began chasing them. Its representatives are confident those guys pose a huge threat to humanity.  

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The Lobster 

The movie takes place in the near future where every single person is doomed to a forced search of a couple. They are assigned to this task, and, if not coping with it, they are transformed into animals. David is a lonely man, who, under strict law, is sent to a special hotel where he must find his soul mate in just 45 days. David is trying to do everything possible to complete the task. He is well aware that it would be very difficult, so the protagonist has already chosen to continue to exist as a lobster.  

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Automata 

The film takes place in 2044. Being on the verge of extinction, humankind creates robots the duties of which include doing dirty work. There are two basic rules: a robot cannot hurt a person and modify itself and other machines. But once people noticed that several machines had repaired themselves without the participation of the operator. The epidemic among robots is spreading with huge speed.

List was created in collaboration with yourbrides.com. 

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EDITORIAL: Most Influential Movies for Bodybuilders

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The 10 Most Influential Movies for Bodybuilders

Bodybuilding is no longer a hobby like it used to be. Many people are now involved in bodybuilding as a career and even employ personal managers. This means that this physical activity has devolved a lot over time. If you want to start this career today, staying motivated is the first step that you need to take. Some movies that revolve around weight lifting and bodybuilding will probably do the magic.

The list we have prepared below has the top ten most influential movies for bodybuilders. In fact, it is crucial for both novices and experienced bodybuilders to watch these movies. Read on to learn more.

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CT Fletcher: My Magnificent Obsession (2015)

This movie was released by the famous star CT Fletcher. It is a weight lifting movie that shows how powerful one man is. But most importantly, it is his journey in muscle building and what has got him to where he is. Those who are just starting with muscle building should watch and emulate this movie. It also shows what CT Fletcher eats to remain strong and how he exercises. Be sure to watch this motivational movie with your friends to learn a few tactics of becoming an iron muscle.

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Generation Iron (2013)

This motivating documentary is a must-watch for all bodybuilders and athletes at large. In fact, it has brought together most prominent bodybuilders in the history including Arnold Schwarzenegger. It mostly shows their training life as they prepare for ''Mr. Olympia.'' Even those who are not into fitness are likely to love this movie and learn a few things from it. According to those who have watched the movie, it is quite an inspiring documentary with a lesson of hard work and persistence.

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Evolution of Bodybuilding (2012)

This is a useful bodybuilding documentary that covers many successful bodybuilders. It also shows the other side, like their failure and why they think it happened. The combination of success and failure is an excellent inspiration to all people who are in fitness. Be sure to watch this no matter which level of bodybuilding you are at. However, it is more helpful to those who have already given up on weight lifting or power training. After learning that others have failed too, you will put in more effort to wake up from where you are.

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Muscle Beach Then and Now (2011)

Venice is known for beach muscles. The bodybuilders here have been working out in this location for decades and have already made this hub very famous. The documentary was made by shooting the finest bodybuilders and the activities they are involved in on a daily basis. Some famous bodybuilders like Joe Gold are captured in this documentary and it shows how they have transformed this place as they go around showing people their prowess. After watching this documentary, you will realize that some people do it with more than passion.

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Why We Train (2008)

Venice Beach is the spotlight here. Those in fitness probably know that this California beach is famous for muscle building. This documentary is about the importance of training hard, persistently, and in the right way. Those who go on this path will definitely succeed like the bodybuilders featured in this movie. Therefore, this is a good movie to watch to remain motivated at all times. Luckily, you can watch it whether you are an amateur or an experienced person. All athletes who want to get some respect for fitness should watch this movie without fail.

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Bigger, Stronger, Faster (2008)

This documentary movie is not only inspiring, but helps bodybuilders who are skeptical about anabolic steroids. If you have already bought a pack from the Steroidsfax website and you are scared of using them, this movie will help you to take the pills as recommended without doubt. The movie is about the use of anabolic steroids in the USA and how they can have helped many athletes achieve their dreams. The director, Christopher Bell, also wanted to show how the lack of consistency in the use of these enhancers can affect your performance. This movie will motivate any bodybuilder.

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The Bodybuilder and I (2007)

A father and son are the main focus of this bodybuilding movie. The elderly man wants to prove to the entire world that he can make it in bodybuilding. However, the most interesting part about the movie is how these two train hard to build muscles and become experienced and successful bodybuilders. It is one of the movies that any fitness enthusiast should not miss. It is also an interesting family movie that all will enjoy.

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Pumping Iron 2: The Women (1985)

While most bodybuilding movies focus on strong men, this one is for the ladies. Although it was not widely welcomed like the original Pumping Iron, it is an inspiration for the women in bodybuilding. This movie and documentary is perceived as one of the best ever, and it shows how women can be successful in bodybuilding. If your woman wants to join you in a career of lifting heavy weights and building a masculine body, this is one of the best movies to suggest to her. It will even be better to watch it together because you can also get some insights from it.

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The Comeback (1980)

For those who have watched Arnold Schwarzenegger's movies, you know his infamous line, ''I will be a back.'' Indeed, this is a comeback as he makes a seventh return to the ''Mr. Olympia'' competition. Although he comes in at the last minute while others have already trained hard, he performs well. This is an inspiration to all people in fitness. It means that you can make it even if your goals seems too difficult. Therefore, be sure to watch this movie without fail. It is not only an entertaining movie, but one that greatly inspires all athletes, especially those at the brink of giving up.

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Pumping Iron (1977)

Arnold Schwarzenegger has greatly contributed to the evolution of bodybuilding. Most of his movies show might, muscles, and extreme power. However, none have come out quite as well as this movie that introduced bodybuilding as a career for many. It revolves around powerful men preparing for a bodybuilding tournament called ''Mr. Universe.'' Every one of them makes a lot of effort to win first place. There is also another group that is training for ''Mr. Olympia'' who make an equal amount of effort although the two groups collide. Apart from being entertaining, it is a motivating movie for bodybuilders.

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Conclusion

These are some of the best movies for bodybuilders out there. You will realize that none of them encourage giving up. Therefore, this is an activity for strong men and women who know nothing about giving up. Watch these movies to remain strong.

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EDITORIAL: Best casino movies of all-time

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TOP 5 CASINO MOVIES OF ALL TIME

Hollywood has a huge fascination with gambling. They keep creating movies which reveal the dark and hidden side of the casino lifestyle, or tells tale of strategic card counting. Here are top 5 movies of all time.

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1) Casino Royale

Casino Royale is a 2006 movie based on the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. The spy film was directed by Michael Campbell and stars Daniel Craig as a secret agent MI6 under the name of James Bond. The movie is set in the early life of James Bond when he is receiving his license to kill. Bond is assigned a task to bankrupt the famous terrorist financier Le Chiffre. While doing his task, he falls in love with a lady who is in charge of the money he needs for the game. Casino Royale premiered on 14th November 2006 in London with a total box office collection of $600 million.

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2) Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

The movie has been adapted from the novel Fear and loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson. It is an American satirical road film released in the year 1998. The film was directed by Terry Gilliam and casts Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro. The film depicts the duos journey through Las Vegas. As the film progresses, their initial intention of journalism dissolves as they begin to explore the city and its various illegal activities.

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3) The Hangover

A hilarious portrayal of Las Vegas and it’s mind-blowing casinos, The Hangover was released in 2009, directed by Todd Philips. The first installment in the Hangover trilogy, the film stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Heather Graham and Justin Bartha among several others. The movie tells the story of four friends who travel to Las Vegas, to celebrate a bachelor’s party. However the three friends wake up, with the groom missing and without any memory of prior events. They must find the groom before the marriage is to take place. The movie was a hit and won the Golden Globe award for best motion picture- musical or comedy along side several other accolades.

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4) Casino

Casino a 1995 American crime film, was directed by Martin Scorsese. Based on a non-fiction book Casino- Love and Honour in Las Vegas, the film stars Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, James Woods and Joe Pesci among several other actors. The movie was a huge box office success, and Stone’s performance earned her a Golden Globe award for best actress in motion pictures-Drama.

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5) Ocean’s Eleven

Ocean’s Eleven was released in the year 2001, and is a remake of the 1960 film of the same name. The movie was a huge success at the box office and earned the title of fifth highest grossing film of 2001.

There are numerous casinos around the globe with free slot machines, which provide opportunities to the players to participate in the gambling free of cost. The casino movies show the unknown side of this industry which is generally unknown to the common crowd.

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MEDIA APPEARANCE: David Ehrlich's IndieWire Critics Survey on April 22, 2019

Notable and notorious IndieWire film critic David Ehrlich recently put out a social media call for film critic peers to join a weekly survey to discuss movie topics, answer questions, and highlight their work.  Representing Every Movie Has a Lesson, I, along with over 60 other emerging and established film critics including some of my fellow Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle members and Aaron White of Feelin’ Film, accepted the invitation to participate.  I'm honored by the opportunity, and I hope my responses are chosen each week.  

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THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: How do you think the legacy of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will impact the movie world?

Boy, this was a rough survey collection. The majority of participants this week have more negative responses and rationales than positive ones when it comes to talking about the lasting impact of the MCU. I’m unashamed and proud to try and be one of the more positive replies. Is it part of a big corporate greed monster? Maybe, but I cannot deny how it’s become a huge and influential success.

THE FULL INDIEWIRE ARTICLE THIS WEEK

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