When Ghostbusters opened in 1984, it was an instant success. Not only did it hit comedy gold, but it cemented itself as a box office success and broke all kinds of records at the time, in fact it still sits at #91 on the top 100 Domestic Box Office Gross list (Box Office Mojo). It was obviously successful enough to garner a sequel which ultimately wasn’t quite as good, or successful, but still a box office hit. Since then, Sony has been trying to make a sequel with several start ups that never came to fruition lead by Dean Aykroyd. A large part of it possibly had to do with the fallout between Bill Murray and Harold Ramis, but regardless, nothing has gotten off the ground until now.

Back in January, Variety reported that Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, The Heat) was being courted for the Ghostbusters 3 directing and producing gig after Ivan Reitman dropped out shortly after Harold Ramis’s passing. And more recently it was reported that Feig was re-teaming with “The Heat” writer Katie Dippold for an all female cast reboot of Ghostbusters. Upon hearing this news, it’s tough to describe my feelings as I’m overwhelmed with intrigue, excitement, disappointment, and overall confusion.

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No other major event or era has as many films set during its period of time than World War II. Whether they be the heroic, victorious tales that were common from the ’40s until the ’70s or the gritty, morality-focused stories of survival from the ’80s and on, there will always be an audience for American films about WWII, and thus they will never cease to be made. Lately, though, there has been a noticeable lack of large-scale, brash and loud films that showcase how the battlefield shapes soldiers’ personalities and psychologies. Saving Private Ryan is the most noteworthy of these, and Letters from Iwo Jima is arguably the most recent.

In steps Fury, a tank film directed by David Ayer, known for his work on crime films like Training Day and End of Watch. Given that those films were known for their sharp and visceral portrayals of Los Angeles street crime by closely following their characters, to see how those techniques would shape the storytelling aspect of a war film taking place inside a tank was the film’s biggest draw for me. While Ayer has certainly crafted an intense and violent film that constantly reinforces the message of “war is hell,” it never goes beyond that and as a result feels frustratingly constrained.

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What better way is there to kick-start fall and this year’s awards season than a David Fincher date movie? If you ask me, I can’t think of any, but you’re talking to a cinephile who’s single. Anyways…

After hearing good buzz about Gillian Flynn’s thriller novel and out of anticipation for the film adaptation’s release, I read Gone Girl a few months ago and found it to be an cynical and entertaining page-turner about a marriage gone wrong. Sounds like a good match for Fincher, known for tackling cold, dark material in his work on Seven and Netflix’s House of Cards. With him at the helm, Gone Girl turns out to be a sleek, engaging film that never loses its suspense and comes with a healthy dose of nihilism.

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Watching The Equalizer brought back memories of other, older films that influenced it – movies like Dirty Harry and Death Wish, where characters played by Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson became iconic images of the gritty, vengeance-seeking antihero. That’s not to say that Antoine Fuqua’s latest flick should be held in the same regard as those two, but there’s no denying that it delivers what it promises – unflinching, gratifying violence conducted by an cool-headed, justice-seeking vigilante who’s willing to kill.

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The time has come to announce our Number 1s! It’s been a long journey (seriously, this took forever) and while it hasn’t always been easy, we thank you all for joining us on this ride. Let’s pass it to Jason for the final part of the TMNT Email Throwdown. And as always, please follow these links to read previous parts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 Continue reading →

We’ve had a bit of a break but we’re back! Today we’re going to learn which movie is the runner-up for Andrew and Jason. If you’ve been with us for all the installments I guarantee, you’re more excited than you should be! If you have yet to read the previous rankings, you can find them here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Now let’s pass it to Andrew to kick off the battle for number two! Continue reading →

I have mixed feelings about bringing you my next recommendation through “Netflix Nugget”. Whereas the last movie I shared was a very fun trip down memory lane to visit the land of Calvin and Hobbes, I’m going to be cruising down another road of nostalgia to a different part of my past for this one. Growing up in Fresno, I had a lot of Mexican friends; one movie that we watched frequently was American Me. To this day I can’t have a conversation about it without transitioning into an East L.A. accent or depression. However, what are movies if not an artist’s attempt to stir within you some emotion?

*Note* Minimal spoilers ahead.

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We’d like to thank everyone who has been reading up to this point. If this is your first article – who am I kidding, it probably is – here are links to the previous rankings: Part I Part II. Let’s pass it to Jason for our third-ranked Ninja Turtle film…
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Welcome back loyal readers! (Really? We’re going plural here?)

In case you missed it, click here to check out Part One of the TMNT ranking throwdown between Jason and Andrew. Picking up where we left off, they had just ranked the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III as their least favorites respectively. Let’s pass it to Andrew for his fourth-ranked film. Continue reading →

We’re trying something new here at MediaBrewPub today. Growing up with the Ninja Turtles, Jason and Andrew decided that in honor of their new cinematic feature, it might be a fun idea to watch all four of their previous appearances on the big screen back-to-back-to-back-to-back over copious amounts of beer and pizza. Two pies, seventy-five wings, two dozen garlic knots, six growlers, and a midnight showing of the latest release later, they’re ranking all five movies.

And how are they going to do this? Well they did this via email exchange with one person choosing a fifth ranked movie, and the next person responding to both the other person’s ranking (expect arguments, potentially profanity) and then giving their own fifth ranked movie and why. It’s basically an email version of every conversation a Ninja Turtle fan might have with their friends.

Without further ado, let’s kick things off with Jason’s fifth-ranked (or worst) movie in the TMNT family (FYI, Jason’s name is in red because he’s angry like Raph and Andrew’s name is in Purple because he’s an awkward geek like Donnie): Continue reading →