Timothy Page Staff Blog
Netflix spotlight “Hush”
April 22, 2016
If you’re looking for some thrilling entertainment to watch this weekend, and have exhausted most of the really good thrillers on Netflix right now. There might be one that has slipped under your radar that is more than worth your time. It’s a small film called Hush. Just released early this month. It’s only on Netflix for the time being and it’s fantastic.
Now, there is a surprising amount of films out there called Hush, but while most of those are romantic thrillers this one falls more into the Terror category. It’s about a writer who has retreated to a mountain cabin to finish her book. As she is up there a killer starts stalking her a tormenting her from outside her cabin. The catch. The writer is deaf and mute.
Now, you’ve probably seen movies like this before. It’s nothing new, but it’s a well made and slow burn of a film. While the killer is stalking around outside Maddie (The writer) is planning and trying to figure out how to get out of this really truly awful situation. Since she can’t talk, and can’t call for help it adds and extra layer to the feeling of helplessness that she is going through.
Clocking in at only 80 minutes long it’s a short film, but one that keeps hold of you till the end credits. It’s a new spin on an already over done idea.
It can’t really go into any more detail than that or i’ll run the risk of spoiling it, but it’s a movie that’s well worth your time. If you are looking to unwind from the stress of finals it might not be the greatest movie to watch, but if you’re craving a trilling movie. Check it out. It’s incredible and a very well done thrilling that had me yelling out in shock on more than one occasion.
The Walking Dead is walking a thin line after Sunday night’s finale
April 8, 2016
*Spoiler Warning*
Last Sunday season 6 of the ridiculously successful show ‘The Walking Dead’ came to a close that left most people as cold and mad as the flesh eating creatures that the show is full of. 
Negan finally showed up. After a whole half season of waiting and constant teasing. The man finally showed his face and left one of our beloved characters dead. The problem is that we don’t know who died. After Negan shows his face and introduces prized weapon Lucille (A baseball bat with barbed wire wrapped around it). He says that it’s the end for one of the group members, plays one sick game on Ennie Meenie Miney Mo, and he brings his bat down on the head of one of the group. The final shot was a POV so we were seeing what the character was seeing. Blood ran down the screen like the “Goldeneye” game and the screen cuts to black with the sound of his bat snuffing the life out of someone. It was visceral and honestly pretty tense, but it’s not what should’ve happened.
Like I said, we don’t know who it is and that’s the part that’s maddening, but not in the good way. While Jon Snow’s death in Game of Thrones left us stunned and reeling for a good few weeks after that finale. This finale leaves you cold. Season 6 has been very inconsistent. Starting off with an incredible and intense 3 episodes, but hitting slow patches, and writing that made our characters do things that were out of character. It’s been very jarring sometimes and I think a lot of fans have been very forgiving of this season’s missteps, but I don’t even think the most hard core of fan can deny that this season ending felt cheap and dumb.
It’s a way to get us to watch Season 7 and find out who died, but the wind is out of the sails. The buildup was incredible, Jeffery Dean Morgan’s brief appearance was absolutely fantastic for the ten minutes he was onscreen as Negan, but not showing us the death was a wrong choice. We’ve spent these entire 8 episodes wanting to see someone die. As sick as that sounds it’s true, the last death I cared about was when The Governor cut Hershel’s head off during the winter finale of Season 4. It’s been almost two years since this show has left me gutted (pun intended) and it’s a feeling that season 6 desperately needed to redeem itself.
I am seeing a lot of rage online about how most are quitting the show (Whether or not that is true will be said when season 7’s premier ratings are released), and I understand. I feel more disappointed in the show than anything, because this is a show that millions watch. So many people watch it that chances are you can ask most people what they thought of the most recent episode and they will answer. This finale confirmed that the show might be running out of steam. After almost 7 years on the air there’s only so much you can do and the cracks that were starting to show opened up even farther Sunday night. This episode had some sort of swagger to it, and the creators probably thought that this would be a highly debated topic till October. Heck they even started a Hashtag for it (#Whoisit).
The creators are determined to keep this show going for years, but should they? I feel that Negan will be the group’s ultimate challenge, and JDM looks like he’ll be the main thing getting me back to watching the show in October, but even now it’s testing my patience. For a show that’s been on for my entire high school career and early college days it’s been there and has been the point of many of conversations I’ve had with friends. What i’m saying is, I’ve invested too many hours to just leave now, but it’s walking a thin line. It’s make or break for me and, I’m guessing, a lot of other people too.
Robert Kirkman wrote Negan’s intro in Issue 100 of his comic series. Since issue 100 is usually when people quit a comic he shocked the readers, and basically forced them to come back. I feel the same mentality was done here. People will have to come back in October to see this finale’s outcome, but if they keep this up and keep pulling the rug out from under us more and more people will start saying “ENOUGH!” and that could be a death knell for the show.
This is all speculation of course, and I am trying to be optimistic about all of this. I’m hoping that season 6 will be remembered as the low point of the show and season 7 will be the breath of fresh air that this show needs. So this is a call to Mr. Kirkman (If you actually read the Arapahoe Pinnacle). People are counting on you and love this show, but if you keep faking us out like Glenn’s “death” in the early portions of season 6, writing sloppy character choices, and leaving us with awful cliff hangers like the one we just had. People will get tired of it and people will stop watching.
Here’s hoping Season 7 is the best one yet. I’m just not holding my breath.
Are Superhero Movies Getting to be too Much?
March 29, 2016
This weekend we are seeing the release of ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” A movie that, as of the time I am writing this, has a 30% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s not going well critically for this film and even some fans are upset. Calling it a loud, long mess of a film.
All this got me wondering. When will we get tired of superhero films? Will there come a time when not even a well made Marvel film will snap us out of our slump?
My personal belief is that as long as they continue to do fresh things with the genre I don’t think we’ll get tired.
Take for example ‘Captain America: The First Avenger.’ Not the greatest of the Marvel films, but still a good 40s throwback period piece. The style of that movie was old fashioned as opposed to the other superhero films set in modern time. ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ was a space opera that was hilarious and like nothing we had seen before, and ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ was a spy/espionage thriller.
All these movies have managed to live within the same universe, but still feel like their own thing. This is why the Marvel films manage to be a hit.
It still can start to feel like over saturation. We’ve already had two superhero films released this year and at least four more are expected. Not all of them can be hits, but it’s not showing any signs of stopping.
We are living in a golden age of sorts. The bad Superhero films seem get forgotten and never spoken of again. Remember ‘Fantastic Four’ last year? Exactly. 15 years ago superhero films were odd, gothic, dark, and trying to be taken seriously (‘Blade,’ ‘Daredevil,’ and ‘Hellboy’) They were trying to hard and that was evident. Now the superhero genre seems to have an idea of what they want, and because of that we’re in a time when most superhero films are good.
‘Batman V Superman’ was a messy film and probably the worst superhero film that will be out this year, but It still isn’t as bad as some movies that have tried too hard to build a bigger world (I’m looking at you ‘Amazing Spiderman 2’). Its a movie that might make some doubt the superhero genre, but with the sheer amount of superhero films releasing means this one will be written off by most people by years end. Don’t let it tire you out though, we are living in a time where Iron Man, Captain America, and even Ant-Man are on screen and it’s something not many people thought would come.
So sit back and enjoy the spectacle. The golden age of superhero films is in full swing, and it has yet to strike out.
Theater spotlight: The Mayan
February 27, 2016
Just off of North Broadway The Mayan Theater stands out among the convenience shops and loud traffic as an old little gem.
A small, quaint little place that only has three movie screens and a bar. All you need is a love for small, independent films and you’re set.
Being a pretty big cinephil The Mayan is just up my ally. I’ve really only seem about 4-5 films there (Because I don’t live closer), but I’ve never walked out of any of them disappointed. Recently I went and watched the Oscar nominated ‘Room’ and was blown away by it.
The Mayan is small and if you aren’t in the theater down stairs you’re bound to be a little cramped in the top two, smaller, movie theaters. It still doesn’t take away from a great movie going experience.
It was a long way to get this place to where it is today. After almost being closed multiple times it was declared a historical landmark and in 1986 the Landmark Theater group signed a long term lease. It’s been going strong ever since and hosts a wide variety of events that aren’t just recent releases.
Some times they play midnight showings of certain movies (The Rocky Horror Picture Show or Mad Max: The Road Warrior) Even having classic movie showings all throughout the summer, if you can get down to an event or a film i’d recommend it. The Mayan is a small theater with a lot character and looks even better in the evening when the neon is lit up.
My one complaint is the parking. If you aren’t familiar with the area it can get a bit frustrating when every place seems to say “No Theater Parking.” I’ll save you the trouble here. There’s a parking lot right behind a Walgreen’s that’s next door to the Mayan.
Besides that one snag it’s hard to find anything not to like about this theater. If you’re a film fan and love movies, you definitely have to check out this place out if you haven’t already.
Address: 110 Broadway, Denver, CO 80203
Theater’s Website: http://www.landmarktheatres.com/denver/mayan-theatre
The Main Theater in the Mayan
(Source: http://guide.denverpost.com/photos/2008/may/02/mayan-theatre/)
The Entrance to the Mayan at night
(Source: http://denver.cbslocal.com/top-lists/best-movie-theaters-in-denver/)
Think it’s hard to get into pre-screenings? Think again.
February 18, 2016
I’ve heard it from more than one person. How are you doing that? How do you keep seeing these movies so early?
For a long time I thought it was tough getting to these events, but I think you’d be surprised that it isn’t as hard as you’d think. What it takes is patience, fast moving, and an email address.
There’s a few tricks out there that can help you go and see a film before it’s released.
- There are websites out there that offer passes to pre-screenings. The big one is gofobo.com. If you have an email address signing up is free and you’ll receive emails about up coming screenings in your area. Just don’t be discouraged if you get to the email to late. On more than one occasion I’ve missed the chance to get into screenings because all the passes have been redeemed. Stick with it and you just might get into one. Other places that offer pre-screenings are sonyscreenings.com and wbtickets.com. Both are part of the studio and they show movies that are being released by that said studio.
- Newspapers. Here in Colorado The Denver Post is the main place to see these advertisements. They’re usually published on Wednesdays and in the Arts & Culture section of the newspaper. Most of these are connected with gofobo and ask you to go to a website an enter a code to redeem your passes. You have to fast or an early riser in order to score these, but with weekly offers you’re bound to eventually get a pass to one.
- The other way are contests. Newspapers, websites, even Facebook pages give away tickets if can answer a question correctly and get the email to them. Some just give you the link and send you straight to the site to redeem passes. I was able to see ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ and week-and-a-half early because the Denver Comic-Con page posted a link to the screening. I was in the right place at the right time.
Now once you’ve gotten your passes and are ready to see the film remember. Get there early! They send out more passes than there are seats in the theater so it’s first come first serve. They also reserve seats for the press or some special contest winners. So the seating options aren’t always the greatest, but if you get there early enough you shouldn’t be sitting in the front row breaking your neck trying to watch the film. I’d say get there a few hours before the movie starts if you want to get the best possible seating, but it really all depends on the popularity of the film you’re seeing. Me and my sister showed up to a pre-screening of “Avengers: Age of Ultron” 3 hours early and there were still people ahead of us waiting.
So there you have it. These are a few tips I can give you about getting into pre-screenings. It’s not as hard as you’d think. You just have to have patience and don’t expect to get in every time. I’ve also found that the pre-screening audiences are much better than most pack theaters I’ve been in. Even in a packed theater the people at these events are more quiet and respectful. Also it’s kind of cool to brag about it too. Just stick with it and I can guarantee that you’ll be hooked once you walk out of your first pre-screening.