In this episode: John and Titus discuss the polarizing similarities between “The Tree of Life” and “Melancholia”… but that’s where the similarities end.

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In this episode: Titus, Jared, and John discuss their Top 10 lists of 2011 and debate about what they think are the worthy, and unworthy, picks.

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by Ray Velez

Let’s get this out of the way first: “The Thing” (2011) is a good monster movie. It has the scary jump moments, the CGI creature effects, the gore…pretty much everything that would make it a good monster movie. The problem is that, in making it a prequel to an awesome film (John Carpenter’s ”The Thing”), you have asked me to at least expect your film to play by a particular set of rules. Rules that were set up in the 1982 film.

Like I said, this is a good monster movie. But what made the 1982 film so good was that it wasn’t necessarily a monster movie. It was a film that played with paranoia, and when the monster did appear, the practical effects (which will ALWAYS be better than CGI, in my opinion) made you cringe with disgust. This monster was really there. But again, the monster only appeared out of necessity! It wanted to survive, and the best way for that to happen was to lay low until it was called out by Kurt Russell’s magnificent beard! Which I hear can cure cancer, but that’s neither here nor there. In the prequel (or reboot or whatever they are calling it), the monster is almost predatory, spending most of the film giving itself away, hunting most of the crew in its monster form. One of the scenes is reminiscent of the raptors-in-the-kitchen scene in “Jurassic Park”, which is NOT what “The Thing” should be! The people behind this film had an opportunity to make a film on par with the John Carpenter version, dealing with claustrophobia and paranoia. Instead, they just turned it into a loud affair, with very little subtlety.

All that said, the movie was nice to look at. The cinematography by Michel Abramowicz was beautiful, the direction by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. was visually appealing, the script by Eric Heisserer was strong, and the actors were all very good. Mary Elizabeth Winstead takes the lead, with Joel Edgerton as the helicopter pilot, minus any sort of epic beard. The rest of the cast, filled with what I assume are popular Swedish/Danish/Norwegian actors, were all very good, and believable in their roles. The lack of any real stars made it less obvious who was going to perish. And bonus points to the director and writers for having a good portion of the film in Norwegian with subtitles.

The score evoked John Carpenter’s film in some of its score, but again, most of the time just turned into a loud mess. The CGI effects of the monster were good, but the 1982 film still holds up today because of its practical effects. Sadly, this film’s special effects will be outdated in a few years. There were a few questions that I did have throughout this film that kind of bugged me. When Mary Elizabeth Winstead discovers for the first time what the cells of the creature are actually doing, she doesn’t tell anyone except her friend. Why!? Call me crazy, but you would have caught me blaring it over the loud speaker, writing the message in the snow with my own urine, and leaving post-it notes for everyone to find! Also, if this is a Norwegian base, why are most of the items in the background in English?

All in all, “The Thing” (2011) is a good, effective monster movie. I just wish they would have played with more of the elements that made the John Carpenter film such a classic. And though they left the film open to a sequel, I highly doubt we’ll get the opportunity to see it due to this film’s low box office numbers. Sad really, given that when the new Twilight film comes out in a month, it will more than likely break records… I miss the horror films of the 80’s.

A lot of people are unhappy with the changes Netflix has made, but I still think they offer the best service out there (mostly due to their Watch Instantly library). Here’s 10 reasons why:

1. All the Criterion films on Instant. New and old, there’s a lot and they keep adding more.

2. Every season of Mad Men is on Instant. The new season doesn’t start until 2012, you have plenty of time to catch up.

3. Lots of MST3K. Always good for a laugh.

4. Troll 2 and the countless other “so-bad-they’re-good” movies. These are good when you want to host your own version of MST3K.

5. Miniseries, trilogies, and more. If you have the time, these are all worthy marathons.

6. Louie Season 1. It’s the best show on TV right now. If you haven’t seen it, you need to. If you have seen it, watch it again.

7. The New Arrivals for Instant aren’t half bad. Everything from 13 ASSASSINS and HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN to COLD WEATHER and I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS.

8. All seasons of South Park. Still the best animated series out there.

9. The films of Jan Svankmajer. Several of them are on Instant. If you haven’t seen any, it’s time to change that.

10. National Geographic. Whether you want to learn about the Science of Dogs or the World’s Most Dangerous Gang, it’s all there.

Are you keeping your Netflix service? If so, why? If not, what service are you switching to?