Movie Review: Suicide Squad

August 19, 2016 / The No Seatbelt Blog / 4 Comments

Before I saw this summer’s long-awaited and nauseatingly-hyped antihero ensemble movie Suicide Squad, I was having a difficult time processing all of the venom with which the Internet had become flush over it. I’m going to preface my review by stating that although I may be in the minority, I enjoyed the film overall. That certainly does not mean the movie was without its flaws, because there was plenty that the audience at large, myself included, did not like about it. Here I will paint an honest picture of the Suicide Squad – the good, the bad and the ugly will all be analyzed in this review. Continue reading →

Funko Friday: The Joker

October 23, 2015 / The No Seatbelt Blog / Leave a comment

“Some men just want to watch the world burn,” said the great Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth in The Dark Knight. That morbid desire was certainly true of The Joker in that incredible film, and the character’s portrayal by Heath Ledger made you believe that without a shred of doubt. Ledger’s performance as Batman’s nemesis was unexpectedly scary, and is to this day, at least in my book, incomparable. As a self-proclaimed “agent of chaos,” he wanted to bring Gotham City to its knees, if for no other reason than the fact that he could. Everyone knows that the scariest motive for a villain to have for the death and destruction they wreak is no real motive at all, and that concept makes movies such as The Dark Knight so much more fun. Continue reading →

The Joker: The Evolution of a Madman

August 7, 2015September 2, 2015 / The No Seatbelt Blog / 3 Comments

Since the trailer for next year’s Suicide Squad movie has been released, having magnified the uproar following the casting and look of Jared Leto as The Joker, I have decided to examine the evolution of the character in movies in anticipation of the upcoming film. Follow me, Batman fans! Continue reading →

The Dark Night

May 30, 2015September 10, 2015 / The No Seatbelt Blog / Leave a comment

Originally published on 7/24/12 at The Only Podcast That Matters (theonlypodcast.com)

Everyone has now heard about the tragedy that occurred at the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. James Holmes allegedly (I hate to even use that word) opened fire on a crowd of unsuspecting movie goers during the midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises last Thursday night, killing 12 and wounding nearly 60 others. The attack lasted only a couple minutes, but is being called by authorities the worst mass shooting in American history. Dressed from head to toe in military-grade ballistics and protective gear, the gunman carried out what appears to be a premeditated attack with gas canisters and semi-automatic weapons, firing calmly and indiscriminately into the crowd. Some terrified theater patrons ran for exits once they realized the situation was not a gimmick or part of the show, but most dove to the ground to protect friends and loved ones from the hail of gunfire. Continue reading →