Review: "T2 Transpotting" is a Fun Return to a Deranged World

Scene from T2 Transpotting

A lot has changed since Trainspotting was released in 1996. In director Danny Boyle's career, he has had three Oscar nominations, including one win for Best Director (Slumdog Millionaire). He directed the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England. Jonny Lee Miller is now Sherlock Holmes in Elementary. Even Ewan McGregor became Obi-Wan Kenobi in a few Star Wars movies. To say the least, the rough and tumble gang of Scottish drug addicts had quite a career ahead of them. It makes sense then why it was so hard for Boyle to bring the cast back together for a sequel to the breakout indie hit. To say the least, it's a miracle that everyone managed to show up. It's even more surprising then that the performances are great - it's the writing that unfortunately takes some of the good will out of the nostalgically named T2 Trainspotting.

After 20 Years, "Trainspotting" Still Has a Lively and Enduring High

Scene from Trainspotting

There are few opening scenes in 90's cinema with the electricity and iconography of director Danny Boyle's Trainspotting. Without notice, Renton (Ewan McGregor) is running from police as the heavy drums of Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life" accompanies a mantra on how to live a good life. It's something that since has been emblazoned on posters without recognition that the three minute scene's voice over monologue is a subversion. Renton is one of those who didn't get his life together. Instead, he chose drugs. Not because it makes him feel sad, but elated. Over the course of the next 90 minutes, Boyle's adaptation of Irvine Welsh's phenomenal book of the same name took audiences through the world of Scottish junkies that helped to popularize Britpop and electronica while making drugs seem like both the greatest thing in the world, and the absolute worst. Trainspotting is a furious ball of doped-out energy that it creates a natural high that holds up after 20 years.

Nothing But the Best: "Slumdog Millionaire" (2008)

Scene from Slumdog Millionaire

Welcome to the series Nothing But the Best in which I chronicle all of the Academy Award Best Picture winners as they celebrate their anniversaries. Instead of going in chronological order, this series will be presented on each film's anniversary and will feature personal opinions as well as facts regarding its legacy and behind the scenes information. The goal is to create an in depth essay for each film while looking not only how the medium progressed, but how the film is integral to pop culture. In some cases, it will be easy. Others not so much. Without further ado, let's start the show.

"Steve Jobs" Continues to Fail, Drops From 2,000 Theaters

Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs

It has become one of the most gossiped about flops of the Fall. Two weeks after its notoriously underwhelming box office debut, it looks like the worst has finally happened for director Danny Boyle's Steve Jobs movie. The film, once considered to be one of the biggest films of the season, has now been pulled from over 2,000 screens nationwide due to abysmal box office. If this doesn't mark the end of its hold on the Oscar season, then it's definitely going to be one of its strongest detractors. 

The New "Steve Jobs" Movie Bombs at the Box Office

Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs

Every year has their share of movie bombs. In recent months, the likes of Pan have opened to disastrous numbers. While most of the films that fall this fate usually have to do with bad reviews, some good films get sucked in due to less fortunate reasons. This past weekend marked arguably one of the worst box office returns of the year with no less than four new releases being appropriately called a "box office bomb." Of course, these films - Jem and the Holograms, The Last Witch Hunter, Rock the Kasbah - were met with generally bad reviews. However, there's one closely tied to this year's Oscar Buzz that is more surprising than all of these. Director Danny Boyle's Steve Jobs went wide released this week on 2,433 screens. The results weren't pretty.

Review: "Steve Jobs" is a Flawed Yet Captivating Masterpiece

Left to right: Seth Rogen and Michael Fassbender

Ever since the dawn of celebrity culture, the concept of the larger than life individual has always fascinated us. They seem like infallible life forms sent to Earth to entertain while serving no other use. It has been chronicled throughout film history going back to films like The Great Ziegfeld and The Pride of the Yankees. These are films that tell a story that is often stranger than fiction. To a large demographic, Apple founder Steve Jobs is arguably among the largest of the larger than life celebrity; revolutionizing technology and building himself up from nothing on multiple occasions. With the latest film from director Danny Boyle and writer Aaron Sorkin, the story plays like what happens when Dorothy pulls back the curtain in The Wizard of Oz. We see the fractured life of a charismatic man; creating one of the most artful, fast paced looks into acclaim that has been captured on film this year thanks in large part to Michael Fassbender's brilliant performance.

Why Kate Winslet Keeps Her Oscar Statue in the Bathroom

Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet has done a lot over the course of her career. Since coming to prominence for Heavenly Creatures, she has gone on to star in films ranging from art house to big blockbusters, including one of the highest grossing films in history with Titanic. Among her bigger achievements is that she became the youngest person to receive six Oscar nominations. Despite this acclaim, she has only won once, which was Best Actress for director Stephen Daldry's The Reader, in which she played an illiterate Nazi. With this Oscar season looking to be a potential nomination thanks to director Danny Boyle's Steve Jobs, it seems appropriate to hear that she's in the news again. This time, she's talking about where she keeps her Oscar statue: in her bathroom. The reasons are as comical as you think they are.

The Trailer for "Steve Jobs" Introduces an Intense, Sorkiny Take on an Icon

Michael Fassbender

While the project has been long gestating with various snafus in casting, it looks like director Danny Boyle's Steve Jobs is finally going to see the light of day. After 2013 saw a forgettable take starring Ashton Kutcher as the Apple Products founder, the story is getting an update from a classier group of people. With a script by the quizzical Aaron Sorkin, the film is looking to be one of the front runners at next year's Oscar runs. While we have seen a teaser trailer before that provided little, if anything, of value, we now get our first full length trailer with Michael Fassbender in the lead role. The results are quite exceptional.

The Directors Project: #23 - Danny Boyle

Scene from Cinema Paradiso

With the many lists and essays written on the subject of film, there has been one thing that The Oscar Buzz has tried to understand: Who is my favorite of the film world? For 10 weeks this summer, I will be exploring this with a countdown of the Top 50 names based on a numerical ranking of ratings from various sources, the following is a list of directors who rank above everyone else. With occasional upsets, this is intended as both a discussion opener as well as a better understanding of me as a film critic and fan. Please enjoy and leave any comments you have regarding the entry's selection.

Review: "Trance" Shows Boyle Asleep at the Wheel

James McAvoy

One of my most anticipated movies of the year, director Danny Boyle's Trance, may be one of the most disappointing movies that you see this year. Following a fantastic run of films that included back-to-back Best Picture nominees Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours, it almost feels like Trance is NOT a Boyle film, but someone who admires him. On every grounds, it is a mess and is more likely an excuse to experiment visually than anything else. Even then, Trance doesn't feel like a film by a master, but just a collection of images meant to make you have a head rush. Unfortunately, not even that is achieved.

Is "Trance" Able to Get Sci-Fi and Danny Boyle Back into the Best Picture Race?

It has been awhile since we have seen director Danny Boyle foray into cinemas. True, he gave us a spectacular opening ceremony to last year's London Olympics and before that, a stage production of Frankenstein starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller. However, his last film, the gorgeous 127 Hours, was three years ago. Still, as his most recent film Trance is set to debut this week in America, it is time to consider that Boyle may be one of the few that could take the science fiction category and place it into the Best Picture race.