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Sam Flynn's Slog Posts

The American Gun Debate: How Can We Curb Gun Violence?

Last New Year’s Eve, in Florida, a mother shot her daughter to death because she thought she was an intruder. In California, a father killed his son’s bedridden mother, girlfriend and friend before the son wrestled the gun away and killed him. And just Tuesday morning, an Ohio father shot…

7 Movies (And 5 Trends) To Watch Out For In 2016

7. Zoolander 2 Release date(s): February 12 Ah, the Wall Street 2 of comedy sequels. The cultural timing seems right but can it break the comedy sequel curse? Anchorman 2 was supposed to, then missed the mark wide. Skepticism aside, the characters of Derek Zoolander, Hansel and Mugatu (played by…

Fear, Our Old Friend

Dear Readers, 2016 is upon us and that means 2015 is behind us. Last January, I set out to write a blog for a year. I’d become far too insulated during my college years. Time I would have spent reading and writing when I was a teenager, I started using…

Sam’s Top 7 Movies of 2015

7. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation Dir. Christopher McQuarrie (The Way of the Gun, Jack Reacher) Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris, Alec Baldwin, Simon McBurney, Tom Hollander Tom Cruise never fails to entertain and he takes home Sam Flynn’s Imaginary Award for Best…

The Revenant (2015) – Review

I find films succeed or fail on three factors: 1) story and characters 2) filmmaking 3) acting. The Revenant has two and three down, but it’s the film’s failure with one that makes me think the film will be forgotten soon after (or perhaps before?) Oscar night in February. Director…

The Hateful Eight (2015) – Review

The Hateful Eight, appropriately the eighth film from auteur Quentin Tarantino, dovetails his first film, fellow bad-guys-in-a-room thriller Reservoir Dogs with the Western genre with an added dash of Agatha Christie. Together, they combine for a surprisingly-sincere film with a powerful plea for racial tolerance. Like any auteur of Tarantino’s pedigree,…

Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015) – Review

How do you review Star Wars: The Force Awakens? Nobody will read this review to judge whether it’s worth a look. Let’s be honest, if you’re reading this, you’re either a Star Wars fan or my mother. So by what metric do we measure this film, carrying the legacy of…

Dear Republicans, You Need to Evolve, Part 2

(UPDATED: December 8, 2015) Dear Grand Old Party, Hey. It’s me. Listen, I know we don’t get along. At all. The animosity has gotten out of hand at times but who hasn’t forced their roommate to invade another guy’s house based on lies or allowed the bank to short our mortgage knowing…

The Walking Dead 6.8: Start to Finish – Review

Color me underwhelmed by the mid-season finale of Season 6A (such a nerdy series of words) of The Walking Dead. It felt like the episode was meant to be 90-minutes but after the premiere and episode four were similarly supersized, AMC and/or the producers decided against it, opting to go…

Creed (2015) – Review

Creed, like its title character, is a boxer who’s focus is overwhelmingly on legacy – and rightfully so when picking up the torch of the venerable Rocky series. The film bobs and weaves, expertly hitting every emotional right hook and body jab at precisely the right moment. Watching Creed is…