Upcoming Attractions

These are the upcoming movies that I am getting pumped about:


Public Enemies - This is by far my most anticipated of the summer. It puts together three things I could never get enough of Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral, Last of the Mohicans), Christian Bale (TV's Mary,Mother of Jesus, the voice of Thomas in Disney's Pocahontas) and Johnny Depp (Cry Baby, 21 Jump Street). Putting these three together in a movie should be the cinematic equivalent of solving cold fusion.

I am also a big fan of period pieces that actually try to stay true to form. This will not be a Knight's Tale. Mann shot much of the film in parts of Wisconsin that still have a Depression-era feel.

The female lead is Marion Cotillard, from La Vie En Rose, she should add to the film. Giovanni Ribisi is also in the film and I love everything he does, even his role on Friends, hopefully he expands past his type-casting of "slow person" for this role.

I am a bit concerned,however, due to Mike Mann's last movie, Miami Vice, not sure if I blogged about how horrible this film was. Or about my eternal disappointment of Colin Farrell. Either way, while Mann has created Heat, Last of the Mohicans and the Insider. He allowed the ugly, red-headed stepchild of Miami Vice, out of the basement. I will cringe until I am actually in that movie seat.

Public Enemies is set to be released on July 1st.

Bruno- I really liked Borat. I know that Sacha Baron Cohen is definitely a hit or miss type comedian with most fans, but I think that while his movies are outrageous, he is able to show how absurd some Americans are in real life. Released July 10th.


Inglorious Basterds - Quinten Tarintino's WWII flick. Starting Brad Pitt and Ryan "The Temp" from the Office. I always like Tarintino's stuff so I am expecting the same here. Of course, like everything from the past decade, this is a "re-imagination" of a 70's film that will get absolutely no credit. Debuts August 21st.


There will be more movies to discuss, but this is a short list to start with.

Star Trek

Star Trek was really good. I recommend seeing it in theaters. I give it 7.5 Goobers. Great summer action film. The cast worked out well. The story line was entertaining. Go see it.

25 Years Later...

Now, for the second installment of my 3-part Summer Blockbuster Analysis. Today we will be looking at Terminator Salvation. While I can’t say that I liked the movie that much, I can say it was better than the critical beat down it suffered at the hands of journalists and bloggers. The first I heard of the new Terminator movie was at some point two years ago, probably during a theatrical trailer prior to The Dark Knight. I was initially very skeptical about the project, but kept an open-mind.

Pros:
- Sam Worthington, an Australian actor plays the role of Marcus Wright, who is a human turned cyborg. Go figure he was recommended for the role by James Cameron, the visionary who created the first two Terminator movies. We also share a birthday. Look for his next big role in Cameron’s Avatar
- Nice surprise pseudo-cameo towards the end of the film, that’s all I will say
- Moon Bloodgood is gorgeous
- As always, I get way too excited by trailers, especially this one that features NIN: Deceptive!
- Bale digs deep into roles and the added aggression led to his "freak out" on the Director of Photography...which led to the Youtube Dance Remix

Purgatory:
- Ron Howard’s daughter was neither good, nor bad. Just there.

Cons:
- Weak story. The action scenes did not justify a poor plot.
- Bailing on the R rating for $$$.
- Christian Bale mails in his performance, he blends a little Batman voice, with a bit of weight loss and zero emotion. Very disappointing from one of my favorite actors.
- The story did not utilize some of themes from the original Terminator, the movie did not really highlight on the “chase” aspect of the first two and was also void of humor. Humor plays a critical role to the success of the first two films.
- McG did not do much to enhance the quality of this film, he should go back to directing music videos for Korn

After watching this, I made sure to make it up to my eyes/brain/ears by viewing both Terminator & T2. These two films were created in ’84 and ’91, respectively. It was just a disappointment to think of the 25 years that have passed since the original and this is what McG and co. produce. The original Terminator had sooooo much vision and creativity. This film, similar to T3, was destined to fail due to unrealistic expectations. It reminded me of a darker version of Transformers.

Overall: Wait for Redbox/Netflix…or as a cure for Insomnia in 4 years when it is on Spike TV in the 1am to 3am spot.
Alternative: The third installment will give you one alternative. Another is to rent one of the first two Terminator films, make sure to check for the James Cameron seal of approval.

Terminator Salvation
“The End Begins.”
Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Other People…including annoying Michael Cera knock-off Anton Yelchin
Directed by McG
Written by John Brancato and Michael Ferris (Catwoman & Primeval…should have known…to be fair they did write The Game)
Run time: 115 mins
Shot in: New Mexico

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0438488/
terminatorsalvation.warnerbros.com



5 Goobers. Uninspired.

IXNAY on the XMEN

The movie would have benefited from this actual cat compared to Hugh Jackman.

Well, well, well, I have been forced to come back to the blog due to recent business decisions at my employer. Let’s see, since my last post I have seen quite a few flicks. We have passed through the post-Xmas dead zone and hit the cusp of the summer blockbusters (everyone ready for Michael Bay to explode something(s)?). I can’t really recall what movies I have seen in the past five months to give a solid rating, so I will proceed to what I have seen lately.

3 summer blockbuster/action/extreme/space/robot/metal/blood/death/babes/movies of the past three weeks:

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

This movie was god-awful. I am confident that the script was crafted around fight scenes and then they connected each with childlike dialogue to transition to the next person Wolverine would slice with his claws. Really gripping stuff. I am not even going to venture into the historical inaccuracies or the reason why a Canadian MANimal would decide to fight in every war relevant to America’s interests.

Supporting cast?

- Ryan Reynolds was used sparingly, he was supposed to be DeadPool, but of course Marvel F’s that character up in the end

- Dude from Friday Night Lights, did he have a Cajun accent? Or was that his attempt at a Cajun accent?

- Will.I.Am – this should be your first warning sign

- Liev Schreiber – Seriously? As Sabertooth? This guy? I bet Live is an actor that is really “respected” by other actors, which means he takes things seriously and would never subject himself to….oh wait, how about 3 does of Scream and an undersized man/cat with oversized fingernails.

- Additional support hacks

I just don’t understand how they could take the franchise character and destroy it. The first X-Men movie was very good, the second was an admirable sequel, the third was directed by Brett Ratner…of Rush Hour fame. So I can say that it was on par with the stylistic action/comedy of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. With memorable quotes such as "Logan: Way to go, Furball. " Are you kidding me? Anyway, there are many more reasons I hated this movie, but I can’t think of them. The etch-a-sketch this is my brain has been successfully turned over and shook.

Let’s give it 2 goobers.

Holiday Movie Madness

Jonah Takalua: Puck you, Miss.

Over the break, I saw a large amount of television and movies. Here is a quick run-down:



Movies:

- Role Models - More Apatow, Stifler being Stifler, Paul Rudd goodness, overall OK, about 5 Goobers.

- Ben Button - Pretty good, very long, touches on life and death very "frankly", I was pleased with the outcome...7 Goobers

- Valkyrie - Labeled as a "thriller", however it is hard to maintain a tense atmosphere when the viewer is aware of the outcome, I had a bit of a pity feeling of pressure for Tom "central tooth" Cruise...also can we see something OTHER than a WWII war movie? Please? 6 Goobers

DVDs:

- The Strangers...really creepy at moments, overall fails just as every other horror flick does, Liv Tyler is terrible

TV:

- Summer Heights High - GENIUS! Chris Lilley has studied at the Gervais School of Comedy

- Some Curb - Love Larry David

- HBO's 4-part series, 'House of Saddam', pretty interesting, pretty awesome, worth the four hours


If I had to recommend just one thing from the list...it would be Summer Heights High. I need to get HBO.

DVD Review: The Dark Knight (not Blu-Ray)

This blog was not operational during the premiere of "The Dark Knight." If it was, I would definitely have posted about it. Either way, as I drunkenly watch the DVD, I decided to do my first DVD review.

This movie was boss. As a follow-up to "Batman Begins," the sequel does everything it needs to. First, it is much bigger. Shot in IMAX, more action, clearer fight scenes, bigger villans. Second, the dramatic foil does an OUTSTANDING job, I know that it is the politically correct thing to pull for Heath Ledger for the supporting actor, but I have to.

Heath Ledger was perfect. First of all, he did the Joker his own way, he did not reprise Jack Nicholson's role, he did not copy anything from the comics. Ledger was able to channel the feelings/actions of the Joker. It is uncanny. After watching the movie with a roommate, he stated it perfectly, he does not see Heath Ledger in the role. He did not SEE Ledger, he did not HEAR Ledger. After watching Ledger in "Brokeback Mountain," he made a complete departure to become an insane clown. There is no way I can express my love for this character. I loved what Nicholson did for the Joker, but Ledger captured the character in a current mold. He is a terrorist, psychocatic and a bit of an addict (notice how often he licks his lips).

There were a lot of complaints of Christian Bale's acting. First of all, that is going to happen after seeing how well Ledger portrayed the villan. Also, Bale has nothing to prove after excelling in the original. The director, Christopher Nolan, had the foresight to cast Bale. He saw that Bale could 'fake' the wealthy executive in "American Psycho", Bale portrayal of Bruce Wayne brings a smile to the viewer's face. His Batman voice is a bit comical, but this is a movie based on a comic, lay off.

One of my criticisms of the movie is the way that Nolan rushed Aaron Eckhardt's role. He develops his character in the correct way, but unleashes him too early. Also, the fight scenes are a bit slower, I was one of the few fans that enjoyed the rushed fight scenes. It left an air of mystery. Nolan undoubtedly caved into critics with this display.

The story is just as strong as the first. I also pray that they continue the franchise. It is a bit depressing that Bale will no longer be able to battle Ledger in the future.

As a DVD, the movie really let me down. There is no director's commentary, no deleted scenes. Just some crap on the "Gotham News Network". Pretty shitty stuff. I think they pulled out all the stops for the Blu-Ray verison. Which is just another reason thrown on the giant pile for why I need a new DVD player. If you would like to donate to my cause....please leave a comment. Thanks!

Ledger disappeared into this character, that is the only way to explain it.

OZ

No, not the HBO prison drama that revolved around shanking and shower rapes.  This OZ regards Australia the epic adventure from the wonderful, yet rare Baz Luhrmann (who happens to be an Aussie). 

Australia runs a bit long at 2 hours and 45 mintues, but manages to bring it all together in the end.  It stars Nicole Kidman, Hugh (HUGE) Jackman and a young, talented newcomer, Brandon Walters.

Jackman is without a doubt, in Wolverine shape for this movie.  You can also pick out the 'pre' and 'post' pregnancy scenes of Kidman very easily.

This movie stays true to the EPIC formula:

'A' List Cast + Brillant newcomer + wide-shot cinematography + incredible landscapes + action + adventure + accents + love + sex + friendship + war + explosions + evil dramatic foil + a little comedy + kangaroos = 

EPIC

The government of Australia poured a lot of funding into this picture and are banking on it to save their tourism in a global recession.  The movie ends with a soaring helicopter shot that canvasses a large part of the Outback.  I am sure that was contractually bound to the funding.  Unfortunately the movie has only grossed $20 million dollars.  It also received mixed reviews from critics.

I am going to give this movie 7 goobers.  

It is definitely the best movie I have seen in a while (along with 4 Christmases).  I have been on quite the dry streak with flicks and this pulled me out. 

It was not the best epic I have seen, but there is something unique about Luhrmann's films, especially since he has only directed four.  Luhrmann makes great 'movies' in the traditional sense of the word.  He makes captivating pictures that are made for the big screen.  These are fun movies, but also quality movies.  

The cinematography was perfect, the acting was above average, the plot was a bit meandering, but like I said, finished strong.  

Excuse the rust, I have not blogged in quite sometime.  

IMDB

Rottentomatoes