More Transformers Trailer Goodness

I stumbled upon this international Transformers trailer today and just had to share it. This one has even more transforming goodness. Like I said in a previous post, even if this movie is awful, it is still going to be entertaining as hell. Enjoy.

Movie Review - True Romance

True Romance (5 of 5): I got a chance to watch True Romance again over the weekend. The film follows Clarence (Christian Slater) and Alabama (Patricia Arquette) who meet each other and fall instantly in love. When Clarence kills Alabama's pimp, the newlyweds ride off into the sunset with $5 million worth of stolen cocaine. Of course, with that much stolen drugs, the police and the mob are hot on their trail.

True Romance is a very entertaining movie. The screenplay was written by Quentin Tarantino, so that should give you an idea of the energy this film exudes. It is really kinetic and engaging, with scenes of light-heartedness/fun and also scenes of violence/hardship. You are also treated to an all-star cast of great performances. Names like Samuel Jackson, Gary Oldman and Dennis Hopper to name just a few (can you figure out who plays Elvis?). Finally, there are some great action scenes in this film that are built up to explosive levels of tension before their violent and bloody conclusions.

If you want to call it one of Quentin Tarantino’s movies, then it is one of his best – tight, to the point and engaging. True Romance is definitely in a league of its own and can be enjoyed through multiple viewings.

Movie Review - Gangs of New York

Gangs of New York (4 of 5): Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York focuses on the rise of Irish and Italian gangs in New York in the mid-1800s. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Amsterdam, a boy who watches his father, a prominent leader and priest, die in a territorial gang-fight. As a young man, Amsterdam seeks the revenge on his father’s killer, Bill "The Butcher" Poole, played by Daniel Day-Lewis. Along the way he finds love with a street-smart thief played by Cameron Diaz and begins to relate to his father’s killer a lot more than he cares to admit.

This movie is very well done even though it is overly long and contains an unneeded love story. Overall, the cast is exceptional. Daniel Day-Lewis is amazing in this film and gives a frighteningly realistic performance as Bill. Even Cameron Diaz who is not normally associated with movies of this type, really looses herself to the character she plays. The story is very entertaining – typical Scorsese gangster fare, only this time set in the 1800s. I especially like how the politics of the time are so prominently displayed throughout the movie. There is a lot of detail showing how tough, chaotic, frenzied and corrupt life was in the growing city of that time.

Gangs of New York presents an entertaining and engrossing story that really transports you back in history. The sets, characters, story, etc. all feel unique and believable. It is definitely recommended as one of Martin Scorsese’s best films.

Transformers Excitement Builds

I for one can't wait for the Transformers movie to hit theaters on July 3rd. Even if director Michael Bay takes a big steamy dump all over my fond childhood Transformer memories (like the 80's cartoon series and the awkwardness of my friends and I pausing the fight in order to transform our toys during the middle of a heated Transformer "battle") I think I'll still find something to like this movie. I mean, how can you not like a movie with big fucking fighting robots, cars, jets, explosions and Jon Voight? Seriously, this movie is gonna kick ass - I hope.

In order to get everybody pumped up for the film, I want to share this little gem I came across while surfing the web. Now these people are Transformers fans! Check this movie out.

Movie Review - 28 Weeks Later

28 Weeks Later (3 of 5): This movie is the sequel to Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later, but hopefully you knew that since the title of the film is so cleverly thought up. In this movie, we follow the citizens of London as they start to move back into their city after the rage virus pandemic is brought under control. However, when one woman turns up as a carrier of the virus, all hell breaks loose.

I liked this movie. It is a decent follow up to its predecessor, but ultimately not as good. Largely, this is due to my preference of the first movie’s more personal story and almost claustrophobic feel. You could really relate to the characters of the first film and ask yourself what you would do in their situations. Plus, the first movie was a nice new spin on the “zombie flick” which made it feel fresh and new.

In 28 Weeks Later, the film has many more characters and thus feels far less personal. The sequel mostly forgoes a character driven story for more action and more blood. That’s not to say there aren’t some good character moments in this film. The first ten minutes of the movie are frantic and provide one heck of a “holy shit” moment of decision that haunts the characters for the rest of the movie.

28 Weeks Later is a lot bloodier, more violent, and action oriented than the first. I didn’t mind this, but I did find the way they shot the action to be really annoying. The camera is in constant motion and during action/scary scenes it gets really hard to follow what is going on. The other thing that kind of annoyed me about 28 Weeks Later is that there are some ridiculous decisions made by the Army in this movie – stuff that (I hope) would never happen in the real world.

I don’t hold many faults to this film though. It is decent sequel and provides some scary entertainment. Also, this movie is depressing as hell, which is good. Survival horror movies should wear you out and make you feel hopeless by the end. 28 Weeks Later succeeds in doing that.

PS – I wanted to also share a great bit of irony that I noted in my movie experience. Before the movie, I was forced to sit through a five minute long propaganda commercial about why the US National Guard is so great and how much the Guard protects us. Then, I watched the movie and noticed how much the US Army screws up in its protection of London’s citizens (to the point of actually ordering the murder of ALL of the city’s inhabitants!). When the irony of the US National Guard commercial playing before this film about the US Army slaughtering a city’s civilians hit me, I had to laugh.

Rant - Would It Kill You To Clean The Bathrooms?

Call me crazy, but am I the only one who finds it remarkable that my $8.00 movie ticket does not include an attempt at keeping the bathroom somewhat clean? Every time I step foot in these places, the bathroom stalls look like a fresh murder scene. I am so thankful that I have bowels that refuse to evacuate themselves in a public place; especially one so hideous.

Seriously, teenagers will do anything for a regular paycheck, have one of them go in with some Clorox and a mop, and get rid of some of the DNA that covers the walls and sinks. While you are at it, how about making your employees take 5 minutes out of their socializing about who is dating this week's school whore; and go pick up some of the garbage I have to wade through to get to my bacteria-ridden theatre seat?

So next time you are at the local movie theatre, feel free to complain to the theatre manager about the condition of the facility, and thank him for the raging case of herpes you just contracted from the toilet seat. Just because this guy doesn't care what the bathroom looks like, it doesn't mean you do.

Move Review - Blade Trinity

Blade Trinity (2 of 5): Wow! Want to see how to completely kill a successful movie franchise? Just watch Blade Trinity. This film effectively destroys the coolness that was created with the first two Blade movies by giving us a campy follow-up of bad story, bad CGI, bad acting, bad writing, bad comedy and bad fight choreography. I am not going to provide my usual synopsis of the story in this review. It should be enough to know it has to do with the return of Dracula. Sounds cool, huh? Too bad this film absolutely blows it.

I think Wesley Snipes was looking for a quick paycheck with this one because the whole production seems wacko, especially the casting choices. I mean, who puts Ryan Reynolds in a movie like this? He is one of my favorite comedic actors, but his usually funny humor is so uncomfortably forced and out of place in this movie it is pathetic. Parker Posey is awful too and can barely talk with fake vampire teeth in her mouth. There is even a crazy scene of Dominic Purcell as Dracula walking down the street to some sort of music. It plays out like a really bad rap video from MTV and actually made me laugh.

In my opinion, the only thing that even remotely redeemed this movie is the cool costume effects that were used for Dracula. In this day and age of CGI, it would have been easy to make Blade fight a computer generated character. Well, maybe not “easy” for this film’s production team, but you get my meaning. Anyway, I thought it was refreshing to see that an actual costume was created and used. It definitely added to the realism of the character. Oh yeah, and Jessica Biel was easy on the eyes too (thanks for reminding me of that Maverick!).

Ignore this film. The first two Blade movies were entertaining while maintaining a sense of realism and consequence that the the third film forgoes and substitutes with camp.

Movie Review - Cars

Cars (4 of 5): Cars is another great movie from the folks at Pixar Animation Studios. The film is about a brash, impatient, egotistical sports car named Lightening Lightning McQueen that is fast becoming the best race car in the circuit. Then, one night McQueen ends up getting lost in the desert and accidentally tears up the street in a sleepy old town on Route 66. When McQueen is forced to stay in the town and fix the road, he slows down enough to realize that there is more to life than just his own conceited desires.

Cars presents a great story and is fun movie to watch. The animation is of course brilliantly executed by Pixar - both the colors and textures pop off the screen. As in their past movies, there are multiple layers to the story that serve to keep both kids and adults entertained with important life lessons and messages. The voice work is also very well done with no one voice overshadowing the on screen magic - even Larry the Cable Guy.

Cars is not Pixar's best movie, but it certainly ranks among the best of the studio's offerings. If you have not seen it yet, I encourage you to take the time to rent this film and check it out.

Rant - Paris & The Media

I have just about reached a boiling point with this country and the crap media we choose to indulge ourselves with on a daily basis. Yes, I am talking about the current media coverage of the disgrace of a human being, the slime of a life form, the utter worthless sack of skin and bones that is Paris Hilton.

Why in the hell is this chick news?? This is almost as bad as the recent (and still ongoing) Anna Nichole Smith fiasco. Every time I have walked by the TV in my lobby at work over the past two days FOX News' talking heads are discussing Paris Hilton and her early release from jail. It makes me sick.

If anything about this story is news it is that the Los Angeles County Sheriff officials have committed a grievous error by freeing her early and putting her under house arrest to serve the rest of her sentence. Honestly, has this ever happened in the history of the U.S. criminal justice system? If our incarcerated killers get sick like Paris will they get released? I don't think so. It is a terrible double standard that only serves to tarnish the criminal justice system of this country.

People! Get a grip! There are real serious problems in this country and the world that we all need to solve together. How are we supposed to rally around them if our media outlets pour this shit down our throats instead of focusing on the real issues? Now, I know not all media outlets are to blame, but the ones who pander this garbage need to be held accountable. Stop giving them viewership (ratings) when they try and turn this entertainment into news. Life is not a reality TV show! If you stop watching it, then FOX News, et. al will loose advertising dollars and start focusing on topics of importance. If they don't change, then maybe they will go off the air. Who knows, that might even be better.

I don't know about you, but can't wait for Fox's next season of The Simple Life: House Arrest. Don't laugh - you know it is coming.

Movie Review - Knocked Up

Knocked Up (5 of 5): Easily, the funniest movie of the year thus far. The story involves a guy who manages to have a one night stand with a beautiful girl, who is way out of his league. Several weeks down the road she discovers she is pregnant. The rest of the movie revolves around how this pot smoking slacker handles the responsibility of impending fatherhood.

The best part of the film is seeing different elements of yourself in the characters. The characters are incredibly realistic and believable. You could be the hot, career minded woman who slips up, has a one night stand with a loser, gets pregnant, and has no idea what to do with her life. Maybe you are an overweight, video game playing, internet porn surfing, slacker, who has no real idea what he wants to do with life. Or you could be the bitter married couple with kids who fight about everything after realizing the magic is gone, and having kids eliminates a lot of your "options".

Note: This film almost received a 4 out of 5 rating due to one horribly inappropriate scene. When the young woman does finally give birth, the "birthing" is shown in graphic detail. I guess the point was to illustrate the true nature of the event as viewed through the eyes of the over-whelmed father-to-be; either way it was very unnecessary. And I don't want to hear a bunch of crap from people about how beautiful and natural this "Miracle" is. It may be beautiful to you to watch your wife's vagina split open like an over-ripe melon, but not everyone wants to see it. Also, it's not much of a miracle at this point. I think some of the mystery has been effectively solved at this point. It was a miracle when little, sweet baby Jesus was concieved and born. "Miracles" don't happen 288,000 per day. (That's a real stat...look it up.)

Movie Review - The Fountain

The Fountain (3 of 5): The Fountain is a bit of a mixed bag. At its heart, it is a love story, but it also has some science fiction and fantasy elements, which makes classifying the movie as any one particular genre difficult. Unfortunately, I think this aspect hinders the movie from being really good.

The film is presented in three different time periods. Tomas (Hugh Jackman) is a 16th century Conquistador on a hunt to retrieve sap from the mythical Tree of Life for his queen (Rachel Weisz), who is desperate for immortality. In 2005, Tom (Jackman) is a doctor searching for the cure to cancer to save the life of his wife Izzi (Weisz), who is in the final days of her battle with death. Then, many years later, Tom travels through space on a quest to reach the place of tranquility that Izzi spoke fondly of, using the Tree as a device to get him to the answers he needs to finally rest.

The various elements of the story, including time, immortality, love and spirituality form a story that is challenging and demanding to the viewer of the film. Although these elements are a great strength to the movie by making it such a unique film, they also drag the movie down too. In the end I felt that there was very little actual story presented and a whole lot of mildly confusing filler and visual imagery. The story itself needed to be grander to fit the epic scale of time that the film spans. Also, it may frustrate some viewers that the ending is not very clear. There are a lot of different ways that you can fit the various pieces of the movie together based on the ending of this film.

Overall, I liked the Fountain. There are some great performances from both Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. If the story was just a little more clear and well developed and there was more reason to care about the characters plights, I would have liked it a lot more.

Television Review - Extras: Season 1

Extras: Season 1 (4 of 5): One of my favorite writer's and comedic actors right now is Ricky Gervais. I was first introduced to his brand of comedy through the BBC version of The Office, which he co-wrote and starred. When that show ended he he has since co-produced the American version of the Office and co-wrote/starred in The Extras for HBO.

Gervais has great comedic timing, wonderful facial expressions and the perfect wit and sarcasm. He carries all these traits over to Extras, in which he plays a movie studio extra. Each episode follows him and his female friend as they interact with a famous actor/actress. Usually these interactions result in a lot of uncomfortable moments, stupidity, embarrassment, follies and faux-pas.

The show has a lot of elements that make it really funny. Each episode features a different well known actor/actress that shows a personal (although fictional) side of his/herself that seems totally out of whack with their perfectly constructed media image. For example, in one of the funniest episodes of the season, Kate Winslet demonstrates a penchant for sexual innuendo and humor. In another, we see how egotistical and foul mouthed Ben Stiller can be.

All in all, this is a great comedy. Highly recommended for anybody who even remotely thinks The Office or Seinfeld is funny and very highly recommended for those who appreciate dry and sarcastic humor. Check it out and then watch the second season which releases this week on DVD.

Movie Review - Shrek The Third

Shrek The Third (2 of 5): This movie should have been called Dreck The Third because it sucks. I was highly disappointed with this film. Basically, it is about Shrek trying to find an heir to the thrown after Fiona's father dies. He finds out Arthur (as in King Arthur) has family ties and then sets out with Donkey and Puss In Boots to go get him and bring him back. Unfortunately, while they are gone, the happy kingdom is overtaken by Prince Charming in a vie for power.

Anyway, the movie is quite a departure from the first two movies, both of which I really enjoyed. The story is so unimaginative and uninteresting that it actually bored me a few times and I considered a nap. Nothing really happens with the characters. Except for Fiona's pregnancy (which could have been a great movie all by itself) none of the characters are really developed. Everything becomes boring and repetitive and this movie has way too many characters with nothing to do that are making return appearances. I also did not find this film as funny as its predecessors. Although I was never a huge fan of all the pop-culture comedic references in the first two (because it is such easy/lazy humor to write), they are largely missing from the third and the movie actually feels empty as a result. Maybe I was expecting them. Similarly, as much as I hated the Smashmouth theme song (gosh, maybe I didn't like the first two movies as much as I though! :)) this third movie has a very lackluster soundtrack.

Well, if you are a kid I am sure you liked it, but if you are an adult, you should know that there is a lot less entertainment in this film than in Shrek 1 or 2 that will appeal to you. Hopefully this is as bad as the series gets, because guess what folks - we are going to be treated to a Shrek 4 and 5 within the next few years! Gosh, I love sequels!