REVIEW (Kinda): Snakes on a Plane

Hmm, this is a tough review to write. It's probably going to be short. The whole thing could probably be summed up in just one sentence.

Holy fuck, that was amazing.

Think of some random way that a snake could kill someone. Got that image in your mind, nice and vivid. Ok, that is a scene in the movie. Doesn't matter what you were thinking of, it's there. Every classic "jump out at you" trick in the book is there. It's the most rediculous secenario in the world. There are snakes running around killing people on a plane.

It's also the most fun you'll have at the movies in a long time. With every jump, you laugh. The most painful visuals in the world are playing out before you, and it's funny. And Samuel L. Jackson is pure bad-ass. If you thought you were excited cause you heard him say "I'm tired of these mother-fucking snakes on my mother-fucking plane!" then you don't know the half of it. The end of that line, the part you haven't heard, is the best part.

It's fun, it's a great time. Get with your friends and see it. Many times. Start now.

And here comes the part where this is only 'kinda' a review. I'm not gonna rate the movie. If you're analyzing this moving and trying to give it a grade, you've missed the point. It's just pure fun.

BOTTOM LINE: It's fucking sweet

Back Again, Hopefully for Good

I'm all moved in at Purdue, with my decent internet hooked up and going. Hopefully that means I'm back at it for good. Most people that ever read this have probably given up on it by now, but I"m back. So, here we go again.

Batman Begins 2 get Knighted

Woohoo, an update. I had a review of Pirates 2 in the works, but then my laptop got stolen along with the draft I had. Thus far I've been too busy/lazy to re-write, but it might make it up here eventually.

And I'm a little slow in writing this news, but it's cool. The much-anticipated (by me at least) sequal to Batman Begins got it's title last week. In my opinion, it's just plain bad ass.

The Dark Knight

SWEET!! Anyway, really looking forward to that. It made me want to watch Begins again, but guess what. My copy of that movie was in my computer when it got stolen. So my $2500 laptop gets stolen, and just to add insult to injury my favorite movie was inside.

Anyway, I'll stop bitching and let you reflect on the awesome new title for our next Batman movie.

2008 can't get here soon enough.

REVIEW: Clerks II

This is going to be a fairly brief review. I really don’t have very much to say about it. What I do have to say I’ll keep very brief and to the point.

This may be the funniest movie ever made. Period.

I know, I know. That’s a pretty bold statement. Notice I qualified it with the word “may,” to avoid at least a little bit of the certain backlash I’m sure to receive (or would if anybody actually read this thing). And I know there’s some stiff competition, Kevin Smith’s own Dogma qualifies as such. But rarely does a movie make me laugh so hard and so often…and that’s after watching it twice.

But Kevin Smith’s genius truly lies in his amazing ability to make you cry with both laughter and sorrow in the space of only a few minutes. This movie, despite the conversations on ass-to-mouth and Pillowpants the Pussy Troll, has an emotional core and a plot that, while predictable, really does speak volumes about friendship and living your life for yourself.

My main gripe is the acting, specifically the actor that plays the central character: Dante. But this is a man who has been in most of the Kevin Smith movies, and started in a VERY low budget independent production that has founded a rather impressive-sized cult. You can tell he has little experience as his lines are often over…somethinged. It has that fake quality to it, but he’s still the original, and I love that.

All in all it’s another hilarious romp through Kevin Smith’s Askewniverse, and I loved every minutes of it. Should this be the end of that realm, then it’s the perfect note to end on.

BOTTOM LINE: 9.0

I'm Back!!! (Well...Kinda)

Ok, so it's been forever since I've blogged on here. I just did a bit of back-reading, and decided that it's about time to jump back into it, despite the fact that I have three more weeks of mostly-crappy internet. But it's ok, I've decided to brave the one hour loading times at home and mooch on any high-speed I can get my hands on to bring you guys (both of you) that movie news I love to write about. I figure I'm gonna start out by doing some offline-writing and posting that on thoughts and reviews for movies I've gathered over the summer. Maybe get back to that classic movie reviewing I said I'd start but never did.

What better way to kick-off my return with Batman Begins 2 news (no, that's not the real title). As many of you may have heard, and sadly I was WAY behind the times on, the Joker has been cast. And the new Clown Prince of Crime is...Heath Ledger. I know, I know, that may have blindsided many of you as it did me. Where's the Paul Bettany or Lachy Hulme? But despite all that talk of those names, looking at Ledger I think it could work out. And I certainly don't doubt his acting.

Anyway, it's late as hell and I've screwed up my leg, so I'm gonna hit the hay. Tomorrow, the blogging begins anew. Later.

REVIEW: X-men: The Last Stand

I know, I know, I havn't been posting much lately. This summer is going to be a bit of a hiatius cause of my job and lack of high-speed internet. I'll try and post now and again, but we'll see how it goes.

But right now, it's time for my newest review. X-Men: The Last Stand was a movie with perhaps the highest potential of any comic book movie made thus far. That is why this movie is perhaps the biggest disappointment of any comic book movie made thus far. And this is coming from someone who never read or knew about the Pheonix Saga prior to X2. From the pure awe and astonishment of my friends, unable to say anything other then a faintly whipered "Pheonix," upon seeing that shadow under the water, I knew X3 could be the most kick-ass film specticle ever witnessed by man. Ok, so the potential is a bit of an exaggeration, but my friend's reaction was not.

So you are going into a movie with the basis of one of the best comic storylines of all time AND you throw in the premise of a "cure" for mutants. Wow, that sounds awesome.

And it could've been. That's the thought that is going to haunt movie goers for years to come.

Instead what has been presented to us is a mediocre script and poor direction. The script at least provides room for some very moving and intense emotional scenes. But the setups are poor and the development worse. Characters are killed off or losing their powers, and not all of them are minor characters. There are characters we've come to love after the first two installments, and yet when their taken from us Ratner manages to not let us care. My girlfriend really liked the first two movies. If a major character (and often minor characters too) dies tragically and she doesn't so much as shed a tear, then it was handled very poorly.

That's not the say the movie a complete failure. When the action gets going, it really kicks ass. But action alone isn't enough to make up for poor storyline. So many characters are just tossed aside carelessly, and when the movie wraps you kinda look back on it all and think "where the hell did that come from."

Ratner was completely careless with the amazing gift that was given to him. He was handed an incredibly solid foundation to build upon. He had been given an excellent story and character the world already knew and loved. All he did was completely disconnect from his fan base and push the X-Men out of our hearts. I wanted to care, I really did.

Ratner, this movie would have been a lot better if it was the first outing. But you'd been handed a prepackaged success, and you threw it away.

BOTTOM LINE: 4/10

MEG Concept Art

The novel MEG is a lot like how Michael Crichton would've written Jaws. A Megalodon, a lot like a shark only extinct now, is discovered by the scientest who was a laughing stock cause he suggested they may still exsist. Said monster proceeds to eat people, boats, whatever. It was an entertaining and quick read, and could be an entertaining monster movie if handled well. So far, so good. The concept art released thus far looks awesome. I'm hoping it will end up a cool summer movie reminding us of the good old days when Jaws ruled the water. However, cause Rush Hour 3 is costing so much to film, MEG is probably being pushed back 'til 2008.

Miami Vice Trailer

I'm getting a little bit excited about this movie. Miami Vice takes the cops from the old TV show and places them deep undercover in modern day, well, Miami. Looks like a pretty awesome flic from where I'm standing. The new trailer at Apple is linked to above, or check it out here.

It's About Time...

...that I posted on here again. Classes are over and I've gotten over my Blogger overload from Monday and Tuesday. So, here and I'm posting again.

...that they approved an Indy 4 script. Lucas says the script is complete, and it's "completely different...It's still got a lot of action, and it's still very funny. I think it works like crazy." Hmm, the 'works like crazy' part is a little odd, but I'm psyched. You know what that means. That's right, it's time to find the Indy DVDs discounted somewhere and own them myself.

Sorry for the Lack of Updates...

...but I've had my plate full recently. This weekend was studying for tests. Blah. Yesterday and today I've been really really busy with my Tech Blog . It's E3 time, which means lots of big game news, and a surprising rush of other stuff too.

If you're interested in gaming, it's worth the stop over there. If you're just looking for movies, I'll be posting more on here shortly.

Tweek Recommends for the Week of May 8-14

Here's the rundown: I take a gander at the upcoming releases for the week, and select one wide and one limited release film. I'll give you a short synopysis of the film and its cast, and why I think it's a winner. Even if the list of options really blows, I'll give you at least one for those of you who just HAVE to see something THIS weekend. Don't worry, if I think even my top choice is going to suck, I'll tell you.

Wide-Release Film
Poseidon- Josh Lucas, Kurt Russel, Richard Dreyfus. A big boat is hit by a wave and flips over. The captain orders all to stay in this one big upside room and wait for help. But a small group of survivors ignores him and makes their way up to the top of the ship as it fills with water. Each has their own motivations for this insubordination, and the characters are all very deep and diverse, leading to many clashes as they learn to overcome their differences and find true strength within (yadda, yadda, yadda). Seems to be ok, other then the fundimental problem of the giant wave. Tsunamis don't make waves until they're near shore, that's what makes the wave seem big. On the ocean, you'd probably neve even notice it. Enjoyable if you can get over the impossibility of the basic premise.

Limited-Release Film
Dead Man's Shoes- Yahoo! Movies:

Richard and younger brother Anthony return to the drugs and gang-ridden hometown they left eight years before. They set up camp in the hills overlooking the town, reminiscing over their shared past. But, they're not here to reminisce. Richard is here for revenge.

Looks like an exciting revenge flic. Could be worth it, particularly for supporting the lower-budget crowd.

Enjoy your week at the movies.

Weekend Box Office: Praising My Followers

Way to go! Mission: Impossible III made it to number one this week, despite a surprisingly week opening of $48 million(M:i-2 made $60 million and had horrible reviews while M:i made only $45 million). Way down in second place was R.V., a recent #1, making only $11.1 million. An American Haunting rounded out the top three, earning a paltry $6.4 million in its opening week.

Good job, keep up the good work. Together, we can make movies excellent again.

REVIEW: Mission: Impossible III

J.J Abrams, you have mastered the art of suspense.

From the opening scene, Mission: Impossible III sets the adrenaline going and doesn't quit. The acting in this film are superb (Simon Pegg, I love you even more then I did after Shaun of the Dead), the plot is comprehensible while not overly simple, and the action never stops.

For two hours and ten minutes, since the first scene, my girlfriend sat there squirming and jumping and freaking out. About halfway through, after asking her repeatidly why she was reacting so intensly to the movie, I managed to get "It's scary." After the movie, I asked her to elaborate. "It's not scary in the frighting way, but scary in the way that your heart is constantly beating four times faster then it should."

That's the perfect description. The tension in the movie is immediately there, and it doesn't let up until the credits roll.

Which brings me to my first complaint about the movie. It was almost too much. At some points you feel like you really needed a break, just for a minute or two. Simply watching the movie is a real emotional drain.

My second biggest complaint involves the excellent acting. Philip Seymour Hoffman, either stop acting so damn well or ask for a bigger part. As the bad guy, I absolutly hated this man with a passion cause I belived every threat he was making. He was one scary dude; it was perfect. But there wasn't enough. He was so amazing in that role that I really wish he'd gotten about double the screen time.

My final complaint is...the plot. Like I said above, it is easily understandable while not being overly simple. But, particularly after having rewatched M:i and M:i-2 in the last couple days, some of the plot twists do seem a bit repetitive and predictable (hmm, what element does every M:i movie use to "surprise" the audience). And the plot itself didn't seem to set up its twists very well. They happened, but I didn't have the shock effect that should have been there. It was more like "oh, lookie there." Of course they may be related to the non-stop adrenline rush. The high level of tension throughout the movie makes it difficult to set up those moments effectively.

Now comes the inevitable: which of the movies in the trilogy is best.

M:i:III easily beats its immediately predecessor, M:i-2. The second installment left me thinking "you've got to be kidding me." They reused the mask trick about a million and a half times and that got quite tiring. The motorcycle chase scene managed to run beyond cool and into the realm of the absurd (particularly the part where they both jump off and collide in mid air, someone should've seen and stopped that scene from being made). Ultimately I thought part 2 was enjoyable, but only a great movie if you could step out of thinking mode for a couple hours, which shouldn't be necessary.

Comparing part 1 and 2 is, I belive, ultimately impossible. They are two very different movies. The original involved no elaborate gun fights and little in the way of fight sequences. The action that was there was well done and classic, but it was a very plot-driven movie. And that plot was superb. Watching it as a little kid it took me a lot of viewings to finally figure it all out, but that is one movie that twists and turns every second and a half. The best part of it is that in the end, almost no one is aware that any of the events of the movie actually occurred. It's a spy movie in which the characters are all shadows and do their job without anyone's knowledge. Both of the other installments move away from this genre and become action movies. What I like about M:i:III is that it combines the two to create an action movie that stays truer to its namesake then part two did. There's the "super secret spy" concept along with the "go in guns blazing" sequences.

This is a beautiful piece of cinema for every action/spy fan. If you like action in ranges from James Bond to Rambo, this is a movie you can't afford to miss. While the plot can be a bit repetiive and the action almost too non-stop, it's the perfect summer blockbuster, and one hell of a way to kick off the season.

BOTTOM LINE- 8.5/10

Old School Star Wars!!

Having been raised by my parents, I've grown up with an appreciation for originals and classics, and untainted, unaltered art. That's why I got pretty pissed off when I saw Haden Christensen sitting there in ghost form smiling at Mark Hamill instead of David Prowse at the end of the recent DVD release of Return of the Jedi. It definately wasn't the same Star Wars I first saw when I was a kid, taped off of television and fast-forwarding through commercials. It wasn't the same Star Wars we finally bought on box set one year for Christmas. All the stuff added in made it something different. You don't change a classic just cause you have the technology. You DON'T change a classic. It's just....wrong.

Well, I can be happy now. starwars.com just announced that it plans to make the original, untainted Star Wars Trilogy available on DVD beween September '06 and New Years Eve. You will only be able to get each movie individually, not as a set. And the DVDs will actually also have the 2004 "remastered" version, with "as bonus material, the theatrical edition of the film."

Anyway, good news for me, my family and, according to the report, "a truely countless number of fans."

Batman Begins 2: Goyer and Nolan Speak...

...kinda. Ok, I'll be honest. They really didn't have much to say other then that "they have come up with a great story for the sequel." Said comments were made at the Saturn Awards, where Batman Begins won Best Fantasy Movie, Best Actor (Christian Bale) and Best Writing (Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer). You can check out the brief video and article at IESB.net.

Movie Studios, Why Must You Make Me Spite You So

So, I'm in love with my MacBook Pro. Even more so with Boot Camp, because now I have a small partition for gaming and other such Windows-only activities. One of these activites that excited me recently was the realization that I can finally look at DVD-ROM content available only to Window's users (my previous PC didn't have a DVD-ROM drive). So, after today's purchase of Mission Impossible and Mission Impossible 2 I decided to try and get into some of the DVD-ROM content on the later.

So, I pop in my shiney new M:i:II disc, and guessy what I get. A program installation notice to the effect of "In order to get the goodies, you have to install the program we want you to install." It's a very nice sounding program called PCFriendly. I do a quick Google search and get about a thousand hits title "PCFriendly Enables DVD Backchannels." For those of you who don't know what this means (as I was previously unaware), it boils down the the program opening up back doors into your computer so it can send out all of your personal information and computer use habits without being caught by spyware, firewalls, and most other security devices.

I filled out some bogus information and was going to try and go ahead and look at the content and see what the program might have had to offer, but there was some error and the DVD wouldn't play. So, looks like Ethan Hunt is going to have to be viewed sans DVD-ROM features for the rest of eternity.

But, I have quite a DVD collection if I do say so myself, and so I grabbed another I knew had "interactive content." American Pie got to be attempt #2. Yet again I have to install their software. But it's something different: InterActual Player. Hmm, that sounds familiar. Oh wait, I remember why. It's because the liscense agreement for PCFriendly said it was related to InterActual Player. So now the movie studios are trying to two seperate programs, both of which have the save DVD-playing cover, to moniter my activity and sell it to the highest bidder. InterActual Player tried to get tricky on me too. It makes you enter in your ZIP code and age range. There's a couple other tabs with various information. One has their Privacy Statements and checkboxes next to statements declaring the computer user's agreement to share their personal information (both of them set to be checked by default and hidden where most users won't even notice their exsistence). I of course uncheck this and proceed to browse to the other tabs, seeing what else there is (not much of note). I stumble back onto the tab with the checkboxes. Lo and behold, they've magically decided they want to be checked again. That has to be illegal in some way or another.

In the end InterActual Player really didn't offer anything of value. I'll stick to watching DVDs on my OS X parition. The quality is SOOOOOO much better then anything I've seen on the various PC options (VLC, Windows Media Player, other various and often spyware related other players).

Hollywood, I love movies. So why must you make me spite you so. I really do want to get along. You gain very little by forcing people to jump through these hoops. I understand and can even completely support content available only on a computer, and even content that requires some common and non-spyware related plug-ins or programs. But what you're doing is just shameful.

So, what you should start doing is integrating content that will play on any standard DVD playing software. If I can hit button on the menu that says "Play Movie" on the computer and then proceed to watch the movie, I should be able to hit the button that said "DVD-ROM Content" on the same computer using the same program and proceed to watch the DVD-Rom content. I would even support the studios rallying behind or creating a new DVD playing program (but just one, none of this crap having multiple programs that are really all the same thing and even related to each other) that supports this extra content and doesn't invade user privacy. A DVD playback program should do just that. All you're giving me is spyware that happens to also play DVDs.

REVIEW: Doom

EDIT: This is rather long, so I'll sum up for those how don't want to read. Terrible flic. it doesn't know what kind of film is and doesn't do anyting it tries to do well at all. Don't waste any time or money on this movie.

This is not a Doom movie. This is a movie that strives to be a monster movie, a zombie movie and a regular ole action flic that slaps on a video game title to sell tickets. Unfortunately, it fails in nearly all of these respects, and the end result is a string of nonsense and poorly connected plot points.

The film does sport plenty of action, but even that manages to be rather bland and rediculous. Some of the set ups are too obvious and distract from what little credibility this movie might have ("'It's a holding cell.' 'How do you know?' 'The walls are electrified.'" Hmmm, electrified walls, I wonder where this is going eventually).

It begins as a horror/monster flic without any monsters. It opens with the monsters not being seen but killing people (per usual), wastes no time in getting our marines in there where the monsters are, but still doesn't allow us to actually see any monsters until about 45 minutes into the film. This 45 minutes is very poorly spent, too. Unlike most moster flics that wait to reveal what's in the shadows, they completely skip any sort of suspensful build up and only provide minimal character development. Instead what is presented is a bunch of scenes showcasing that we have a group of really trigger happy soldiers who want to try to look relaly cool in their uniforms with their guns. They fire and/or jump at about 20 different things that are not monsters and should not be fired and/or jumped at, making this standard gag enormously overused and leaving the audience begging for our heros to actually A. see an actual monster or B. learn to actually hit something with those guns. Their aim is terrible for being highly trained military men. When you see a doorway with a thing inside it, you should see bullets hit something besides the doorframe. I mean, I could do that. Oh, but wait, that would mean no flashy sparks all over the place. My bad.

So you finally see a monster, and the movie abruptly stops being much of a monster movie. You still have a few instances where you get the "OMG, what's in the shadows!!!!" crap, but mostly you see a continued series of "we see something. It's big and fast and running away and we really can't shoot very well, so lets run after it until we all magically meet up again somehow having lost the monster, only for it to come back in about 30 seconds and we kill it then. But we can't kill it until after it's picked off at least one of our men."

So, after this tiring procedure, the movie alters yet again into a zombie flic when we learn that somehow, our dead friends are becoming these creatures. Don't ask how, 'cause it's a painfully horrible plot point that's a really tough pill to swallow. And that's after swallowing the horse pills that are the rest of the plot holes in the movie.

Oh, it gets worse. Read on only if you plan on never seeing the movie, which is my recommendation. For those of you who wish to skip the spoilers, I'll put an "end spoilers" mark below.

**SPOILERS**

So, we learn that on ancient Mars (where the movie is set), there was a civilization that had these superhumanish kinda people because they had an extra set of chromosomes, and this lab is set up to figure out how that worked. They managed to extract these chormosomes and inject them into somebody. This person didn't turn into a superhuman, but a monster (one of the very monsters plaguing our troops).

Our lady protoganist, a scientist for this company doing the research on Mars, figures out that somehow this extra set of chromosomes can tell if a person is fundamentally good or evil, and it suggests that it does so by reading the 10% of the human genome that apparently haven't been figured out (the "blueprint to the soul" they call it).

Suddenly, Sarge (The Rock) is saying every civilian should die. There's a tense moment when he shoots one of his own squad for insabordination and a slight stand-off ensues. This failed to be comprehensible, because this isn't at all how Sarge was portrayed before this point in the movie. It is a character they could have developed, but instead he seems like a decent military guy until this completely unforseen twist. If they wanted to do this with the character, they needed to ease into the sudden extreme actions he takes. Unfortunately, this had the potential to be the most intreguing part of the movie despite its poor development, but the stand off is interrupted and the script writers are saved from having to write a good resolution for this conflict by an intruding monster.

Well, when a bunch of infected civilians attack, Sarge is dragged into their mass, our lady protagonist's brother who happens to be on Sarge's squad is hit by a ricotched bullet from his own gun (I told you they sucked at shooting) and is bleeding to death. So sister/scientist injects him with the missing chormosome knowing that despite all the people he's killed with the marines he isn't a killer at heart and will be fine. Not sure what exactly genre this part of the movie fits into, but it certainly doesn't fit into any of the above or below, so it counts as it's own.

Of course he becomes a superhuman. Sarge however, as revealed in that confusing and abrupt stand-off shortly before, is evil and is becoming a monster. The two fight and the movie ends as a pretty run of the mill action movies. Sarge hasn't actually turned into a monster yet, you just are supposed to know it's coming. So it's actually still just two humans fighing each other: first with guns, then with the standard "Wait, let's settle this the old fashioned way" hand-to-hand combat that any action movie with a clear good guy and bad guy ends. The main problem with this is that Sarge wasn't a bad guy less then 30 minutes ago, and this other dude seemed like just a slightly more developed side character.


**END SPOILERS**

This movie tries to open like a monster movie, build like a zombie movie, rise to full climax like some kind of hero story, and resolve itself like a standard action/kung fu flic. It fails miserably at all points. Instead of picking a direction and going with it, the powers that be instead tried to peice different genres together. C'mon you guys, you could've at least tried a blender to get all four going together at the same time. The plot is terrible and has more flaws then I've ever seen in a movie. The plot twists aren't the sudden suprises that make a movie great, but the confusing transitions from one genre to the next that are all ultimately cheezey and wholey unbelieveable (and that's coming for a fan of The Matrix).

My final beef with the flic: the title. As far as I could tell, this movie had absolutly nothing to do with the Doom video game series. It had the BFG, a brief use of the chainsaw (again, rather confusing and poorly thrown in there), the character Sarge, and it took place on Mars. I think that's about it. Oh yeah, and the brief section (poorly thown in and poorly created) that takes place like an FPS video game; it was a sequence that may have sounded good on the drawing board, but the filmmakers really should have seen how crappy it was and left it out. Although I guess if they did that for the rest of the movie, there wouldn't be a movie.

BOTTOM LINE: 2/10

Aflick is the New Kirk

Wow, busy day for movie news. JJ Abrams is producing Star Trek XI, but may or may not be directing, and is apparently set to talk with Ben Aflick to star in the film as either Kirk or "some other nameless protagonist." Not sure what to say about this. Could be good, could be bad. Just have to wait and see.

Wolfgang Talks: Ender and Bat vs Supes

Director Wolfgang Peterson (Enemy Mine, Air Force One, Troy) has announced in an interview that the next film he plans to tackle is conversion for the ultra-popular sci-fi book Ender's Game. "We're getting the script in a few weeks, and if everything goes fine and that script goes in the right direction, it could indeed be my next one." As for Orson Scott Card's infamous boy genious, over 1000 kids will be auditioned for the role.

After the complete failure that was Batman and Robin, it appeared for a while that the Dark Knight's only hope for getting back onto the silver screen was in a Batman vs. Superman incarnation. However, with the new projects for these two characters individually, that was put on hold. The success of Batman Begins and the level of anticipation for Superman Returns has merely seemed to provide support for both camps on wheter or not their combo flic should be made in the near future. Regarded as one of the best sources for Batman movie news on the web, Batman on Film has aruged that the success of the two movies thus far has invigorated the characters and brought new life to their individual franchises. However, countingdown.com has reported that both Charles Roven and Christian Bale, Begins producer and star respectively, have claimed that, while on the back-burner over at WB, the movie is still likely to occur.

And if it does, Peterson is likely to direct. "I love the concept very much. It might happen, but it might also happen when I'm 85. Who knows, because they first have to get their Superman [Returns, which opens June 30,] going". He also said that, even if he's 85 when it finally happens, he'd love to do it.

Personally, I think it could work, but they'd have to tread carefully. In my opinion, Batman kicks so much more ass then Superman, but that's mainly because every battle has been practically handed to Superman cause of his powers. According to the Batman vs. Superman comic series, Batman has a kryptonite ring tucked away in his cave, just in case. Anway, ponder. I know at least one person that is going to be very excited about the Ender's news.

Couple More Big Trailers

Earlier I pointed ya'll to the new Superman Returns trailer. Now I've got two more for you.

I loved Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, but wasn't to excited about the sequel. I think the new trailer for it has changed my mind. Looks pretty sweet. I didn't think the sequel could possibly live up to the original, but it appears Disney may not let us down (for the first time in a long time). EDIT: The previous link seems to have downgraded the quality of its trailer. here is a different mirror.

Also, I earlier pointed you to the French release of trailer for Casino Royale. Here's an offical English release of the trailer. You can actually hear what's going on now. It ALSO looks pretty sweet. Later.

Supes Trailer Live

Despite my general lack of excitement about this movie, this helped that apathy fade just a little bit. Check out the new trailer for Superman Returns here. It runs right at the standard 2.5 minutes. Enjoy.

Tweek Recommends for the Week of May 1-7

Here's the rundown: I take a gander at the upcoming releases for the week, and select one wide and one limited release film. I'll give you a short synopysis of the film and its cast, and why I think it's a winner. Even if the list of options really blows, I'll give you at least one for those of you who just HAVE to see something THIS weekend. Don't worry, if I think even my top choice is going to suck, I'll tell you.

Wide-Release Film
Mission: Impossible III- Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames. Cruise has quit active spy duty and is instead training new IMF agents. But, of course, he's brought back into the game to take the new baddy, Hoffman. General ass-kicking, physics defying and s$(t blowing-up ensues. Looks to be an awesome action flic.

Limited-Release Film
The Proposition- Guy Pierce, Emily Watson, John Hurt. According to Yahoo! Movies

Cave's 19th-century tale begins with the proposition of the title, as Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone) captures fugitive brothers Charley (Guy Pearce) and Mikey Burns (Richard Wilson) at a scene of bloody rape and murder. Informing Charley that he must kill his older brother, Arthur (Danny Huston), in order to be set free, Stanley drags Mikey to a decrepit jailhouse while he waits for Charley to carry out the deed.

Cool, cool. Enjoy your week at the movies.

Weekend Box Office: Praising My Followers

You all listened to me, with R.V. and United 93 coming in first and second respectively, exactally the two I recommended. While the mostly uninspired Robin Williams Comedy R.V> is likely to lose big bucks this week, I hope those of you who havn't seen United 93 will do so eventually. It's completely without politics and bias, at least as much as a movie can be. It is strickly facts with no embellishing or dramatizing. If they could make a documentary of that day consisting of only those few hours, that would be this movie. Anyway, good job my following, keep up the good work.

Casino Royale Trailer

Check out the trailer to Casino Royale over at You Tube. I'm inclined to disagree with Mr. JoBlo this time, and I have to say I'm stoked about this movie. I wanna see some old school Bond again. Anyway, head on over there and watch. Unfortunately you won't be able to understand any spoken word on the trailer cause it's in French. Still, enjoy.

Casion Royale poster

Got the heads up over at JoBlo.com that the official teaser poster for the next 007 flic Casino Royale has been leaked. Check it out below. It looks...stylish, which seems to be what I'm getting from a lot of the film. More stylish then Mr. Bond has been in his more recent installments. Enjoy.

ANOTHER Iron Man Scriptwriter

Go to any movie news site (JoBlo.com, for instance) and do a search for Iron Man. You're likely to find results detailing movie production status going back for years. Greg's Previews over at Yahoo! Movies has entries dated back to September 2001, detailed a long period of time in which Tom Cruise seemed likely to nab the starring role. More recently, there was a script review for a version that seemed to be a Hulk all over again.

Well, here we go again. Jon Favreau has been signed by Marvel to direct and co-write yet another new version of Iron Man and the film has become a "top priority." Favreau doesn't have an outstanding list of credentials. He directed Elf and Zathura: A Space Adventure, as well as wrote and acted in Swingers. Still, nobody can start out with a big name, and I hope the guy can finally get this movie on its feet.

Tweek Recommends for the Week of April 24-30

Here's the rundown: I take a gander at the upcoming releases for the week, and select one wide and one limited release film. I'll give you a short synopysis of the film and its cast, and why I think it's a winner. Even if the list of options really blows, I'll give you at least one for those of you who just HAVE to see something THIS weekend. Don't worry, if I think even my top choice is going to suck, I'll tell you.

Wide-Release Film
RV- Robin Williams. Robin and his dysfunctional family go for a road trip in an RV, and we can all see where this is going. Williams is great, and usually puts on a good show, but this movie overall looks pretty unspired. I'm only moderately recommending it.

Limited-Release Film
The Lost City- Andy Garcia, Dustin Hoffman, Bill Murray. According to Yahoo! Movies:

During the Cuban Revolution of 1958-59, the three brothers of the Fellove family are ruined: brother Luis supports Castro as a clandestine terrorist and is killed by the forces of Batista; brother Ricardo joins Castro's forces as a freedom fighter and kills himself when he realizes that Castro is just another power-hungry dictator; and wary brother Fico, a nightclub entrepreneur, stays apolitical during the Revolution and sees his life's work confiscated by Castro's puritanical and acquisitive goons.

Sounds intreguing. And it's nice to see some big names taking part in smaller films. I respect that. Acting shouldn't be just about the money. They should do it cause they love it.

Footnote
I could not in good conscience recommend Flight 93 to you guys this week. For those who don't know, it's a movie about the plane that didn't make it to DC on 9/11 and crashed in a field. I completely respect the opinion of those who think it's too soon or simply don't with to relive it. That said, I heard the early review by Ebert and Roper, and they say nothing is dramatized at all. You don't learn any back story for any of the characters, there's no big moments of suspense. The movie starts, and what you get is a nearly real-time representation of events without exploiting or dramatizing the story. You see what these people did in these 2 hours, not what they've done their entire lives. If you were thinking about seeing this one, I say you should.

Scolding My Followers

I'm officially telling you guys to stop seeing Scary Movie 4. It only dropped one spot this week to #2 at the box office. What did manage to overcome to take the first place last weekend was Silent Hill. No real surprise there, as any decent horror movie seems to get first lace for at least a week, and this one looked more then decent. My pick, The Sentenial made it to number 3. C'mon you guys, you have to do better then that. Though I have to admit, there was some tough competition this week.

Sorry for this being so late. Blogger has been giving me some fits.

Some...Odd Narnia Plans

Plans for the future of The Chronicals of Narnia series were recently outlined in "Entertainment Weekly." The next installment in the seris is going to be Prince Caspian, a rather short book that is proving difficult to adapt and may be pushed until Winter of 2008. After that, the studio is going to make The Voyage of the 'Dawn Treader' and The Silver Chair, creating "an interlocking trilogy that will be shot in that order." So, books two, four, five and six are going to be made, with one, three and seven left out in the cold for now.

Star Trek XI Begins It's Journey

Paramount has hired the co-creators of "LOST," JJ Abrams and Damon Lindelof, to direct a new Star Trek film. Abrams will also write the film with his co-writers from M:I:III. Paramount wants a release to be ready in two years time. This movie is going to go WAY back, and focus on Kirk's early days at the Academy. I've read a script review for a Trek film of this premise. Warning, there are **SPOILERS** in the review.

My opinion of the review: eh. I'm a Star Trek fan, and the reviewer says the movie really captures the essence of the Star Trek spirit, whatever that means. But the storyline failed to really grab me or give me any, "THAT ROCKS!!" moments. What it did have was a lot of cheese-ball, Hollywood only meetings and chance encounters. Still, Abrams is one hell of a story teller, and I'm willing to give him a chance. I'll keep you posted.

Thermopylae + Sin City = F*$^%ng Sweet

I browsed back a bit to see if I'd mentioned this, and realized that I dropped the ball. So, here it is. Those responsible for the kick-ass blood fest that was Sin City are making about movie about the infamous Battle of Thermopylae. For those that don't know this tale (probably my fav historial account), a Spartan army realizes it's doomed against the thousands upon thousands (an estimated 2.6 million fighting men, plus support. Some more reasonable estimates extrapolated from earlier accounts of the same man who gave the 2.5 mil number place this number between 500,000 and 1.5 million) of invading Persians. They run back to warn the main forces and organize a defense, leaving 300 elite Spartan troops and a few older men from other nations behind the delay the invading force. These 300 took a stand in a narrow passage between a sheer rock face and a straight drop to the ocean, a pass "so narrow two chariots could barely move abreast. So 300 men against at least a million. 300 men with nothing to do but stare death in the face and hope to delay it long enough to save their country.

Here's where it gets good.

After scouts saw how small the Greek force was, and their naked calestinics, Xerxes (leader of ther Persians) figured they'd just disband, and hung around for 4 days. On day 5, the battle began. The greeks went wall to wall shields, long spears pointed out. This was enough to prevent short spears and arrows from doing any good. Persian armor was also relatively light, which made those long spears good weapons against those who cam in close enough. The Greeks would fake a retreat, then turn around right back in formation. Ancient historians said that the Persian arrows blotted out the sun, but they still got their asses kicked. On day two, Xerxes sent his Persian Immortals to take care of business. The Greeks cleaned their clocks. Things were looking good. The narrow pass made it impossible for the Persians to take advantage of their large numbers, and the Greeks just plain kicked ass. It was looking like this laughable force of 300 soldiers had a shot at winning.

But, of course, there's a bastard in all this. The truely great stories never have the simple good vs. bad conflict. The superb stories also deal with decent from within. A Spartan traiter snuck out and informed the Persians of a secret passage through the mountain that lead around behind the Spartans. The Persians exploited this knowledge, surrouned the enemy, and it was all but over. Still, even when their leader had fallen, the Spartan army fought to the last man to protect his body rather then surrender. Every last Spartan fought to the death, never giving in even when all was hopeless.

The battle was enough for Greece to rally an opposition and ultimately drive out the Persians, using the bravery shown at Thermopylae as inspiration.

Enter Frank Miller, graphic novel writer (Sin City, Batman: Year One, The Dark Knight Returns).

300 is the story of those Spartans who died at Thermopylae. It will use a similiar graphic style as Sin City. The actors even had to endure combat training as the Spartans did back in the day. You can check out the offical site here, including concept art, video diaries, and a production blog. The movie is set to release Spring, 2007.

Sorry if the history lesson bored you. Can you tell I love the story?

WWII Comic Adaption

WWII adventure comic "Sgt. Rock" is now slated to become a movie. Here's the sum from Dark Horizons.

Sgt. Frank Rock was the leader of his infantry unit, Easy Company. He first appeared in a 1959 issue of "Our Army at War." In 1977, with the character's steadily rising popularity, the comic was renamed "Sgt. Rock" and ran until 1988.

Sounds interesting. I'm gonna keep my eyes and ears tuned to this one.

X3: Online

X3: The Last Stand has got its offical website online, and it's pretty kick-ass. I havn't gotton to explore it all yet, but it's sweet. Check it out at x-menthelaststand.com.

Tweek Recommends for the week of April 17-23

Here's the rundown: I take a gander at the upcoming releases for the week, and select one wide and one limited release film. I'll give you a short synopysis of the film and its cast, and why I think it's a winner. Even if the list of options really blows, I'll give you at least one for those of you who just HAVE to see something THIS weekend. Don't worry, if I think even my top choice is going to suck, I'll tell you.

Wide-Release Film
The Sentenial- Michael Douglas, Keifer Sutherland. Douglas starts an investigation into a possible traiter in the United States Secret Service. Sutherland is put in charge of the investigation, an investigation that leads back to Douglas. Looks really sweet. Check out the trailer here. Though I have to say, tough to go wrong this week. Looks like three solid films coming out. Still, this one, in my opinion, tops them all.

Limited-Release Film
The Celestine Prophecy- Yahoo! says: "Based on the book, a man tracks down an ancient Peruvian manuscript containing prophecy of a New Age of spirituality." Don't know a lot about this, but the other two look like they suck. This one doesn't seem much better. A "Da Vince Code" knockoff if you ask me. Here is the trailer.

The Weekend: (Kinda) Praising My Followers

This week, you guys listened to me, unfortunately, and made Scary Movie 4 numero uno at the box office. After that, Ice Age: The Meltdown dropped one spot to take #2. The Benchwarmers, The Wild, and Take the Lead rounded out the top 5 this weekend. Good job, kinda. I wish you'd listen to me on a week when I actually recommend a good movie. But, I can't be too harsh. I did recommend it after all.

The Da Vinci Quest

Linked to above, Google has teamed up with Sony and Bob Langdon to reveal "The Da Vinci Code Quest." A puzzle a day for the next 24 days, with the chance to win prizes (of course), like a trip to New York, London, Rome and Paris. The other mentioned prize is a "Colossal Sony Electronics Package." The total value of all prizes is "over $100,000", which rally doesn't tell us anything at all about what they're giving away. Anyway, it's linked to above, or I'll put the link again here just in case you don't know what that means. You'll need a Google account, 'cause the puzzles pop up on your Google homepage.

Terri Shiavo: The Movie?!?!

Without getting into a political debate, I just want to say how rediculous this is. And while I would love to go on a huge rant about how Hollywood is willing to take advantage of anything and sink to the lowest filth just to make a couple buck, I can't. You can't blame Hollywood too much if this one gets made. According to joblo.com:

Her husband, who a lot of people came to detest throughout that whole controversy, has sold their life rights to a group of producers including Lawrence Bender (Pulp Fiction) to be adapted into an upcoming movie. Michael Schiavo has sold the feature rights to his upcoming memoir "Terri: The Truth," co-written by Michael Hirsch, to the producers (which include the producers of PATCH ADAMS...) who look to now sell the story to a studio before proceeding with attaching any talent, including a writer to adapt the book.

This is a film that should never get made. It's all over people. Let the issue, and Terri, rest in peace.

A WHOLE SPIDEY 3 WEBSITE...

..DEDICATED TO THE SAME PICTURE WE'VE ALREADY SEEN!!! Yes, there is a new website for Spider-man 3. No, it shows us absolutely nothing new. Don't get me wrong, it's a really kick-ass picture. It was certainly enough to get me excited (ooooo, Venom). However, this is not major development. If you need your daily dose of Black-Spidey, check it out over here in all it's semi-animated glory. I'll keep my eyes and ears peeled and let you know when more stuff hits the site.

Tweek Recommends for the Week of April 10- 16

Here's the rundown: I take a gander at the upcoming releases for the week, and select one wide and one limited release film. I'll give you a short synopysis of the film and its cast, and why I think it's a winner. Even if the list of options really blows, I'll give you at least one for those of you who just HAVE to see something THIS weekend. Don't worry, if I think even my top choice is going to suck, I'll tell you.

Wide-Release Film
Scary Movie 4- Dr. Phil, Shaq, Wayans Bros., some other unimportant people. Please, I'm begging you skip this section. Don't read this, then I can't be too angry at you. Go back to last weeks recommendations and pretend it's brand new and make it #1 at the Box Office. Or better yet, check out the limited-release flic below. If you want to see what is probably the only funny part in the entire movie, just watch the trailer here. (I admit, it's a cheap gag, but I laughed at Phil).

Limited-Release Film
Hard Candy- SEE THIS MOVIE AT ALL COSTS!!! This was a huge hit at all of the film festivals accross the country. A 15-year-old girl gets sucked in by an internet predator. They meet, he takes her to his house, he has this whole photo shoot thing set up. But in the end, who's really stalking who? This looks uber-awesome. I really wish this one was out near me somewhere, but alas. Damn theatres. They'd make more money if they'd open themselves up and take a gamble every now and then. Most good movies these days most people will never see because they aren't backed by a major motion picture company. But that's a different rant. Make this movie #1. Show those big shots that the little guy (or girl) has a chance too!! Watch the trailer and be sucked in here.

The Weekend: Scolding My Followers

This is going to be part deux of my new features. I've got my new feature, "Tweek Recommends," coming out on Mondays telling you what to go see this week. This part is going to be me scolding or praising my followers, depending on how my recommendation fared.

For week number one, my followers get a harsh beating at my hands. I told you to go see Lucky Number Slevin, and instead you flocked like blind sheep to put Ice Age 2: The Meltdown in the top spot for the second week.

Adding insult to injury, The Benchwarmers were the second place spot. I can't belive you let yourselves be seduced by that Napaleon Dynamite kid. He seriously has only one facial expression: the "I'm dumb, not funny, and can't act" expression.

To make matters worse, you let Antonio Bandares waltz his way into #3 for the weekend with Take the Lead. Dancing, I mean, come on.

Finally, #4 was... NOT Lucky!! The week-old Inside Man was up here yet again. To be fair, this is one that would've been on my "Tweek Recommends" column if I'd had one two weeks ago.

It isn't until we look way down the list to number 5 that we finally see Lucky Number Slevin. Come my followers, you must do better. We must flock to see what I tell you to see. Now, proceed down the hall to the dungeon on the left for your severe beating with a cat-of-nine-tales. Oh, and don't talk to Brutus, he will bite.

A Web of Stars

So, I really want to know what exactly Nickelodeon paid to get this movie made. Their live-action adaption/remake of Charlotte's Web features Academy Award Winners Julia Roberts (as Charlotte), Kathy Bates and Robert Redford, Academy Award Nominees John Cleese, Oparah Winfrey and Thomas Haden Church AND non-decorated actors Dakota Fanning, Steve Buscemi, Cedric the Entertainer, Reba McEntire and Andre Benjamin.

So I can't really speak for content, but this one sure has talent behind it. Should be an excellent kids movie. You can check out the teaser for it here.

EDIT: Jennifer Garner will also be voicing a character in the flic.

Tweek Recommends for the Week of April 3-9

So, I'm going to start a new weekly feature here. Welcome to "Tweek Recommends." I'm going to pick at least one movie a week to recommend to those movie-goers for the upcomming week. I'll usually try to do this on Mondays, but I just got the idea so this time it starts on a Tuesday.

Here's the rundown: I take a gander at the upcoming releases for the week, and select one wide and one limited release film. I'll give you a short synopysis of the film and its cast, and why I think it's a winner. Even if the list of options really blows, I'll give you at least one for those of you who just HAVE to see something THIS weekend. Don't worry, if I think even my top choice is going to suck, I'll tell you.

Whad' ya say we dive right in to our first installment.

Wide-Release Film
Lucky Number Slevin- Josh Harnett, Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Sir Ben Kingsley, Lucy Liu. What seperates this movie from the competators is class. Now, I know some of you may jump right down my throat thinking that Take the Lead has lots of class. How can it not, it's about dancing. Different kind of class. I'm talking a classy film like Ocean's 11, or it's (disappointing) sequel. Take the classy dialogue and feel of that film and stamp that on a mobster film. Slevin (Harnett) finds himself mistakenly pulled into a mob war between The Boss (Freeman) and The Rabbi (Kingsley). The infamous assassin Goodkat (Willis) makes Slevin his new target. Slevin has to outsmart all sides to get himself outta all this mess, along side some random girl (Liu). You can check out the trailer for yourself here.

Limited-Release Film
Free Zone- Natalie Portman. Unlike some weeks, I really don't know a whole lot about this film. So, I'm gonna put up a plot summary I found here.

A Jewish-American woman still reeling from her breakup with her Spanish fiancée hits the road with a middle-aged Israeli woman, who is looking to collect the 30,000-dollar debt owed to her by her husband's former business partner, and a Palestinian woman, who claims to know the elusive moneyman's whereabouts, in this road-trip drama from Kippur director Amos Gitai. In her efforts to escape the painful memory of her breakup with former fiancée Julio (Aki Avni), Rebecca (Natalie Portman) agrees to accompany Hanna (Hanna Laslo) on her arduous journey through Israel to the Free Zone -- a tax- and customs-free region where those from countries at war with one another amiably buy and sell cars -- in hopes of collecting a large debt owed to her by her ailing husband's business partner known only as "The American." When Hanna and Rebecca finally arrive in the Free Zone only to discover that Hanna's contact and money have mysteriously gone missing, a Palestinian woman named Leila (Hiam Abbass) agrees to lead the skeptical Hanna to both "The American" and Hanna's rightly due cash.

Enjoy your week at the movies.

The Future of Home Entertainment is Here...For a Premium

Today, six major movie studios announced their intent to begin selling movies through online downloading services, specifically Movielink and Cinema Now. The studios that announced their participation were Warner Bros, Universal, Sony, Paramount, Fox, and MGM. That pretty much covers the spectrum. Movies from these services can be burnt to DVDs, but those will only play on computers authorized by the particular service.

Now, let's talk numbers. Average DVD cost today- somewhere around $15. Little more for new releases, little less for some of the "oldie but a goodie" labeled movies, WAY less for the cult classics. Well, using this service, you're gonna pay between $10 and $20 smackeroos for the older movies. New releases: somewhere in the range of $20-$30. WAY too much.

I've also failed to cover the upcoming release of titles being released on HD discs, which will only play in HD DVD players. $30ish bucks per title. I've seen players for as low as $200, but I not from any big name distributers. Trust a general price closer to $500-$1000.

It gets worse. A format war has begun.

HD DVD has a rival. The Sony-developed Blu-ray. This is another High Defination formatted disc, which ALSO requires its own player. The players are set right now to cost around $1,000, with titles going for either $30 or $40 depending on what you choose of the very limited selection.

Both of these formats keep getting delayed (HD DVD was originally supposed to be released on March, 28. Wal-Mart and Best Buy had even already been taking pre-orders). Both of these have release dates staring mid-April/May now.

Here's why this sucks.
1. WAY to expensive for most of us mere mortals to afford.
2. The HUGE VHS library I still have at home that doesn't have a DVD counterpart.
3. The format war. Now you have two different, exclusive formats competing for the majority market. Whichever one wins, that leaves the other camp as MAJOR losers. They would've already invested so much money in one format, and all for naught.

Why can't we all just get along? C'mon, give us one format, or at least players that will support both, and for MUCH cheaper. There's no excuse for these titles to cost that much. It's a piece of plastic, let's be honest. And there's no way you can convice me it costs half of what their charging to produce these. If they really want their format to win, they should get these these prices down to normal DVD standard. C'mon industry. Rally behind one standard and get those prices down. In te end, you're only pissing off the consumer and promoting the pirating you bitch aboutu so much.

The only good news: Windows Vista (*cough* buy Mac *cough*) will natively support both formats.

Simpson's Teaser and Plot

I've found a link to one of the movie teasers on YouTube. Check it out here.

Also, and take this news as very much rumor with no certain basis in fact, the plot has been leaked to be about Homer screwing up (duh!) and causing a dome to be built around the city limits of Springfield.

Ponder.

EDIT: It's been taken down in that particular instance. Updated link here. If that starts to fail, just search for "Simpsons teaser."

EDIT: It now has a permant home at Apple. Watch it here.

Superman 3-D

About 20 minutes of Superman Returns in IMAX is going to be converted using their 3-D technology, the first ever Hollywood movie to get this treatment. Personally, with or without 3-D, if you get the chance to see a theatrical release in IMAX, do it. I saw Batman Begins in IMAX and it was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. It really is an awe-inspiring experience. Being in 3-D will only make it that much more awesome. This is definately an exciting development. Too bad the Louisville IMAX near me only ever shows science movies.

DOH!!!

America's favorite idiot is coming to the big screen for the first time, along with all of his family. The Simpsons has two different teasers that hit theaters friday attached to Ice Age 2: The Meltdown. But be warned, only about 2 in 3 showings of the movie will have one of the two teasers. So I wouldn't advise going to see this solely for the Simpsons. This news was (mostly) kept a secret until Friday, as FOX only told the world of a "secret" trailer. It's not online yet, but I'll be sure to let you know as soon as I find it.

Oh Yeah...

I forgot to mention. I'm now blogging from a shiny, pretty, sleek, fast, beautiful new MacBook Pro. It's my new baby.

And now back to our irregularly scheduled movie news.

A Day of Mourning

Today is a officially a day of mourning and personal reflection.

"Arrested Development reached its end, creatively, as a series."

That's the show's creater, Mitch Hurwitz, speaking. He recently annouced his decision to turn down a proposed deal with Showtime for two, twelve episode seasons. I love this show, and recently discovered the DVDs so I can relive them. Hurwitz, you're a good man, mon frere. (That means brother in French. I don't know why I know that I took four years of Spanish).

J.Lo to Be 13th Man?

Julia Roberts declined to do Ocean's 13, and there is a rumor going around that Jennifer Lopez is going to be the boobs in the movie in her stead (since Catherine Zeta-Jones also declined). This is a really bad idea. Clooney is going to act circles around here, there's no WAY she could fit in with all the other talent. Clooney, Chedle, Pitt, Garcia, Damon (well... maybe not Damon). Keep her outta Ocean's ring of theives.

News Roundup

Alright, sorry I've been a bit behind on this. I've been really busy lately. And there hasn't been much in the way of really awesome news, so here's a roundup. Be prepared, it's gonna be a little long.

There's a trailer up here for An American Haunting. This movie looks really scary. It's the true story of the only documented case of a spirit taking a human life (this is validated by the State of Tennessee). Looks really cool.

Ocean's 13 is good to go. This one has our favorite band of classy robbers doing something in a Casino again. I know this because they're turning one of the soundstages in Hollywood into a fully functioning Casino for the production.

Farce of the Penguins, an obvious spoof of March of the Penguins, has signed on Samuel L. Jackson to do the narration. Hmmm. I'm really curious to see what they're gonna do with this.

Will Smith has signed on to star in It Takes a Thief, a convert of the TV series of the same title.

Smith will produce and star in the film playing the role Robert Wagner starred in from 1968-1970. As you might expect, the concept will be updated to modern times with Smith playing a thief co-opted by the CIA to run some covert ops.

Shrek the Third.

SHREK THE THIRD finds Shrek and Fiona reluctantly reigning over Far, Far Away. But if they can find the heir to the throne and bring him back, they can return to their swamp. While Shrek, Donkey and Puss in Boots are in search of the heir, Fiona holds off a coup d’etat by Prince Charming.

'Nuf said.

Winona Ryder gets naked in A Scanner Darkly, but it really isn't her. Instead what you're seeing is some computer geek like you or me starting out with footage of Ryder in a sports bra, converting that to the uber-cool animation effects for the movie, then adding in the details solely from imagination. So don't get to excited out there, unless you're into fake porn pics. If that's your case, then I guess this is your lucky day.

If you haven't seen Jack Black's Nacho Libre Confessional, then you should check them out. They're mildly amusing, and Jack's just weird.

Evan Almighty, sequal to the Jim Carry comedy of a similiar title, has started production. This one sees Steve Carell's character becoming a Congressman, and God asking him to build a giant ark. Freeman will, of course, play God. You couldn't have this movie and have a different God.

Apparently the producers are so sure that their new Bond movie is going to be a hit, they've already reached an agreement with Craig to reprise his role as 007, and even sketched a rough storyline for the next installment.

Finally, Blade has a new live-action television show coming how soon. I just don't know how much one can expect withough all the violent awesomeness that made the R-rated movies what they were.

VERY Exciting News

Sorry about the lack of movie news lately. It's been a rather slow week for the most part. I've been really disappointed. I'll be back with a general roundup of the little stuff for the week tomorrow.

The real reason for this post is absolutely unrelated to movies. Well, not completely. I guess I could watch/rip/burn/create movies on my new MACBOOK PRO THAT JUST SHIPPED!!! That's right, I just got the email saying it's on its way. I'm so excited.

Anyway, that's just a personal tidbit from me. Back to movie news tomorrow. I'm out.

Da Vinci Trailer

I wouldn't be a very good movie news blogger if I didn't report this development over at Yahoo! Movies. It's the new Da Vinci Code trailer. Frankly, I'm still not very excited by it. It seems to stray a bit too much from the book for me already, and Tom Hanks is still Tom Hanks. Don't get me wrong, I think he's an excellent actor, but by now he's to much of a big name to be anybody but Tom Hanks in anything he does. And he's who'll you see when you watch the movie, not Robert Langdon.

And...yeah. I liked the book, but I remain fairly non-stirred by the movie version of the Code. Check it out for yourself and tell me what you think.

Robbin a Bank, Gettin' her Done and Stayin' Alive

Inside Man- Denzel Washington is sent as the negotiater for a bank robbery/hostage situation. The guy inside has been planning this shin-dig for months basically just to prove he can. Jodie Foster shows up as a lawyer with some hazy ties to all this, and now you have all sorts of people here fu#*$ng with Washington's head. Sounds like a decent thriller, if nothing ground-breaking. Washington is sure to be kick-ass, per usual, and Foster has a tendency to deliver.

Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector- How much can you expect from a film that has the lead actor playing himself, and not even bothering to keep that fact out of the title. If it were an auto-biography that'd be one thing, but since Larry the Cable Guy is a stand-up comic, that sure ain't happenin'. While I'm a big fan of Larry's stand-up material, I really just see this as a recipie for disaster and an obvious scheme to make a few bucks in a hurry.

Staying Alive- Why Disney picked up this film, I'm not really certain. A group of kids starting playing this game, and as they start dying in the game, they die the same way in real life. *Dr. Evil voice* Right. *end voice* Yeah, while it would be kinda amusing for a few minutes to see Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz die in some ridiculous fashion, that's one thrill that's gonna wait until DVD, if it happens at all.

Snakes...Where?

I've avoided it long enough, and I can't do it any more. I am being forced to mention the upcoming "thriller" flic Snakes on a Plane. The movie is exactly what it sounds like. Somehow, a bunch of snakes end up on a plane, and it's up to Mace Windu to save the day. Samuel L. Jackson, I have a ton of respect for you and your work, but I think it's time to fire you're fu*?!g agent. What the hell are you thinking?!?!

What sparked this little rant was a recent "hottie recap", which Joblo laced with references to this movie. Now, while hottie news isn't exactly the most astute and interesting movie news out there, why the hell are Snakes getting in the way of my other news? Joblo, I love you and you're site, but enough Snakes already.

I agree completely with Joblo that Snakes is sure to be one of "the greatest cult classic in the history of movies." But by the same token, there's generally a good reason these stay "cult classics" and really recieve little mainstream attention. To be honest, they're usually not very good movies.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not against movies that gain a cult following. I happen to enjoy a few myself. But c'mon, stop letting this really dumb Snakes movie get in the way of my movie news. It's not going to be that good. Those who enjoy it will fall in love with it, but most of us are going to be ready to move on well before it's over. Never being a big fan of monster movies, I'm already ready to move on. Give me my movie news fresh, exciting and untainted by Snakes.

A Historic Occasion

I would just like to announce that my blog has just recieved its first comment, and it wasn't one posted by someone I know. I feel this development merits it's own post. The commenter has his own blog, which I've linked to above, or you can click here. Some interesting stuff.

You go RC! You made my last 5 minutes.

REVIEW: V for VENDETTA

This is a movie I've been excited about for a long time. It was my semi-pickup after all the Batman Begins excitement.

I'd like to sum this movie up by two quotes, both by the terrorist 'V.' The first is for the action lovers:

What you have, Mr. Creedy, are bullets. And once those guns have been emptied of their bullets, all you can do is pray that I fall down. Because if I don't, every single one of you will be dead before you can reload.

The second is the much more philosophical kind, and sums up the ideas behind the movie.

People should not be afraid of their governments, government should be afraid of their people.

This is most definately one of my favorite movies of all time. The cinematography is outstanding, the acting is never weak, and the story is, *gasp,* original. While the movie is a remake of then Vertigo comics publication of the same name, it does something that is rare in Hollywood these days: it made you think. I know, I know, I didn't know that was still allowed in Hollywood productions, but apparently they can manage to sneak one in under the radar every now and then.

V (Hugo Weaving) is a terrorist, there's no 'if's, 'and's, or 'but's. He kills British leaders and blows up buildings to achieve his agenda. This is a point that should not be softened, and the film doesn't bother to do so. He is very blunt and straightforward: he has a plan, and that plan involves killing people.

V lives in a totalitarian, near-future Britain. Not to give away to much, he has been through some horrible stuff and vowed revenge against the government. A criminal mastermind, he has carefully set up and prepared for the events in the movie. "There is no such thing as coincidence, only the illusion of coincidence."

Right from the beginning, we see V kicking ass and taking names. The very first scene shows him saving Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman) and blowing up the Old Baily. It's the 5th of November, anniversary of the Guy Fawkes gunpowder plot (for more on that, look it up at Wikipedia). V uses a Guy Fawkes mask as a disguise, and as his symbol for pure revolution.

Plot aside, Huge Weaving does an AMAZING job with V. For those who've read the comic, his delivery is perfect every time. He manages to say potentially rediculous and absurd lines with a poetry and feeling that embodies what V is. Weaving did all of the scenes in the mask himself before doing a voice dubbing afterwords. He somehow manages to invoke emotion in body language and expressions, desite wearing a mask and having of his body shrouded in a cape for the majority of the movie.

I've heard a lot about how wonderful Natalie Portman was, but to be honest I didn't see anything too outstanding. Don't get me wrong, she did superb at deliving the emotional points of her character and a solid acting job, but it wasn't any better then any of the other actors.

Ultimately, this movie brings into question current events. Where is the line drawn between a terrorist's evil acts and a man fighting for freedom? As more and more powers are being given to our political leaders, where should we stand up and say "enough"? Because if V's world becomes our own then "to find those responsible, one must look no further then a mirror."

It's a rare thing that a movie can stir up such powerful emotions and deep questions, and to do so with a bang is even more rare. V manages to never let you relax. The story grabs you and never lets you go. The action is intense, quick and excellently choreographed.

For fans of the comic books, it's a good adaption. It's not the exact same storyline. It's been updated to reflect more modern fears and technologies. But V is the same, the overall story arc is the same, and many scenes are almost exactly as seen in the comics. I think the changes made were healthy ones. A direct adaption of the comic wouldn't be as effective, because the comic was a different media in a different age. It's the heart, soul and mind of the comic book, just a slightly altered body. Excellent screenplay by the Matrix bros. I couldn't have asked for a better adaption.

**SPOILERS** SCROLL DOWN FOR THE BOTTOM LINE **SPOILERS**

This movie had two of the most powerful scenes I've ever seen in any movie. In one scene, Government Agent Paul Finch is talking about how, for a moment, he could see the long chain of events that V had arranged, and how it all fit together. This speech is going on while we see different images of the chaos that V has sparked, as well as an enormous domino creation of a huge letter V. And just as Finch finishes his speech, we see V knock down the domino creation with a simple flick of his finger to one domino, just like setting off the chain of events that is occuring as well as those still developing.

The second was the scene when we see thousands and thousands of citizens dressed in Fawkes masks and marching towards the House of Parliment to witness it's destruction. Thousands of V's marching unflinchingly right into a mass of armed soldiers, and just walking right by them.

Both of these scenes gave me chills. They were two of the best done scenes to ever grace the big screen. Superb. I don't think I can praise them enough. Cinematograpgy, editing, dialogue and score all came to together perfectly in a tingling cresendo.

My only real problem with the movie lies within the ending. I don't think V should've literally fallen in love with Evey, though it did provide a deeper look at V, and that was probably a good thing, but it was still a little weird. I also wished that the script had kept the idea of Evey becomming V, and using that identity to drive this new purpose of reorganization from the chaos.

**END SPOILERS**

BOTTOM LINE: 9.5/10

What's Your Sign?

Based, of course, on the famous killer in the 1950s(?), Zodiac focuses on the man in charge of the investigation of Zodiac Killer. Possibly the United States' most prolific, twisted and perplexing serial murder case ever. The man taunted the police in his letters, telling them when and how he was going to kill next. He even gave them his name in a cypher, and told them to publish on the front page of the newspaper. Despite his seeming desire to get caught, his killing spree ended before he was discovered. At one point in time, a policeman even passed right by the killer after a murder, and failed to realize it was him, or remember anything about the man's features.

This is going to be an awesome movie for all those thriller/history/mystery buffs out there. It's got lots of appeal to a wide audience, and appears to be well done thus far. Check out the trailer on the official site.

EDIT: So, Zodiac opened today to a VERY limited audience. Check out the official list of theaters over at the official site, linked above.

V for Vendetta tonight!!!

Classes are over for the day, and I'm off to see V for Vendetta in about an hour. I'll have a review up late tonight, hopefully.

Oh, and Ryan, if you're reading this...I hate you. You should die a horrible, horrible death involving a hot sodering iron and your face.

Batman in '08

Just a quick tid-bit. Warner Bros. has announced the the sequel to Batman Begins will be the studio's priority in 2008. The countdown begins.

This One May Take More Then a Day...

Kiefer Sutherland of "24" fame is back at it, this time saving the president from Michael Douglas...neivly. That's right, Jack Bouer appears to be the one being led blindly into a web of lies without having a clue this time. The Sentinel stars Douglas as a man who started an investigation into a possible presidental assassination attempt, and is in turn framed to appear to be the one who committed the crime. This one has potential. I'm a bit late in reporting this possible gem, but you can check out the trailer for this promising thrill-ride here.

REVIEW: X-Men

So, watching the new trailer for X-Men: The Last Stand got me all fired up, and I found the previous two installments on sale. I'd seen 'em before, but it'd been awhile. Here's my review for the first one, with a follow up on the second one soon.

This one opens with a cool scene where we see a German concentration camp and a boy being seperated from his family. In his rage, they boy manages to complete crush the metal gates before he is knocked unconcious. Enter Magneto.

Now, this is definately one of those "swallow some major scientific bull$#!t we feed you, and try not to dwell on it" movies. AKA it's a comic book movie. If you go into this expecting anything more, you're going to be sorely disappointed.

But it does manage to give itself a semi-deep plot. A girl unable to experience human physical contact for the rest of her life manages to get into the heart of a rough-and-tumble loner with blades in his hands. Magneto, with the power to move metal at will, is after these two, and a psychic bald guy in a wheel-chair takes them both under his wing.

Before I go on, here's a quick run down of the characters.

Professor Charles "X" Xavier- Extremely powerful psychic, can control minds
Magneto- Can control metal at will by creating and altering magnetic fields
Wolverine- Can regenerate amazingly fast. Experiments done on him grafted metal to his entire skeleton, as well as giving him claws that come out of his hands.
Rogue- when touching any other person's skin, she absorbs their life force and, in the case of mutants, their powers
Storm- Can control the weather
Cyclops- Shoots lasers out of his eyes, but can only control with glasses/goggles thing on
Jean Gray- Mild psychic powers, can move stuff with her mind
Toad- Scales walls, really long tongue, green, shots goo stuff out of his mouth
Sabretooth- ummmmm, big, strong, has small fangs, growls some
Mystique- can shapeshift to anyone at will

The plot manages to be mysterious, and there's never a lot of down time. Props to Bryan Singer for keeping the movie moving. I think the whole shapeshifting thing is used WAY to much (which is my complaint with M:I 2 as well, but that's a different review). I also think the emotional aspects of the movie could have been a bit more involved. You manage to get a feel for all the characters and their very different personalities. You understand that these are very different people with their own thoughts and motives. But it only flirts with real emotional depth. They definatly could've done some more to get us feeling bad for Rogue and her "can't touch anyone" problem.

All in all it's action moive, pure and simple. Decent, if straightforward, plot with fun and emotionally believable characters. A plot twist and a bit more depth is all that stands in the way of this film going from above average to outstanding.
RATING: 8.0/10

Bring On the 40-Year-Old Non-Virgin

Here's the basics for Basic Instinct 2: it's all about sex and violence. And apparently Sharon Stone didn't think they kept enough of the former in there. After seeing an early cut of the film, she asked why all the crazy stuff she did had been editied out. She demanded that the editors funnel in all the nudity back into the movie. So, if you're into seeing a 40-year-old woman naked again, and again, and again, and again....etc., check out this movie.

There's also an R-rated promo reel. Check it out here. If you want to see what plot the movie actually has, here is the standard trailer.

Laserbeams and Whips

Rick McCallum recently dropped some news on a couple exciting propositions. First off, George Lucas approved an Indy 4 script, and despite Spielburg's claims that he's lying low for a year, the script has been sent on to Steven for some polishing.

Also, Rick tells us that the Star Wars TV show has been approved, and is going to be much darker then the lastest movies. Holy hell, darker then Episode III. Rick hints that there may be some bounty hunters to start of the season. Sounds like so kick-ass news for us fans.

Pan VS. Lt. Cpt. Hook

So there's this plan for a remake takish thing on Peter Pan, where Pan is a psycho boy with these crazy powers, and Hook is a cop trying to take him down. Interesting. I enjoyed Hook with Robin Williams, never watched the new Peter Pan cause of its horrible reviews. This sounds like it could be a kinda cool story if done right. If not done right, it could be one of the worst movies to have graced the big screen. Tread carefully.

REVIEW: Ultraviolet

So, I think I'm gonna start reviewing movies, new and old, that I've watched recently. This will help my audience of about two see where I'm coming from with what news I choose to relate.

My first victim is Ultraviolet.

Lemme' sum up the story: ass kicking, ass kicking, holy f@*k it's a kid, ass kicking, ass kicking, holy f*$k the kid's dying, ass kick, ass kicking, ass kicking, rounded out nicely with a good kick in the ass.

From this, you can tell that if you're looking for profound, thought-provoking experience, you will be sadly, sadly disappointed. The plot twists in this movie are about as crazy and unexpected as an interstate.

However, have I mentioned the plethoria of sweet ass-kicking that goes on in this movie. She's hot, her clothes change at random, and about 500 people die a horrible death at her hands. It's intense and insane. There's a way awesome motercycle chase that is beyond belief and has some of the craziest, best looking stunts I've ever seen in a movie. I wouldn't want to spoil the fun.

I was a bit disappointed in a couple of the mass killings that happened at the end. Was the director tired of showing fight scenes, or did he run out of ideas. They showed you there was about to be a fight, and then positioned the camera to just ahead of where the fight was taking place, so you could hear it all, and then see her walking triumphantly out of it. But you never got to see the fight itself. While kind of a cool effect, I question the reasoning behind it.

Oh, and Violet, the main ass kicking character, she's the only character you see bleed in the entire movie, and she's the one who wins. That was bit backwards to me, but it was only rated PG-13.

I found out that the directer was basically revoked of his directorial duties when almost done with the movie, and the studio cut it up and pieced it together as they saw fit. I wonder if the original had a bit more story and gore to it, both of which would've upped this movies value greatly.

FINAL WORD: An excellent popcorn flick with lots of awesome action and crazy stunts. Watch it, enjoy, but don't expect any stellar action or deep character/ plot development.

RATING: 7/10

Ninjas in a Half-shell

TURTLE POWER!!! Dude, I love the ninja turtles, and they're making a comeback. I guess they did already once a few years ago on tv, but get this. Warner Bros. just bought the rights to the turtles, and they're gonna make a new CGI movie, grittier then any of the previos incarnations. Now, that doesn't mean it's going to be too hardcore, since one of the films involved them time traveling, and the other featured them rapping with Vanilla Ice. Still, they were entertaining, and I'm excited about this one.

EDIT: They've set a release date for March 30, 2007.

Van Damme still at it

You've seen him kicking ass in thousands of movies, every one of which has about the same plot, and that is, kicking ass. Well, he's at it again.

Jean-Claude will be playing a Combat Vet who's just spent the last 3 years fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, who is hired to be a bodyguard to a former World Heavyweight Boxing champ to protect him and his family against a Rap Music Mogul. He sets up a team called "The Hard Corps", complications arise when the boxer suspects that his sister may be in love with the bodyguard.

Yeah...sounds a bit odd to me. Not sure that one's gonna make it. Will the world ever tire of seeing him kill mindless henchman and henchman, all in stretchy pants and no shirt.

Spielburg's takin' a vacation

Sadly, Indy 4 is going to have to wait. Not only is it being passed off to another script writer, but Stephen Spielburg has announced he's going to take a break from directing for a year. That's a bummer, cause his s#!t usually rocks. Havn't seen Munich yet, but can't wait for the DVD relase. I'll just neglect to mention some alienish type adaption of a book he might possibly have attempted to make into a major motion picture earlier this year, but my memory's fuzzy on that one.

3 MAJOR movie trailers

X3: The Last Stand, The Praire Home Companion, and M:i:III all realeased new trailers yesterday, and because of my ungodly slow internet, I havn't been able to check them out yet. Ok, so most people wouldn't consider The Praire Home Companion a major movie, but I enjoy the show when I get the chance to listen in, and I hope the movie is good as well.

Get the goods before me on all these trailers:

X3: The Last Stand
M:i:III (Japanese trailer)
A Praire Home Companion Movie

EDIT: I'm checking them out here at McD's where they have high speed wireless. I have to say, I'm really, REALLY excited about X3 now. That looks really sweet. Praire home companion also looks entertaining, though I doubt those who never listend to the show would enjoy it much. As for M:i:III, AOL is not cooperating with my mac. *--Insert String of Profanity Here--* Anyway, I'm outta here.

Gangta Portman

Oh my God. I just got done watching this at Joblo.com. Everyone knows our sweet like senator from Naboo, Natalie Portman. But I bet here's a side of her you've never seen, which she introduced to the world on SNL.

Check out the clip here.

Awards Buzz!!!

That's right, tonight was the night. One of the biggest movie awards of all time was announced tonight. It's: The Razzies. That's right, your official awards for the worst movies of the year. Here's the big winners:

Worst Picture: Dirty Love
Worst Director: John Asher / Dirty Love
Worst Actor: Rob Schneider / Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo
Worst Actress: Jenny McCarthy / Dirty Love
Worst Supporting Actor: Hayden Christensen / Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Worst Supporting Actress: Paris Hilton / House of Wax
Worst Screen Couple: Will Ferrell & Nicole Kidman / Bewitched
Worst Screenplay: Dirty Love, Jenna McCarthy
Worst Remake or Sequel: Son of the Mask
Most Tiresome Tabloid Target: Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Oprah Winfrey's Couch, The Eiffel Tower & "Tom's Baby"

Rocky VI Teaser

JoBlo poses a good question, how is it that Rocky VI scores a teaser on an official Stallone website, and no one knows about it?

Well, word is finally out, and here is the clip. I personally havn't been able to see it because of the crappy internet I'm on for the next week. JoBlo seems to be under the impression that it'll be taken down soon. So, good luck.

EDIT:It does appear to have been taken down, though the message I'm getting gives me the impression that the whole site was dismantled. Not sure what's goiing on. Keep trying if you're feeling adventurous.

Bond's New Wheels

Bond is driving a Ford, and 14 million pounds. Ford has paid seven times what bond himself is being paid to get thier vehicle in the film. This time around his car of choice, the movie being a prequel, is a 1960s Ashton Martin DB5.

James Cameron Interview

A cool interview last night over at AICN. James Cameron talked about his upcoming project 880. Turns out, it's a remake of Avatar. I don't know much about this film, so I'm gonna do some digging and find out more about it.

He also talked about his new technology for the film, which seems to be all about doing it in 3-D. That's pretty awesome. It appears he's going to do some other film trilogy before 880/Avatar.

So yeah, I'll look into the films he's doing, but the technology already sounds cool. Check out the interview here.

Goth Spidey Update

Well, it appears when I said that you could see the Green Goblin mask in the Spider-man teaser poster, I may have spoken to soon. Here's a pic that has the area in question colored some. But there's dissent.



You can join the debate here. You'll need a joblo.com account.

Jack Black RULES!!!

Just cause I'm a Jack Black fan, here's a link to some news about his new project A Nacho Libre, with the Napeoleon Dynamite director. Beck has signed on to do the music

By the way, if it weren't for Jack Black, I would've ignored this altogether. I think Dynamite was one of the worst things to have ever happened to film. IT ISN'T FUNNY!!! Period.

This movie may have potential. It's about some monks who actually want to be wrestlers in Mexico. And, it's Jack Black. Though I'm much more excited about his Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny. I'll put up more news on that project as it comes up.

The Code in Trouble

According to Dark Horizons, the highly anticipated flick version of "The Da Vinci Code" may be in trouble. Apparantly there is some plagarism suit for the book, which may completely scrap the mostly-completed movie. Bad news for them.

Goth Spidey, Take Two

Alright, I wouldn't normally post fan art, but the AICN guys have a point. Here's a manip of the Spiderman poster released this last Friday.
Now, I never read much of the original comics, but this is a bit more the like the Venom suit used in the comics. Personally, I like the suit in the first poster better, but this is decent. I just like the more direct link between Spiderman and Venom when you use the same suit, just black. Decide for yourself though. You can compare by scrolling down, or checking out the "Spidey Goes Goth" article.

The Networks Shift

UPN + WB = The CW

FOX (Network Television - (UPN + WB)) = Fox 2

So yeah, UPN and WB are gonna combine to form the CW (C for 'CBS' and W for 'Warner'). It's pretty much gonna combine the programs they want from the two networks. Fox hears this news, and steps in to create 'My Network TV.' It's gonna be mainly formed of the shows dropped in the UPN/WB merge.

So let's analyize this for a moment. Merging UPN and WB creates one less network on televison, and is going to come at the cost of losing some shows. My Network TV shows up to pick up the shows that were once casualities to said merger. So, we're back to having the number of networks with the exact same shows. Does this have anyone else asking, what the hell's the point?

So that's not exactly movie news, but movies are often shown and TV, and I figured it might affect someone, somewhere. If it does, please tell me how. Hell if I can figure out why it might.