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.