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Nathan, Jimison, Courtney and I sat down for a much needed movie trailer session and even though we only had time to enjoy about 20 or so, I think it was still a good thing we had going. Enjoys ‘em up!

Goal 2
Oscar – “Was there ever a Goal 1?”

Forever Strong
Oscar – “Yawn. Forever lame.”
All – “Rudy. Rudy. Rudy.”

Knowing
Oscar – “As long has his recessed hairline isn’t staring in it.”
Nathan – “Maybe he will wear some hats or something.”
Courtney – “Or a beanie?”

The Brothers Bloom
Oscar – “If it had come out before Ocean’s anything, I would have actually cared.”

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After a crazy time dealing with an odd waitress at Denny’s, Courtney and I enjoyed some yummy movie trailers. Peep the links and comments and have some fun.

Sixty Six
Oscar – “66? How long did they wait to have this bar mitzvah?
Courtney – “They must have changed the rules on this!”

Watchmen
Oscar – “AAAHH! So amazing.”

Flash of Genius
Courtney – “So it is about windshield wipers? A swipe of genius!”

Disaster Movie
Oscar – “Does anyone even watch these anymore?!?”
Courtney – “Why do they keep making them?!?”

Man On Wire
Courtney – “Is it bad that the only reason I would watch this movie would be hoping the guy would fall?”

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Our new furniture, friends and us got together and watched some movie trailers for your entertainment. Grab some popcorn and digg in!

Transsiberian
Jodie – “So not like the orchestra.”
Courtney – “When does the Christmas music start??!?”

The Longshots
Erin – “I’ve already bought my tickets!”

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Oscar – “If she starts making out with a baby …”

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Us peeps were finally able to get all together again and watch some trailers. Here are the peanut gallery quotes from tonight’s festivities with Jimison, Courtney, Jodie and I:

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2

“Do they ever wash the pants or is that part of the magic?” – Oscar

The Promotion

“That looks dumb.” – Jodie

Miss Conception

“Poorly conceived.” – Jimison

The Edge of Heaven

“I feel like the people that made this movie don’t even know what it is about.” – Jimison

Trumbo

“Is it like the X-rated spinoff of ‘Dumbo’?” – Oscar

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Here we are, at it again. Saturday night’s trailer judges gave an average score of 7 (except for the German judge … 5 on that one). Enjoy the treats!

Meet Bill
Jimison – “Meet Stupid … he brought Bill with him.”

Shotgun Stories
Jodie – “Is he at least wearing pants at the funeral? Or is it just an undershirt and tightie whities?”
Oscar – “Is that even how you spell tightie whities?”

My Blueberry Nights
Jodie – “Tomorrow … we’re having muffins!”
Courtney – “Blueberry ones!”

Deception
Oscar – “Lies … all lies.”

Pineapple Express
Courtney – “Oh, this is what happens to all those freaks and geeks after they graduate from high school.”

Flight of the Red Balloon
Courtney – “The ballon is stalking that boy!”
Oscar – “French people make boring movies … but good toast.”

Chapter 27
Jimison – “Well that was at least 3 times better than Chapter 7.”

The Tracey Fragments
Jodie – “Geez, banana. Shut your freakin’ gob.”

Redbelt
Jimison – “That trailer made no sense. Stop trying to figure it out.”
Jimison – “Tim Taylor is back … in ‘Tool Belt’.”

Righteous Kill
Jimison – “Next week on Righteous Kill …”
Jodie – “That was one righteous kill, man.”

Sex and the City
[skipped … duh]

The Incredible Hulk
Everyone (except Jimison, who is still sick from the last Hulk movie) – “Yay!”

There were full couches at tonight’s trailer showings … Nathan, Tyler, Courtney, Jimison and yours truly. Enjoy the goodness!

The Wackness
Nathan – “Apparently, a movie about nothing.”
Oscar – “That’s so wack!”

Quarantine
Jimison – “The movie you were not meant to see … but we want you to see it!”

Lakeview Terrance
Jimison – “This movie just tells me not to live next to Samuel L. Jackson.”

The House Bunny
[Let’s just skip this one … ‘kay?]

Henry Poole Is Here
Tyler – “When do the good previews start?”

Four Minutes
Nathan [sings] – “YOU’VE ONLY GOT FOUR MINUTES TO SAVE THE WORLD …”
Oscar – “Uh … this isn’t those for minutes …”

The Fall
Nathan – “Oscar, watching your cat chase a ball of fuzz was more enjoyable than this trailer.”

Falling For Grace
Oscar – “Huh. She’s like Lucy Lu’s unpopular sister.”

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We realized tonight that it has been a while since the four of us have gotten a chance to enjoy some yummy movie trailers together, so Jodie, Courtney, Jimison and I got together and worked our way through a few of the over 130 trailers we have missed. Hope you enjoy!

Blindess
Jodie – “Danny Glover with an eye patch. Nuh’ said.”

War, Inc.
Jimison – “The Cusacks go to war!”

Glass, a Portrait of Philip In 12 Parts
Courtney – “Oh, he said it … I don’t have to listen to this! And I won’t.”

Fugitive Pieces
Jodie – “Wait, he traded in the blonde chick for a Jewish girl? She must be a shicksa.”

Chaos Theory
Jodie – “This is a crappy movie. Crappy crappy crappy.”

Brick Lane
Courtney – “Hello, nose ring!”
Jimison – “That is where I keep my keys, too.”

The Children of Huang Shi
Courtney – “This is definitely worth renting. hehe”
Jodie – [continually shouts out indescript Chinese names]

The Strangers
Jimison – “I’m going to stop the trailer and I want you to run!”

Mister Lonely
Courtney – “IT IS scarier than the last trailer!”

Hellboy II – The Golden Army
Courtney – “I wanna see the first one!”
Oscar – “We own it.”
Courtney – “So let’s watch it.”
Oscar – “Ok.”

Water Lilies
Oscar – “The real tagline … Things aren’t always synchronized.”

Mongol
Jodie – “Oooo …”

5 out of 5 burst and bloody arteries

Just watched Smokin’ Aces the other night. Wow. And more wow. While there is far too much profanity and bloodshed to safely recommend this to any of my friends, it is by far one of the best movies I have seen in a while. The immersive story-line is great and similar to something like Ocean’s 11 … just replace every time you see Brad Pitt eating with 10 dead bodies and you got the idea. ;)

Each of the “villains” is expertly scripted and crazy unique (or in the case of the ‘Tremor brothers’, just straight up crazy!). I don’t really know the director (Joe Carnahan), but the quality of the cinematic build that this film has, makes me want to see more of his work. Any recommendations?

If you’re looking for a great “guys night” flick, this would be one of those fist-pumping thrill-rides that you probably shouldn’t leave out.

We (Tyler, Jodie, Courtney, Jimison, Ben, and yours truly) got together again for another fun filled evening of trailers. For some reason, there was lots of pie and cake involved. Oh, well. Hope you enjoy!

Leatherheads – “Maybe … and not just because Jim is in it.” – Courtney

Forgetting Sarah Marshall – “You can’t escape Veronica Mars.” – Jimison

Paranoid Park – “Wait, was that Avril Lavigne?” – Oscar

Shrooms – “Getting killed. My anti-drug.” – Courtney

Sea Monsters: a Prehistoric Adventure – “That movie needs more shrooms.” – Tyler

Postal – “That movie looks dumb.” – Everyone

Prom Night – “My prom was better than that.” – Jodie

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It was a full night on Sunday … Courtney, Jimison, Ben, Jodie and myself … let’s hope it made for some fun movie trailer reviews. You tell me.

Run Fat Boy Run – “It’s the fat little engine that could!” – Ben

The Dark Knight – “Summer 2008 … not soon enough.” – Courtney

Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show – “Can’t I just watch these for free on Comedy Central?” – Jodie

Billy the Kid – “So apparently I am going to pay $7 to watch someone’s home movies.” – Jonny

Planet B-Boy – “It’s like ‘You Got Served’ … but for realz!” – Oscar

Hancock – “Huh. Apparently, black superheroes are just as belligerent as regular black hoodlums. Interesting.” – Oscar

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After a fun night out, our movie review gang (Jodie, Courtney, Jimison and I) headed back home and watched a couple of new movie trailers. Enjoy!

Man in the Chair – “Hey, its the Karate Kid for film-makers!” – Jimison

The Perfect Holiday – “I saw Mommie cap’n Santa” … “probably gonna be the funniest line in this movie.” – Courtney

Perepolis – “Apparently they don’t have color in animated Russia.” – Jimison

Rambo – “He’s a legend of war … and he’s 70 years old” – Jodie

Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins – “Huh … I thought black people were funny.” – Oscar

National Treasure: Book of Secrets – “I kept getting distracted by his hairline.” – Courtney

Mad Money – “You know what they should have shredded … this movie!” – Oscar

The Band’s Visit – “Boo.” – Jimision and “That’s a comedy?” – Courtney

Revolver – “I didn’t see one revolver.” – Jodie

Untraceable – “More like ‘Unwatchable’ … since it is rated ‘R’.” – Courtney

Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian – (Insert another high pitch version of) “Aaaaaamazingggg!” – Courtney

Funny Games – “More like ‘Stupid Games’.” – Jimision

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – “The beginning seemed so much like a 1970’s car commercial …” Jodie

4 Months, 3 Weeks, & 2 Days – “Crap in the time of Russia” – Jodie

Slipstream – “Even Anthony Hopkins was zoning out while that lady was talking.” – Courtney

P2 – “You’ll never want to park again.” – Oscar “She should have just parked in Level 1”. – Courtney

So we hooked up the MacBook in the living room tonight and watched a bunch trailers together (Courtney, Jimison, Jodie and I, that is). We picked the best comments and posted here for your enjoyment. Let’s go!

P.S. I Love You – “Creepy love letters from beyond the grave.” – Jodie

Redacted – “Words were never so noisy.” – Oscar

Starting Out in the Evening – “That girl was creepy … like the girl version of the joker.” – Courtney

Purple Violets – “Maybe there is a reason this is just on iTunes.” – Oscar

This Christmas – “It’s like every single episode of Fresh Prince I have every seen … including the obligatory ‘showing up with a white significant other’”. – Jodie

The Mist – “Oh, they send the only black guy in town into the mist.” – Courtney

Saawariya – “A spectacle … about nothing.” – Jonathan

City of Men – “More like ‘City of Suck’”. – Courtney

Love In the Time of Cholera – “Music by Shakira … that’s all you need to know.” – Jodie

I Am Legend – “SOOOO AMAZING (insert high pitch squeal).” – Courtney

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The title for this post seems fitting, seeing as how the many of the movies currently out and/or being promoted are of horrible quality/substance. Let’s see if we can find anything worth watching …

Southland Tales – Neither Jodie or myself know what this movie is about. Seriously, this could be a trailer for any movie … or even a movie just pieced together with clips from 10 other movies. Would it help anything if I had seen Donnie Darko?

Jimmy Carter – Man From the Plains – Do you think Jimmy was the one that picked the hip-hop soundtrack for this trailer? ;) But seriously, this will probably be a thought-provoking documentary that my father would enjoy.

When Did You Last See Your Father – It’s like a girlie movie … but for guys and their dads. Hmm. I almost feel inclined to see it because of how much I have enjoyed Jim Broadbent in movies like Hot Fuzz and Moulin Rouge! (and Vanity Fair, too, says Jodie).

One Missed Call – Jodie says “creepifying and stupid”. I personally feel more threatened by the cellphone companies and their ominous fees than I do by a baby-cradle ringtone. It seems as though horror movies are running the full gamut of making ordinary things seem scary to us. With showers, beaches, parking lots and now cellphones causing us so much fear, I can only assume my toothbrush is going to be the next on the list to seek revenge. Shall I suggest a title of … “Did you remember to brush”? Dum dum dun.

King Corn – So if we understood this correctly, everything we eat is made out of corn … which means, that if corn is bad for me and corn is everything I eat, my only choices are corn or death. Hmm. Good to know.

Juno – This looks genuinely entertaining and intriguing, especially because of Rainn Wilson (from The Office) and Michael Cera (of Arrested Development). Fun!

The Final Season – Hey, it’s Rudy, but for baseball!

Moondance Alexander – Jodie wants to know why Black Beauty is painted like a cow. I say the only thing this movie has going for it is a scene with Don Johnson and his ‘71 yellow Cuda.

Enchanted – Agh! Are you kidding me?!? Wasn’t there already some crappy made for tv movie like this? I’m sure there was … and even if there wasn’t, we still don’t need this. Ugh … it depresses me to know that I will at some point have to watch some part of this movie.

Youth Without Youth – Huh? What? Okay … apparently I will have to wait until they put out a real trailer, before I can even decide if this is a movie or just an advertisement for roses and pocket-watches.

It’s strikes back time … with our two cents on a few more movie trailers.

I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With – So this is pretty much just Jeff Garlin’s real life problems, with some clean Sarah Silverman fun. Huh.

The Comebacks – Makes more sense than “Walk Hard”, but still looks dumb.

Eastern Promises – Viggo Mortensen isn’t enough to make me want to watch this … while it looks interesting, it seems a bit on the gruesome and violent side.

Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium – Jodie says it looks as stupid has Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but with toys instead of candy. I want to know who Natalie Portman owes money to that forced her to be in this silly role.

Descent – Jodie says, “It looks like it’s not much of a step up from ‘Rent’ for her.”

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Jodie and I sat down in the studio and watched a couple of upcoming movie trailers … here are our thoughts:

Beowulf – Jodie says that it crosses the line between having to hire actors and computer animation that looks exactly like the actors. I think minus Angelina Jolie it might actually be a good movie. Jodie also think it reminds her of video game cut scenes … which I tend to agree with. Will this movie be just a bunch of video game clips strung together? Oh and the music really doesn’t seem to fit the movie.

Walk Hard – Both of us agree … this just looks like a really long (and really crappy) Mad TV sketch.

Ladron Que Roba a Ladron – (it means, How a Thief robs a Thief) So pretty much just a spanish version of Ocean’s 11. Also, it is difficult to tell who this movie is intended for, since the trailer is all English, but some people are speaking Spanish.

Feast of Love – Jodie thinks it should be called the ‘Buffet of Love’ … with all the schmorgesbord of loves going on. And it is one of those trailers that shows you pretty much everything plot-line of the movie so you don’t even need to bother watching it.

Iron Man – This looks pretty sweet. The Iron Man suit looks great and Jodie says that it is a good use of the “Iron Man” song.

The Dark Knight – First of all, we both hate teasers like this. They could have put this out a couple of MONTHS ago. Second of all, Heath Ledger sounds pretty good, but it is only because he sounds like Jack Nicholson, who was the best Joker to day.

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Here’s Round Three of my upcoming movie trailer reviews … this time curteous of the sweet HD Movie Trailers section of the iTunes Store that I forgot was there.

• Dan in Real Life – Was it just me or was this an unusual story-line that developed as the trailer went on? I won’t see this because as you all know, I don’t really do mushy … but I won’t hold that against Steve Carell. This actually looks like a really great role for him.

• Ira and Abby – Did anyone else go “huh?” at this trailer? Maybe it will be good … maybe it will be coherent … and maybe I won’t go see it. Forecast isn’t looking good, Madnolia.

• Resurrecting the Champ – Of the few things I have seen Josh Hartnett in, I have definitely been a fan … and there is no question of the merit of Samuel L. Jackson in a movie. In case you are wondering, unnamed film studios, this would be an example of a well made movie trailer. Provocative and extremely intriguing.

• Be Kind, Rewind – Amazing. Exciting. Totally corn-ball goofiness. I am so in!

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Round Two of my trailer reviews:

• In the Shadow of the Moon – I don’t my generation was really that big on the whole “space thing”, but that hasn’t stopped me from having interest and intrigue in the stars above. If you enjoyed the great From the Earth to the Moon series that was out a few years ago, this is probably going to be another great treasure for you.

• The Spiderwick Chronicles- This looks to be a new generation’s Neverending Story. It probably will be very visually appealing, but unless I happen to be hanging out with a 10-year old when it comes out, I don’t plan on seeing this one.

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I just got caught up on my Apple Trailers, so here’s the rundown on what looks good and what I wouldn’t waste my money on.

• Dedication – This looks like something that will be honest and real. I think I will like the ungrounded nature of Billy Crudup’s character (He was great in MI:III). And why not give the director, Justin Theroux, props on a cute little trailer intro … with his MacBook Pro flip-around.

• National Treasure – Book of Secrets – Good golly! This looks like such a misapplication of potentially talented actors and a possibly decent storyline. I think this is going to have the same effect on me as Pirates 2 did … instead of loving the whole franchise a bit more, I am going to loathe both movies. Oh well. Nick, you didn’t impress me with Ghost Rider … why should I expect any better from this?

Click through for the rest of my reviews on upcoming flicks!

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It feels good to get back into the swing of things and let loose on the posts. I toyed around with the idea of migrating to yet another blog system, but it is so hard to find a great client that supports Textile (which I am sick on now, thanks to BaseCamp) and with the recent re-domain-ing, SimpleLog seems to be pushing this out just fine.

So what has been filling my eyes and head recently, you might ask?

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Guess who couldn’t finish The Lost Boys this morning because he got scared? Yup, I am a scaredy-cat.

2 out of 5 bubbly washer overloads

Um, this was another one that Jodie and Michelle forced me to watch. It’s pretty much what you would expect from another Lindsay Lohan movie, with typical drama and predictable outcomes. Granted, for what this movie lacked in originality, it made up for with endurability. Not only was I able to stomach the whole thing without cringing too often at cheese-ball corniness, but by the end, I was slightly intrigued. It probably didn’t hurt that McFly’s bass player was rolling with a pretty Fender Jazz, or that Faizon Love actually had a few funny moments.

3 out of 5 stabs with safety scissors

Jodie and Michelle made me sit down last night and watch this for the first time. And seeing that Jodie was nice enough to cook homemade lasagna for me, how could I say “no”?

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Saturday had a few other fun things in it (like making pancakes for everyone and playing a truckload of Gears with Nathan), but the highlight was definitely checking out Jim Carrey’s new 23.

A bit more scary/edgy than I normally go out for, but definitely one of my favorite film storylines in a long time. It was just what I needed to get over the sad experience that both Pan’s Labrinyth and Ghost Rider were.

If you saw it, drop me a line in the Comments so that we can talk about it. :)

Courtesy of everyone’s favorite Student Life boss, Terry Allcorn, I used my free Blockbuster rental to watch Jet Li’s Fearless with a few friends on Monday night. It was really amazing the first time I saw it in the theater with Matt Z and it maintained every bit of that monumental and tragic beauty that drew me in initially.

One of Li Lian Jie’s best movies yet, “Fearless” embodied so much of what I love about eastern culture and martial art philosophy/action. The two concepts that were most poignant to me were: “Revenge is an insatiable enemy, that indulged, only gives way to more pain and loss” and “Life is no more a journey to a final destination than a path of many opportunities that can easily be overlooked if permitted”.

Listed among the most recent “epic” kung-fu films, I rank “Fearless” as follows:

1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon


2. Fearless


3. Hero


4. House of Flying Daggers

Have you seen it yet?

** Yet another fun Color-Me for all the fans out there. Hop if you enjoy this one! Woot Woot! **

Same ol’ blah’dy blah at work. No friends in town and not really enough work to keep my mind preoccupied … and not thinking about wanting to be outside in the cool afternoon air. Oh well. Yay for lazy Thanksgiving week non-productivity!

After work, there was plenty of relaxing and a little napping too … in preparation for the midnight showing of The Fountain with Matt and Steph at one of our favorite theatres, AMC Loews Cineplex.

The Fountain was so amazing … it is all I am going to talk about today. Definitlely, it gets 5 out 5 golden stars from me (probably Matt, too), for overall picture, story, visuals and casting. The story and concept is of course phenomenal, with a very welcome transient, yet ominous time perception about it. The visuals were more than enjoyable, especially in conjunction with the unique and extraordinary artwork done on the graphic novel by Kent Williams. I definitely recommend reading the novel, particularly as a precursor for the movie, if possible. That is how I did it and I definitley enjoyed seeing the illustrated work come to life in the movie. Hugh Jackman was great in his varying character scope, but I think the really wonderful work done was by Rachel Weisz, who did a superb job reshaping each of her roles/appearances in each of the different time periods.

If you haven’t already seen it, please do. I know Steph didn’t really like it and Jodie said she was plenty confused, but it is a fantastic piece of film art that needs to be explored and appreciated. See it with a friend (or a date … ;)) and let me know what each of you think. Later.

Jodie and I have been in the midst of watching the Star Wars Saga during our lunch breaks the past few days and when a question came up that neither of us knew the answer for, Jodie decided to ask her friend Drew Stewart who turned us on to this great resource: Wookieepedia. Now you too can find answers to all your saber-singed questions. Enjoy!

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Wow … they are really cranking them out! Looks like the mighty Pixar has a new project on the horizon, Ratatouille.

I’m just downloading the trailer now, but if it half as cute and amazing-looking as the screenshots that were posted on the Character Design blog, I am so excited already about it.

Update: Okay, so I just watched the trailer …. and right now, not only am I anxious, excited and smiling, but I feel as though my fears of Pixar starting on a downward spiral have been a bit assuaged. Don’t get me wrong, I loved The Incredibles (though it was a bit darker compared to their other films), but stuff like Bounding and now Cars (I haven’t seen it yet, but nothing really makes me want to) … I was definitely a bit worried about our second favorite Steve Jobs enterprise.

Watch the trailer. It’s good.

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Aha! Finally the first Spider-Man 3 trailer has arrived. The sweet 480p version is setting itself into the zeros and ones of my hardrive as I type this. Check it out and let me know your thoughts!

Also, if you haven’t already peep’d the trailer for Ghost Rider, stop dilly-dallying and get to it! It already looks really great and if you know a bit about the story behind Nicholas Cage and superhero movies, you know he has a lot of passion to bring to this film.

Update: You can read my thoughts on the new SM3 trailer below the fold … just no peeking until you watch it!

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So it seems that although we can all stop hoping for the Fall TV line-up to include the much-anticipated Aquaman series on the CW, our dreams for a humorous summer are still much alive. NBC plans to release (web-only, mind you) 10 mini-series The Office episodes, each focusing the alibis of different Dunder Mifflin employees, as the mystery of the missing Accounting money is solved. Sounds pretty interesting.

You can read more about it here.

And with all the great summer movies hitting really soon (X3 this week, Superman next month, Pirates of the Caribbean, Nacho Libre, etc.) … we should be good.

Even though I am feeling a bit under the weather today (I’m not sure if it is the flu or just a bad sore throat), I am still trying be up and about, doing things. So while taking care of the dishes in the sink and eating lunch, I watch the Orange County DVD I borrowed from Tyler.

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Despite Disney’s best attempts to make me want to see this film (trendy commercials, slick looking advertisements, super prominent hype), I really had not interest. It really just looked like Disney’s attempt at doing something 3D and fun, without having to pay Pixar for the awesomeness.

My father-in-law just happened to have it the last time we were visiting, so I figured, “ehh … why not.”

I watched about the first half during a lunch break and pretty much came out of it thinking that I had wasted my time. The animation and rendering was pretty well done and the artistic style was quite agree-able, but the movie as a whole really seemed to be lacking that extra bit of finesse that makes an ordinary movie into something great (i.e. anything Pixar has done to date). There were plenty of intended-to-be-funny lines and such, but they mostly came across as quirky and ill-timed.

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So it was sad enough that the Wilsons were leaving so soon. But since we didn’t finish packing until late last night, we barely got to hang out. Everybody pretty much just crashed at our house and then of course the next morning, Jodie and I have to go to work.

Lucky for us though, the Wilsons do include Adam and he is usually late to things, so they didn’t leave right at 8 like they planned. Or at 9. Or at 10. More like 10:30. Which is fine by me (though, Jodie, what were you thinking going to work so late? Silly girl).

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On Saturday Jodie and I headed over to the lovely UCF campus so Jodie could complete the last of her teacher certification exams. I (very happily) got to spend the day hanging out in the UCF Library. While Jodie scan-tron’d away, I got to spend some time designing a new wallpaper, drawing the evil Michelle Monster (more on that later) and enjoying the movie, MirrorMask (more on that later, too).

After Jodie finished her first test, we watched an episode of The Office and then went to Panera Bread for lunch. Although we enjoyed our delicious meal, we really could have done without the mother that decided to breast-feed her child at the booth across from us. Good thing we had Margie’s new MySpace photos to keep us distracted. (Oh, and we watched this funny video, too!)

(Oh, while at UCF, Jodie’s car wouldn’t start one time, so it looks like I will have to spend some time checking “the connections” to the battery, as well as get the alternator tested at Advance.)

Jodie took her second test after lunch and then we heading home for a very short while (Vanessa just got some new camera equipment … she managed to shoot her flash more than a few times right in my eyes!). We ate lunch with the girls (Erin Tyree, Michelle Diamond, and Courtney and Christi Randazzanazzanah … yeah …) and the Wilsons at Chick-fil-A, of course.

We attempted to take Adam’s newly completed Ford Fairlane over to Old Towne for “the cruise”, but apparently they are starting to trim down the acceptable cars and his had just a bit “too much rust.” After spending a few moments checking out some of the classic cars, Adam, Vanessa and I headed over to the LOOP for some Ben & Jerry’s (mmmhmmm for Cherry Garcia!).

I finished up the end of MirrorMask, did some dishes and then watched Equilibrium (amazing movie!). And that pretty much ended the day.

Hehe … I’ll let you in on a little secret … Matt and me … we’re planning something. Something cool. Cool and big. Something cool and big and totally needing to involve our faces as cartoons. Hehe.

O, it is gonna be good.

Directed by Robert Schwentke

(1 out of 5 possibly missing children)

I didn’t really enjoy this one, so let’s make it quick.

Jodie Foster is quite good at the role she was handed … she really convinced me that she was absolutely out of her mind!

Basically, with this movie there comes a point when you have to choose sides; either you have a tendency toward paranoia and hysterics and you choose to believe Kyle’s insane ramblings OR you approach problems in life with a clear understanding of logical facts and common sense discernment and you chose instead to assume that she is suffering from symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Unfortunately, sometimes in life (or maybe just in movie plots) you find ourself at the end of a long, dramatic ordeal … and you are on the wrong side of the riverbank - left alone with your logical conclusions, while everybody else is being rescued. Needless to say, having held on to the wrong deductions for the entirely of the movie, when it came time for the plot twist, I felt much more embittered and frustrated than surprised. Grrr.

Why even give it one star? The title sequence is absolutely fantastic … seriously! It was really the only high point for me.

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Directed by Steve Box, Nick Park

(5 out of 5 golden carrot bullets)

Astounding animation. Delightful characters. Family fun for all. In just a few nutty peanut shells, that is what you can expect from the new Wallace and Gromit film.

I have always enjoyed the animated shorts that feature these two and seeing them in their own full-length feature film was just wonderful.

Besides the superb (and really, extremely detailed) stop motion animation, this film is build on an excellent plot driven foundation, with well thought-out characters and more than just a few witty lines and funny moments.

In my curiousity to learn more about how this well-crafted movie was made, I came across this quote on Wikipedia:

“Plasticine modelling clay on wire frames, and filmed with stop motion animation. This process is sometimes known as “claymation”, although this term was trademarked by Will Vinton Studios and is properly applied only to works generated there.”

If you get the chance, be sure to watch all the special features on this DVD, especially the “Day in the Life of” feature, which is about the Aardman Animation Studio.

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Directed by Cameron Crowe

(4 out of 5 drunken bathrobe rendezvouses)

Isn’t it funny how sometimes just the look of a movie trailer can entice you enough to want to see the movie? Or how it can make you so anxious for the movie, you wait in anticipation for months just to catch another glimpse? That is definitely how I felt about this movie. And wonderfully enough, it did not disappoint.

What was really awesome about this movie was that I had no idea what the premise or location of the story would be until we started watching it. Yet, not only did the characters and story draw me in almost immediately, there was such a warm and inviting feeling, I couldn’t help but want to love this movie.

Watch it if you are a fan of small towns. Watch it if you are a fan of sweet romance stories. Watch it if you love the way Orlando Bloom or Kirsten Dunst act. Just plain watch it. You’re gonna like it. Trust me.

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Directed by Louis Leterrier

(3 out of 5 car-flipping crazy stunts)

Adam and I finished this one today and it was definitely enjoyable. Plenty of martial arts film influences, crazy car-chase sequences, and wild gun play. I could have done with less of the occasional cheesy acting on the part Alessandro Gassman … with his one line quips and ridiculously stereotyped character. And I know I speak for both Adam and I when I say that I could have done with A WHOLE LOT less of Amber Valletta’s gross goth lingerie. I can KINDA understand if some people wanted to see her in a gun-slinging, sexy nurse thing … but after she has almost been blown up and right before she dies … villains just need clothes sometimes!

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to watch the original Transporter movie prior to this one … and from what the guy at MovieStop had to say, I really need to. Don’t worry … it is on my Netflicalls!

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Directed by Peter Jackson

(4 out of 5 gross face-sucking slugs)

This was a pretty good movie, with only a few minor flaws that had me bring it down by one star. Here we go:

Likes:
- Opening titles: Simplistic, yet perfectly fulfilling
- Landscape, era, and costume design: Astounding. As a period piece, this was magnificent. Old New York looks amazing and feels so real.
- CGI: O man! King Kong looks so very real. The face, the hair, the expressions … everything works and works well. Kudos to Wellywood studios!
- T-Rex battle scenes: Spectacular and really really long … so you are sure to get your fill of the amazing snaps, snarls and jaw-ripping action!

Don’t Likes:
- The death of Andy Circus: Trust me, once you’ve seen it, you’ll know what I mean.
- Lack of occasional character closure: Captain Englehorn, Hayes and Jimmy … sure Hayes gets a form of closure, but its seems as though they are really built up and then, nothing.

UPDATE: I just saw this for the second time a few days ago and I have to say that almost all the things I didn’t like about it the first time were pretty much resolved by watching and enjoying it again. Not only has my confidence in Peter Jackson’s directing been solidified, but now I am sure that I really like this movie.

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Sorry, but yet another non-movie review post … this one is a list of movies and TV shows that I vaguely remember from my childhood. For all you movie buffs or TV show know-it-alls, this one is for you … help an absent-minded TV watcher out. If I have found the actual name of the show/movie, it is there … otherwise, I have listed some details on the unknown title. Let’s do this:

TV Shows
Nightman
Never really watched it, but saw an advert in a comic book and remember watching the opening credits. The best part? The premise that an overly-muscular jazz musician is endowed with superpowers from a lighting strike and then continues to perform as a cover for his late night superhero work … awesome.

VIPER
O man … it took me forever to find this bad boy. Now I can reminisce in the full knowledge of what I spent so many of my Sunday evenings watching. Sweet car, endearing mechanic “Frankie”, lots of action, guns, and gadgets … and plenty more wonderful qualities. If you are know one of those fancy-pants TV Network CEOs, tell them to get these out on DVD or iTunes! Oh, I meant now, too.

Early Edition
O sure … laugh all you want … it was a good show! And now our friend Kyle Chandler is doing big and better things in Peter Jackson’s King Kong. So ha!

The Flash
I think I remember watching this series, but we won’t know for sure until the DVD set is released and Netflix sends it to me.

Sliders
This one I actually remembered really well and every now and then I will grab one of the discs off of Netflix … for some good, early 90’s fun.

Diagnosis Murder
Alright, this one is kinda silly for me … but I did enjoy watching it with my family and it did have Dick Van Dyke. It’s just not something I am planning on Netflix-ing any time soon. (Although … one of my favorite episodes is the one with

Dinosaurs
Yeah … you know which one I am talking about. Everyone knows they loved the baby’s crazy antics! And who can forget the episode where the son challenges the dad to a rumble? So much fun.

Movies
Unknown #1
I faintly remember a show about a fast/futuristic car that has bright (blue?) lines outlining its shape … it was raced at some point in the movie and crashed, yet the driver was unharmed and the car rebuilt itself by pulling the parts back together. And I think the driver wore a black helmet and black bike suit. This one hurts my brain, ‘cuz I can’t figure out what it is.

Peanut Butter Solution
I didn’t remember too much about this one until I found it on IMDB … then I remembered all too well. I am pretty sure this is one of those movies that scared the pants off of me growing up …

Misc
Neither movie or television … but I just wanted to remind myself that I also rediscovered the Jim Lee-created comic book character, Maverick. Also, I am still looking for a book (early teens age group) about a android student … who at one point pulls an extension cord out of his leg and recharges himself in one of the school hallways. Fun!

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Directed by Michael Bay

(4 out of 5 flammable nike suits)

Unique and under appreciated. Great acting by Ewan and Scarlett and some really amazing chase sequences. Definitely a good Netflix choice if you are looking for an action-filled movie night. Just watch out for that one “F-bomb” that they sneak in right near the end of the movie.

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Although it is out of the ordinary, today’s post is not a movie review. It doesn’t even taste like one. Instead, it is a concise list of some of my favorite 1970s - 1990s cartoons. Adam and Vanessa recently picked up an old Animaniacs VHS and it shot me off onto a IMDB spree for some good old funnies! Here they are, in no particular order:

Bobby’s World
Dexters lab
Jimmy Neutron
Looney Tunes
Kim Possible
Magic School Bus
Samurai jack
Johnny Bravo
The Tick
Animaniacs
Pinky and the Brain
90s Batman
Gargoyles
Bonkers
Duck Tales
Dark Wing Duck
Freakazoid
TailSpin
Chip and Dale - Rescue Rangers
G.I. Joe
Transformers
Tiny Toons
Captain Planet
Muppet Babies
Ninja Turtles
Inspecter Gadget
Life with Louie
Pepper Ann
Johnny Quest
X-Men
Spider-Man
Doug’s Life

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Directed by Martin Scorsese

(2 out of 5 awkwardly colored peas)

Wow. Just “wow”. This one left me stunned. Not just because Jodie, Adam, Nessa, Ben and I finished it like at midnight. Not just because it was like 3 times as long as I thought it was. Not just because I was left saying “the wave of future” to put myself to sleep. Just as a whole, “wow”!

Let’s clarify. For the most part, this a seriously bad “wow”. Although Leo plays a sincere Howard Hughes, the love the character, with his earnestness and motivation (heck, even his neurotic habits become endearing), is quickly forgotten once the onset of his debilitating disease reaches its full peak. Though probably true-to-life, the portrayal leaves a bad taste in your mouth, akin to so many stale Chinese egg-rolls. And don’t even get me started on Katherine Hepburn! It was like watching an annoying British version of “Gilmore Girls” … in fast foward! Agh! Stupid I-wanna-be-a-man-but-I-am-actually-a-woman lady thing. Leave now and don’t ever come back! How could someone as annoying as you be Galadriel? I guess that is what acting is all about - getting some people to love you and making others cut your brake cables as you drive through downtown San Francisco. Have a nice ride (seriously, her part is that annoy! Imagine an even more pompous and snobby person than fancy Phoebe Buffay!).

Despite, in my opinion, it’s major flaws, this film had two redeeming aspects. One is the unique choice of chroma-color hue-shifting in many scenes, offering a nice classic photo-comes-to-life feel to the movie. The second, the planes. Really, if you are even remotely interested in the airplanes designed, built and flown by Hughes, as well as his obsession with perfection in what he did, add this to your Netflix. You’ll hate most of the story, but at least with the DVD, you can skip to all the plane footage. Which is amazing. The designs are sleek and fast, soaring sweetly through the clouds and sparkling in the sun strong enough to blind you. Each is a machine of absolute beauty. Suffice to say, this movie would have been just as good if they had just had someone narrate the engineering of the planes.

O by the way, nice cameo Jude Law … how hard up for money are you? Really.

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Directed by Peter Docter

(5 out of 5 growling toilet seats)

Another visual masterpiece from the gang over at Pixar, “Monsters, Inc.” is a tantalizing treat for the eyes, ears and laughs … er, mouth.

Though everyone seems to love the dead-pan, fighting-through-gravel voice of Roz, my personal favorite is Mike Wazowski. No matter how many times I see this movie, I always laugh when he accidentally hits himself with anti-bacterial spray in his one eye and then suffers from severe irritation! It’s just one of those small but o, so perfect details that you can see in everything Pixar has done. In contrast, we could look at something like Disney’s third sequel to Cinder-Pixie-Dust-ella, where any attempt at an actual story has been rejected in favor of another variation on a pink wedding dress.

If you pay close attention, you will be able to perceive a great exposition about governmental agencies and the ridiculous protocol and absurd conventions they adhere to. “23-19!” Ah, beautiful!

Probably the best thing about this film is the absolutely stunning quality - of not only the characters, voices and plot, but the visuals as well. Audiences praised Pixar for the amazing 3D animation that came out of “Toy Story”, but Monsters, I takes it like 12 steps further with the vast improvement of animation, details and textures. There are some moments when you just want to reach out and hug the big furry Sully character or when you are certain that Boo is the little girl that used to live down the street from you. Dreamworks, toss out your crap and study this stuff for about 9 years … because P-I-X-A-R has you beat.

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Directed by Bryan Singer

(4 out of 5 frozen fire balls)

Even though all the hype has been over for 4 years now, this movie is still great. One of my favorite books and comic-to-film adaptations, X-Men was a great jumping off point for all the others to follow. It is a shame that so many (we won’t mention any names … crapHulkcrap … mmhm) had to stray so far away.

The casting of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine was like seeing all of my childhood aspirations come to fruition. My only dissatisfaction (and the reason for demotion of one star) lay in the use of solid black, leather-esque uniforms. It was as if all of Xavier’s disciples had gone goth’! As puerile as it may have seemed, a solid attempt to use some resemblance of the real costumes sure could have been ventured. Not only do we know it works (repeat after me … Spider-man… ), there are so many characteristics of a hero that are exemplified in their choices of clothing.

I heartily agree with the guys over at Cinecast and what they had to say about the role of Magneto in this film. His depiction of a maniacal villain is so much more believable with our introduction to him and his family as Jewish prisoners during the Holocaust era. Instead of a senseless transformation from genius to mad scientist or from stellar leader to corrupt reprobate, we are sharing in the journey of a man seeking retribution. And in some respects, we can even agree with or at least acknowledge the rationale of his actions.

Besides the oil-slick black outfits, the only other disparaging aspect of the film was the decision to remove all traces of clothing from Mystique. Granted, the movie probably gained an additional 25 percent in audience interest (thanks to all the drooling fan boys), but last time I checked, Mystique was never naked in the books.

Well, until a seductive hooker screws up X-Men III, make mine Marvel (movies)!

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Directed by Adam Shankman

(0 out of 5 rubber ninja mallets)

There probably aren’t enough words to describe how P-I-T-I-F-U-L this movie is. Thanks to insight gained from some of my recent blogging, I decided to at least give this movie a fair chance. That will be the last time I decide to side-step my instinct … it will save me the trouble of having to get rid of the bile taste in my mouth later on.

Lousy acting (even on the side of Vin Diesel, who surprising couldn’t pull of his over-simplified role), pathetically predictable plot points, and even worse attempts at humor.

If you are looking for so good , clean family fun, be sure to check this one out - as long as you can stomach the frequent poop gags, look past the ridiculously campy dialogue, and can stand the Vin Diesel sing-alongs.

One redeeming value for this film is that it was the first to rate at zero stars on Local Cinema.

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Directed by Adam McKay

(4 out of 5 flaming jazz flutes)

Let me just say … Adam McKay, thank you so much for introducing me to Steve Carell. If for nothing else, you got to love this movie because of Brick Tamland. “Hey! Where did you get those clothes? At the toilet store?” It was the perfect primer for “The Office” series on NBC.

This silver screen special is Will Ferrell at his best, with a strong supporting cast of Paul Rudd, David Koechner, the aformentioned Steve Carell, and even Christina Applegate (though I am still fearful of her from her very long run on ‘Married with Children’). Ferrell lays down lines like nobody’s business and in true SNL style, so much of it feels like it could have been improv.

Though there aren’t many parts of this movie I don’t like (it does lose one star for there being an unrated director’s cut and a bit of foul-language), some of the exceptional portions include all of Bill Lawson’s narration and the amazing “love” song with the news team! You can also look forward to the great News Station rumble that climaxes in Brick chucking a triton into a guy on a horse. O yeah, it’s cool.

The casting for this film is unbelievably great, with everyone from Jack Black to Chris Parnell. It really is like one big happy SNL party! Enjoy and don’t forget to quote it with your friends.

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Directed by Stanley Kubrick
(1 out of 5 finicky robotic hands)
That’s it. I am so giving up on Stanley Kubrick. I was sure I would be able to handle 2001 Space Odyssey and even this movie came highly recommended … but I can’t take it. His unusual use of conventional human dialect and emotions, as well as his extremist decisions in camera angles, just turns my stomach every time. I constantly feel as though I should be understanding more than that is being said and that if I did, perhaps the less-than-witty humor and esoteric moral considerations would have more of an effect on me. Instead I have found no deeper meaning, no greater aspiration - just meaningless anti-social-standard dribble.

Granted, I am the first one to berate a stereotypical film concept, but in the case of the few Kubrick films I have seen so far, I feel less like I am on a visionary path and more like I am accompanying a madman head-long over the edge of a precipice.

Though most online reviews will discuss the “true genius” and “governmental introspection” of this film, don’t give credence to. And even if you are interested in hearing both the quotes that ranked on AFI’s Top 100, save yourself the evening of agony and check out Altavisita’s MP3 search.

Directed by James Robinson

(2 out of 5 ridiculous police actions)

Although the Netflix trailer and synopsis showed some promise for this independent-like comic book romp, things pretty much went downhill after the initial plot was unveiled. There are just some movies that would work out better as SNL sketches (can you say ‘Kicking and Screaming’?).

The casting wasn’t too bad, and actually it was Cary Elwes’ role that attracted us to the movie. He did an excellent job playing a grimaced, stone-cold “killer”, especially in his opening sequence, as he single-handedly beats the crap out of like 5 guys. The only undoing I saw in his role was that his relationship to the stripper (and constant audience participated visitation of such) was really unnecessary. Its seems as if James and Donal were just trying to appease the fanboy lust for sex as cheaply as possible. O well … another FF on the remote.

As a whole this movie is fantastic. It expertly portrays the relationship and lifestyle that is comic reading/collecting/selling. There were a few geeky moments that I am sure I have witnessed at our local comic shop. Upon further scrutiny though, this movie lost a lot of respect and rating stars. Reasons? Read on.

Although the story was a seemingly great one, the need to have friends, family, and spouses brutally betray and/or murder others was quite a stretch as well as sicking as to how far gone their greed had become (though it probably could have been realistic in respect to the goal of their undertakings). Another major flaw was the inordinate usage of foul language. Some things were slightly permissible, but my overall recommendation is to steer clear of this one, if for no other reason than to save your innocent ears.

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Directed by Robert Wise

(3 out of 5 flammable paper suits )

Michael Crichton used to be one of my favorite writers, so I have always been interested in seeing this visual adaptation of his astounding novel with the same title. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the film, as well as its depiction of events surrounding this purposed biological infiltration. I found myself intrigued at times by certain elements that, in our modern era hardly evoke suspense, yet could have been seen as groundbreaking and overwhelmingly impressive in the movie’s initial release.

I definitely recommend this one if you are any kind of fan of Crichton, where it be Jurassic Park or some of his Robin Cook-esque thrillers. It is a good portal into his early work, though definitely more enjoyable if you allow yourself to slip into the quesdo-advanced technology that was the 1970s. Otherwise, this would make for a great addition to the MST3000 library.

My only really gripe? The casting of Kate Reid as Dr. Ruth Leavitt. I doubt a more unpalatable and annoying woman could be found anywhere. Every moment she spent on screen was a moment I spent in agony and torment. Perhaps it was her awkward facial expressions or her obnoxious assertions; either way, I can promise you that she won’t be on my Netflix queue any time soon.

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