I saw the Hangover on opening night and I have to say that it was one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time! This film achieved so much with a very basic story about a group of guys in Las Vegas for a bachelor party that goes bad! It was a great take on any comedy that takes place in Las Vegas! The characters were all so funny and their conversations were very similar to Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen comedies. Finding out what they got themselves into that night is the best part of the movie because it's so crazy and they all have no recollection of the night! The part with Mike Tyson is absolutely classic! I especially enjoyed the end credits montage as it showed all the crazy pictures they took that night and completely forgot about it until the end! The characters were all so original and they were easy to relate to. They were just regular guys trying to go to Vegas to be like other guys that have gone to Vegas in movies! Director Todd Phillips threw in an homage to Road Trip, one of his earlier films, in this movie that really sold the theme of the chracters trying to be different! The surprises in this movie are everything, so I won't say anything about that! I would highly recommend this movie as I predict it to be one of the summer's best comedies!
Guy Ritchie did it again. Two years after the previous movie, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Ritchie comes back with another comedy with a bunch of boneheaded underworld types. The story involves an 84 ct. flawless diamond, a pack of gypsies, boxing, a man that dodges bullets and a man the has a few in his mouth. Ritchie not only directed this one but he wrote this as well. So much like LSTS it is very complex. Not too give to much away, the movie stars Jason Statham and Vinny Jones again. Statham is a promoter of illegal boxing matches who is just trying to get by and buy himself a new caravan (trailer). Jones comes along much later so just watch and see who he is. Trouble arises early on when Statham tries to buy a caravan from the gypsies and his prize fighter is knocked into next week by a lanky Irishman played by none other than Bradd Pitt. To make a long story short without giving away any details, Pitt decides to fight for Statham. Now onto the other story involving the diamond. Benicio Del Toro steals the diamond and then has the diamond stolen from him. Thats as basic as I am willing to make it. Just watch the movie and you can figure out what I mean.
Reasons to watch:
1. Guy Ritchie: The man is a genius when it comes to envisioning a story and capturing it through a camera lens. The movie is complex yet easy enough to follow for most viewers. He shows you everything up his sleeve and doesn't leave a briefcase with a golden glow up for interpretation.
2. Fight Club: Did you like watching Brad Pitt beat up people in Fight Club? If you are thinking to yourself "Yeah I did enjoy him beating up guys twice his size", then this is a movie you have to see. The man is unstoppable. Well at least the character he portrays it unstoppable. He bare knuckle fights two men bigger than him and another with gloves on. Definitely not to be missed.
3. Re-watch: The movie should be watched twice I know I saw this a while ago and forgot about it but coming back with the goal of promoting has made it stick out in my head. Watch it again before you recommend it to friends. Or not.
4. Review: Check out the reasons why to watch Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. I would say the same reasons apply here.
So I realized the other day when I was doing this up-coming Sunday's post, (Don't say overachiever because I'm not) I have been doing movies that have been on DVD for at least a year or two. Last night I had the opportunity to go and see Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian with some passes. For those who don't know this is a sequel. Surprise. The original starred Ben Stiller and Robin Williams. Stiller plays a night watchman at The Natural History Museum in NYC who really wants to be an inventor. Williams was a wax model of Teddy Roosevelt in the museum. The whole movie revolves around this tablet that allows the exhibits to come to life. To make a long story short for the sake of catching people up, the old night watchmen try and steal the tablet and Stiller along with the help of the museum's exhibits stop them.
Flash forward two years when the sequel takes place. Stiller is a successful inventor with his own company. He still routinely visits the museum to visit at night, one night he goes and finds out the exhibits are being shipped off to the federal archives at the Smithsonian Institute. Stiller tries everything to keep them from being put into storage without the tablet but he fails. After they have left one of the exhibits calls him saying they are being attacked. Stiller rushes off to try and help. He runs into another security guard played by Jonah Hill (surprise he is in everything). The battle ensues between Stiller and bad guys throughout time. Al Capone, Ivan the Terrible, or awesome (played by Christopher Guest) and the leader of the bad guys Kahmunrah (played by Hank Azaria who has two other roles in the movie).
Overall the movie was pretty amusing. I laughed out loud throughout most of the movie. If you liked the first one then you will like this one even more because it is better than the first. Go check this movie out and tell me what you think.
This post is a little bit late considering this movie has been out for a while, but nothing says summer blockbuster more than Wolverine. I saw this movie twice in theaters and I was overall pretty impressed. The film stayed fairly faithful to the comics with some slight adaptations. Hugh Jackman of course lit up the screen as Wolverine, as to be expected, but I was most impressed with Liev Schrieber's portrayal of Victor Creed/Sabertooth. He completely embodied the character with body and voice. There were a number of classical X-Men characters in the film such as Gambit, who I wish would have had a more dominant role in the film. The action in the film was intense and the special effects were great! This was the first big blockbuster of the summer season and I really enjoyed it. My only real complaint about the film is the role of Wade Wilson/Deadpool played by Ryan Reynolds.
Alert!!!! Spoilers be next!!! Do not read if you haven't seen the film!!!
Wade Wilson's character was ruined b/c they completely ruined his abilities. In the film Deadpool absorbed a number of other mutants' powers and he was controlled by William Stryker. This of course is completely inaccurate and they pretty much ruined the character of Deadpool in the end of the film! I won't detail it any further, but if you know Marvel and Deadpool, you will know that they raped the character in this film. Otherwise Ryan Reynolds was great as Wade Wilson and I would love to see him in his own spin off film, which is now being rumored.
Either way I recommend this film to anyone that is a fan of Wolverine and the X-Men, it does not disappoint in its better moments!
A ridiculous comedy directed by Guy Ritchie. LSTB stars Jason Statham, before he broke out in The Transporter. The movie has a large cast that I do not feel like listing out here, but if you have scene Layer Cake you will notice that the gentleman that played Cody also stars in here as Soap. Another man from Layer Cake, Crazy Larry, also plays in this movie (anyone notice a pattern?). This movie sounds like an action movie and I actually looked for it in the action section of Blockbuster, but it is on the verge of slapstick. Some of the scenes run like something that would appear on the worlds dumbest criminals. Statham and his three friends decide it is there time to make it rich. They put their faith and a hundred grand in the hands of their friend, Eddie. Eddie is a great card player since birth, he would have won it all if not for foul play. He and his friends end up four hundred thousand in debt to Harry, the man who arranged the game. If they do not come up with the money in a week they lose their fingers and Eddie's dad loses his bar. The odds are stacked against them and you will have to watch and see if they make it out with all their digits and a pint in front of them.
Reasons to watch:
1. Gritty: The movie is shot almost without white balancing giving a hard look to it that almost makes you not want to watch it yet at the same time you can't look away because it is something that is not seen very often.
2. Hard Hitting: The camera angles used in the movie are very disorientating and almost give you a headache at times. Yet, at the same time pulls you in deeper into their world.
3. Soundtrack: Throughout the movie there is a constant bass line, almost jazz like. Every time
this is heard something is about to happen, whether your about to be introduced to another story line or Eddie just lost all their money.
4. Award Winning: Guy Ritchie won "Best New Filmmaker" from the MTV Movie Awards back in '99. Since then Ritchie has gone on to direct six movies. He just wrapped up production on his version of Sherlock Holmes (Check out Pete's preview below).
5. Multiple Story Lines: The movie has at least two stories that occur simultaneously. They all come together and not as confusing at Tarantino movies do either.
6. Re-watch: I watched this movie twice before writing here. The first time was to get a handle on the movie, the second was enjoyment and to figure out what exactly happened. So before you judge this movie watch it again to make sure you are fully grasping what is going on.
This is a wrap. Tell me what you think and feel free to recommend a movie for me. Include your name and who knows you might be famous.
Because of Memorial Day weekend giving us Monday off there is no reason you shouldn't get out to a Blockbuster and rent this movie.
Green Street Hooligans (2005)
Green Street Hooligans, or just Hooligans, stars Elijah Wood, after he was Frodo in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Elijah Wood plays Matt Buckner who was recently thrown out of Harvard. After getting thrown out he runs off to visit his sister in England. While there he befriends his sister's brother in law, Pete, who is obsessed with football. Not soccer. Matt ends up joining Pete's "firm" (gang who roots for a specific football team) and earns their respect in a few fights with other firms. Things get complicated for Matt when Pete's friend and trusted number two, Bovver, gets jealous and tries to show Pete that Matt is disloyal. I will not give away the ending.
Reasons to watch:
1. Football? Soccer? OK they mean the same thing. Even if you do not like soccer watch this movie because there is only about ten minutes worth of actual soccer shown out of the 109 minute movie.
2. Soccer: Despite number one this movie revolves around soccer. A quote from the movie "Dogma" can sum up this reason," Mass genocide is the most exhausting activity one can engage in, next to soccer."
3. Not Lord of the Rings: Don't get me wrong LOTR was a monumental achievement, but it was long and had quite a few boring, drawn out scenes. Hooligans is split evenly between action and story. It is not non-stop action and violence but it is not just all drama. It is a pleasant mix of the two.
4. Revenge: Who does not enjoy a little revenge every now and then? The movie is not just about revenge, but it does have it. Watch for it.
5. Climax: The movie climaxes with one final battle scene encompassing everyone involved. This scene alone would be worth watching a much, much, much worse movie.
Layer Cake is a movie set in England's drug underworld. The main character is a cocaine dealer who deals in large quantities of cocaine only. He plans to retire from the business but, not before he completes one last job for his eccentric, foulmouthed, drug kingpin. He is sent to find the daughter of his boss's friend, while at the same time trying to find a buyer for one million pills of MDMA (If you don't know what that is google it). Problems occur with both tasks. Violence and even more British slang follow until everything culminates in one final dramatic scene.
Reasons to watch:
1. Daniel Craig: If it wasn't for this movie who knows who would be playing James Bond in the newest revival of the series.
2. The Book: The movie was originally based on the book of the same name by J. J. Connolly. The screenplay was 408 pages long whereas the book was only 344 pages long according to IMDB.
3. Sequel?: Connolly is reportedly working on a sequel to his book. I am sure it would only be a matter of time before Matthew Vaughn wants to turn it into a movie.
4. Cinematography: The shots, while some may be disorientating are very well done. They give you the feeling of yourself in the film which, most movies attempt but, few succeed.
5. Soundtrack: The soundtrack of the movie includes rhythms to simulate the beat of your heart to get your heart racing for what is about to happen or to slow it down from the previous scene.
OK thats it for this one. Go watch is and tell me what you think
With it's DVD release today i have just seen the movie Taken for the first time. Almost every review I've seen has said that it has horrible plot lines and is hard to follow because of this. For those people I will just say one thing, "fucking morons". This movie is fantastic. It shows Liam Neeson basically being the best father in the world. He goes across the ocean to save his daughter from being kidnapped. Without giving anything away, I will just say that the movie has tremendous acting from both Liam and the people he beats the shit out of. He is a man on a mission. His mission is to basically beat the hell out of everyone in Europe until he finds his daughter. And within this movie he basically does beat the hell out of everyone in Europe. I recommend this movie to anyone that likes action, or Liam Neeson, or just anyone wanting to see someone get the shit kicked out of them in creative ways.
Star Trek. One of the most beloved Science Fiction franchises and the bane of countless nerds the world over. And I mean that in the best way possible. Gene Roddenberry's vision of a future has been taken to a new high. The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise, as well as the numerous movies, have passed the torch. With the release of JJ Abrams radically different vision for Star Trek there is most definitely a change in the guard. And I for one like it.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a true blue Trekkie, although not nearly as hardcore as some, but I thoroughly enjoyed the new movie.
WARNING: HERE BE SPOILERS!!! Although I'll try not to reveal anything to terrible, I figured I'd put that up just in case.
The plot had a number of problems, but they were small and easily ignored. But it wasn't so much the plot, as the acting that really made the movie shine. Chris Pine managed to channel all the swagger and arrogance that made Kirk. While he didn't quite have that same appeal that Shatner brought to the role, he is more than qualified to continue the legacy of Kirk. Acting opposite of Chris Pine, was Zachary Quinto as Spock. I haven't been a big fan of Heroes, in fact I have not seen a single episode, so I'm not going to try to compare his character on that show to his portrayal as Spock, but by my reckoning he did an excellent job. Once again, not quite the Spock that Leonard Nimoy made famous, but I would not complain if he took the job again.
Now comes one of the odd divergences from Roddenberry's original vision. Zoe Saldana plays Uhura, but unlike the Original Series, this Uhura seems to have a pretty steamy relationship with Spock. Although it seemed a bit odd at first, especially since the commercials hinted at a Kirk/Uhura relationship, I think it brought a little something extra to the film. It allowed Abrams to play with Spock's emotions just a little bit more, and show that his human side does have effect him. My favorite performance in the entire film was that of Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy. Urban does an amazing job of channeling the spirit of Deforest Kelley. Without a doubt his performance is the most spot on of all the new characters. If only he had gotten a little bit more screen time.
Simon Pegg as Scotty was a hoot. While the original Montgomery Scott, played by the venerable James Doohan, did not have quite the attitude that Pegg brought to the character, I feel that his performance was second only to Urban's as McCoy. Sadly his character seems to be regulated to the background a little too much, but he's in there enough to establish the character. Sulu and Chekov are the two characters that are given the least amount of screen time. Don't misunderstand me, they are both featured significantly, but compared to Spock and Kirk (obviously the stars) and even McCoy, they are little more than homages to the original characters.
Two of the coolest cameos, if you can call it that, was Jennifer Morrison as Kirk's mother and Winona Ryder as Amanda Grayson, Spock's mother. I giggled like a little school girl when I saw those two in there as I could not picture either of them doing something quite like this.
The most radical change that JJ Abrams made toward the franchise was the design of the ships and cities. While the basic design for the NCC-1701 USS Enterprise has not changed, the look and feel of the ship has. Abrams has taken all of the old designs and updated them to the new 21st century. While it does not detract from the film, for those old school Trekkies it takes a bit of getting used too.
The biggest thing about the movie is the time traveling aspect. While not an unusual concept for a Star Trek movie, the way it's executed is quite good. Without giving away the entire plot, Abrams uses the time traveling concept to set this movie up as a alternate reality from that established by Roddenberry. To me this was an ingenious move because now it allows Abrams, and anyone following him, to muck around in this newly created universe without destroying the canon as established by the previous movies and series.
Overall this was an excellent movie, and despite what hardcore Trekkies may say about the film, it is well worth the price of a movie ticket. Abrams has taken Roddenberry's vision and moved in a completely different direction without stepping on any toes. He has crafted a movie that will, and should, be considered a new chapter in the ongoing Star Trek saga. I hope everyone gets a chance to enjoy this movie while it's still in theatres.
As a little aside, here's a quick little clip of SNL featuring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Leonard Nimoy. Enjoy.
Starting this Sunday, May 11 (Mother's Day), I am going to try and post up a trailer or two of movies being released in theatres over the next couple of months. First up we have an awesome trailer from the latest Tim Burton film, 9. It takes place in a post apocalyptic world. Humans are either in danger of becoming extinct or they already are, but a plot this standard is not what makes this movie awesome looking. Instead it is the visuals and the character designs that I feel make it worth your time. The landscapes look amazing, but the visuals are not the only arresting part of this trailer. It is the dark, ominous look pervading the world in which the characters live that makes it compelling. Of course with Tim Burton producing it, there is not a chance in hell that it would be all buttercups and sunshine. Take a look at the trailer and make a decision for yourself, but I for one can not wait until September 9.
- Peter
Hi guys. This is my first post on here and certainly not the last. I am going to write a review for a movie that everyone should see here each week starting today with one of my all time favorites.
Shaun of the Dead
This movie is awesome. There are a lot of reasons to see this movie here are a few:
1. Tagline:The tagline for this movie is "A romantic comedy. With zombies". This alone is reason to see the movie
2. Zombies: And I am not talking about cheesy zombie stuff either here. This is legit and looks good, not something done with some ketchup and your mother's makeup kit.
3. British Slang: Words that are only funny once you know the meaning. Words like ballocks and wanker. Bollocks means bullshit and wanker is an insult amongst friends, and actually mean jerkoff.
4. Rewatch: Even if you have already seen this movie, watch it again. Look and listen closely to everything lots a little things that you might not have caught the first time through. Like that Shaun and Liz met at a rave. Check it out. Also if you have seen this I recommend Simon Pegg's show on BBC that he did before this "Spaced". It features his pal Nick Frost and Jessica Hynes (Yvonne in Shaun of the Dead) as his new flat mate. Check it out and look for other cast from Shaun of the Dead.
Sunday rolls around and it's time to rest up and get ready for work on Monday. Sunday's are usually spent doing 1 of 3 things: 1) spending time with the family; 2) doing homework that you were too lazy to do; or 3) fighting off a hangover. Well my sunday usually consists of #3 and the best way to do that is to drink a soda, watch an awesome Sunday TV movie, and fall asleep during it.
This week was the classic 1988 film that was a romantic comedy, Cocktail. This movie stars a very young Tom Cruise and a very sexy Elisabeth Shue. The movie consists of Tom Cruise being a young army veteran that returns to New York City and is striving to be a millionaire bartender. This movie has everything that you would want in a Sunday Afternoon TV Movie: Sex, Suspense, Corniness, and the ability to put you asleep when sleep is everything that you want.
I strongly suggest finding this movie on cable television next weekend!
I have been a Terminator fan since I was a little kid. I grew up watching Terminator 2 and even remember having a bunch of the toys. Actually, I think I still have a few collectibles, but anyways, Terminator Salvation actually looks like it might be halfway decent.
I was a little concerned at first even thinking about Terminator without Arnold. Rumor has it that he will be featured in digital form. I guess that Arnold wanted to be featured in the movie, but did not want to act. This idea of a digital cameo make me a little bit nervous. Somehow the thought of Arnold being portrayed in full CGI makes me nervous because if they ruin his depiction, they will be ruining a cinema icon!
Christian Bale looks like he will be okay in the role of John Connor as long as he doesn't use the Batman voice for the whole movie! After hearing his rant on set (Listen to it here), it made me somewhat doubt him. He said he overreacted, but I believe that to be an understatement! Let's hope that doesn't affect Mr. Bale's image too much because that's just bad for business!
Otherwise, this looks like a fresh look into the post-apocalyptic world that Cameron first created in 1984. The action sequences in this film look pretty good and the CGI doesn't disappoint so far. I don't know why they chose to make this film PG-13, probably a clever ratings scheme to try and get younger audiences to the film and then release an Unrated DVD version! I just think it's stupid when a series has the first 3 films rated R and the newest goes down to PG-13. I was excited for Alien Vs. Predator, until I found out that it was rated PG-13 and what it lost in violence it also lost in quality! I am still going to see this film, but who knows if the series can survive with a new man at the helm and without Arnold Schwarzenegger?
This trailer made me want to see this film! Check it out here!
