Goodbye 2008!

I just wanted to wish EVERYONE a happy and safe New Year.
2008 had some great times, and I hope 2009 will be even better. Thanks to everyone who was able to influence and enrich my life this year, and I look forward to a great next year!

See you on the flip side!
-Kevin

Fantasy casting Round 1: Gilligans Island

It's news today, the original creator of Gilligan's Island, Sherwood Schwartz has agreed to give the rights to a big screen adaptation of the tv show. No casting rumors have been set, however, I have come up with who I think would be good. Now, I'm always right, however, I would love to hear what other people would think of as Gilligan and the rest. Let's not get into plot points now, because, unless you have a magical switch to move an island, the castaways could be found using Google Earth in about 10 minutes. Oh well, that show didn't exactly come across as gripping and heart-pounding realism.
So, here we go:

Gilligan- Michael Cera, of Juno fame
Skipper - Seth Rogan, of 40 year old Virgin and Pineapple Express
Professor - Nathan Fillion of Serenity and Firefly
Ginger - Lindsey Lohan of slutty tabloid fame (c'mon, she looks good as a redhead)
Mary Ann - Eliza Dushku, she played Faith on Buffy, was in Bring it on and Dollhouse
Thurston Howell III - Alan Rickman, the voice of God, Sheriff of Nottingham, Love Actually
Lovey Howell - Maria Bello, of Mummy 3 fame

FUN FACT : The characters' full names - The Skipper: Jonas Grumby - The Professor: Roy Hinkley - Mr. Howell: Thurston Howell III - Mrs. Howell: Eunice Howell - Gilligan: Willey Gilligan - Ginger: Ginger Grant - Mary Ann: Mary Ann Summers

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, A tale of a fateful trip That started from this tropic port, Aboard this tiny Ship.
The mate was a mighty sailin' man, The Skipper brave and sure, Five passengers set sail that day For a three hour tour..........

top 10 movies of 2008

According to a Deadline Hollywood sample of men and women, they released a top 10 list for women and for men. Clearly this pool is a perfect example of what will do well this year and should be taken as cold hard fact. Yep, no possibility or margin for error. Non, whatsoever.

According to Men:
1. Star Trek 23%
2. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 17%
3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 14%
4. X-Men Origins: Wolverine 9%
5. Terminator Salvation 7%
6. Watchmen 7%
7. Angels & Demons 5%
8. Public Enemies 3%
9. G.I. Joe 3%
10. New Moon 3%

According to Women:
1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 25%
2. New Moon 15%
3. Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen 11%
4. Angels & Demons 9%
5. X-Men Origins: Wolverine 7%
6. Star Trek 6%
7. Public Enemies 5%
8. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian 4%
9. The Lovely Bones 3%
10. Where the Wild Things Are 2%
It's interesting to see the difference between the two lists. So, what do you think, does the list hold true for you?
For me, I would have Angels & Demons at the bottom, not really looking forward to that.

Star Wars Clone Wars review

Let me start off by saying I am a huge Star Wars fan. I love all 6 movies, some more than others, but I would say all are very good. I also love the Clone Wars TV show, I think it's is beautifully rendered, the plot is gripping, and they avoid a lot of the problems with knowing the outcome of the battle.

That being said, the movie released in theatres and recently on DVD is absolutely awful, I mean that thing is bad. There is one certain thing in Star Wars that should never happen, and that is me looking over at the clock over and over again, waiting for the end to come. This was supposed to be a movie about a key moment in a key war in the universe, its something that ties, or destroys this fascinating universe that has been laid out for us. The characters are already familiar to the audience, so, I could understand a little less character development, unfortunately there is none. They introduce a new character, the Padawan to the reluctant Anakin Skywalker, Ashoka Tano. Unfortunately, she comes across as so annoying, I was hoping she would get a light saber upside the head throughout the movie, which is unfortunate, because she is actually a great part of the story in the series. The movie is just battle scene after battle scene and varies very little. The overall plot of rescuing Jabba's baby is terrible, and frankly, it's never something I care about, because, it's Jabba the Hut, and he's a bad guy. On top of that, they force Padme in at the very end, because they couldn't find any place else to put her. It's just the last of the many atrocities of story telling this movie has.

I highly recommend seeing the series, and in no way, is this movie required to clear up anything. So, don't watch this movie, not even a free rental, not even if a friend brings it over, not even if its on Cartoon Network at 2 am and there is nothing else on, not even if your too lazy to get up and change the channel and it is currently on the tv; NOT AT ALL!

Was that clear enough? I give it a 3 out of 10

You won't talk in the Theatre after this...

The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting on a case of movie rage like no other. Everyone hates it when people simply won't shut up in a theatre, in fact, according to good ol' Shepard Book, there is a special hell for Child Molesters and people who talk in movie theatres. James Joseph Cailella Jr., 29 thought so too, and wanted to send Thomas Jefferson there to prove it. It seems Jefferson was one of those who wouldn't shut up, and Cailella got mad and decided to shoot him in the chest for not being quiet. Apparently, police were called and Cailella was charged with aggravated assault, attempted murder and a weapons possession charge.
As off balance as this is, I really hate people providing commentary in a theatre. I am not suggesting capital punishment, but maybe a good tazing wouldn't hurt now and then. It's just really crazy that some Plaxico Burress wannabe brought a gun to a theatre, that's just not smart.
So, next time, be careful who you sit next to, they could be packin'.

Fox wins Watchman battle...now what?

In the latest in what seems to be a brutal legal battle over a seemingly incredible movie took an interesting turn this week, as it was announced that FOX wins the rights to the Watchman franchise and all the characters.
Fox has announced they don't want a cut of the profits, they do not want the movie to come out at all. As a result, without a successful appeal, the movie you saw through the countless trailers may never see the light of day. The alternative to that is FOX making their own cuts of the footage shot and releasing it as a FOX movie, so, again, the movie represented by the trailers may not exist.
This is terrible news for all movie fans, because I truly believe not only would this movie make copious amounts of money, I think it would revolutionize the industry, and especially, the art of adapting graphic novels, especially one as popular as this.
Another question is, how could this kind of error happen in this day and age? I mean, in a matter of three minutes, I can look up just about anything, see what it looks like from space, and watch a porno about it, so how is it, that nobody did their homework in finding out if they actually do have the rights or not?
This is an interesting case, but no matter what, it looks like the March release date will be delayed, hopefully not by much, but more than likely, it will be delayed by quite a bit, either late summer, or Christmas 2009, at best.

2008 Best of list

I have seen so many Best of 2008 lists over the past few days, my head is spinning all Exorcist-like. I guess it's typical to look back over the year, as a way of measuring the year. So, I have a few different pics here, along with a top 10. Now, I have not seen every movie or TV show this year, much to my dismay, but the water was calling many times this year, so, that's my excuse.

First off, my top 5 movies of '08.
5) Cloverfield -
This is not going to be on any Oscar lists, that is an issue for another column. This movie had a brilliant idea; put the audience in the mix of a godzilla-esque attack, let them feel the turmoil, the danger. This movie is shot with a first person view similar to Blair Witch, except, it's not some witch, its a huge monster, attacking New York. This movie was brilliantly done, and also, importantly, it was brilliantly marketed.
4) Tropic Thunder-
I just recently saw this movie, and there have been few movies that have made me laugh as hard. The performances, again, were amazingly good, that's right, even Ben Stiller nailed his role. Robert Downey Jr. cemented his trophy as "comeback guy of the decade" with this role. Tom Cruise was in it, and was not only good, he was unforgettable. The script was hilarious, and had a great mocking of Hollywood that, after the laughs, should be looked at. My favorite comedy of the year!
3) Wall-E-
An animated movie that has more heart and soul than most movies I have ever seen. The lead character does not have any lines, other than beeps and groans, and yet, is easily identify able and well acted, better than most actors in movies I've seen this year. On top of that, the special effects were gorgeous, the score was very good, and there were a few morals to this story that will stick with you after the heart-warming ending.
2) Dark Knight -
That's right, number two, but, it's my list, so whatever. I thought this movie was nearly flawless. Amazing performances, a perfectly written story that had a great bad guy, this had great action, good effects. This is a movie that shot to the top of the dollar sign charts and will remain there for some time. The only reason this is second, is possibly due to the original being so good, I wasn't just hoping for perfection, I was expecting it, and it did deliver. The only gripe I have is it's a little long.
1) Iron Man -
Let me start off by saying I know this is not the norm, everyone is putting Dark Knight at this position. The reason why this is here is possibly due to the fact I had very low expectations for this movie, only to be blown away by how well done this movie is. We were fortunate enough to have two movies this year that simply re-wrote how to do a comic book movie. This one did the start off of a franchise perfectly with the right balance of story, humor, and action.

Now, a few winners of 2008 -
Best TV moment - 2008 Olympics, specifically, the finish of Phelps 100 meter Butterfly. He won by .001 seconds! Amazing, I loved it all! A close runner-up was Obama winning the election, and the reaction of the media.
Best TV Show - Burn Notice, with runner-up Chuck.
Best TV male actor - James Roday, Psych
Best TV female actor - Emily Deschannel - Bones
Top movie performance of the year - Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Comeback of '08 - Robert Downey Jr., a close runner-up was S.N.L. who thought they were still around? Thanks to Tina Fey, they made a huge comeback election time!
Biggest movie news of the year - Writers Strike
Best original concept - Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog

Fanboys trailer

Fanboys is a movie that has supposed to have come out for over a year. There has been a huge legal battle, a debate over a final cut, and several delays from the production company. The original story is that of the guys going to Skywalker Ranch because their friend wants to see Episode One before he dies of cancer. The last cut removed that idea and just made the story that they were really obsessed. After a huge outcry from fans, they put the cut back in, and finally, it looks like this will finally come out.
Now, the question I have is, will this movie really do well? Sure Star Wars fans like myself may see this movie, but, lets face it, their numbers have been dwindling over the years, and now, do they really have enough numbers to make this a hit? I don't really think this movie will appeal to anybody besides what exactly the title refers to, fanboys. Will that be enough, I don't think so.
Still a nice trailer, though....check it out!

Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! I hope everyone has a great one, and is able to spend time with their family and loved ones. That is what Christmas is all about, and I hope you get to enjoy it.
Thanks for reading my blog up through this point, I hope over the next year, we can entertain each other!

-Kevin

Night at the Museum trailer

Here is the Night at the Museum 2, Battle at the Smithsonian trailer.
The first movie was great, one of the better Ben Stiller movies out there (next to Zoolander, and my favorite, Tropic Thunder) and this one looks like it could be good, if not a bit too similar to the old one. We'll see, but I am still looking forward to this one.

Reason #50 why Nathan Fillion is the man!

Here is a small video skit, that is hopefully, the first of many to come. The series is called "PG Porn." Now, before you click on it, it IS SAFE FOR WORK, even though it does not seem like it will be.
Roles like this, and Captain Hammer in Dr. Horribles Singalong Blog that show the true depth and talent of Nathan Fillion, along with the fact he is willing to take chances, which have paid off for him so far. Fillion is also in one of my favorite movies of all time, Serenity.
So, check this out, it's hysterical!



Nailing Your Wife

Monsters Vs. Aliens trailer

Well, if you look at the the post I did about movie trailers, this trailer does everything right. I was left rolling on the ground laughing with this one. Animated or not, I will be in line to see this one!
For your enjoyment:

Tropic Thunder review

A bunch of actors who get thrown into a real life war movie, and by the end, they aren't sure what is a movie, and what is not.

The movie of the movie stars Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller), Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.), Jeff Portney (Jack Black) and Alpa Chino (Brandon Jackson) as a group of actors with a really big ego. You have Stillers character who used to be the most famous in a lot of action movies, but after the last hollywood dud, he desperately needs a blockbuster. Next, you have Downey's character, who already has 5 Academy Awards and is an actor who immerses himself fully as an actor. Blacks character is only known for his Fatty's franchise, basically a movie like Eddie Murphys movies, where he is every character in a fat suit. Finally you have Jackson's character, who is the quintessential black, rapper guy. After having some clashing, the director decides to drop them off in a North Vietnam valley, they find themselves in a situation similar to the movie they are filming.

This movie was sheer brilliance in every degree. The movie had great comedy with the mocking of different situations in many movies, and mocking the Academy itself. This movie came so close to the line, without going over it, it was amazing. The film actually had some controversy due to the word "retard" being used, in possible one of the funniest dialogues in all cinema. They talk about never going "full retard" because if you do, the Academy will deny you the Oscar.

Another priceless part of the movie is Tom Cruise. It is a small part, but Cruise plays the Producer of the movie, and is nothing like the Tom Cruise in every other movie he plays in. He is balled, hairy, fat, a total D-Bag, and a great addition to the movie.

There are nonstop laughs throughout the movie, and actually, a bit of mocking of actors, and the process they go through to prepare themselves for the role they chose.

This is a must watch, I give it a 9.5 out of 10.

A couple teaser posters to wet your appetite!

Good afternoon, everybody! Here is the first teaser poster for Fast and Furious 4. I like the poster. I am all about a simple teaser poster. The more simple the better, and this one is simple, and very good. The only problem I have is the tagline; "new car, same parts." What the hell? This is the most terrible tagline ever. I mean, just off the top of my head....'fourth time's a charm,' or 'at 120 mph, no one can hear you scream,' or 'remember Paul Walker and Vin Diesel?' I mean c'mon, that's unacceptable!

The next poster, I totally geeked out over. Land of the lost, the '70s version, was just campy and silly, but very enjoyable. And then, you have a show that started in the early '90s, which was a terrible remake that I loved. Shut up, I know, it was campy, silly and bad, but it had dinosaurs, a really hot jungle girl, and Patrick Duffy, so two outta three aint bad! This next movie has Will Farrell. I know, I know, not a good start. I love Farrell, but the same act over and over again gets a little tired. I think Farrell can stumble through a slightly more serious role well enough for a movie with dinosaurs and Slestacks. No matter what, I'm excited, it's also a pretty enjoyable poster, so we'll see!

Fred Clause

I finally got a chance to see the latest Vince Vaughn movie to come on DVD, Fred Clause. The movie stars Paul Giamatti as the Jolly old fat man himself, you have Vince Vaughn as Santa's less famous older brother Fred Clause, and their mother Cathy Bates and Fred's girlfriend, played by Rachel Weisz.

The movie focuses on Vince Vaughn having to deal with being the less famous brother of Santa. Vaughn starts off as a bitter, smart mouthed user, who only thinks of himself. After being forced to call his brother, he makes a deal for his brother to pay his bail, in exchange for Fred coming to the North Pole to help in the weeks before Christmas. The reluctant Fred agree, because he sees something in it for him. Upon arrival, he sees his brother, Nicholas being overweight, and stressed out, due to the arrival of an efficiency expert, played by Kevin Spacey. Fred has his usual shennanigans and uses others so he doesn't have to do anything. After a fight, he realizes, the only way the kids will have a merry christmas is the other Clause needs to step up and help out.

This movie is tough to review. It is a little more difficult to say anything bad about a Christmas movie without sounding like a guy named Scrooge. This movie, however, doesn't have much going for it. The performances of Spacey and Giamatti are very good. Vaughn, however, doesn't look like he was able to carry a movie like this on his shoulders. He shows the typical Vince Vaughn, which I really enjoy, however, I don't think it has much place in a Christmas movie. The main flaw is trying to force such a character into such a movie. Fred comes off as simply annoying, and at no point is endearing. Santa Clause has a major flaw through most of the movie, in that he goes out of his way to flush out and almost mock the kids that appear on the naughty list. Finally, the elves seem the most annoying, and instead of developing into lovable characters, they just seem easily brushed off.

Now, the good is, it's a funny, and mildly enjoyable Christmas movie. There are some funny scenes, mainly with Vaugh fighting Salvation Army Santas and his brother. Giamatti is a perfect looking Santa. He doesn't feel forced, it seems much more natural, and is often mocked by the movie itself with quotes like "I'm a saint, tough love is a little difficult." Kevin Spacey is, as usual a very good bad guy. Spacey shows why he is one of the greatest actors of his generation. Another great part of the movie is the brother support group scene, including John Syallone, Sly's brother, along with Bill Clinton's forgot brother. Finally, Rachel Weisz has a small part, but she comes off as truly love able, very sweet, and with a thick English accent is just plain hot.

There are very few Christmas movies that are truly horrible because all of them have a moral of love, happiness and giving at the heart of them. Also, these movies are only entertaining for a few weeks out of the year. This movie is entertaining, but it is not one of the top Christmas movies you will see this year. Save that honor for the Peanuts crew, or maybe the Muppets and catch this on TV and enjoy the season.

It is worth a rent, especially if its a free rent. I give it a 6 out of 10.

Fun Fact: Kevin Spacey asks for a Superman Cape. Spacey played Lex Luthor in the 2006 movie Superman Returns.

R.I.P. Majel Roddenberry

Majel Barrett Roddenberry, the widow of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry died at the age of 76, of Leukemia. She was best known for her roles in all Star Trek incarnations. She was nurse Chapel in the original series, the voice of the computer in all of Star Trek, and she also played Lwaxana Troi, the ships counselors mother in the Next Generation series. She is survived by her son, Eugene.

Her work in the franchise, along with her relationship with its creator earned her the nickname "the first lady of Star Trek." She reportedly just finished her voice work for J.J. Abrams new Star Trek movie due out in May, so the legacy will remain intact for now.

The collective souls of trekkies everywhere will shed a small tear for such an influential person.

Batman 3 rumors run amuck

Eddie Murphy as the Riddler, Rachael Weisz as Catwoman, Angelina Jolie as Catwoman, Johnny Depp as the Riddler, Phillip Seymor Hoffman as Penguin, and my personal favorite, Shiah LaBeuf as Robin are among the many rumors surrounding the purposed third film in the Batman reboot. The truth, however, is much less interesting. The truth is, Warner Brothers has not signed a contract with director Chris Nolan to make a third movie. According to Warner Brothers president, they are working on moving forward, and they hope to get Chris Nolan going by next year, but they are being "very respectful to Nolan, and his ideas and timeline." The President, of WB, and Nolan, himself have said on several occasions they do not want to rush anything, they want to make a quality movie, which would be a rarity for a third movie in a trilogy.
The reason for the rumors is simple, how do you fill the shoes of Heath Ledgers Joker? Obviously, there can be no return for the Joker, due to Ledger's untimely and tragic death, so, what does one do for an encore to such a great clinic of acting ability? The answer, is to bring in another actor with the ability to completely immerse themselves in a truly evil, dark character, with plenty of layers. Could any of the above rumors be a true fit, or is there someone out there we haven't considered? Nolan's choice for Ledger wasn't exactly met with praise, but obviously, he saw something we had not, and I hope he can pull another rabbit out of his hat for the third. Whatever the case, it will be really tough to cover up any details, no matter how small regarding this movie.
My personal favorite idea so far, has been Johnny Depp as the Riddler. I don't think anyone can immerse themselves in a role like Depp. I am not to keen on a Catwoman. I guess, if done right, could be good, but who knows.

New Wolverine Trailer!

Here it is, I'm not sure how good the movie will be, but the trailer is at least intriguing. We'll have to see, I guess. Are you excited for this story?

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE HD

"Kill 1,000 kids, no biggie, but don't touch the Mutt!"

In the words of the immortal Martin Riggs: "I can't shoot a dog, people, sure, but not dogs."
I found myself upset about an advertising company basically coming out and saying through viral marketing that the dog was going to die in a movie that will remain nameless. For me, there is no bigger turn off than to hurt a dog, I can't stand it. That is why Benji, Homeward Bound and all those other stupid 'dog overcomes adversity' movies will be emotional to so many, because the thought of the dog getting hurt is unbearable. The one moment of movies I have seen over the past year or two that has brought me close to crying is when a dog is injured and about to die. I don't want to ruin a very significant plot piece in the movie, so I won't say which movie, but I looked around and found the people I was with sobbing hysterically in unison with the rest of the theatre over this dog. And, to let me know the dog is going to die, in what looks like a Turner and Hooch type move, it's something I don't care to see.
It got me thinking, though. I have seen movies with body counts in the hundreds, I've seen movies that nearly wipe out the entire human race, I have seen a movie where the badguy slays dozens of young kids with a light saber, and all of those moments never even made me skip a beat. I've seen people tortured and killed, and I've seen movies where people are blown to bits, or eaten by aliens, or ripped apart, and while grotesque, didn't really invoke much of an emotional response, certainly not the likes of when a dog is injured or killed. Does that make me a bad person? Does worrying about a dogs safety (strictly in the movie sense, I assure you) over a persons safety make me jaded to violence or gore or death in movies, or is it something that's natural? Do you get upset when someone dies, or more specifically, when a kid dies; how about when a dog is injured or killed, is it worse?
Does knowing a dog could be injured turn you off from a movie, or make you really upset, or is it as jaded as people getting killed by robots?
For me, you don't harm the dog, kill people plenty and often, but not the dog. There could be some social commentary, and I don't want to know what Sigmund Freud would say about that (maybe he would say it's caused by a deep seeded emotional trauma from my childhood).

New Director for New Moon

The second installment in the Twilight series has found its director after canning the director of the first movie, Catherine Hardwicke. The new director is Chris Weitz, who directed Golden Compass and About a Boy. Here is his IMDB sheet, not all that impressive, but it is a change that could be good for the series. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0919363/
They are looking for an up and coming director, and I guess they found one!

AFI's top 10 of the year:

So, the American Film Institute has announced, in no particular order (cowards) the top 1o movies of 2008. I have never been a big fan of the institute, or their lists of best movies, simply because I believe they are all old people, who have lost their touch with society. I believe society changes, and so do the movies, it doesn't make them better or worse, just different. They see it differently, I guess. Anyway, here are the movies, I'm a bit surprised, pleasantly, that Iron Man made the list, but I have heard good things about everything on this list, the only thing that strikes me as a bit odd is that most of these movies have come out within the last 2 months. Is this a whole "what's fresh in the mind" type problem, or did most of the quality movies come out recently?

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
FROST/NIXON
FROZEN RIVER
GRAN TORINO
IRON MAN
MILK
WALL-E
WENDY AND LUCY
THE WRESTLER

And, does AFI really need to have the one-kneed approach to Clint Eastwood too? It's bad enough the Oscars already do. Let me know if you agree, or what movies were left off this list!

Hugh Jackman to host Oscars

It was just announced that Time Magazines Sexiest man of the year, Hugh Jackman will be hosting the Oscars this year. This is a bit of a different choice with last years Jon Stewart being mainly a TV guy. This year, it seems, they are looking to get back some of the demographic they lost last year, mainly young females. I guess, they don't care about the young males, but this is a good move with Jackman having two movies coming out in 2009, and Australia just being released, Jackman is a hot name right now, and hopefully, it will bring some recognition to an awards ceremony that has suffered terribly in previous years with ratings. Can Jackman save the awards, or is it too much even for Wolverine?
I personally think the ceremony has been too snooty for years now. I think my attention to the awards stopped when they stopped caring what was the best movie, and started worrying about Clint Eastwood. Anyway, maybe this year will be different, look for there to be a big ordeal over Heath Ledger's possible Best Supporting Actor. If he doesn't win, I think there will be a big to do about voting next year.
Will Jackman's name be enough for you to tune in? I guess we'll find out!

New Watchman Trailer

As you may have noticed, I have been focusing heavily on movie trailers lately, mainly because, as I explained previously, I think a trailer can make or break a movie. The trailers I am featuring here are certainly good ways to make the movie.
This trailer is the newest for the Watchman. I am very excited about this movie, and this trailer uses more than just the eye candy technique, although the special effects are simply stunning. Now, it makes me want to go out and read the graphic novel.....screw that COMIC BOOK just to see what happens. I hope their legal woes don't hold this up, it would hurt the movie community even more than the company releasing it.

Memorable movie speeches in 2 minutes

Let's see how many you recognize, and how many you can recite from the beginning. I found myself going through entirely too many of them to not be worried about me having a life.
Anyway, check it out, it's a great video!

New Terminator Salvation Trailer!

Here it is, check it out. I'm a little worried about this movie, I'm hoping it's going to be better than I think it will be, but I will say this, the trailer looks outstanding. If you look at my rating of trailers below for 2008, would you not agree that this seems to give you just enough to leave you wanting more? I would.
Anyway, let me know what you think!

14 Dark Knight DVD's?

Have we gone too far with all this special edition stuff? In the name of all that is holy, there should NEVER be 14 versions of a movie at the same time. I mean, I think that comes close to toping Lucas's Star Wars money making...uhh, I mean special edition fiasco. Lord of the Rings also made a run at the title with a regular version, a special edition, a special extended cut, and a directors cut; just what we needed, that trilogy, only longer. Anyway, I am all for making money, but this ridiculous and a bit overzealous of the production company. Now, I'm tempted to not buy the movie because I know there will be a special edition directors cut extended version within 6 months, so why should I buy a version now. IT'S TAKING ADVANTAGE OF MOVIE GEEKS AND I DON'T LIKE IT!
I understand movie companies are trying to make money and milk this cash cow for all they can, but it doesn't mean I have to like it, nor does it mean that it's right.
Since this is a growing trend for movies, we might as well get used to 45 versions of movies coming out. So, watch out for the special Bat Pod version and I'll talk to you soon.

Wanted: Director for New Moon

A week ago, Catherine Hardwicke was saying that she is already making plans for the second movie in the Twilight Series, New Moon. She was saying that she can make the movie a bit quicker and that she has a few ideas for shots. This news came as great news, because one of the biggest complaints I heard about this movie is the wonky shots, that often seemed awkward and and a little silly.
Now, news has come out that Ms. Hardwicke will not be back for the second movie. The studio is claiming it is because Hardwicke can not meet the studios timeline, which, incidental is late 2009, which is a bit rushed. Reports, however, claim it is because Hardwicke did not get along with studio reps, the producers, or the actors, and they canned her, in search of someone better. With the previous movie making a ton of dough, they should have no problem finding someone who can take the reigns of a serious movie.

The Dark Knight back, January 23rd!

Come January 23rd, you will have a choice to see the Dark Knight in the theatre again, or in your own personal theatre. They are releasing the Dark Knight on DVD December 12th, and as of the new year, the movie will be back in theatres just to remind the Oscar committee how great the movie is, come nomination time. Another perk of the re-release is it will count toward the box office gross amount, which could easily push it past Titanic for the highest grossing of all time.
So, would you go see the movie again, or are they wasting precious movie theatre space for a movie that needs to stay on DVD?
Personally, I saw it, and loved it, but I wouldn't go spend another $10 to see it. I will spend my $14.99 for the DVD and enjoy it on my own time, with my own snacks, and the dog!

Taglines

So, have you ever been hooked into a movie simply by the tagline? I have, and I have been looking at the taglines for hundreds of movies to find the best taglines in cinema history. I think I have the list, but please let me know your favorite taglines, and I will see where it fits into the list. In order to tide you over, I have a bit of trivia, on some of my favorites, most of these will probably be on the list, so lets see if you can figure out the movies they go to. I expect any and all previous Blockbuster employees to get every one of these!

1. My favorite: In Space, no one can hear you scream
2. In October of 1994 three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland, while shooting a documentary...A year later their footage was found.
3. The Scariest Movie of all time
4. In a world of 1s and 0s...are you a zero, or The One?
5. Some Thing Has Found Us
6. An Adventure 65 Million Years In The Making
7. Let The Magic Begin
8. Mischief. Mayhem. Soap
9. Surf's up! Time to save the world!
10. Can't stop the signal
11. Never give a saga an even break!
12. Why So Serious?
13. Some memories are best forgotten
14. You'll never go in the water again!
15. It will blow you through the back wall of the theater!

Good luck, I hope you can get these, and look for the list to come out soon!

Bond Song top 10

Well, Quantum of Solace has come and gone, reviews have been so-so, and there is talk of another already, but what about the Bond introduction. Personally, I wasn't a fan of the intro by Jack Black and Alicia Keys, but the video was better than the last. A friend of mine did a countdown of the music, and sense this is a movie blog, you would have to go here http://blog.myspace.com/eaglesfanintampa

Let me know what you think!

What makes a good trailer?

This all started off with a list of the top 10 trailers of 2008, per Yahoo! which I will post here, but it got me thinking, what is a good trailer, and even though these trailers are the most viewed, are they really the best. Hold on, guys, this is gonna be fun!
When you are sitting in the movie theatre, there is nothing more exciting for me then when they lower the lights and the previews come on, a good movie trailer can get you so excited, you can often times lose focus on the movie you are there to see, but the traits of a good movie trailer are often varied, depending on the film.
The worst part of a trailer is giving everything away, there's an old saying 'less is more' and that seems to be perfect for trailers, there is nothing that turns me off of a movie more than figuring out the mysterious killer simply by watching the trailer, or seeing the bad guy who was so mysterious throughout the film, only to be spoiled by the trailer. Those kinds of reveals should be saved for the end of the movie only. Often times, my favorite trailers say very little, or next to nothing about the movie itself; for instance, a trailer that came out last year during Transformers comes to mind as one of the most gripping trailers I've seen, it showed a party, some rumbling, and finally the head of the statue of liberty being thrown down the street with the numbers 1-18-08, and that's it. I immediately went home and searched for everything I could about something so mysterious, it doesn't even give you the title of the movie. That was a great trailer.
Now, having said less is more, there is the counter to that, often times, the most disastrous thing that can happen to a movie is a trailer that gives off the wrong impression. This trailer can give an impression of a horror movie, which draws all the horror fans, only to prove it's a drama, or mystery/suspense movie, which usually results in very disappointed fans, and some bad ratings of the movie. The best example I can think of to date, is a favorite of mine, The Village, by M. Night Shylaman. I loved this trailer because it told you very little about the movie, left a very creepy vibe, and made you wanting more, but the problem was, it also gave off a horror feel, along with some eerie movie posters, and viral marketing by M. Night, this movie had horror fans lining up, simply to see a really well made suspense movie. As a result the movie had terrible reviews and was laughed at because of the impression set forth by the trailer.
Another trait of a good trailer is including some material that engages the characters. You have to introduce the hero and the villain and make you want to go on their journey with them. The hard part about this particular ingredient is making sure you don't give away the best moments and most passionate exchanges in the movie, because if you do, then audiences will have already seen the best stuff and feel a sense of letdown when they watch the movie. This problem is very prominent in nearly all comedies, you see an exchange with the main characters that makes the audience bust out in laughter, only to see the movie and watch the same joke that is no longer funny. The trailer that comes to mind as a great example of this is Rush Hour, all three, actually. After seeing the trailer, my side had sufficiently split, I couldn't wait to see such a comedic exchange between two actors. I got to the theatre, only to know the best parts of the movie by heart, and simply wait for the next exchange to happen. As a result, my side was not split, and it wasn't as good of an experience as it could have been.
Another approach that you will often see is simply a showcase of special effects, a trailer that simply is the best eye candy seen by man. Most versions are sci-fi in nature, and show dazzling, almost unbelievable special effects that capture the imagination so much, there is no need to go into the plot of the movie. Sometimes the approach is good, because it escapes the pitfall mentioned above, of giving away all the plot details. Also, it can work out perfectly, because the special effects can be so good, people will want to see what the rest of the movie holds, which better mean the movie has plenty of eye candy left for the audience. Sometimes, the special effects are not so CGI, but simply such an immense scene that it begs people to find out exactly how they got there. Many examples of this are Saving Private Ryan, and Lord of the Rings, or even Braveheart. When you see a scene as massive as thousands upon thousands of people, or creatures going at it, the scale is so massive, you have to come back to see the journey that took them there, and the result of the massive battle. Another angle that implies eye candy, which again, doesn't have to be CGI, is to just put a hot woman, or guy, depending on the audience on the screen and let them stand there, usually lightly clothed, and grip the audience that way. This is usually less effective because most won't go to a movie just to see a hot celebrity, but it's often a way to bring in a few bodies. A great example of this is nearly any Jessica Alba movie, I'm also reminded of my Blockbuster days, when Spring Break came out, they played a trailer that teased sex, and scantily clad women; it was amazing to see those copies fly off the shelf as a result.
Now that we have an idea of what is a good trailer and what is bad, let's look at the most viewed, and see if they hit on something magical.

10) Kung Fu Panda

This seems to have a good amount of comedy, it introduces the characters, and invites you on a journey, in this case for a Panda to become a Kung Fu-ish guy.

9) Sex in the City

This trailer depends on you knowing the characters quite a lot. I'm not a fan of the show, so I don't know what's going on, but it seems to me they take a lot of parts of the movie, that could be all the good stuff, since I'll never know, someone can tell me if they did or not. The other problem is, I know the ending thanks to the trailer.

8) Hancock

One of my favorite trailers of the year, it takes you on a journey, and definitely will make you laugh, I'll have to let you know if it shows all the good parts, which I'm afraid it will. Also, the only bad part is I know the ending, based off this trailer. The one before it left off that problem.

7) Wanted

A perfect example of the whole 'put some great eye candy up there and people will come' technique. No one can deny Anjelina Jolie is eye candy, but if that wasn't enough, they through in some amazing special effects, and you have a trailer that works well.

6) Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

A great trailer, because it hints at the plot, but it definitely gives you the whole 'less is more' example. I don't think this movie even needs a trailer, it will already be a record setter, but if you are gonna do one, this is a great example, you don't know what will happen, but you are dyeing to find out.

5) Iron Man

This is my favorite trailer of the year. This trailer, in particular, is not my favorite released, because it reveals a bit too much about the plot, and in particular, the bad guy, however, the is a great example of putting some eye candy on there, along with some humor lines, and, since I've seen the movie, they did not waste all the best lines for the trailer. This also happens to be one of my favorite movies of the year.

4) The Incredible Hulk

This trailer never heard of less is more. It gives you a perfect summary of the movie, and gives you all the best scenes in the movie. There is a bit of eye candy in the special effects of the Hulk, but it also gives you everything else.

3) Twilight

This is another trailer that simply didn't need to be made because everyone who went to the movie already know exactly what the movie is about because they read the book. This movie simply shows some interaction between characters, the idea is the interaction and chemistry is so good, you will instantly fall in love with them and want to find out what happens. Personally, I think the acting is just not good enough, in the trailer, anyway, to do that.

2) Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull

Say what you want about the movie, this trailer is golden. the trailer gives you the plot of the movie through narration, it gives a dramatic introduction to the character everyone wants to see, in Indy, and shows a lot of stuff blowing up, which is really what everyone wants to see, it's a great trailer.

1) The Dark Knight

It only is right, the number one watched trailer is also the number one watched movie of the year. This trailer shows the conflict, shows a great villain and introduces us to a gritty, dark movie with a gritty dark trailer. It does several things, it gives us these characters that everyone falls in love with and dares you to see what happens to them, it also gives you enough eye candy in the appearance of the Joker, Batman himself and explosions to make you wanna see how it turns out. I can also tell you, it doesn't ruin the movie, or give away the best parts.

Am I the only one who doesn't like a Christmas Story?

First off, there should never, ever be a 24 hour marathon of one movie, let alone this movie, and second, they are celebrating the 25th anniversary of A Christmas Story this year with a new DVD, and I couldn't care less.

I was never a huge fan of this movie, but my true disdain of this movie has come from TNT continually showing a 24 hour marathon every frickin' Christmas, along with every teacher I had in school showing this movie instead of jumping into new material right before the holiday, strike that, CHRISTMAS break.

Everyone seems to love to quote this movie, and it seems to offer some sort of comfort, knowing someone else is more screwed up then them, but I have never found it funny, or even amusing.

If you are going to watch some Christmas movies, start with the classic Rudolph, and maybe go to Elf, A Charlie Brown Christmas, National Lampoons Christmas, heck, one of my friends always watches The Ref every year; watch one of those instead of this movie. If I have to hear that terrible narration again about a double-dog-dare, I may shoot someone, and I will aim for the eye!