The Oscars are over...what's next?

So, I watched the Oscars. I was right on a few things, Slumdog Millionare kicked butt, to my surprise, Heath Ledger won his Oscar and Hugh Jackman was absolutely delightful as the host, with a great opening number and Ben Stiller mocked Joaquin Phoenix.
With all that said, I was still left underwhelmed and wondering what was on TV after this was over. And, sense then, I truly haven't given it much thought. There was little pop, and very little reason to tune in. All the changes they promised still didn't give much reason to watch for three grueling hours. I did like how they brought out 5 previous winners to give the awards out, but seriously, that is what they came up with to bring back the glory days?
So, what' on TV?

Taken

I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.

By now, everyone has seen the trailer with one of the most gripping dialogues and delivery I have ever seen. When I saw the trailer, I wanted to kidnap someone and return them, just so Liam Neeson wouldn't come to my house and kill me. So, obviously, if I was this enthralled with the trailer, imagine my excitement when my friend asked me to go and see it!

The movie revolves around Liam Neeson's character, being an estranged dad, trying to get back into his daughters life. Apparently, being a spy was not easy on his family, and as a result, his wife married what looks like a drug dealer, and his daughter rarely sees him. After being coned into allowing his daughter to go to France, she is kidnapped, and gets put into a human trafficking and prostitution ring spanning Europe. Liam Neeson comes in, and, without any hesitation, or drama, he simply kicks ass for about an hour or so. Anyone who comes near him, he beats the crap out of them, tortures them or kills them. He is an unstoppable killing machine Rambo would have thought twice about crossing.

The movie was very good at shooting the action scenes. The action scenes looked very similar to the Casino Royal movie made a few years ago. Throughout the movie, you really start to get on the edge of your seat (that's such a stupid cliche, but it works here, because, believe it or not, I was on the edge of my seat) and root for Liam Neeson to beat up some more people to get his daughter back. Throughout his bad-assery, you really root for this guy. It doesn't require the tired storyline regarding a crappy ex-wife (damn you Famke Jansen) and a loser step-father, it's all about Liam whooping some ass.

This movie had some great action scenes, delivered superbly by Liam Neeson, and was one big popcorn action/suspense movie that is not only worth your time, but also very entertaining.

I give it an 8 out of 10

FUN FACT: Former Special Air Service (SAS) soldier, Mick Gould, trained Liam Neeson in combatives and weapons handling skills to prepare him for the role.

Sweeney Todd review

So, a friend came over and we watched Sweeney Todd today. What? I can watch something other than Action or Sci-Fi. Anyway, it's a musical, based on the play, directed by Tim Burton, starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bohnam Carter.

My first thought is I love it when it goes from a dark lens to a bright lens, it's a great way of showing emotion. The movie, itself is show very dark, but the flash backs to the happy times are shot with a light lens, which, in contrast to the dark lens really conveys a sense of warmth. For those of you who don't know the story, the movie revolves around Sweeney Todd, a guy dragged from his wife and kid by an evil judge, played by the immortal voice of God, Alan Rickman. Upon the barber's return, he meets up with a chef, failing at making meat pies. (It must be an English thing, I've never been a fan of those.) The barber is told his wife is dead, and his daughter is held captive by the judge. After establishing himself in the town, Sweeney Todd goes on a rampage, give people "the closest shave of their life" and killing anyone in his wife, in preparation for those that wronged him in the past. The dead bodies are sent down to the bakery for meat for the meat pies, which become a hit (I guess the original story was done before Soylent Green?!?)

First off, the story itself is very dark, I mean its about a barber killing people and chopping them up for meat pies. When you think dark, Tim Burton often comes to mind. However, the problem I notice is, once you have seen one Tim Burton movie, you've seen them all, from a production and direction standpoint. The hair, makeup, set design and filming are all done the exact same. (For the origin of the inspiration, use the IMDB searchbar at the bottom of my blog, and look up The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) Something else I noticed, having watched the movie, this makes me really want to see how the play is done. The music and songs in this movie were great, and some of the scenes really make me wonder how it's done onstage.

Over all, I enjoyed this movie. The singing by Johnny Depp was adequete, Helena Bohnam Carter was tremendous, and the story was very Shakespearean, and quite enjoyable. I really enjoyed the shooting of this movie. Be warned, this is a very disturbing movie, not for the faint of heart, but worth the rent. I give it a 6 out of 10.

FUN FACT: The address on Mrs. Lovett's shop -- Number 186 -- is a reference to the London legend of Sweeney Todd, which placed his barber shop at this very address.

Lena Heady or Linda Hamilton: The showdown

Vs.

It is rumored this week that Linda Hamilton would be loaning her voice to the fourth Terminator movie, dubbed Terminator: Salvation. I assume the role is a recording, left for the character, Sara Connor's son, John Connor, played by Christian Bale.

The part I have a problem with is Linda Hamilton, an actress not attached to the franchise since the second Terminator, back in the day. On the other hand, you have Lena Heady who plays Sara Connor on the TV show, Sara Connor Chronicles. I think, besides the fact I like Lena Heady better, it's a sign of disrespect to not acknowledge the show, and the fans of the show by having Lena Heady play the role of Sara, a role she has filled nicely.

So, what do you think, is it only fair, since Linda Hamilton started it, she should finish it, or are your right and say Lena Heady should do the voice work as an acknowledgment the show is part of the Terminator universe?

A third Twilight already?

You heard it here first, the third Twilight movie has already been given the green light before the first movie even hits DVD and the second movie hits.
The third in the Twilight series, based on the critically acclaimed books named Eclipse is scheduled for release June 30, 2010. The second movie has a release date in November of this year. Obviously, they are quite confident the series will be successful through the second and into the third. So, get your fake vampire fangs ready, because the marketing campaign is about to kick into high gear!

2 pieces of news I must share and comment on

Good afternoon movie peoples! This week has had its ups and downs as far as movies go. Rumors were flying, I'm sure there was people crying and somewhere, Christian Bale said the "F-word." But, I am not the biggest fan of gossiping about something that is just put out there for tabloid peoples job security, so I won't be reporting about Lindsey Lohan, or Britney Spears, or the latest Batman rumors, only facts....ish.

• First on the chopping block is Battlestar Galactica. There is news today it is coming to the big screen. That's great news, the series has been a huge hit and has been hailed as some of the greatest TV in the history of man. The bad news, however, is it's not based on the current show, that we all know and love. No, it's based on the original '60s show. Umm, what? So, you just want the fans to forget about the characters they loved, and forget about how they were told to forget about the 60's version, for the new version, so now they have to forget that they were supposed to forget? That is craziness run amok and I think it's stupid. I hope, for the sake of the series they change their minds and simply take the series to the big screen.
• Next up is some Superman news. This is coming after Warner Brothers seems to be trying to get their comic franchises back together to stop looking like a monkey playing with a ball, and start looking more like Marvel Studios. There was rumors that were later denied that the Wachoski's would helm the newest man of steel movie. Now, it seems there is no director, or writer, or star, but there is a title, Superman Unleashed. The new movie is supposed to be a sequel to the Bryan Singer dud, and is supposed to have Superman doing more than just stalking Lois Lane and sulking. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the movie, and think Brandon Routh is the clear choice to don the tights, but actually give Supes something to do, as opposed to him just crying that Lois doesn't love him anymore.
• There is serious Watchmen anticipation from the fanboys out there, and early reviews have moviegoers saying the movie is a very faithful adaptation the comic, but they aren't sure how the comic adapts to a movie. While there is nothing that will keep me away from this movie, especially given the history and problems this movie has faced, I do believe this will be unlike any other comic book movie, good or bad.
• Finally, I will end with some B.S. on Wolverine. This movie released 3 30-second trailers starting Sunday and ending on Tuesday, and while, from a marketing standpoint it's pretty good, from watching the trailers, the movie looks simply aweful. I admit, I geeked out a bit over a young Logan having a bone-claw, but from them dropping x-men cameos to what looks like a lame trailer, this movie has simply not generated the excitement I had hoped for. I may go see this in theaters, but, it may be just to see the train wreck continue from the last X-Men movie.

Well, there you have it, a whole bunch of movie news in one, neat column. Thank you for reading, and I hope everyone gets out there and checks out some movies. Sunday is the Oscars, a big night in movies, and while I will be watching, it won't be for the awards, rather to watch a bunch of people try to revive a dying awards show. I dunno, I may just watch it because Anne Hathaway is starting things out with Hugh Jackman, and Anne Hathaway is all sorts of hot; after Get Smart, I really enjoy her! I'm Kevin, and that's the news!

Why didn't you go see the International?

The suspense thriller starring Clive Owen opened last Friday, the 13th; apparently no one noticed. The movie earned a dismal $10 million its first weekend, giving it seventh place on the big board for the week. Unfortunately, that number is roughly only about $4000 per theatre which officially puts this movie in the flop column.

So, why did this movie fail? Well, I saw a trailer for it a month or two ago and said meh. I saw a trailer again after the Super Bowl and, again said meh. And then, I looked at the board and saw it sucked, which was a bit surprising considering I didn't even know it was opening this week. I know it's hard to beat a horror movie opening on the 13th, let alone a Friday the 13th movie, but I would have thought it would beat out Paul Blart, a movie that has been out for 5 weeks now.

So, the marketing was crappy, the trailer was bad, but the premise looks interesting enough, if not a bit outdated, what about the actor? I think Clive Owen is the man, but his choices for roles lately have been a bit to be desired, and none have really given him success. So, apparently, this movie will be the first of the year to really get a full flop. Poor Clive, his talent deserves better.

Should Ledger's Jersey be retired?

From an article from my favorite movie site, The MovieBlog.com, they mention an online petition going around, asking for the Joker to be retired from movies, the same way they retired sports jerseys in a sign of respect to the athlete who wore it.
I am all for showing respect to an actor who did a truly extraordinary performance in a roll that had very tough shoes to fill, but I don't think any character should ever be retired because that actor was the only way that character could be portrayed. There are many characters that have been recast lately, despite being a character that is taboo. It seems to me, the fresh, new interpretation is refreshing and often times raises the bar on the character, as did the Joker. Who is to say that is as high as the bar can go? Also, something else the article pointed out that I said 'oh yeah' was "that is one of the biggest things Ledger would not have been proud to be honored by." I agree, it seems to me (because him and I were such good friends) he was truly a fan of the acting, and the art of it. To not try to continue that art would not be an honor to him.

Here is the new Transformers trailer!

In traditional Michael Bay format, there is lots of things blowing up, with lots of special effects, oh and Megan Fox is in there too!
This could be really great, or it could be pretty bad; either way, it ought to be really fun to watch!

Johnny Quest is coming!

I am very happy over this news, and very happy over some preliminary casting. Johnny Quest was great, and one of my favorites back in the day. I think the whole thing will need to get modified to fit today, (I'm looking at you Hadji, no more Sim-Sim-Sala-Bim!) but I think it could fit nicely. The first casting news has Dwayne "I'm not the Rock" Johnson has Johnny's bodyguard and P.B. Race Bannon, Johnny Quest is allegedly Zac Efron, which I think is a little old, but doable. I don't know the rest of the casting, but I'm a huge Dwayne Johnson fan, I think that guy just oozes talent, and I'm always baffled to see he is not always the go to guy for action, but that's another blog entry.
As far as Dr. Quest goes, there is no announcement, but my idea for a perfect Dr. Quest would be William Hurt (you can use the IMDB search bar at the bottom of the blog to look him up!). Hurt has recently starred in The Incredible Hulk, and has been in the Village and Lost in Space, both rolls prove he would be perfect as the senior Quest.
What do you think, excited? What about Roth, any other suggestions?

Top 5 Sci-Fi women of all time?

In a poll conducted by MSN Movies, Megan Fox comes out on top as the hottest Sci-Fi Babe of all time ahead of Haley Berry as Storm in the X-Men movies, Milla Jovovich in Fifth Element, Natalie Portman in the Star Wars Prequels and, rounding out the top five is Sigourney Weaver in the Aliens franchise. So there you ha...wah, wait, Sigourney friggin Weaver, seriously? Am I the only one who is scratching his head on where the hell she came from? I mean, you have the lovely, Megan Fox, FHM's sexiest woman in the world, Haley Berry, a women I think any guy has fantasies about, Natalie Portman who is gorgeous and smart and, well, Sigourney Weaver. Don't get me wrong, her bad assery in the Aliens movies was commendable and went a long way toward having women be accepted in those roles. However, hot, and a top babe, she is not.
I don't know why you don't put the original hottie, Carrie Fisher in there in the number 5 spot. I mean, she's a crackwhore now, but there is not a guy in the world who didn't rewind the scene in Jedi when they are on Tattooine, I know women were like "crap, I'm gonna have to get me one of those." Anyway, it's not meant to be a sexist post, just my opinions.

Best movie idea of the week!

In a world where it's said Hollywood has run out of ideas, it's refreshing to see in some dark, damp corner of the movie realm, that idea is just not true. It is said they are working on a script for STRETCH ARMSTRONG, that's right, the big stupid doll is being turned into a movie.

I have truly no idea how you could do something like that, and frankly, the idea is just terrible, but, at least it's not a remake!

Do you have any ridiculous ideas from the past that could be made into movies?

Mine is Crossfire! That's right, the bad ball-bearing game from the '80s comes to the big screen. With lives at risk, and worlds in the middle of a fight, who will get caught up in the Crossfire, Crossfire, CROSSFIRE!!! Yeah!

What is going on with Joaquin?

Joaquin Phoenix looks really bad on Letterman today. The video is everywhere by now, showing a disheveled, spaced out Phoenix mumbling and slurring his way through a truly painful interview. After getting angry at the musician, he sticks his gum under Letterman's desk, and the interview is done. Here is the link, just be warned do not operate heavy machinery after watching this! http://lateshow.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/video_player/index/php/978097.phtml
There is numerous reports out there about Joaquin's antics, about how he dissed the media here, or bailed on a premiere there, and how he can't remember who Gweneth Paltrow is (who could forget her?) There are also reports of his own people saying this is for a part in a movie about the Hollywood media, and how over the top everyone is; some are saying he's pulling an Andy Kauffman (Ya know, Man in the Moon...no? Ok, see here: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001412/)
I would say the role would be more likely than Phoenix trying to be a rapper, I mean, there has never been anything bad to say about him up until now, in fact, quite the opposite, and his film carear speaks for itself. So, it's either he has had a complete nervous breakdown, or it's part of an elaborate hoax. For now, I'm going with the hoax, mainly because I don't like the idea of someone so talented completely losing it. No matter what, the interview was still disrespectful.

Atleast 2 years before Batman Begins....Begins

Christopher Nolan announced today, along with WB, he is putting any sequels to the Dark Knight on hold until he finished his new project, a movie called Inception.
Inception is a Sci-Fi movie penned by Nolan, and is set to start pre-production shortly. This allows for a bit more script time on the Batman sequel, which, hopefully means they will not just throw something out there to make more money; that's the good news. The bad news is, we have to wait about another 4 years before we can get back to the theatres. That also means we have about 4 years of Batman rumors to deal with.
I can't wait for that.

The new Flash is.....

There are casting rumors abound this week as Warner Brothers tries to get back on track with its DC Comics program. After getting throttled by Marvel for some time, and with the upcoming Iron Man 2, Thor and Avengers movies acting like a 1-2 punch, WB was looking to do something right, other than Batman. So, casting rumors are everywhere, but the one I am truly excited about is for the Flash. The rumor is NPH to play the quick guy....that's right, Dr. Horrible to be a superhero.

It sounds like a great rumor, and it's one that makes me a bit more excited about a Flash movie. If they could only get a good script, this could be one to actually go see.

More on this as it develops!

to 3-D,or not to 3-D, that is the question!

With movies like My Bloody Valentine 3-D, and Aliens Vs. Monsters coming up, 3-D seems to be making a resurgence after the late 70's technology faded away (due to Jaws 3). Movies, and even ABC's Chuck have jumped on to the bandwagon with a slightly adjusted, cleaner 3-D to knock the socks of movie-goers. This new technology is supposed to be easier on the eyes, and is not the annoying red and blue film. The question will be, is this more than just an annoyance, is this something that will enhance the movie going experience. I have seen Chuck in 3-d and also without the glasses, in 2-D and have seen the Aliens Vs. Monsters trailer in 3-D, and I was there for the Disney attraction Muppets in 3-D.
I've come to a conclusion it is a gimmick. Like other gimmicks, it's great, sporadically, but is annoying when crap continues to fly at you. It dilutes from the plot, and takes time out of the feature to try to get the attention of the audience. The good part is just that, getting the attention of the audience. When stuff flies at you, the audience has to pay attention, at least for a moment, if not to make sure there is nothing real coming at you. However, if you have to go to those lengths to keep moviegoers from falling asleep, re-work the movie, smack the actors around, put in special effects, do something to fix it, not 3-D.
I do think it will bring something different to a movie theatre for a little while, but, just like the last time 3-D was a fad, it will slowly go the way of the disco.
What do you think, does it attract, or detract from the movie experience?

Christian Bale goes off: My take

By now, everyone has heard the infamous tape toppling Internet servers everywhere of Batman actor Christian Bale verbally castrating someone. This is a kind of silly story, but it seems to be on the minds of movie goers everywhere, so I figured I would offer my two cents, for whatever its worth (why is that a common saying? I mean, we know what it's worth, I just said it...two friggin cents!).

In the audio tape, you can hear what happened during the filming of Terminator: Salvation. Basically, some set manager walked into the middle of a very tense scene completely ruining the shot, and causing a reset, that depending on the scene, could take hours, if not days to reset. This isn't something that happened because of a malfunction, or someone forgetting their lines, it happened because some moron wasn't paying attention, and it cost them precious time. Does this mean he deserved to be lambasted for over three minutes? No. Can I see Bale's issue with the whole thing? Absolutely! This is something that should never have seen the light of day, Bale is a passionate worker that let it get the best of him, I'm sure apologies were given, and everyone moved on. This is not something that is completely ok, however. Both sides messed up, and it's something that needs to be controlled, but Christian Bale-Gate '09 it is not. Stuff happens, the guy learned his lesson, and Bale will be ridiculed for being a Russel Crowe fan for a while. No one got hurt, so lets move on and get ready for what looks to be a good movie in Terminator Salvation.

Any thoughts?

That's no moon, it's a space station!

Coming from the category of having way too much time on your hands is a report on exactly what the famed Death Star would cost in U.S. dollars to build in the current economy. Don't ask me exactly how they calculated it all, because math hurts my brain, but apparently they found out what all the materials cost, along with the supposed dimensions of the famed Star Wars space station, and whamo. So, are you ready for a really fun number?
$15,602,022,489,829,821,422,840,226.94
Just in case your trying to figure out the number, I'll help you a bit, it's $15 Septillion, or 1.11 trillion times the amount of money currently in the world (note: there is a difference between circulated, and total, this is total).
Now, I know what you are thinking, that's a pretty hefty investment for something that can get blown up by some snot-nosed guy who has only shot Womprats in his T-16 before this. But, if you wanna rule the universe, it'll take more than the force, and James Earl Jones.

Land of the Lost trailer

I do want to see this movie, and I think this movie will be quite good, but there are a few problems I have, first off, Will Farrel. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy, but, if he's gonna be the same character as he is in most of his other movies, it will be a turnoff. Second, I thought this trailer was mediocre at best. I think this movie will have some great, trailer-worthy moments, and most of those are not captured here. If you are aiming for comedy, focus more on Farrel, if you are trying to get the original cast, focus on the dinosaurs, the characters, and the landscape; finally, if your focusing on the teens, and young men, focus on the women (it's not my idea, I'm just writing it, but, you have to admit, sex sells).
This trailer does none of those things. So, while I'm excited to see it, my excitement has nothing to do with the trailer. That's right, trailer-making people, take note: I CAN DO BETTER THAN YOU!

New Star Trek Trailer!

Here is the trailer that played during the superbowl. I don't know about anyone else, but I am coming up to geeking out level. This trailer really shows something to be excited about, and I think it puts to rest any questions about the casting.
Let me know what you think!

G.I. Joe trailer

This is not at all what I expected. But, this looks pretty good. I'm not as excited about this as I am other summer blockbusters, but this could surprise me. I just think this looks too much like the standard action movie. I guess we'll see. I loved G.I. Joe when I was a kid, so I'll have to give it a chance, but other than fanboys who saw it as a kid, who will see this?

Transformers 2 trailer

This looks very promising. Look for it during the superbowl. I am really starting to get excited about this one, and not just because Megan Fox is in it.