Box Office results - The Last Exorcism wins!

BOX OFFICE TOP TEN
1. The Last Exorcism - $21.3 million ($21.3 million total)
2. Takers - $21 million ($21 million total)
3. The Expendables - $9.5 million ($82 million total)
4. Eat Pray Love - $7 million ($60.7 million total)
5. The Other Guys - $6.6 million ($99.3 million total)
6. Vampires Suck - $5.3 million ($27.9 million total)
7. Inception - $5.1 million ($270.7 million total)
8. Nanny McPhee Returns - $4.7 million ($17 million total)
9. The Switch - $4.7 million ($16.4 million total)
10. Piranha 3D - $4.3 million ($18.3 million total)

I kind of feel sorry for Piranha 3-D, despite it being a total blast, and making more money than I thought it would, the theater was empty where I was, and obviously, I wasn't the only ones. And, look at Inception still raking in the dough! $270 million domestic isn't too shabby! The big surprise for me is that The Expendables is still doing solid numbers, and poor Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is nowhere on the list.

So, which of these did you see this weekend?

The Emmys along with host Jimmy Fallon Rocked!

Last nights Emmys started off great with a fun, over the top performance of Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run, and continued the light, entertaining feel throughout the entire night. Host Jimmy Fallon was surprisingly good, very energetic and did a great tribute to some of the fallen TV shows over the past year.

There weren’t too many surprises for the winners, and surprisingly, most of the people who won deserved the win, which made the show all that much better to watch. Now, if they can only put that kind of energy into the Oscars, maybe people would tune in. And, after that Ricky Gervais moment last night, who isn’t excited about this years Golden Globes, in a kind of train wreck way?

In case you missed it, here’s the opening number, and all the results:

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Winner: Eric Stonestreet for "Modern Family"

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series

Winner: "Modern Family": Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd("Pilot")

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Winner: Jane Lynch for "Glee"

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series

Winner: "Glee": Ryan Murphy ("Pilot - Director's Cut")

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Winner: Jim Parsons for "The Big Bang Theory"

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Winner: Edie Falco for "Nurse Jackie"

Outstanding Reality Competition Program

Winner: "Top Chef"

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

Winner: "Mad Men": Robin Veith, Matthew Weiner("Guy Walks Into An Advertising Agency")

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Winner: Aaron Paul for "Breaking Bad"

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Winner: Archie Panjabi for "The Good Wife"

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Winner: Bryan Cranston for "Breaking Bad"

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

Winner: "Dexter": Steve Shill("The Getaway")

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series:

Winner: Kyra Sedgwick for "The Closer"

Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Series

Winner: "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie

Winner: Julia Ormond for Temple Grandin

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie

Winner: David Strathairn for Temple Grandin

Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special

Winner: You Don't Know Jack: Adam Mazer

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie

Winner: Claire Danes for Temple Grandin

Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special

Winner: Temple Grandin: Mick Jackson

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie

Winner: Al Pacino for You Don't Know Jack

Outstanding Miniseries

Winner: "The Pacific"

Outstanding Made for Television Movie

Winner: Temple Grandin

Outstanding Drama Series

Winner: "Mad Men"

Outstanding Comedy Series

Winner: "Modern Family"

Also, check out the skit Jimmy Fallon did about the shows that ended this year. It was hilarious!

EDITORS NOTE: It appeared on Loafing too! Click HERE.

Movie Review - Piranha 3-D

By the title of the movie, you automatically expect something special. You are assuming the movie will be something you see on Saturday morning on the SyFy channel. If that's your assumption, you would be right, mostly. Piranha 3-D takes it way past those crappy movies with humor, action, gore and lots of nudity. Sounds fun, eh? You have no idea.

Not that the plot really matters, but Piranha 3-D is about a lake in Arizona that is hosting some wild spring breakers when an earthquake opens a fissure to some ancient, angry and very hungry piranha. There is also a sub plot about how a Girls-Gone-Wild guy, played by Jerry O'Connell takes out the Sheriff's son, and three hot women to do some porn making. What follows equates to lots of boobs, and plenty of gruesomeness.

The best part of the movie is how not serious this film takes itself. From the very beginning, with Richard Dryfuss spoofing his Jaws stint, to an Eli Roth cameo, to the incredibly over the top acting of Christopher Lloyd, this film gives you the idea it's having fun, which is quite contagious. Even when the gore gets extreme, there are scenes to remind you, despite the gruesome deaths, this is a fun movie.

The movie was converted to 3-D, which makes things that aren't popping out at you quite blurry, and the text in the beginning was actually painful to look at, but the gimmicky stuff in the film, such as flesh, vomit, and piranha popping out just adds to the campy fun.

The film was an interesting return for Elizabeth Shue, who played the sherriff, and was surprisingly badass. Lloyd returned as a zany scientist, and stole the movie, and Playboy playmate and super hottie Kelly Brook was amazingly hot.

Even if you aren't like me, and a big fan of B-grade movies, I think you will probably like this movie. Finally, it's a movie that plays during the summer that knows it's silly entertainment and embraces the hell out of it.

I'm a blogger

I haven't posted too much as of late on here. I'm sure the trillions of fans that visit this site daily all let out a collective "what the hell." It's been a crazy couple of weeks, fans. My confidence in my writing, and just about everything else has been a bit shaky, along with my dedication to this and other blogs. So, as I was trying to figure out what was going on, I finally came to a conclusion; I'm a blogger.

For awhile there, I was trying really hard to impress everyone with my writing, my knowledge of movies and my dedication to whatever I was doing. I was kind of missing out on the point. I don't write blogs because I'm trying to impress someone, or show my dedication, or even my movie knowledge, I do it because it's what I do, and I couldn't not do it.

I love me some blogging. I love writing, and talking about something that gets me so excited that if I don't get it down on paper, or the electronic equivalent, I may explode. That's what theHopp.NET is all about, and while I love my fans, it's gotta be for me. So, let's get back to it, shall we?

Hopefully, there won't be anything standing between me and some serious writing in the upcoming future. There are some great movies coming out, and tons of movie news to speak of. I'm trying to work out a new column, get the Holy FAIL crew back into gear, and prepare for the return of some of my favorite television. Clearly, it's time to go monk....

Blockbuster goes Chapter 11

In a move even Ray Charles saw coming (what, too soon?), Blockbuster Video notified DVD distributors that it would be filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy next month. It's reorganization, but it's still a bad sign for the rental chain that has been in business since the invention of VHS tapes.

Blockbuster is notifying distributors now in an attempt to continue to get inventory for the few stores across the country that haven't closed as the company attempts to clear up some of its $1 billion debt. Most of the debt is coming from rent on the remaining stores, and they are looking to bail out on that, allegedly. I doubt, however, that this will look good to distributors, and wouldn't be surprised to see far less inventory in stores in the upcoming months. I mean, who would give a store in bankruptcy credit for movies?

The move has been coming for awhile now, and the company is always on the "companies to watch sink this year" lists for the past 5 years or so, thanks to companies like Netflix and Red Box.

I personally am going to miss the brick and mortar stores. While I haven't been in one for a long time, there is something that is soothing to my Chi knowing I could if I wanted to. While my Chi doesn't pay the bills, I understand why they are disappearing. I mean, I'm a huge fan of Netflix, and Blockbuster just seems to be throwing blind solutions at the problem of evolution and hoping something sticks. It's clearly not the way to run a business.

So, are you sad to see them go?

Iphone gets Netflix

Netflix finally released an official app for the Iphone, which has supported several unoffical apps for quite some time. The official app has something the others don't, however. The official, which is free, supports streaming of Netflix movies right on to your phone. Cool, eh? Sure, the IPad has done it for a month or so, but now it's on your phone!

First off, the picture quality is very good, while the sound is surprisingly crisp. The first thing I did was go to my instant queue and load up some Firefly and it played nearly instantly.There was no lag in video performance in 3G and it played right through. The WiFi was even quicker, and provided almost no lag in browsing.

Another perk of the new app is the great searching through the Netflix library, which is getting better and better. You can search by genre, by recommendations, or, the good part, by title. I like that because the Wii doesn't have that ability, and it's so much easier to type in "W.H.O." as opposed to browsing for ten minutes.

The app ran a bit slow on my IPhone 3G, but it wasn't too annoying. The main thing that was slow was the cover art for the titles. The one disadvantage, besides watching a movie on a small screen was the fact it drained the battery pretty quickly. After watching an hour of viewing, it seemed to drain a little under half my battery, which means you should be able to get a full movie in, but not much battery life after for talking and texting.

Overall, it's a great addition the IPhone, and something all movie geeks should have. There is something comforting knowing at any point, if I don't want to hear what the person talking to you is talking about, you can pull out your IPhone and Firefly or Doctor Who is simply a click away.

Expendables again?!?

BOX OFFICE TOP TEN
1. The Expendables - $16.5 million ($64.9 million total)
2. Vampires Suck - $12.2 million ($18.6 million total)
3. Eat Pray Love - $12 million ($47.1 million total)
4. Lottery Ticket - $11.1 million ($11.1 million total)
5. The Other Guys - $10.1 million ($88.2 million total)
6. Piranha 3D - $10.0 million ($10.0 million total)
7. Nanny McPhee Returns - $8.3 million ($8.3 million total)
7. The Switch - $8.1 million ($8.1 million total)
9. Inception - $7.6 million ($261.8 million total)
10. Scott Pilgrim vs The World - $5 million ($20.7 million total)

Poor Scott Pilgrim. Obviously, there will be a second Expendables movie. I'm kinda surprised about Piranha 3D. I figured it would do a bit less. Good for it!

Movie Review - The Last Exorcism

There is nothing like a horror movie. Only in a horror movie do you know you are about to get the bejeezus scared out of you, but, the good ones will still scare you, despite telling you it's coming, and you love them for it. I do love me some good horror movies, but I don't care for the gross factor that seems to be mistaken for scary as of late. As a result, most horror movies don't scare me, so when I saw the trailer for the Last Exorcism, I had my doubts.

The Last Exorcism is about a minister, played by Patrick Fabian who has a crisis of faith. He realizes, however, he is very good at spreading the lords prayer, and as a result, is just faking it every Sunday without heart. He also hates exorcisms because he sees perfectly healthy people being killed by a religion he no longer understands. So, he vows to go on one last exorcism with a film crew to show the sham, and maybe save a life at the same time. What follows tests everything both the Preacher and the audience know to be real.

There are good and bad things about this movie, and they can often be the same thing. First off, this movie is very clearly the birth child of two very specific movies, The Blair Witch Project and The Exorcist. It's good and bad, in that both movies I enjoyed, but both had their strong and weak points, and this film has all of those. It has some of the shaky cam, which was surprisingly stable for the most part, which is used quite effectively by the camera crew. The film also has the Exorcist parts as well, in the following of the Preacher, and his quest for faith. Both seemed cliched in this movie, and often feels like they just slapped the two movies together and said 'go,' but if you liked these movies, you'll feel right at home here.

The crown jewel of this movie lies in the Preacher. He is completely believable, and often humorous in his lack of belief in the church. In fact, the first half of the film or so is all about setting up a very real man in a very real world. There are no freaky girls, no demons, nothing scary whatsoever. What follows, is his journey, and the good part is, the character never loses that reality.

I think the other part that is used effectively is the camera. In a movie with a very clear cameraman, the camera is very important, and in one deliciously brutal scene, the camera operator is the most creepy part. There are exceptions, sure, like the tried and true running through the woods scenes, but overall, it's used very effectively.

The films main flaw is in the pacing. Unlike one of my favorite films, Paranormal Activity, this film doesn't have a steady buildup of tension, rather it has none for the first half, cranks the tension up to eleven, turns it off, cranks it back up, and turns it off, and finally turns it all the way up for the finale. While it can be effective, it leaves the first half of the film boring to those wanting to be scared from beginning to end, and only parts of the second half interesting. If you are a fan of documentaries, however, the first half is quite entertaining, because it displays and makes you believe you are watching a very interesting documentary on this Preacher and his attempts to show the world that exorcisms are more about the mental aspect than slaying demons.

Overall, I enjoyed the documentary feel, which seemed very convincing, and I enjoyed the lead actor, but it's something that just feels too much like an obvious combination of two very over-done ideas in something that will leave you shaking your head at the end. If you liked Blair Witch and the Exorcist, however, I think you'll enjoy yourself.

EDITORS NOTE: This appeared in SpoilerTV.com and Creative Loafing's wonderful web pages.

700 posts? This goes way beyond recreational!

That's right, your favorite movie site, TheHopp.NET just hit 700 posts. Can you believe it? It seems like just the other day I had a fever, and the only cure was blog writing (you were thinking cowbell).

Over the past year and a half, nearly two years, you've seen movie reviews, TV review, podcasts, funny videos, movie and TV news, and pop culture, and what a ride it's been. So, with your support, let's get ready for another 700, and it won't take nearly two years to achieve it, either.

Thanks for your support! (I'm talking to you, the one reader who may see this!)

-Kevin

Editor of TheHopp.NET

Star Wars Celebration video: John Stewart & George Lucas

If you are a Star Wars fan, then you already know that Star Wars Celebration took over Orlando and turned it into Lando, Florida last weekend. In fact, if you are a real fan, you attended, or you couldn't afford it, but really, really wanted to go. What you may have missed, however, is the amazing interview John Stewart had with George Lucas. /Film has the video online, and if you are a Star Wars fan, you owe it to yourself to watch it.

Piranha 3-D wins Oscar in everything

Check out this amazing video designed to convince the Oscar judges Piranha 3-D gets an Oscar. Personally, I already voted for them in every category. Best cave, Piranha 3-D, best CGI, Piranha 3-D, best Playboy Playmate in a film, where she may or may not be topless, Piranha 3-D. You get the point, check out the video, it's hysterical. There is a little bit of NSFW language.

Piranha 3D: For Your Consideration from Piranha 3D

Are flawed super heroes setting bad examples for our children?

There was an article on Cinematical today that got me thinking. The headline was "Are Today's Movie Superheroes Bad Role Models?" In there, they have a nice picture of Robert Downey Jr. playing Tony Stark in Iron Man, and how flawed heroes, or anti-heroes are bad for societies children. The article quotes Dr. Sharon Lamb from the University of Massachusetts,

"here is a big difference in the movie superhero of today and the comic book superhero of yesterday. Today's superhero is too much like an action hero who participates in non-stop violence; he's aggressive, sarcastic, and rarely speaks to the virtue of doing good for humanity." She goes on to say "When not in superhero costume, these men, like Iron Man, exploit women, flaunt bling, and convey their manhood with high-powered guns." In the past, she believes heroes were figures kids could look up to because "they were real people with real problems and many vulnerabilities."

It got me thinking. I mean, I'm hardly a Doctor of Psychology, so what do I know, right? Maybe she has a point. But, I think the flaw in her reasoning has to do with her lack of pop-culture knowledge, and that is where I come in.

So, I think the argument has merit, but is ultimately flawed for several reasons. The first is that Iron Man is not your traditional super hero. The success of the movie, based on the comic book created in the '60s was based on the fact that Tony Stark was a flawed individual that was very different then the archetype of the costumed crusader trying to do good, and fight for truth, justice and the American way. This honesty is what makes the character so interesting, and the movie so good, because he isn't the normal.

Lets look at the whole "vulnerabilities" issue. Obviously, if she is talking about yesterday's superheroes, there are a few that stand out. Superman is the obvious choice for the argument, but the reason why Supes' has declined in popularity lately is that he is near flawless. Bullets can't hurt him, a speeding train can't hurt him, and character wise, he is a brave boyscout who is always trying to do the right thing; hardly the traits of a vulnerability. Sure, his issue is that he is an outcast in someone else's world, but it's not a vulnerability, it's a character trait.

Spiderman seems like another obvious choice for this argument. And unlike Tony Stark, he is trying to save the world, and bare responsibility for the power he was given. This doesn't seem like anti-hero traits to me. And, if you want to point out Spiderman gets into a lot of fights, then you should read the comic that was created back in the day. I doubt that has changed. What has set Spiderman apart, however, is that he is just a kid, trying to deal with all the things a young adult has to deal with, from girls, to school, to getting mugged in New York City. This seems like something to aspire to be, not something that sets a bad example.

So, there is some merit, as I said earlier. If you saw X-Men Origins: Wolverine, you saw an assassin/mercenary as the hero of the film. He was a proper anti-hero in that he had no traits of a hero, he was just less bad than the other guys. Does she have a point with that movie? Sure. But is that the norm? Absolutely not. If you don't believe me, look at the Avengers cast coming up. You have Captain America, hardly a flawed, vulnerable anti-hero; you have Thor, who is a god thrust down to learn humility and use his power for good; you have the Hulk, a good guy battling his inner demons, and you have Iron Man, who is kind of a jerk, but a guy who is starting to embrace this whole hero thing as a way to make up for past ignorance.

So, enough about my opinions, what are yours? Would you want any kids you may or may not have yet watching today's heroes? Are they really different from yesterdays heroes? Are brussels sprouts the worst food on the planet? Alright, that last one doesn't matter, but what about the other two?

The Box Office shows a lack of Nerd-gasm

The Expendables was the box office champ this week, with $35 million, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World showing up fifth. Apparently, the nerds didn't come out this week. Poor Scotty.


BOX OFFICE TOP TEN
1. The Expendables - $35 million ($35 million total)
2. Eat Pray Love - $23.7 million ($23.7 million total)
3. The Other Guys - $18 million ($70.5 million total)
4. Inception - $18.6 million ($227.7 million total)
5. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - $10.5 million ($10.5 million total)
6. Despicable Me - $6.8 million ($222 million total)
7. Step Up 3D - $6.6 million ($29.6 million total)
8. Salt - $6.4 million ($103.6 million total)
9. Dinner for Schmucks - $6.3 million ($58.9 million total)
10. Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore - $4.1 million ($35.1 million total)

Star Wars Celebration brings ROTJ deleted scene

Star Wars Celebration V is happening in 'Lando' Florida this weekend. On top of the crazy amount of storm troppers and slave Leiah's, there was some news about the six movies being available on Blu-Ray in 2011, no doubt just in time for the holidays. On top of that, fans were treated to an unseen deleted scene involving Darth Vader trying to talk Luke Skywalker into joining the dark side as Skywalker finished his lightsaber. It's pretty cool, and makes me really wish I was there this weekend.

Do you worry you don't "get it" at theaters?

I was reading a great article regarding Scott Pilgrim vs. The World over at NPR.org. The article was talking about how some movie critics simply can't admit they don't "get it," and as a result, insult the movie's demographic who did love it. The best example they sited was from the Bay Area's own St. Petersburg Times movie critic Steve Persall who said "First of all, I'm not a video gamer. I have discovered more appealing ways to not have a life." In the review, he clearly has no clue as to what he is seeing, and as a result, insults the target demographic.

At first, I was extremely annoyed by the lousy journalism from a critic who is supposed to know better, and I still am, but it got me thinking; have you ever been in a theater, or even hanging out with friends, watching a movie, and all of your friends were laughing, or glued to the set, only to have you stone-faced and bored? Do you ever feel like "what is wrong with me?"

My first encounter was actually my first review for Creative Loafing. The movie was Year One, ironically, a movie starring Michael Cera and Jack Black, about two cavemen. The movie was terrible in my opinion, as the jokes were sophomoric to say the least, and just plain terrible if I'm being blunt. The audience was eating it up, though, and as I got in my car to head home and write a review that lambasted the film, I had to stop and ask myself the question "was it me?" The whole audience was in tears except for me, so, clearly they saw, or didn't see something I did. Is that bad?

It took me a few minutes of pondering as I drove over the bridge before I realized I could only be honest, and that my readers could take it or leave it. My opinion, if consistent, would be what drove readers to look for my reviews of the latest movies, not my willingness to pander or not pander to the general opinion.

So, it sounds like I'm defending my ol' pal Steve Persall. The difference, in my humble opinion, is saying that you didn't like it, and saying why, without insulting those who did. In my aforementioned Year One review, I said that "I didn't like the humor, but if you do like poop and dick jokes, you would like this movie." In my opinion, it's different than insulting the people that liked it.

So, movie critics out there, and even just anyone reading this, don't say some one's an idiot for liking a particular movie. Acknowledge the strengths and weakness of the film, based on your opinion, and give us an idea of the movie, and then state whether you liked it or not. It really can be that simple!

Skyline Trailer has me hooked

There was all kinds of hype at Comic-Con over a movie called Skyline. It was the first I had heard about the movie, but everyone had said the trailer blew them away. Well, now, the trailer is online, and I can see what all the fuss is about. Clearly this will be something to watch for in November.

Movie Review - The Expendables

Sylvester Stallone was quoted as saying there aren't enough big, manly movies anymore. The Expendables is the movie that brought every action star together for the biggest testosterone filled epic in years, as a way of compensating for that, or so they say. So, was it as Man-tastic as it looks? Well, put it this way, when I got out of the movie I went up to some guy and punched him, and he thanked me and punched me back. That's what this movie is.

If you are used to flawed, sensitive men that are just looking for love, and are simply in the wrong place, than this movie is not for you. There is nothing Jane Austin and her book club would recognize in this movie about a group of mercenaries who try to overthrow a dictatorship that is corrupt, and well, I guess they're supposed to be bad.

First off, this movie is dumb. There is no reason most of the events besides killing happen, and even that can seem out of place. The acting is pretty bad, and the star, Sylvester Stallone is smug, and silly. The movie seems very happy to just show up, and rest on this laurel. The shooting of the movie seemed kind of amateur, as the cinematographer loved extreme closeups. While that may not be bad sometimes, the closeups were all the time; while someone was getting stabbed in the neck, you had a closeup of Jason Statham's eye, or when the team is reviewing video, you see someones eye, making it hard to keep up with.

That being said, there was a really, really large body count, with men filled with so much testosterone, the screen actually leaked. There were plenty of explosions, and plenty of ridiculously big men punching the crap out of other ridiculously big men. At one point, one of the mercenaries pulls out an extremely big gun and shreds what seemed like hundreds of nameless soldiers to a huge appreciation from the audience. The scene was great, over the top and completely expected in this movie. The most likable character came from Statham, as he just chewed up the scenery and showed a great amount of bad-assery.

The big draw in this movie is the two minutes of screen time that action icons Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger share. This scene was extremely cheesy, and so much shorter than I would like. Also, like the film, it was extremely smug with shots at the other's career and films, and an overall banter that was silly. There seemed to be no acting going, but it was still cool to see all three in the same place at the same time, despite having very little to do with the plot.

Ladies, if you forced your man to see Sex and the City 2, or men, if you went and saw something in the genre of "Rom-Com" this year, then, you are owed this big, stupid hunk of a movie that is silly, and over the top and reminds you of '80s movies like Commando, Rambo, and your favorite other action movies. I promise you, if you go into this movie expecting and looking for mindless action, with extreme violence, you will have a good time.

Check out my review, appearing on SpoilerTV.com HERE.

College Humor has got the pre-movie ritual down

Over at Collegehumor.com, they have a great video of what the pre-movie ritual is like when you go to a movie theater. As you watch this, try not to shake your head in approval....you won't be able to do it, trust me!

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Green Lantern 2 & 3 are now in the planning stages...

Or, are movies planning for a franchise way too far ahead?

The Green Lantern, starring Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively just finished filming yesterday and has a release date of the summer of 2011, so why are they already hiring writers to pen a script for the second and third movie?

You could say it's a smart move, like Iron Man and Spiderman before them, they knew they had something quite amazing on their hands, and the audience ate it up. But, this is DC, and Ryan Reynolds in a CGI suit is still something a lot of people are holding out on to see if it's worth it, so with a relative gamble, why would you assume it's going to be great? Do they know something we don't? Or are they simply making all movies for a franchise now?

I don't mind franchise movies, but I think when directors, actors and crew go for broke on one movie, and focus all their attention on one project, it always comes out better than when you plan for a franchise. A good example of both would lead me to one of my favorite franchises, Star Wars. The first movie was extremely tight, and a labor of love that stands the test of time, while the three prequels, written and planned for a trilogy were far inferior. I know what you are thinking, and don't give me that B.S. that Lucas had the rest written, you know that isn't true.

Not convinced? You've got to make it tough on me, eh? Alright, Fantastic Four was written as a trilogy, and it's a miracle it made it through number two, especially with the FAIL worthy second movie. Let's look at some current box office movies. Inception is very clearly a one off, which has gotten rave reviews, while Salt was written to have at least a trilogy, and that movie won't even make back its budget.

What do you think, are the people at DC counting their chickens before they hatch, or is it just smart business?

A Night in the life of Dead Jim

So, thanks to this new website, Xtranormal, I am keeping myself busy with home made videos. They are short right now, but it's something to keep me entertained. So, here is episode three. Ya know, cause it's fun!

Inception drops to second behind the Other Guys

Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg were finally enough to take down Inception, after three weeks at the top. The Other Guys came in a bit above expected with $35.6 million. It's got to be a bit of a sigh of relief after the last movie Ferrell did, Land of the Lost, hit only $19 million, and was one of the worst movies I've ever seen.

Inception continues to do really well, dropping a measly 34% to come in at $18.6 million, giving it a total $228 million, which the studios have to be happy about, considering the $100 million budget. Hopefully, this will continue to be a sign to Hollywood, encouraging more originality.

The rest of the bunch did pretty bad, with Salt, Dinner for Schmucks and Step up 3 stinking up the joint.

Movie Review - Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Have you ever heard of Bob-Ombs? Have you ever played DDR? What about Super Mario Bros.? If you answered "no" to any of these questions, than you may not be the target demographic for Scott Pilgrim. If you said "yes" to any of these, then you are going to love the stylized comic book/arcade game movie by Edgar Wright, the same Edgar Wright who brought us Spaced, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. While I think Scott Pilgrim could be a love/hate kind of movie, I doubt anyone will dislike the look and sound of the movie.

Scott Pilgrim is a movie based off a graphic novel (which I have yet to read) about a guy (Michael Cera) meandering through life. He has a band, called the Sex Bob-Ombs and lives in a tiny apartment in Canada; he even has a girlfriend named Knives. Everything is perfectly mediocre until Scott meets the girl of his dreams in Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Once they date, Scotty finds out he must defeat the girls baggage in her seven evil exes (not boyfriends). Now, Scotty has to man up if he hopes to defeat the exes and win Ramona's heart.

First off, the movie is shot incredibly differently. Again, it should be a love/hate kind of thing. I thought it was amazing. It looked like I was watching a live-action comic book, with sound effects being spelled out, and panels flying by, and windows describing characters, it was all very cool. The best part was the fight scenes. Once the Evil Exes showed up, things went from good to incredible as Scott fought enemy after enemy in over the top arcade fighting, leaving the loser vaporizing into a pile of coins. The sound was also very indie-rock and very fitting for the movie, despite being very "hipster-esque."

The cast was quite good. Michael Cera was Michael Cera, to no surprise. While his act is getting kind of old, it was perfect in this role. Ramona was quite good as an emo chick with plenty of baggage, and Scott's roomate, Kieran Culkin was great as Scott's gay friend/big brother. The star of the show were the exes, however. Some of the highlights were Brandon Routh as a vegan, Chris Klein as an action hero and Jason Schwartzman as the boss. They were hilarious, way over the top and often more entertaining that Scott Pilgrim.

While I can't stop talking about how unique the film looked, there were a couple of little things that irked me. I thought the film had too much of a "hipster" feel to it, and rocking out to the sex bob-ombs was the cool thing to do, and I thought, while fitting, that I've seen Cera's act more than a few times. I also felt kind of bad for poor Knives Chow at the end. While I won't give away any spoilers, I felt a bit bad for her.

Scott Pilgrim may be a hipster movie, but I think we'll find it has one good week in it, before dropping in the theaters, only to arrive on DVD and be an instant cult classic. It has all the right elements, and was a really enjoyable movie. I loved it, but I won't be surprised to see the wave of bad reviews as well.

Check out the review, posted at SpoilerTV.com by clicking HERE.

Movie Review - The Other Guys

We have seen tons of movies about the cops who go out there and shoot up the city, blow up the bad guys and lay it on on the line every day in the name of justice. The Other Guys, starring Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell, Michael Keaton and Eva Mendes is not that movie. Instead, the movie focuses on the cops that don't get all the glory, they focus on the paper work and long to be heroes. So, can a movie about those cops be entertaining or at least funny? It can with the most awkward duo in cinema.

The movie follows Wahlberg and Ferrell as two paper pushing cops who look to step into the position of top cop after Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson leave a void in the position. Sadly, they aren't the action heroes everyone talks about, despite their attempts. Wahlberg is still trying to get over having to use his gun on a hilarious victim, and Ferrell's character longs for the safety of his desk due to a hidden past. However, when they get deep into a money scandal, the gloves come off, the Prius is charged, and the wooden gun gets ready for an all out brawl.

The first thing you will notice in the film is the great characters portrayed by great actors. Ferrell was turned down from his usual "11" to be extremely funny without being too over the top. Wahlberg is a great wannabe action hero, and the straight man to Ferrell's ridiculousness, and Michael Keaton as the Captain is brilliant. The rest of the supporting cast will hit your funny bone as well.

There are a few hilarious jokes that keep getting rehashed that never get old, like Ferrell's car, being a red Prius, and in the middle of an action chase scene, it's the last thing you would expect. And don't forget Farrell's smoking hot wife, played by Eva Mendes, who is hilariously out of place. Of course the banter between Wahlberg and Farrell is hilarious and is the star, as you can feel the ridiculous friction, and the awkward comedy between the partners.

The other jewel is the music. The music is loud and in your face and is often a gag of its own. It does a great job of reminding you that you are in a comedy as it keeps the mood really light, and very silly.

The movie is not Anchorman, or Talladega Nights. It doesn't have as many quotable lines that will be seen as Facebook status updates for years to come, but it will make you laugh out loud (or LOL as those crazy kids say). There are plenty of scenes the entire audience laughed at, and overall it was a great comedy to keep you entertained for the entire hour and 47 minutes. The other guys can be quite entertaining.

This post also appeared on SpoilerTV and Creative Loafing. Give 'em a look!

XTraNormal is Awesome

I found this website (thanks to my wonderful sister) that allows you to easily compose movies from preset characters, backdrops and music. All you have to do is type up the script, and voila! It's stupidly easy to do, and really, really addictive. Check it out at www.Xtranormal.com

Here's a quick video I did from a speech in the movie Dune. I had to memorize the speech for speech class and I typed it from memory, although I did check to make sure I got it right. Anyway, the voice makes me laugh!

The trailer says "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark"

But now, I'm really, really afraid of the dark. The trailer for the movie Don't be Afraid of the Dark starring Memento star Guy Pierce and Katie Holmes is amazing and brilliant and extremely creepy. I have no idea what's going on, but it looks beautiful and Guillermo del Toro is in charge, and it's evident in the small glimpse we get. I am suddenly very excited for this movie...and kind of afraid of the dark...

Inception stays on top!

As the third weekend closes up for Inception, it is still showing its dominance dropping a mere 36% to bring in $27.5 million to stay number one in the box office. This brings the total to $193 million for three weeks. It's a good sign for this movie because the movie had a budget of $150 million. Considering few movies lately have made any money, it's good to see an original movie that has some smarts do well.

Dinner for Schmucks came in second with $23 million, and Salt came in third with $19.3 million. Here is the top 10 for the week:
BOX OFFICE TOP TEN
1. Inception - $27.5 million ($193.3 million total)
2. Dinner for Schmucks - $23.3 million ($23.3 million total)
3. Salt - $19.3 million ($70.8 million total)
4. Despicable Me - $15.5 million ($190.3 million total)
5. Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore - $12.5 million ($12.5 million total)
6. Charlie St. Cloud - $12.1 million ($12.1 million total)
7. Toy Story 3 - $5.0 million ($389.7 million total)
8. Grown Ups - $4.5 million ($150.7 million total)
9. The Sorcerer's Apprentice - $4.3 million ($51.9 million total)
10. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse - $4.0 million ($288.2 million total)

When I see a movie I really like, I always secretly (well, since I just admitted it, I guess it isn't so secretive) cheer for it to do well, and Inception is one of those movies.

Also, who would've thought Cats & Dogs: The revenge of Kitty Galore would actually make $12.5 million?