Forst Perspective

Red Band Legion Trailer

2009-08-12T20:03:00.000-07:00

I was somewhat interested when I saw this poster online for a new movie called Legion. It was released during Comic-Con along with a trailer which is now online for all to see. It's definitely worth checking out for the creepy monsters or whatever they are. Though I can't help but wonder if the pitch for this movie went something like this...

Pitch man: So I have this great idea for a movie where a fallen angel descends from heaven to protect a small group of survivors in the middle of the desert from an onslaught of creepy stretch demons and evil leather-clad angels. It's kinda like the Terminator for those god-fearing folk.

Hollywood Executive: Will the angels have guns?

Pitch man: Giant. fucking. guns.

Heath Ledger directed Modest Mouse Video

2009-08-04T17:37:00.000-07:00

King Rat - Modest Mouse - By Heath Ledger
Uploaded by juansquitina. - Explore more music videos.

When I first heard that the late Heath Ledger had directed a music video for Modest Mouse shortly before his death, I wasn't sure it would ever see the light of day. But alas, it is now online and to my surprise it's animated and has a clear environmentalist theme. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I actually like the video a lot. Modest Mouse has never been my favorite band. Mainly because most of the time I think singer Isaac Brock sounds like someone's drunk uncle shouting unintelligibly into an old microphone. But that's only sometimes. I actually like the song here as well. Check it out.

Colore Non Vedenti (Color Blind)

2009-08-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

Check out this short film by FilmJunk contributor Jay Cheel. It has a cool B-Movie feel and reminds me of a humorous Invasion of The Body Snatchers. Also, the cook reminds me of the main character in the horror movie Otis. It was obviously self-financed, but looks pretty damn good and has decent performances. I've checked out a few of Jay's other shorts and this is the best one technically speaking. I'd like to see him really run with a full-feature idea that suits his style. Check out more from Jay Cheel and if you don't frequent FilmJunk, you should. It's the best movie podcast out there. And they're Canadian, so they say "aboot" a lot.

Colore Non Vedenti from Jay Cheel on Vimeo.

I'm back

2009-08-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

Decided to dust off the old blog and get back into it. So Let's begin! First order of business...

Do you know what this is? I had people in the office staring at it and couldn't tell. I was surprised, I thought it was obvious. Once you see it, you can go to Threadless and order a t-shirt with the design on it.

CHANGES...

2008-04-06T13:45:00.000-07:00

If you frequent my site at all, you'll notice that I haven't been updating it as often as I used to. This is mostly to do with my hectic schedule and not having much time to devote to it. I've decided to change to focus of my blog to deal mostly with my comedy act instead of movie news and other things. I may do the occasional review here and there if it seems pertinent. I just feel that many other sites do the exact same thing anyways and I don't have much to add to it anymore.

So now I'll be doing less frequent updates and when I do, they'll likely be ideas I'm tossing around for my comedy routine or videos from my shows. Mostly more of my perspective on things, hence the name forstperspective! Please offer any suggestions you may have as the change begins to take form.

Dane

The National

2008-03-02T09:29:00.001-08:00

Thought I'd share some videos from one of my new favorite bands, The National. If you haven't already heard them I suggest getting their new album "Boxer" out now.

The National "Mistaken For Strangers"

The National "Apartment Story"

More Wolverine Stuff!

2008-02-28T18:39:00.001-08:00

Here are a few new pics from Empire magazine of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, and as expected, they're awesome! See them larger here and here.

An addition, there has been some more casting news since my last post about this movie.

Apparently Dominic Monaghan (LOST, Lord of the Rings) will be playing a character named Beak who looks like a human-bird hybrid. I'm not too familiar with the character, but we'll see how he fits within the story.

Also, news is that Kevin Durand (3:10 To Yuma, Smokin' Aces) is slated to play the Blob. And while he's nowhere near fat, he is very tall, which I can see as working well to make him look massive in a fat suit. Sounds like a great idea to me.

New Iron Man Trailer!

2008-02-28T18:30:00.000-08:00

Do yourself a favor and download the new Iron Man trailer, you'll be glad you did. This movie looks awesome!! Get it here.

Viral Videos...

2008-02-28T18:05:00.000-08:00

I found this and thought it was funny. Kinda sums up the whole youtube phenomenon I guess.

Oscar Winners

2008-02-25T22:15:00.000-08:00

The Oscars aired last night and for once I actually watched it in it's entirety. I was pleased also with almost every winner this time. I am still angry over Crash winning two years ago for Best Picture. A few of the winners that I was happy to see:

BEST ORIGINAL SONG:
Falling Slowly for the film ONCE by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova

I was glad to see this win over the three(?!) songs nominated from Enchanted. This movie was fantastic and if you haven't seen it I highly recommend you do. It was one of my favorite movies from last year and the soundtrack is great as well.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Javier Bardem in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

I was hoping for Bardem to win along with most everyone else who's seen him in what I felt was the best movie of last year. Though I would have liked to see Josh Brolin get nominated, he was outstanding in this movie as well.

Strangely enough, after the Oscars, I was able to finally watch The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. If it weren't for Bardem's nomination, I would have been pulling for Casey Affleck to win. He was quite remarkable in that film and definitely out-acted Brad Pitt every step of the way. I wasn't even that impressed by Affleck at all before this, even in Gone Baby Gone. But now I'm curious what else he can do.

BEST ACTOR:
Daniel Day Lewis in THERE WILL BE BLOOD

This award couldn't have and shouldn't have gone to anyone else. Daniel Day Lewis turned in such a memorable performance and had I seen this movie last year, it would have made runner-up for my movies of the year.

BEST DIRECTOR/BEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR:
The Coen Brothers/NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

I was confident that this would win and I'm very glad that it did. This is the first movie that made me actually believe all the praise that the Coen Brothers seem to receive. While I enjoyed movies like Fargo and Raising Arizona, they've never really knocked my socks off in quite the same way they did with No Country. I'm hoping they do more films like this in the future.

Overall, it was actually a pretty good ceremony. I enjoyed Jon Stewart as the host again, as he seems somewhat disconnected from the typical Hollywood machine unlike past hosts. I was particularly impressed when he called back out Best Song winner Marketa Irglova after she was unfairly cut off before she could give any acceptance speech. In a way defying the limit winners are given to talk before they're cued to exit the stage. It was a great moment in a normally mundane ceremony. For a complete list of winners click here.

GRINDHOUSE: bunnies!

2008-02-25T22:06:00.000-08:00

If you've seen Grindhouse, you'll enjoy this little short. It stars cute animated bunnies acting out both Planet Terror and Death Proof in less than 2 minutes. Click here to check it out.

Wolverine Casting!!

2008-02-19T22:55:00.000-08:00

News on the X-Men spin-off had been incredibly scarce until just recently and this past week has seen some very interesting updates particularly in casting news. There's a lot to cover so I decided I'll just list things off as I go...

First off, an AWESOME first picture of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine surfaced last week. Click here for a hi-res version. My thoughts? Jackman should be the one testifying in front of Congress, not Roger Clemens. Just a thought.

It's also been announced that Liev Schreiber (Scream, The Painted Veil) isn't playing a young Colonel William Stryker, like reported before, he's playing Victor Creed a.k.a., Sabretooth!! I'll admit it's a strange fit, but I like it. If they pull it off, I'll love it.

So what about the young Stryker you ask? He's now being played by Danny Huston (30 Days of Night, The Proposition). Sounds good to me. Though I was very excited when there were talks of Michael C. Hall (Dexter) playing the role.

There had been a lot of speculation about the love interest, Silver Fox, and who would play her. Apparently, this girl is it. Here name is Lynn Collins and she was recently in The Number 23 and Bug. Maggie Q and Michelle Monaghan were both rumored for the role. So much for rumors.

Then there's the cameos. There was mention of some various mutants who would pop up in the official synopsis, and now there is some word on who that is...

The Blob: Otherwise known as Fred Dukes in the comics, is basically the mutant who is very fat. (insert crappy Rosie O'Donnell joke here). There is no word yet who will play him but they have been testing fat suits and producers apparently want him to look around 1200 lbs. I say yes.

John Wraith/Krestel: I'll admit, I have no idea who this character is except he is in the same Weapon X program as Wolverine. Bad news is he's apparently being played by Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas. Which scares me. But I won't let that little snag slow me down.. oh no....

Gambit: I shit my pants over this one. Yes, finally we have the incredibly popular Cajun X-Man in a movie, only it doesn't make much sense. In the comics, he's much younger than Wolverine and therefore this doesn't work unless he's like 12 years old. I'm sure they've found a fantastic loophole and I don't care what that is as long as he's there. He's being played by Friday Night Lights actor Taylor Kitsch. I think he's too young looking really, but he at least kinda looks the part. Josh Halloway from LOST was offered the part for X3, but turned it down.

Deadpool: I shit my pants again. It was confirmed today that Ryan Reynolds (Van Wilder, Blade Trinity) has been cast as the "Merc with a mouth". He's been rumored to play Deadpool for years now, I just never really thought it would happen. I still don't. It's too perfect of casting. I'm a fan of Ryan Reynolds, and anyone who doesn't think this is awesome needs to go straight to hell. Period. Deadpool is one of those incredibly popular side characters that wound up getting his own title eventually and fans can't get enough of. He's a smart-ass just like Reynolds and I can't wait to see how this one works out.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is now filming for a Summer 2009 release directed by Gavin Hood (Rendition, Tsotsi)

Arrested Development: The Movie?

2008-02-05T22:32:00.000-08:00

Apparently, former Arrested Development star Jeffery Tambor has confirmed rumors of a big-screen return of Fox's short-lived TV show. The series was canceled after only 3 seasons due to poor ratings, despite being a hit with fans and critics alike. This is a strangely familiar scenario that happened with the Fox series Firefly that was canceled and then subsequently brought back with the theatrical movie Serenity. This isn't set in stone just yet but they had better get to it. I happened to really enjoy the show after recently catching it on DVD. For more on this story, visit filmjunk.com.

Mass Effect

2008-02-02T00:06:00.000-08:00

This is the first time I've ever commented on anything video game related, but I thought this was pretty interesting and touches somewhat on the issue of censorship. There is apparently some "controversy" over a RPG video game titled Mass Effect, in which there is a moment in the game where the player can choose to engage in a sex act with what appears to be the blue chick from The Fifth Element. Below you'll see both a segment on Fox News where the reporter and a supposed expert try to make an issue out of nothing. It's interesting to see how some people view what they consider to be questionable material and how it should be dealt with. My opinion is to PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR OWN F***ING CHILDREN.

There is footage of the "sex scene" on YouTube currently, and I've seen steamier scenes in a Dunkin' Donuts commercial. There is also a pretty funny mock version of the same Fox News segment done by a couple of dweebs that's pretty spot-on. Check it out...

Juno Review

2008-01-28T17:52:00.000-08:00

There's no doubt that by this time you've already heard plenty about this flick, it's already grossed almost 100 million and become one of 2007's biggest successes. So the question remains, "is it really as good as everyone says?" I guess that would depend on who you ask. While praise has been all over the place for Juno, there has also been a noticeable backlash against the movie. Most of the negative talk is in regards to the dialogue, which is drenched in pop-culture references aimed mostly at the indie-art crowd.

The movie is basically the story of 16 year old Juno played by Ellen Page (Hard Candy, X-Men: The Last Stand) who gets pregnant by a shy, awkward boy named Paulie Bleeker (Micheal Cera) and how she deals with the unplanned pregnancy. She winds up finding a couple to possibly adopt the baby in the Penny Saver classifieds of all places. The couple, played by Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman, are desperate to have a family and Juno is only more than happy to give them her baby.

I had an unusual experience in seeing Juno in the theater since the power went out about 30 minutes into the movie and we had to leave. Though the part I had seen was pretty funny and enjoyable. We returned the following night to see the movie again from the beginning. At that point, my opinion shifted somewhat towards the movie. At second viewing, the jokes weren't anywhere near as clever and became somewhat annoying. The feeling continued somewhat throughout the rest of the movie. I also found the inappropriate relationship between Bateman and Page to be incredibly uncomfortable to watch. This is also where some of Juno's charm started to wear off. The girl who is witty enough to lob insults and reference people I've never heard of should be smart enough to see what's going on and she clearly isn't. It doesn't completely ruin the movie, but it does make it hard to really care about or believe in her character.

What is good about the movie is its great supporting cast. In particular, Micheal Cera's (Arrested Development, Superbad) charcter and Juno's father, played by J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man, OZ) who both provide the movies' best characters and performances. Cera's "deer caught in headlights" look he often uses is absolutely hilarious.

Overall, the movie had me divided on whether or not I liked it as much as I was wanting to. I couldn't help but feel old and uncool watching someone who had seemingly unlimited amounts of cool at their disposal. Though, I guess it wouldn't be as interesting movie without it.

Heath Ledger 1979-2008

2008-01-22T18:08:00.000-08:00

Very shocking and sad news today as Academy Award nominated actor Heath Ledger was found dead in his New York apartment at the age of 28. It's not entirely clear as to the cause of death at this time.

Ledger has most recently co-starred in "I'm Not There", along with a handful of other actors/actresses portraying Bob Dylan in different stages of his life.

I had been very excited to see Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker in this summer's "The Dark Knight". Judging from the trailer, it looks to be an outstanding performance. Most of the film has been finished with only some post production remaining, though it's hard to tell how this will affect the movie if any re-shoots are required.

Ledger was also filming a new movie with director Terry Gilliam and it's unknown at this point how that film will be affected.

For more detailed information on this story, read the New York Times article here. My condolences go out to his friends and family.

The BEST (and worst) of the YEAR

2007-12-24T14:18:00.000-08:00

Here are my top 10 movies of 2007. I had a tough time narrowing it down to just ten since there were a lot of movies I really enjoyed this year. There are some movies that I've yet to see that if I had they may have made the list. Movies like "Gone Baby Gone", "The Nines" and "Juno" are examples of films I haven't seen as of yet, but I'm hoping I'll love. Most of the movies on my list are movies that kicked my ass, made me laugh or really made me think... But mostly kicked my ass. I'll leave brief descriptions on why I liked the movie and if I've reviewed it, I'll link to that story. Feel free to post your top 10 in the comments section.

10. Shoot Em' Up-
Definitely one for the ass-kicking category. This film was just pure fun. I think it didn't get the recognition it deserved, I think it will catch on once it's released on DVD. Read my original review here.

9. 3:10 To Yuma-
The movie that actually made westerns cool again. Christian Bale and Russell Crowe are awesome as usual, with a surprising performance by the unhinged Ben Foster. Read my original review here.

8. Sunshine-
One of the best Sci-Fi movies in years. Danny Boyle reminds me why he's one of the best directors working today. Read my original review here.

7. 300-
A beautiful adaptation of the Frank Miller graphic novel, this movie was a blast to see on the big screen. Say what you will about the film, but no one can deny it gave us some of the most memorable movie quotes of the year. "THIS IS SPARTA!!", "TONIGHT, WE DINE IN HELL!"

6. Superbad-
One of the funniest movies of the year. That's all.

5. Planet Terror-
Notice I didn't include Death Proof, which was paired with this in theaters as Grindhouse. That's because as far as entertainment goes, I feel this part was far superior. Great schlock horror moments and humor are all over this homage to crappy zombie flicks. The gun-legged heroine is also classic.

4. Smokin' Aces-
I think this movie was unfairly labeled as a Tarantino rip-off too soon. I thought it had a great mix of drama, action and humor. Jeremy Piven is awesome as Buddy "Aces" Israel, along with a strong supporting cast. And despite an over-dramatic climax, this was one of my favorites this year for sure.

3. Knocked Up-
A great comedy that also has a lot of heart. It nicely balances the brash humor and tender moments. This movie cements Judd Apatow and Seth Rogan as the current comedy heavyweights in Hollywood.

2. 28 Weeks Later-
An outstanding sequel to an already fantastic zombie flick. A no-holds-barred horror film that satisfies from beginning to end.

1. No Country For Old Men-
This movie is on every top 10 list for a reason. It was simply awesome.
Read my original review here.

I wanted to note a few movies that were released very late last year that deserve mention. I didn't include them because they were from last year technically, but I wasn't able to see them until this year.

Pan's Labyrinth-
Guillermo Del Toro's beautiful fairy tale for adults was a fantastic look at a small girl's imagination. When contrasted with the harsh realty of the outside world, her imagined one looked that much more staggering.

Children of Men-
An apocalyptic future without robots or androids, just a feeling of hopelessness amongst an infertile population. That's what makes this tale more realistic than most sci-fi thrillers. Utilizing some of the best, and subtle, special effects seen in film this year. This movie would have easily made the top of my list.

Honorable mentions: Eastern Promises, The Bourne Ultimatum, We Own The Night, Zodiac, Ratatouille, Sicko, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Then there's the rest. I thankfully couldn't think of 10 movies I wanted to kill myself after seeing, but there were a few. Whether they were major disappointments, or just bad to begin with, they made my naughty list this year. In no particular order...

The Mist- Just crappy. Period. Read my original review here.

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium- Dustin Hoffman has fallen a long way hasn't he? And what the hell is Natalie Portman and Jason Bateman doing in this crap?

Mr. Brooks- I knew this would be bad, so shame on me for seeing it.

The Invasion-
Who knew a movie about alien body snatchers could be so incredibly boring?

Vacancy-
Scary only if you're completely delusional about how reality works. I was actually angry at how stupid this movie thinks you are.

Ghost Rider-
Nicolas Cage as a stuntman with a flaming head who fights demons with a chain, what could've gone wrong? Answer: everything.

Resident Evil: Extinction-
Hopefully this title is accurate. Read my original review here.

Spider-Man 3-
Disappointment of the year, hands down. This should have been an easy slam dunk. Instead we got the Sandman doing his best Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man impression and Tobey Maguire dancing like an idiot. One of the saddest days of the year.

Hellboy 2 Trailer and New Pics!

2007-12-20T15:46:00.000-08:00

Here is the just released, new trailer for "Hellboy II: The Golden Army". It's pretty cool if you ask me. I like some of the new monsters they show in the trailer, and I'm very excited for this one.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army trailer

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Here is the official synopsis:

With a signature blend of action, humor and character-based spectacle, the saga of the world's toughest, kitten-loving hero from Hell continues to unfold in "Hellboy II: The Golden Army." Bigger muscle, badder weapons and more ungodly villains arrive in an epic vision of imagination from Oscar®-nominated director Guillermo del Toro ("Pan's Labyrinth," "Hellboy").

After an ancient truce existing between humankind and the invisible realm of the fantastic is broken, hell on Earth is ready to erupt. A ruthless leader who treads the world above and the one below defies his bloodline and awakens an unstoppable army of creatures. Now, it's up to the planet's toughest, roughest superhero to battle the merciless dictator and his marauders. He may be red. He may be horned. He may be misunderstood. But when you need the job done right, it's time to call in Hellboy (Ron Perlman).

Along with his expanding team in the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development--pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), aquatic empath Abe (Doug Jones) and protoplasmic mystic Johann--the BPRD will travel between the surface strata and the unseen magical one, where creatures of fantasy become corporeal. And Hellboy, a creature of two worlds who's accepted by neither, must choose between the life he knows and an unknown destiny that beckons him.

They also released a ton of new photos that you can see here. I posted some of my favorite ones below.

I Am Legend Review

2007-12-17T13:42:00.000-08:00

My first thought when I first saw the trailer for "I Am Legend" was, "great, another Will Smith blockbuster extravaganza, whoop-de-doo". Then I saw more on the movie and it looked a lot more interesting than I had originally thought. I got to see the movie recently and I was surprised that it really wasn't a typical, mind-numbing blockbuster at all. It had some very interesting ideas, too bad it was already covered in a much better movie.

Basically, "I Am Legend" is a lot like "28 Days Later" with some of the worst CGI since my last review. I'm having a really hard time lately with the crappy computer effects being used in movies. This movie really could have been good if it weren't for the cartoon-like characters.

The characters in question are a horde of vampire like humanoids that chase Will Smith and his trusty dog all around a barren, empty New York City. When a cancer cure brings disastrous side-effects in the form of a virus, the world is almost completely decimated by the outcome. The only person left on earth, or so he thinks, is Robert Neville (Smith), a scientist that helped manufacture the doomed cure. He is one of few people who were immune to the virus and spends his days hunting deer in his sports car and talking to mannequins. At night, he locks himself in his apartment outfitted with steel barricades to keep whatever lurks outside from getting in. It's quieter moments, like when he's walking through the empty streets of New York, that prove to be the best scenes in the movie. Once the action sets in and you get to see the monsters up close, the movie begins to lose any and all momentum. They're incredibly distracting to the point of taking you completely out of the movie. And in a movie in which the story revolves around only one character throughout, it's a fatal flaw. The infected creeps aren't even really scary, and the movie relies on cheap, loud noises in order to get it's thrills from the audience.

I tried to find things that were good in the movie, including the performance of Will Smith, but as much as he tries, he's still the same guy always punching aliens in the face come summertime to me. It's hard to see him as anything other than that.

Don't read on if you don't want to know anything about the ending...

The ending also left me very disappointed in that it takes the road you'd expect in a big-budget movie like this one. It would have been refreshing to see an ending that didn't tie everything up so neatly. Sometimes disasters don't have happy endings, and they're more entertaining that way. After all, isn't that why we see these type of movies? I personally like to feel that real sense of dread that goes with seeing major cities being destroyed by robots, volcanoes or by other supernatural means. And I don't need to have someone always save the day, I have reality to let me know it's all fiction.

TDK Trailer and new footage

2007-12-17T12:39:00.000-08:00

The new "Dark Knight" trailer that showed in front of "I Am Legend" this weekend is now available for download here. It's much better quality than the YouTube version that was floating around the net previously.

If you miss the shaky camera and horrible sound, fear not, for there is some incredibly poor footage from the film currently online. The footage is 6 minutes serving as an introduction to the Joker. The footage was only being screened in front of IMAX showings of "I Am Legend". You get a decent look at what's going on, but it's borderline unwatchable. I'd suggest showing more restraint than I did and wait for a high quality version to pop up. But if you can't resist, here is a link while it lasts. (NEVERMIND, IT'S GONE) I happen to really enjoy where the movie is going so far stylistically, much darker than any previous Batman movie we've seen.

I also went to the liberty of getting some cool screenshots from the trailer myself, you can check them out below. They're all shots of the Joker, which is what the trailer shows predominantly.

The Mist Review

2007-12-17T12:31:00.000-08:00

I'll start out this brief review by saying I had some high hopes for this movie if only for the reason it was directed by Frank Darabont, who also brought us the Stephen King adaptations "The Shawshank Redemption" and "The Green Mile". Both of those were movies I quite enjoyed. So I assumed this would be a great movie considering the talent involved. I'm sorry to say I couldn't have been more wrong.

"The Mist", not to be confused with John Carpenter's "The Fog", is based on Stephen King's short story of the same name. The story revolves around a man (Thomas Jane) and his young boy fighting for survival when their small town is blanketed in a mysterious mist. They take refuge with a group of terrified folk confined to the temporary safety of a grocery store. There is most definitely something shrouded in the aforementioned mist that is attacking townspeople and making them run for cover. Most of the film is spent between the characters fighting with each other on how to deal with their grim situation. Some characters don't believe there is anything to fear at all, others believe it's God's wrath for mankind's sins.

The movie tries very hard to make you feel for its characters, and I feel that it failed miserably. The combination of bad acting and unrealistic human behaviors makes it incredibly difficult to like anyone involved. Not to mention they're forced to combat some incredibly un-scary, CGI monsters like giant spiders, mosquitoes, and tentacled creatures unlike anything usually seen on earth. You find out that top-secret government testing involving alternate dimensions are to blame for the onslaught of terrors. Again, all of this could be of some value if not for the shoddy characters and flimsy computer generated scares. Once you see the monsters in the light, the tension is gone. It's a mistake, that with the popularity of CG effects over practical ones, is all too common in modern movies.

The film's ending was outstandingly over-dramatic and laughable. Even when compared to other bad Stephen King adaptations, it doesn't get much worse than this.

Dark Knight: New Posters and Trailer!

2007-12-14T12:57:00.000-08:00

It seems like I have something on the new Batman movie every other day. The latest is 3 brand -new posters for "The Dark Knight".

Here are two international posters that look absolutely beautiful. I love the skyline approach with the first one, and I love the classic Joker look of the second one. I also love how they're both not typical blockbuster looking posters that you'd expect.

The third one is also of the Joker, but quite different. As if he designed it himself. It's not very good quality, it looks like it was taken by a fan, but you get the idea. I'll post a better version as it becomes available.

In addition, there was a new trailer that premiered with "I Am Legend" and I was lucky enough to catch it last night. It's our first real glimpse of Heath Ledger as The Joker in action, and let's just say I'm impressed. I was somewhat worried on how he'd come across, but I can now be sure he's gonna beat the living shit out of me with this performance. It looks that good. He completely nails the voice. I'm getting all tingly just thinking about it.

There are some very crappy bootleg versions of the trailer floating around, and as much as I'm tempted too, I'm not going to post them. It's just not going to do it justice. Plus, they're being taken down from those sites pretty quickly anyways. The good news is they're most likely releasing the official hi-def version this Sunday at this location. So wait till then and see for yourself.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

2007-12-12T13:03:00.000-08:00

It's taken me a while to write about news on the "Wolverine" movie mainly because news was slow and uncertain. The spin-off on the popular X-Men franchise is now gaining some traction though in the past few months. It has also since been renamed, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine". Which I think is a horrible idea for a title. By this time, most everyone is aware of the character Wolverine, and I think it's unnecessary to rename it.

The film is set for a May 1st 2009 release now and is to be directed by Gavin Hood who most recently directed the political thriller "Rendition". Gavin Hood seems to me to be an interesting choice and hopefully will add some needed dramatic elements to the origin story of this iconic character. The story will revolve around how Logan, AKA Wolverine first became involved with the Weapon X program before he ever joined the X-Men.

The movie will obviously star Hugh Jackman in the title role, along with some new characters, and a few familiar ones. The first being the character of William Stryker, who was last seen in 2003's X2, played by Brian Cox. Stryker was the man responsible for giving Wolverine his unbreakable Adamantium skeleton. Actor Liev Schreiber is in talks to play a younger version of the character. I really like this casting choice, Schreiber is a solid actor and I enjoyed his work in The Manchurian Candidate in particular.

Also rumored to star is Actress Maggie Q (Die Hard 4, Mission Impossible 3) as Logan's love interest Silver Fox. In the comic version, she is an important part of Logan's past, and should be as important in the film adaptation. I don't have much of an opinion on Maggie Q's acting ability, but she does fit the look quite well.

Another rumor is that the director is attempting to get Gerard Butler to star as the psychopathic killer mutant Victor Creed, who eventually becomes Wolverine's arch-nemesis, Sabretooth. Sabretooth was featured in the first X-Men movie, played then by ex-wrestler Tyler Mane. I was incredibly unhappy with how they depicted the character in that movie, and I think Butler would make a much better Victor Creed. I thought he did very well in "300" as King Leonidas, and I'd be curious how he handles an awesome role such as this one. Apparently the role was originally offered to Karl Urban (Doom, Lord of the Rings), but he has since moved on.

The movie starts filming early next year in Australia, more news as it develops.

**UPDATE**
News rolls in fast.... the studio has just released the official synopsis, which shows an interesting nugget at the end.... I wonder what mutants they're talking about? I have heard rumors of characters such as Deadpool, Juggernaut, The Blob, and Gambit being included in the story. I guess we'll have to wait. Read on...

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is set to star Jackman and will be directed by Gavin Hood (Tsotsi, Rendition). The producers are Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter (who produced all three previous "X-Men" films), along with Jackman and his Seed Prods. producing partner, John Palermo. The film will be executive produced by Marvel Films' Kevin Feige.

Leading up to the events of X-Men, X-Men Origins: Wolverine – written by David Benioff (The Kite Runner, Troy) – tells the story of Wolverine's epically violent and romantic past, his complex relationship with Victor Creed, and the ominous Weapon X program. Along the way, Wolverine encounters many mutants, both familiar and new, including surprise appearances by several legends of the X-Men universe.

More Dark Knight Pics!

2007-12-11T16:55:00.001-08:00

Here are some more cool "Dark Knight" pics for you, including some better versions of ones I already posted. Check it out...

Indiana Jones 4 Poster

2007-12-11T16:45:00.000-08:00

Here is the brand new poster for Indy 4, aka Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. That's a long title if I've ever heard one. I don't have a lot of interest in this movie, but it is one of the biggest movies of next year, so i suppose it deserves attention. Also, I kinda like the style of this poster. It looks like the older Indiana Jones movies and other classic posters of the past. The flick opens May 22, 2008.

Punisher: War Zone Picture & Interview

2007-12-06T23:35:00.001-08:00

Surprisingly, there is another Punisher movie in production right now and the first picture from it has been released. Apparently the first movie did well enough on DVD to warrant a sequel. FRANKly,(geek joke)I had issues with the first one and how the whole thing was handled. There was too much comedy and not enough flat-out violence. Anyways, they're giving it another go, and this time around it's with a new actor in the lead role, Ray Stevenson (HBO's Rome), and a new director, Lexi Alexander. Alexander is most notable for 2005's "Green Street Hooligans", which I really liked. Hopefully the new blood will make this kick some major ass. We'll see next September. In the meantime, check out a short interview below from Cinematical with the director...

Cinematical was lucky enough to attend a conference call earlier today with The Punisher: War Zone director Lexi Alexander in which we talked about the new film, the characters and the exciting Punisher universe. Above you will find the first image from the film, featuring Ray Stevenson as Frank Castle (aka The Punisher), a former FBI agent who wages war on the criminal underworld following the death of his family. The film arrives in theaters on September 12th, 2008. Here's a bit of our conversation:

Does this movie take place more in the Marvel universe or in its own world?

Lexi Alexander: Well I think in the sense of the other Marvel characters, it's definitely in its own world in terms of location, though, we call it the Marvel New York because, you know, rather than setting it in the real New York, we wanted it to have a little bit of a surreal feeling.

What one thing do you think distinguishes your take on The Punisher compared to the last Punisher movies that fans of the comic will truly appreciate?

LA: Well, the last Punisher movie really wasn't relevant to us. There's a lot of comparison to it, but none of the people on my team ever looked at that and said how can we be different or better -- we just kind of made our own film. The one thing I concentrated on was to really really make it as close to the MAX series as possible. I think we really achieved it as far as the look, as well as the tone. When I look at the dailies that I'm getting, I seriously feel like I'm looking at a MAX comic book right in front of me.

Related question: I think one thing the comic fans will realize immediately is that the world we created feels like the comic book in terms of the look as well.

Will this be a Hard-R Punisher?

LA: Well, it definitely will be a Hard R, and luckily Lionsgate's been great about it. They haven't given me any guidelines in terms of violence. I think they're a real good studio to make a violent movie, and I really like violent movies. So it's definitely going to be a Hard R.

Photo credit: Jonathan Wenk/Lionsgate

What is the significance of the subtitle War Zone to the story we'll be seeing?

When we were discussing titles, and obviously Marvel has a big input on that, we wanted to go with one the fans would recognize as the title. When they suggested a few, War Zone seemed like the one. This one in particular has something to do with the ending; it will make more sense once you see the film. I think the ending really justifies the title War Zone.

How much hand-to-hand fighting do you expect Frank Castle to engage in, or will most of the action be gunplay?

LA: I would say it's about 70% gunplay, and 30% hand-to-hand combat.

Your storyline incorporates elements from the Welcome Back Frank story arc. Why was the decision made to bring in Jigsaw who is not a part of that storyline?

LA: The first script I received had Jigsaw already in it, and at that point I wasn't very familiar with where Jigsaw came into the series. But he was there, he was the antagonist, he was the villain -- and I fell in love with this character, He's a great villain, and I wanted to keep him. So I don't think we strictly went for one story in the comic books; I think we took parts out of the world of Frank Castle and tried to make the best story possible.

Note: Jigsaw is being played by Dominic West.

What was the most brutal scene that you've shot, and do you have a favorite kill?

The most brutal scene would have to be two weeks ago when we shot part of the finale. It was really cold and toxic building, and we all had to have these masks on ... which didn't help a lot because we all got sick anyway. It was toxic, so we had to shoot the entire time with these oxygen masks on. Except for the cast; they didn't get any. I do have a favorite kill; without giving too much away I can say it has to do with a head-butt.

Is this a complete re-boot, or is it more like Batman Forever (ie: different characters in the outfit, but the same Frank Castle from the last movie)?

LA: I would say it's a complete different re-boot, just because neither one of the previous [films] were relevant. And with Castle, it's one story -- the mythology stays the same -- and I think I just have a very very different take on it. I was lucky to put it in the right environment, which was dark and cold.

Will Microchip be Frank's ally or enemy in this film?

LA: He's his ally; definitely his ally.

Do you have any particular interest in a Green Street Hooligans 2?

LA: No, no Hooligans 2 -- I know you're a big fan, but that's definitely not in the future. Those are the sort of mytholigies I like, so they're might be something in that area.

Speed Racer Trailer

2007-12-06T23:17:00.000-08:00

I was never a fan of the original "Speed Racer" cartoon as a kid. Maybe I didn't get it. Or maybe I just get kinda creeped out by cheap Japanese animation. So when I heard the Wachowski Brothers were even bothering to make a live action version, I was pretty skeptical. After watching this trailer, I have to say I'm twice as skeptical. It looks visually different I suppose, but I'm not sure if it's a good thing. I also am not too crazy about the melodrama. Isn't it supposed to be a fun, family movie? It just put me off altogether. Matthew Fox looks kinda cool as Racer X though. Follow this link to see the trailer.

If you're into this stuff, you'll be delighted to hear that they're making a live action "Dragonball Z" movie as we speak. Oh, glorious day.

Doesn't this pic below look like a level out of "Sonic The Hedgehog"?

Harold & Kumar 2 Trailer

2007-12-06T17:08:00.000-08:00

Check out the new R-Rated trailer for "Harold & Kumar: Escape From Guantanamo Bay" that was recently released. It actually looks pretty funny to me. I was a fan of the first one actually, despite it's cornball premise. Hopefully this one will be as good. Check it out below.

Any movie with this as a teaser poster is worth giving a chance.

Where in the world is Osama Bin Laden?

2007-12-06T16:27:00.000-08:00

News surfaced recently of a new documentary by Morgan Spurlock entitled "Where In The World is Osama Bin Laden?", in which Spurlock attempts to locate the world's most wanted fugitive. Word is that he's apparently found something worthwhile, and some are speculating he actually did what the U.S. government couldn't and actually tracked down the Al Qaeda leader. The film which screened only 15 minutes for potential buyers at the Berlin Film Festival, was quickly snatched by The Weinsteins for 25 million. This leads me to believe that they witness some pretty juicy material to pony up that much cash. On the other hand, I can't really imagine he did, in fact, find Bin Laden, as he would surely be crucified for not immediately disclosing the info to the government so they could capture him. But whatever he found, I'm very curious to see what it is. The film’s cinematographer Daniel Marricone refers to footage they captured as “the holy grail.” We'll have to see how it all plays out once it premieres at Sundance next month. If the buzz continues to gain momentum, this film could easily catapult Spurlock into the national spotlight and make him the most commercially successful documentarian since Michael Moore.
More on this story as it develops. (oooooh, I feel like a fancy news reporter!)

I'd recommend checking out Morgan Spurlock's other hit documentary, "Super Size Me", and FX series "30 Days" now on DVD. Both are very entertaining and thought-provoking looks at the world we live in.

Joker Madness!!

2007-12-04T13:06:00.000-08:00

There's been a flood of new "Dark Knight" info all over the web the past few weeks, including more viral web sites, new photos and a teaser description.

For some very in depth coverage on the viral marketing campaign going on for months now, I suggest checking out the continuing story on Superherohype.com's website. They've been updating progress on the whysoserious.com viral site, which has been posting very intriguing challenges and puzzles to fans in the guise of being a recruitment tool for the Joker's gang. Last month, fans were encouraged to send in photos of themselves dressed as the Joker causing mischief around their town, specifically by a notable landmark. Many of those photos were posted on this site for people to see, and a few used in an actual printed version of The Gotham Times. The fictional newspaper was then sent to the participants' homes.

There are also links to a multitude of fake sites, including one for the aforementioned Gotham Times Newspaper, which you can call an actual number and subscribe. And a Gotham Police Department site where you can leave anonymous tips. It should be interesting to see how these intertwine with the actual story in the new movie. Here is a list of links to all the different sites that have popped up so far.

THEGOTAHMTIMES.COM
THEHAHATIMES.COM
REMEMBERINGGINA.ORG
GOTHAMNATIONALABANK.COM
GOTHAMPOLICE.COM
WHYSOSERIOUS.COM/PERSONALITYPROFILE
GOTHAMUSD.NET
GOTHAMCAB.COM
ACMESECURITYSYSTEMS.COM
GVAFOUNDATION.ORG
GPDIAD.COM

You can also e-mail LetterstotheEditor@TheGothamTimes.com and Stories@RememberingGina.org.

In addition to the viral sites, there have been a slew of new photos popping up all over the net, mostly of the Joker, played by Heath Ledger.

Here is the pic that was revealed after fans completed a challenge on whysoserious.com on Halloween

Here is a pic that was slowly revealed on Empire.com last week to be the new magazine cover for this month. You can see the pic without the excess text here.

Here is the new cover to Wizard Magazine, sporting a great shot of the Joker.

Here are some apparent publicity shots from "The Dark Knight"

Most recently, there is a description of the 7 minute teaser footage set to premiere before "I Am Legend" playing in all IMAX theatres. The footage is believed to be the first 7 minutes of the movie, where you're introduced to the Joker for the first time. You can read about it in detail here. If you want to be surprised, I wouldn't read it. I will say that it sounds absolutely fantastic, and a perfect way to introduce this iconic character. I can't wait to see this footage in action, and I'm even more excited for the whole movie opening July 18th, 2008.

**UPDATE**
Less than an hour after posting this, they released the first teaser poster for the movie. Pretty cool and original if you ask me. Click here for a higher resolution version. And click here for an ultra hi-res version. (it will take a LONG time to downlaod)

Hellboy 2 Posters

2007-12-04T12:04:00.000-08:00

Here are three brand new posters for next years sequel to "Hellboy", the 2004 comic book adaptation directed by Guillermo Del Toro. All the original cast is back in the next chapter titled "Hellboy II: The Golden Army". I think the posters look great and I'm excited to see how this movie will improve on the last one. I've been hearing some great things about the story in which Hellboy battles, amongst other things, an army of mythological creatures. You can see some great production art that gives a really good idea of what to expect on the movie's official site. It also has great videos from the creators, and has been updated with new material often since going live a few months back.

"Hellboy II: The Golden Army" opens July 11th, 2008

No Country For Old Men Review

2007-12-02T16:24:00.000-08:00

Lately, it's rare to find a movie that actually meets your expectations, much less exceeds them. With my sometimes picky tastes, it's even rarer for me. Therefore it was a pleasant surprise when "No Country For Old Men" managed to be even better than I had expected it to be.

The film is the latest from the Coen Brothers (Fargo, The Big Lebowski) and stars Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, and Tommy Lee Jones. The story revolves around Brolin's character, Llewelyn Moss, who stumbles across a drug trade gone very, very wrong, and acquires a large sum of money. He then becomes a target for a psychopathic assassin, Anton Chigurh (Bardem), who's unconventional choice of weaponry is almost as strange as his hairstyle. Meanwhile, The local Sheriff (Jones) is trying to piece together what is going on. The story is an intense game of cat and mouse between these characters that will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout.

It was interesting to see just how well the Coen Brothers managed to immerse you in the film from the very start. The cinematography, the character development, and the dialog, all work in unison to craft what I think will be considered a modern classic years from now. Javier Bardem's performance as the baritone-voiced, ruthless murderer is quite impressive and far scarier than any slasher movie released in recent memory.

What has most people divided on this one is the ending. Basically, some people have said that it's too abrupt. But it makes perfect sense when you realize the story is like a game of chess, and you never know when it's checkmate.

If you like the best Coen Brothers films and other similar stories like Sam Raimi's fantastic "A Simple Plan", this film should suit you just fine.

Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins

2007-11-21T21:12:00.000-08:00

There's been some interesting news surfacing today about the Terminator franchise. Apparently the 4th installment, to be directed by McG (Charlie's Angels), is apparently going to star Christian Bale as an older John Connor. I had zero interest in this project until I heard this news, but now I'm very intrigued. I think Bale ads to any film he's in, and this should make the idea of another entry into the series more valid.

In the meantime we have the new Terminator TV series starting soon on FOX, and I'm hoping it's at least watchable. I haven't been terribly impressed by anything I've seen so far, though these new promotional posters are kinda snazzy. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles apparently fills in the gaps between the 2nd and 3rd movies.

Here is a promo spot for the new show:

Teeth

2007-11-21T20:54:00.000-08:00

I recently caught the trailer for the new movie Teeth. The trailer and the posters above give mixed messages as to what style the film is going for. One poster looks like the next Farrelly Brothers movie, and the other looks like American Beauty 2. Though watching the trailer, it obviously has something to do with a young girl with a monster vagina. Sounds like an original premise. Check out the trailer below. Teeth will be released sometime in 2008.

New Cloverfield Trailer

2007-11-19T13:13:00.000-08:00

Empire Online has the brand new Cloverfield trailer available now on their site. If you're not familiar with the film, it's a secretive project produced by J.J Abrams (Lost, Mission Impossible 3)that centers around something attacking New York City, seen through the perspective of a hand-held camera. The first trailer created quite the internet buzz, with lots of speculation as to whether this was a new Godzilla movie or maybe Voltron (which is a hysterical notion) and didn't even give it a title. We've since learned more about the project and now know that it's titled Cloverfield and though it looks too slick to be a hand-held camera , it still looks like a fun movie. I really like the Statue of Liberty head flying through the streets of New York. Take a look here to see it for yourself.

The film opens January 18th, 2008

Jumper Trailer

2007-11-04T09:36:00.000-08:00

I also happened to catch the trailer for Jumper, a new action movie from the guy who brought you The Bourne Identity and Mr. and Mrs. Smith, as it so plainly states on the poster above. I'll admit, the effects look somewhat impressive, but I don't think I can stand anymore of Hayden Christensen's bad acting. And Sam Jackson just looks like he stumbled out of a shitty Highlander sequel. Not to mention the whole premise seems like a ripoff of the X-Men character Nightcrawler stretched out over 2 hours. Which I'd much rather see by the way.

You can see the trailer here.

And watch a much better use of this idea below.

Southland Tales

2007-11-04T09:19:00.001-08:00

I finally caught the trailer for the movie Southland Tales directed by Richard Kelley, who's last movie was the cult favorite Donnie Darko. I enjoyed Donnie Darko for the most part, but this new film has me slightly perplexed. I can't imagine why a movie that looks this interesting would be sprinkled with a cast I wouldn't trust with a Swiffer commercial. You have: Duane "The Rock" Johnson (can act?), Seann William Scott (still working?), Sarah Michelle Gellar (boring), Mandy Moore (?), and Justin Timberlake (shotgun in mouth). Then I watch the trailer and it looks like an SNL reunion with more than a few alumni from the comedy show. Which makes me wonder if the strange casting is on purpose and Kelley has something else up his sleeve. I guess we'll see. But after this trailer, I'm at least intrigued. Check it out here.

How Spider-Man 3 Should've Ended

2007-10-28T15:26:00.000-07:00

Spider-Man 3 comes out on DVD this Tuesday, and I'm not saying you should go out and buy it, because frankly, it sucked. Instead I'll use this opportunity to show a cool animated video on how the movie should have gone. It's pretty funny, but it has some spoilers if you really care. I'm guessing you don't....

A brief story on Dewey Cox

2007-10-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

A while back I found story about the upcoming comedy Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, from Jake Kasdan who directed Orange County, and
starring John C. Reilly. The movie looks like a spoof of recent biopics like Walk the Line, you can see the trailer here.

The story gave a link to an official site where you
could give them your address info and they would send you some free official "merchandise" from the movie. Being the curious type, I did it.

I all but forgot about it until the other day when I received a mysterious
package in the mail. You can see the contents of the package in the photo
below.

Needless to say, I think it's a clever marketing strategy. At the very least, it's amusing, Don't you think?

Black Sheep

2007-10-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

It looks as though my wish has finally been granted. Someone has made a movie about killer sheep. And it looks like they did a fine job too. I caught the trailer for the horror flick Black Sheep the other night, and I can't wait to check it out. It looks like some great B-Movie fun. The character creations look very well done, which are done by Peter Jackson's WETA special effects company. Black Sheep is released this Tuesday, October 9th on DVD. Take a look for yourselves at the trailer below:

Resident Evil:Extinction Review

2007-10-05T01:41:00.000-07:00

This time, instead of doing an actual review I'm just going to list the films that this movie manages to rip off in it's short time...

Dawn of the Dead (remake)
George Romero's Land of the Dead
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Mad Max
28 Days Later
Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds
Slither
Reign Of Fire
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Almost makes it sound good doesn't it? Well it isn't. Far from it. I'd suggest saving yourself some time and watching any of the above films instead.

Dexter Season Premiere Tonight!

2007-09-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

The Showtime show Dexter starts it's second season tonight and I couldn't be more excited. I've been reading on some interesting promotional tactics today for the film involving fountains in many U.S. cities being dyed to look like blood. Look here for one such fountain, and go here to read more about it.

Eastern Promises Review

2007-09-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

Eastern Promises is the new drama from director David Cronenberg, who last brought us A History of Violence. This film follows Anna (Naomi Watts), after she encounters a dying pregnant girl in the hospital she works. The girl leaves behind her newly-orphaned baby and a diary, to which Anna claims in order to gain some insight to her life and death. The diary is in a foreign language to her and she begins to have it translated. This curiosity gets her entangled in the seedy world of the Russian Mob, when she crosses paths with Nikolai played by Viggo Mortensen. Her live becomes increasingly endangered as she looks to uncover the truth of what's written in the diary.

Cronenberg did a great job of bringing brutal depictions of violence in a real world setting with his last film, and does so again here. I'm going to bet that David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen, who starred in A History Of Violence, will have a working relationship like that of Scorsese and Deniro. I can see here why he would choose to do so, as Mortensen gives one of his best performances as the mysterious gangster. His character is so layered, that you have no idea from one moment to the next what his real motivations are. Mortensen also does very well with his Russian accent, which could have proved distracting.

The supporting cast is great as well, especially in the case of Vincent Cassel (Derailed), who gives a great performance as the psychotic Kirill. Of all of the characters, his was hardest to figure out where they were going to go. It seemed at any moment he could go on a murderous rampage, and it's that energy in the film itself that makes it so interesting. The tense fight scene in a sauna between Viggo Mortensen and some mobsters is worth the price of admission. It shows a realism rarely shown in today's overblown movie fight scenes, without any kung-fu wires or corny dialog.

I'd highly recommend this film to anyone who is a fan of good, tense dramas, or a fan of Cronenberg's work. I'm excited to see where he takes us next. And I'm sure he'll bring Viggo with him.

Amazing CGI

2007-09-19T21:58:00.001-07:00

When you think about what movies have the best CGI, typically you'd never think of a drama like David Fincher's Zodiac. But after watching this short video on the film's CGI effects, I may have to consider it. The beauty lies in how subtle it all is, you never even notice that half of what you're watching is computer generated. The sheer amount of work that apparently went into this film makes me want to watch it all over again. It also makes me wonder what other films use this much subtle CGI. So take a look for yourself...

The Fountain Commentary

2007-09-17T18:34:00.000-07:00

When The Fountain was released on DVD a few months back, I was disappointed that there were very few special features. If any movie warranted some deep explaining, it was this one. I thought The Fountain was quite incredible when I saw it, and I considered it one of the best films from last year. I still find it confusing though, and would have loved to have a director's commentary included to show some insight. Thankfully, we now have a free download from director Darren Aronofsky's website consisting of a complete commentary. You can go to the site here, or download it directly here, if you're interested. I highly suggest you rent The Fountain if you haven't seen it already.

Roger Ebert just recently reviewed it (I suppose he just got around to seeing it), and for the most part I agree with his take on it. He also mentions, this person's rational of the whole movie, which I found interesting. Don't bother reading if you haven't already seen the movie, as it will only confuse and frustrate you.

Music Spotlight: Spoon

2007-09-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

This week's featured band is Spoon, an indie rock band from Austin, Texas. They recently released the album "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga", which debuted at #10 on the Billboard charts back in July. The band has been recording for well over a decade, slowly building a loyal following. Spoon was signed then dumped from Elektra Records around 1998, only to pull through with more and more successful albums. I had the opportunity to hear their latest release and I've enjoyed it quite a bit.

Here is a quote on their new album from Rolling Stone:

"spiky, painstakingly detailed songs that deliver indie-pop payloads in less than four minutes, with minor frills like Motown bass lines, barrelhouse piano and streamlined dance grooves. Britt Daniel employs his soulful, sandpaper-rough croon and jagged little hooks like a man on a mission, and you'll be glad to have killer cuts like sweet, funk-pumped "Finer Feelings" or the horn-laden sing-along "The Underdog" bouncing around your head."

And here is the video for their single "The Underdog"

Funny MPAA Ratings

2007-09-13T18:45:00.000-07:00

Do you ever actually read the MPAA ratings on movies? Sometimes they're absolutely ridiculous, or downright odd. There is a funny article I found that lists some of the most bizzar and hilarious ones. It's interesting how specific they get in the descriptions when referring to drugs or sex. Take a look over here to see the list.

Plenty of Ninja Violence!

Shoot Em' Up Review

2007-09-11T19:50:00.000-07:00

Every once and a while, you just want to see a movie that doesn't bullshit around and just entertains you for an hour and a half. You want the kind of movie you can start from almost anywhere, and still manage to find enjoyment from it. The creators of "Shoot Em' Up" know what you want, shove it down your throat until you've had enough, and then decide to throw in some more for good measure. That's this movie in a nutshell. It knows it's audience from the get-go, and doesn't make any apologies for what it delivers. Best of all, it wastes absolutely no time in starting off the story. Our "hero" jumps into the action from the very beginning and it never really lets up from there. No backstory, no real introductions, no monologue, just action from square one. "Mr. Smith" (Clive Owen), as he's known, rescues a pregnant woman who's about to have a baby, and then has to protect the baby from an endlessly large group of bad guys led by Paul Giamatti. Think of it like a remake of "Children of Men", minus the futuristic angle and meaningful dialogue.

Let's get one thing straight: this movie is going for over-the-top ridiculous action and violence, and not much more. It's just short of parody. If this doesn't sound appealing to you, and you enjoy your action with melodrama and/or Nicolas Cage spouting off crappy one-liners, then this movie isn't for you.

Let's just say that watching this, it's now my belief that when Clive Owen was born, he must've strangled the doctor with his own umbilical cord and knocked-up any nearby nurses instantly. That's how bad-ass he is. He showed it somewhat in Sin City, and his character here is essentially the same times twenty.

Paul Giamatti is also fantastic as the maniac assassin who's after Mr. Smith. It's an interesting turn for Giamatti, who normally plays the character who wets themselves at the sight of a gun.

There's plenty of creative gunfights and comedic elements to keep you satisfied. If you enjoyed the A.D.D. inducing spectacle that was last years "Crank", then you'll have a mighty fine time with "Shoot Em' Up".

30 Days of Night Posters

2007-09-11T18:59:00.001-07:00

3 new posters for the horror flick "30 Days of Night" were released and I thought I'd show them here. I like the simplistic splatter and the use of the movie's logo, what I don't like is the watermark from the shocktilyoudrop website, that's just distracting. It's always cool to see movie posters that can be somewhat different than the usual though. Too bad it doesn't always make for a quality film. Anyways, "30 Days of Night" is based on a Graphic Novel about a bloodthirsty group of vampires in Alaska during a time in which the sun doesn't shine for 30 days and I think you can figure out what that means. It's directed by David Slade (Hard Candy) and stars Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, and Ben Foster. If you're interested, it opens in October and you can catch the trailer here.

Iron Man Trailer

2007-09-10T14:35:00.001-07:00

Just caught the new Iron Man trailer, and it looks pretty awesome really. I am liking the idea more and more of the casting of Robert Downey Jr. the more I see of this. Hopefully next Summer, I'm not wrong and this movie winds up kicking ass. Go here for a direct link to the trailer in 480p. Or here for 720p. Or here in 1080p if you wanna be a showoff.

3:10 To Yuma Review

2007-09-08T00:19:00.000-07:00

I've never been a huge fan of Westerns as a whole. Maybe it's because I can't relate well to the lifestyle all that much. I've never had to work on a ranch, I can't say I've ridden many horses, and I've never fired a gun in my life. So typically, watching people do these things makes me want to choke myself to sleep. On the other hand, maybe it's because in so many of the Westerns I have seen, the characters and the actors playing them have nothing interesting to offer. This isn't the case with this film thankfully.

In "3:10 To Yuma", Christian Bale plays Dan Evans, a hard working ranch owner doing everything he can to provide for his wife and two sons. He lost part of his leg in the war, and has also lost the respect of his family when they're in danger of losing the ranch. When he crosses paths with outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe), an opportunity arises for him to save his land and redeem himself in the eyes of his son.

After Wade is arrested for robbing an armed carriage with his gang, Evans offers to help bring him to justice in exchange for money. This involves escorting Wade in one piece to the train station on its way to Yuma, all the while Wades's group of fellow criminals are looking to spring him loose. It's quite a ways away, and you can bet it isn't going to be easy.

The main reason why this movie works so well has everything to do with the great casting. Christian Bale proves again that he is one of the best actors of his generation. He is able to breathe life into a character you believe you've seen a million times before, but watching him it all seems new.

Russell Crowe delivers another great performance, playing the suave, dangerous role that fits him so perfectly. I suppose my only complaint is that the movie kept implying how heinous a person he was, but there wasn't a moment where you didn't like him.

Wade's right hand man, played by Ben Foster (X-Men 3), does an exceptional job playing the psychopathic Charlie Prince. When he's not on screen you're wondering where he is at all times, and what he'll do next. His unpredictability is a great counterweight to Crowe's sure-handed approach.

The movie has some pretty decent gunfights and some really great exchanges between Bale and Crowe. The main plot is fairly simple, but it isn't what carries this film. It's the journey you're taking with these characters and seeing how their motivations intertwine with their fates. I highly recommend seeing this film, even if you, like myself, aren't normally inclined to do so.

In Theaters This Weekend 9/7/07

2007-09-07T12:14:00.000-07:00

I'm excited for this weekend, there are actually some movies I care to see being released. I've done stories on both 3:10 to Yuma, and Shoot Em' Up recently, so you can read those if you haven't already to see more on them. I'm looking forward to seeing both of those movies this wekend hopefully. Also being released is some horror movie called Hatchet and a comedy called The Brothers Solomon, starring Will Arnett (Arrested Development) and Will Forte (SNL) in limited release.

If you've yet to see trailers for this week's releases, here they are:

3:10 To Yuma

Shoot Em' Up

And Just for the hell of it:

Hatchet

The Brothers Solomon

Music Spotlight: The Editors

2007-09-06T21:44:00.000-07:00

I decided instead of doing a Song of the Week like before, I'll periodically do a spotlight on a musician or band. I'll post bios, songs and or videos from music I think you might enjoy.

This week's spotlight is the band The Editors, whose new CD "An End Has A Start" was recently released. I had heard their last record and wasn't that impressed, but I like the new album much more. The only initial downside to their sound is the singer's voice, which can get annoying at times. If you're able to get past that, you'll come to enjoy the music all the better.

Here is the video for the title track,

AN END HAS A START

Here is The Editors' bio from their official site, it gives some nice descriptions and explanations of the band's lyrics.

Editors return in June 2007 with their second album An End Has A Start, on Kitchenware Records. Following on from the phenomenal success of debut platinum album The Back Room the new recordings see the band deliver on the promise so many identified on that record.
Recorded in Ireland at Grouse Lodge with Garret Lee and mixed at Olympic Studios by Cenzo Townshend, the album sees the team behind the re-recorded version of Bullets set to work on an entire collection of Editors work with stunning results.
To seasoned Editors watchers, a handful of tracks on the album will already be familiar. The heart stopping Weight Of The World and Bones were both regulars in the band's set from the summer of 2006 and their recorded versions are as sure as their live relations.
Whilst The Back Room seethed with claustrophobic menace and icy grandeur, An End Has A Start sees Tom Smith more focused on the power of redemption and the human necessity for friendship and family in the face of death.
The album's lyrics are closely linked to events over the last year or so as Tom explains: "There is a lot of death on the record, that sounds pretty morbid but it's the truth. Death has touched me and my friends in the last year in several ways. Realising everything comes to an end is important and I think we've done our best to make it something glorious and uplifting as well as scary".
However, Tom is keen to stress that not all is dark in Editors world. Alongside the inevitable, the record also reflects the hectic touring of the last two years that saw Editors play everywhere from Istanbul to Osaka: "Living in an over-populated but exciting world, the buzz of the city, electricity, neon, lights, skyscrapers, planes, billions of people all run through the lyrics of songs on the record".
Amongst an album that reinforces the visceral power of Editors music, the album closes on the simple piano and guitar of Well Worn Hand. Recorded in one take with Tom and Chris playing live in the studio, the track emphasises Editors desire to stretch themselves on this album. Such willingness to experiment saw them rope in friends alongside band members to create the choir that is heard at the close of Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors, the single that will precede the album on June 18th.

Visit The Editors Official Site
or Myspace Page

Shoot Em' Up Marketing

2007-09-02T10:35:00.000-07:00

A new site went up recently as a marketing ploy for the new action movie "Shoot Em' Up", starring Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti. The site called bulletproofbaby.net, is apparently a mock site for baby riot gear. It's interesting, though I'm not yet sure what it really has to do with the movie itself, I'll have to see the movie first I guess. Maybe they're trying to jump on the viral marketing bandwagon, similar to recent sites created for the new Batman movie and the Showtime series Dexter.

If that doesn't interest you though, the official "Shoot Em' Up" site should. Do take a look there at the restricted trailer that shows much more violence than a normal trailer can. I'm quite excited to check out this new flick which opens this Friday.

Flight of the Conchords Update

2007-08-31T15:08:00.000-07:00

Good news to any Flight of the Conchords fans, they've been renewed for a new season. The season finale is this Sunday, and I'm looking forward to it. For those interested, there is a hilarious documentary available to view online called Flight of the Conchords: A Texan Odyssey. Go here to see that, but get comfortable, because it's 45 minutes.

In Theaters This Weekend 8/31/07

2007-08-31T15:01:00.000-07:00

New to theaters this weekend are Rob Zombie’s remake of “Halloween”, the comedy flick “Balls of Fury”, and the revenge thriller “Death Sentence” starring Kevin Bacon. The small indie flick, “The Nines” gets a limited release too, but isn’t coming anywhere near me unfortunately. I had mild interest in seeing “Death Sentence” originally, but not so much anymore. Rob Zombie’s version of the classic horror movie is looking less and less appealing, and “Balls of Fury” looks like Dodgeball 2. So I probably won’t be going to the movies this weekend. How about you?

Here are the trailers for this week’s big releases:

Halloween

Balls of Fury

Death Sentence

Sunshine

2007-08-30T12:29:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity recently to watch the new film Sunshine, directed by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later). I’m a big fan of Boyle’s work and I was especially excited to see this one. The story revolves around a group of scientists 50 years in the future on a mission to reignite the dying sun. It stars Cillian Murphy,Rose Byrne, Cliff Curtis, Chris Evans, Troy Garity, Hiroyuki Sanada, Benedict Wong and Michelle Yeoh as the second group attempting to save the world.

Almost the entire film takes place on their ship, Icarus II, as it makes its way towards the sun, adding to the feel of isolation that is essential to the story. The characters find unique ways to pass the time to help from going insane. One uses a room in which calming holographic memories are played to act as therapy. Another uses a special room to view the sun close up while behind a giant protective filter, which allows for some impressive visuals. The shots of the sun’s powerful rays bombarding the ship and crew are quite arresting. I would have loved to have seen this film on the big screen, but since it was in such limited release, I had to settle for watching a pirated copy. I can’t wait to see it on DVD when it’s released.

Eventually, the team stumble upon a distress call from the Icarus I, which was assumed to be missing or worse. After some heated debate, the team decides it’s worth the risk to locate the missing ship. Needless to say, this is the point where the shit hits the proverbial fan. Without giving anything away, the rest of the film is a incredibly tense with only a few plot points that somewhat disappoint.

The cast does an excellent job in this film. I was already a fan of Cillian Murphy after 28 Days Later, and as the Scarecrow in Batman Begins, but this is probably his best performance I’ve seen so far. He plays the steely-eyed physicist with a subtle mix of wonderment and fear, and manages to carry a large portion of the film on his own. Which isn’t to say the rest of the cast didn’t pull their weight. The biggest surprise being Chris Evans (Fantastic Four), who is very effective as the ships hot-headed engineer. When things go south, he winds up making some not so popular decisions to ensure the missions’ success, even at the expense of the crew. Evans does a great job showing both nobility and cold-heartedness, without seeming too cliché. I’m curious what kind of films he’ll do next.

There are some very obvious comparisons to other movies like Event Horizon, and disaster flicks like Armageddon and Deep Impact. The fact that the movie doesn’t cut back to scenes on Earth, helps keep it a step above the rest. It’s defiantly one of the best Sci-Fi movies I’d seen in a long time and one of the best movies this year, it’s a shame it didn’t get a wide release. If you can, give this one a shot when it becomes available.

Watch the international trailer...

Top 10 Movies That Should Be Remade

2007-08-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of big movie remakes being released lately, including The Invasion with Nicole Kidman, and later this week, Rob Zombie’s take on the classic horror flick Halloween. This had me wondering, why do they always seem to remake good movies? These films were usually great to begin with, and any attempt to update it seems to fall short of the originals. Why not try and improve on an idea that wasn’t done right the first time? Maybe with a new cast, writing team, and a director with a clear vision, an otherwise inane concept could turn into an amazing piece of work. That’s why I decided to construct a list of 10 movies that should be remade, that weren’t the greatest to begin with. Feel free to comment on ones you would add to the list.

10. They Live!:
This one is probably unfair for this list because the original was actually pretty cool. I guess I just want to see it done again now... With Rowdy Roddy Piper in it again.

9. Van Helsing:
This should have been a no-brainer. A monster bounty hunter movie starring Hugh Jackman should have been the coolest movie ever. Anyone who saw it knows this isn’t what was presented. Instead we get a watered-down, CG disaster. Not to mention this version of Dracula was one of the worst ever. Bring in Gary Oldman to revisit his version of the classic vampire and you’ll be at least close to a real movie.

8. Spaced Invaders:
How about instead of 14 versions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, we give this little gem a second chance? I liked this movie as a kid and I think I’d like to watch some cute little aliens running around causing trouble again.

7. A Sound of Thunder:
I didn’t think a movie in this day and age could have this bad of CGI, but a Sound of Thunder managed to wow me in how horrible it was. It made Boa vs. Python look like Return of the King. That said, the main idea from the classic Ray Bradbury story could be a new Sci-Fi classic given a little effort.

6. Orgazmo:
Put simply, this movie really wasn’t that funny. It could have been. The idea of a superhero porn star is ripe with possibilities and should have no difficulty being hilarious. I like Matt Stone and Trey Parker, and South Park has always been a favorite of mine, but this didn’t deliver the laughs. I’ll even give the two another chance to get it right, after that, the idea can officially die a quick death.

5. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace:
Even though I enjoyed the latest prequel somewhat, there’s no denying that the first prequel was pretty crappy. I’m not even talking Jar-Jar, it was bad even without him. I know it may be blasphemy, but I’d like to see a reboot of Star Wars with a new director and creative team. I think George Lucas has had free reign of this series for too long, and he needs to give up control to someone who can give it a fresh outlook. Maybe that way, fans could get what they were hoping for the first time around.

4. Die Another Day:
Now that we’ve seen Daniel Craig hardcore as 007, it would be awesome to see him in a remake of this movie. Why this particular disappointing entry into the Bond Series, you might ask? Really, not for any other reason than to watch Daniel Craig sneak up behind Halle Berry as she’s swimming in the ocean and drown her in the salty abyss. The idea of that puts a big smile on my face.

3. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen:
Sorry, but this movie sucked horribly. The special effects were weak, and Sean Connery in particular just annoyed the hell out of me. Given the strong source material in Alan Moore’s graphic novel, this movie could be great. Recast and give it to someone with some talent to direct, and you’ve got yourself a winner.

2. Ravenous:
No one else I know has seen this one, so it makes it a prime candidate for the remake treatment. It’s basically a movie about a group of men that resort to cannibalism in the wilderness and become vampire-like in the process. Sounds cool huh? It almost was, except it wasn’t. It even had Guy Pearce (Memento) and Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting), who I happen to like. The remake could even use these two again if needed. Just get rid of David Arquette and try it again.

1. Howard The Duck:
Why hasn’t this idea been resurrected? I actually kinda liked this movie and think there’s some potential in this one. Apparently George Lucas is embarrassed by this 80’s flop, and I guess I understand. But honestly now, who doesn’t want to see a midget in a duck suit again?

Entourage

2007-08-27T18:49:00.000-07:00

Entourage is lately becoming one of my favorite shows. I was slow getting into it, I recently started watching the seasons on DVD and I'm currently watching the new episodes on HBO. I have to say that I'm in love with Jeremy Piven right now. The way he plays Ari Gold with repulsive, yet fascinating personality, is nothing short of incredible. Here is a clip I found that sums him up quite nicely.

If you haven't checked out this show yet, I highly suggest giving it a shot. Season 3:Part 2 is out now...

A Total Recall on Chocolate Rain

2007-08-27T18:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, if you haven't seen or heard "Chocolate Rain" on YouTube yet, you're probably living under a rock, and won't find this too amusing. For those who are familiar, witness the only version you'll ever need to see...

Weekend Box Office 8/27/07

2007-08-27T17:58:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a pretty uneventful one at the box office. The top 3 movies remained pretty much the same, with Bourne Ultimatum getting the number 2 spot back from Rush Hour 3. The only surprise this weekend was that of all the new releases, Mr. Bean's Holiday did the best. I was thinking the new movie War, with Jet Li and Jason Statham, was going to do better, but I guess not. The other new release, The Nanny Diaries, starring Scarlett Johansson, managed a mere 7.8 million. Next week should prove more exciting with Halloween, Balls of Fury, and Death Sentence opening.

Here is a rundown of the top 10:

1. Superbad - 18M
2. The Bourne Ultimatum – 12.4M
3. Rush Hour 3 – 12.3M
4. Mr. Bean’s Holiday – 10.1M
5. War - 10M
6. The Nanny Diaries – 7.8M
7. The Simpsons Movie – 4.4M
8. Stardust - 4M
9. Hairspray – 3.5M
10. The Invasion – 3.1M

Song Of The Week

2007-08-27T13:07:00.001-07:00

Well, I’m back from my vacation in Vegas this past week. Sorry there haven’t been any updates since then, I’ll try to catch up the next few days. I'm going to try and start posting a song every week that I think is worth checking out.

While I was at a mall in Vegas I happened to hear a song playing at Urban Outfitters that caught my attention. I couldn’t tell who it was, and I, for once was interested enough to ask someone who worked there. They asked over the walkie who it was and found out it was The Chemical Brothers. I had listened to their new CD, We are the Night, somewhat recently and wasn’t that into it. So I was surprised that I liked this song so much. My girlfriend and I speculated that the singer sounded a lot like the singer from the band Midlake. I assumed that maybe the singer was a guest on the album. Sure enough, when I got back home and looked it up that was the case. I downloaded the CD, and while I’m still not that into the rest so far, the one song is great.

Here is the song on youtube of all things. Sorry if the quality isn't great, but if you like it download it!

Also if you haven’t already, check out Midlake’s “The Trials of Van Occupanther”, it’s one of my recent favorites.

Weekend Box Office

2007-08-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

No, that's not a picture of Nicole Kidman standing in the unemployment line. Though anything is possible after the dismal numbers for her new movie, The Invasion, this weekend. The 100 million dollar flick only raked in about 6 million over the weekend, which was even less than I had thought it might. Overall buzz and early reviews were pretty negative, so I guess it's no big surprise.

The comedy Superbad, on the other hand managed to net a solid 31 Million at the box office, scoring itself the top spot. Let's see who looks happier after the weekend numbers...

Here is a rundown of the top 10:

1. Superbad - 31.2M
2. Rush Hour 3 - 21.8M
3. The Bourne Ultimatum - 19M
4. The Simpsons Movie - 6.7M
5. The Invasion - 6M
6. Stardust - 5.2M
7. Hairspray - 4.3M
8. Underdog - 3.6M
9. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - 3.5M
10. I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry - 3.5M

3:10 to Yuma

2007-08-20T12:45:00.000-07:00

Wow, a western I might actually pay money to see. There's been a lot of info to come out recently about this remake directed by James Mangold, starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. There's a review over at Ain't it Cool that gets me pumped to see this, you can read it here. I'm not one for westerns typically, but I'll see just about anything that has Christian Bale in it. I'm still disappointed that Rescue Dawn wasn't released near me. I get Daddy Day Camp, but no Rescue Dawn.

Anyways, I recently watched a clip from the movie over here, and the trailer below and it looks to be one of the best of the genre to come out in a while. Let's hope so.

Here are the posters for the film as well.

I love this one a lot, it's different and sets a great mood.

This one, on the other hand, is horrible. As much as I like Christian Bale, this one seems lazy by comparison.

Did I mention that Christian Bale is amazing?

Movie Snobs Story

2007-08-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

Over at Movie Snobs, there's a blurb about the current Smokin' Aces prequel contest over at Joe Carnahan's website and they make mention of my Smokin' Aces poster design that won a contest this past Spring. Go here to check out the story. Thanks to Christine over at Movie Snobs for the cool story!

The Dark Knight Photos!

2007-08-16T20:14:00.001-07:00

I was very excited to see some brand-spankin' new Dark Knight photos floating around the internet tonight. I thought I'd share the best right here. The pics show us some photos of Christian Bale as Batman of course, and also some great shots as Heath Ledger as The Joker. He looks a bit too much like The Crow to me, but I think he'll do a great job. What do you think?

If you want to see the rest of the pictures, that have a few spoilers, head over here or here. But do so quickly, as they're going away fast. I guess Warner Bros is having them taken down all over the place.

**UPDATE**
Yup, they're gone on the other sites, but mine are still up!

First 9 Minutes of "The Nines"

2007-08-16T13:09:00.000-07:00

Ifilm has released the first 9 minutes of the John August film "The Nines", starring Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davis and Elle Fanning, which made it's debut at Sundance last year. I had watched the trailer recently for the movie and was intrigued and confused. It's very hard to tell what the movie is about and the official synopsis doesn't help much either. Read that below:

The Nines consists of three short films, each featuring the same actors in different — and sometimes overlapping — roles.

“The Prisoner” tells the story of a troubled television star (Ryan Reynolds) who finds himself under house arrest, with his chipper publicist (Melissa McCarthy) and disillusioned next-door neighbor (Hope Davis) providing his only links to the outside world. Mysterious events lead him to question whether one or both women are deceiving him about the nature of his incarceration.

“Reality Television” is a half-hour episode of “Behind the Screen,” a Project Greenlight-style documentary series tracking the process of creating a network television drama. Having shot the pilot, creator/ showrunner Gavin Taylor (also Ryan Reynolds) faces post-production with the help of his best friend (and lead actress) Melissa McCarthy and development VP Susan Howard (Hope Davis).

“Knowing” finds an acclaimed videogame designer (also Ryan Reynolds) and his wife (Melissa McCarthy) facing car trouble deep in the woods. Their daughter (Elle Fanning) uncovers information which leads to a difficult and irrevocable choice.

Together, the three stories form a single narrative that explores the relationships between author and character, actor and role, creator and creation. Alternately funny and unsettling, The Nines is like a riddle where the answer is the question: “How does it all add up?”

Well, I watched the clip and I still don't know. Hopefully after watching the whole movie, out August 31st, maybe I'll have an idea. If not, then I give up.

Smokin' Aces Prequel Contest

2007-08-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

Over at Director Joe Carnahan's blog there's a contest going on to name the Smokin' Aces prequel that is supposedly going to start filming this year already. There is no real compensation for the winner apart from being able to brag about it to their friends. (I can relate) It's an interesting idea to allow fans to be so involved in a film like this, even though I'm not sure this movie will be any good. The short synopsis that Carnahan gives doesn't tell us much. Not even sure who from Smokin' Aces might show up. My money is on the Tremor Bros, as that seems to be who JC had been hinting at months ago. I guess we'll see. Go here to see the contest unfolding.

In Theaters This Weekend

2007-08-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

Here are the two big releases in theaters this weekend.

Opening Friday is Superbad, the new comedy produced by Judd Apatow (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up), co-written by Seth Rogan (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up), and co-starring Jonah Hill (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up). Noticing a trend here? Anyways, I'm actually looking forward to seeing this one. I enjoyed Knocked Up quite a bit earlier this year, and the buzz on this one so far is very positive. It is currently sitting at a solid 90% on rottentomatoes.com. I'm not sure how much of the fat kid I can stand, but the skinny kid from Arrested Development is pretty damn funny. I'll be sure to post a review here once said movie has etched itself into my cerebelium. Here is the special R rated trailer complete with adult language!

The other big release this weekend is The Invasion starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. It is essentially a remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, which kinda says it all. Oliver Hirschbiegel ("Downfall") was the director, but the Wachowski Brothers ("The Matrix") supposedly were brought in for some rewrites and reshoots with Director James McTeigue (V for Vendetta) to spruce it up. That doesn't sound too promising. It always seems like a bad move when a director is replaced.
I really don't have very much interest in this movie at all. In fact, the only thing this movie seems to have going for it is Daniel Craig, and a trailer with an awesome Sigur Ros song... check out that trailer and judge for yourself.

Celebrity Photoshop

2007-08-15T21:44:00.001-07:00

If you head on over to IWANEXSTUDIO and click on the portfolio link it will show you some interesting before/after shots of celebrities after photo retouching. It shows the lengths gone to ensure that the celebrities we see are as unnatural as possible. The one of Kelley Clarkson is especially drastic, making her look about 20 pounds lighter.

Being a graphic artist, I found out that it isn't all that difficult to alter people's appearances dramatically to make them look younger and more fit. Here are a few examples of some women's pictures I practiced on awhile back.

Here is a closeup before and after. I narrowed her jawline which alone makes her look completely different.

...and this was one I did to show what this older woman would look like 10-15 years younger.

It's all fascinating from a technology standpoint, but more nauseating when you think that people think this is what women and men do and should look like, and they strive to look as perfect when it's simply not possible.

Dexter Season 2 Marketing

2007-08-14T18:04:00.000-07:00

In celebration of the new season of Dexter starting in September on Showtime, there is an awesome new viral marketing tactic they're using over at www.icetruck.tv It's a site that allows you to send a friend a cryptic video showing them as a next possible victim in a killing spree. It's incredibly inventive and it appears that this is the type of marketing were bound to see a lot more of in the future. It was already used incredibly well last month for the new Batman film, The Dark Knight. Go here to read all about that one http://www.moviesnobs.net/the-%20dark-knight-viral-marketing/

If you haven't yet checked out the best new show of last year, get the first season of Dexter on DVD August 21st

Flight of the Conchords cancelled?

2007-08-14T17:58:00.000-07:00

I was unhappy to hear that one of my favorite new shows, Flight of the Conchords on HBO, may not be picked up for a second season. This came with the news that another new HBO show, John from Cincinatti, was getting dropped.
I'm hoping this isn't true, as I haven't liked a show like this in quite a while. If you're unfamiliar with the show, it's a comedy that follows an indie-folk band from New Zealand as they stumble through life here in the states. Needless to say, they're quite dopey and it's hilarious watching them deal with situations like dating, being roommates, and getting gigs in the city. There are also random musical sequences thrown in for comedic effect. Here's a taste

They also just released an EP called "The Distant Future" last Tuesday which features songs from the show and will be releasing a full-length sometime in October

Check out FOC on HBO, and hopefuly they won't be MIA next season.

**UPDATE**
Today 8/17, it was announced the Flight of the Conchords will be picked up for a 2nd Season!

Paramedic music on MySpace

2007-02-15T17:18:00.001-08:00

I created a MySpace page for my music project "Paramedic", and it has four songs up now. So far all I have are some instrumental demos for anyone to hear. Hopefully I'll have some new stuff up soon complete with vocals. In the meantime, let me know what you think.

www.myspace.com/paramedic3

Smokin' Aces Poster

2007-02-15T16:45:00.000-08:00

This is a movie poster design I created for the movie Smokin' Aces , which was released last month in theaters. I entered it in a contest on the director, Joe Carnahan's website. I wound up winning for my design, and while it won't be used in any of the actual advertising for the movie, I was still proud to have been chosen for the best submission.

Here are some of the things that director Joe Carnahan had to say about my poster before selecting the winner.

"I don't know what to say about this one. It just kicked me in the teeth
in the best way. Graphically it's fantastic and you get a strong sense
of what the movie is all about. I think this is something that Universal
probably would've jumped at. An incredibly strong entry from young
Dane."

And he had even more nice things to say once he announced myself as the winner.

"I knew before I posted them which one I felt the most strongly about and
it was Dane's poster. It just has a quality to it that draws your eye in a
pretty incredible way. I can't take anything away from Matthew Cook's
and Hunter Cray's work because they're both outstanding in their own
right, but the one that really grabbed my attention and kept it, was Dane's.
It's very simple, but if you look at his composition and where he chose
to place the characters and the graphics, it's fu%king spot on. Wonderful
work Dane. I showed all three around the office as well as got a similar
reaction"

For more, go here:
http://smokinjoecarnahan.com/2007/01/the_dane_forst_poster.php#comments

And Here: http://smokinjoecarnahan.com/2007/01/and_the_winner_isdane_forst.php#comments

Recent Paintings

2007-02-15T14:07:00.000-08:00

I'll be adding artwork that I've done periodically here, I encourage you to comment on what you like or don't like. Here are some paintings I've done recently.

The Boondock Saints (January 2007)

Marv (January 2007)

Phoenix (January 2007)

Sickboy (December 2006)

New Blog!

2007-02-14T08:52:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my new blog. I'll be updating as often as possible with interesting news topics, entertainment, movies, music, art and anything else interesting. Feel free to suggest ideas as I get this thing off the ground!

Dane