Juno Review

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

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

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!

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

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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.

Top 10 Viral Videos of 2007

Filmjunk.com has a great new list of the year's best Internet Viral Videos. These are videos most everyone has seen before, but it's cool to see them all in one place. There are a few maybe you haven't yet seen that are worth checking out. I posted my favorite one below, it was very clever and I had never seen it before. Believe it or not, I've had dreams much like this one. You can check out the entire list here.

I Am Legend Review

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

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

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!

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

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.