moonpie madness movie blog

jambands.com, grindhouse

2007-04-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

hey people, as of late ive been writing a movie review column for the website jambands.com, the first movie that i reviewed for them was grindhouse. here's what i wrote:

Grindhouse
Cult movie directors pay tribute to a long forgotten genre

In early January I began to hear rumors about a new Tarantino movie slated for a spring release. The news was soon followed by word that Robert Rodriguez would be co-directing, which was then followed by an announcement that it would be a double feature B-movie thriller. To say the least, I was puzzled. How is it that two of the most renowned cult directors of our time would come together to work on such a picayune film?

Though Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino had worked together before (Sin City, From Dusk Till Dawn), the idea to collaborate on a double feature didn't come about till a party at Tarantino’s Los Angeles home. Tarantino, who most recently has been producing films (Hostel, Hero, etc.), is known for showing double features to large groups of friends, and one of those friends was director Robert Rodriguez. Rodriguez was so inspired by the idea of a double feature exploitation film, that he immediately pressed Tarantino to do it, saying “We have to re-create this experience for people.” In late March of 2006, Rodriguez began work on Planet Terror and in August of 2006 Tarantino began filming Death Proof.

In Planet Terror, a small town is forced to deal with a deadly outbreak that turns people into flesh-eating zombies. Everyone from the town sheriff to the local BBQ owner gets in on the action, taking out A-list zombies such as Fergie, Bruce Willis and even Quentin Tarantino. I give Robert Rodriguez a lot of credit for pulling this one off, the plot is so far fetched yet while watching, it doesn’t feel out of the realm of possibility. Other standouts are Lost’s Naveen Andrews, playing a weapons dealer who collects testicles, and Freddy Rodriguez, who plays the film’s knife wielding protagonist, El Wray. The two storylines in this picture weave together very well and keep the viewer thoroughly entertained, but beware this movie is not for the faint of heart. There are some extremely gruesome scenes involving needles in eyes and testicles coming out of scrotums, so don’t see it if you can’t stomach it.

The same can be said for the latter half of Grindhouse, Death Proof, Tarantino’s homage to psycho stuntmen. Captivated by the way they “death proof” their cars, he set out to create a slasher film about a stuntman who stalks and kills girls with his car. Tarantino recalls, “[I wanted to] take the structure of a slasher film and just do what I do. My version is going to be fucked up and disjointed, but it seemingly uses the structure of a slasher film, hopefully against you." Hoping to cast Sylvester Stallone and Kal Penn as the two leads, Tarantino settled for Kurt Russell who delivers one of the best performances of his career as stuntman Mike.

It takes some time to get into Death Proof as it begins like most Tarantino films do, with conversations about random subjects that surface as the story proceeds. The movie takes off and begins to rival Planet Terror when the car scenes come into play, particularly the dueling car chases, something that Tarantino felt was lacking in films. “I don't think there have been any good car chases since I started making films in '92,” recalls Tarantino, “to me, the last terrific car chase was in Terminator 2...In between that, not a lot. Every time a stunt happens, there's twelve cameras and they use every angle for editing, but I don't feel it in my stomach.” If Tarantino’s goal was for the audience to feel it in their stomachs then he accomplished his mission; I spent most of my time in the theater wiggling around in my seat, kicking the chair in front of me. The standouts in this one are Kurt Russell, who might have revived his fledgling career, and Rosario Dawson, who impressed me as the makeup artist whom Russell stalks. Of the two movies, Death Proof is definitely the weaker one, but it still manages to captivate with its high speed car chases and fast track action.

As a whole, Grindhouse is a hardcore, three and a half hour movie experience. I Wouldn’t say that it leaves you wanting more, but it definitely fulfills its purpose as an entertaining thriller/horror movie. Sadly, its extended running time limited the theater count and its box office results were very weak (especially for a Tarantino movie), but there is no doubt in my mind that this movie will be remembered as a unique excursion for these two distinguished directors.

do you also miss siskel?

2007-04-09T01:19:00.000-07:00

soooo much new stuff, where to start? i've seen everything but i dont have a lot of time so im just gonna give some grades:

The Lives of Others-B+-was anyone else really surprised that this won the oscar for best foriegn picture?

Blades of Glory-B+-I really enjoyed this, even though all the jokes were stock will ferrel.

Grindhouse-B+-Rodriguez's movie was soooo much better. still tarantino's was great. "i'm gonna get my dick wet" great line.

Ghost Rider-C-after this one sat atop the box office for three weeks i decided that i had to see it. the intro was so terrible that i walked out, however i did end up seeing it at a friends. not bad but not good.

300-A-if you are like me, you were waiting for this movie for a longggg time. it definitely met my expectations. good job animation+gerard butler

"tricks are for pimps, i perform illusions"

2007-02-26T23:30:00.001-08:00

i love awards season, finally something to bet on other then poker. i was pretty acurate with my golden globe picks, lets see how close i came with the oscars:

Best picture-the departed-wow, i was surprised, i didnt even think this was in serious contention. i saw babel and little miss sunshine going up against each other. 0/1

Best actor-Forrest Whitiker-this was almost guaranteed after wins at every other awards ceremony this year! I knew he'd nab it but i was really pulling for a peter o'toole win. Venus was pretty slow but he was amazing and i dont think we'll be seeing many more films with the knight in them. 1/2

Best actress-Helen Mirren-another guaranteed victory. she was amazing. as good as penelope cruz was in volver, this wasn't even close! 2/3

Best supporting actor-Alan Arkin-eddie murphy was robbed. that's all i can say. little miss sunshine had a great cast, and alan arkin was a big part of that, but eddie murphy was robbed. 2/4

Best supporting actress-Jennifer Hudson-another lock. i dont think anyone really thought abigail breslin could have won it. the ladies of babel stood a chance, especially rinko kikuchi, but this was jennifer hudsons award to take. 3/5

Best director-Martin Scorcese- i wonder how many members of the academy voted for clint eastwood or steven frears this time around. im going out on a limb to say that it was most likely a landslide in scorcese's favor. 4/6

Best screenplay for the screen-little miss sunshine-truthfully i thought it was the queen all the way. bummer. 4/7

Best screenplay based on previous material-the departed-i had this one as the departed, but only after scratching out children of men, which i loved. 5/8

Best Documentary-An Inconvenient truth-there was stiff competition in this category, but Gore's doc. had this award from the beginning. 6/9

Best animated feature-Happy Feet-gotta give it to the biggest digital film of a few years. 7/10

Seraphim Falls: the first irish western

2007-02-11T23:36:00.000-08:00

this my friends is only half true. i would like to start by asking, what kind of a casting director would choose peirce brosnan and liam neeson to star in a civil war era western? though they look so rough and rugged, they spend the entire film covering up their irish accents. i seriously had trouble understanding them. i was looking forward to seraphim falls for so long, its so sad that it was a dissapointment, but its really not hard to understand why. david von ancken, known for his extraordinary television directing skills, was the wrong man tapped for the job. this is not the wire or daybreak, this film should have felt like "the proposition"! instead, its a long drawn out search for peirce brosnans runaway soldier character. angelica houston is on the screen for less then 5 minutes, peculiar. let me leave you with my favorite part of the movie. liam neeson and the bounty hunters come upon brosnans horse, with no man in site they relax for a minute. the next image is peirce brosnans naked body jumping out of the gutted horse. intense. i had to calm myself down. what a bummer.

a weak intro to the new year (doesnt this look the "RENT" poster?)

2007-02-05T23:23:00.001-08:00

so far i have not been impressed with the films 2007 has given us. smokin aces couldnt decide if it wanted to be an ocean eleven type comedy or a pg-13 drama, very weak. jeremy piven was good, but this movie was so chopped, it must have been screened 1000 times. i still dont get the ending. was the fbi guy the mafia guy? which one was the dad? why am i still asking these questions, its not worth my time. Because i said so was typical of what diane keatons been doing for the last 10 years. sorta fun. mandy moores getting better at this role, she's played it many, many times. but she is so darn cute. I really enjoyed the queen, hellen mirren is always fantastic, she will most likely win every award this year at the oscars. what else...im looking forward to a few things but for the most part its been quiet... coming up: 300, ghost rider, reno 911, seraphim falls.

letters from pans labyrinth

2007-01-22T00:24:00.000-08:00

i havent posted in forever and there's so much that i've seen. let's start off with Clint Eastwood's Letters from iwo jima, one of my favorites for the new year. i enjoyed flags of our fathers and i think i liked this one ever more. there's something to say for an actor like ken watanabe who's believable in every role he plays. the film also goes back and forth from b/w to color and is done so in a really cool grainy way (as is flags of our fathers). this is a good one.

Another movie i saw recently was pans labyrinth, a really creative film set in war torn spain in 1944. its about a young girl who discovers a beautiful world in the backyard of the compound she's staying in with her pregnant mother and evil stepfather. to escape from the real world she travels to the labyrinth and meets LOTR style characters who think she is the princess and the only one who can save their world. Guillarmo Del Toro did an amazing job making this more like a Harry Potter and less like a lady in the water. this is also one of my favorites of the new year.

Top 10 of '06

2006-12-31T17:11:00.000-08:00

this was a good year for movies, i had a tough time calculating this post. this is what i've come up with:

1)children of men
2)Babel
3)the king
4)little miss sunshine
5)the devil wears prada
6)the departed
7)the illusionist
8)apocalypto
9)casino royale
10)the fountain

honorable mention: for your consideration, thank you for smoking, mi3, the science of sleep, stranger then fiction, the prestige.

overrated movies: the science of sleep, the good shepard, united 93, brick, borat.

movies i havent seen yet: dreamgirls, notes from a scandal, the pursuit of happyness

children of men

2006-12-29T00:32:00.000-08:00

i decided to write this review before doing my top ten because after much thought, children of men will be at the top of my list for this years releases. ive seen almost everything, some good some bad, some that made me think, some that made me think of leaving. children of men is an important movie, its a film that should be recognized and probably wont be. the story is fantastic, and clive owen, the person who we see it through, is at his best (better then "croupier") . after watching it, we were all trying to figure out what could have made the movie better. ive thought about this for 36 hours and still cant find an answer. the cinematography is beautiful, the soundtrack is compelling, the supporting cast (basically michael cane) is wonderful, i dont know what this movie lacked. best film of 06.

A Night at the museum

2006-12-27T23:27:00.000-08:00

i first heard of a night at the museum last summer, when i read a report about the new ben stiller comedy thats budget had skyrocketed to a whopping $150 million dollars. i assumed that it would have a cast of vince vaughns and will ferrells for that kinda cash, but alas, i was wrong. there were no will ferrells and vince vaughn is certainly not in this. however, a hilarious ricky gervais and a charming owen wilson do appear as sidekicks to ben stillers physical comedy (as well as dick van dyke, paul rudd and robin williams). this was very entertaining but it also had that holiday feel to it that only a chris columbus movie can have, where it sorta feels like he's teaching you a lesson. i have no idea what this lesson is, but the movie was pretty funny

rocky

2006-12-25T13:30:00.000-08:00

i probably should have sat through this entire movie to review it, but that would have been nearly impossible. i found the newest installment of the rocky series to be the absolute worst one! with terrible performances from sylvester stallone and burt young, the movie rested on the script, which was also terrible. the premise is that the current heavyweight champ only fights patsys, so espn fantasizes about a fight between the old heavyweight champ (rocky) and the current one. public interest is widespread so the fight is actually brought into fruition. i have no idea what happens, but from watching the first half of the movie, i can tell you that it's probably not that great. do not see this.

the bad shepard

2006-12-24T23:05:00.000-08:00

in his third directorial feature, robert deniro tells the secretive tale of the birth of the cia. though a good book, this movie falls short in many areas (At 2 hours and 43 minutes its tough to sit through). matt damon excels as edward wilson, a rigid agent whos family life is a distant second to his work world. when the two get tangled he falls further into the the dark hole that has become his life. this would have been a great miniseries, but as a full length film its too long to be fluid. the skull and bones scenes are pretty freaky though. angelina jolie-b, matt damon b+, robert deniro-c/c+. i was looking forward to this one for a while

golden globe noms

2006-12-14T19:10:00.000-08:00

Its that special time of the year again, and we've got an interesting list to check out. let's see what companies sent out the most gift baskets and payed off those already really rich judges. i would like to say that these noms are a bit ridiculous, where's flags of our fathers and the good shepard, not to mention a slew of other movies/actors that deserved the globes? Here's a list of the nominations, my pick is the one in bold:

BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA

BABEL

BOBBY

THE DEPARTED

LITTLE CHILDREN

THE QUEEN

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA

PENÃ‰LOPE CRUZ
VOLVER

JUDI DENCH
NOTES ON A SCANDAL

MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL
SHERRYBABY

HELEN MIRREN
THE QUEEN

KATE WINSLET
LITTLE CHILDREN

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA

LEONARDO DICAPRIO
BLOOD DIAMOND

LEONARDO DICAPRIO
THE DEPARTED

PETER O'TOOLE
VENUS

WILL SMITH
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS

FOREST WHITAKER
THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND

BEST MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL

BORAT: CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

DREAMGIRLS

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

THANK YOU FOR SMOKING
Room 9 Entertainment/David O. Sacks Production/Content Film; Fox Searchlight Pictures

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL

a. ANNETTE BENING
RUNNING WITH SCISSORS

b. TONI COLLETTE
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

c. BEYONCÃ‰ KNOWLES
DREAMGIRLS

d. MERYL STREEP
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

e. RENEE ZELLWEGER
MISS POTTER

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL

a. SACHA BARON COHEN
BORAT: CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN

b. JOHNNY DEPP
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST

c. AARON ECKHART
THANK YOU FOR SMOKING

d. CHIWETEL EJIOFOR
KINKY BOOTS

e. WILL FERRELL
STRANGER THAN FICTION

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

CARS
Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation Studio; Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

HAPPY FEET
Kingdom Pictures, LLC; Warner Bros. Pictures/Village Roadshow Pictures

MONSTER HOUSE
Columbia Pictures; Sony Pictures Releasing

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

APOCALYPTO (USA)

LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (USA/JAPAN)

THE LIVES OF OTHERS (GERMANY)

PAN'S LABYRINTH (MEXICO)

VOLVER (SPAIN)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

ADRIANA BARRAZA
BABEL

CATE BLANCHETT
NOTES ON A SCANDAL

EMILY BLUNT
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

JENNIFER HUDSON
DREAMGIRLS

RINKO KIKUCHI
BABEL

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

BEN AFFLECK
HOLLYWOODLAND

EDDIE MURPHY
DREAMGIRLS

JACK NICHOLSON
THE DEPARTED

BRAD PITT
BABEL

MARK WAHLBERG
THE DEPARTED

BEST DIRECTOR - MOTION PICTURE

CLINT EASTWOOD
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS

CLINT EASTWOOD
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA

STEPHEN FREARS
THE QUEEN

ALEJANDRO GONZALEZ IÃ‘ÃRRITU
BABEL

MARTIN SCORSESE
THE DEPARTED

BEST SCREENPLAY - MOTION PICTURE

GUILLERMO ARRIAGA
BABEL

TODD FIELD & TOM PERROTTA
LITTLE CHILDREN

PATRICK MARBER
NOTES ON A SCANDAL

WILLIAM MONAHAN
THE DEPARTED

PETER MORGAN
THE QUEEN

BEST TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA

24 (FOX)
Imagine Television and 20th Century Fox Television i.a.w. Real Time Prods.

BIG LOVE (HBO)
Anima Sola and Playtone Prods. i.a.w. HBO Entertainment

GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC)
Touchstone Television

HEROES (NBC)
NBC Universal Television Studios i.a.w. Tailwind Prods.

LOST (ABC)
Touchstone Television

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA

PATRICIA ARQUETTE
MEDIUM

EDIE FALCO
THE SOPRANOS

EVANGELINE LILLY
LOST

ELLEN POMPEO
GREY'S ANATOMY

KYRA SEDGWICK
THE CLOSER

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA

PATRICK DEMPSEY
GREY'S ANATOMY

MICHAEL C. HALL
DEXTER

HUGH LAURIE
HOUSE

BILL PAXTON
BIG LOVE

KIEFER SUTHERLAND
24

BEST TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL

a. DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
Touchstone Television

b. ENTOURAGE (HBO)
Leverage and Closest to the Hole Prods. i.a.w. HBO Entertainment

c. THE OFFICE (NBC)
Deedle Dee Prods. with Reveille i.a.w. NBC Universal Television Studio

d. UGLY BETTY (ABC)
Touchstone Television

e. WEEDS (SHOWTIME)
Showtime i.a.w. Lionsgate Television and Tilted Prods., Inc.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES -COMEDY OR MUSICAL

MARCIA CROSS
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES

AMERICA FERRERA
UGLY BETTY

FELICITY HUFFMAN
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES

JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS
THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE

MARY-LOUISE PARKER
WEEDS

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL

ALEC BALDWIN
30 ROCK

ZACH BRAFF
SCRUBS

STEVE CARRELL
THE OFFICE

JASON LEE
MY NAME IS EARL

TONY SHALHOUB
MONK

blood diamonds are forever

2006-12-13T23:04:00.001-08:00

since the turn of the century, mr. edward zwick has been churning out tasteful movies that touch those places we love to have touched (I am Sam, The Last Samurai, Traffic). Blood Diamond, though a good picture, is not one of those movies (but it's oh soooo close). Zwick has chosen to tell the tale of sierra Leone, Africa in the late 1990's, a time of civil war and chaos. we follow a diamond smuggler, an african fisherman, and a reporter as they all search for different things, eventually realizing they're all looking for the same thing-home. this was close to being great but there was definitely something lacking, Djimon Hinsou was amazing and I believed Leonardo Dicaprio's rodesian accent, but something was missing.

smell gibsons apocalypto

2006-12-12T23:37:00.000-08:00

who doesnt love an epic mayan blockbuster? good question. i was surprisingly impressed by mels latest effort-a story of one civilization coming to an end, and another one beginning. this seemed to be the theme of the movie (which even comes with its own planet of the apes style ending), and it was not forgotten in it's 138 minute glory. the subtitles werent a bother at all, it was as if i'd been studying mayan all my life. good stuff. for some reason, i really did enjoy this one. there are more then a few scenes that are pretty hard to deal with (i.e. heads rolling down stairs, babies being dropped, mel gibson half naked with powder all over his body). although it seems like a historical memoir of the 15th century, it's actually an action movie with native american actors. you got us again mel, good trick, good trick.

The Fountain

2006-11-23T02:04:00.001-08:00

its 4:57 in the morning. i saw the fountain more then 10 hours ago and i cant get it out of my mind. not only is the story brilliantly complex and beautifully twisted, but the visual aspect of this movie is stunning in a way that's very tough to describe. at so many different points i found myself staring at the screen with my eyes wide open. The Fountain is a story of love, it is also a story of death, and it is also a story of hope/survival. Kudos to Hugh Jackman, who's having a huge 2006 (the prestige, scoop, x men 3, etc) as well as rachel weisz who does a superb job as Jackmans love interest. The real prize should be given to Darrin Aronofsky, who took a 6 year gap between projects, and gave birth to this great film. im happy right now.

harsh times

2006-11-21T01:26:00.000-08:00

i've seen a lot of movies about GI's struggling to readapt with their post war lives. This is the most current portrayal that I've seen possibly because Christian Bales character was in Afghanistan and not 1984 Russia or a 1991 Iraq. Dealing less with war and more with the effects of it, Christian Bale, basically cruises around LA, looking for government jobs and getting wasted "Training Day" style. When he finds out that the LAPD doesnt want him he buys an ounce of weed and smokes it, soonafter he recieves a call from the homeland security department asking him for a drug test the following day. The film deals with his slow decline, and Eva Longorias relationship with his best friend. i really dont like eva longoria, i dont believe anything she says or does. i enjoyed this movie but at certain points its very tough to watch.

bond, james bond

2006-11-17T04:38:00.000-08:00

finally a blockbuster that lives up to its potential. its now 7:31 in the am and i am still awake becuase of this crazy movie. i went to the first screening possible, a late night 12:05 showing that didnt start till 12:30. equipped with a giant soda and a popcorn, i embarked on this daniel craig filled 007 movie and was quite impressed. all my friends were discouraging me, telling me that it didnt get the best review or the best imdb score, but it the truth is that i had a fun time watching this one. im not going to ruin anything by telling you that eva green is unbelievably hot and mr. craig makes a pretty good double o, here's a surprise: paul haggis co-wrote the screenplay for this. pretty weird, but its not bad. chris cornell sings the theme song. that's bad. anyways, go see this one before all of your friends hype it up for you, cuz it'll never live up to your expectations.

a good year

2006-11-12T23:01:00.000-08:00

ridley scott, director of such war epics as black hawk down, gladiator and hostage, tackles a romantic comedy with a surprisingly soft touch. This would be the headline of the article that I would write about a good year. a damn good movie in a genre full of cliched trash. russel crowe does a "grand" job as maxamillion skinner, a megarich trader who inherits his uncles french villa and vineyard (the place where he spent his summers as a youth). Aiming to sell it, he travels to france and fixes it up for the buyers, eventually he falls in love with it and a girl in town(beautifully played by Marion Cotillard). Albert Finney is so great in flashback montages, he sorta made this movie for me. i liked this one.

Volver

2006-11-11T01:20:00.000-08:00

i love almodovar. live flesh, bad education, talk to her, etc. i knew i was gonna like this one and i did. like all almodovar films there are many twists and when you finally think you understand the story, he throws in another one. penelope cruz does a great job as raimunda the young mother who is the center of the movie. you could say this movie is all about mothers, there relationships with their daughters and the men/absence of men in their lives. i was a little bored at the end, but by the time the credits were rolling i was processing the last revelation. Not as good as live flesh or bad education but still a good effort by almodovar.

Borat

2006-11-11T01:15:00.000-08:00

I am possibly the only person in america that didnt think Borat was the funniest movie of the year. I've always enjoyed Sascha Baron cohen and the Ali G show, but for some reason I wanted more from this movie. It had been extremely hyped up (I read that it was one of the funniest movies of all time, absurd!) so i guess there was no way for this to meet my expectations. Don't get me wrong, i thought it was funny (especially the scene in the rodeo), but I didnt love it

the new ones in quicktime

2006-10-24T17:38:00.001-07:00

since im in norfolk, virginia, and people in norfolk, virginia never have time, im gonna give you the goodz in a quick manner. here are my thoughts on Octobers new ones:

Marie Antionette- (B, 83)

The Prestige- (B, 85)

Flags of our Father- (B+, 88)

The Black Dahlia- (C, 75)

All the Kings Men- (D, 66)

Fearless- (B+, 88)

School For Scoundrels- (c-, 70)

Man of the Year

2006-10-11T12:40:00.001-07:00

a few days ago, Scott and I went to a screening of Robin Williams new film "man of the year". i was really hoping for one of two things (robin williams would be there, and maybe he'd be dressed up as mrs. doubtfire), neither of the two transpired, but i still enjoyed the film. It's a light comedy about a Jon Stewart-like comedian who decides to run for president, and then is accidentally elected becuase of a computer glitch. I had a good time until the last half an hour when things start to go down hill and it turns into a weird action chase flick. This movie does mark the first time that alien life form actors Christopher Walken and Jeff Goldblum share the screen, and it does make for some good footage (+Lewis Black is golden). sorta good.

The Science of Sleep

2006-10-02T15:03:00.000-07:00

I really want to tell people that this is an amazing movie, but its not. The imagery is beyond beautiful and Gael Garcia Bernal is great as always, however the story is not told with fluidity and lacks the warmth that most love stories have. I will say that the first half of the movie is solid, and it's only in the 3rd quarter that it starts to lose its momentum. If you are a fan of Michelle Gondry you will definitely appreciate this film, but you'll realize that it's not his best.

Half Nelson

2006-09-21T21:17:00.000-07:00

Ryan Gosling as a basehead eighth grade teacher? it actually worked pretty well in Ryan Flecks newest film, Half Nelson. dark and depressing at some points, uplifting at others, this picture moves very well and is told with a natural fluidity (i could have been bored many times but i wasn't really thinking about it). I enjoy watching Ryan Gosling (even his early work in the RL Stine classic "Goosebumps"). so far he's tackled many different roles (a nazi, a southerner, a young hercules) and he's managed to convince me in each one. Although the subject matter is hard to handle, this is one of the fall movies to catch.

Factotum

2006-09-07T00:47:00.000-07:00

Factotum follows Charles Bukowski's character/alter ego hank Chinaski, an intelligent and dry writer who struggles to make it in a timeless LA (It's unclear whether this film takes place in the 70's or in the new millenium). Chinaski drinks his life away while simultaneously working every job known to man (pickle factory, bike shop, ice company, etc.), along the way he meets two ladies who serve as the stories antagonists (Lili taylor and Marissa Tomei). Matt Dillon does a better then average job (for matt dillon standards) as he narrates this slow picture. Let's take a look at some of my favorite matt dillon movies. wild things (nominated for best actor), you me and dupree (best supporting actor), Herbie fully loaded (won best actor). It's clear why matt dillon is one of my least favorite actors (he's up there with josh lucas), however this is one of his good performances... but i wouldnt recomend this movie. i found it a little to slow to enjoy.

The Illusionist

2006-09-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

I needed a movie like "the Illusionist" to close out the summer because the rest of the late august releases were not doing it for me (Beerfest, Idlewild, invincible). Neil Burger's adaptation of the short story 'Eisenheim the Illusionist', tells the tale of the great Eisenheim (Edward Norton), a powerful magician in turn of the century Vienna. Eisenheim sets up shop in the bustling German city and begins to garner large audiences with his implausible tricks, illusions so unbelievable that the city police (Paul Giammatti) begin to investigate. While investigating they learn that he's having an affair with the prince's fiance (Jessica Biel), and they attempt to shut him down. In the process he devises a brilliant plan to be with his love, but it will take lots of planning and a lot of luck. Edward Norton, who plays the illuisionist with a sophisticated grace is one of the reasons why this movie shines, but the real strength of the flick is in its supporting cast. Paul Giammatti and Rufus Sewell took me back to the early 1900's, it's mainly because of them that this winding story flows so well. a fun movie.

idlewild

2006-08-29T18:48:00.000-07:00

There is a reason why this film was released minimally in its first weekend (only 973 theaters), and its not because it stars two hip hop artists. it's because for all of its over the top dance scenes and outkast insurged funk, the story is weak and unnatractive. Though it does boast a strong cast (Terrence Howard, Ben Vereen, and Outkast), there is no real point where you feel a relationship with any of the characters, this is not to say that they werent brought to life (Big Boi was spectacular as the hustler/nightclub owner Rooster). Like on "speakerboxx" and "The Love Below", Andre and Big Boi do a good job of individually contributing to a larger picture, however there is no moment in idlewild where the bigger picture lures you in. i was expecting more from this one.

The Departed

2006-08-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was lucky enough to go to a screening of Martin Scorsese's new film "The Departed". For those of you not in the know, this is probably going to be Scorcese's biggest movie of the decade, it stars Leonardo Dicaprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin, Marc Whalberg, Martin Sheen and many, many others. I had heard that the film was a suspenseful crime drama about the Boston police and the Irish mafia and although this description sounds fairly cliche, the film does not play out as stock as this. In fact it really is the best movie he's done since Casino (This says a lot because both Bringing out the Dead and the Aviator are very good flicks). The Departed, a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong classic Wu jian dao, follows two men from opposite sides of the law, one trying to infiltrate the Irish mafia (Leonardo Dicaprio), the other trying to infiltrate the Boston police (Matt damon). The story follows them as they try to find out who the other one is, traveling down the same hallways and seeing the same faces, both living in completely different worlds. The cast of supporting characters is terrific, led by Jack Nicholson as the head of the Irish mafia and Alec baldwin, the head of the Boston PD (They will get nods for best supporting actor). Towards the end of the screening I looked to my right and saw Scorsese sitting a few seats to my left. He looked content and he actually smiled at one of the jokes. For some reason this made me happy. I have no doubt that this will be lauded as one of 2006's best and will for sure be one of the leading oscar nominated movies. check this one out.

The Night Listener

2006-08-18T16:15:00.000-07:00

it'd be tough to follow up RV with something worse then RV, i believe that is something we can all agree on. the night listener, robin williams most recent project, is a film that resembles the J.T. Leroy saga. author writes memoir of abused childhood, author is revered, public finds out that author doesnt exist, public then finds out that author is someone else completely. This is basically the night listener. Robin Williams plays a gay radio show host who becomes friends with the young author after reading his memoirs, things start to seem a little fishy so williams investigates, finally finding out that the author is actually the authors step mom. There are some scenes in this movie that are very well constructed, i was genuinely freaked out a few times (I caught myself wanting to say "look behind you!" and "don't go in there man!"). all in all this was a good 82 minute effort.

world trade center

2006-08-10T22:20:00.000-07:00

its been six years since Oliver Stone had made a good film (any given sunday), and he was long overdue (i can still taste the sickness that "Alexander" left me with). World Trade Center, though a little sappy at points, is a strong movie that carries itself through a tough story. the standouts in this one are delivered by Nicolas Cage and Michael Pena who play the two port authority police officers that the story is based on. trapped in the rubble, they keep each other alive with stories of their families and past. Another great performance was delivered by Steven Dorff who plays the officer that goes in to save them. i cant remember the last time i enjoyed anything he was in. any movie that covers this subject is going to have a tough time in the court of public opinion, but because this film is about character relationships and not historical facts, i think it will be respected.

miami vice=bad movie

2006-08-09T14:36:00.000-07:00

it takes a lot for me to walk out of a film, but then again i wouldnt even call miami vice a film. i was so uninterested in this movie from the moment it started. To discuss this, I think we should look at three aspects, and we'll begin with the lowest one, the big star. collin farrell, who i've only been impressed by once (Tigerland) was at his usual low, he made Don Johnson seem like sidney potier. Next we'll look at the partner,Jamie Foxx who seems to play the same character in every movie, this reminds of what happened to cuba gooding jr after he won his oscar! finally we'll look at michael mann, a director who i used to love (Heat was soo good). I like how he shoots his films, but i didn't love collateral and i really hated this. what happened mann. so disapointing.

Lady in the Water

2006-07-24T16:04:00.000-07:00

M. Night Shyamalans newest flick, Lady in the water, is advertised as a bedtime story for everyone. this is so close to being true. It is a fairy tale, but it's also a story based on a fairy tale, told with hitchcockian thrills. Throughout the first half, I teetered on the line of "liking" and "really disliking" it, until about 50 minutes in when i fell for Paul Giammatti's compelling performance as Cleveland Heep, the likeable superintendant who discovers a narf in his pool. for those of you not in the know, a narf is a mermaid like character from the fairy tale who tries to bring some sortof balance to a wartorn world. Heep learns of this tale from an old resident in his building, and with the help of a very decent supporting cast (Jared Hess, M. Night Shyamalan, Jeffrey Wright), he tries to put the peices of the puzzle together for the ailing narf. Bryce Dallas Howard gives a par performance as the narf, M. Night Shyamalan gives a very good performance as the writer and Heeps main accomplice, but it is really Paul Giammatti who brings you to tears as a small man with a huge heart. I liked how Shyamalan chose to do a different genre but was still able to incorporate his style into it. good stuff.

The King

2006-07-19T14:31:00.000-07:00

most of the overhyped summer movies have dissapointed me this summer, so on an off day in denver, co, scott and i decided to see The King. I'd heard good things about it and two of my favorite actors are in it (William Hurt and Gael García Bernal) so surely i'd be able to appreciate it. I was wrong, i didn't like it, i loved it. So far this is the best movie i've seen all summer. i've been thinking about it since the moment we left the theater. The King is James Marsh's script about a troubled man (Gael García Bernal), recently discharged from the Navy, who goes to Corpus Christi, Texas, in search of the father he's never met (William hurt). When he tells his father who he is, he becomes an outsider in the community and soon finds himself manipulating his way back into his fathers life. Hurt plays pastor david sandow with an actors pallette, making him an easily relatable and memorable character. The supporting cast of newcomers (Pell James and Laura Harring) are also great as the pastors kids who serve as the golden calves in this story. if all of your friends are telling you to go to superman or pirates or a scanner darkly maybe you should go with them. if you're ready for a movie that will haunt your memories and stay in your thoughts for at least a few weeks, check out the king.

a midsummers recap

2006-07-18T22:25:00.001-07:00

we've seen superheros, pirates, vice presidents and models, has this summers slew of blockbusters lived up to the hype? no. i'm pretty disapointed with the selection from the first half of this summer (especially with the blockbusters). They definitely delivered with CGI and time in the seats (all three blockbusters were over 200 minutes!) but they were short on plot, acting, and a few other things. here are my winners and losers from the first half of the summer:

(based on movies that came out from 6/1 to 7/20)

Best actor: William Hurt (The King)
Best actress: Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada)
Best Drama: The King
Best comedy: Nacho Libre (what a surprise)
Best documentary: An Inconvenient truth
Best action movie: Superman 3
Worst actor: a tie. Matt Dillon (You me and Dupree) and Orlando Bloom (pirates of the Carribean)
Worst actress: Kate Bosworth (Superman 3)
Worst comedy: You Me and Dupree

What we have to look forword to:
1) little miss sunshine 2) talladega nights, 3) lady in the water 4) scoop, 5) world trade center, 6) miami vice
many of these are very iffy, im guessing that three out of these six will dissapoint!

pirates of the really long movie

2006-07-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

while most other people were enjoying a late night in aspen, colorodo, scott and i were catching a 12:00 am showing of "pirates of the carribean". as most of you that read this blog know, my favorite time to see a movie is the minute it comes out, the first screening, the one with all the crazy people dressed up as pirates. that said, there were lots of people with fake parrotts on their shoulders and lots of "yars" being said. I enjoyed pirates of the carribean for what it was, a really long movie filled with outlandish adventure scenes and ridiculously long middle. a good friend of mine pointed out that the second movie in a trilogy never really has an end (think of x men, the matrix, star wars, etc.). They have a really long beginning and an even longer middle that seems to stretch through the course of falling asleep in your seat. johhny depp was fun and orlando bloom wasn't terrible, which really surprised me, so i guess all in all this 2 and a half hour movie about pirates was entertaining. id love me a sea shanty.

Global Warming Week

2006-07-07T17:17:00.000-07:00

after seeing Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" and "Ice Age 2: The Meltdown", I've been thinking about one worldwide manifestation, global warming. An issue that's pretty huge but usually goes untouched in the mainstream media. To learn the basics of it you should check out "An Inconvenient Truth" which not only discusses the fundamentals, but also goes really in depth. I enjoyed it even though it's basically a two hour flash point presentation that's also a campaign video. You follow Gore through airports and luxury cars as he travels the world discussing an issue that he really cares about. He seems to be pushing himself into contention for the democratic nominee in 2008, we'll see what happens, but until then, if you're ready to learn about something that's really import go see this movie. "Ice Age 2: The meltdown" is a movie that I didn't want to see, but sorta fell in love with. This is another movie that discusses global warming but sorta does it in a different way. we follow a herd of random prehistoric beasts, searching for a colder climate as their old habitat slowly melts away. The characters are adorable, and i'm pretty certain when i say that anyone who sees this will enjoy it. good luck.

brandon routh=christopher reeves

2006-07-03T18:10:00.000-07:00

in the past month or two ive seen many a decent movie that i really enjoyed strictly because of the effects. Superman Returns was one of those movies. I've heard a lot recently about how Brandon Routh was not a 'good' superman and how they didnt give him a lot of lines because he was not a proven actor. i for one do not believe this. go back and watch the original superman movies and you'll notice that christopher reeves also does not have a lot of lines. I think what it is that Clark Kents character says a lot with a few words, as does Superman. My one complaint with Brandon Rouths depiction was that his depiction of Clark Kent was a little dumpy, in the sense that he made him more of an oaf then he should have been. But I'm not sure if that was Bryan Singers vision or Brandon Rouths. Kevin Spacey was an excellent Lex Luthor, not as great as Gene Hackman but still great. Kate Bozworth had no spunk and was not a good Lois Lane. Other standouts, Parker Posey playing the role of fiesty Kitty Kowalski perfectly and James Marsden as Lois's love interest. This is a fun movie to watch.

meryl streep week

2006-07-01T02:38:00.000-07:00

my opinion of meryl streep changed drastically a few months ago when i began to really appreciate her ability to add her own type of "depth" to the characters she plays. in the past week, i saw her exemplify that twice. First, as an oldtime performer in "a prairie home companion", and second, as a dark and callous anna wintour type editor in "the devil wears prada". I dont think of Cruella Deville and I don't think of sophies choice, i think of the character she's playing at that moment, and i like it.

Late night in Tucson

2006-06-26T02:45:00.002-07:00

it's 2:43 am here but for me it's really 3:43 am, not much of a difference, but i feel really tired. sorry that i havent updated the blog recently, we've been busy for the past couple of weeks. I did find the time to see two pretty decent movies. Here we go:

A prairie home companion
first let me start off by saying that im not the biggest Robert Altman fan, but he really impressed me with this one. I had heard the radio show before and i was weary that they were gonna turn it into a movie. i wasnt sure how they were going to pull it off but they really did. The camera weaves through the backstage of this live radio show with delicate ease, revealing the relationships between the eclectic characters. the two standouts in this one are Garrison Keelor, who wrote the screenplay, and Kevin Kline, who stars as head of security Guy Noir. Go see this movie cuz it has a great supporting cast (John C. Reilly, Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, Etc.) and it's told in a style that is a rarity today.

The Omen
I really enjoyed the omen and that's huge because i cant really sit through most horror movies. In fact i would say that this is the perfect movie for someone who wants to see a semi scary movie. Here are my reasons: It scares you enough to make you jump in the theater, but it's not something that you're going to take home with you (i.e. the scary clown from IT who still haunts my dreams). however, i did freak myself out the next morning when i woke up and my friend was standing above my bed looking at me. anyways, Liev Shrieber rocks out in a similar role to the one he played in Manchurian Candidate. I probably should've seen the original but i didn't so, this is my unbiased review. ok.

The jack and daniel post

2006-06-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

i decided to take some time away from the computer screen, why you ask, im not really sure. anyways, i was driving in a car with jack and daniel who asked me why the moonpies stopped coming, i also didnt have an answer, so i told them the next post i did would be about them. so here it is, the jack and daniel post. two great guys, one great post.

x men 3

2006-05-26T15:28:00.000-07:00

truthfully, the best way to see a movie like x men 3 is to go see it the minute it comes out (this way you get to see the movie will all the crazies-the hardcore fans who dress up and get yelled at during the screening). Luckily, our 12:01 AM showing was filled with them! Wolverine sat a couple of rows in front of us and cyclops sat a few rows in back. I love these people, as we waited in our seats, the guy dressed up as wolverine made a few declarations on behalf of the mutant community that were hilarious. As the movie began, he addressed the crowd, stating "this is it, the last stand between humans and mutants". many cheered, some booed, all eagerly awaited the intro. the movie rocked, patrick stewart and ian mckellan were amazing, as was the storyline. i remember reading the phoenix saga when i was a kid, this definitely brought it back to life for me. all of the cheesy jokes and one liners that Marvel movies are filled with were there, including my favorite "oh my stars and garters". wow, how did that get written in. famke jansen is so hot but she's like 18 feet tall. definitely a fun summer blockbuster.

Lost Season Finale

2006-05-25T18:42:00.000-07:00

what a night, what a night...while most of you were watching the season finale of the best show on television, Lost, i was playing poker. Fortunately I was able to tape the episode so that I could watch it later...unfortunately, the tape cut off before the episode ended (true story)!!! So as the clock struck 3:50 am, i was eager to find out what happened to my characters!!! I searched ABC.com and itunes in hopes that they would post the episode after it had aired, but alas they didn't! I scoured message boards, looking for any type of a download but i found none. I knew there was only one thing that i could do, wake up really early and watch the last two minutes of the show. So as 4 AM rolled around i tried to fall asleep, it was tough, but i did it. i woke up exactly at 9 and watched the last two minutes...i really wanted all of the questions to be answered, and only a few of them were, so i was a little disapointed. but i was also proud of myself that i was able to fall asleep with all those things in my head...i mean what happened to locke and Ecko, and where were sayid, Jin and Sun? Looks like ill have to wait a few months with the rest of the lost junkees to find out what happens. damn.

in the beginning...

2006-05-22T18:32:00.000-07:00

well it's finally here. after countless nights of boredom in bed, i've decided that i need a place to express my late night ramblings. this will be that place, and you are the first to visit it...so...welcome to my world and thank you for visiting.

i'd like to begin with a review of Poseidon, one of the worst movies i've seen in a longgg time:

Poseidon (Kurt russel, richard dreyfuss, Josh Lucas)

I like action movies and I like action movies that take place on cruise ships, however I don't like Josh Lucas movies and I dont like Josh Lucas movies that take place on cruise ships. I have a theory that most of Josh Lucas's roles were written for Mathew Mconaughy (Dazed and Confused), once they were turned down by him they were then passed on to Bo Laramie (paparazzi,The Break Up) who also turned them down, finally these roles were handed to Josh Lucas. For those of you unlucky enough to see Glory Road, you now have your second chance to see Josh Lucas reprise his role as a cocky, self rightous Southerner. Poseidon, a remake of the 1972 classic "The Poseidon Adventure" fails to stimulate audiences at any point, and is laughable throughout most of its 99 minute overstay. Poseidon, a mega cruise ship sailing through the calm sea on New years eve meets an unexpected force of nature. The passengers, regailing in their lavish surroundings, are celebrating the new year when out of nowhere a rogue tidal wave capsizes the ship. I dont know what a rogue tidal wave is, I dont even know if it's a real thing, but apparantly the crew members take it very seriously. So does Richard Dreyfuss. Once the ship is turned on its bottom, a few passengers (led by Kurt Russel and Josh Lucas) attempt to navigate their way through fire, water, and lots of overacting. Warner Bros. supposedly spent over $140 million dollars on this movie which has brought in 1/6 of that in almost three weeks. ouch. i would like to end this review with three words: Josh Lucas sucks.

In other news, Tim Duncan, all-star center for the San Antonio Spurs, really reminds me of a sleepy bear. Does anyone else see the resemblance?