DID I MISS 60B?!

Review: Final Destination 5

2011-08-31T15:13:00.008+02:00

I really didn't have much hope after The Final Destination. As I mentioned in that review, they were totally out of ideas. But you know what, Final Destination 5 is actually good! Hooray!

Our lead is Sam, played by the charming Nicholas D'Agosto (Fired Up, Heroes). Sam and his co-workers are on a bus, off to their team building retreat. And like team building isn't bad enough, Sam gets a premonition when the bus is on a bridge and, as you may expect, it ends with lots of dead people. So Sammy freaks and several co-workers get off the bus, including his ex Molly (Emma Bell) and his boss Dennis (David Koechner), while the rest plummet to their death. Oh well, at least everyone got out of that team building retreat.

And then it kinda goes into standard FD mode, but with great death scenes, Tony Todd's return and an ending they put more thought into than part 4 as a whole.

Let's talk about that ending.

*SPOILER ALERT*

How awesome was that? I loved it! I must admit, I didn't see the twist coming. I did wonder for a moment if the film took place earlier, because I noticed the championship banners at the gym were old. But then I shrugged it off, thinking, you know, maybe they sucked the past ten years? And I noticed the date on the gift certificate but didn't think anything about it at all. So yeah, I was really surprised with that ending!

*END SPOILERS*

I loved the cast. I'm surprised they got better talent for part 5 than for part 4. Besides D'Agosto there's Emma Bell (Frozen), Arlen Escarpeta (Friday the 13th) and Courtney B. Vance (Law & Order: Criminal Intent). I'd love to know how they actually got Vance to be in the movie.

Overall, one of the better FD films! A must see if you're a fan of the series. A 3,5/5.

Poster: Contagion

2011-08-21T18:43:00.003+02:00

It's a nice coincidence that Gwyneth Paltrow's version of Forget You starts playing while I'm about to write this post. Anyways, Steven Soderbergh has a new film coming up and it's called Contagion and stars a whole bunch of people we all know: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Marion Cotillard, John Hawkes (okay, I know him and other Buffy fans too so it counts) as well Miss Paltrow.

So, on one hand, I'm really digging this Contagion character poster featuring Gwyn. The film's about an outbreak of a disease, and Paltrow's look here really captures how scary such a situation would be. On the other hand, it's a really ugly poster. At least Marion looks nice in her poster.

Revisiting The Ruins

2011-08-07T14:25:00.005+02:00

The Ruins was on TV last night and while I own it on DVD, I still ended up watching the whole thing. And I loved it! Again!

In case you've never heard about this horror gem before, The Ruins is a 2008 film starring Jonathan Tucker, Jena Malone, Shawn Ashmore, Laura Ramsey and Joe Anderson. It's based on the novel bij Scott B. Smith, who also wrote the screenplay. It's about a group of friends vacationing in Mexico, who along with a fellow tourist (Anderson), end up trapped in (or on?) the ruins. Think survival horror, not slasher.

The film looks great. I love the use of color. Obviously, they're out in the sun a lot so the colors are bright, but not in an unnatural Resident Evil: Extinction kind of way. It's similar to the colors in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes remakes as well as All the Boys Love Mandy Lane.

Also, the cast bring their A-game. There isn't a weak link here and I'm usually not a fan of Jena Malone, so if she sucks, I would tell you. While her character, Amy, is very annoying, Malone plays her very well. My favorite is Laura Ramsey as Stacy.

SPOILER ALERT Stacy believes there are vines moving around inside of her and she plays her character's breakdown beautifully. END SPOILERS

This is a horror film, yes, but it's more psychological than it's horror in the sense that someone or something is out to get them. Sure of course that is the case, but that's also what's so great about this film. While it may be about monster plants, the film plays it straight. There's no nudge nudge, wink wink humor here. Just people trapped in a horrible situation. What would you do? A 4/5.

Burlesque thoughts..

2011-08-07T13:36:00.005+02:00

So I saw Burlesque a couple of weeks ago and I still can't get over the fact that they barely used Alan Cumming at all. It's ALAN CUMMING. The man is an award winning stage actor. He did Cabaret! If you somehow get him to participate in a movie starring Christina Aguilera, give him something to do!

Overall, I didn't think Burlesque was a bad movie. There was just nothing original about it. But Christina did fine. Cam Gigandet made me realize not all Twilighters are bad actors. Stanley Tucci is awesome, because he is Stanley Tucci (even if he played a role similar to the one in The Devil Wears Prada). Peter Gallagher is also awesome. And Kristen Bell, well, stay blond. It's a great look for you.

Review: Scream 4

2011-04-30T11:03:00.004+02:00

It’s been 11 years and now Ghostface is back. While I’m a big fan of the Scream trilogy and the first two in particular, I really had my doubts about part 4. For one thing, it’s part FOUR. How promising could a part four be, specifically one that is made a decade after the third outing's been released? But when it was announced Kevin Williamson would write the screenplay, Wes Craven would direct once again and stars Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courteney Cox signed on to reprise their roles, the fangirl in me had hope. After all, it was Ehren Kruger who wrote part 3, which by far, was the weakest of the trilogy. How could you not get a bit excited for a fourth installment written by the original writer?

But then Williamson dropped out and Kruger came on board again (WHY HIM?). A far too famous cast signed on. Reshoots happened and recasting. Lake Bell and Lauren Graham came and went. I didn't have much hope left. But then the trailer managed to get me excited again. And as the release date fast approached, I was my 13-year-old self again, waiting for Scream 2 to be released.

I saw Scream 4 today (when I wrote that, now that I'm posting it, like 2 weeks ago), and 26-year-old me didn't exactly have the same reaction walking out of the theater as 13-year-old me did all those years ago. While I was very positive walking out of Scream 2 (and positive walking out of part 3, which I came to partly dislike over the years), I walked out with mixed feelings.

BEWARE OF SPOILERS!

I mean, what kind of opening sequence was that? They should've gone for the real scare and not make it look like the opening for Scary Movie 5. Seriously, why are Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell in it? POINTLESS. If they wanted to have a fake opening, they should've expanded their scene and ditched Shenae Grimes and Lucy Hale. I'm not a fan of Scream 2's opening with Jada Pinkett (because she's awful), but this was even worse.

Other dislikes include the lack of Nick Cave's Red Right Hand. The different font used in the credits. The lack of character development of Anthony Anderson and Adam Brody's deputies. Mary McDonnell being in it and not getting anything to do.

But, all of that makes it seem like I didn't enjoy the film. I did! I prefer it over part 3. And it was great seeing Neve, Courteney and David again. It was like seeing old friends! Hayden Panettiere, Rory Culkin, Erik Knudsen and Aimee Teegarden were good additions. I'm not the biggest fan of Emma Roberts, but she did well.

Overall, a must see for the fans and the people who grew up in the time when the Scream films were popular. I wouldn't recommend the film for the newer generation (typing that makes me feel really old). A 4/5.

Uhhmm.. really IMDB?

2011-04-11T12:20:00.004+02:00

So what's with the Super 8 ad on IMDB? It's says the film's release dat is August 11. It's APRIL! Go promote Scream 4 or something!

Btw, doesn't Ryan Gosling look yummy in the Crazy, Stupid, Love trailer?

Review: Frozen

2011-03-07T16:43:00.005+01:00

I watched Frozen with boyfriend last night. And while we were sitting on his comfortable couch in his warm home, we had a terribly uncomfortable feeling watching the film. Even 15 minutes after it ended, we were still feeling tense. And that's a huge compliment.

Frozen is about 3 college kids stuck on a chairlift in a ski resort that has closed for several days.

That may sound like a boring premise, but it's not. Kevin Zegers, Emma Bell and especially Shawn Ashmore make it work with their sometimes emotional performances. Even if their characters are unlikeable in the sense that they put themselves in that situation and you kinda think they deserve what's coming to them. Okay, not always. But sometimes! They convinced the dude at the closing ski resort to let them go one last time even when he warmed them for the bad weather. Yes, very smart.

But besides that, it's pretty great. Well played, Adam Green. A 4/5.

Scream 4 poster

2011-03-06T23:37:00.004+01:00

Credit: BuzzFeed

I love this Scream 4 poster. It's gorgeous! If this poster is fan made, well, Dimension should buy it and hire the designer for future projects. It's a nice spin on the old design and I think the old vs new cast thing is handled here very well.

I can't believe Scream 4 is only a month away!

Review: 127 Hours

2011-02-21T11:00:00.007+01:00

I sort of have a love-dislike relationship with Danny Boyle. Shallow Grave, A Life Less Ordinary, 28 Days Later and Sunshine are some of my favorite films, but I haven't even bothered to watch Boyle's other films as they don't appeal to me at all.

Now here's his latest film, 127 Hours. On the one hand, we have an interesting story. On the other, James Franco. While I know very well that he is a good actor. I knew that long before I saw 127 Hours as I've been following his career for about a decade, since he became one to watch with roles in Freaks and Geeks and James Dean. Over the years, I just feel he's becoming more and more pretentious. Basically my love for James Franco the actor transformed into a strong dislike for the person these past 10 years.

So James Franco carrying an entire film? Oddly, it kinda works here. Let's face it, Aron was kinda stupid. Yes, go climbing without a buddy. Yes, go do that without letting anyone know where you're going. I sighed to my sister, so this is what people who don't have enough stress in their lives do? They are bored and seeking adventure and think they can just do it all. In that respect, James Franco is perfect for the role. And I swear, he gives a beautiful performance. But really, is it a better performance than Ryan Reynolds trapped in a box in Buried? In my opinion, no. I could feel Ryan's frustration and desperation. Franco's not so much. So why is James getting all the love and is Ryan overlooked? Probably because 127 Hours is based on a true story, it ended on a positive note and is helmed by an Academy Award-winning director.

As for the film, I wasn't fond of the use of splitscreens. I felt it was unnecessary. It's a simple film based on a true story. No splitscreens, this isn't 24. While I'm totally on board that this is a good film, I think an Oscar nomination for Best Picture is a bit too much. I don't think it's anywhere near as good as Boyle's other films I mentioned earlier. A 3/5.

Jeremy Renner, awwww...

2011-02-18T12:07:00.004+01:00

Despite all his recent success, I will always fondly remember Jeremy Renner as the guy in Pink's Trouble music video.

But wake me up in the middle of the night and ask me which movie I associate Renner with the most and I will say Dahmer. That's the first time I ever heard of Renner. I think all the success this guy had these past years is well deserved.

Review: Black Swan

2011-02-17T10:52:00.008+01:00

I've been thinking a lot about Black Swan these past few days. I finally saw the film with boyfriend on Valentine's Day (romantic choice, huh?) and we loved it. The 108 minute running time flew by.

I have to admit that I'm not a fan of Darren Aronofsky or Natalie Portman. It's not that I dislike them, I just don't appreciate their work as much as others do. I've only seen Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream, and while great, it simply made me want to kill myself. None of his other films have appealed to me. Portman, I always felt, peaked in her youth with wonderful performances in Léon and Beautiful Girls. And then made a career of taking things too seriously (except for the Star Wars films). While talented peers Kirsten Dunst and Anna Paquin (already an Academy Award winner) were off doing Bring It On and She's All That during the teen movie craze, Portman did Where the Heart Is, in which she played a pregnant 17-year-old. It makes me wanna tell her to lighten up (which she eventually did with No Strings Attached). But I guess that makes her seemingly perfect for the lead in Black Swan.

Now you might think I'm gonna bash her performance, but that's far from the truth. Portman's performance in Black Swan was, well, it was perfect. For someone as beautiful as she is, she really transformed herself from woman to girl. Her Nina was so fragile, not just her frame (so petite!), but also in her behavior and mental state. It made me forget I was watching Natalie Portman. All the praise and all the awards she's been getting, well, she deserves them. She deserves that Academy Award as well. So if this is the new era of Natalie Portman, then I'm welcoming it with open arms.

Supporting players Vincent Cassel and Barbara Hershey gave great performances as well. While I love Mila Kunis, I didn't think her performance was that special. Of course she was good and all the hard work on the ballet training is admirable, but I felt Hershey, with her complexer role, was more deserving of the Golden Globe nomination that Kunis received.

Black Swan is a beautiful film as a whole. I wasn't too crazy about the camerawork. I understand that it represents Nina's mental state, but especially in the beginning, I found it distracting. And it reminded me of why I gave up on Friday Night Lights and thus taking me out of the film for a moment. But overall, one of the best films of 2010. A 5/5.

Golden Globes afterthoughts

2011-01-17T17:24:00.007+01:00

The good:
- Chris Colfer's supporting actor win for Glee! There's no doubt about it that he deserved the win. He's near perfection every single episode. Glee may not be a good show (come on, let's be honest, it's entertaining, but the writing is flawed. And that's an understatement), but Colfer is always great.
- Jim Parsons's Best Actor award for his hilarious role on The Big Bang Theory. The guy shows real commitment every single episode.
- Toy Story 3 Best Animated Feature. Despicable Me and How to Train Your Dragon are great too, though!
- Natalie Portman and Colin Firth. Was there any doubt?
- The Kids Are All Right wins Best Musical or Comedy. I think I would've murdered someone if this didn't win. The others don't even deserve to be nominated.

The bad:
- The Social Network wins Best Motion Picture Drama. Come on, it's not THAT good.
- The Social Network's Best Screenplay win. While I don't like Inception, at least it's original.
- Glee's win for Best Musical or Comedy. Both The Big Bang Theory and Modern Family deliver better quality.

New Scream 4 trailer!

2011-01-16T17:47:00.002+01:00

I love the music used in the trailer. Very old school Scream! But other than that, doesn't it look like the trailer spoils a lot?

Review: The Social Network

2011-01-12T13:01:00.005+01:00

Some thoughts on The Social Network. I finally saw it and I will start by saying that I think it's a good film. However, I'm not getting all the awards love the film has received. Besides the Jesse Eisenberg praise, though. He was fantastic.

To me, The Social Network just is what it is: a film about Facebook. When the credits rolled, it didn't leave me with any kind of particular feeling. Not the OMG-what-did-I-just-watch-it-was-awesome feeling Kick-Ass left me with. Or the emotional state Toy Story 3 left me in. Or that devastated feeling I had while watching Buried. I can´t imagine TSN is a film that will hold up well in time. When the Facebook craze dies down, will people still be interested in this film? How many people will watch this film over and over in the years to come?

While I digged the film's dialogues, in particular all of Zuckerberg's belittling comments, the film is long and at times, moves too slow. Like I want to see the Winklevoss twins rowing. Yes, very vital part of the film. The film is at its best when the focus is on Zuckerberg and his dying friendship with Saverin (Andrew Garfield).

I mostly enjoyed watching Eisenberg at work. I remember watching him in this TV-series called Get Real as Anne Hathaway and Eric Christian Olsen's little brother about 10 years ago. Eisenberg has become a one-to-watch talent since then with roles in Roger Dodger and Adventureland, but I never expected he might be getting an Oscar nomination soon. Good for him.

Andrew Garfield and Max Minghella are two other talented young actors and it was great seeing them all onscreen. Even Rooney Mara didn't suck as bad as she did in the Elm Street remake. Justin Timberlake however.. well, I think Brian at Dark Horizons put it best when he called his performance artificial. Whenever he talks, it just doesn't sound realistic. Shame.

Overall, it's a good film, but the topic has to interest you. I couldn't even convince boyfriend to watch the film so he could check it on ICheckMovies.com. A 4/5 (and only because 3,5/5 is too low and I don't want to give it a .75 rating).

Minion!

2011-01-10T14:32:00.002+01:00

I love Minion!

Review: Buried

2011-01-02T16:59:00.003+01:00

Buried is an impressive little film featuring a strong performance by Ryan Reynolds. Why he isn't getting any recognition for his role is beyond me. Reynolds is always a solid actor, and here he proves he can do more than play the funny and charming guy. I refuse to believe that James Franco in 127 Hours really is any better than Ryan here and James is getting love from the people who give out awards. Not that I have seen 127 Hours, but I'm pulling James into this, because I hear he also has to carry lots of screentime all by himself.

Buried is about a truckdriver named Paul Conroy, played with effective desperation by Ryan, who wakes up trapped in a coffin with a lighter and a cellphone. And that's basically it. That's the story. The film works better if you don't know more.

I, of course, want to talk about some other stuff as well, so consider this your SPOILER ALERT.

The great thing about Buried here, is that the only thing we get to see is Ryan trapped in the coffin. There are no outside shots. We don't see his kidnappers. We don't see how Ryan got into the coffin. It's just Ryan, the coffin, the phone and his lighter. And it works. I felt Ryan's desperation and frustration. There's a sequence somewhere in the film where I felt they were stretching it a bit, with the sudden appearance of a snake. It was a bit much, but other than that, the film kept it small and plausible. /END SPOILERS.

It's not a perfect film, but pretty damn great. A 4/5.

2010 Round Up!

2011-01-01T18:26:00.013+01:00

Crap! I'm late posting this list. So I'm making this the first official post of 2011. I've seen a lot of films this year, compared to previous years, yet I still managed to miss the big one: The Social Network. I also haven't seen Black Swan yet, damnit!

Movies I've seen (in chronological order):
Valentine's Day, Alice In Wonderland, Kick-Ass, The Crazies, Hot Tub Time Machine, Shutter Island, Cop Out, Clash of the Titans, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, She's Out of My League, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Centurion, Toy Story 3, Vampires Suck, Tooth Fairy, The Expendables, Grown Ups, Piranha 3D, Iron Man 2, Unthinkable, Predators, Machete, A Nightmare on Elm Street, How to Train Your Dragon, Monsters, Despicable Me, Resident Evil: Afterlife, When In Rome, Scott Pilgrim vs the World, The Other Guys, Inception, The A-Team, Shrek Forever After, Red, The Reef, Skyline, Jonah Hex, The Town, Easy A, Dear John, Buried and Saw 3D.

Movies I wanted to see, but didn't get around to seeing (in alphabetical order):
127 Hours, The Back-Up Plan, Black Swan, Blue Valentine, Devil, Eat Pray Love, The Experiment, Frozen, Going the Distance, Gulliver's Travels, The Kids Are All Right, The Killer Inside Me, Killers, Knight and Day, Leap Year, Letters to Juliet, Life as We Know It, The Losers, Love & Other Drugs, Repo Men, The Romantics, Shelter, The Social Network, Somewhere and Tucker and Dale vs Evil.

My Five Favorite Films of the Year (notice how I say favorite and not best):
1) Toy Story 3
Unlike last year, I didn't have a clear favorite this year, but looking back at everything I've seen, I have the most fondness for Toy Story 3. It's not a perfect film, but I did enjoy and love it a lot.
2) Scott Pilgrim vs the World
Along with Piranha 3D, my most anticipated movie of 2010. Edgar Wright managed to deliver an energetic, fun and original film, which is quite the accomplishment these days. I'm just sad it hasn't appeared on a lot of critics' best of the year lists.
3) Piranha 3D
What I loved about this film is that it doesn't take itself seriously. It's a fun summer flick with a nice ensemble cast.
4) Kick-Ass
I'm sure this will end up as boyfriend's #1 pick of 2010. Kick-Ass was way more brutal and realistic than I expected it to be. I guess for me, this was the biggest surprise of the year.
5) Machete
It's Danny Trejo kicking ass. 'Nuff said.

My Least Favorite Movies of the Year:
1) Vampires Suck
No, I didn't pay any money to see this flick. It's awful. Why Ken Jeong and Arielle Kebbel are in this, I have no idea. Friedberg and Seltzer, please just stop.
2) The Reef
Yeah, I'll just go watch Open Water again.
3) Clash of the Titans
It just wasn't very good, was it? I'm having a hard time remembering what I disliked about it. I think the CGI bothered me.
4) Monsters
I can totally appreciate and respect what Gareth Edwards did here. I just wasn't feeling it. It didn't keep my interest.
5) A Nightmare on Elm Street
A very unnecessary remake. Visually, it was pretty good, but the rest of it was quite a mess. I had quite a problem with Katie Cassidy, a capable actress, being set up as the lead and then getting Rooney Mara instead. Plus, Robert Englund is Freddy. Period.

Ten Favorite Performances of the Year (in alphabetical order):
1) Channing Tatum (Dear John)
2) Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass)
3) Danny Trejo (Machete)
4) Emma Stone (Easy A)
5) Jay Baruchel (while nothing stands out, he had a solid year with She's Out of My League, The Sorcerer's Apprentice and How to Train Your Dragon)
6) Jerry O'Connell (Piranha 3D)
7) Kieran Culkin (Scott Pilgrim vs the World)
8) Michael Sheen (Unthinkable)
9) Ryan Reynolds (Buried)
10) Whitney Able (Monsters)

Movies I'm Looking Forward to in 2011:
30 Minutes of Less; And Soon the Darkness; Bad Teacher; Battle: Los Angeles; The Cabin in the Woods; Captain America: The First Avenger; Ceremony; The Change-Up; Contagion; Country Strong; Crazy Stupid Love; The Darkest Hour; The Devil's Double; Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules; The Dilemma; Drive; Drive Angry 3D; Dylan Dog: Dead of Night; The Eagle; Every Day; Everything Must Go; The Factory; The Fields; Final Destination 5; Flypaper; Friends with Benefits; Friends with Kids; Fright Night; From Prada to Nada; Goon; The Green Hornet; Green Lantern; Hall Pass; The Hangover: Part Two; Hanna; The Help; Here; I Am Number Four; Jeff Who Lives at Home; The Other Woman; Red State; The Ward.

Review: Easy A

2010-12-30T15:04:00.010+01:00

I can't help but get a little bit sad watching Easy A. Emma Stone is a delight. A fun and talented girl to watch. But to see Amanda Bynes play a small role like that? Five years ago Bynes would've played lead girl Olive. How quick things change, huh?

The plot: After a little white lie about losing her virginity gets out, a clean cut high school girl sees her life paralleling Hester Prynne's in "The Scarlet Letter," which she is currently studying in school - until she decides to use the rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing.

While I'm not actually crazy about the plot, there's much to like about the film. It all looks great. I love the use of color in this film. I can't really explain it, but to me, it makes the film come alive. And while Stone is the shining star here, the girl is in good company. How many teen comedies have three Academy Award nominated actors in them? Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson make a great couple, seem to have fun with their roles and their characters are more developed than just the standard dad and mom roles. Thomas Haden Church is always a welcome addition. I was cheering when he got his Oscar nom for Sideways. I've liked him since his Ned & Stacey days. Penn Badgley plays likeable well, however, I think I would've preferred Dan Byrd in the role. Byrd is always good and entertaining, while Badgley, at times, not per se in this film, can come off bland. And Bynes, she's still talented and comedically gifted. Let's hope Hollywood gives her another shot.

One of the surprises of 2010. A 3,5/5.

Review: Skyline

2010-12-12T11:14:00.004+01:00

Well Skyline came and disappeared without leaving much of an impression. Which is shame, because boyfriend and I really enjoyed the flick. It's a film with a relatively small budget, estimated at $10 million, and with effects that look much more expensive.

The always reliable Eric Balfour stars as Jarrod, who, along with his girlfriend, visits his successful best friend Terry (Donald Faison in not a comedic role) in Los Angeles. They're staying at his fancy apartment when aliens spaceships appear, trying to capture humans.

Okay, yes, the film is not highly original. Cloverfield and District 9 spring to mind, but did it bother me? No. There's only so many ways you can go making an alien invasion flick. I had a bigger problem with the lack of characterization as only Balfour's character was developed. Making someone pregnant is not characterization. Are we supposed to care for the annoying girlfriend now because she's with child? It's also a cheap way to move the plot forward. I was telling the bf how glad I was they cut out Erin (Jessica Biel)'s pregnancy in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (also starring Balfour) as the film ultimately didn't need it in terms of characterization or plot purposes.

However, I can't really hate on a film that accomplishes as much as Skyline does with a limited budget. To compare, Box Office Mojo tells me Cloverfield's budget was $25 million. Skyline visually looks great and delivers effects on par with certain bigger budget flicks. The film is entertaining and I personally love Eric Balfour so it's great to see him play a lead role in a studio film. Give it a shot and don't be too critical. A 4/5.

Welcome home, Sidney!

2010-10-20T11:30:00.003+02:00

OHMIGOD, you guys! Scream 4 trailer! I wasn't expecting this at all, but yes, the trailer made its way on the interwebs already. Now I haven't been very pro Scream 4, mainly because of all the cast changing drama and rumors of Kevin Williamson abandoning ship, but I'm actually a bit excited. I so feel 15 again waiting for Scream 3 to be released.

Thoughts:
- Rory Culkin needs a haircut.
- Seeing Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell together on that couch looks off to me. Like it's supposed to be Scary Movie 5.
- I like Erik Knudsen and Culkin together.
- Ahh poor Gale being attacked by Ghostface! I don't think she'll die though!

Can't wait to see more footage!

Review: Piranha 3D

2010-09-07T19:02:00.007+02:00

I've been waiting for Piranha 3D for months now and finally I got to see it in not so glorious 3D, but whatever, it's awesome! It kinda made me sad boyfriend and I made up 67% of the audience though (2 pm showing on a Tuesday).

I've never in my life been more excited to see Richard Dreyfuss. It was a pretty cool cameo. I think they could've expanded it a bit more, but overall I enjoyed his brief appearance. Same kinda goes for Christopher Lloyd. I would've liked to have seen his character be more involved in the story. I actually forgot about him until he popped up again. It was good seeing him on the big screen. I always loved him in the Back to the Future movies. I think both Dreyfuss and Lloyd's appearances are nice shout outs for movie buffs. The younger generation probably has no clue who they are (which is sad btw, cause we live in a world where the Jersey Shore losers are more famous).

The "main" cast is enjoyable as well, but I have to use air quotes, because there almost isn't a main cast. Elisabeth Shue gets first billing, but I think Jerry O'Connell and even Steven R. McQueen (who could easily play Nicholas D'Agosto's brother in something sometime) have more screentime. Adam Scott is a good actor and a gorgeous man, but when I think about the movie, he didn't have that much to do. Shame. He has a good screen presence and his role could have been more heroic. Ving Rhames is totally wasted. He's barely in the movie and I was really hoping I would see him kick lots of piranha ass. I mean, he does kick piranha ass, but they could have expanded his role. It's VING RHAMES. HE'S AWESOME SO IF YOU CAST HIM, USE HIM. You'd think it wouldn't be that hard.

I like the movie, but there is a serious lack of characterization. The only somewhat developed characters are played by McQueen, O'Connell and Kelly Brook. While I don't care for McQueen (Nick D'Agosto's name kept popping in my head every time I saw him), Jerry O. rocked his role as sleazy Wild Wild Girls director. He was great! I have mad love for that guy, he always manages to entertain. I didn't expect to like Brook's character, simply thinking she was there for the T&A, but she has a very likeable quality about her and her character was a nice girl. Jessica Szohr, who I guess we were supposed to root for(?), had nothing to work with and I didn't find her likeable at all.

Dina Meyer and Desperate Housewives' Ricardo Chavira also pop up in pointless roles. Disappointing! I know it's supposed to be a fun, cheesy, gory flick, but if you cast these people, at least give them something to work with. Eli Roth's cameo was entertaining though.

The story is good enough for what the film is supposed to be. There's not much suspense, but that's okay. The make up and special effects were very well done. The carnage was very gory; I had to look away at times. Props for the make up guys!

I wasn't too crazy about the 3D conversion. If the movie was intended as a 3D release, why shoot it in 2D and then convert it? The conversion didn't always work and it took me out the film a bit. Overall though, I have to say I would've prefered the movie to be in 2D. I think they could've done more with the 3D gimmick, but they didn't, which is a shame because it fits a film like this perfectly as it doesn't take itself seriously in the first place. Now the 3D thing feels like an after thought and I'm kinda tired of movies that are in 3D while it add nothing to the experience. Like I said, I could've worked for Piranha 3D, but they didn't make the most of it.

Now it looks like I'm being all negative, but I'm just being critical. Piranha 3D delivers: it's an entertaining flick, it doesn't take itself seriously, there are piranhas and there are boobs. Really, it's a great summer popcorn flick and you should go see it right now! A 4/5.

P.S. I keep thinking about writing something about Alexandre Aja, but I'm not sure what.

Hey, I Like You! What's Your Latest Project? #1

2010-08-27T12:26:00.011+02:00

I'm very much an actor-focused movie watcher. Throw an actor I like in a movie and I will watch it. It also works the other way around. I'm not likely to watch a movie if I don't know (or like) any of the castmembers.

Take Julie Benz for example. I've been a fan of Miss Benz since her Buffy and Angel days. I think she's terrific. Because of her I've watched Inventing the Abbotts, As Good as It Gets (I don't think it's that great, sorry), Jawbreaker, Satan's School for Girls, Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth, Rambo and Saw V. I've also watched Julie on the following shows: Payne, Roswell, Taken (mini-series), Supernatural (she was amazing) and of course, Dexter (also amazing). If Julie is attached to a project, my interest is piqued.

In contrast, I've never been excited to hear about Brad Pitt or Christian Bale's latest projects nor will I go out of my way to watch them. They're too famous and they're in movies all the time. It's the less famous actors that I don't get to see too often that excite me.

So welcome to Did I Miss 60B's newest category 'Hey, I Like You! What's Your Latest Project?' where I'll take a look at the upcoming projects of actors that I like that aren't super duper famous.

Arlen Escarpeta and Nicholas D'Agosto
Bloody Disgusting reports that both Arlen Escarpeta (Friday the 13th) and Nicholas D'Agosto (Fired Up) have been cast in Final Destination 5. It surprised me that New Line was actually able to cast decent actors in the fifth installment of the popular franchise. Except for Krista Allen (What About Brian), I didn't know any of the actors in The Final Destination.
I've liked Arlen since I saw his guest appearance on Cold Case. I think he's a talented actor and believe me, you have to be good if you want your name to stick in my head after seeing you in one episode of a crime show. I was also hoping he wouldn't die in the Friday the 13th remake as he was one of the few likeable actors walking around. Nicholas D'Agosto impressed me with his performance in Fired Up. He could've been just another dumb jock in another dumb comedy, but that wasn't the case. I think he has Justin Long-ish potential.

Chad Donella
I like Chad Donella. Too bad most people don't know who he is. Chad was in the original Final Destination and he died horribly in the bathroom. Yes, remember him? He's a talented guy and I like seeing him pop up in movies and TV shows. I was watching Lost and I was more excited about seeing Chad for 5 seconds than about the rest of episode. Chad will return to the big screen soon, for the first time in ages, and he will probably be dying horribly again, but this time in Saw 3D.

Reviews: Centurion and Toy Story 3

2010-08-26T09:47:00.013+02:00

Centurion is Neil Marshall (The Descent)'s latest effort and it seems the man just really likes doom and gloom. Visually, it's great. The battles are gruesome and Marshall doesn't shy away from it. Michael Fassbender (looking too 2010s for the time period), Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace) and Imogen Poots (28 Weeks Later) give good performances. But there just wasn't much of a story here. It's battle, battle, battle. And if you like that sort of thing, you will definitely enjoy Centurion. A 3/5.

Then there's Toy Story 3. I finally saw it! Yay! And I loved it! It was great seeing the gang again, Woody, Buzz, Rex and even the little green aliens. The movie felt a bit long, even though IMDB tells me the runtime is only 103 minutes. I could've done without the scene at the garbage dump. It felt like dramatic filler. The end made up for it though. It really was a lovely scene and yes, I cried! Well played, Pixar. A 4,5/5. PS. I want Buttercup the unicorn!

Hello, Anna, Kristen. Do you like scary movies?

2010-08-25T17:48:00.004+02:00

USA Today reports that Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell will make cameo appearances in Scream 4. How does that even work? Could this movie have an even more random cast? Let's just dump a bunch of celebs together and see how that goes! You have a new cast that includes Adam Brody, Marley Shelton, Emma Roberts and Hayden Panettiere. They're all as famous as Paquin and Bell!

So does that mean one or both of the girls will be the opening victim(s)?

I'm getting tired of the Scream 4 news.

Trailer Park: Love and Other Drugs

2010-08-24T13:16:00.005+02:00

Jake Gyllenhaal has been off my radar for a while. I tried to ignore Prince of Persia and its existence and I haven't seen any of his films since Zodiac. And the reason I even watched the Love and Other Drugs trailer was to see what all the Anne Hathaway buzz is about (I still don't know - she's good as she often is, but I didn't see anything special based on the trailer).

I see Jake is now trying to win my love back and I think it's working. He's funny and charming in the trailer, and he has great chemistry with Hathaway, who previously played his wife in Brokeback Mountain. It's just nice to see him in something that isn't a drama or a thriller or Prince of Persia. Remember when you were Bubble Boy, Jake? Because I do! I liked those days! So I'm glad you opted for something a bit lighter now.

Oh and hai, Judy Greer! I always like seeing you in movies!

Picspam: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

2010-08-12T15:45:00.006+02:00

It's no secret that I love The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake. It's a visually stunning film. Really, my heart fills with joy just thinking about how beautiful it is, especially the beginning of the film. And how the blue blue sky gets darker once the shit hits the fan. It was instant love!

The cast is great too. You have the always solid Jonathan Tucker, the reliable Eric Balfour and Jessica Biel in a surprisingly strong role and yet it was newcomer Mike Vogel who really grabbed my attention with his heartbreaking performance. Typing this just makes me want to put the dvd in the player and watch it all over again.

In the meantime, here are a few screencaps from the first few minutes of the film.

Review: She's Out of My League

2010-08-10T11:27:00.009+02:00

Forgettable. Really, I can't think of a thing that stands out. Sure, it's enjoyable, so from an entertainment point-of-view, I guess it delivers. But it's unmemorable, it won't end up in my dvd collection and am unlikely to ever watch it again.

Woah. I sound harsh. I just really feel the film has little to offer.

Jay Baruchel is an endearing leading man and he bravely tries to carry the film. Problem I kinda had with the movie: Jay Baruchel is not a 5. Come on, he's an attractive man. Just let him walk upright like the rest of humanity. I can totally understand why Molly (Alice Eve) would like him.

Alice Eve does fine with what she has to work with, which is little btw. But she works her charm. I found Krysten Ritter more effective in the bitchy best friend role. Mike Vogel is completely wasted here. He's a good actor (see: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), but he barely has anything to do here. T.J. Miller was the film's MVP in my opinion. I loved him in Cloverfield and on Carpoolers. The dude is funny and I enjoyed his role the most. Lindsay Sloane was annoying so I guess she played her part well.

It's worth a look if you like the cast. Otherwise, just skip it. A 2,5/5.

Review: [Rec] 2

2010-08-09T09:36:00.005+02:00

I liked [Rec], but I felt I had seen it all before. It was just another infection film to me. And while a good film, I didn't think it deserved all the praise it been getting. Then [Rec] 2 came and if I compare the films, [Rec] suddenly becomes a friggin' masterpiece.

Beware of spoilers.

The sequel starts where we left off, with a shot of Angela being dragged away. Then we move to what, a SWAT team? I don't remember, it's been a week since I saw it. They accompany a priest into the building. He needs to collect blood for an antidote. It's a whole frustrating process. Just scrape it off the wall or something!

There's a whole religious angle where the infected turn out to be possessed. Uhuh.. right. I bet that if you exorcise the hell out of them, they'll be perfectly fine. I really did not care for this at all.

Then there's the camera work. In the original, we see everything from Angela's cameraman's point of view. That's scary, cause we can't see what else is going on. Here, the SWAT team members have their own cameras on their helmets and we actually cut to their different cameras. I think this annoyed me more than the religious stuff. It just completely disregards the style of the first film. Why not shoot it as a regular film then?

And then there's the most infuriating part of the film: the teens. Yes, about halfway through, we move to three teens with their own camera who end up in the building as well. Smart move, assholes. In the end, they serve no purpose at all. It's just filler. Blah.

Why does everything have to have a sequel these days? Can't we just have a good film and that's it? The end? A 2/5.

Review: Trick 'r Treat

2010-07-27T10:54:00.004+02:00

I finally saw Trick 'r Treat! The movie that was pushed back by Warner Bros., then shelved, before ending up as a direct-to-dvd release. I never understood why though as the trailer looked promising and there was good word of mouth.

I guess people took offense to the kid killing that happens in the film, but this movie definitely isn't worse than any random Saw sequel. I thought the movie was quite tame, even if it was mean spirited.

Trick 'r Treat is an anthology; there are different stories that take place on the same Halloween night. Characters do crossover into the different stories.

The film starts off very strong with Leslie Bibb and Tahmoh Penikett (Dollhouse) as a couple, with Bibb being the Halloween hater of the two. Lesson learned: don't be a Halloween hater. I was impressed director Michael Doughtery managed to create quite a lot of suspense in such a short amount of time. This segment is maybe 5+ minutes long (or short).

Next we have Dylan Baker as the town's principal, who also happens to be a crazed killer. This segment is particularly mean spirited, yet Baker pulls it off with a certain light-heartedness. IMHO, it's the best segment of the bunch as it's a realistic horror we're dealing with here: there could really be some crazy person putting poison or razorblades into your candy.

Then there's Anna Paquin and friends who are out and about in sexy costumes looking for a good time. This is my least favorite story. Without spoiling anything, I wasn't particularly fond of the way the story played out. I prefer realistic horror over the supernatural.

Then there was The School Bus Massacre. I do dig urban legends and this segment was well executed. However, to me, the end of the story felt so out of place. I think the first two stories set up a Trick 'r Treat world where we're dealing with realistic horrors so I found it disappointing when Paquin's story and the School Bus Massacre took a different route. If the order of the stories was changed, I might not have felt the same way.

The last story features Brian Cox as another Halloween hater, who gets a visit from Sam, a tiny trick-or-treater in orange pjs and a sack over his head. It's a freaky segment and Cox definitely learned his Halloween lesson.

Visually, the film looks amazing. Doughtery really captured the Halloween atmosphere. And overall, it was quite enjoyable while watching it. Though when the credits rolled, boyfriend and I just sat there in silence for a minute, unsure what to think. I don't know what it is, I guess the film doesn't work as a whole for me. But I'm not saying it's a bad movie. A 3/5.

I Can't Decide If I Like Shutter Island

2010-07-22T13:43:00.004+02:00

Oh Shutter Island! I watched you yesterday and I still can't decide what to think of you. I can appreciate your visuals and botchy editing, yes both were very effective. I can appreciate the cast you ensembled, well, except for Leo DiCaprio (I'm just not fond of this guy and he feels out of place here). I can appreciate what you're trying to accomplish. It's just not working for me.

I didn't find DiCaprio's character all that interesting and didn't care much for his backstory, which, by the way, was a bit too much with nazi-Germany and the death of his wife. I was annoyed with Mark Ruffalo, a great actor who was completely wasted here. He basically does nothing the entire movie. And with the exception of Sir Ben Kingsley, the rest of the cast is wasted too. Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer, Jackie Earle Haley, Ted Levine, and John Carroll Lynch are barely in the film at all. Levine and Clarkson in particular feel pointless. Too much time is spent working towards the 'twist' and by the time we get there, we get a 5-minute explanation. The end. That's it. Yes, I'm aware of DiCaprio and Ruffalo's little conversation at the end, but it was too little too late. I was already checking my watch for the gazillionth time and telling boyfriend they should wrap things up already.

I really wanted to like this. And a part of me does like it, but there's another part that says this isn't a good movie. The thing is, I watched Pandorum (starring Ben Foster and Dennis Quaid) the night before and I really can't decide which is the better movie. At least that movie wasn't trying so hard.

Poster: more Piranha 3D

2010-07-16T10:04:00.004+02:00

Oh noes! What happened here? I LOVED the French Piranha 3D poster, it was teaser-y and Grindhouse-y and I liked the font! And the tagline was better!

Via IMP Awards comes the US poster and it's just too much, you know? Besides the piranha overkill here, I just absolutely detest the title font. I can't explain it, but I feel rage just looking at it.

I don't like the tagline at all. I mean, the French poster said 'Sea, Sex and... Blood' and while that isn't the most original tagline in the world, it does sum up what Piranha 3D is supposed to be: a fun, cheesy B-movie. The above poster's tagline is just trying to cash in on the 3D trend. AND WE ALREADY KNOW IT'S IN 3D, IT'S IN THE DAMN TITLE!

And the poster is too glossy. If I was on Twitter, I would add a #fail.

This poster does give us a look at the cast billing. No one's billed above the title. Good. Then we get respectively Elisabeth Shue, Adam Scott, Jerry O'Connell, Ving Rhames, Jessica Szohr, Steven R. McQueen with Christopher Lloyd and Richard Dreyfuss. Sounds good to me.

I want this poster #4

2010-07-07T10:13:00.003+02:00

(via Empire Online)

Another day, another cool poster! Here's the newest poster for Scott Pilgrim vs the World and this one actually features Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead)! About time, I think! :)

I like this one much better than the teaser, featuring only Cera. I like the inclusion of Ramona and her seven evil exes. Especially, Chris Evans, he just makes me laugh.

Scott Pilgrim vs the World is set for an August 13 release and stars Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Chris Evans, Mae Whitman, Brandon Routh, Kieran Culkin and Jason Schwartzman.

Poster: Piranha 3D

2010-07-06T10:22:00.004+02:00

(via IMP Awards)

Here's the French poster of Alexandre Aja (Haute Tension, The Hills Have Eyes)'s Piranha 3D! I quite like it. It's Grindhouse-y and Jaws-y. The poster is perfect for a film that is supposed to be a fun, cheesy B-movie.

Only.. if this is the French poster, then why is the tagline in English?

Piranha 3D is set for an August 20 release in the US and stars Elisabeth Shue, Adam Scott, Ving Rhames, Jessica Szohr, Richard Dreyfuss, Christopher Lloyd, and Jerry O'Connell.

Scream 4, just stop it!

2010-07-02T09:12:00.005+02:00

Scream 4, I'm this close to breaking up with you, because things are getting ridiculous. Zap2it is reporting that Ehren Kruger is rewriting the film. Let that name sink in. Ehren Kruger. EHREN KRUGER. The man responsible for gems such as Reindeer Games, The Ring Two (hate this one with PASSION), The Skeleton Key, Blood & Chocolate and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (I agree with Megan Fox, who said: "I'm in the movie and I read the script and I watched the movie and I still didn't know what was happening"). How this man is still working in Hollywood, I don't know!

He also wrote Scream 3, my least favorite of the original trilogy. Apparently, Kevin Williamson is out and Kruger has been hired to work his magic. Well, this explains all the script changes and Lauren Graham's exit.

Even Hayden Panettiere is not pleased with all the changes, reports Zap2it. And Hayden's been in a lot of stuff that wasn't.. good. Be worried!

In other news, Mary McDonnell (Donnie Darko) and Community's Alison Brie have joined the ever changing cast.

Hello, Spider-Man

2010-07-02T08:14:00.006+02:00

It's official: Andrew Garfield (Lions for Lambs, Boy A) is our new friendly neighborhood Spider-Man! Congrats, Andrew! /Film has all the details up about his casting so I won't get into it here.

Garfield beat out, among others, Anton Yelchin, Jamie Bell, Josh Hutcherson and Kick-Ass star Aaron Johnson.

While I think Garfield is talented and I'm happy his talent got noticed, I'm a bit unsure about his casting. Isn't the reboot supposed to focus on Peter Parker's high school years? Garfield, at age 26, was the oldest actor of the bunch competing for role. How believable will he be as a high school student?

Then there's his looks. Personally, I find him too attractive to be nerdy Peter Parker.

And third, Garfield is an acclaimed and serious young actor. The guy won a BAFTA in 2008 for his role in Boy A! Why go the superhero route when you have a promising career? I'm afraid the Spider-Man reboot will do more damage than good. I think they're rebooting the franchise way too soon.

Poster: Easy A

2010-07-01T14:43:00.005+02:00

(via IMP Awards)

Here we have the Australian poster for the comedy Easy A, starring the lovely Emma Stone. I like it. It's an attention grabbing and fun poster. Emma is a cute girl and I really enjoyed her in Zombieland.

The problem I have with this poster is the above the title billing of Emma Stone. I know she plays the lead, but it just looks off to me. Will people really go see this film because it's an Emma Stone movie? I think this poster would've worked fine without her name above the title. Like this Knocked Up poster featuring Seth Rogen, but without his name on it.

Closer inspection of the Easy A poster tells me other talented people are in this too: Amanda Bynes, Penn Badgley, Thomas Haden Church, Stanley Tucci. And a visit to IMDB tells me Dan Byrd is in it as well (love him!). I'm kinda hoping the US poster will take a different approach. I think a fun image of Emma as social outcast with the other youngster looking on could work. Keep the tagline and what's on the note, and put several names at the top of the poster, including Bynes (has teen and 20-something fans), Badgley (Gossip Girl fans) and Church and Tucci (both Academy Award nominees, could be appealing to an older and/or different audience). I think it would sell the movie better than just focusing on Stone.

Scream 4, what's going on?!

2010-07-01T09:43:00.009+02:00

I'm a big Scream fan. I was obsessed with it when it was released here in The Netherlands in 1997 and rewatched it over and over on VHS. I can pretty much recite the entire opening sequence and believe it or not, that's what I do when I feel a panic attack coming on in the subway (it's called task concentration and redirects attention away from yourself - see, being a psychologist comes in handy sometimes). I didn't consider myself a teenager, but a Screamager. Along with Buffy the Vampire Slayer (show, not movie), this movie shaped the person who I am today. It's the film that got me interested in screenwriting and just movies in general. It's the reason this blog exists! The opening is genuinely scary and the rest of the script is solid. The cast is fun and fresh (hello, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan and Jamie Kennedy!). It's a really good movie that lost a lot of love over the years. For some reason (the teen horror craze that followed it, that made people tired of WB horror?), people love bashing Scream.

I always defend Scream, except for part 3 of course (screw you, Ehren Kruger!), but even I'm getting concerned about Scream 4 here. Kevin Williamson has been writing the fourth installment for ages. I mean, seriously, excluding Vampire Diaries, that's all he tweets about. I worship at the shrine of Williamson, but something is going on.

Let's see:
- Scream 4 is already in production, yet the script keeps changing
- Lake Bell tweeted she dropped out due to scheduling conflicts
- Over a week ago, Gilmore Girl Lauren Graham announced she had joined the cast and this morning I woke up to the news that she dropped out as well

Also, I'm not a big fan of the cast they have ensembled. Adam Brody and Marley Shelton (replacing Lake) have now joined Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Rory Culkin, Anthony Anderson and the original castmembers Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette. It all seems very glossy for a movie that's supposed to go back to Woodsboro. Sure neither Scream 2 or 3 lacked in the familiar faces department (Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jerry O'Connell, Scott Foley, Jenny McCarthy, Parker Posey), but they didn't stick out like a sore thumb. They blended in with new talent like Timothy Olyphant and Emily Mortimer (okay, I don't like Emily Mortimer, but that's beside the point). Round the cast out with unfamiliar faces, please! The addition of Brody and Shelton (I love Marley!) is just too much. It's starting to look like Scary Movie 5!

I'm trying to have faith here in Scream 4, Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven, but all this news is not making the project look good. To be continued, I guess.

Lemon Drop trailer starring Ali Larter

2010-06-29T21:31:00.004+02:00

I so love Ali Larter. And I have loved her since 2000's Final Destination. She's talented, beautiful, intelligent and charismatic. She walks the red carpet with style and devotes her time to various charities. Cosmopolitan even named her the Fun Fearless Female of 2009. Why this girl isn't a bigger star is beyond me, but secretly, I kinda like that she's not overexposed.

Ali recently shot a short film for Absolut Vodka called Lemon Drop. Check out the trailer below! It looks grindhouse-y and all sorts of awesome! The short will release online at the official website LemonDrop-Movie.com later this summer.

Could Timothy Olyphant Escape From New York?

2010-06-25T10:12:00.009+02:00

All over the web there's talk about the possibility that Timothy Olyphant could be the new Snake Plissken in The Escapre From New York remake. I'm actually liking this idea.

Kurt Russell starred in John Carpenter's original in 1981 and to tell you the truth, I've never seen it. So I'm a pretty poor judge if Olyphant would make a good Plissken. What I do know is that Plissken is pretty badass and so is Olyphant. I've been following his career for about 12 years, ever since he crazied up Scream 2. Olyphant has come along way since then. He's grown as an actor and he actually has a decent career for someone who got his break with a supporting role in a hit horror during Young Hollywood's teen craze. When Scream 2 was released late 1997, Neve Campbell, Jerry O'Connell and Sarah Michelle Gellar were the big names among the cast. Where are they now? Olyphant's longevity in this business is pretty impressive.

The charismatic actor has worked steadily for years, in big and small productions. He was excellent as a drug dealer in Doug Liman's Go and effectively carried the male lead in the gay romantic comedy The Broken Hearts Club. Olyphant was one of the detectives in Gone in 60 Seconds opposite Nicolas Cage, rocked with Mark Wahlberg in Rock Star, and was part of the ensemble in Stephen King's Dreamcatcher. 2004 was a good year for Olyphant: The Girl Next Door was released and his HBO show Deadwood premiered. Whenever I browse around the interwebs and read about Timmy, people generally seem to think fondly of both projects and his performances.

Like I said, Olyphant has worked steadily for years. But in 2006 came the game changer. He was cast as the main bad guy in Live Free or Die Hard. Yes, Timmy Olyphant versus Bruce Willis in the new Die Hard movie. I squeed, but was also surprised. While he has a solid rep, I was surprised they picked him for such a huge project. Live Free or Die Hard was a blockbuster hit in 2007 and his next big project followed only a few months later: Hitman. It was Olyphant's first starring role in a studio film. While the film didn't do as well as hoped, it didn't taint his career. He had leads in A Perfect Getaway and The Crazies and continues to work in television as well, currently playing the lead in Justified.

Olyphant is versatile. He does a lot of different projects, showing his unwillingness to be typecast. While I generally consider him to be badass, there's more to him than just that. I think that's what makes him appealing to a large audience. Guys think he's a cool dude. Boyfriend finds him likeable despite the fact that I sit next to him squealing like a fangirl whenever he's onscreen. Women (= well, at least me) find him charismatic and handsome. And to top it off, he's a good actor!

So I don't know if Olyphant would make a good Snake Plissken. I do know I've never disliked him in anything I've ever seen him in and he's a capable actor. He's appealing and has a pretty decent track record. Breck Eisner, who's responsible for the Escape From New York remake, directed Olyphant in The Crazies and recently told Movie Web that he thinks Tim "would be great for it. We have not yet discussed internally within the studio who will play Snake Plissken. There are many factors that go into those discussions. First and foremost, obviously, is the creative one. We can't make the movie unless we get the perfect Snake Plissken, and that's a tall order. There are very few guys that could do it. He would definitely be one of the guys who could. There is no question about that."

If the remake will star Olyphant, I will be watching it. Be smart, studio, who else could pull it off?

Being Scott Pilgrim'd

2010-06-24T12:47:00.003+02:00

I really can't wait for Scott Pilgrim vs the World! Why is it taking so damn long?! Release the movie already, Universal! To amuse myself, I created my own Scott Pilgrim avatar. Yes, I always look that annoyed. Create your own Scott Pilgrim avatar right here!

Fave Movie Moments... Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle

2010-06-22T11:55:00.002+02:00

I love it when characters sing in movies so it should be no surprise that one of my favorite moments in Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle is the moment below:

That's Wilson Philips' Hold On. :)

To Infinity and the Top of the Box Office!

2010-06-21T11:53:00.003+02:00

Toy Story 3 topped the box office this weekend, grossing an estimated $109. That's an opening record for Pixar! We have to keep the 3D factor in mind though. Higher ticket prices for 3D give movies a (deceiving) boost at the box office. I wonder what the gross is adjusted for the 3D ticket price and how it holds up against Pixar's other flicks.

I haven't seen Toy Story 3 yet. *cries*

You know that Fright Night remake..

2010-06-20T23:06:00.005+02:00

.. is actually starting to sound pretty good to me. The project has been flying under my radar (I didn't even own any HSX stocks!), but recent casting announcements have tickled my interest.

Anton Yelchin (Star Trek, Hearts in Atlantis) plays the lead, Charley Brewster, who believes his neighbor (Colin Farrell!) is a vampire. In the original, he goes to classic horror actor turned tv show host Peter Vincent (played by Roddy McDowall) for help. Dr. Who's David Tennant is set to play the Vincent role, though the character's been changed a bit. Not necessarily a bad thing, but who knows. Toni Collette is Charley's mother, Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad, Kick-Ass) is his best friend Evil Ed and Imogen Poots (28 Weeks Later) has just been cast as his love interest.

The movie will be directed by Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl), and was written by Buffy vet Marti Noxon.

I'm a big Buffy fan so I have faith in Noxon, and I quite adored Lars and the Real Girl. Honestly, this project could've done a lot worse. I mean, who would take on a Fright Night remake? I saw the original a long time ago and while I don't have a clear memory of it, I do look back at it fondly. Is a remake necessary? Of course not. But with the right people behind and in front of the camera, it could be a fun flick.

Picspam: Megan Fox in Jonah Hex trailer

2010-06-20T13:39:00.007+02:00

I want this poster #3

2010-06-16T14:57:00.006+02:00

I'm looking forward to Scott Pilgrim vs the World and I'm sorta digging the posters of the 7 evil exes of the beautiful Ramona Flowers (aka Mary Elizabeth Winstead). I like character posters and I like the style used here. My favorite of the bunch is the one of Chris Evans as Evil Ex #2. I don't really have an explantion for it other than it's Chris Evans and he looks pretty cool. This is a poster I'd like to have.

Then there's Mae Whitman as Evil Ex #4, Roxy Richter. Now Mae is a very very pretty girl and this poster does not do her justice at all. I have no idea how Roxy is supposed to look (and I'm too lazy to Google), but I hope she doesn't look like this the entire film.

Poster credit: joblo.com

Inception, eh?

2010-06-09T13:17:00.003+02:00

I have no clue what Inception is about and until I saw these posters I did not care. Let's say my interest is growing.

Review: Eden Lake

2010-06-09T11:28:00.004+02:00

Eden Lake is quite an impressive little horror film. For starters, the movie is beautifully shot. Daytime is brighter than bright, reminiscent of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Hills Have Eyes remakes. I quite enjoy looking at pretty pictures and Eden Lake, is at times, a very pretty picture. Of course, when shit starts hitting the fan, it's a whole different story.

Boyfriend and I were completely horrified while watching the film. Why? Because this could actually happen in real life (see also: The Strangers). Freddy, Michael and Jason are not that scary, because they are 'fantasy monsters' (non-human and keep coming back to life). Who hasn't encountered annoying little shits who think they're so cool and that they're allowed to do anything they want? Seriously, some people should not be allowed to have children.

*BEWARE OF SPOILERS* As we see towards the end of the film, some people REALLY should not be allowed to have children. I quite liked the ending and don't mind the Last House on the Left-ness of it all with the parents taking 'revenge' on poor Jenny. Of course, I would have rather seen Jenny survive, but I think the end works looking at the way it's been set it up. Brett, the leader of kids, has an abusive dad and acts out (or doesn't know better) towards others. At the end, we see the dad peer pressure another dad into killing Jenny, similar to the way Brett peer pressured his friends into stabbing Steve. It's an effed up world we live in. */SPOILERS*

Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds) and Kelly Reilly give strong performances, as well as the kid who plays Brett. The script does not always make sense, but overall it's not too annoying. The writer/director, James Watkins, was also responsible for the scripts of My Little Eye and Gone, so he has a pretty good track record in my book. He's one to watch. Eden Lake, a 4/5.

A New Hollywood?

2010-02-01T19:06:00.010+01:00

A New Decade. A New Hollywood. That's what the new issue of Vanity Fair says. It's kinda making me sad. I mean, seriously, Abbie Cornish? Why, VF, why? Kristen Stewart is talented, but has been around since 2002's Panic Room. She feels out of place surrounded by the ethereal beauties. Of course, K-Stew alone sells more copies than the other girls combined thanks to Twilight.

Carey Mulligan has some serious buzz surrounding her, but I haven't seen her in anything so I can't really say much about her. Lovely Amanda Seyfried has been working steadily since 2004's Mean Girls, but it's Mamma Mia that introduced her to a broader audience. She has serious leading lady potential and with Dear John around the corner, I'm not surprised she's on the cover.

Rebecca Hall. I haven't seen Vicky Christina Barcelona yet. I'm sure she's wonderful, but I haven't witnessed it yet. Mia Wasikowska has Alice in Wonderland coming up that will shove her into the spotlights. Nice call on that one, VF.

Emma Stone is doing well for herself. I haven't seen her in anything, but she doesn't make me want to stab myself when I read about her (*coughcornishcough*, so points for that. Evan Rachel Wood has been a force to be reckoned with for a decade. She was also on the cover of VF's 2003 Young Hollywood issue. Interesting choice to include her for 'A New Hollywood.' Anna Kendrick looks very pretty and I'm sure is very talented. I haven't seen her in anything.

If we're really going for the 'A New Hollywood' angle, then I get Mulligan, Hall, Wasikowska and Kendrick. They got the critical praise working for them. I can even get Stone and Seyfried, who are more mainstream, but have potential. Stewart and Wood have been around too long to be fresh faces despite their young ages. Cornish, I just don't understand at all. VF should've replaced her with Saoirse Ronan.

Oh how I miss the early 00's. Penelope, Wes, Mena, Marley, Chris, Selma, Paul, Jordana and for some reason, Sarah Wynter. Followed by the tween craze of 2003, starring Amanda, the Olsens, Mandy, Hilary, Alexis, EVAN, Raven and Lindsay.

Review: Right At Your Door

2010-01-25T13:04:00.003+01:00

I watched Right At Your Door on TV last night. I saw the trailer years ago, but I don't think the movie ever got released here. At least, I didn't notice the DVD in the videostore or regular store. Anyways, the movie started at midnight and I thought I would just watch the beginning and then go to bed. WRONG! Once the shit hit the fan, I was hooked.

The movie opens slow. Rory Cochrane (Lucas from Empire Records!) stars as Brad, an out of work musician and loving, but needy boyfriend of Lexi (Mary McCormack). He makes her breakfast, wakes her up and then she gets ready for work. Not long after Lexi has left for work, bombs go off in LA. Brad, worried for Lexi's safety, goes out looking for her and tries to call her numerous times without any luck. Over the radio he hears the bombs are dirty bombs and there are toxic clouds spreading over the city.

Brad and the neighbor's handyman (don't ask) follow the news reports that advise them to stay inside and seal the house. After a while, Lexi, covered in ashes and coughing badly, shows up at the house, asking Brad to let her in.

Moral dilemma: would you let your loved one in knowing he/she is infected?

The movie does a good job putting you in Brad's shoes. Cochrane was fantastic. I could really feel he was torn by his decision to leave her outside. As I initially disliked his character (not for leaving her out, but his neediness), I was surprised I ended up caring for him as much as I did. Cochrane bravely carried this movie with his credible performance. I felt McCormack was on/off and didn't care much for her character.

The ending really shocked me. Maybe not entirely realistic, but it was well done. I also liked the opening credits sequence. That was a nice change from all the boring ones! What I really didn't like about the movie were the fade to black transition shots. I kinda got sick of them after a while.

I was never bored watching this movie. I was on the edge of my seat wondering how it would end. And the thought that this could happen in real life just added to the suspense. A 4/5.

Review: Sherlock Holmes

2010-01-17T23:36:00.004+01:00

I had no interest in watching Sherlock Holmes, but a friend of mine wanted to see it and I thought: 'why not, I haven't seen Rachel McAdams in anything in ages anyways.' Bad idea, Gwen, bad idea.

It's not a horrible film, not at all. It has its moments and I feel that's all it has: moments. I thought the movie was quite lacking in the story department, which is rather strange for a movie based on characters from a ton of books!

Robert Downey Jr. tries to charm his way through the whole thing. Jude Law hasn't been interesting since The Talented Mr. Ripley. Rachel McAdams looks pretty, but doesn't have much to do.

The whole look of the film is too bleak for my taste, but I did like the costume design. Overall, worth a look if you like this sort of thing. I was rather bored though. A 3/5.

Piranha 3D pushed back

2010-01-16T14:31:00.003+01:00

When when when will I get to see the Piranha 3D trailer in all its HD glory?! Damn you Weinsteins for pushing this movie back to August! I don't even want to see it in 3D (I hate 3D!), just make it Piranha 2D and release it already! You guys just want the extra bucks! Which makes me wonder how much money Avatar has really made so far if you don't count the higher ticket price for 3D.

The movie sounds like a hilariously fun ride! I want to see Christopher Lloyd back on the big screen! I want to see Richard Dreyfuss' cameo! I want to see Jerry O'Connell getting eaten by piranhas (no offense, Jerry, you're awesome)! I want to see Adam Scott period!

Piranha 3D (I love saying the title!) stars Elisabeth Shue, Jerry O'Connell, Adam Scott, Ving Rhames, Jessica Szohr, Christopher Lloyd and Richard Dreyfuss.

Trailer Park: The A-Team

2010-01-11T10:56:00.004+01:00

BRADLEY COOPER! That is all.

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

2010-01-10T16:27:00.005+01:00

I didn't think it was possible to have more love for Mary Elizabeth Winstead, but the girl is rocking the blue hair. I really want to see Scott Pilgrim vs the World. Too bad Michael Cera is in it. BUT! To compensate, it also stars: Chris Evans! Mae Whitman! Jason Schwartzman! Kieran Culkin!

And it's co-written by Michael Bacall! Which is funny to me cause I was just thinking this morning 'isn't Bacall writing something?' This after seeing him in Death Proof last night and thinking about his career. (I have this thing about people who were on Buffy and Bacall guest starred in the season 2 ep "Some Assembly Required", which means I think more about Bacall than the average person - yes, I am a dork).

Trailer Park: Tucker & Dale vs Evil

2010-01-10T15:59:00.007+01:00

Tucker & Dale vs Evil is about two good hearted hillbillies (Reaper's Tyler Labine and Firefly's Alan Tudyk) who are accused of being psycho killers by a group of college kids when they go camping in the same area. Kids end up dead, but not because Tucker & Dale are trying to kill them. The trailer is the funniest thing I've seen in a long while! Seriously, I'm surprised no one came up with this idea before. How many movies have there been about killers stalking teens in the woods? Nice to see the tables turned for a change. Just because these guys may look creepy, doesn't mean they are psycho killers.

I think this movie has potential to do well. If marketing and the release date won't epically fail. It's high up on my must see list!

2009 Round Up!

2009-12-31T19:41:00.006+01:00

It's the end of the year so it's time to look back at the movies I've seen this year and pick favorites. I haven't seen a lot of movies this year so it's tough picking.

Movies I saw in the theater (in chronological order):
Friday the 13th; Confessions of a Shopaholic; Wolverine; 17 Again; Star Trek; The Hangover; The Proposal; G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra; Inglourious Basterds; The Final Destination; Up

Movies I saw on DVD (in alphabetical order):
Bride Wars; The Last House on the Left; My Bloody Valentine 3D; New In Town; Obsessed; Taken

Movies I wanted to see, but didn't get around to seeing (in alphabetical order):
(500) Days of Summer; 2012; Adoration; Adventureland; All About Steve; Amelia; Away We Go; The Box; Brothers; Carriers; Couples Retreat; Drag Me To Hell; Fanboys; Fired Up!; The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past; The Haunting in Connecticut; He's Just Not That Into You; I Love You, Beth Cooper; I Love You, Man; Jennifer's Body; Julie & Julia; Knowing; Land of the Lost; The Lovely Bones; My Sister's Keeper; New York, I Love You; Night at the Museum 2; Observe and Report; Pandorum; A Perfect Getaway; Post Grad; Precious; Push; Race to Witch Mountain; Sorority Row; The Stepfather; Sunshine Cleaning; The Time Traveler's Wife; Transformers 2; The Ugly Truth; Where the Wild Things Are; Whip It; Whiteout; Zombieland

My Five Favorite Films of the Year (notice how I say favorite and not best):
1) Inglourious Basterds
2) Star Trek
3) Up
4) Confessions of a Shopaholic
5) G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

My Least Favorite Movies of the Year:
1) Bride Wars
2) The Final Destination
3) New In Town
4) My Bloody Valentine 3D
5) Wolverine

Ten Favorite Performances of the Year (in alphabetical order):
1) Ali Larter (Obsessed)
2) Bradley Cooper (The Hangover)
3) Chris Pine (Star Trek)
4) Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)
5) Daniel Brühl (Inglourious Basterds)
6) Isla Fisher (Confessions of a Shopaholic)
7) Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds)
8) Oscar Nuñez (The Proposal)
9) Ryan Reynolds (The Proposal)
10) Sienna Miller (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra)

Movies I'm Looking Forward to in 2010:
The A-Team; And Soon the Darkness; The Back-Up Plan; Black Swan; Blue Valentine; Case 39; Chloe; Clash of the Titans; Cop Out; The Crazies; Date Night; Dear John; Don McKay; Eat, Pray, Love; The Expendables; The Experiment; Frozen; Going the Distance; The Good Guy; Gulliver's Travels; Holy Rollers; The Joneses; The Kids Are All Right; The Killer Inside Me; Killers; Knight and Day; Leap Year; Letters to Juliet; Life As We Know It; The Losers; Love & Other Impossible Pursuits; Machete; Piranha 3D; Red Dawn; Repo Men; The Resident; The Romantics; The Roommate; Scott Pilgrim vs. the World; Shelter; She's Out of My League; Shutter Island; Somewhere; The Tooth Fairy; Toy Story 3; Tucker and Dale vs Evil; Valentine's Day;

My Favorite Films of the Decade According to Flickchart

2009-12-29T19:57:00.004+01:00

Flickchart is wonderfully addictive. But I did have to laugh when I checked out my Top 50 Favorite Films of the Decade:

50) Jeepers Creepers (not sure if it would make my top 50)
49) The Notebook (see 50)
48) The Midnight Meat Train (I think this should be higher)
47) 27 Dresses (should be slightly higher I think)
46) Sunshine (also a bit higher)
45) About a Boy (way higher!)
44) Live Free or Die Hard (seems about right)
43) She's the Man (maybe a bit higher)
42) Final Destination (higher)
41) Ghost World (higher)
40) Inglourious Basterds (higher!)
39) Knocked Up (bit higher)
38) Just Friends (higher)
37) Enchanted (higher)
36) All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (seems about right)
35) Mamma Mia! (higher)
34) 50 First Dates (lower)
33) Scary Movie (seems about right)
32) Requiem for a Dream (lower - sorry, it's too depressing)
31) Music & Lyrics (I'm not sure it would be in my top 50)
30) Transformers (lower)
29) Remember the Titans (seems right)
28) 13 Going on 30 (seems about right too)
27) Sin City (higher)
26) The Royal Tenenbaums (seems right or lower)
25) Cloverfield (higher!)
24) Identity (lower)
23) The Butterfly Effect (lower)
22) Saw (bit lower I think)
21) The Hills Have Eyes (seems right)
20) Kill Bill Vol. 2 (I would count Kill Bill as one movie and put it higher)
19) Bring It On (lower?)
18) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (lower)
17) Black Hawk Down (seems right)
16) The Invisible Circus (seems right)
15) Signs (higher?)
14) The Village (lower)
13) Dawn of the Dead (lower)
12) Chicago (bit lower)
11) Love Actually (seems right)
10) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (a bit higher)
09) Serendipity (seems right or lower)
08) Finding Nemo (seems right)
07) A Lot Like Love (lower)
06) Grindhouse (seems right)
05) Kill Bill Vol. 1 (higher)
04) Magnolia (yup)
03) Almost Famous (seems right)
02) The Family Stone (lower)
01) Elizabethtown (it's my fave movie of alltime!)

Notably absent movies I like that may or may not end up on my real favorite movies of the decade list: 28 Days Later, Crazy/Beautiful, Mean Girls, The Sweetest Thing, It's a Boy/Girl Thing, My Sassy Girl, The Mexican, Not Another Teen Movie, Poseidon, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Stardust, Pirates of the Caribbean 1, Into the Wild, Hostel, The Strangers, Across the Universe, Waiting, Mean Creek, White Oleander, Briget Jones's Diary, Ginger Snaps, Freaky Friday.

Review: Lars and the Real Girl

2009-12-27T18:55:00.008+01:00

One evening, Lars (Ryan Gosling), an emotionally troubled and isolated young man, introduces a girl to his brother Gus (Paul Schneider) and his wife Karin (Emily Mortimer). To their horror, the girl turns out to be a life-size doll. Fearing Lars has gone completely insane, they consult the town doctor Dagmar (Patricia Clarkson). She asks the couple to go along with Lars's delusion that the doll, Bianca, is a real life person, as Lars needs her to cope with his inner struggles.

I wanted to love this movie, but I wasn't really feeling it. I can't really put my finger on it. I found the movie's way of having Lars deal with his emotional problems by enabling his delusions and dragging the entire town into his fantasy world questionable. *SPOILERS* In the end, Bianca dies. This is a sign that Lars doesn't need her anymore. It's a sign that he is getting better and that he wants to make a connection with a real life girl, the very adorable Margo (Kelli Garner). But that doesn't mean he doesn't have a long way to go. Yet the movie ends on a 'cute' note that Lars & Margo will get together and they all will live happily ever after. It doesn't work that way. Lars is still the guy who, for weeks (months?) had an entire town pretend his doll was a real person. Therapy is needed to deal with this and the dead mommy/depressed daddy issues. But I'm just a therapist, so what do I know? */SPOILERS*

Of course, the whole thing does make one quirky and enjoyable film. Gosling was perfect as Lars, proving once again that he is one of the finest actors of his generation. It was a brave performance and Gosling gave it his all, making sure the movie with the ridiculous premise didn't end up being just that: ridiculous. He made Lars lovable, which is quite an accomplishment.

However, I enjoyed Paul Schneider's performance as Lars's older brother better. Schneider is one of my favorite 'One To Watch' actors. I think he can really shine given the right material and I will always love his performance in Elizabethtown. In Elizabethtown, his character Jesse doesn't take life too seriously. In Lars and the Real Girl, Schneider plays the straight man to Gosling's disturbed Lars. It's a wonderful and subtle performance. You see how Schneider's Gus goes along with the craziness, but you can feel the guilt he feels and the pain of witnessing his baby brother's emotional problems.

Kelli Garner is a delight to watch as Margo, Lars's co-worker who has a crush on him. Emily Mortimer has never been a favorite of mine, but she did fine. I heard her accent slip, but it wasn't too annoying.

I was surprised the movie ended when it ended. I felt they could've done more to resolve the baby subplot. Have Karin go into labor and survive childbirth for example. Lars was freaking out about it halfway through the movie. I don't know why they left that hanging. Or does touching the belly means he's over it? Oh movie logic, I will never understand you.

I wonder how this movie holds up on a second viewing. Either I will gradually learn to love it through repeated viewings or I will be bored to death the second time. I do love Paul Schneider though... A 3,5/5.

Review: My Bloody Valentine (2009)

2009-12-24T11:52:00.006+01:00

(This review contains spoilers)

Oh My Bloody Valentine, you are a funny film. First you want me to believe that Kerr Smith is playing a teenager, even though he was already too old looking to play one in Dawson's Creek 10 years ago. And then you want me to believe he's the town sheriff. Really, Kerr Smith as the town sheriff. That also looked wrong. I actually like Kerr Smith, but the poor guy seemed so out of place. At least he's a capable actor. Credit where credit's due.

And then there's Jensen Ackles, who looked like he was having a mental breakdown when all the blood was splattered across his face, and looked out of it for the rest of the movie. It was amusing. But that and the pill popping made him an easy suspect.

I can't remember if there was any intentional humor in the movie though. Hmmm..

Jaime King is adorable and quite likeable leading lady. She fought back on several occassions. But there is one EPIC FAIL moment where she does not get a free pass: when Tom is choking Axel in the mine, she doesn't even try to help him! Guess it serves him right for cheating on her, but still.

What I liked about the movie was definitely the beginning. The opening with the newspapers was nicely done (even without watching it in 3D) and then it quickly moved to the aftermath of the hospital massacre and then to the mine party, which was the best scene in the movie IMHO. Even though Kerr, Jensen and Jaime look way too old to play teens and it became unintentionally funny to me.

It was downhill from there though. The movie kinda dragged on and the kills were repetitive. I couldn't tell the old people apart (sorry Tom Atkins), the nude scene ran too long for my liking and I wanted Sarah to slap Megan and shove her in front of the killer.

I also think they should have addressed the fact that Sarah, Axel & Irene left Tom behind after the mine party massacre. I know I would be hella pissed if my friends left me behind with a crazed killer. Yup.

The ending, I ask you: How exactly did Tom not get burned in the explosion?

I did like the scene where Axel told Sarah to stay behind him when they went to check on Megan, instead of telling her to stay where she is. Yes, finally a horror movie where they stick together. Thank you. A 3/5.

Brittany Murphy, you will be missed..

2009-12-20T20:26:00.006+01:00

TMZ reports that Brittany Murphy passed away this morning. The quirky actress reportedly went into full cardiac arrest and could not be revived. She was 32.

I'm absolutely devastated by the news! I grew up watching Brittany! I've been following her career for the biggest part of my life. I saw Clueless at the age of 11 when it was released in theaters here in The Netherlands in 1996. Since then, Brittany has been wonderful and somewhat quirky in movies such as David & Lisa with Lukas Haas, both The Devil's Arithmetic and Drop Dead Gorgeous with Kirsten Dunst, Cherry Falls with Jay Mohr, Riding in Cars with Boys with Drew Barrymore, 8 Mile with Eminem, Uptown Girls with Dakota Fanning, and Robert Rodriguez's Sin City. She turned in scene stealing performances in Girl, Interrupted and Don't Say a Word.

The charismatic actress was a Young Hollywood favorite, often featured in and on the cover of magazines, as well as appearing on the red carpet, in the early 00's. After her star vehicles Uptown Girls and Little Black Book disappointed at the box office, Brittany had trouble getting her once promising career back on track. With the exception of her role in the star studded Sin City in 2005, the pretty actress found little success in the last couple of years. Things were looking up with 4 projects in various stages of production, with a role in Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables as a promising highlight.

Brittany Murphy had the talent and charm to be a big star. It's a shame her untimely death has prevented her from living up to her promise. Rest in peace, Brittany (1977-2009).

Soon..

2009-12-09T23:03:00.003+01:00

I should blog, but I don't have time! AARGH! I have been thinking about doing some Best Of the Decade lists, articles etc. of course mainly focused on Young Hollywood. But it will have to wait a little bit longer while I settle into my new job.

Review: Across the Universe

2009-11-14T15:54:00.003+01:00

I so wanted to love this movie! I really did. And I certainly loved parts of it, but as a whole? No. It was too surreal for me. Maybe I would've liked it better if I was stoned, but that's not my thing.

The movie worked best for me when it was grounded into reality. Example: Jim Sturgess singing All My Loving to his girlfriend in the street vs the trippy sequence that was Bono singing I Am the Walrus. Don't even get me started on the Eddie Izzard scene. If I would rewatch the movie, I would seriously skip that scene. I would rather watch T.V. Carpio's wonderful version of I Want To Hold Your Hand a thousand times than watch that scene.

I enjoyed the entire cast, in particular Joe Anderson as Max. He's a good actor and his singing surprised me. Between this and The Ruins, I can't wait to see him in other stuff. Evan Rachel Wood is a great actress with a lovely voice, but she always comes across as very young to me, sixteen-ish. Jim Sturgess has a certain something, but I was not always convinced by his singing abilities. T.V. Carpio, Dana Fuchs and Martin Luther McCoy did well with their supporting turns.

While I didn't love the movie, I will be picking up the soundtrack. Besides All My Loving and I Want To Hold Your Hand, my favorites are With a Little Help from My Friends, Let It Be, If I Fell, Dear Prudence, Something, Strawberry Fields Forever and Across the Universe.

I certainly don't regret blind buying this movie, but I'm not sure I would've bought it if I had seen it before. I'm still a bit unsure about how I really feel about this movie. Maybe a rewatch will help. Overall though, I feel this project was too ambitious for its own good. A 3/5.

No More Days of Night for George?

2009-10-24T12:31:00.005+02:00

If this girl isn't in 30 Days of Night: Dark Days, then I officially don't care about the movie. I just read on Dark Horizons that principal photography has started on the sequel in Vancouver and that Kiele Sanchez is replacing Melissa George as Stella! Now I've read before that the producers were trying to get George back, so this is probably her own (wise) decision, but still.. more George makes Gwen happy! And to replace her with Sanchez? I disliked Sanchez with passion on Married to the Kellys, and didn't care for her on Lost. Not exactly thrilled by the idea that she's playing Stella.

Of course, I didn't like 30 Days of Night so I'm not entirely sure why I'm complaining here. Except that I'll miss George's gorgeousness.

The A-Team Promo

2009-10-24T11:05:00.003+02:00

I have not posted about Bradley Cooper since August. What is wrong with me?! I still love you, Bradley, don't worry. Anyhow, via /Film comes the first official look at The A-Team, in which Coop stars as Faceman. Check out the HQ over at /Film! The A-Team is set for a June 11, 2010 release and also stars Liam Neeson and Jessica Biel.

Happy birthday, Ryan Reynolds!

2009-10-23T20:04:00.004+02:00

Happy 33, Ryan! I can't believe you're in your 30s. This means we're getting old. I still remember watching you on that kids show The Odyssey! And I thought you were really cute in that X-Files episode with Laurie from That 70s Show, long before you turned into leading man material.

I was thinking about making a top 5 of my favorite Ryan performances, but I can't pick! I JUST CAN'T PICK! I always love Ryan, it's like a disease! Therefore I will just list everything I have ever seen him in:

The Odyssey, The X-Files, Two Guys, a Girl & a Pizzaplace, Dick, Van Wilder, Buying the Cow, Scrubs, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Blade: Trinity, The Amityville Horror, Waiting..., Just Friends, Definitely Maybe, Wolverine and The Proposal.

That doesn't seem like a lot now that I've listed everything, but it does mean I have been watching this man for over a decade. Okay, now I feel really old.

I want this poster #2

2009-10-23T19:53:00.003+02:00

This poster for the latest Nicholas Sparks novel turned movie, Dear John, is not perfect, but it is lovely. The image itself is beautiful as are the movie's stars Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum. I'm just not too crazy about the font and the font colors. They don't really stand out from the background, making it hard to read certain letters.

Overall though, I wouldn't mind having this poster on my wall.

Trailer Park: Dear John

2009-10-18T11:50:00.002+02:00

I loved every second of this trailer! I almost cried watching it! Amanda Seyfriend and Channing Tatum are perfect for this adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel (A Walk to Remember, The Notebook). Dear John is moving high up my must see list of 2010!

James Franco does Daytime Television

2009-10-03T23:23:00.008+02:00

Did I miss something? Is it April 1st or am I being Punk'd? Golden Globe winner James Franco is heading to soap opera General Hospital for a 2-month recurring role. Via nydailynews.com:

Actor James Franco is headed for "General Hospital." He'll play a recurring role on the long-running ABC daytime series for two months staring Nov. 20, coinciding with Nov. sweeps, reports the Associated Press.

And though the "General Hospital" crew is keeping tight-lipped about the particulars of his role, Franco's character will supposedly be the "worst nightmare" for Jason Morgan, a mob crook character who's played by Emmy winner Steve Burton, according to Fancast.com. Insiders say that the fact that Burton and Franco share the same manager is pure coincidence, and deny rumors that Franco will return permanently to the small screen.

I'm pretty sure this can't be right and I'm having an aneurysm or something. A soap opera? A SOAP OPERA?! GENERAL HOSPITAL?! Look, for the record, I don't like James Franco. I think he's a great actor, but I also think he's a jackass. I really wonder why he's doing this. It looks like 'look at me not feeling like I'm too good for daytime television like my fellow A-listers', while it feels like 'look at how cool I am, that despite my success, I will do daytime television for fun. I'm so quirky!'

Honestly, the whole thing is so ridiculous, it almost makes me like him a bit.

Also, Jonathan Jackson is returning to General Hospital! He originated the role of Lucky Spencer. Now, JJ's career has not been as glamourous or successful as James's so I understand his move. Still, seems like a shame. JJ was fantastic in The Deep End of the Ocean. Too bad the kid never really got a chance to shine in other movies.

Trailer Park: The Crazies

2009-10-03T22:55:00.005+02:00

Even though this is a remake of a movie I have never seen, George Romero's The Crazies (1973), I feel like I have seen this movie before. But hey, it's TIMOTHY OLYPHANT! I have mad love for him, so this is a must see for me. Radha Mitchell reminds me too much of Melissa George in 30 Days of Night. I miss Melissa George. *sigh*

I Love Megan Fox

2009-09-17T14:12:00.002+02:00

Girl's a good sport.

Review: The Final Destination

2009-09-13T19:38:00.004+02:00

The Final Destination? Please say it's so! But looking at the box office and I'm pretty sure it won't be THE Final Destination as it's the highest grossing entry of the series. Of course, the higher ticket prices for 3D has helped the movie quite a bit, me thinks.

I'm still kind of mad that this is the second movie I've seen this year where the opening credits are the best part of the movie (I'm also looking at you, Wolverine!). I wish the rest of the movie was as clever. But no. Just no.

They're out of ideas, man. OUT OF IDEAS. Beware of SPOILERS: Someone gets hit by a bus (see FD1). And there's fun with a nailgun. Which was 'fun' in FD3, but felt tired in part 4. I was like, 'Seriously, guys? Another nail gun? Didn't we already see that in the previous one?' And I couldn't help but think of Palahniuk's short story 'Guts' while watching Nick Zano in the pool (actually, I'm just surprised he could hold his breath such a long time in such a panic-y situation).

The fake out at the movie theater followed by the escalator 'death' was frustrating. It felt like they needed to fill up some time, which I thought was unacceptable as the movie only has a runtime of 82 minutes? How hard is it to fill up 82 minutes? Try character development! /SPOILERS

I did kinda like the scene in the beauty salon with Krista Allen so props for that. Also props to Allen for being a good sport.

The racism was unnecessary. Is this what counts as character development these days? *shakes head in shame* No, wait. SHAME ON YOU, ERIC BRESS! You wrote FD2 and The Butterfly Effect! You could do better than this! SLACKER! /rant

Hmmm.. what else? Oh right, 3D. Don't think it would've made much difference if I had watched it in 2D.

Overall, The Final Destination is the worst of the series (not sure why people hate on FD3 so much). They're running out of ideas and the 12 euros I paid to watch it in 3D were not worth it. A 2,5/5.

Review: Inglourious Basterds

2009-08-29T12:18:00.006+02:00

EDIT: I've rewatched it and loved it even more so I'm upping my score from 4/5 to 4,5/5. Best movie of the year so far! /EDIT

I was looking forward to Inglourious Basterds for a long time and now that I've seen it, I want to see it again! I loved it! It wasn't a perfect movie, but I'm also having trouble pinpointing what exactly I didn't like about it.

Christoph Waltz was absolutely amazing. I extremely enjoyed his performance throughout the entire movie. From the first scene at the barn, Waltz was perfect. IMDB tells me that Leo DiCaprio was first choice for the role of Landa, and I think we should all be very thankful Tarantino changed his mind about that and hired Waltz instead. Will go all Basterds on the Academy's ass if they overlook his performance.

More greatness:

The opening scene at the barn was brilliant. Denis Menochet and Waltz played well off each other in the tension-filled scene.

Til Schweiger! I wish Til had a bigger role in the movie. Loved his angry and digusted looks. He was hilarious! Same goes for Brad Pitt with his hillbilly accent when he's trying to speak Italian. Eli Roth's delivery was okay, but I loved his crazy eyes! More Roth in front of and behind the camera is cool with me. BJ Novak is always great. Wanted him to have more screentime though!

Mélanie Laurent and Daniel Brühl also gave great performances. I really felt for Brühl's character at certain points. Too bad he went crazy towards the end. Laurent's scene at the restaurant with Waltz was really well done. Her emotional breakdown at the end of the scene was fantastic.

Tarantino made an excellent and brave decision by casting French and German actors and having them speak these languages for a large part of the movie. It's not something that will appeal to the general movie going crowd, but I guess that can be said for Tarantino's film in general.

Also loved the cinematography. The movie is a visual treat.

Now that I've had some more time to think about the movie, I do have a few negatives. For a movie called Inglourious Basterds not a whole lot of screentime was spent on the Basterds. I think I've only seen Michael Bacall once. Samm Levine had one line? Shame!

Not sure why Tarantino decided to cast Mike Myers. Nothing against Myers, but his character looked and sounded like he just stepped off the set of Austin Powers 4.

Am I morbid for expecting to see more scalping?

I'm having a hard time deciding on my favorite movie of the year so far: Basterds or Star Trek? I can tell you this is my fave Tarantino movie after Kill Bill. A must see if you love movies! A 4/5.

Review: Bride Wars

2009-08-28T20:13:00.002+02:00

NOTE: I wrote this unfinished post approx. 2 weeks ago right before I went on vacation. I have very little memory of the movie now, except that it's crap. Didn't want to rewrite the post, because I'm blurry on the details.

Just caught Bride Wars on DVD. And woah.. that was crappy.

I am kinda amused by the lowbudget casting of the grooms: Steve Howey and Chris Pratt. Did Hudson and Hathaway have such high salary demands they couldn't afford say Chris Evans or Mike Vogel? Even Bryan Greenberg would've been a good choice for one of the grooms. Not that Howey or Pratt were bad, not at all! They are just guys I don't see often in high profile films. Props to the casting director for thinking outside of the box.

From the beginning of the movie I felt Hudson and Hathaway were a mismatch. Hathaway is so young-ish looking. I think someone like Liv Tyler would've played off of Hudson much better and the two look the same age-wise. Hathaway does fine though, but I felt she was on autopilot.

I had some problems with the screenplay and (lack of) character development. A big problem for me was that neither Hudson's Liv or Hathaway's Emma are likeable. Who am I supposed to root for here? I was hoping the guys would dump their asses! Especially Liv, who comes off as needy, neurotic and insane before she even gets proposed to. Who announces their engagement when the guy hasn't even popped the question yet?

Howey's Daniel is the painfully nice and understanding guy. Why he puts up with Liv, I have no idea. Then there's Pratt's Fletcher, who starts off nice but for some reason turns into a big a-hole towards the end. You know, just so Emma conveniently ends up with Bryan Greenberg. Of course. Who didn't see that one coming?

Then the war itself.. well, it took pretty long to get to it and then it came and went. They went for the easy laughs. Good lord, they're women. Let them realistically play dirty. I will never believe Emma had the chance to change Liv's hair dye. Mean Girls did it better. A 2,5/5.

Poster: I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell

2009-08-26T15:55:00.005+02:00

Source: IMP Awards

This is perfect marketing. It's exactly like the book cover, except it's in color and Matt Czuchry is on it instead of Tucker Max. It's easily recognizable for the demographic the book is aimed at. I wouldn't change a thing.*

*So please don't tell me this is the teaser and the final onesheet will be a floating head poster ft. Matt, Jesse Bradford and Geoff Stults surrounded by boobs and beer bottles.

All About Steve poster

2009-08-14T21:35:00.003+02:00

Bradley Cooper plays the titular Steve and gets third billing? THIRD?! Don't get me wrong, I've loved Thomas Haden Church since his Ned & Stacy days, long before Sideways fans hopped on the bandwagon. But Sideways is 5 years ago. What's with the 2nd billing? Bradley Cooper is one of the hottest actors working in Hollywood today thanks to The Hangover. Good Lord, 20th Century Fox, try to bank on that! The movie looks awful, the poster is awful. I don't look at this poster and think it's ALL ABOUT STEVE. I'm wondering why Sandra Bullock looks crazy. And if I didn't have any knowledge about the movie, I'd be wondering which of these guys IS Steve. Step it up, 20th Century Fox.

Review: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

2009-08-13T22:35:00.009+02:00

I liked it! It was exactly what I expected it to be: a fun and entertaining action-adventure-y popcorn flick. I'm not getting all the negativity. It's a movie based on a toy. It's G.I. Joe. It's not trying to be The Godfather. Or The Shawshank Redemption. Or even The Dark Knight.

Plot: "From the Egyptian desert to deep below the polar ice caps, the elite G.I. Joe team uses the latest in next-generation spy and military equipment to fight the corrupt arms dealer Destro and the growing threat of the mysterious Cobra organization to prevent them from plunging the world into chaos."

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is directed by Stephen Sommers, the man behind the very entertaining Deep Rising and The Mummy. Both are flicks I could watch over and over and still be entertained. I don't think I will be able to say the same about Joe, but I can tell you I enjoyed it a hell lot more than Sommers's previous two films: The Mummy Returns and Van Helsing.

I really enjoyed the cast and I say that while I don't even like certain castmembers very much.

I squeed like a fangirl whenever Christopher Eccleston appeared onscreen. Then again, I always squee like a fangirl whenever Eccles is onscreen. I've loved that man since I saw him in Shallow Grave over a decade ago. For some reason, the whole idea that Eccles is in a move called G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra amuses me.

Not a fan of Sienna Miller, but I loved her as The Baroness. She was my favorite character! I want her glasses! And seriously, if I was the kind of person that celebrated and dressed up for Halloween, I would go as The Baroness this year.

Scarlett was okay. Rachel Nichols didn't have much to work with. That motorcycle scene was there to look cool, but was pretty pointless as it only led to her needing to by saved Ripcord. At some point Scarlett was crying that she lost a fight (with the Baroness) and that was the first time she ever lost, while at the beginning of the movie, the only reason she doesn't die when she's on the ground reaching for the gun when the baddy steps on it is because someone saves her! Girl is part of the Joe team and still needs a man to save her. Didn't like that.

Nichols has nice chemistry with Marlon Wayans though. Wayans is a good actor with the right material (watch Requiem for a Dream). I would've liked to see him less joke-y here, but obviously, he's just following the script and does well doing it.

Channing Tatum has this quality that makes me want to root for him, so instant win here as we're supposed to root for Duke. Ray Park was amazing as Snake Eyes. The man had mad skills. Same goes for Byung-hun Lee as Storm Shadow.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt amused me. Looked like he was having fun with his role. As for the rest of the cast.. Arnold Vosloo didn't have much to do. Shame. Dennis Quaid didn't have much to do either. Losties Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Saïd Taghmaoui did fine, but Ceaser had much more to work with than Mr. Eko. Ceaser was funny!

I must've been the only person who squeed when Kevin J. O'Connor appeared onscreen. I was waiting for his cameo! Loved him in Sommers's earlier work. Great to see Brendan Fraser stop by too.

As for the movie itself, well it all went by real fast. Like blink and you miss something fast. I appreciated the occasional flashback that slowed things down a bit. I also appreciated scenes where Joseph Gordon-Levitt looked like Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

They could've taken the first scene out. I thought I was watching The Man in the Iron Mask or something, not G.I. Joe. Plus, Eccles kinda repeats the same info later on. At one point during the movie, while watching all the explosions, I was worried I missed Michael Bay's producing credit. I guess a little less action and a little more story would've been better. And the the CGI was weak at times.

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie. The cast was fun and Stephen Sommers did his best. It's not like he wrote the screenplay. People should give him a break. Lower your expectations and just enjoy the ride. A 3,5/5.

My Least Favorite Final Girls

2009-08-10T13:58:00.010+02:00

I grew up watching the Halloweens and Elm Streets, but never paid much attention to the Final Girl, our female lead, the last chick standing. I was interested in Freddy, not Nancy or Kristen or Alice. It was only after the release of Scream and the resurrection of the (teen) horror genre that I became aware of the 'Final Girl' principle and began rooting for her.

However, there are a few Final Girls I just cannot stand. I was rooting for the killer to you know, kill her. I'm going to present you with my top 3 least favorite Final Girls. Problem here is that I'm not entirely sure it's the characters I hate or the actresses portraying them. I dug up my old (unpublished on this site) reviews and I'm mostly hating on the actresses and their awfulness. I will post these snippets for ~~your~~ my entertainment.

Please note that this blog is written from a Young Hollywood (circa 1997-2003) viewpoint. I miss those days when Freddie Prinze Jr. was in every other release, the American Pie cast was a breath of fresh air and Scarlett J. wasn't overexposed yet, but I digress. Therefore I'm going for post-Scream teen horror Final Girls and not from more obscure flicks. But feel free to post your own 'favorites' from any horror movie in the comment section.

3) Natalie Simon (Alicia Witt) in Urban Legend (1998)
This one pains me, because I actually really like Alicia Witt. It took a few years after Urban Legend for me to like her though. I honestly think she grew into a pretty wonderful actress. But no matter how much like I have for her, I will always hate her character in Urban Legend. Every other character is more interesting than Natalie. She's just kinda there. The rest of the cast seems to be having so much more fun with it: Rebecca Gayheart, Michael Rosenbaum, Tara Reid, Josh Jackson, Loretta Devine, Robert Englund. Even Jared "I don't want to be here" Leto.

An excerpt from my original review after its theatrical release:
'Leading lady Alicia Witt is a bit disappointing. While other films had the likes of Neve Campbell and Jennifer Love Hewitt heading up the cast, Alicia isn't able to keep her character interesting. Her co-stars Rebecca Gayheart, Tara Reid and Michael Rosenbaum are much more entertaining to watch.'

Looking back, I was being kind. Also, why was I giving Jennifer Love Hewitt props for I Know What You Did Last Summer? Her character, Julie James, could be on this list! Anyways, there's a line that always makes me cringe. Natalie says something like 'Someone is taking all these stories and making them reality.' The delivery of that line is just awful. Is it the screenplay? Is it Witt? I don't know, but I know enough to put Natalie on the third spot of my list.

2) Cassie (Melissa Sagemiller) in Soul Survivors (2001)
I have only seen Soul Survivors once, a long time ago, when it was a new rental at my videostore. While time has softened my hate for the movie a bit, I only have to look at my original review to stop me from checking it out again. It's starts with the following sentence: 'Sorry, but this is just crap.' And then I think of Melissa Sagemiller as Cassie and I'm totally cured of the thought of watching Soul Survivors. 'Sagemiller is a terrible actress, who isn't interesting enough to carry a film.' I didn't go into detail in my review and I don't remember Cassie very well, but my strong dislike has remained over the past 8 years.

I also hated Sagemiller in the comedy Sorority Boys, but was kinder when she did Get Over It: 'Melissa Sagemiller as Alison is okay. She seems less bland than she was in movies like Soul Survivors and Sorority Boys.' So I guess that's it. Sagemiller was bland in SS and that's not the kind of quality you want in your Final Girl. She has to be the kind of girl you want to root for!

1) Julia Lund (Laura Regan) in They (2002)
To see how deep my hate goes, you really have to read my original review:

'When Billy (Jon Abrahams) and his friend Julia (Laura Regan) were little, they used to be afraid of monsters, which they called, well, They. Years later, Billy’s still afraid. He calls Julia, they meet up, and he kills himself. Julia starts seeing Them again, and when she comes in contact with Billy’s friends Sam (Ethan Embry) and Terry (Dagmara Dominczyk), she finds out she’s not the only one. Will They get her?
For the love of GOD I hope the answer is YES! Laura Regan has to be the worst actress EVER. And I’m not the kind of person who would say that, but people who are claiming that Tara Reid is awful, have obviously not seen this movie. Laura Regan is the worst actress EVER! I thought Alicia Witt was cringe-worthy, but this is horrible.'

I have never softened up to Regan or her performance. Regan also happened to be the Final Girl in My Little Eye (Bradley Cooper! Kris Lemche!), a movie I have rewatched a couple of times, and it just reinforces my hate for her in They.

I was checking reviews for They and I had to laugh when I read the following over at DarkHorizons: 'Weaker still are the performances. Laura Reagan is as bad as that chick from "Soul Survivors" - overacting and not very convincing at doing the hysterical "seeing things" routine.' I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way.

Tell me, who are your least favorite Final Girls?

Fave Movie Moments... Beautiful Girls

2009-08-08T19:52:00.005+02:00

I will never stop loving this scene from the 1996 feel good movie Beautiful Girls, starring Timothy Hutton, Matt Dillon, Natalie Portman and Uma Thurman.

Review: Blindness

2009-08-07T22:44:00.005+02:00

I have this urge to write about Blindness. And I need to tell you that I have no clue whether or not this movie is any good. I feel like I have to like this movie. You have the critically acclaimed director, the critically acclaimed novel on which the movie is based and acclaimed actors like Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo. If I strip those things away, what's left, I think, is a flawed film with an interesting premise.

Blindness tells the story of a man (Yusuke Iseya) who suddenly turns blind. He inadvertedly infects others he comes in contact with: his wife, the eye doctor (Mark Ruffalo) and the other patients in the waiting area. Like an epidemic, blindness (or White Sickness as they call it in the film) sweeps the city. The infected are quickly quarantined. The doctor's wife (Julianne Moore) mysteriously remains immune, but pretends to be blind and joins her husband in the quarantined wards. Shit starts hitting the fan as the ward quickly becomes overpopulated. Then it's not so much about blindness anymore as it's about society going downhill.

A thought: Is society blind? Doesn't society see its going downhill?

Back to topic.. The movie started out promising, then became bleak real quick. I kept thinking throughout the movie how the story would play out. They took the easy way: have the first blind man magically regain his sight. This leads to hope that the others will regain their sight too. The end. Seriously, watching the movie you witness the most horrific things and they you get the Disney ending. I know this movie is based on a book so I can't really blame the screenplay, but I can say it cheapened the whole experience for me.

At times I felt I was watching a zombie movie without the zombies. 28 Days/Weeks Later without the infected. It made me appreciate (the symbolism of) zombie movies even more. It also made me wish I was watching a zombie movie.

The origin of the White Sickness is never explained. We never see attempts made to find a cure. I suppose we don't need an explanation. But with this ending, the sudden regain of sight, it would've been nice.

I didn't care for the cinematography. Were they trying to make me blind, because I think they almost succeeded. It seemed they filtered the hell out of the movie. It's too damn white! I get it. Blindness. White sickness. Yes yes, very clever. While it fit the bleakness of the story, it got old real quick. Certain other scenes were too dark. It came across to me as if the filmmakers were trying too hard to make an artistic movie.

The cast was great, but what do you expect with Moore, Ruffalo, Danny Glover, Alice Braga and Gael Garcia Bernal? They do their best with what they have to work with.

I could rant about Moore's character and her (lack) of actions, but I'll spare you. A 3/5.

The Proposal is a success?

2009-08-01T21:31:00.007+02:00

I continue to be puzzled by The Proposal's box office success this summer. Box Office Mojo tells me the romcom is currently sitting on $145 million domestically! That's the 13th highest grossing movie this year, sitting right between Paul Blart: Mall Cop at #12 with $146m and Liam Neeson's Taken at #14 with $145m (but a few thousand less than The Proposal). Since the film is still in theaters it's more than likely the movie will surpass Mall Cop.

I saw the movie weeks ago, didn't have time to write/post a review and now I barely remember the movie. I mean, I liked the movie, I'm just not sure what I liked about it. Well, besides Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock.

Or maybe that's just it. People really like Reynolds and Bullock. According to Box Office Mojo, The Proposal's opening weekend gross of $33 million is Bullock's highest opening ever. While Bullock is one of America's sweethearts and most of her movies end up doing pretty well or at least decent, her openings are not that strong. Her previous career best opening is 2007's Premonition with $17m. It's been a while since Bullock starred in a romcom like The Proposal. Romance The Lake House was released in 2006 and comedy Miss Congeniality 2 was released in 2005! Her last true romantic comedy was 2002's Two Weeks Notice with Hugh Grant! Were people suffering from Bullock withdrawal and en masse flocked to the theater when The Proposal was released?

Then there's Reynolds, who has turned into quite the capable leading man since his days on Two Guys, a Girl, & a Pizzaplace. People generally like him and his supporting role in Wolverine was well received. Excluding Wolverine (which clearly wasn't about him), Reynold's career best is also The Proposal. His previous highest opening was for 2005's The Amityville Horror, which grossed $23.5 million. Reynolds seems to be one of those actors that appeals to both females and males. I never hear guys say they like that Orlando Bloom guy. But Reynolds has appeared in a lot of guy flicks, such as Van Wilder, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Blade: Trinity and the aforementioned Wolverine. Has his casting helped The Proposal? Would guys rather take their girlfriends to a romcom starring Ryan Reynolds than, say, Matthew McConaughey?

Take McConaughey's latest romcom, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (awful title, btw). The movie opened only a few weeks earlier than The Proposal. It grossed $15 million in its opening weekend and ended up grossing $55 million domestically. To be fair to McConaughey, his previous three romcoms (Fool's Gold, Failure to Launch, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days) all grossed between $20-$25 million in their opening weekends. Nothing to be ashamed about at all!

So what I really have been wondering lately is why is The Proposal a big hit and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past came and went without much notice? I wasn't too kind to both movies when I reviewed their trailers, but I gave kudos to GOGP for being less generic than The Proposal. Though it seems pretty obvious how both will play out, yes? I didn't want to see either on the big screen, but ended up seeing The Proposal just because a friend wanted to go see it. She thought it looked funny.

Maybe The Proposal is just the better movie. Maybe people were tired of McConaughey's romcoms and were waiting for Bullock's instead. Maybe Ghosts of Girlfriends Past just isn't an appealing title. Who knows?

Bullock & Cooper in All About Steve

I'm hoping to figure at least part of this out when Bullock's next romcom, All About Steve is released on September 4. She plays an eccentric crossword puzzler who think CCN cameraman Steve (sexy Bradley Cooper) is her true love and follows him around the country. I've seen the trailer and the movie looks awful. But both Bullock and Cooper are at career highs at the moment so I expect the movie to do well despite its awfulness. If so, it seems it doesn't really matter how awful or generic a romcom is, as long as you have two appealing leads, the movie will do well at the box office. To be continued...

I want this poster #1

2009-07-17T15:03:00.006+02:00

via IMP Awards

Megan Fox looks gorgeous as usual (not a fan of the shoes though). I like the tagline and the 'hell yes' on the chalkboard. A simple, but attractive poster. Why is it not on my wall?

If you're not watching Harper's Island...

2009-06-28T15:06:00.005+02:00

It really is your loss. How did a show that started out so unbelievably campy, turn out so good? First, I have to take back everything I have previously said about Adam Campbell (Cal). Sure he brought the camp in the early eps, but his performance in last night's episode "Splash" (#1.11) was wonderful. Throughout the course of the season Cal became one of my favorite characters. Something I seriously didn't expect would happen after watching the first five eps.

Some thoughts after rewatching "Splash" today:

- Why didn't Wakefield kill Abby when he had the chance at the beginning of the ep?
- In the car, Sully mentions to Cal that Cal passed out before he could give him any instructions to get the bullet out and close the wound. Later, Sully tells Danny Cal stayed awake while he dug a bullet from his shoulder.
- Just because the Sheriff said he's Abby's father, well that doesn't mean it's biologically true.
- Why didn't Trish help Shane when Wakefield was attacking him with his big ass Jason Voorhees machete? Girl had a shotgun, Shane had a knife. Goodbye Ben Cotton, you were great!
- A killer is on the loose. Someone rings the church bells. Why do you automatically think it must be one of your friends?
- Why didn't Shea say 'I love you' back to Trish?
- Why did Wakefield capture Chloe instead of killing her?
- "I almost died for a woman like you," said Wakefield to Chloe. I choose to interpret that as someone tried to kill him for his relationship with Abby's mom.
- The Sully/Danny scene at the Candlewick was suspicious to me. I actually thought nice guy Danny would shoot Sully.
- Note to Danny: a killer is behind the door. Don't go looking through the hole.
- Matt Barr also gave a wonderful performance in this episode. I've really grown to like him as an actor and I like Sully as well. Don't die Sully!
- Why did Henry insist Cal should go find Chloe on his own while Abby and Henry went after Wakefield?
- Henry misses his shot at Wakefield, while we know from an early ep that he has a good aim.
- After Cal proposed to Chloe, I knew they were doomed. Their deaths were the most emotional and tragic for me so far. Cameron Richardson brought her A-game in this ep. Kudos.
- Jimmy is so a red-herring. That last scene in the car? Maybe Jimmy is suspicious of Trish?

I can't believe we have to wait two weeks for the finale. I still have no clue who the other killer is. I originally pointed at Henry here. My theory still holds up. As for survivors, I really want Sully to survive and Danny as well. I don't care for Shea, Madison or Abby. Please kill them, killers. I hope Trish is not the other killer and that she gets to have her revenge by killing at least one of the killers. I see Jimmy sacrificing himself for Abby (ugh! blugh! aarghh!) and if Henry turns out to be the other killer, he will die. So uhmm yeah, please don't die Sully and Danny.

Is it July 11 yet?

Dear Scarlett Johansson,

2009-06-20T15:35:00.003+02:00

You are one of my favorite actresses. But sometimes I really hate you.

Young Hollywood Awards

2009-06-12T21:25:00.004+02:00

The Young Hollywood Awards. I used to kinda like 'em. But now? They're a joke right? An award show has no credibility to me if they change the categories every year. It's like they pick people they want to give an award to and then make up an category. It actually pains me to say this, because I LOVE Young Hollywood. But these awards make no sense.

Take a look at the categories in 2008 and 2009. I took these from the official site. I would list the previous years as well, but the official site doesn't even have them up. Huh?

2008
Standout Performance Male (Jonathan Tucker)
Standout Performance Female (Emmanuelle Chriqui)
Exciting New Face Female (Emma Stone)
Exciting New Face Male (Alex Frost)
One to Watch Male (Thomas Dekker, Brady Corbet)
One to Watch Female (Summer Bishil, Brittany Robertson)
Breakthrough Performance Male (Michael Angarano)
Breakthrough Performance Female (Amber Heard)
Breakthrough TV Performance (Vincent Kartheiser)
Hottest Coolest Young Veteran (Abigail Breslin)
Young Hollywood Role Model (Donald Sutherland)
Exciting New Vocalist (Taylor Swift)
Exciting Music Crossover (Jesse McCartney)
Hottest New Film Maker (Matt Reeves)
Hottest New Scene Stealer (Adam G. Sevani)
Hottest New Picasso (Kat von D.)
Newest Red Carpet Correspondent (Lilly Collins)
Crest Whitestrips Onscreen Smile(!?) (Brittany Snow)

2009
YH Superstar of Tomorrow (Annalynne McCord)
YH Action Star Female (Jamie Chung)
YH Action Star Male (Columbus Short)
YH Crossover (Bar Refaeli)
YH Superstar (Evan Rachel Wood)
YH Breakthrough Male (Ed Westwick)
YH Breakthrough Female (Rumer Willis)
YH Artist of the Year (Adam Lambert)
YH Green (Q'Orianka Kilcher)
YH Director (Catherine Hardwicke)
YH Athlete (Shawn Johnson)
YH Comedienne (Ari Graynor)

What happened to the exciting new faces?! The ones to watch?! The standout performances?! And where the hell did the YH Green award come from? How come last year we had Exciting New Vocalist and this year we have Artist of the Year? I'm so confused! And the same goes for the MTV Movie Awards with their ever changing categories. Boy, has that show lost its magic.

Adding categories? Sure, okay. But not too many in one year. And don't change all the existing ones. My tip to you award show people. You're welcome.

Bradley Cooper for the Win!

2009-06-11T22:32:00.006+02:00

Haven't been around much. Whoops! I haven't posted about Bradley Cooper in about 3 weeks. What is wrong with me?! Anyhow, that doesn't mean I wasn't thinking about posting about him. I mean, The Hangover topped the box office this weekend, which is AMAZING! At first, when the estimates were released, I was bummed. Bummed as in 'Damn you Up!'. But then I saw the actuals on Monday and well, that was just the best part of my day. Which actually says more about my crappy day, but hey. Nearly $45 million for an R-rated comedy. That is serious business kids. Plus, the movie has good reviews. The movie is even fresh on Rotten Tomatoes (77%). Good word of mouth will make sure this movie has legs and make it one of the most profitable films of the summer! It's $35 million production budget has already been earned back in one weekend!

I will finally check the movie out this upcoming Tuesday. Can't wait!

Also, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed Coop is in talks to play Faceman in The A-Team. Good lord, Fox, cast him already!

Rewatching Scream 3

2009-06-01T12:46:00.004+02:00

There are parts in Scream 3 that make me want to slap Ehren Kruger. Why is it so cheesy?

Happy birthday, Jesse Bradford!

2009-05-28T20:20:00.005+02:00

King of the Hill (1993)

Hackers (1995)

Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Bring It On (2000)

Swimfan (2002)

Happy Endings (2005)

Flags of Our Fathers (2006)

My Sassy Girl (2008)

Happy 30th, Jesse! I can't believe you hit the big three-oh. It makes me feel old! I have been following Jesse's career half my life now! My earliest Jesse memory is watching Hackers back in the 90s. And I also remember being mad in 2001 that he won Exciting New Face at the Young Hollywood Awards. Because Jesse Bradford, in 2001, was definitely not a new face. Exciting? Yes. New? No.

Anyways, happy birthday Jesse! Continue making movies and I'll continue to watch them. Looking forward to I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell!

Pics are thanks to Celyn at jesse-bradford.com

National Treasure 3 please

2009-05-25T21:18:00.003+02:00

Just rewatched National Treasure and the movie held up really well for a third viewing. I also liked the sequel, Book of Secrets. So what I'm trying to say is.. I'd like to see a third flick. I never thought I would make a post stating this, but yeah, I'd like to see another one. They're fun! Plus, JUSTIN BARTHA. I cannot stress this enough. JUSTIN BARTHA.

I think a third one is in development so come on Powers that Be, make it happen!

Watch Harper's Island tonight!

2009-05-23T23:12:00.003+02:00

Episode 6, "Sploosh", airs tonight on CBS. And believe me, you don't want to miss the "Sploosh".

Chace Crawford is Footloose

2009-05-21T21:07:00.003+02:00

My friend Stitch and I always joke about Chace Crawford's resemblance to Zac Efron and that they should play brothers some time. Only we never call Chace by his first name. We always call him 'Man-Bangs'. Gossip Girl fans will get it. Anyways, two months ago I expressed my joy that Efron pulled out of the planned Footloose remake. Apparently the producers solved this problem by casting someone that looks like him (source). That's how the business goes these days?

I have no problem with Man-Bangs, but I'd still rather not see this remake happening.

E! reports Hayden Panettiere, Amanda Bynes, Julianne Hough are in the running for the female lead, as well as Miley Cyrus. Powers that Be, please let it be Bynes so this remake won't end up a total tween fest.

Coop, you're killing me

2009-05-20T19:55:00.004+02:00

Seriously, Bradley Cooper, I don't have time to post about anything else anymore! Important things like how in the world Man-Bangs got cast in Footloose! That will now have to wait because Chud.com talked with Coop, who told them his earlier A-Team comments were taken out of context and that he hasn't even read the script.

No Green Lantern. No A-Team. Somebody hire this guy already, kay?

Review: Star Trek

2009-05-19T20:12:00.006+02:00

Okay, it's not really a review. The whole concept of Star Trek is so foreign to me, I could not write a review about it and have it make sense. Instead I'm presenting you with some of my thoughts about the new Trek movie.

• I enjoyed the movie! And I don't even like Star Trek! Kudos JJ Abrams, kudos! I was afraid I wouldn't get the movie, but it's really accessible for non-Trek watchers.

• Chris Pine is funny. I had no idea Chris Pine could be funny. Excellent choice for James Kirk.

• Pine had good chemistry with Karl Urban.

• Watching Zachary Quinto on the big screen makes me feel like a proud momma. I knew that kid had potential when I first saw him in the Off Centre episode "Diddler on the Roof" in 2002.

• Winona Ryder is not old enough to play Quinto's mom. Whatever happened to her anyways?

• John Cho is awesome.

• Simon Pegg was fun to watch.

• Anton Yelchin is adorable. Happy for him that he's in two of the biggest movies of the summer (this and Terminator: Salvation).

• Thanks for stopping by Jennifer Morrison! At least you weren't green like Rachel Nichols.

• Rachel Nichols, what the hell? Why were you green?

• Chris Hemsworth did well in his small role as papa Kirk. I can see why he's been cast in Thor and Red Dawn.

• It's sad that when I first saw young James Kirk, I immediately thought 'Jimmy Bennett' instead of 'James Kirk'. What's even more sad is that I didn't recognize Clifton Collins Jr.! I thought I was well trained in the art of recognizing him, but I failed. EPICALLY.

So uhm yeah, most of my thoughts are cast related. But that's just how I roll. I'll watch anything if there are actors in it that I like. Even Piranha 3-D is looking pretty good to me because of Adam Scott, Jerry O'Connell and Ving Rhames! Anyways, back to Star Trek. Give it a chance. It might surprise you. A 4/5.

The Weekly Cooper Update

2009-05-19T19:12:00.005+02:00

I meant to post this yesterday, but I was busy with other stuff. Anyhow, new week so new Bradley Cooper scoop!

IESB.net reports that Coop is playing Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck in the new The A-Team movie. Surprised? I was! There have been a lot of rumors going around Cooper was in the running to play the Green Lantern. Now that he has joined The A-Team remake, it seems unlikely he'll go green as well. The A-Team has franchise potential, just like the Green Lantern. I don't see him doing both, especially because the movies aren't for the same studio. The former is set up at 20th Century Fox, while the latter is a Warner Bros production. Plus, it already bugs me that Christian Bale is Batman AND John Connor. No need to have Coop go down that road.

And in even more important news: People reports Cooper is NOT dating Jennifer Aniston. Halle-friggin-lujah! Now I can focus on my Star Trek post.

Random thoughts

2009-05-16T17:03:00.010+02:00

• I want this poster (via). Justin Bartha is adorable. I can't really explain it, but this poster amuses me.

• Was surfing JoBlo.com and read the most recent C'mon Hollywood column, which made me laugh. Its title? Bradley Cooper as Green Lantern: make it happen! It's basically the same post I wrote last week. Glad I'm not the only one who thinks Cooper would be a good choice, you know, despite not knowing anything about the Green Lantern.

• Scrubs has been renewed for a 9th season and Zach Braff will be back for 6 eps (source). While I didn't really like the supposed series finale as a whole, I did think it gave Braff a nice send off. I wonder how they'll write him back in and how many original castmembers they'll get back for the new season as some are attached to pilots.

• I finally remember which trailer was attached to 17 Again: it was Fame. Watching it, I didn't think it was a bad trailer. Apparently it wasn't memorable either.

AWWWWWWWWW!

• Finally saw the season finale of Grey's Anatomy. It was sad. AWWWWWW! :'( I really want to love the episode, but a certain ER episode is still too fresh in my mind to find this GA ep shocking or original. I miss Grey's Anatomy's glory days.

• I saw Star Trek! Will post my thoughts later! But for now, two thumbs up!

Watch Harper's Island

2009-05-13T11:18:00.009+02:00

Watch Harper's Island, CBS's murder mystery show! It's cheesy and campy, but oh so addictive! Please don't let me down, US peeps, I need to know how the story plays out!

Let me let CBS tell you what the show is about:

HARPER'S ISLAND is about a group of family and friends who travel to a secluded island off the coast of Seattle for a destination wedding. This island is famous for a streak of unsolved murders from seven years ago. Although they've come to laugh and to love, what they don't know is they've also come... to die. As the wedding festivities begin, friendships are tested and secrets exposed as a murderer claims victims, one by one, transforming the wedding week of fun and celebration into a terrifying struggle for survival.

In every episode, someone is killed and every person is a suspect, from the wedding party to the island locals. By the end of the 13 episodes, all questions will be answered, the killer will be revealed and only a few will survive.

That last part is what I find really appealing about the show: it has an end date. The story won't be stretched out over 5 seasons. We won't have to worry that we'll never find out who the killer is when ratings drop so low CBS wants to cancel it, because all 13 episodes have already been filmed.

The show has been described as Ten Little Indians meets Scream. I get the Agatha Christie reference, but no way is this show like Scream. Campy like Scream 3? Maybe. Sure, our supposed heroine Abby (Elaine Cassidy) has dead mommy issues. And like in Scream, people die. But the characters in Scream have self-awareness. The characters in Harper's Island are self involved. Which brings me to one of my biggest issues with the show: how come no one notices people are missing?

You have reached SPOILER TERRITORY so beware! I have seen the first 5 episodes and will spoil certain deaths and storylines below. However, I will give another spoiler warning before I really spoil something.

Really it annoyed me to no end that SPOILER a bridesmaid died in the second ep yet her disappearance isn't explained until the 5th episode. And then what really bugged is that I read an interview with Sean Rogerson, who plays Booth, that a scene where they mentioned the bridesmaid's absence was cut from the episode! Yes, vital information gets cut, but about a gazillion other things they kept in. Great job, editor! /SPOILER

While we're on the subject of crew members who should've done a better job.. Dear casting director, why cast so many people that look alike so it takes me 5 episodes and a visit to the CBS website to figure out who all these people are? There are a lot of characters on this show, yet with the exception of one of the groomsmen who is African American, there is no cultural diversity at all! All the women are white and either blonde or brunette, which makes it difficult to keep track of who's who. I'm pretty familiar with Katie Cassidy and Gina Holden, but throw them in with the 4 other brunettes and even I'm confused. At least the groomsmen don't look alike, but Adam Campbell (the Brit) and the guy who plays JD (the groom's brother) do have similar faces.

I have another problem with the casting. The original pilot presentation had different cast members, including Ryan Merriman as the groom and Bill Pullman as Uncle Marty. While I'm totally on board with replacing Merriman with Christopher Gorham as the groom as Merriman is so young looking, getting rid of Pullman confuses me slightly. Look, Harry Hamlin is great and I enjoyed him as Uncle Marty, but he did add to the camp factor. Just like Adam Campbell was part of the original cast AND THEY KEPT HIM! Watching him in the pilot is like I'm watching him in Date Movie again. That's not a compliment. And also, Topher Grace wants his DNA back. I'm really wondering here if it was their intention to make the show campy. If so, they succeeded. If not, then I have no words. Honestly, I like show. But I'd rather like the show because it's good, not because it's so bad it's good.

Finally, our lead Abby is played by Elaine Cassidy. I have never seen this girl before, but I can say I don't like her in this role. The character of Abby (the groom's best friend) doesn't work for me. The Powers that Be are trying too hard to make us like her. Everyone on the island seems to like her. The groomsmen like her. Even the friggin' bride likes her. Okay, I get it, she's supposed to be awesome. Yet what I'm seeing is a plain Jane who pushes people away. The cast is huge and most of the screentime is focused on her and her background. I get bored everytime she's on screen being all angsty. Normally I'm not a fan of KATIE Cassidy, but she's Meryl Streep compared to ELAINE Cassidy here. At least I'm not hoping Katie dies everytime she's on screen. Really, I would've cut the character of Abby and put the focus on the bride and groom.

Okay, I've been complaining a lot but I do really like the show. It's fun! I can't wait for the next ep to see who dies next. Hah I originally typed 'how dies next'. The kills are interesting so yeah, I also want to know HOW the next person dies! Plus, Richard Burgi as the bride's dad is very awesome. Chris Gorham is a cutie! And Jim Beaver as the Sheriff is cool!

As for the killer. Really, I have no clue. It could be anyone at this point. I have a lame theory though. The show reminds me of the movie Mindhunters, where a bunch of people are trapped on an island and they are killed via traps. The killer has no parents, because he killed them when he was a kid. The groom also has no parents so if I had to make a guess, it's him. But I don't really (want to) believe it's Henry. Gorham is too adorable!

I'm surprised I could write so much about the show without spoiling much. Watch Harper's Island and get hooked!

Come on, Warner Bros!

2009-05-08T19:24:00.004+02:00

The Bradley-Cooper-is-the-Green-Lantern rumors have been driving me crazy. Look, I don't know anything about the Green Lantern, but having Bradley Cooper play him seems like a perfect choice. Other people who have been rumored for the role: Ryan Gosling, Chris Pine and Anton Yelchin? Seriously, I have never been so confused about casting before in my life. All these guys barely have anything in common. Gosling is all broody and serious. Pine is Captain Kirk and he was also in the Princess Diaries 2 (why do I know that?). He's the pretty boy type. Yelchin is young. In my mind he's still 12. He will always be that kid in Hearts in Atlantis to me. I don't know what type they are looking for. I don't think Warner Bros even knows!

So why do I think Cooper should play the Green Lantern even if I don't know anything about the Green Lantern? Cooper has a regular Joe vibe, but also the charisma to carry a superhero movie like this. Plus, he has a pretty decent track record (Alias, Wedding Crashers, Failure to Launch, Yes Man, Nip/Tuck, He's Just Not That Into You and the upcoming, much buzzed about The Hangover). If I were a studio investing many bucks into a project like this, I'd have more faith in Cooper pulling this off than any of the other actors. And hey, I love Gosling. He's an excellent actor. Better than Cooper (sorry, Brad), but not the type for a movie like this.

In conclusion: I know nothing about the Green Lantern. I just have a good feeling about this casting idea. Warner Bros could do a LOT worse, that's all I'm saying. So, Cooper for the win!

And in other news: for the love of God, Bradley Cooper, don't date Jennifer Aniston. No good could come of it! You were married to Jennifer Esposito! This is what we call trading down! That is all.

Review: 17 Again

2009-05-08T17:32:00.003+02:00

I saw 17 Again last week. See, Zac Efron, I kept my word! Now you keep your word as well and stay away from Footloose.

Anyhow, I liked the movie. I had incredibly low expectations so that helped, but I have to admit, Efron wasn't even that bad. He has the charisma to pull off a role like this, but I don't see him doing Magnolia. Or Schindler's List. Or even The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He's too glossy. I would like to see him do a serious drama just to get an idea of what he's capable of.

The rest of the cast did fine. Leslie Mann's character reminded me of her character in Knocked Up, so that really wasn't all that challenging for her I think. Matthew Perry is underused. I get it's about him turning 17 again, but five more minutes of screentime would have been nice. I enjoyed Thomas Lennon as Efron/Perry's best friend. I had never seen him before, but I'm sure it won't be the last time. Michelle Trachtenberg was completely wasted here. She barely had anything to do and I was just cringing at the scene where she threw herself at Efron. I'm not criticizing Michelle, I just hated the scene. Sterling Knight, who played Michelle's brother, has potential to have a good career ahead of him.

Looking at the movie itself, well, yeah, it's not like we haven't seen or heard this story before. But it's well executed, fun and yes, funny at times. I could even see myself owning this on DVD at some point. A 3,5/5.

Trailer Park: Wolverine and 17 Again

2009-05-02T21:41:00.004+02:00

I don't watch a lot of trailers online, so this feature will mostly feature (hee!) trailers that were attached to movies I've recently seen. Keep in mind that I live in The Netherlands, and that the trailers attached wont necessarily be the same as the ones in your country. In this post I'll review the trailers that were attached to Wolverine and 17 Again.

First up is Wolverine and all trailers attached were for 'guy flicks'.

Fighting
Fighting = Step Up - dancing + fighting. I haven't seen Step Up (unfortunately, I have seen Step Up 2), but it looks like the same movie. Channing Tatum needs to branch out. I think he has it in him to become a big star, if he moves away from these flicks. Let's see it as a 'step up' for something greater.
To be viewed: probably never

Star Trek
I was kinda looking forward to this. I like the cast, the promotional pics look good. Then I saw the trailer and it reminded me I don't like Star Trek. I do like John Cho and Zach Quinto. Hmmm...
To be viewed: on DVD unless one of my friends wants to see it on the big screen, which probably won't happen

Terminator: Salvation
I thought the first two Terminators were great and I liked Rise of the Machines (apart for the Claire Danes factor). The trailer for T4 did nothing for me. I only liked seeing Bryce Dallas Howard! Maybe if Nick Stahl was John Connor again, I'd see it. I don't understand why Christian Bale's playing him now. Bale's already Batman! What's next yo? Superman?
To be viewed: DVD

The Hangover
I already mentioned The Hangover here. It looks good! And Bradley Cooper! *squee*
To be viewed: hopefully on the big screen

Girl-friendly films were attached to 17 Again (this shouldn't be a surprise).

The Proposal
I already mentioned here that The Proposal looks awful. I'm still feeling bad for Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock. Now that I'm remembering that he gets to be married to Scarlett Johansson and that Sandra gets millions for a flick like this, that bad feeling is fading away.
To be viewed: on DVD

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
I hate the title! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! I do love Matthew McC, Jennifer Garner and Breckin Meyer so that partly makes up for it. At least this doesn't look as generic as The Proposal.
To be viewed: on DVD

I Love You, Man
Paul Rudd amuses me, Rashida Jones is lovely and I love Jason Segel and Jaime Pressly. I want to see this! But probably won't in theaters.
To be viewed: on DVD

I'm sure there was another trailer shown, but I can't remember which... :S

Review: Wolverine

2009-04-30T23:07:00.006+02:00

Just caught a 7 pm showing of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Theater wasn't packed, but to be fair, it's a holiday here today and most people are out doing other stuff. I wasn't sure what to expect of the movie. I somewhat successfully managed to stay away from trailers, clips and stills, as I didn't want to get spoiled. I knew it's about Wolverine (duh), the great Liev Schreiber plays Sabretooth, the Friday Night Lights kid is Gambit (finally, Gambit!), Dom Monaghan is in this for some reason and Ryan Reynolds is Deadpool (what's a Deadpool?).

My brief X-Men history first so you know where I'm coming from reading this review. I've never read the comics, but I did watch the cartoon when I was a kid. Wolverine wasn't a favorite: I liked Gambit and Rogue. I liked X-Men and X2, but never saw The Last Stand.

First something that I loved! The opening title sequence. It was beautifully done. The credits played over scenes of Logan (Hugh Jackman) and Victor (Liev Schreiber) fighting in several wars, but never dying. A good font was picked too. I hate it when movies have stupid colored fonts that don't stand out from the background. Kudos to the people behind this sequence.

Logan and Victor eventually meet Stryker and join Team X. The other members are Wade 'Deadpool' Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), Chris 'Bolt' Bradley (Dominic Monaghan), Fred 'The Blob' Dukes (Kevin Durand), John 'Kestrel' Wraith (will.i.am) and David 'Agent Zero' North (Daniel Henney). Or so Wikipedia tells me. It was fun seeing these guys interact. I would have liked to see more of them, but this movie is called Wolverine and not Team X unfortunately. More on that later.

Then comes stuff mostly about Wolverine and his girlfriend Silverfox (played by Michelle Monaghan 2.0, Lynn Collins), which is where the movie fell flat for me. I just didn't care enough. I kept waiting for Sabretooth to reappear to make things interesting again! That's not a good sign, I think. Though it's a compliment for Schreiber I guess.

This next bit is SPOILERY: the movie feels pretty short with a runtime of 107 minutes. This is probably just me being hypercritical but whatever, I'm just going to say it: there's a scene that feels like filler. I was actually sitting there thinking 'what is the point of this scene? who wrote this crap?' As established early in the movie, Wolverine cannot be killed by guns, him having healing powers and all. Yet there's like a 15 minute sequence where Zero tries to shoot him even though he knows he can't kill him that way. They sorta make up for it by at least acknowledging their stupidty afterwards. END SPOILERS

The ending left me wanting more, but not in the sense that I want to see a sequel. This has more to do with the movie feeling short and the final battle not being that suspenseful. This is a prequel and we know certain characters appear in the X-Men trilogy. It should not be a surprise that Sabretooth survives.

I want to talk about the other mutants a bit. BEWARE OF SPOILERS! I read a lot about Ryan Reynolds' casting as Deadpool. I know Reynolds is a fan of the character and that's why he agreed to do the movie. I love Ryan. I'm very pro-Ryan in movies. But this felt pointless. He's in the movie for 5 minutes, just like Dominic Monaghan. Come one! I know this is Wolverine the Movie, but if you include these guys, use them. Will.i.am wasn't bad at all as Wraith. Good choice! I liked Durand as the Blob. Taylor Kitsch was an okay Gambit. I think my expectations were too high for that one. He didn't really feel Gambit-y IMHO. The movie includes a young Scott Summers (Cyclops). I wasn't really feeling his addition. It made me confused timeline wise. But I'm no expert.

Overall, the movie was enjoyable, but it felt flawed to me. Hugh Jackman gave a good performance, but it was Liev Schreiber who kept my interest. A 3/5.

Happy birthday, Kirsten Dunst!

2009-04-30T22:55:00.002+02:00

Credit: kirsten-dunst.org

Happy 27th birthday, Kirsten!

And now time for my monthly Bradley Cooper post

2009-04-27T22:26:00.008+02:00

I haven't been around much.. anywhere actually except for work or over at Ali Larter Fan. My girl has a new movie out (that would be Obsessed), so she's been keeping me busy with updates. I read two Bradley Cooper related posts over at JoBlo.com days ago that I've been wanting to talk about.

First up is the poster for Coop's upcoming comedy The Hangover with Ed Helms and Justin Bartha. It looks like such a guy movie.. I like that! I'm getting tired of crappy chick flicks. Check out the trailer here. Fun poster. Fun trailer. Bradley Cooper. This should be good. And how adorable is it that Justin Bartha gets the "with" credit on the poster? *crickets* Okay, just me then. I thought Heather Graham would be more likely to get it even though she hasn't really been in a successful movie for about a decade. She's still more famous than Bartha I think. Yes? No? I've really enjoyed Bartha in the National Treasure movies and Failure to Launch so I'm happy for him.

Next up is the trailer for a movie I knew nothing about, Case 39. I didn't even know Bradley was in it when I started watching it. How is that even possible? Anyways, Case 39 stars Renée Zellweger as a case worker and Jodelle Ferland as a creepy little girl. I have never seen Ferland play anything else but a creepy little girl (see also: Silent Hill, Kingdom Hospital, Supernatural). She does it well, but it kinda gives me a "been there, done that" feeling. Like I've seen it all before. There must be other creepy kids out there. Trailer looks interesting. Not sure what to think of what's going on. I hope it's not a ghost movie, because I don't like ghost movies. Not in a 'they scare me sense', but they kinda bore me. Like all those J-horror movies.

It's quite a Bradley Cooper year we're having. First Yes, Man (well, it was released in my country in 2009), then He's Just Not That Into You. Now we still have Case 39, The Hangover and All About Steve to look forward to.