Limitless Review

Rating: 7.3/10 --> Good film, check it out when you can... 

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This review is gonna be short and sweet.  Limitless, starring Bradley Cooper, Robert DeNiro and Abbie Cornish is a good movie.  Not a great movie, but a good movie.  The story is interesting and unique, Bradley Cooper delivers an above average performance, and the film is shot/edited really well.  The box office seems to prove my point too.  Limitless cost only $27 million to make, and it made $79 million domestically and $155 million worldwide.  I guess it helps that Cooper can speak French fluently and is really popular across the globe. 

The idea that a pill can allow you to access every part of your brain, ultimately making you 100% efficient is a great idea for a film.  Cooper certainly has the acting chops to pull off the transformation from bum to class act, and he obviously was the best part of the film.  It was a cool movie, and perfect for renting on-demand or from Netflix.  There’s a great balance of action, drama, and humor to keep you interested throughout.  Also, it only runs 105 minutes long, so it doesn’t drag on. 

My favorite part of the film by far was the stylized shots when Cooper was on the pill.  Director Neil Burger made a great choice by over-saturating the shot when he was on the pill, and using dark filters when he wasn’t on the pill.  The contrast between the two worlds was fantastic to look at, and really depicted how Cooper was feeling when he could access all parts of his brain.

Basically this is a good movie.  It’s nothing special, but if you’re a Bradley Cooper fan, you’ll certainly enjoy it.  If it’s available on On-Demand or HBO definitely check it out. 

Captain America -- Best Superhero Movie this Summer

Rating: 7.9 --> Better than Green Lantern by a LONG shot

Source: http://rpad.tv/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Captain-America-movie-poster.jpg

Director: Joe Johnston 

*NOTE* Sweet teaser for The Avengers after the credits 

This summer is overloaded with Comic Book Movies.  DC’s The Green Lantern was a total flop, making only $114 million domestically and $154 million worldwide… it cost $200 million to make the movie.  Marvel on the other hand has done pretty well for themselves so far.  Thor has made $180.5 million domestically and $447.7 million worldwide on a $150 million budget, and Captain America: The First Avenger has started off pretty strong in a very competitive market with movies like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2.  In just 2 weekends, Captain America has made a respectable $117.4 million and $170.9 million worldwide (remember unlike Thor this is a movie with a lot of AMERICAN pride and may not sell well to other countries), and the budget is $140 million.  Marvel has to be pretty pleased with themselves considering Green Lantern’s failure.  Despite the money, Captain America was my favorite super hero movie so far this summer, and is definitely worth checking out on the big screen.

I have to admit that I haven’t really read any Captain America comics, but as a fan of superheroes and the Marvel Universe, I know his general story.  From reading Wikipedia, Marvel.com, and talking to some true fanboys, I get the impression that Captain America comics are supposed to be campy, fun, and filled with clichés, so my expectations for the film were to be simply entertained and have fun watching it.  I saw Captain America the weekend it came out, in 3D and in Hollywood, are we having fun yet? Hell yeah I had fun.  Captain America was worth every penny.  It was exactly what I expect out of a summer super hero movie, and here’s why…

The film was really fun and entertaining.  Some people may knock down the the somewhat corny dialogue, and lighter plot, but that’s what Marvel comics are all about.  Captain America was written as a post World War II superhero.  The idea was to give people some joy and hope after a devastating war.  It evoked a feeling of pride into American youngsters for their country, and that’s what this film did.  It made me smile, it made me laugh, and you know what, there were some pretty sweet action scenes too.  Cap’s iconic shield was used a lot, and I was happy about it. 

Tommy Lee Jones and Hugo Weaving really stole the show for me.  Don’t get me wrong, Chris Evans, was a great Steve Rogers/Captain America, but I only really cared about him when he was suited up.  Tommy Lee Jones plays Colonel Chester Phillips, and he couldn’t be any more perfect for that role.  He provides the perfect amount of comic relief, as well as being the hard ass colonel you would expect.  Hugo Weaving is just an awesome villain, nuff said.  As the Red Skull, Weaving does a great job of being sinister and crazy.  The casting department did a great job on that part. 

Also, Hayley Atwell is a total smokebomb.  I use that word around here a lot… but I mean it. Thank you Barstool Sports for providing me with a new word for beautiful woman.  Besides  her absolute beauty, that English accent is very attractive. I don’t know what it is, but throw an English accent on to a total smokeshow and you have a recipe for ultimate hotness. 

Even if you’re not a big superhero or comic book fan you will like this movie.  There’s a little something for everyone in it.  There’s action, humor, a love story, and a cool twist on World War II.  Trust me when I say you’ll be happy to spend the money on Captain America, and if you don’t, well… I’m just an idiot and should probably stop writing this blog.

Moneyball Will Make "Money" at the Box Office

**Check out my post from outsidetheboxscore.com, a sports blog my fantasy football league set up**

Source: Source: http://www.filmofilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/moneyball_poster.jpg

Moneyball, a #1 National Best Seller, written by Michael Lewis, has been adapted for the silver screen, and will hit theaters September 23^rd.  Baseball fans are already poppin’ woodies over this movie, and film geeks will soon follow… trust me.  Typically, sports movies tend to market to a niche audience – men, who eat, breathe, and sleep sports; the kind of people who have ESPN engraved into their TVs and refresh Rotoworld every 5 minutes.   Even with superstar Brad Pitt, funny fat-ass Jonah Hill, and Indie legend Philip Seymour Hoffman, you would think a movie about sabermetrics and OBP would have a hard time attracting a mainstream audience.  But that’s where you’re wrong.  Once the public gets word of the players involved, they will want to see this movie.  Moneyball has just started its advertising/marketing campaign (there’s only 1 trailer so far), and we can expect to see a lot more over the next month, that will attract a mainstream audience.  Here’s why Moneyball will meet the hype and make money at the box office.  I’m giving you my Rex Ryan “we’re gonna win it all” guarantee.

Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian Wrote the Screenplay

Don’t know who these guys are? Well you should.  Sorkin won the Oscar for “Best [Adapted]The Social Network and has won a bajillion Emmy’s for The West Wing.   Zaillian, well he wrote a little screenplay called Schindler’s List, which also won the Oscar for “Best [Adapted] Screenplay.”  In the movie world, these 2 guys are high quality writers, whose track records are impeccable.  Some of their other works: American Gangster, A Few Good Men, Gangs of New York, Mission Impossible, and Sports Night. Yeah, these guys don’t fuck around when it comes to screenplays, and they’re sure to bring people to the theater. Screenplay” this year with

Director, Bennett Miller Made a Pretty Damn Good Biopic Called Capote

Bennett Miller has worked with Phillip Seymour Hoffman before.  Bennett Miller was nominated for “Best Director” at the Oscars with his film Capote, which is also based on a book and true story.  Enough said.

The Cast

 

As I mentioned before, Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, and Philip Seymour Hoffman probably can’t do it all on their own, but the triple threat will definitely increase ticket sales.  Brad Pitt is a superstar.  He has made so man good movies from Se7en to Fight Club, and is sure to attract the average-joe.  Jonah Hill can be really funny (Superbad and Get Him to the Greek), which leads you to believe that he’ll provide some good comic relief, and will undoubtedly get younger people and younger sports fans to see the film.  As long as he doesn’t act like this is Funny People or The Invention of Lying, which are the types of films I’d wipe my ass with, there shouldn’t be a problem.  Philip Seymour Hoffman is the wildcard that will attract film geeks.  He has a great reputation in the Indie Film scene, and has proven countless times that he has great acting chops.

It Actually Looks Really Fucking Good

Seriously watch the trailer that’s out.  If you are a baseball fan or just a human, how can you not like what you see?  It’s an underdog story and America loves the fucking underdog.  Just ask George Mason Basketball, Mark Herzlich, or Anthony Robles and they’ll tell you.  ESPN eats that shit up, and so does anyone that owns a TV or goes on the Internet.  It’s actually a captivating story, and the fact that it was a National Bestselling novel should help too.

Mark my words; watch out for Moneyball this fall.  The film budget was 47 million, which in the scheme of things doesn’t look so bad when you have huge blockbusters like Green Lantern shit their pants after dropping 200 million.  At the very least, expect to see a few Oscar nods for Moneyball in the winter.  It might be the Oakland A’s only chance of winning anything anytime soon.

My Top 10 Kids Movies (Live Action)

When I got home from work yesterday, my roommates were watching some prime programming on ABC Family.  No, they weren't watching Cyberbu//y, which looks like an instant classic.  They were watching The Goonies, and to my surprise, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (The good one with Gene Wilder) came on right afterward.  This got me thinking, what are my favorite kids movies of all time.  Now, I had to leave out animated films for this list, because it would have been WAY too difficult. Although a lot of you probably won't agree with me, here's a list of my favorite live-action kids movies, that I still love and quote today.

10. Hook 

Here's the thing about Hook, I didn't actually see it for the first time until I was 18. Either way, it's still an epic kids movie, and I would have loved it if I were 7 when I first saw it.  Robin Williams is in his heyday playing Peter Pan.  There are countless memorable moments from Rufio chants to the epic sword fights with Dustin Hoffman as Captain Hook.  To make the movie EVEN BETTER, John Williams composed the score and Steven Spielberg directed the movie. Win.

9. The Mighty Ducks (1&2)

Emilio Estevez, Joshua Jackson, Keenan Thompson (when he was funny). What an all-star lineup for the Bad News Bears-esque Hockey movies.  There are classic moments in these films that I still reference today.  I can't tell you how many times we start the slow quack in intramural sports or sarcastically motivate ourselves with DUCKS FLY TOGETHER! I'm pretty sure the Anaheim Mighty Ducks were a result of the movies, which probably brought some actual popularity to the NHL for a little while.  Quality films that never get old, they just don't make kids sports movies like this anymore.  It's KNUCKLE PUCK TIME!

8. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

I swear this is actually a kids movie produced by Disney.  This film-noir styled live-action, animated combo directed by Robert Zemeckis, came before cartoons had to be politically correct and censored.  Whoever drew Jessica Rabbit has an absolutely sick mind, because for a cartoon ... well never mind... but she even said it, with the famous line, "I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way."  Roger Rabbit is definitely an underrated cartoon character, he's funny and absurd, which is a great combination for constant laughs.  There are plenty of cartoon cameos from Donald and Daffy Duck, Mickey, and many many more.  Christopher Lloyd even plays the infamous Judge Doom. 

7. Mary Poppins

There's not much to say, this film is iconic.  Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins) in one of her most memorable roles, accompanied by the versatile Dick Van Dyke (Bert).  It's hard not to sing along with all of the songs, which is probably why it has become a popular musical on Broadway.  Again, a movie with the live-action/animation combo. 

6. The Wizard of Oz

One of the most famous films in American History, this film can be defined by one word, Classic.  The sequence where Dorothy is transported to Oz and everything comes into color may be argued as the best film scene ever.  This movie is timeless, and Judy Garland's performance of Dorothy is amazing.  

5. E.T.

Another classic kids film from Steven Spielberg and fantastic score from John Williams.  Drew Barrymore is an innocent little girl (that didn't last long). Again, this film has so many memorable moments that are spoofed, adapted, and referenced in so many other pieces of pop culture.  These scenes include: Luring E.T. in with Reese's pieces, E.T. pointing and saying, "E.T. phone home," E.T. healing Elliott's finger with his own finger, and Elliott flying on his bike trying to save E.T. with the moon in the background. I mean, who could forget all of those moments. 

4. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (The Good One)

No not that piece of shit, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Johnny Depp as crepy/pedophile Willy Wonka, I'm talking about the fantasmical original version with Gene Wilder.  This is my sister's favorite movie, so I've watched it many, many times.  She liked it so much that she used to watch it two times in a row. Quite frankly I can't blame her.  Like many other movies on this list, there are countless songs that are so fun to sing-a-long with.  The Oompa-Loompa's are creepy, but their riddle-songs are always hysterical.  Gene Wilder plays Wonka with the right amount of humor and creepy/intrigue.  Made in 1971, Wonka's factory was such a beautiful sight, and just made you WANT candy, so, so badly.

3. Back to the Future (Trilogy)

Notice a pattern here? Most of these films are ICONIC. The Back to the Future trilogy certainly fits the build.  Unfortunately this is another film that I never saw until I was 18 (I don't know why, honest), but I have to put it at number 3 anyway.  The first film was by far the best one (they got worse with each sequel), but they are all extremely enjoyable.  It's a lot of fun to watch all 3 in a row, and follow the adventures of Marty McFly and the Doc.  In my opinion this has to be Michael J. Fox's most memorable role and Christopher Llyod does a great cooky, lovable character in the Doc.  Great Scott!

2. The Goonies

I have to thank my buddy Jon for being obsessed with his movie, because I never saw it until (yeah you guessed it) I was 18. **NOTE** I'm pretty sure all the movies I saw when I was 18 I watched in the same day with Jon.  Growing up people always told me to do the truffle shuffle, but I had no idea what they were talking about.  Now I couldn't picture not seeing this film.  The soundtrack is AMAZING, thank you Dave Grusin.  The cast is AMAZING: Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Josh Brolin, and SHORT ROUND! And who could forget Chunk and Sloth, what a great friendship. Oh and what a surprise, Steven Spielberg came up with the story and was an Executive Producer.  Goonies never say die, and this movie will certainly live in children film immortality. 

1. The Sandlot

I don't care what anyone says, this is my favorite kids movie and movie from my childhood... ever. I love baseball, so naturally I like this movie even more.  Every line, ever scene, and every character just resonated so well with me growing up.  I can't tell you how often I quote this movie, because it's way too much.  Whenever someone does something dumb, "You're killin' me Smalls." Whenever I use the word forever, "For-E-Ver." I've even used Squints' famous scene, where he fakes drowning, as the attention getting device for the opening of my impromptu speeches.  This movie is just AMAZING.  I rarely come across someone who doesn't like The Sandlot.  It's everything that was good about kids movies before the late 90s.  I don't know what wrong, but they sure as hell don't make 'em like they used to (Notice that the most recent movie I have listed, D2: Mighty Ducks, is from 1994).  

PS. I really wanted to put Home Alone on here, but I figured Steve Spielberg already had 2 films. 

**HONORABLE MENTIONS:  Heavyweights, Harry Potter (1-4), Rookie of the Year, Angels in the Outfield, The Big Green, Beethoven, Homeward Bound, The Santa Claus, The Little Giants, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, and The Little Rascals

Comic Con is Awesome Cause it Gives us Trailers

Although the majority of the world isn't at Comic Con the Internet allows us to benefit from all of the awesome parts of Comic Con without actually going to San Diego.  One of those awesome parts is all of the great trailers for upcoming movies and tv shows this fall, and let me tell you, I am giddy over a slew of trailers. In the worlds of Glen Quagmire, "Giggity Giggity let's go..."

Dexter Season 6 - I love this show. Michael C. Hall is amazing. Now Colin Hanks joins the cast, and there's a religion based theme to the season. Should be real interesting.

PS if you didn't realize it Hope Solo has been playing Deb all of these years...

Drive - I intern for the company that produced this movie, but NO this isn't a shameless plug.  Ryan Gosling is has Oscar nominee written all over in this film, and everyone's favorite villain, Bryan Cranston is also part of the cast.  Oh and who doesn't like hotties Carey Mulligan and Christina Hendricks.

Paranormal Activity 3 - The first one was good. Haven't seen the second. But Here's the trailer for the 3rd.

The Fighter -- Wicked Fawking Awesome

Rating: 8.0/10 --> Great film of 2010

Source: http://www.filmofilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/the_fighter-535x383.jpg

Directed by: David O. Russell

Written by: Scott Silver (Based on a True Story)

It’s understandable why The Fighter was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars this past year.  It was a very well done boxing movie that made me think of Raging Bull.  However, there is one significant difference between The Fighter and Raging Bull.  In Raging BullThe Fighter, the supporting roles played by Christian Bale and Melissa Leo carried the film.  David O. Russell did a great job with the directing and shot selection in The Fighter, but there wasn’t anything that stood out about it.  Essentially, I wanted to see Christian Bale and Melissa Leo on the screen as much as possible, rather than Marky Mark and Amy Adams.  Their exceptional acting makes it very clear that they were both very deserving of their Oscar wins. Robert De Niro, who played the lead, carried the film along with Scorsese’s fantastic Directing, whereas in

The Fighter is a story about Lowell, Massachusetts legends: former esteemed boxer, Micky Ward (Wahlberg), and his brother Dicky Eklund (Bale), who was the “Pride of Lowell” when he knocked out Sugar Ray Leonard.  Dicky is Micky’s trainer, but finds himself consumed by drugs, causing him to be late for training sessions and go missing for days on end.  In attempts to become the successful boxer he knows he can be, Micky ditches Dicky as his trainer, and his mother/manager Alice (Leo).  Things start to go well for Micky. He gets a girlfriend, Charlene (Adams), and starts winning more matches.  Since, I don’t want to ruin the whole movie for you, I’m not gonna summarize the ending…

Don’t get me wrong, The Fighter is a really enjoyable, entertaining movie.  Christian Bale and Melissa Leo just so happen to give such powerful performances, that their time on the screen outweighs every other aspect of this movie in my mind. 

The actual boxing scenes are great.  There’s good energy and pace to the sequences that make you feel like you’re sitting just outside the ring.  Russell chose an interesting way to stylize these scenes too.  At times the color and quality are adjusted so that the sequences actually look like they are an HBO broadcast.  I’m not sure if I liked this or if it was distracting, but I certainly noticed it. 

Usually, I would like an orchestrated score for dramas such as this, but the Classic Rock soundtrack certainly works in this situation.  “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake, “Good Times Bad Times” by Led Zeppelin, and “Strip My Mind” by Red Hot Chili Peppers were just a few of the great songs chosen to pump you up in the movie.  They certainly worked, because when you think of boxing and training, Rock music definitely provides the right tone for the movie.  

All in all, The Fighter is a great film carried by the Oscar winning performances of Christian Bale and Melissa Leo.  It deserved the Oscar nomination for Best Picture, even with a 10-film playing field.  It’s worth it to rent this on DVD and watch it on a big TV.  It’s worth taking 2 hours out of your day to see a crazy Christian Bale reminiscent of his character in American Psycho (because quite frankly being crazy and being on crack are pretty much the same thing).  If you’re a chick… there’s plenty of Marky Mark with his shirt off, don’t worry.  Oh, and there’s plenty of wicked retawded Bawston accents for everyone.

Rayner… Out…

Nickelodeon Finally Gets it Right

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It was announced  yesterday that Nickelodeon will play 90's Nick shows from Midnight-4am on TeenNick.  You can read the article here.

I can't tell you how awesome this is.  When I interviewed with Nickelodeon in April I said it would be great if they brought back some old 90s shows.  I was so prepared to pitch this exact idea to Nick if I got the job, but luckily, Nickelodeon interns from last summer beat me to the punch. Apparently, Nickelodeon finally decided to add the shows to late night TeenNick after various social-networking sites, such as Facebook, had groups pleading to bring back the old shows.  It makes sense that they FINALLY did it. I mean I can't tell you how many times I get into a conversation with someone around my age about how much BETTER cartoons were when we were growing up.  So thank you Nickelodeon, now us college kids will have something to look forward to when we get home hammered after a night of partying.  This sure as hell beats watching random HBO movies late at night or Sportscenter on repeat.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 -- My Childhood is Slowly Coming to an End

Rating: 8.9/10 --> Why are you reading this, go see it now!!! 

Source: http://seat42f.com/images/stories/Movies/Posters/Harry-Potter-And-The-Deathly-Hallows-Part-2.jpg

Wow.

I was extremely pleased with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.  If you think of the Part 1 and Part 2 as one giant movie it’s an extremely well done film.  David Yates has won me back.  It took me a while to forgive him for the shit he put on the screen with Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, but he definitely redeemed himself with the final chapter of the Harry Potter saga.  I loved pretty much everything about the movie. The soundtrack gets me every time. I’m a music geek, so I get chills just hearing Hedwig’s theme, and every other epic composition in the film.  The acting was way better.  The cliché dialogue was exactly what I was hoping for, because that’s what made the books so enjoyable as a kid.  I couldn’t help but gasp like a little schoolgirl when I realized Molly Weasley was about to tell Bellatrix, “Not my daughter, you BITCH!”  That scene was fantastic!  I thoroughly enjoyed my midnight showing, and the LARPing that occurred outside the theater elevated the experience.  A bunch of Potter geeks ran around yelling curses at each other, waving their wands like they were real. Priceless.

See the thing is you HAVE TO ignore everything you know about the books, so that you can just ENJOY the movie.  It’s an adaptation.  Things are going to get left out, things are going to get changed, and you just have to deal with it.  If you can get past that, then you’ll like the movie so much more.  However, there are a few little things that could have been done about Part 2, that would have made the film easier to understand for those who haven’t read the books, because let’s be real, if you’ve read the book, it’s so easy to understand exactly what’s going on, because even if it’s wrong, you’re correcting it in your head.  So here are the few things I’d fix…

SNAPE’S MEMORIES & THE PERCEPTION OF JAMES POTTER

I read on the IMDB boards that some people thought Snape was Harry’s father.  As RIDICULOUS as that is, I can understand why (but seriously, there was never a doubt James was his father, and he looks EXACTLY like James, clearly Snape’s not his father).  The filmmakers make it so that you sympathize with Snape so much that you forget he was a complete douche to Harry.  That’s fine, but one little line was left out, which would have made the Snape, Lily, James love triangle clearer… When Snape calls Lily a mudblood. This little forgone scene shows Snape’s darker side, and is the reason Lily stops being friends with Snape, and ultimately marries James.  That would have taken 2 seconds to add in.  Instead, to non book-readers James is a complete dick and Snape is just the misunderstood goth kid that could never find love.  Even in the Resurrection Stone scene, James says something encouraging to Harry, but he just ignores him.  That being said, the sequence in Snape’s memories was extremely well done (besides omitting that one scene) and Alan Rickman was an amazing Snape. 

WAIT, WHICH TWIN DIED?

They really didn’t do the twins any justice.  There’s no way you can’t love Fred and George.  If you don’t you’re dead to me.  There was never a clear shot to indicate which twin was Fred and which twin was George.  It would have been so easy to show George’s ear missing at some point to make it clear that FRED is the one who dies.  Also, draw out our emotions, make us cry, show Fred DYING!! It was so graceful and eloquent in the book, but in the movie we have no indication of him dying besides his lifeless body.  The only way you could even figure out that it was Fred who dies, is by listening to Neville’s monologue at the end. 

IS HARRY INVINCIBLE OR SOMETHING????

Ok so Harry is SUPPOSED to come back from the dead because he has the Resurrection Stone in his hand, the invisibility cloak, and was the current master of the Elder Wand, allowing him to defeat death, and choose to come back and fight Voldemort.  So why in the world does he drop the Resurrection Stone in the Forbidden Forest?  It doesn’t make sense why he comes back to life; rather he just appears invincible, when really that’s not the case at all.  The Hallows are the key to this story, but they are minute details in the movie. 

------ Like I said, I REALLY REALLY REALLY liked Part 2.  When you think of Part 1 and Part 2 as one movie it’s actually an epic film.  These little things that I think Yates and his team could have included would only elevate the film and make it a little less confusing for those who have not read the books (which you need to do NOW).  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is a great film, and it just might beat Batman: The Dark Knight’s weekend box office record of $158.4 million.  But don’t worry; Batman: The Dark Knight Rises will reclaim the crown.

P.S. - When's the last time they actually showed Harry with his lightning scar (not as a baby)?

Rayner… Out…

The Thing -- It's Backkkkkk

Source: http://gamingshogun.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/the-thing-trailer.jpg

The Thing is a horror movie I would actually go pay to see in theaters.  The trailer did a great job of making me want to see it. Plus, it always help to have an absolute Smokeshow - Mary Elizabeth Winstead - as the lead. 

Check out the new trailer - The Thing Trailer 

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World -- Bam! Pow! AWESOME!

Rating: 8.0/10 --> Put it on your Netflix Queue NOW!

http://www.moviewallpapers.net/images/wallpapers/2010/scott-pilgrim-vs-the-world/scott-pilgrim-vs-the-world-1-1024.jpg

Directed by: Edgar Wright
Written by: Michael Bacall and Edgar Wright

I’m not gonna lie, when I first saw the trailer for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, I thought it looked like shit. Not just, “oh this looks like a shitty movie,” I’m talking big pile of dog-shit, how could you let Michael Cera even attempt to be a bad ass with super fighting skills.  Then I heard how awesome it was.  Yeah, awesome.  And it wasn’t just comic book nerds saying the movie was sweet, a lot of people were telling me you have to check out this movie.  So I figured, what the hell, Edgar Wright directed it, so it’s probably pretty good. I knew that at the very least it would LOOK good, so I watched it…

Wow.

If you like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, then you will definitely like Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.  Even if you haven’t seen those movies, or don’t particularly like them, I’m gonna tell you why you should see Scott Pilgrim in 7 reasons (just like the 7 evil girlfriends, aren’t I witty?)

1.  Edgar Wright kicks ass.  This movie feels like you’re watching the graphic novel.  The shot selection, special effects, and editing style depict the comic book panel style.  The quick pace editing resembles the quickness of reading a comic book, the freeze frame shots with “pow” emblems are just campy enough, and the special effects are fun and slightly exaggerated adding to the superhero feel. 

2.  Michael Cera is actually kind of a badass.  We’re so used to the painfully awkward Michael Cera, but in Scott Pilgrim, he has a sarcastic tone to him that’s actually funny.  There are some classic awkward Michael Cera moments, but they don’t outweigh the new bad ass Michael Cera.

3.  The supporting cast is really good.  Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Ramona Flowers) does her part as the leading lady.  Alison Pill (Kim), Mark Webber (Stephen), and Johnny Simmons (Young Neil) make up Scott’s band.  They provide great jokes and one-liners throughout the movie.  Ellen Wong (Knives), Scott’s overenthusiastic girlfriend is comical because of how infatuated she is with the mediocre Scott.  Finally there’s never a dull moment when Kieran Culkin (Wallace [and yes that’s), Scott’s gay roommate, and Anna Kendrick (Stacye) from Up in the Air, Scott’s sassy sister, are on screen.

4.  The story.  The idea that Scott has to fight and destroy Ramona’s 7 evil boyfriends (one of which is actually a girlfriend), so that he can date her, is so ridiculous, but somehow it works.  It’s ridiculous enough that it gets you interested, and allows for the superhuman/effects heavy film.  The plotline is humorous in itself.

5.  The fight scenes with the boyfriends.  These scenes look like a Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat video game, but that’s what makes it so freaking sweet.  There’s nothing like ordinary looking people fighting to the death with super powers.

6.  The animated sequence was a nice touch.  I won’t ruin it for you, but there are some cool animated aspects to the film

7.  Edgar Wright (again).  It’s worth mentioning Wright again, because his style just works so well for this movie.  Also, I didn’t really have a 7^th thing to say, so yeah…

Buried - Ryan Reynolds Can Act?

Rating: 7.0/10 --> Good Sunday afternoon movie when you're bored

Source: http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/buried_movie_poster_01.jpg

Buried, directed by Rodrigo Cortés and written by Chris Sparling, is an interesting indie film that proves Ryan Reynolds can actually act.  I watched this movie with my LA roommates a few nights ago, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I actually enjoyed the movie.  To be honest I wasn’t too keen on watching this movie back in April when my buddy Grant INSISTED we watch it, but I owe him an apology, because it was pretty damn good.  I wouldn’t go out of my way to pay and see it in theaters, but watching this film on DVD was worth the time.

The Summary:  Paul Conroy (Reynolds) wakes up buried alive in a coffin.  His captors leave him with a cell phone, a lighter, and some alcohol.  Ryan only has until 9pm to get his captors 1-millon dollars; otherwise he’s going to die.

My Thoughts: One of Buried’s most captivating features is the feeling of claustrophobia. I don’t know about you but I’m scared shitless of small spaces.  The thought of being trapped in a coffin with only a few hours to live makes me cringe.  Reynolds pulls off the anxiety and fear one would experience in a life or death situation really well.  He’s frantic, flustered, sweating profusely, cursing like a sailor, and going insane. Yup, sounds about right. I’d probably die from pure shock if I woke up in a coffin.  Reynolds honestly did a great job.  He deserves a lot more credit for his acting ability than he’s given, but I guess that’s what happens when you do movies like Van Wilder and The Proposal.

As for the cinematography, it was pretty exceptional for only having a small and confined space to work with.  Lighting was an essential part of making the film look good, and Cortés did a fantastic job.  For a movie that literally only takes place in a coffin, I was never bored with the shot selection.  Cortés made the film really interesting, even though there wasn’t much to work with.  The writing was fairly good too.  There were some twists and turns (I won’t ruin them for you) that I was not expecting at all.  If Buried had been predictable, it would have been an absolute terrible movie. 

Bottom Line: Buried is an above average movie, but nothing special.  For a movie in only one setting, it’s pretty captivating and interesting.  Ryan Reynolds does a great job conveying the stress and anxiety one would face when buried alive in a coffin.  The main problem lies in the fact that some aspects are just “come on” moments.  Every person Conroy calls on the cell phone doesn’t pick up, people don’t believe his story, and he’s given a hard time by the American government.  It loses some credibility with these moments, but generally speaking, Buried is an entertaining movie, and that’s what movies are supposed to do ENTERTAIN you.  So if you get a chance to see this “On Demand” or “Red Box” it’s worth it.  After this movie, you’ll probably be claustrophobic. 

Transformers: Dark of the Moon - Typical Michael Bay

It's been a while.. but I've finally found some time to write stuff. More to come later...

Rating: 6.7/10 --> See a matinee in 3D, otherwise wait until DVD

http://www.clattoverata.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Transformers-Dark-of-the-Moon-Poster1.jpg

I saw Transformers: Dark of the Moon opening weekend, knowing that I would just see a typical Michael Bay movie.  Trust me, there was never a moment in my mind that this would be the next greatest movie of all time.  All I wanted was to see some explosions, hot chicks, and alien robots beat up on each other.  What did I get when I saw Transformers? Exactly that, and in 3D. While still better than the second movie, Dark of the Moon was all in all crap.  But somehow, the world loves it.  To date Transformers: Dark of the Moon has brought in $645 million internationally.

Michael Bay gave me everything I expected and wanted, but it still wasn’t good enough.  The movie just ENDED out of nowhere.  Seriously, the movie climaxed, then went to sleep on us.  Optimus has this pretty cool battle with Megatron and Sentinel where he uses only one arm to kill them and saves the entire world.  Then the movie is just over, there’s no resolution, nothing at all.  It wasn’t even a cliffhanger, so it makes no sense.  Bay could have easily taken 20-30 minutes out of the earlier scenes and given us an ending, but he didn’t.  Instead of being a flashy alright movie, Transformers built all of this hype then just left me there wanting more.  I almost thought that the movie was actually worth the 15 dollars. 

Instead of wasting your time analyzing the sweet special effects or breaking down the story and acting (which there really wasn’t any), I’m just going to give you a pros and cons list.

Pros:

·        Sweet special fx/cgi

·        Rosie Huntington-Whiteley – So HOT

·        Ken Jeong’s random scene – It made no sense, but it was hilarious, especially if you’re a Ken Jeong fan (otherwise it might scare you)

·        A lot of robot battle scenes and car chases

·        Random one liners

·        Steve the Pirate – Haven't seen this guy since Dodgeball, but he was really funny

Cons

·        The lack of story development and an ending

·        Same old annoying Shia LaBeouf

·        Misogynistic – huge gender role issues

·        Too long – A lot of unnecessary scenes  

·        John Malkovich – his character was pointless and dumb

·        Such a high cost ticket, especially for 3D

No Thursday Lunch Special for You

I'm taking off from blogging today.  A lot of work at my internship.  Expect reviews of movies like Catfish, Scott Pilgrim vs the World, and more tomorrow though.

Daily Entertainment Links: Wednesday Edition

Source: http://www.capsulecorp-online.com/images/imageim/NN7986%20The%20Horcrux%20Locket.jpg

I feel like being nice, so instead of making you find all of these links yourself, I'll give them to you. 

Can't wait for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.  Neither can I, so here's a featurette on the horcruxes.  (Comingsoon.net)

Chris Hemsworth (Thor), is attached to star in the new film Shadow Runner. (Collider)

Maybe making such a crappy 2nd movie made people skeptical to see Transformers: Dark of the Moon(Super Hero Hype) at midnight...

Holy toquitos Batman! Joe Rogan is gonna host the Fear Factor revival. Let's pretend like we're REALLY excited!!!! (TV Guide)

What to do when you gotta go Number 2.. At Work..

Source: http://thetvlegion.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/howimetyourmother_s4e12.jpg

A buddy and I discussed the awkwardness of having to drop the kids off at the pool while you're at work.  It is extremely stressful; do you go while at work, where everyone will KNOW you just went, or wait it out until you get home, which will undoubtedly make your insides explode.  Well, the debate went on, and we both agreed you just have to suck it up and go.  

Trust me I'm not randomly talking about dropping a deuce.  The conversation made me think of a great episode of How I Met Your Mother, where Marshall has the same problem at his law office.

What Wednesday Means To Me...

Wednesdays are that infamous middle of the week, where you just can't wait to get to the weekend.  Two more days, that's all you need to have made it through another work week.  Wednesday is the ultimate test of if you're going to make it through.  Wednesdays, though, have a little more meaning for me.  I can't park anywhere near my office because from 10am-2pm there is NO PARKING for street cleaning.  This would normally be really annoying, but luckily I carpool with someone who just takes the car instead, and picks me up at the end of the day.  So on this grand Wednesday morning (CA)/ afternoon (east coast) I present to you something that always cheers me up... Tino Martinez hitting a grand slam in game one of the 1998 World Series.  Beer flying in the air as the home run reached the upper deck.  An 8 year old Rayner, jumping for joy, as I was falling asleep during the game that started at 8pm.  The pitch that almost struck him out.  What a great at bat.

And to make matters even funnier, 13 years later, Tino hits a home run at old timers day, gut out, off David Cone.

Daily Entertainment Links: Tuesday Edition

Source: http://scm-l3.technorati.com/10/08/05/15805/Watch-Breaking-Bad-Season-3-Episodes-Online-for-FREE-Download-Breaking-Bad-Season-3-Episodes-Torrents.jpg

Preview for season 4 of AMC's hit show Breaking Bad. (Entertainment Weekly)

Guillermo Del Toro talks about Hulk TV series. (Super Hero Hype)

Lord of the Rings box set on BluRay is available today. The battle scenes have to look sick! (First Showing.net)

If you like Tom Cruise, I guess you'll like this trailer for the new Mission Impossible trailer... just don't get sucked in to scientology. (Coming Soon.net)