Archive Page 555
August 8th, 2011 by Brian White
They say that things always happen for a reason in life, right? Well I got to tell you, I have had some pretty remarkable events occur in my lifetime and everyone of them seemed to have had a purpose/higher calling in serving as a stepping stone to further my career. And all of them were a result of a certain catalyst or coincidental stimulus in life that I was unaware would happen. So yeah, I truly believe things happen for a reason in my life…especially the good ones…and this past Thursday afternoon was no exception to that rule. It was a day that I will always remember in my budding movie career. It’s the day that I had the pleasure and honor to interview, what may have been one of the most influential, candid and down-to-earth people I have ever met in the industry, writer/director/actor Mr. Marcus Dean Fuller. Continue reading ‘Interview with ONE FALL’s Marcus Dean Fuller’
August 7th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
It is interesting to take in an indie film such as this. On the one hand, it is a dream for lovelorn mechanical engineers, as the film is a love story or sorts and was literally made with homemade cameras and revolves around a car customized and built for this film. On the other hand, it takes a lot of the goodwill setup very well in the first half and descends into bleakness that may put off a lot of people. It is admirable to see all of the work from first time filmmaker Evan Glodell that went into this picture, but the massive tonal shifts and experimental filmmaking are sure to alienate some viewers. Regardless, one thing is for sure – the car they built for this film is pretty freaking awesome. Continue reading ‘‘Bellflower’ Ignites Apocalyptic Indie Romance’
August 6th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
A world dominated by apes became the fascination of many back in 1968, when the original Planet of the Apes opened. The sci-fi classic went on to spawn 4 sequels, two television series, and the 2001 re-imagining of the film, directed by Tim Burton. Regardless of the mixed opinions concerning the most recent entry, 20th Century Fox seemed to not be able to get their stinking paws off of this franchise, as we now have another re-imagining/remake of sorts. While having a lot in common with the fourth film in the original series, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a new origin story for the series, with a fresh take on establishing its timeline continuity. It also happens to be a supremely entertaining film that combines great special effects work with a building tale of revolution. Continue reading ‘Apes Will ‘Rise’, Caesar Will Lead’
August 6th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
Studio Head: Man, remember back in the 80s when all of those body-switching comedy movies were really popular? We made tons of money then. Do we have any ideas like that out there now? Studio Plot Pitcher: Well sir, there are some big, big comedies recently, which have all benefited from having an R-rating, as if we were back in another time or something. What if we took the best of both worlds and made a crude, R-rated, body-switching comedy? Studio Head: …You know what I think? I think you’re going to get a promotion! Studio Plot Pitcher: That’s nice to hear sir. I had two actors in mind, who are both likable and funny. Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds both have a knack for specific characters and are opposites of each other. They could play two guys that “change-up” their personalities for an amount of time, before learning a lesson. Studio Head: Did you say “Change-Up”? If you did, I think we just found our title! Reynolds and Bateman huh? Sounds good, even if the film does not take much intelligence to come up with, at least we have two solid leads that can deliver plenty of material for us to edit around. Studio Plot Pitcher: Agreed sir, I’ll make the calls, you write the checks. Continue reading ‘Reynolds And Bateman ‘Change-Up’ During One Big Freaky Friday’
August 6th, 2011 by Jami Ferguson
James Caan (The Godfather), Nicolas Cage (Face/Off) and Sarah Jessica Parker (“Sex in the City”) are three sides of a deliriously funny triangle that gambles with an off beat premise and hits the jackpot with big laughs! Jack Singer (Cage) is terrified of commitment but even more terrified of losing his beautiful school teacher fiancée Betsy (Parker). So as an act of faith, he takes the plunge and agrees to tie the knot in a quickie Vegas ceremony. But when he makes a bad $60,000 bet with mobster Tommy Korman (Caan), the marriage “knot” and all of Jack’s dreams starts unraveling fast. The only way that Korman will forgive the debt, he says, is if Jack will loan him Betsy for the rest of the weekend! It’s yet another sucker bet for Jack though because Korman plans to win Betsy away for good! I just finished reviewing Overboard, which arrived along with Honeymoon in Vegas. I recalled both films with fond memories. Overboard was everything I remembered and Honeymoon in Vegas left me wondering what was I thinking?
Continue reading ‘Honeymoon in Vegas (Blu-ray Review)’
August 5th, 2011 by Brianna Reagh
There is only a 2% difference between the human genetic code and an ape. What makes up that 2% difference is hard to tell, especially when seeing Rise of the Planet Apes. The relationship between humans and apes, from communicating through sign language to aggressively defending those close to you, provided an almost disturbing yet lingering feeling of the insignificant difference between the human world and the planet of the apes. This movie provided the bond between James Franco, John Lithgow, and Andy Serkis, a union as uncommon as apes becoming extraordinarily smart and taking over the planet…or is it…? Continue reading ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes: The 2% Difference’
August 5th, 2011 by Sean Ferguson
Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe, starring Bruce Campbell, originally premiered Sunday, April 17 on USA Network. The prequel film to USA’s smash hit series Burn Notice takes place in Colombia 2005 when Lieutenant Commander Sam Axe (Campbell) is sent to advise a local military platoon. It’s there he discovers deep layers of deception and ultimately realizes he may be allied with the wrong side. Shot on location in Bogota, Colombia, the two hour movie was directed by Burn Notice star Jeffrey Donovan who also has a cameo in the film. Continue reading ‘Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe (Blu-ray Review)’
August 3rd, 2011 by Sean Ferguson
The champagne is flowing and so is the fun in this romantic comedy about two people who belong together but just can’t seem to tie the knot. Ushering in two Academy Award nominations, and starring Hugh Grant (Notting Hill), Andie MacDowell (Short Cuts) and a superb ensemble cast that includes Oscar nominee Kristin Scott Thomas (The English Patient), Four Weddings and a Funeral has a fantastic cast. Charlie (Grant) is always the best man but never the groom. Determined to avoid even a hint of commitment, this handsome English gentleman is notoriously late to every wedding. But today he’s in for a real surprise because not only did he forget the ring… but he also just caught a glimpse of the girl of his dreams (MacDowell)! Continue reading ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral (Blu-ray Review)’
August 3rd, 2011 by Jami Ferguson
What were you doing in 1987? I was busy having my 10th birthday and Garry Marshall was busy directing Overboard. Overboard is one of those movies that wouldn’t make it into my top 100 – but I always stop clicking through the channels when I see it on cable. The following plot summary will summarize the whole entire movie without concern for spoilers. I’m assuming that everyone in the universe has already seen this movie if they cared to, or can at least guess what would happen anyway. Continue reading ‘Overboard (Blu-ray Review)’
August 2nd, 2011 by Kori Kemerer
It’s events like these that really make me sad that I don’t live on the glorious West Coast. If I did, I would be here for this. It’s not because of Marley & Me, but instead for my love of animals. Although I can never bring myself to ever watch Marley & Me, something tells me I could probably stomach Marley & Me: The Puppy Years. I think! Anyway, the Blu-ray comes out on August 16th, but all the fun is to be had on the 13th. Read the full press release below for more details. Continue reading ‘Join Marley & Friends For An Awesome Day Of Family Fun’
August 2nd, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
Saturday was another busy day for San Diego Comic Con. Unfortunately I was not able to attend the panel in Hall H for Francis Ford Coppola’s new film Twixt, which I have heard was one of the more interesting panels at Comic Con. However, right after I caught a glimpse of Coppola, I did manage to get seated for the panel that followed afterward, which is the new Greek Myth-themed action epic, Immortals. While some may be interested (or disinterested) because of its at-first-glance similarities to 300, I have been intrigued by this film due to director Tarsem Singh, who has a unique visual style. I’ll admit that I was also really hoping to see star Mickey Rourke at the panel as well, but unfortunately he was a no show. That said, audiences still got to witness a pretty killer panel, as we were treated to some very cool clips from the film and some insight about the production. Continue reading ‘SDCC 2011 – Relativity Media: Immortals’
August 2nd, 2011 by Sean Ferguson
Break a leg and tag along with Kermit, Miss Piggy and the rest of the gang as they strive for Broadway stardom in the 1984 Oscar-nominated musical caper The Muppets Take Manhattan. New York City will never be the same as everyone’s favorite fuzzy friends take their musical “Manhattan Melodies” to Broadway, encountering outrageous celebrity cameos along the way including Joan Rivers, Liza Minelli, Gregory Hines, Brooke Shields and Mayor Ed Koch. Then, cross a time-space continuum and join the Muppets in a zany Disco-inspired comedy about the search for Gonzo’s past. The entire Muppet cast, led by Kermit and Miss Piggy, must save Gonzo and make the world safe for a friendly alien invasion in Muppets from Space, co-starring Jeffrey Tambor, F. Murray Abraham, David Arquette, Josh Charles, Hollywood Hogan, Ray Liotta and Andie MacDowell. Continue reading ‘The Muppets Take Manhatten and Muppets From Space Finally Hit Blu-ray August 16th!’
August 1st, 2011 by Sean Ferguson
Authorized by the Buster Keaton estate and mastered in HD from 35mm archival film elements, The Short Films Collection gathers all of Keaton’s solo silent comedies in one monumental three-disc set. Widely considered to be among Keaton’s finest work, the nineteen two-reel shorts are loaded with laughs, punctuated by breath-taking stunts, and bursting with raw creativity. Over the course of this three-year period, Keaton evolved from a successful slapstick comedian into one of cinema’s most inventive visual stylists, and became an enduring icon of American popular culture.
Continue reading ‘Buster Keaton – The Short Films Collection 1920-1923 (Blu-ray Review)’
August 1st, 2011 by Gerard Iribe
Eagle Rock Entertainment has brought forth one of their latest music releases on the Blu-ray format. This Blu-ray release is entitled Deep Purple: Phoenix Rising. This line-up would affectionately be called the Mark III line-up. Coverdale – Hughes – Bolin – Paice – Lord. Yep, who would have thought that the singer for Whitesnake would have started his career out with an already legendary band like Deep Purple? It’s true. This is a unique Blu-ray release in that it is more of a documentary on the Mark III line-up , but features very little in the way of performances. It’s a hybrid of sorts. How did it turn out? Tickets please! Continue reading ‘Deep Purple: Phoenix Rising (Blu-ray Review)’
July 31st, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
Avatar: The Last Airbender was a Nickelodeon series that ran for three seasons, starting in 2005. It was praised for being both a strong action series and for containing a compelling story and characters, who all possessed their own personalities and arcs. That series reached its very fitting end in 2008, but the plans for a continuation in some way has been in the making for some time. Finally, at this year’s San Diego Comic Con, the creative team behind The Last Airbender spent time explaining the new continuation of the series, The Legend of Korra, and premiered a first look at the new season. Continue reading ‘SDCC 2011: Nickelodeon: The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra’
July 30th, 2011 by Gerard Iribe
I remember seeing a trailer for The Warrior’s Way not too long ago and was not very impressed by what I saw. I don’t know if it was the mood I was in, or if it was the attitude of, “not another one of these Hong Kong imports,” etc. I did see some familiar faces in it like Kate Bosworth, Geoffrey Rush, and Danny Huston. I also saw an unfamiliar face in that of Jang Dong Gun. Who? That’s what I said. It also dawned on me that the film was also being sold on the backs of the primary American cast. Hey, it’s business. I’m sure they sold it the other way around in Asia. Once I got word that I was going to review the Blu-ray I got kind of excited. I tried not to read to much on the film itself, because I wanted to be surprised. Did the film succeed in keeping me entertained? Was it any good in general? All these questions shall be answered in our Blu-ray review for The Warrior’s Way. Continue reading ‘The Warrior’s Way (Blu-ray Review)’
July 30th, 2011 by Gregg Senko
Ahh, the famed Jersey Shore. Easily one of the most popular reality TV shows of all time…and I had never watched an episode until this collection came across my desk. I’m well aware of its popularity and even know a few peeps who have an addiction to the show. So, how does this compare to past seasons? I can’t answer that. How does this season stand up in regard to pure entertainment factor? Keep on scrolling, kids…
Continue reading ‘Jersey Shore: Season 3 Uncensored (DVD Review)’
July 30th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
For a movie titled ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ to play itself completely straight, it sure does come off as awful silly in many instances. More importantly, the film comes off as very dull in many instances, which is quite unfortunate. Despite having a big name cast, big name producers, a big name director, and eight credited writers, not much beyond having both cowboys and aliens in the same movie was done to make it more enjoyable. I was hoping it could deliver, as this film was one of my most anticipated of the summer; however, it lacks anything beyond the strength of a good high concept. Continue reading ‘‘Cowboys & Aliens’ Is One Rootin’ Tootin’ Genre Mash-Up’
