Dreary Portland Weather = Many Movies Watched

Well, it may be Spring in other parts of the country, but Portland isn't quite ready to let go of Winter. After a few nice weeks in Jan/Feb, the weather has turned cold, dreary and even snowy here in mid-March. A perfect time to catch up on some movies!

First up was "Attack the Block" a British movie from 2011. I first heard buzz about this movie at Comic-Con last year, and have heard generally positive reviews from other geeks.

IMDB plot summary is pretty succinct: "A teen gang in South London defend their block from an alien invasion."

Certainly not the most ground-breaking movie, but it was a fun, entertaining, rainy day sort of feature. The accents are magnificently difficult to understand at times (reminded me of the first time I saw "Trainspotting" and loved that English could be a totally different language from what we Americans are used to). You might recognize actor Nick Frost from similar genre movies "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz." He's a secondary character, but I think one of my favorites.

The aliens are appropriately creepy, and it has some decent special effects (given that this isn't a Michael Bay movie or something).

Movie #2, streamed via Netflix, was "Tucker and Dale vs Evil." Wow, this movie was really fun and funny. Comedy/horror is tough to pull off well, but this one worked for me! You might recognize the two male leads: Tucker (Alan Tudyk from Firefly and now on Suburgatory) and Dale (Tyler Labine from Reaper). Or maybe the female lead Katrina Bowden (of 30 Rock).

The story is one of prejudice (toward hillbillies) combined with a complete misunderstanding that creates a ridiculous series of events. Not since Army of Darkness have I laughed so much at a "horror" movie.

Watch the trailer:

Finally, movie #3 required a trip to an actual theater. "21 Jump Street" with Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum was actually better than I expected. It's hardly a contender for an Oscar, but it was (again) ridiculous and funny, and pretty perfect for a hormonal, pregnant woman's fragile mood. Sometimes, all you want out of a movie is a good laugh. This movie definitely delivered a few of those! And, I like Jonah Hill. I heard a recent interview with him about his long involvement writing the script, etc.

Added bonus is list of guest stars including Rob Riggle (Daily Show), Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson!) and Ice Cube.

Side note: if high school is really like this now, it's too bad I am 20 years too late to be "cool."

Latest Avengers Trailer

We went to see the ridiculous, but fun, "21 Jump Street" over the weekend. I was super excited about the latest trailer for "The Avengers." I'm reallllly hoping to see it before BabyO arrives.

I'm a total sucker, I know, but it looks like a great summer romp! Explosions! Superhero team up! Joss Whedon! The only thing I'm still not sure about is Hulk, but I'm not a big fan of the CGI Hulks...

Anyway, fingers crossed that BabyO can stay put at least past May 4th.

The Muppets vs Twilight

It's been forever, plus a day, but I'm back. Hopefully we'll start to see some cool geek-related stuff coming for the holidays, etc. so I'll be a bit more inspired to update here than the last few months.

As is the case with these awesome parody posters for the upcoming Muppets movie. In true Gen X fashion, I love me some nostalgia, and the Muppets were always among my favorites. I wasn't too into Fraggle Rock (I think I was too old when that aired) but I was a fan of Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas. Am I dating myself with these references? More than likely.

Anyway, the new Muppet movie (co-starring Jason Segal of How I Met Your Mother) comes out Thanksgiving weekend, right after the new Twilight: Breaking Dawn movie is released (this weekend, I think). So what better way to be relevant to the kids today than a parody of the Twilight saga?

(via Den of Geek):

Knights of Badassdom Trailer

Got back from Comic Con a week ago, and totally missed the panel where this trailer was shown. Luckily, Laughing Squid posted it earlier in the week. It looks like such a nerdy, good time! I've never LARPed but now I'd be interested in checking it out. How do I even find such a thing?

Coming to a theater near you (hopefully) in Spring 2012.

More Batman Casting Revealed

I like directors who find acting partners that they re-use in move after movie. Some of my favorites have employed this practice --Alfred Hitchcock had several actors who showed up in multiple movies (James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Cary Grant). Tim Burton has Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. And now, it seems, Christopher Nolan is repeating the pattern as well.

Over the weekend, it was announced that Joseph Gordon-Levitt will appear in the next Batman installment, The Dark Knight Rises. (Recall as well that Tom Hardy (Eames in Inception) has also been cast in Dark Knight Rises, as Bane.) Based on this post from Movie Line, Gordon-Levitt has signed on as Alberto Falcone. This doesn't mean much to non-comic book fans, but for those of us who are, it's pretty exciting. Falcone appeared in a late 90's storyline from Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale, called The Long Halloween. I really enjoyed that story arc, so I can only hope it will influence/inspire the coming movie.

I've followed Gordon-Levitt since his days on 3rd Rock from the Sun and think he is a promising actor. He was a surprising, interesting addition to Nolan's most recent work, Inception.

There's still over a year for the new Batman movie, but I have to say, I'm more excited about it than the upcoming Green Lantern movie. I hope to be pleasantly surprised by it, much like I was with Iron Man. We'll see...

Anyway, here's one more gratuitous photo of Gordon-Levitt, this time from Inception -- I loved the scene with walking on walls.

Movie Challenge: What to See this Weekend?

I've managed to tweak my neck/back (likely after hours on 3 crappy computer set-ups this week), so will likely not be able to game as much as I'd like this weekend. So, I'm thinking about hitting up a movie -- it's been a slow start to the year for movie releases. Maybe that's fine; I'm pretty much a homebody until Daylight Savings takes effect (Sunday!!).

Anyway, here are my options this weekend:

Rango (animated movie with Johnny Depp as voice of lead character):

Red Riding Hood (loosely based on the fairytale story with Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried as Red):

Side comment: While I love the red hood, am I the only one who thinks everyone in the cast looks just a little too clean and coiffed for a medieval village?

and Battle: Los Angeles (sci-fi action thriller with alien invasion of LA starring Aaron Eckhart):

Pretty sure it's going to come down to Rango (liked by Fans & Critics) or Battle: LA (liked by Fans). I'll keep you posted if it is a "feel-good" or a "blow s**t up" kind of weekend here in PDX.

X-men: First Class Trailer

X-men: First Class trailer out now (via CBR's website)!

Probably need to watch this again a time or two, but it looks better than I thought it would. I'm not sure if that means I expected garbage or if it really looks good, but that's how it goes some days. I'm pretty sure this will follow absolutely none of the comic book continuity, but luckily for me, I wasn't a big X-men diehard fan, so I can live with it as long as there is a decent plot and good characters/acting.

I don't know most of the young actors attached to this project, but I am happy to see Kevin Bacon and Ray Wise appearing in the credits. Another generation of folks who can continue the fun of "6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon!" Huzzah~

The movie is scheduled for release on June 3rd at about 1,000 theaters near you. I'm sure there will be more to say on this one as summer approaches.

Batman Would be the Thing to Pull Me Back In

It's been awhile, I know. I'd like to say I haven't been around because of the holidays, and while that's true, it's not the whole story. In early November, I became one of "those" people, one of the 12 million who plays World of Warcraft, a massively multiplayer online role playing game (or MMORPG for those few of you who don't know already). I'd like to talk more about my experience as a newbie in the WoW universe, since it's about all I've done with my free time these last few months, but this post is really about the newsy bit that brought me BACK to the blog in over 8 weeks.

And that news is the announcement of the two stars added to Christopher Nolan's next Batman installation, The Dark Knight Rises (**snicker** at that title). If your Twitter stream isn't already full of this news, then let me share with you that, drum roll.....

--Anne Hathway will star at Catwoman

--Tom Hardy will star as Bane

You may recall Tom Hardy from Nolan's most recent film, Inception, in which he was awesome.

So let me get my most major complaint out of the way first: The inclusion of Catwoman in the movie in the first place. Now I love Catwoman. I collected Catwoman comic books, toys, and other ephemera for years. I've dressed up as Catwoman for Halloween (years ago, sigh). So trust me, I'm a big fan of Catwoman. But I feel like we've done the Catwoman story already in the Tim Burton movies. Michelle Pfeiffer was a great Catwoman. Remember this scene??

Then, we had that horrible Halle Barry movie, that we shall not speak of again. My point is that Catwoman isn't covering new ground in the Bat-verse. There are other female characters who could be interesting to include, my favorite being Harley Quinn. With Joker's demise in the 2nd movie, seems like an opportune time to bring in his just-as-crazy girlfriend for revenge.

Here's my other problem with Catwoman....Anne Hathaway. I feel bad about this, because I actually like Anne Hathaway, but visually, she seems too pretty, too nice, too clean to be a great Catwoman. I think she is cute & funny, and great on SNL and in romantic comedies. I hear she was great in that drama (Rachel Getting Married? Not totally sure...), but I'm not sure she can play the bitchy, gritty, wrong-side-of-the-tracks version of Catwoman that I grew to love.

Catwoman comes in so many versions, there certainly is room for variation from what I typically consider. And if anyone can do it, Nolan is that guy. So dude, impress me. I really want to be excited about this.

Whew. Catwoman went on longer than I expected. Let's turn to Bane.

The last movie to (briefly) feature Bane, Joel Schumacher's hot mess, Batman and Robin, barely got to Bane at all. He was sidelined as one of Poison Ivy's henchman. A total waste of an otherwise formerly decent villain. In the comics, the guy is a brute, a monster.

I'd like to see a well-developed Bane character in the next movie. He's not a well known enemy, but that also means he hasn't been totally overdone. I was initially doubtful of Tom Hardy in this role based on Inception, but then I came across this:

It's hard for me to even tell that is the same guy! I guess if he can pump up, he's got a shot at a convincing Bane.

My hope is that there is at least a short trailer ready for Comic-Con in July. I'd like to be convinced about the inclusion of Hathaway/Catwoman. I liked the first 2 Nolan Batman's a lot, so, you know, no pressure.

Cowboys & Aliens Trailer

Of the many things I love about Twitter, it's the immediacy of information that makes it one of my favorite information sources. And on a range of topics, from Breaking (Global) News to local news/traffic, to humorous insights, to random tidbits from friends and colleagues around the world.

But one of the critical reasons to have Twitter is for breaking geek news! Like stills from movies in production or freshly released movie trailers. Such as today's trailer from Jon Favreau's upcoming movie, Cowboys and Aliens. Wasn't really sure what to think about this movie based on the title (yes, I know, don't judge a book by it's cover -- but I'm superficial like that. What can I say?). However, after watching this trailer, I will say that I'm intrigued.

More to come, I'm sure, but expect to see this trailer A LOT during the Thanksgiving movie push.

Two Big Movie Announcements

(both via io9.com)

First up, expect 2 more installments of your favorite, blue, catpeople of Avatar. James Cameron announces that sequels to be released in December 2014, and the 3rd part a year later. I expect much hyping over the next 4 years...

Also news today is the name of the next Batman installment from Christopher Nolan. And the winner is......... The Dark Knight Rises. Oh, and absolutely NO Riddler in this film. So there!

I'm loving that the interweb is already buzzing about the suggestive nature of the movie title, and if Catwoman (or other female lead) appears in this one, much mocking will ensue. And as io9 suggests, yes, please Mr. Nolan, feel free to cast Joseph Gordon-Levitt!

The Expendables

I got a little stir crazy this afternoon and had to get out of the house, even if for a few hours. Post-surgery, my energy levels still fluctuate so I thought it might be better to go to a movie (not much different from what I'm doing at home). Despite a major holiday weekend, I found that there aren't too many movies currently out that I have any interest in seeing. However, I recently heard an interview with Sylvester Stallone and decided that The Expendables could be worth checking out (or "not your worst option" as we like to say).

Stallone not only stars in, but also co-wrote and directed the movie. Based on the interview I heard, he had a hard time getting any studio to make the movie, despite an all-star cast with major action draw. I'm not sure why it was such a hard sell, but I know H'wood is a fickle beast.

The movie stars quite a few action stars of the 80's & 90's. In addition to Stallone, you've got Jason Statham (Transporter, Crank), Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV, Universal Soldier), Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, and cameos from Bruce Willis and the Arnold. Two other cast members that the geek world would recognize include Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia of Buffy & Angel fame) and David Zayas (Angel from Dexter).

I'm not sure what to say about The Expendables, other than it was a fast-paced, guilty pleasure. The action is ridiculous but so over-the-top that it's fun and entertaining. All the stars have amazing fight sequences, particularly Statham and Li (so awesome that it made me want to go learn a martial art!). I didn't expect much out of the plot line - since it is clearly an action focused film - so the story was about as deep as one would anticipate: team of mercenaries hired to take out South American dictator. Trouble ensues. It reminded me a little of The Losers, which was released earlier this summer and based on a comic book series of the same name.

Shockingly (not), critics didn't love the movie, but the earnings have been so good that apparently a part 2 has already been greenlit (green lighted?). Given how hard it was to get Expendables produced, I'm sure Stallone is thrilled by the commercial success. Anyway, here's a clip:




Maybe it's the nostalgia talking (yeah, let's go with "nostalgia") but with a summer of some crappy movies -- I'm looking at you, Charlie St. Cloud -- I'd much rather have a shoot 'em up pulpy action film than more sappy dramas or terribly predictable rom-com. Oh, and if it isn't in the works already, this one should *totally* be a video game; the possibility of living vicariously through martial arts fights, shooting everything, and blowing up everything else would make it a contender (ahem, Kinect).

Saturday Afternoon Movie Marathon

I haven't been quite up to leaving the house yet after surgery earlier in the week. This has translated to a crap-ton of TV and movie watching. And I have to say, I'm so thankful for the extended basic cable I was able to upgrade to earlier this year. It doesn't include all the pay channels, or even SyFy and BBC but it does include ion, USA, Comedy Channel and Cartoon Channel. So that's something.

This afternoon's fare has been a double header on ion. First up is the Ben Affleck/Uma Thurman science fiction flick, Paycheck (2003). It's apparently based on a Philip K. Dick short story of the same name, but clearly Hollywood had its way with yet another PKD story. Sigh. The premise was interesting:

Michael Jennings (Affleck) is a reverse engineer; for lucrative sums of money, he analyzes his clients' competitors' products and designs new versions that excel above and beyond the original's features. When he finishes the job, he undergoes a memory wipe with help from his friend. The memory wipe is achieved by computer technology able to scan one's brain and erase whatever must be erased. This ensures that the new product cannot be tracked back to the reverse engineering effort, thereby protecting his client's intellectual property.

But the movie falls short of the ambitious plot line. Shocking, I know. I feel like I'm saying/thinking this sentiment a lot lately, particularly in the science fiction genre. I'll see if I can dig up the thesaurus to put it a new way at some point.

I'm a sucker for sci-fi movies with a futuristic bent that are now 5+ years old. And I didn't hate the movie; granted, I'm still on post-surgical pain killers, so that's something but Paycheck amused me for a couple hours on the couch this sunny Saturday. Maybe a B-/C+?

Actually, this trailer sums up the entire movie pretty well:



Next up this afternoon is The Fifth Element, starring Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich (1997). I remember this move quite fondly, as it was a house favorite when it came out 10+ years ago now. Luc Besson directed the film, and used not only really great set designs (some of which were designed by legendary artist Moebius), but outrageous costumes designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, and a dash of some good ol' fashioned slap stick humor.

Set during the 23rd century, the film's central plot involves the survival of humanity which becomes the duty of a taxi driver (and former special forces major) named Korben Dallas (Willis) when a young woman (Jovovich) falls into his taxicab. Upon learning of her significance, Korben must join efforts with the girl and a priest to recover four mystical stones which are key to defending Earth from an impending attack of pure evil and destruction. (via Wikipedia)

Gary Oldman is particularly fantastic as the villain Zorg. And this movie was my first introduction to Chris Tucker. Love him as Ruby Rhod. Not sure what happened to him...

The movie runs a little long, but it's so pretty!

Not sure I love this trailer, but you get the idea:



I wish I could find a good clip of the operatic piece that is included about half way through the movie. I don't typically care for such music, but I would love to see that production!

Not sure if it is just nostalgia but I still love this movie, and would give this at least a B+. The costumes get an A+ for sure.

Next up may need to be a re-viewing of Total Recall...

Pirates of Caribbean 4 trailer

(via Heat Vision)

I love Johnny Depp. Always have, always will. So, here's a gratuitous clip just because...

The first trailer for the 4th installment of Pirates of the Caribbean, coming next summer:




Bloody Marys all around!!

For Your Consideration: Piranha 3D

I'm really enjoying the viral videos I've seen from Funny or Die. I seriously had no interest in Piranha 3D, but now, maybe on DVD some rainy weekend (we have a lot of those in Portland). Could be campy good fun, if the cast can have such a good time with it!

And, really, wouldn't it be awesome if something like Piranha 3D won an Oscar? Or 10? It could happen, people.

Piranha 3D: For Your Consideration from Piranha 3D

Black Swan Trailer

Have you seen the trailer for the upcoming Darren Aronofsky thriller, Black Swan? It seems to follow Aronosfsky's pattern for deranged and twisted (Um, Pi and Requiem for a Dream, anyone??), but I like that in my movies.

Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis star in this one.



I'm particularly drawn to this still image of Natalie Portman's character for some reason.

More Movie Costumes

More images coming out from upcoming Marvel movies. Just wait - the next week will be ridiculous for this kind of stuff.

This time, it is Anthony Hopkins as Odin, from Thor (via The Beat).



I know they've "re-worked" some of the costuming on this one, but I tend to agree with the other bloggers and comments that it all looks a little too plastic-y. How can the armor in 300 be so right, but this feel so wrong? (Totally disregard that these are completely different historical periods. These are not the droids you are looking for...) However, I dig the hair and the beard.

Red

SuperHeroHype posted images of two new promo posters for the movie, "Red" based on the Warren Ellis comic book of the same name.





The primary characters of the story are ex-CIA agents who are now targeted by the Agency.

Now framed for assassination, they must use all of their collective cunning, experience and teamwork to stay one step ahead of their deadly pursuers and stay alive. To stop the operation, the team embarks on an impossible, cross-country mission to break into the top-secret CIA headquarters, where they will uncover one of the biggest conspiracies and cover-ups in government history.

The movie stars Helen Mirren (featured above, looking stunning!), John Malkovish (also above), Morgan Freeman, and Bruce Willis, and is anticipated in theaters ~10/15. I'm sure we will hear more about it via Comic Con next week...

Looks like I will take in late August to start getting caught up on my comic book/graphic novel reading, so I'll be adding this one to the list!

New Green Lantern Photo

There are a bunch of neat gems coming out in preparation for Comic Con (or "Nerd Prom" as Warren Ellis termed it years ago), which takes place in San Diego next week. After 14 years, I can't make it this year (*@#*$#**%$#) so I have to live vicariously through the Internets, Twitters, and random news/images I can glean.

Entertainment Weekly's Comic Con preview issue is out tomorrow with a new pic of Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern.



I give it an "ehhhh." I don't love this picture, maybe because the suit looks a little too "human bodyish" or muscley. Also, too CGI. I hope the images from the actual movie are better.

From the WTF Files

I'm starting a new series (a la Stephen Colbert, meaning whenever I have something to say and/or feel like it) here on the ol' blog.

Here is my first WTF?! entry. Are you ready?


EW.com notes that DreamWorks Animation grabbed movie rights for Troll dolls. They've also hired writers to pen the "movie script" for this dream project. I wonder what celebrities they will get to voice the trolls...


Seriously. WTF? I can pretty much guarantee right now that this movie will be a disaster. Maybe the kids will love it? Somehow I doubt it. As a pencil topper? Maybe. A whole movie? No thanks.

Jonah Hex Starts Tomorrow

I think I need something to distract me this weekend. I think Jonah Hex might be that something. I like this trailer -- gives a little more of the back story than what I've seen on TV so far. I don't think the general public will "get" Jonah Hex. That's fine with me. They should go see Toy Story 3 (No slam against TS3 - I want to see it, just not opening weekend with the little folk).



Besides Josh Brolin and John Malkovich (oh, and Megan Fox, but whatevs), I think I saw the dude from Fringe in this trailer. And maybe Will Arnett? Anyway, looks like it could be fast, action filled, and fun. That's what I'm looking for!

PS - In case you didn't know, the movie is based on a DC comic book.