My good friend, former roommate, and Best Man at my wedding brings you a colorful review of In The Land Of Women. Let's just say he wasn't a fan:

In The Land of Women:

My wife and I walked out. With only 30 minutes left. But we couldn't take it anymore. Now, I didn't see the end, but I can give you my feelings on this film from what I saw. And, it should be noted, this film was so lame I could probably tell you exactly how it ends without having seen it. There's nothing worse than seeing a truly terrible film. It's like someone farting two inches from your face...and you paid them to do it. There really should be signs at theaters that say: "Hey, you should just catch this one on DVD, if at all."

There are two types of bad films. Well, maybe three. 1) The bizarre student/art film where there is no story, images are abstract and characters moan things like, "Oh, life is sad, look at my penis." This line is then followed by lots of gratuitous nudity. 2) The film in which the filmmakers know at some level what they are making is absolute drivel, but they have a fun time with it and make it with gusto. These are films like "Plan 9 from Outer Space" that usually go on to become cult classics at some level. 3) Then there is the film that is oblivious to its own awfulness. The film made with the passion of a director or writer or director/writer who has wanted to make this film since he was 14, and the shooting script is still that first draft he wrote in 9th grade. "In the Land of Women" is this third type.

Told in a random series of events in the life of "Carter," played by Adam Brody, ITLOW plays out in movie-of-the-week fashion, only worse. Carter is a mid-twenties soft-core porn writer who really wants to write something meaningful, but bangs out--pardon the pun--crappy material because its a steady paycheck. (Why do first-time writers always write about writers who want to write?) When his rising Hollywood starlet girlfriend dumps him in the opening scene, he mopes to his mother's house. She's crying because her own mother is sick. Carter announces he will go to Michigan to take care of grandma. It'll be good to get away from L.A., he says, it'll help him be more creative. Too bad Michigan looks like Beverly Hills.

Then the film plunges into the depth of clichés, unmotivated actions, and just plain old bad acting. I will now give you a play-by-play written as poorly as the film. Carter meets Grandma, who can't quite remember him. Carter cleans up grandma's house. Carter meets mom across the street. Meg Ryan plays mom in a phoned-in performance. Carter goes on walks with Meg, just to talk. Carter meets Meg's under-age daughter. Meg tells under-age daughter to take Carter to the movies so he won't be so alone over at that crazy lady's house. Carter runs into friend of under-age daughter's boyfriend at the mall. Oh no, Meg's husband is having an affair! Oh no, under-age daughter's boyfriend breaks up with her because she's been seen with Carter although under-age daughter fools herself by saying it's because she's not ready to kiss him. Carter tries to write something worth writing. It's raining! Carter goes outside! There's Meg, standing in the rain waiting to go on another walk. Oh no, she has cancer! She kisses Carter. It's awkward Carter goes to a party with under-age daughter even though her old boyfriend will be there. "You'll be a rock star," Cutter says, "People will respect your strength in showing up." Cutter discovers the house he's at is the house of his own mother's former boyfriend. (I'm still trying to understand the point of that little nugget...) Under-age daughter's old boyfriend throws a beer on Carter and tells him they must take their grudge outside.

Once they are outside, Boyfriend states, with absolute sincerity: "How did you think you could come up in my hood, steal my girl and we not be scrappin'?"

It was time to leave.

I haven't seen the ending, but I guarantee you here's exactly how it ends. Carter gets a kiss from Under-Age daughter for taking a punch for her. He tells her, whoa, baby you're a little too young for me, but you'll find someone. Grandma probably dies. Meg has cancer, but will be okay and patch things up with her husband and daughter. Or, at least confront them. Hollywood girlfriend will call or try to reach Carter before the end to patch things up. He'll tell her no, we weren't meant to be together. He'll say bye to everyone, and leave knowing that there is a woman out there for him just not here "In The Land Of Women." Oh, and these experiences will now give him something meaningful to write about. Fade to Black, and roll credits with a song from Zach Braff's iPod. (Please, let me know how close I am to the actual ending!)

Couple of quick points before I leave you. This film was written/directed by the son of Lawrence Kasdan, the man responsible for two of the greatest films of the second half of the 20th century: "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark." If this was your father, and you were making a feature film debut, it might behoove you to pass the script along to dad to see if he has any pointers on writing. Second the world has shifted in the wrong direction when a film starring Meg Ryan, Olympia Dukakis, and Adam Brody unspools, and you realize Brody is the best thing in the movie. Under no circumstances should you have a character look at pictures of a man hanging out with friends, hunting with buddies then declare: "This guy is an a**hole." It's lazy, have him meet the guy let the audience see what a jerk he is. And finally, and I know some of you will think this is a low blow, but Meg Ryan has really ruined her face. It was unbearable to watch. Her collagenated lips are in a constant fish-pout, and any emotion she tries to elicit has to punch its way through the plastic of her new face. I'm sad that even if you are America's Sweetheart, you don't have enough self-esteem to age with grace and dignity. Ugh. I know this doesn't have anything to do with the film, but when she kissed Adam Brody, I couldn't help thinking: I bet that's what it's like to kiss a tube of Chap Stick.

-Jonathan Grubbs

BTW: I saw the movie way back in August/September of last year. Jeri & I didn't hate it, but it sounds like it's changed some. I know there wasn't anything about Brody's Mother's Ex-Boyfriend, and I think the line from the fight was different.
But from what I remember, that's pretty much how the flim ends.

Labels: Guest Review, In The Land Of Women, reviews

So we just finished watching American Idol Gives Back and I have to say I'm amazed. Not only had they already raised $30 Million by the end of the two hour show (which is delayed by 3 hours for the west coast, which means they'd already probably raised a lot more) but the videos they showed were very moving.
Between the videos of Simon and Ryan in Africa to all the videos of hungry kids here in America it was really an amazing thing to see, and amazing to know so many were helping to give back to all those starving children.
There were two really Amazing moments tonight, one dealing with the charity and one was just an amazing performance. First Ellen DeGeneres, who was co-hosting the show, pledged $100,000 of her own money then challenged other celebrities/rich people that watched the show to match her donation, and called it ridiculous because they could back a huge difference. I don't care how what you think of her personal life, but she's an amazing woman and this just proved it to me.
Second there was a performance of the song "If I Can Dream" performed as a duet between Celine Dion and Elvis Presley. I don't know how the special effects work to make him look like he's actually right there on stage next to her, but they did a phenomenal job doing it. I recommend everyone download the video from iTunes, especially since the money goes to the Charity.

And lastly I urge you to head on over to AmericanIdol.com and pledge some money to help give a child somewhere in the world some food, clothing, medicine, or education. It's easy to do and could help safe the life of a child.
God Bless!

Labels: Africa, American Idol, Charity

If you look at the title you may know exactly what this post will be about, the two newest movies I've seen, Grindhouse and Hot Fuzz. Now finals start here in a little over a week so the only movie I'll be seeing in that time is Spider-Man 3 (cause I ain't missing that for nothing) so I wanted to get a couple of movies in since I haven't been in awhile and won't be going for awhile, so between Thursday and Friday I spent over 5.5 hours in the theater. While I'd love to say it was for you good readers, it's simple not true, because A)there's only like 5 of you and 2)I love movies and it was all for myself.

So let's get to it:

Grindhouse
I've been waiting to see Grindhouse for awhile now. I was waiting for a friend of mine, but he's busy with his kids and family so I went alone before it left the local theater. For those who don't know Grindhouse is a 3+ hour extravaganza of blood, gore, zombies, car wielding maniacs, lost reels, and fake trailers. Robert Rodriguez (Spy Kids, The Faculty, Desperado) and Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction) each shot a 70ish minute film as an homage to the cheap 70s exploitation flix that used to travel from town to town showing in rundown theaters that were called Grindhouse theaters. These films were known for their violence, nudity, cheap effects, and campy dialogue.
So how does this movie compare to those? Well Rodriguez got it right with his film, Planet Terror, but Tarantino missed the boat with his half, Death Proof. And the fake trailers that fit in between were spot on.
First off a warning, if you are offended by coarse language or extremely (fake) gore then don't see this movie. Also there is a bit of nudity, although only in the fake trailers, so be warned of that.
Planet Terror
This is the first of the two flicks and Rodriguez does a great job of capturing the old 70s feel. The entire movie is dark, with the perfect amount of campy dialogue, and has been artificially aged so that there are hiccups in the film, and lines running down the screen off and on throughout so that it has that old worn film feel to is. Also there is a great scene halfway through the film where the film "burns" and then there's a missing reel which leaves out a few key scenes.
The movie deals with a mysterious gas that turns people into Zombies. The gas has something to do with the military and Bin Laden, but doesn't really matter, because all we need to know is that it turns people into ZOMBIES, and that's basically the premise of the movie, a small town next to a military base dealing with Zombies.
After the gas has been released the hospital slowly fills up with people who have been affected before all hell breaks lose and the few remaining survivors must band together to fight off the army of undead which will soon spread across the entire country if not the planet. Luckily they have a biochemical engineer on hand who can use the blood of the unaffected to create an antidote.
It's your typical zombie movie filled with cheesy ball antics, laugh out loud bad dialogue , and lots and lots of Gore. But the cast is where the movie really shines, as everyone and their sister is in this movie. The movies main characters are played by Rose McGowan, Freddie Rodriguez (no relation), Micheal Biehn, and Jeff Fahey. The rest of the cast is rounded out by Lost's Naveen Andrews, Josh Brolin, Electra & Elise Avellan (See Sisters), Stacy Ferguson ("Fergie"), Marley Shelton, Quentin Tarantino, and Bruce Willis. (If you want links to all these people just go the the Grindhouse link and find their name, they are in alphabetical order on the cast list)
Bottom Line: This movie does exactly what it aims to do, which is to look and feel like an old grindhouse film from the 70s. By shooting a dark film and artificially aging the film Rodriguez captures the fill perfectly. The movie is funny, cheesy, and full of gory death and is a fun ride from beginning to end.
Grade: A.

The Fake Trailers
I won't go into detail other than to say that there are 4 fake trailers. I give them a combined grade of A-.

Death Proof
Tarantino brings to us the story of a serial killer who uses his car as his weapon. It sounds like a great Grindhouse flick, and I think it could have been, but unfortunately this is not that Grindhouse flick. No instead this is classic talky Tarantino, in fact it's far to talky. The movie starts with 4 girls chatting about love, life, sex, etc. The girls chat in their car, then they talk at a restaurant, and finally for a change of pace they, Wait for it, talk at a bar. Finally it is at this bar we meet Stuntman Mike, the aforementioned serial killer, played by the great Kurt Russell, and after we meet Stuntman Mike there's more talking. In this first act, Tarantino, like Rodriguez, uses hiccups, a missing reel, and some grindhouse-y effects, unfortunately he doesn't use it very well, more on this later.
Finally SM Mike gets in his car, a special stunt vehicle made to withstand any kind of damage but keep the driver alive, a car that is in fact Death Proof, hence the title. And finally we get some action, a spectacular car chase that ends in bloody, gory death.
And then we're back to talking, first with some police, then a new set of girls. This is where we are finally introduced to the heroines of the story. 2 Actresses, a hairdresser, and Stunt Woman, Zoe Bell, as herself. Finally we're sure to get some action! Wrong we get more talking, followed by more talking, followed by talk about an amazing fabled car, a car that just happens to be for sale a few miles, then more talking.
We do get some action as one of the actresses, the hairdresser, and Zoe Bell take the fabled car out to do some dangerous road stunt. A stunt that involves Mrs. Bell tying two straps to the front car doors and grabs them, lying on the hood as the actress drives down a dirt road. Hopefully you see where this is going as SM Mike sees the girls and a brilliant 20 minuteish car chase ensues.
Finally the movie turns on the goodness as the chase ends badly for SM Mike and and the girls turn the tables on him.
I liked this movie, I really did, but it's not a good fit for the Grindhouse double feature. For the second half of the movie Tarantino completely throws out all of the Grindhouse effects, it shot in Texas on a bright sunny day, and looks and feels like a modern movie. And lets be honest Grindhouse flicks don't involve a lot of dialogue, and the small amount they do have is usually awful.
Bottom Line: This movie brings down the grade on Grindhouse. Had this been a new movie all on it's own it would be really enjoyable, although still probably a little too talky. But as part of a double feature it doesn't fit.
Grade: (By Itself) B (Here) C+


Hot Fuzz
I'm a huge fan of Shaun of the Dead. This is important because it's the people behind that movie which bring us the Glory that is Hot Fuzz. The British duo of Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg use their love of American over the top Cop movies such as Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, Pointe Break, and of course Bad Boys 2 to bring us this wonderful homage. As with Shaun they not only poke fun at the genre but also infuse it with new blood. Once again Wright directs and co-writes with Pegg, and once again they bring along their good friend Nick Frost.
Hott Fuzz begins with London police officer Nick Angel (Pegg) the finest cop on the force, being told he's being promoted to Sergeant and dispatched to Sanford, the most peaceful, crime-free village in the country. The reason he's being shipped off is that he's too good, so good in fact that his arrest record is 400% higher than anyone on the force, and he's making them look bad.
So Angel moves to Sanford, and quickly begins arresting citizens, including one drunk driver, who turns out to be his new partner, PC Danny Butterman (Frost). Soon after Angel arrives there are several " fatal accidents" which Angel determines to be murders. The rest of the town's police force chalk it up to Angel's overzealous nature and being used to the criminals of London.
The emotional center of the movie is the relationship between Angel and Butterman. Butterman teaches Angel how to relax, drink beer and watch Movies like Bad Boys 2. As their friendship develops Angel learns how to be more than just a cop, but also how to be an actual human being. It's the hetero-love story of these two that makes the movie so believable, even as the death scenes take it over the top with gore.
Bottom Line: This movie is a hilarious comedy, an edge of your seat mystery, and a heart pounding action movie all rolled into one. But here's the true testament to how much I enjoyed this movie. As soon as it was over I was ready to see it again. I immediately went out and bought the soundtrack, and I know that I'll be heading back to the theaters to see it again in the next couple of weeks (Read "After Finals") And that my readers, shows just how much fun I had in this movie.
Grade: A

Labels: Grindhouse, Hot Fuzz, reviews

Ok so it's been awhile but I'm here with a Super Quick Update.
1) I've seen two new movies since Thursday and will be reviewing them shortly (about halfway through writing them) but I have a paper to finish up so it will hopefully (fingers crossed) be up tonight. You can see what they are over on the left. Also short reviews of some of the movies I missed reviewing are coming soon.

2) One of those two films is Hot Fuzz! It's Amazing, Wonderful, and British. And apparently the British part is keeping people from seeing it. Don't. Let. That. Stop. You. It's really one of the best Action Movies to come out in a while. I'd put it up there with Casino Royale, which was amazing. The biggest difference is this is a Buddy Cop Action Comedy. A throwback to the Lethal Weapon Heyday.
Seriously go see it. But if you're opposed to violence (it's got a few gory moments) or Language (it's full of British profanity) then steer away. If like me, those things don't bother you that much then go see the movie. I don't know how or why it only made $5.8 million this weekend, But do us all a favor and go see it and try to get the Box Office numbers up this weekend.

3) New picture of the Joker up over at Ain't It Cool News. (Which I've posted below) This looks like a screen test shoot. They seem to be sticking to the more realistic take with the new Batman movie, much like Batman Begins, which I love. I particularly love how the trademark Joker smile is not just a big grin but instead a scar. Here it is for you:

Update: Apparently this picture is fake (tear) so I guess we'll just have to wait to see what the WB really does with the Joker. Here's hoping they move in this direction though.

Labels: fake, Hot Fuzz, Joker, The Dark Knight

First off here's more of my pics from the weekend, including all the one's with my non-famous friends from the Fuselage.

Friday night Mark Sheppard was overheard talking about his work on BSG and the new Bionic Woman pilot. He said there is a chance he could come back next season, and he'd been working all day on Bionic Woman, which is mostly the same crew as BSG.

I asked Mark is he was coming back on to Medium, even though his recurring character, Dr. Charles Walker, is pretty much done for. He said ask Javi, and Javi (Javier Grillo-Marxuach) said he's love to work him back into the show, maybe having Jack Walker, the living decedent return. Let's hope this happens as Mark always did bring some fun to his maniacal killer, Walker.

Sam Anderson said he'd be back on Lost this season as Bernard and I overheard him talking to L. Scott Caldwell, his TV spouse, Rose, about getting the info, which sounded like it was the info about their return to the show, and said that it was going to be in the next couple of weeks, which I take to mean as their return to the island to film their scenes.

Maggie Grace mentioned that she is currently filming two movies back to back, each of which want her as a brunette, her natural hair color. She mentioned the one she has been filming, Taken, co-stars Liam Neeson and that they realized their families were both from the same region of Ireland (yes she's Irish) and joked about them being related.
Also she and Sam Anderson discussed playing Father & Daughter on Miracles, a show I recently acquired on DVD and now look even more forward to watching, just as soon as I get BSG knocked out.

Adetokumboh M'Cormack, who played Mr. Eko's brother Yemi, spoke with me about an independent movie he's working on about a young couple who are struggling with whether or not they should get an adoption. The movie deals with Racial issues, as it is an inter-racial couple, and also looks at it in a different way, since the male character wants to keep the baby, while the female wants to have the abortion.

Caleb Schultz, an assistant editor who works in the post-production department on Lost, also attended for awhile on Saturday night and I had some time to speak to him as well. First off we discussed what episodes they were currently working on. Caleb told me that they have 3 editors each working on different episodes. Episode 16 is currently almost done, Episode 17 is being edited for the Network to look at and is mostly done, and Episode 18 is in the beginning of being edited together. Also he told me the dailies form Episode 20 had started coming in. Caleb said that based on the script alone, episode 20 would be the best episode of Lost to date, in his opinion. Also, Caleb said they use the Avid systems because it makes it easier to go into the older episodes and get older scenes.
Also Caleb filled me in on the scenes from this last week's episode "Expose" where they placed Paulo, Nikki, Artz, and Ethan back into the footage from the Pilot. He was very proud of this and said that they had used a variety of sources to put it together. They took some alternate shots, and unused shots from the pilot and combined it with blue screen footage and new footage of the wreckage that they had recreated.
Personally I thought it was quite amazing how they were edited into the footage and found this great insight into exactly how much work went into those few minutes of footage.


A somewhat accurate, if superficial article can be found here.

More details to come but here's some pictures!

Me and Sam Anderson (Bernard on Lost, Growing Pains, Angel, Forrest Gump)

Sam Anderson (Bernard) and his on-screen wife, L. Scott Caldwell (Rose)
Me and L. Scott Caldwell (Rose on Lost, Judging Amy, The Fugitive)

Me and Daniel Roebuck (Leslie Arzt on Lost, Matlock!!, my favorite, The Fugitive)
Me and Maggie Grace (Shannon on Lost, The Fog)