Scotty C. gives us his take on This Week's new release, Salt, starring Angelina Jolie. Be warned there may be spoilers. (I admit I haven't read it because I'm hoping to see Salt tonight and don't want to know anything.) I may or may not have my own review up sometime this weekend/early next week.

“Salt” begins with Evelyn Salt (Jolie) in a North Korea detainment center pleading with them that she is not a spy as they aggressively interrogate her. Later she is released, in part by her husband willing to go to the media and anyone else to make a big mess out of her imprisonment. Flash forward two years and the building Salt works in is a CIA office. She is looking at an online video for how to fold napkins. She is celebrating her anniversary and wants everything to be just right. Just as Salt and her CIA friend, Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber) are about to walk out of the office, an agent tells them a Russian defector walked in. Salt will talk to him but she has to leave in a half an hour. The defector tells Salt that a Russian spy will kill the Russian President and her name is Evelyn Salt. After hearing this, Winter and Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor) working with a different agency detain Salt for questioning only for her to escape.

Supposedly she ran because she is worried about her husband because once an agent’s cover is blown, their whole family is killed. I don’t know if it’s the writing (most likely culprit) or Jolie’s performance but this motive never seems genuine, and not genuine as a psych either. It may have been better if they cut this out of the film in general but maybe they felt that women would want Salt to have a family motive. Why not have an adorable daughter she has to get home to? The fact that she is a potential Russian spy is more interesting than any family issues they have set up.

So now we’re on the run. There is lots of running, climbing and fast cars. None of this equals suspense. What is difficult about the spy genre is if someone is a superspy, you rarely fear for their life. They are trained for every scenario set forth on screen. The plot gets more intricate and layered. You don’t know who is good or who is bad? I’m fine with that. I’m sure the audience is fine with that. I would like the filmmakers to know where we are going though.

Director Phillip Noyce has directed a ton of films in this genre: “The Bone Collector” (another Jolie film that resembles this), “Clear and Present Danger” (I think the worst of the Jack Ryan films) and “Patriot Games”, a good entry into the Jack Ryan franchise with Harrison Ford. Noyce doesn’t direct films with much suspense or uptempo styles. His films run at a slower pace. Now I know why I was thinking about Harrison Ford half the movie. Take a look at “The Fugitive”. It is a simple storyline. There are no double agents, no moles in the government. It’s Richard Kimble and Samuel Gerard. The tagline from IMDB reads: “A murdered wife. A one-armed man. An obsessed detective. The chase begins.” That’s all the movie has and it is a much better film. You are invested in Kimble. You are invested in Gerard. You care about those characters.

Did I ever care about Evelyn Salt? When her husband is missing? No. When you find out about her childhood? Not really. Did I care about her? I don’t know what her motive is so I cannot get attached to her at all. There was a scene where she took her dog before her apartment got gassed by agents and paid a girl to take care of him. That was heartwarming.

How Salt is able to get away from almost every situation is predictable but interesting. This film does get good in the last twenty minutes or so. It finishes rather well. Can a movie be limping along for an hour and a half and wow you in the end and leave you with a good taste in your mouth. Unfortunately, it kinda does.

A movie like this can’t be successful anymore. “24” has done every type of mole inside the government with Jack Bauer saving the day for too many years. This whole genre will have to be reinvented to remain relevant.

I read that before Jolie took this film it was a script for a man. Tom Cruise was going to be in it. So they spend a day changing all the pronouns and the script is for a woman. As I watched it, I wondered if Tom Cruise would’ve been better for this. It was a great decision for Cruise to leave this project. I hope he left it because he saw the director and writer had no idea what they were doing. Obviously Jolie had no problem with it because she was directed by Noyce in “The Bone Collector”. Guess what? That movie is horrible. Much like this movie, it has a twist ending but in “Salt” the ending saves the movie.

The studio will probably be happy. More people were at my noon showing than when I saw “Knight and Day” or “Inception.” Keep your chin up Tom Cruise, ditching this movie means you still have some good judgment.

Labels: Review, Salt

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Labels: Review

The New, Far Inferior 40 Year Old Virgin-esque Poster

Labels: Fanboys, Review

Let’s just get this out of the way right now, Slumdog Millionaire is one of the Best movies I’ve seen this year. In fact to say it's one of this year's best is an understatement because the fact its it's one of the best movies I've seen in several years. There’s a reason its at the top of everyone’s Best of List, it’s one of the most poignant love stories I’ve seen in a long time. Now that that’s out of the way let move on to the review.

Most directors have a certain niche, Wes Anderson does quirky character driven dramadies, Robert Altman made movies with large ensemble casts, Quentin Tarantino makes ultra-violent films with lots of talking, and Uwe Boll consistently makes worthless drivel. Then there are that have two categories of movies, like Steven Spielberg who usually makes big blockbusters or smaller character films. But there aren’t many like Danny Boyle. Boyle seems to jump all over the map, be it a drama about drug addicts (Trainspotting), an adventure thriller (The Beach), one of the best zombie flicks of the last decade (28 Days Later) an incredible small character drama (Millions (A Must See)) or a special effects laden sci-fi movie (Sunshine), all his movies seem to have only one thing in common, how different they all are.

With Slumdog Millionaire he switches gears yet again and brings us the story of one man’s life and his one true love. As the movie opens we find out that Jamal is one question away from winning 20 million rubies on India’s “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.” We also quickly learn that he’s in police custody as they think him a cheat. But why would anyone think a smart kid winning on a game show is a big deal? Because Jamal is a nobody, he was orphaned as a small child and was forced to steal and con his way through life on the streets as a young boy. Now Jamal has gone straight and works serving tea at a phone center (you know the place your call goes to when you call any customer service number in the states) but he’s still just a kid from the slums in the eyes of the public. And if a doctor or lawyer can’t make it past 20,000 rubies how can a kid with no formal education win the top prize.

And so Jamal begins to tell his life story and how each small part of it has lead him to the answers. But the movie is much more than just questions and answers it is also a one of a kind love story between Jamal and Latika, and the story of how different two brothers can be and yet still care for each other. The movie is simple, but it works so well in it’s simplicity. It’s a simple plot device that works well to effectively tell a beautiful story.

All of the actors so a phenomenal job but the movie really lies on the shoulders of Dev Patel, who portrays the older Jamal, and draws the audience in and makes them care for Jamal.
And I be remiss if I did not at least mention how beautiful the movie is. Shot in India the movie is filled with the most beautiful landscapes and shots. It says something that even in the dirty, filthy slums one can see a semblance of beauty. Anthony Dod Mantle’s cinematography combines perfectly with the music by A.R. Rahman to make a rich feast for the senses.

As I said before this movie has been on almost everyone’s Best of Lists for the year and I think there’s a reason for that. It’s because the movie brings out the “best of” the human emotions. It’s a movie about compassion, love, and hope. It’s about the love between soul mates and the love for a brother who constantly fails you. But mostly it’s a movie about hope, hope that you can be with the one you love, hope that people can change, and above all hope that you can rise above your circumstances.

And I think it’s this hope that leaves you feeling so good when you walk out of the film (although the dance number during the credits doesn’t hurt either). The movie leaves you with a feeling that you too can be a better person, can rise above your circumstances, and show compassion for others. For this reason it’s one of the best movies I’ve seen these past few years.

Slumdog Millionaire is based on the book Q&A by Vikas Swarup, it’s in stores now under the movies title. I recommend you pick up the book if you enjoy the movie, or even before you see the movie.

Labels: Review, Slumdog Millionaire

It seems like everywhere you look these days there’s Vampires. In the book stores and multiplexes there’s the Twilight Series. The books are doing so well that one independent bookstore that was sold out of the 3rd book told me the Publisher was out of the first three books all together. And at the box office the adaptation of the first book blew everyone away when it made nearly $20 million more than expected opening weekend, and crossed the $100 million mark in 8 days. And TV is even seeing a Vampire resurgence, after a few years off when Buffy and Angel ended there runs. SciFi recently announced it had picked up last seasons canceled before it’s time, Moonlight, and HBO’s Tru Blood, based on yet another series of books, just wrapped it’s first season with a second set to air this summer.

But there is one little gem that may get missed by most in this vampire frenzy, the independent Swedish film, Let the Right One In. The fact that’s it’s both independent and has subtitles will probably deter many people, but those that look past this will find a really great little film. Let the Right One In (LTROI) is essentially the anti-Twilight. Whereas Twilight is the sweet, romantic fairy tale of a girl and her vampire, LTROI is the darkly realistic tale of a boy and his vampire.

We are quickly introduced to Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) a homely 12 year old boy who lives with his mother in a large apartment complex. Oskar spends his days being picked on by his peers, taking their torment without saying a word. But it’s quickly clear that Oskar is not your typical kid, he collects newspaper clippings of murders and other violent crimes and at night he dreams of getting his revenge on his tormentors with the help of his hunting knife. During one of his nightly “fights” Oskar meets Eli (Lina Leandersson), his new neighbor, whose arrival, with an older man, Håkan, coincides with that of a series of ghastly murders. It reveals nothing to tell you that it is Håkan that is committing these murders (although he is horrible at it) in order to feed Eli, who is of course a vampire.

The main focus of the movie is the relationship between Oskar & Eli. It is fascinating to see the changes that having a friend, especially a unique on like Eli has on Oskar, and it’s not long before the bullies see the change in him as well. Hedebrant and Leandersson do a wonderful job portraying their relationship and Leandersson especially does a fantastic job portraying Eli as creepy, yet sweet. But be forewarned this movie is not all darkly, sweet romance; there is also quite a bit of blood and gore.

All in all, LTROI, is an excellent film with a weirdly sweet, yet bloody romance at its center. If you’re a fan of the horror genre its essential viewing, and don’t let the subtitles keep you from seeing this film. Although if you absolutely can’t do subtitles, you can always wait until the American version coming soon from Cloverfield director Matt Reeves. (But it probably won’t be near as good as this near perfect gem.)

You can still see this review at The Exception Magazine.

Labels: Let The Right One In, Review

Two weeks ago I saw the magnificent film 'Let The Right One In' My review is now up over at online magazine The Exception Magazine. The fine folks at The Exception Mag are paying me in a link to my site so head on over and check it out! Then head back here and let me know what you think about the review.

Labels: Let The Right One In, Review, The Exception Mag

Two weeks ago I saw the magnificent film 'Let The Right One In' My review is now up over at online magazine The Exception Magazine. The fine folks at The Exception Mag are paying me in a link to my site so head on over and check it out! Then head back here and let me know what you think about the review.

Labels: Let The Right One In, Review, The Exception Mag

"A long, long time ago I can still remember how that music used to make me smile."

No I'm not talking about 'American Pie' one of the greatest songs ever sung, instead I'm remembering when I saw 'Role Models' way back in April and the temporary music which was laid over the climactic battle that takes place at the end of the movie. They hadn't yet scored the movie and instead used the themes from one of my favorites, 'Back to the Future,' and it made me smile.



Back in April the movie was called "Little, Big Men" and it was still a very, very rough cut. But it was a very, very funny movie, one that looks just like the one I've seen in the trailers. And if it was as good as the cut I viewed then you're in for a treat.

The movie follows Danny (Paul Rudd, a CineManiac favorite) and Wheeler (Sean William Scott) who must become Big Brothers for an organization called Helping Hands after they are put on community service. When we meet the duo Danny is a hothead who's just been dumped by Beth (The beautiful and funny Elizabeth Banks) and Wheeler is a full time party boy. Both of them have their problems and it's obvious that by the time the movie ends they'll have grown up, at least a little.

The duo are quickly paired up with the two boys that no one wants to mentor, Augie (Superbad's Christopher Mintz-Plasse), an avid L.A.R.P.er (Live Action Role Player), and Ronnie (Bobb'e J. Thompson), a young foul mouthed boy who tries to run off Wheeler as soon as he meets him. Both kids clearly need some guidance and it's up to these two misfits to offer it to them as best as they can.

The movie has the typical big brother/little brother bonding moments, but with more cussing than most movies (This one's definitely not for the kiddos) of their ilk. The best part of this movie is easily the L.A.R.Ping scenes. The battle I mentioned earlier, which consumes most of the third act, is brilliant in how awesomely sad and hilarious it is. It's amazing to me how these people can spend their time making costumes and living in what is basically an alternate reality, but it's facinating to watch them, even if it is in a ficitional movie. (I've just added Monster Camp, a documentary about real LARPers to my Netflix cue.)

The entire movie is funny, but the end battle is something that has to be seen in order to comprehend fully. But I can't warn you enough that this movie is rated R for a reason, the language is something most parents would not want their kids to hear, sadly most of it comes from child actor Thompson, whose mother approved of the script.

Overall it's a very funny film that will have you rolling as long as the language doesn't offend you. It's well written by Rudd, Director David Wain, Ken Marino, and Timothy Dowling. and the entire cast does a great job (be on the lookout for the great Ken Jeong the comedian doctor who can be seen in Knocked Up). Overall it's another one for the folks who are fans of the Apatow Gang and it's extended family.

Labels: Review, Role Models

Ok let me just get this out of the way: I Love Shia LaBeouf. I've been a fan of his since my college days when the roommates and I would some home every day and watch Even Stevens on the Disny Channel. He was hilarious playing the main character Louis who was always getting into trouble and playing pranks. Since then I've followed his career and I'm glad he's become a pretty big name. I own quite a few of Shia's movies and I plan on adding Eagle Eye to the shelf when it hits DVD.

If you've seen the trailers for Eagle Eye you know the basic premise: LaBeouf's Jerry Shaw comes home to find his apartment is full of weapons, fertilizer, and other items which make him look like a terrorist. Soon Shaw receives a phone call telling him he's been "activated" and that he has 30 seconds before the FBI shows up to arrest him. Soon the voice on the phone is instructing him to escape the FBI's custody with the help of Michelle Monaghan's Rachel Holloman.

What you don't know from those previews is that this initial premise is just the tip of the iceberg. Once the first act comes to an end the movie shifts gears and changes course from where you expect it to go. And then late in the movie there is another twist that sends the movie on yet another course. These twists keep the movie from being the basic run of the mill thriller that the trailer might have you believe it is.

Its hard to say too much about this movie without spoiling it, so I won't say to much more. I will say that several times during the movie I had to consciously force myself to open up my hands as I found myself white-knuckled from squeezing them so tight. The movie is the perfect popcorn film, with lots of great action sequences including an amazing car chase in the beginning. The plot works well and has some pertinence in today's society with Big Brother constantly watching us, but it's not so relevant that it will haunt you, this is just a fun thrill ride of a movie after all.


I will say there were a couple of things that did disappoint me, one being just exactly who was the person one the other end of the phone calls. Not so much their identity but the execution of it. (you can e-mail me for more specificity after you see the movie). And I would have liked a slightly different ending.

But overall it's was a fun movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and maybe give you white knuckles to boot.

Eagle Eye Opens Nationwide Tomorrow!

Labels: Eagle Eye, Review, Shia LaBeouf

Back in August I attended a screening of the new Judd Apatow production "The Pineapple Express," which like "Super Bad" was written by the amazingly talented Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg. Being that Pineapple Express has Finally opened I thought I'd toss this review up again (For the 3rd time) just in case someone hasn't read it yet.
I'll be seeing the theatrical cut tomorrow night and will have a review soon thereafter. But for now enjoy this review.

I went into this knowing the basic plot, Pothead Process Server (Rogen) witnesses a murder while on the job and drops a joint made of a special type of weed, called Pineapple Express, he runs to his dealer (James Franco) and the two go on the run.

So I went in expecting another comedy in the vein of "Knocked Up" and "Super Bad" but to my delight I got something much better.

The movie opens in black & white as two men pull up to a rock in the middle of the desert. The two men lift up the rock to reveal a passage underground which takes them to a secret government testing facility. Here we see a group of scientists with a test subject (Bill Hader) who is smoking a joint and being asked how he feels. After listening to the response one of the two men, a general, makes a call saying they've decided the substance is "ILLEGAL!" and demands the project terminated.

The film then cuts to present day as Dale (Rogen) is driving around in his car, smoking pot, and dressing up in different uniforms to serve court papers on unsuspecting citizens. Dale then goes to see his girlfriend, at her high school, where she is a student. After being convinced to come to her place for dinner to meet her parents the next night, Dale heads to met up with Saul his pot dealer (Franco). After buying some "Pineapple Express" from Saul, the only dealer in town who has it, Dale heads to serve some more papers to Ted Jones (The Wonderful Gary Cole) but as he's sitting there lighting up a police car pulls up behind him and Rosie Perez gets out and runs in Ted's place. As Dale sits there he hears a gunshot and turns in time to see Ted and the cop kill an Asian man. Dale takes off, leaving his half smoked joint in the street. Ted runs into the street where he finds the joint, which he recognizes as Pineapple Express.

Dale returns to Saul's, quickly realizing that his half smoked joint will lead the villains directly to him. Dale and Saul go on the run, first to the the woods, then to Dale's supplier Red, the only man who can give them up to Ted. Unfortunately Ted's goons (played by The Office's Craig Robinson and Super Bad's Kevin Corrigan) have already gotten to Red and a hilarious fight breaks out as Dale realizes they've been betrayed. Dale and Saul find themselves on the run, in a car chase, arrested, kidnapped, and finally in a huge absurdly comedic, explosive finale that ranks up there with "Hot Fuzz".

The movie's got just about everything you could want, Comedy, Action, Blood, guns, explosions, and lots and lots of weed. Rogen and Goldberg deliver an amazing action packed comedy that feels different than anything thats come before it. The acting is great all around with the exception of Amber Heard who plays Rogen's girlfriend. Her introduction falls completely flat and the rest of her part just seemed okay. But there are some great performance by everyone involved, including some great cameos from James Remar and Ed Begley Jr. Rogen and Franco are perfect playing off of each other as they have real chemistry.

Also I must mention one of my favorite scenes, the car chase. I've often wondered why no one just slams on their brakes when they are in a high speed chase, and finally this movie addresses just that very thing.

Overall I loved the movie and can't wait to see it again!!!

Labels: Judd Apatow, Pineapple Express, Review, Seth Rogen

Ah July 4th, a time of year which brings us BBQ's and the 5 F's: Family, Friends, Fireworks, Fun, and of course Films. This years big Independence Day blockbuster is, of course Hancock starring Mr. July himself, Will Smith. This makes Smith's 5th July 4th Weekend release following Independence Day, Men in Black, Wild Wild West, and Men in Black II, and I have to say this one might be his best.

Now before I even begin my review I feel like I need to put something out there for all the parents who read this blog, this movie is rated PG-13 and while it's got some violence, it's mostly because of the language. The movie has one use of the F word, but mostly it's the movies very frequent use of the word A**hole. The word is used A LOT, I didn't count, but trust me it's likely if your impressionable kids walk out of the movie learning one thing it might be that word. So take heed it might just be a movie to see so you can decide if it's right for your kids.

I was one of a privileged few who got into a secret (free) screening hosted by Ain't It Cool News Friday night at midnight. The theater was pretty packed and from the sounds of the crowd people really dug the movie. As for me and my two guests we all walked out having really enjoyed it, more than any of us thought we would, and at least two of us plan on going back
and paying to see it.

The movie starts off with the sequence most of us have seen in the trailers by now. Smith's Hancock is sleeping on a bench while a car chase wrecks havoc through LA traffic. A kid wakes Hancock up and he reluctantly (and drunkenly) goes after the bad guys. During his "capture" of the bad guys Hancock causes millions of dollars worth of damage and we see how much the city of Los Angeles despises this so called Hero. Hancock has been the cause of so much damage and law suits in the city over the years that the D.A. is trying to figure out how to send him to prison and the citizens want him to leave town.

Enter Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) a public relations master whose new idea (think the (red) campaign) hasn't quite caught on. When Hancock saves Ray from being hit by an oncoming train, Ray sees the publics response to all the damage he's caused and how they overlook the good Hancock's done. So Ray sets out to offer his PR expertise to Hancock in order to make people see him for the hero he is, much to the chagrin of his wife Mary (Charlize Theron, a mini Arrested Development reunion).

Ray's first step is to have him volunteer to go to prison, where he will partake of anger management and alcohol counseling. The plan is to let the city see how much they need him and want him released from prison in order to lower crime rates. Hancock is able to learn to control his anger and accept that he's been sent here to be a Super Hero and help others.

After Hancock is released he is of course loved by the city and the citizens that once despised him. But it's at this point that the movie really takes off from the course you've assumed from the trailers. Because the ads for the most part haven't given any of this third act away, I won't either. I will say there is an origin story, which is really not at all what I thought it would be, but I think was a really original idea. (I will say you should avoid the newest ads as some of them appear to reveal more of the movie, which is a shame because the original ads left out so much, something I don't think is done enough in today's ads as most of them give away the entire movie.)

The movie has some really great action pieces, with a really good amount of character developing scenes strewn throughout. Hancock is a really good origin story which obviously leaves room for a sequel (and what blockbuster doesn't these days?)


There is really a small cast for this movie, mostly it all centers on Smith, Bateman, and Theron. There are a couple of scenes with Reno 911's Thomas Lennon and The Big Bang Theory's Johnny Galecki, but other than those it's pretty much the former trio's movie. And they do an amazing job with it. Smith plays both drunken jackass and reformed superhero superbly and once again shows why he's so well loved (even after crap like I Am Legend).

Bateman basically plays Micheal Bluth, his Arrested Development character, and you know what that's fine because he plays that character perfectly. Ray is the loveable down on his luck family man that you root for all the way. While Theron plays his impossibly hot wife, who doesn't like that he's working to help Hancock. The chemistry between the three leads really makes the films work and they all handle the comedy and action scenes well. It reminded me that Smith started out in comedy as The Fresh Prince. (That and before the movie they played clips from The Fresh Prince of Bel Aire)

The movie is a great mix of humor, action, and mystery as we try to figure out exactly who or what Hancock is. It's the perfect popcorn flick to spend a hot July day, sitting in doors watching. I can honestly say I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the movie. And if nothing else it's a great way to keep the Superhero summer going after watching Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk and it will certainly be enough to tide you over until July 18th when the real movie all comic geeks are waiting to see, The Dark Knight.

Labels: Hancock, Review

This weekend the Box Office went green, and I don't just mean money, although it made plenty of that, I'm talking about the release of two of the weekends top movies. One went green literally, The Incredible Hulk, while the other went "green" figuratively as in "the environment," The Happening.

I myself partook of a double header Saturday night seeing both of the aforementioned movies, as a much needed break after 8 hours of class. One of them was a thrilling action packed ride which I highly recommend, unfortunately the other one was one of the worst movies I've seen this year. So if you're only going to read this far I highly recommend The Happening.

Ok, now that we've gotten rid of the people who aren't really going to read my review let's be clear on this, DO NOT go see The Happening, unless you have a few drinks before hand and are ready for a comedy. I actually recommend you go see The Incredible Hulk as it is a fantastic ride with some amazing action sequences, and some wonderful acting.

This new Hulk is of course Marvel's second attempt after the much maligned attempt by Ang Lee in 2003. This new movie, from Transporter and Transporter 2 director Louis Leterrier, is not quite a sequel and not quite a reboot which replaces the entire cast and still builds on some of the mythology from the first film. The movie forgoes an origin story and instead shows a quick recap of the origin during the opening credits. We then head to Brazil where Bruce Banner (the uber-talented Edward Norton) has been successfully keeping the Hulk in check for over 5 months, having thrown the government off his trail. Banner has also apparently been working on a cure, with the help of a mysterious partner back in the US. Unfortunately for Banner his cover is quickly blown, but this is fortunate for us as it brings the first big action piece of the film.

This first big scene is a chase very reminiscent of the recent Bourne films, and I mean that in a good way, it's thrilling, action packed and beautifully shot. And it bests the last two Bourne films in that it's camera work doesn't attempt to give you motion sickness. Banner is being tracked down by the US Army under the lead of General "Thunderbolt" Ross (William Hurt) who also happens to be the father of Banner's old flame Dr. Betty Ross (Liv Tyler). Gen. Ross has recruited Emil Blonsky, a Russian born officer in the British Royale Marines, to help him track down Banner. Unfortunately the mission does not go well and ends with Banner turning into the green behemoth for the first time in months.

One thing that I'd like to mention is the look of the Hulk, my friend made a good point about his look. In the Ang Lee film, part of the problem is that the Hulk looked so fake and animated that it detracted from the movie, in my friends (paraphrased) words "The more the Hulk was on screen the less interested I was in the movie." Here the Hulk still looks CGI, it's something that's going to happen in a movie about a giant green monster, he's not going to look real (partly because we can't really fathom what that would actually look like) but this movie did a great job of making us accept this Hulk as real, mainly by constantly showing us Banner's eyes as he begins to transform. By doing this the director helps to show the emotion, and some character of the Hulk, making what could seem fake very real, and something you can empathize with. My friend continued by saying that "The more the Hulk was in this one, the more he liked it."

Banner realizes that in order to find a cure he has to retrieve information on his transformation. Meanwhile Gen. Ross decides to give Blonsky an experimental "super serum" which gives him extra strength, speed, and agility. When Banner makes it back home he runs into Betty and her new boyfriend, Doc Samson, who quickly alerts the General, which leads to another breathtaking action sequence, the main difference being more Hulk and a super powered Blonsky. The huge battle, on a college campus no less, reveals that there's more to the "monster" than just a mindless beast.

Which brings us to a third act which introduces a villain for the sequel, features a huge battle between Hulk and a massively transformed Blonsky AKA The Abomination, and ends with the much touted cameo by Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. This cameo shows what Marvel can do when making it's own pictures, bring it's comic worlds together. (Something I wish Marvel's Direct Competition would try in their movies) This cameo much like the one at the end of Iron Man points to something much bigger, which is of course 2011's Avengers movie.

Probably my favorite part of the movie is the shoutouts to the comic and old television series. We get cameos of the stars (Yes I said stars plural) of the old show, the required Stan Lee cameo, and several more that are just to good to ruin. (although I will say keep your ears open as well as your eyes!) There's also some great jokes which poke fun at the old saying from the show and at the appearance of the Hulk in the comics.

Marvel has really done a great job following up Iron Man with another home run. It proves that Marvel understands the comics better than outsiders can, and by having a say in things, can help craft a faithful, and successful, translation from the page to screen. If Marvel can continue to pump out great movies like these then the comic book genre won't be leaving theaters for a long time.

Bottom Line: Go treat yourself to a fun, action packed thrill ride, with some wonderful character moments, that will make you believe a man can transform into a giant green monster.

On the other hand The Happening, the new stinker thriller from the magnificent M. Night Shyamalan, is almost the worst movie I've seen this year. A lot of my disappointment with this film flows from the fact that I'm a huge Shyamalan fan and so this movie really let me down. This is the first Shyamalan movie in fact, that I will not be buying. And this time it's not because the final "Shyamalan twist" that many will be disappointed (mainly because there is no twist, some may even be clamoring to have him bring the twist back.

The movie centers on an "incident" which begins in Central Park in NYC. There people have mysteriously started acting weird and after talking nonsense for a minute, brought about their own demise. There are many scenes in which we see the horrible ways in which the people off themselves, so many in fact that by the end it's become old hat. The reason behind the incident turns out to be preposterous and something we can see coming from forever away.

But even if the movie had had a great plot (seriously imagine people running from the wind, and you've got about half the movie) it still suffers from some of the worst dialogue I've ever heard, and some truly horrendous acting. All of which is surprising, because anyone whose seen a M. Night movie, knows he has the ability to write and direct, and yet it's almost like after the last two movies have failed at the box office, that he's lost his way and his confidence.

The same goes for Mark Whalberg, Zooey Deschanel, and John Leguizamo. All of these people have shown over the years that they can act, yet Whalberg's performance is one of the worst performances to hit screens in years. His acting is wooden and unconvincing, and his delivery of lines is almost humorous, if only it wasn't so sad. Deschanel is weird, but in an out of character way that just kind of makes her annoying. And Leguizamo is thrown away here, with his character barely used, and his delivery like the others is awful. But it might not be their fault, as the writing is just that bad.

I think it just saddens me that Shyamalan has fallen so far from the pedestal he was placed on after The Sixth Sense. This movie is something I truly think no one will enjoy, unless it's as something to be mocked and ridiculed, and it's really questionable as to why the studio would fork up money to have this horrible thing made in the first place.

One final note, this movie is clearly Shyamalan's attempt at an environment friendly message, and it may fail even worse because of it. If Shyamalan really wanted to help save the environment he could have started with not making this picture.

Labels: Awful Cinema, Comics, Review, The Happening, The Incredible Hulk

As we've all seen by now Iron Man has rejuvenated Robert Downey Jr's career, torn apart the box office, and continued to stay in the Top Ten movies since opening on May 2. But what did I think of it? Well since I know you're all asking yourself this very question I thought I'd finally post my review.

Iron Man is simply the best movie I've seen this year. Hands down, most entertaining, most bang for your buck film to hit screens this year. It's better than Indy (I promise that review sooner rather than later) and in my opinion it could stand to be nominated for some awards next award season (although it won't because it's a comic movie).

The movie introduces us to billionaire playboy Tony Stark (played to perfection by RDJ in what might be the best performance of his career since Chaplin). Stark is the womanizing, hard drinking head of a global weapons manufacturer. On a trip to Afghanistan (Taking the place of Vietnam in the original comic) to show off his new Jericho missile, Stark's entourage is ambushed by a small militant (read terrorist) group, who just happen to be using Stark industry weapons obtained on the black market.

Stark is injured and taken hostage. When he awakes he finds that fellow detainee, Yinsen has used a car battery and a magnet to keep the shrapnel in his body from making its way into his heart. The terrorists demand that Stark build them their own Jericho missile, to which Stark eventually agrees. Instead Stark and Yinsen bond over making Stark a new light weight device to keep the shrapnel at bay, and then a large weapon, just not the one the terrorists think he's building. Instead Stark builds a bullet proof suit of armor, complete with flame thrower, and thruster boots to use to help him and Yinsen escape. It is during this time that Stark learns of the horrors created by his own inventions which have been showing up on the black market.

The escape doesn't go as planned and only Stark manages to escape. Once back safely in the US he calls a press conference and announces that Stark Industries will no longer be making weapons. His mentor Obadian Stone is none to happy and proceeds to not only take the company out from underneath Stark, but also begins to make his own suit build from the original which was left in the Afghani Dessert. Stark himself begins to work on recreating the suit in his own personal laboratory, which he eventually uses to help save lives and become a hero.


The movie combines politics, romance (Between Stark and his assistant Pepper Potts (the beautiful Gwyneth Paltrow)), action, adventure, comedy, and super heroes into one amazing package.

In the past I've named Spider-Man 2 and Batman Begins as my favorite comic book movies, as each has gotten everything almost perfect. Iron Man now sits aside these two as another example of near perfect translation from page to screen. But I honestly think Iron Man is an even bigger success than the other two because it not only is a near perfect comic movie, but it has taken a character that is not as known as Batman and Spider-Man and build an audience for him. I also have to admit that I've never particularly liked Iron Man and the fact that this movie made me what to go out and pick up some back issues of the series is proof of it's quality.

As I said in the beginning Iron Man is the best movie I've seen this year. And while I'm looking forward to The Dark Knight taking over that title, I'm glad that Marvel's first movie under their own production company is such a huge success.

Oh and make sure you watch after the credits if you go see it again or for the first time, especially if you're a Marvel fan.

Labels: Iron Man, Review

So it's clear by now that Speed Racer is not the next Matrix (Of course neither was Matrix 2/3) but the Wachowski's have done some very amazing work in this film. Now the movie isn't great, but the Wachowski's did do a great job with the effects. Even if the movie wasn't amazing, it was a beautiful thing to look at.

The movie has a pretty complicated plot. Speed Racer (from the Racer family) is following in his brother's footsteps as a Race Car driver. Although unlike racing in our world these cars have been equipped with gadgets that cut each other's cars apart, allow the cars to flip over others, and other amazing feats. Speed's brother died in a horrible accident in an illegal cross country race and through a bunch of convoluted story lines Speed has to defy his father and compete in the same race to help bring down the owner of a huge company which is on of many huge corporations using the races to rack in the cash. Also there's another racer, Racer X, who always wears a mask and help Speed, who may or may not be his dead brother. And this is supposed to be a kids movie.

The movie has several huge problems: First the movie was marketed at kids, yet the running time is well over two hours. I don't know any kids that can sit still through a movie that goes much over 90 min and this one is way over that. Also for a "Kids" movie the movie has way too convoluted a plot as seen above, and when the main villain gives his "Big Speech" it's so far above the heads of most teenagers that I know the kids didn't understand a single word of it. (It's all about stocks and corporations setting up races) Also the only part of the movie that really is "for kids" is Speed's little brother and his monkey, which for me were the most detracting part of the movie. Their scenes, for me, brought the movie to a screeching halt almost every time they were on screen.

Like I said the movie was beautiful and the racing screens were amazing. The movie really picked up in the race scenes and that's were the technical achievements shine through, unfortunately in a movie about racing, there's just simply not enough actual racing, and too much of the movie was spent talking. But for the racing scenes and the beautiful colors I would recommend everyone at least check this one out on an HDTV when it comes out.

The cast, including Emile Hirsch as Speed (left with Fox's Racer X), John Goodman as Pops Racers, Susan Sarandon as Mom Racer, and Christina Ricci as Speed's girl, Trixie, all do a good job with their characters, but the absolute best part of the movie was Matthew Fox. Fox steals the show as the mysterious Racer, and it's his arc that really drove the movie for me. Is Racer X a friend or a foe, what are his motives, is he really Speed's brother or not? Whenever Fox appeared on screen my interest piqued and honestly I'd have rather seen a movie which followed his character around than anyone else in the film.

Overall I don't think the film was as bad as people are making it out to be. It's by no means a great film, but I think it's biggest weakness was a lack of editing. Had the movie been trimmed down to under 2 hours, had the bad guys motivations been either better explained (for the kids, of course) or changed altogether, and had they thrown in more Racing and Racer X, this could have been a much better film. (Actually had they edited tighter the amount of racing and Racer X currently in the film might have been perfect for a shorter film)

Again I'd recommend this one to anyone with an HDTV who wants to see some fantastic colors and imagery once it hits DVD.

Labels: Review, Speed Racer

Now let me preface this by saying this review was originally posted back in October based on an early screening of the film. Since then the movie was been recut and several scenes have been dropped (for the most part I've gone through and marked out references to scenes no longer in the final movie and made new comments in italics) but it should give you some guidance in what the movie is like. I'll be seeing the final version tonight and will try to have a review up this weekend, maybe I'll even get that promised review of Prom Night up as well!

I've been excited about seeing this film for some time because not only am I a fan of Kristen Bell, but it was produced by Judd Apatow, the creator of both Knocked Up and The 40 Year-Old Virgin, two of the funniest movies of the last few years. While both are pretty raunchy they are also full of heart, so I was anticipating another film that fits in that category. But possibly the most exciting part of the movie is that it was written by and stars Jason Segel, who has been in two of the most loved series in the CineManiac household, Freaks & Geeks and How I Met Your Mother.

Jason Segel plays Peter Bretter, a struggling musician who creates the music for the hit TV show, Crime Scene: Scene of the Crime. Peter's girlfriend the titular Sarah Marshall is the shows star, and her career has been rising because of it. The movie starts with "The Break-up Scene" as Sarah dumps Peter, telling him there's another guy. The scene plays out in a way that I don't think has been attempted before, so I don't want to ruin it, I'll just say it's funny. At this point everyone knows Sarah dumps Peter while he's wearing only a towel and leads to a quick nude shot. Devastated Peter tries to go on with his life, but quickly spirals into a depression he can't get out of. So on the insistence of his step-brother, Brian (Bill Hader) Peter decides to take a trip to get away from it all.

Peter winds up at an amazing resort in Hawaii, only to discover that his Ex is there with her new boyfriend, Brit Rocker Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). It quickly becomes clear that getting over Sarah is going to be much harder than he thought. As both decide to stay at the resort, they keep running into each other, At dinner Peter, seated alone, is given "the best table in the house" because it's facing Aldous and Sarah, the next morning non-flexible Peter runs into the duo at a Yoga class, where he tries to keep up, (Look for this scene on the DVD, hilarious!) and, being on an island, they can't get away from each other.

Luckily for Peter, he meets Rachel, the resort's Customer Service lady played wonderfully by That 70s Show's Mila Kunis. What starts as a simple flirtation quickly (very quickly) turns into a relationship over Peter's 4 days at the Resort. While somewhat fast paced, the relationship does seem fairly realistic.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the fantastic supporting cast. Jonah Hill plays a resort employee whose clearly obsessed with Aldous Snow, to the extent of baking him a cake. Paul Rudd is fantastic, as always, as the local Surfing Instructor with an awful memory. SNL's Kristen Wiig steals the show in her small scene as a Yoga instructor, who fawns over Aldous and Sarah and gives Peter a hard time. Her scene as said above has been completely excised, probably due to time constraints, so this DVD will be great!

But possibly the best of the supporting cast is 30 Rock's Jack McBrayer as one half of a Mormon newlywed couple, who's having trouble in the bedroom. McBrayer's scenes are hilarious and he constantly made me laugh. And to say he steals the show from Paul Rudd means a lot since I've recently decided that Rudd is the funniest member of the Apatow Acting Troop.

If there was any disclaimers about the movie it's the amount of sex. There are several sex scenes, each of which are played for laughs, which could turn some people off. The scenes are done in a way that there's no actual nudity, but instead implied nudity.

The cut we saw, while having some raunchy material, is definitely the cleanest of the Apatow movies so far. Pretty sure this no longer applies, but we'll see. The other difference is that this film does not throw out a joke a second. This doesn't mean it's not funny, to the contrary I laughed as much in these as I did at Super Bad or Knocked Up. It's just a different beast altogether, and I don't think it should be compared to those, although I'm sure it will be.

All in all it was a hilarious movie that I've waited a long 6ish months to see again. Hopefully the new cut is just as good as the old one. One other thing I wanted to mention, one really good scene featuring Sarah and Peter which wrapped up their story at the end was apparently cut from the film. This scene really was an amazing piece of acting, especially for Bell, so it's sad to see it go. But once again it just means the DVD will be amazing.

Labels: Forgetting Sarah Marshall, new releases, Review

Have you ever sat watching a film for 2 hours and 25 minutes and once it was over think "What the Heck did I just watch?" I hadn't either until last night (Ok I've seen several movies that made my ask that, but usually they aren't that long) Anyways last night I watch Richard Kelly's Southland Tales and I still have no clue what I watched.

I am a huge fan of Kelly's Donnie Darko (Another, shorter film which had me scratching my head), and so I've been excited about seeing Southland Tales since it was announced years ago. Even after it got all the bad press after Cannes I was still very excited. So this past week I picked up a copy for rent and finally watched it last night. What I saw is a strange, strange movie, which somehow blends together Sci-Fi, Satire, Religion, A Musical Number, and numerous cameos and comes out with.... well it comes out with something unlike anything you've ever seen.

The movie starts off in my home of 4.5 years, Abilene, Texas on July 4, 2005, as a Nuclear attack is launched and wipes the town out. (Something that could in fact happen as Abilene houses Dyess Air Force Base and has been rumored to be high up on the potential targets of a nuclear attack, as is strangely my hometown Amarillo, TX, but that's off topic) We then learn through a CNN-like news channel, and narrator Pilot Abilene (Justin Timberlake), that El Paso was also wiped out in the attack and the US then entered into World War 3 and reinstated the Draft.

We then jump forward 3 years to the summer of 2008 and introduced to Boxer Santaros (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) a movie star and son-in-law of a Texas senator running for President, who wakes up in the middle of the dessert with amnesia. He meets up with porn star Krista Now (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and writes a screenplay which tells the future and describes how the world ends (Not with a Whimper, but with a bang). Unfortunately all of this takes place off-screen in Kelly's 3-part Prequel saga which can be found in Graphic Novel form. So the audience is left without some knowledge which I think might be important to the film. So much so in fact I'm considering picking up the graphic novel to see if the movie somehow makes more sense after reading it.

Anyway back to the film, Boxer has been missing and has in fact been kidnapped by a group of Neo-Marxists who want to use him against his In-Laws. (As I said his father-in-law is running for president and his mother-in-law is the dead of the NSA'a new internet watchdog program USIDent, which requires the use of fingerprints to access the internet) The Neo-Marxists are against the censoring of the internet and want to use footage of Boxer with Krista to get the senator to vote against Proposition 69, which gives USIDent its power, or something like that.

There's also an experimental new power source which uses the ocean to create power called Liquid Karma, Time Travel, A rip in the wall between us and the 4th dimension, a musical number that has Justin Timberlake singing along to The Killers' "All These Things I've Done," and a bunch of other weird stuff that I don't know if I fully understand.

I truly can't put into words what this movie was about. And I'm still trying to decide if I liked it. I think it's going to take me reading the graphic novel and rewatching the movie before I make my decision. But I will say if you want to see a crazy movie, unlike anything you've ever seen, that will mess with your head, and likely confuse you, then go check it out.

Labels: Graphic Novels, Review, Richard Kelly, Southland Tales

I have to confess I'm a huge fan of the Blade trilogy. I love that each film has a very different look and feel. The first one was a very dark action film with a bit of horror thrown in, the second took that and added a bit more sci-fi and horror and of course the great Ron Perlman, and the third one made it a bit lighter and added some comedy to the mix in the form of Ryan Reynolds. In fact it's the addition of Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel that makes the third one my favorite of the trilogy.

So it was with a mixture of excitement and trepidation that I set forth to watch Blade: The Complete Series. The trepidation comes from taking Wesley Snipes out of the picture and replacing him with Sticky Fingaz and the fact that it was aired on Spike TV.

Right out of the gate the series begins with some fairly decent action, unfortunately it's quickly pulled down by some horrendous acting and bad pacing. The main problem is that it expects it audience to know exactly who Blade is, and for me thats fine but what about those who have never seen a Blade movie or read a Blade comic, it leaves them wondering what is going on. More is slowly revealed about Blade, and maybe that's the point, that you are at the same place as Krista Starr (Jill Wagner) an Army Veteran whose brother is killed by vampires soon after she returns home from war. Starr starts to investigate her brothers murder and soon becomes embroiled in an underworld of Vampires.

But it's Wagner who poses the biggest hazard to the show, her acting is wooden, and her character is hard to care for. She's quickly turned into a vampire by big bad, Marcus Van Sciver (Neil Jackson), and it's up to Blade to save her using the same serum he uses to fend off "The thirst". (Don't even get me started on the weird Lynchian dream Starr has after being turned) After Blade "saves her" he and Starr team up to take down the "House of Cthon" (Van Sciver's Vampire Clan) from the inside. It's Starr's fight against being a vampire, while trying to keep her cover that fuels the entire show. Which makes my utter distaste for her character a major problem in enjoying the series.

The show is a bit of a disappointment coming off of the movies. Sticky Fingaz is sadly no Wesley Snipes, his delivery is at times painful to watch, and his performance makes Blade a completely unlikeable character. I'm not saying the film version was a lovable guy, but there was a charisma to the character that made you care, something the series is utterly lacking.

On the upside the show does have some good fight scenes and the series is at it's best when it focuses on Blade, like the 7th episode, "Sacrifice" It feels like the writers cared more when they were shedding more light on Blade and his past, but much like the audience, they didn't care about Krista Starr and her struggle with the villains, and didn't spend much time on those parts of the script. (Or maybe it was just the actress)

I will admit I couldn't make it through the entire series. After the 8th episode I was just burnt out on the show and I've waited over a month writing this, because I thought I could bring myself to finish the show. But I couldn't.

If you have to see this series rent it, otherwise pass on by. Better yet, if you have to see this series, post a comment telling me why you NEED to see this series, and I'll send you my copy. That's right this is the first CineManiac giveaway!!! So get typing!

Labels: Blade, DVD review, Giveaway, Review, TV Reviews

I loved Cloverfield. It was a fun, fast paced intense romp that worked the nerves. But I had clearly missed a few things the first time around, and I was curious as to how good it would stand up upon a second viewing. So yesterday afternoon I decided to see it again and see just how good it was, outside of the impact of seeing something new for the first time, and see what new things I could see. And I have to say it's still good.

Just like the first time, I had to continually uncurl my fists and whip the sweat off of my hands, just not quite as frequently. Also I was able to notice things I missed the first time, such as the amount of times you can see a clock and be clued into how much time has passed. Also I was able to spot whatever it is that falls into the ocean in the final scene.

But most of all it still worked as a movie. I was still concerned for the characters, I was still curious as to what the Monster is (and I still am), and it was still just as intense and funny as it was the first time.

But what works the most is still the use of the handheld camera and seeing the entire movie from Hud's point-of-view (Yes his name is Hud as in H.U.D. - Head's Up Display) While it may cause Motion (Picture) Sickness (Yeah I did!) in some viewers it makes for a heck of a ride, and lets the audience feel like they are part of the action.

I'll be picking this one up when it comes out on DVD, if only to see the making-of docs which are sure to be part of the special features. If you haven't seen it yet I can't recommend it strongly enough, just be warned it may cause you to hurl.

Labels: Cloverfield, Review

Wow! That's about all I can say after seeing Cloverfield.
I've been looking forward to seeing this for about 6 months now, ever since I first read that J.J. Abrams was producing some new movie no one had heard anything about and that it had a preview before Transformers.

All anyone knew was that it was going under the codename "Cloverfield" likely because that's the street Bad Robots production offices are on. Then the trailer came out and it was breathtaking, and yet I still knew nothing about it. But the internets were abuzz with this new movie that was coming out of left field. Was it called Cloverfield, was it called 1-18-08 or was that simply the release date? Was it a new Godzilla movie? What does Slusho have to do with it? And so on and so forth.

And after months of hype it's here, and does it live up to that hype? For me the answer is a resounding YES! The movie was fantastic. Running at only 1 hour and 25 minutes because it's so intense it feels so much longer (but in a good way). The movie starts off slow and then goes all out at break neck speed with little time to breath. I noticed several times during the movie that my hands were curled into balls and sweating and had to make my self open them and dry them off. It was just a natural reaction to the movie.

I don't want to tell you much about the movie, as it's worth seeing without knowing anything, but basically it's about a small group of friends whose lives are thrown upside down when something attacks New York City. What follows is their struggle to survive the night all captured on a digital camera by one of them.

For the last few weeks I've been trying to avoid the tv ads which seem to be showing more and more, and I stayed away from all the reviews, because I didn't want to know anything before hand. And I'm glad I did. It's rare that you can go into a movie knowing almost nothing about it in these spoilerific days, but I'm glad I was able to as I think I was better off for it.

As I said it's best going in not knowing anything. In fact if you want to see this, stop reading reviews, stop seeing the commercials, just go. And go now, go see it with a packed house, who may or may not scream things like "Run, B****, Run" when something scary happens. It's best seen on the big screen with a big crowd.

I can't say everyone will love it, in fact I think it's one of those movies where some people will love it and some will hate it. The crowd I was with tonight had some of the haters in it, but I have my doubts about how much they "hated" it. Mainly because for the intense hour or so when things are going crazy, the theater was silent, everyone was so involved in the movie and wondering what would happen next that there was no real whispering, no murmurs from the people around you, just a silent enthralled crowd (in fact at one point I badly needed to cough, but refrained because what was going on onscreen was very quiet and in the theater you could have heard a pin drop).

I think because the movie doesn't end how some people had hoped or thought that it would that they decided they hated the entire thing. Something I think happens a lot, people love a movie, but once it ends in a way they don't like they decide the entire movie was bad.

One thing I should mention are the amazing special effects. This movie was made for tens of millions, which in today's age is considered low budget as more and more movies jump the 100 million mark, but the effects don't reflect the cost. They are wonderful and as my friend pointed out, all the more amazing because of the jerkiness of the hand held camera, which means they had to spend much more time making sure all the effects line up and track correctly.

If you have even an inkling of wanting to see this, go do it now. You really want to see this with a big crowd on the big screen.

Labels: Cloverfield, Review