Now, I know a lot of people hate on Katherine Heigl, and it's probably justified...she seems like she's a pretty uptight, opinionated, not-very-well-informed individual who doesn't mind spouting off to the media about her troubles. However, I've always been a Katherine Heigl fan, ever since My Father the Hero. And no, it's not creepy, because we're both around the same age.
Anyway, here's the trailer for her new film, which doesn't look like the typical rom-com fare we usually see her in. This actually looks like an action movie, and not just an action movie, but the FIRST movie in an action franchise.
During my bookseller career, we had a ton of people come in for the new Janet Evanovich books, which are incredibly popular. And it looks like she's trying to bring her character Stephanie Plum to the big screen.
I'm going to admit it...I want to see this movie. I like the girl action movie formula, especially when you have someone as hot as Heigl as the main character. And with Jason O'Mara playing the antagonistic love interest and Daniel Sunjata playing what looks like another love interest, those are two of my favorite television stars and I like seeing them pop up in different things. While I don't think this movie is going to be an instant classic, I do think it'll be an enjoyable night at the cinemaplex.
I'm going to give this trailer...
3 trailers...I'll go see it just for Katherine Heigl's boobs
Here's a new section of the blog that I want to try out, which was the brainchild of a friend of mine. Instead of doing movie reviews about movies we've seen, we do movie reviews on their trailers, and judge the movie solely based on that. I've decided to call it Trailer Park Trash.
JT has really impressed me with his transition into acting...he hasn't done it like musicians normally do, which is to do some big budget blockbuster and fall horribly on their face. Instead, he started out doing indie films and direct-to-video and cameos in other movies, but now he's headlining movies. And this looks like his first foray into becoming an action star.
I'm going to admit it, the idea of this movie is intriguing. Everyone grows to 25, and then the currency is time. So, the rich stay young and alive, while the poor die. It's a unique way to look at the future, just like director Andrew Niccol's other future movie Gattaca was. However, it's kinda the same idea as Freejack, except instead of stealing people from the past, you're actually stealing their current time. And I don't think Mick Jagger is in this movie.
What this movie has is a shitload of stars. Amanda Seyfried plays JT's love interest...I'm sorry, I really can't see her as anything more than the ditzy girl in Mean Girls. The always gorgeous Olivia Wilde plays JT's mom, even though she's younger than him in real life. Cillian Murphy plays the baddie, Vincent Kartheiser plays his boss and Seyfried's father, and Johnny Galecki plays JT's buddy. Alex Pettyfer is in there too, but that dude's a douche, so I really don't care.
Who I am excited to see is Matt Bomer, playing a 100+ year old man who gives his time to JT, thus starting the chain of events for the movie. I'm a huge fan of Bomer and his show White Collar, so it's good to see him getting some movie time, even if it is a supporting / small part.
The film looks like it has the action and the intelligence to keep my attention, and the only thing that kinda makes me hesitant is if they try and dumb the film down for the usual JT / Seyfried / Pettyfer audience...which is 16 year old girls. If this is a smart sci-fi / action / thriller in the same vein as Inception, it might be the movie that makes JT as big a movie star as he is a pop star.
I really wanted to go see this movie this weekend, because like most people in the English-speaking and otherwise world, I've read the books and seen all the movies. I'm not as big a fan as some (a friend of mine has a Harry-inspired lightning bolt tattoo on her wrist...NERD), but I enjoy the story. However, I always found the idea of the Deathly Hollows in the books as very confusing, and seemed to be a MacGuffin that JK Rowling threw into the last book for no apparent reason.
While the movie had some tear-jerking moments, I think the awkward epilogue totally ruined the movie for me. It was so bad, I was left feeling empty. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the WHOLE movie had this same sort of empty emotional impact. There were deaths of major characters that the movie just glossed over, the final realization of Hermione & Ron's relationship didn't have the same emotional impact, and by the end of the movie I was thinking "Ok, what happens next?"
But there is no next...unless Rowling wants to make a few more BILLION dollars and write another series of wizard books. And having grown up with these characters (and actors), I feel like I was cheated from my emotional conclusion.
Just finished my beer at the bar and ambled back to the computer to write my first review of 2011...also my first review in way over a year. I apologize for my blog reading audience...I am a horrible blogger, forgive me.
Anyway, enough self-flagellation, ONTO THE REVIEW!!!
What can I say about this movie that hasn't already been said in the media? I don't think I can tout it more than what the mainstream press already has, and it's obvious that Colin Firth will most definitely get nominated...and probably win...the Oscar for Best Actor. If he doesn't, it will be a travesty, because his performance in this movie, about the problems facing King George VI of England at the eve of World War II, is absolutely fantastic. His tortured acting reminds me of Leonardo DiCaprio's portrayal of Howard Hughes in The Aviator, and Firth brings forth the humanity of the king who didn't want to be king during one of the worst crisis in his country's history.
Rush plays his speech therapist and ultimately his friend, and Bonham Carter plays his wife, the future Queen Mum. All of the acting in this movie is top-notch, and I won't be surprised to see Rush & Bonham Carter receive nominations as well.
This movie had it all...as I mentioned before, the acting was superb from all three of the principle actors. But the writing and the cinematography are fantastic as well. At our after-movie drink, my friend and I commented on how beautifully this movie was shot. You could capture a single frame from the movie and it would be a beautiful picture, but you don't really notice it because the acting is so good. Rush plays a knowledgeable and caring therapist, and Bonham Carter, who I have to admit I'm not a huge fan of, plays the Queen as a loving wife who stands behind her husband knowing that he'll be a good king.
The one thing that surprised me about this movie is how much it delves into the scandal around George VI's rise to the throne, with his older brother abdicating the throne and the tortures he faced as a child growing up in a household that was displayed for all the world to see. That was heart-breaking, and Firth showed what it means to be a royal and not be able to live your life as your own.
I could go on and on about how great this movie is, but you'll have to go see it for yourself. It definitely deserves the praise that it has received, and I look forward to more from director Tom Hooper, who might just be at the tipping point of his career.
