Mutants, Lightsabers, and Boobs

It was a pretty big day in movies today.

First off, Bryan Singer has stepped in as director of the new X-Men movie "Days of Future Past", which is excellent news.  As much as I liked "First Class", it'll be good to have the man behind the camera that first introduced the cinematic world to the X-Men.

Oh, yeah, and this happened...

Disney buys Lucasfilm for $4 billion

The Mouse House is consolidating their grip on all the things I loved during my childhood.  First, they bought Pixar.  Then, the bought Marvel.  Now, they've bought Star Wars.

I think this is a good thing, because it means that George Lucas will get out from behind the drivers seat of what was once my favorite franchise of all time. 

I wonder who they're going to get to direct one of the new Star Wars movies....

In non-geek related yet still Star Wars related news, Natalie Portman is in Austin filming a new movie, and she and Michael Fassbender were at the t.u. game a few weeks ago.  Here's a gif....

Evidently, motherhood has been very good to her...at least to her chest.

Just a quick note...

Just got seeing The Amazing Spider-Man, and I've got to say, it was pretty good.  I went in with pretty low expectations, but I was impressed.  The story was a lot more emotional than any of Sam Raimi's movies, and I can't wait to see what they do with the story from here on out. 

Last week, I went and saw an advance screening of Hit & Run.  It was an okay movie, with great car chase scenes, but no real plot to speak of.  It's obvious that Kristen Bell & Dax Shephard are a real life couple...their chemistry is great.  But there wasn't much to the story, and there was no ending to speak of.  Parts of Bradley Cooper's character were great, but again, no real development. 

I'm probably going to go to the dollar theater tomorrow and catch some films that I didn't get to see when they were out, like Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter or Snow White & the Huntsman.  It all depends on what the GF wants to see. 

I'll post more in-depth reviews later, but I've been pleasantly surprised with the last couple of movies I saw.  And there's news that Disney might be rebooting The Rocketeer...that makes me excited.  It's probably one of my favorite movies from childhood. 

LET THE NERDGASMS COMMENCE

I've got to post these trailers on here, because they are to three movies that I'm really looking forward to this summer...I bet you can guess why.

I'm not even going to comment on them...just let their awesomeness wash over you...

UPDATE: the futility of TRAILER PARK TRASH

As much as I love the idea of TRAILER PARK TRASH, I can see it's inherent flaws.  Case in point...yesterday I watched In Time, a movie that had it's trailer reviewed here on Movie Dork as part of the TPT segment.

You murdered me by 109 minutes, Amanda

This movie is probably one of the worst pieces of garbage I've ever seen.  The only reason I kept watching was because 1) I was bored, and 2) I kept hoping to see more of Amanda Seyfried's cleavage.

The movie seemed like it had one plot at the beginning of the film, and an entirely different plot at the end.  Did they play Mad-Libs to try and figure the story structure on this one?  And what I thought was a cool story point (the idea that TIME is used like money) turned out to have so many holes in it, it was like a piece of Swiss cheese that had been eaten by rats & shot with a shotgun...in other words, LOTS OF PLOT HOLES.

I'm looking forward to tonight, hoping to get into a sneak peak of Rampart starring Woody Harrelson.  And I'm hoping to write on this blog more.

UPDATE OF THE UPDATE:
Again, the futility of Trailer Park Trash has been proven to me by seeing the first 10 minutes of One for the Money, which I couldn't even sit through the free showing of the first ten minutes.  It was that bad.  Even Katherine Heigl as a brunette couldn't make me watch more of that garbage.

And I hear she's a lovely person

TRAILER PARK TRASH : One For The Money

Oh, why'd you have to grow up to be so bitchy?

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

TRAILER PARK TRASH: In Time

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.

The first one for the blog is for the new Justin Timberlake movie In Time.

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'm going to give this trailer...

3 trailers...I'll probably go see the movie

REVIEW: Harry Potter & the Deathly Hollows Part 2

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hollows Part 2, directed by David Yates, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and a whole mess of other English people.

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. 

Somebody grew up HOT!

MOVIE CLUB : The King's Speech

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!!!

Is this thing on?

 The Kings Speech, directed by Tom Hooper, starring Colin Firth, Geoffery Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter.

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.

FIRST LOOK...ROBERT RODRIGUEZ'S PREDATORS

I just saw this footage, and I'll have to say, I'm pretty psyched about this movie.  Didn't realize Robert Rodriguez wasn't directing it, but any movie that's got Adrien Brody, Lawrence Fishburne, Topher Grace, and Walt Goggins, I'm going to go see.

OSCAR NIGHT LIVE BLOGGING

I got bored just watching the Oscars, so I'll try some live blogging.

9:35 - Sandra Bullock, still looks really good.  Oh, Avatar finally won something!
9:38 - Ah, James Taylor.  Is it morbid that this is one of my favorite parts of the Oscars?
9:46 - Anyone see Sam Worthington preshow?  He forgot his date's name.  Classic.  Ugh, dance number.
10:07 - What the hell is Fischer Stevens doing getting an Oscar?
10:10 - Hurt Locker wins agains!  They look like film editors.  Dorks.  Like me. 
10:27 - I kinda like it when they bring out co-stars to talk about the nominees.  COME ON JEFF BRIDGES!
10:30 - FUCK YEAH!  Best Actor, Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart, Bad Blake!
10:55 - Best Director...come on....YES!  Kathryn Bigelow, Hurt Locker!
11:01 - HURT LOCKER!  6 Oscars!  It deserves it, fantastic film!

Well, I only missed two of my guesses, which was Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress.  I didn't realize that Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire was such a strong contender.  All in all, though, I was pretty happy with all the awards that were given out, and the show wasn't as boring as it normally is.  That might have been because I was live blogging at the time...and Twittering...and Facebooking.

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2010

Tonight's the big night in Hollywood, so I thought I'd put down my own Oscar predictions.  Let's see how many I get right.  Now, this is only for the big categories...costume and whatnot, I really don't care about.

AND...for the first time in a long time (maybe ever?), there are 10...yep, TEN...Best Picture nominees.  So, without further ado...MOVIE DORK'S OSCAR PREDICTIONS!!!

BEST ACTOR - Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds"
BEST ACTRESS - Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - either Maggie Gyllenhaal in "Crazy Heart" or Anna Kendrick in "Up in the Air"
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE - Up
BEST DIRECTOR - Kathryn Bigelow for "The Hurt Locker"
BEST ORIGINAL SONG - The Weary Kind from "Crazy Heart"

As for Best Picture...I just don't know.  The field is big, and there are some great...GREAT...movies on that list.  I think I'm rooting for "The Hurt Locker" because it was such a great, powerful movie, but I know that "Avatar" is the biggest movie of all time, and "Up in the Air" is a critical favorite...even though I didn't really like it that much.  As you can see, "Crazy Heart" is my favorite, but I really do think the Golden Globe winners will be the big winners tonight, though that's not always the case...remember Mickey Rourke and "The Wrestler"?

I think the one that I might be most excited about is the BEST VISUAL EFFECTS category, with "Star Trek", "District 9" and "Avatar" all in the running.  I don't think JJ Abrams reboot of "Star Trek" has a chance, as good as it was, because the other two just blew it out of the water. 

No matter what, I'll be watching tonight with my ballot in my hand.  I'll write back later and see how I did.

Holy crap.

That's all I can say after watching the Iron Man 2 trailer, which just got put up online.  Luckily, I can post it up on here too.



Bad ass, right?!?!?  I'll definitely be in line to see that one.  Though I don't think Scarlett Johannsen as Black Widow is the best casting choice, I'm still excited to see her in skin-tight leather.

REVIEW: The Invention of Lying

A friend of mine wanted to go to a movie last night, and before I could throw out It Might Get Loud, she suggested we see The Invention of Lying. I really wanted to see this, especially after seeing Ricky Gervais on the Emmys. I heard that this movie wasn't just "laugh out loud" funny, but also had a pretty important message.

I'm a fan of Gervais' humor, being a big Office fan, though I find his humor a little hard to watch sometimes. I think I got through two episodes of Extras before I had to turn it off because I was so uncomfortable.

I went in expecting a comedy, but what I didn't expect was the message behind the comedy. This film has some serious issues that it deals with, including religion and self-worth. Mark Bellison, Gervais' character, is heart-breaking to watch sometimes, and I'll admit it...I got teary-eyed at parts.

It's a cute movie, with a good message, and I would suggest it to people who are looking to go see a good date movie. As for a comedy, it's smart enough for a Gervais comedy, but it doesn't have as much of uncomfortable humor. And the part that I loved was all the famous actors making cameos. I don't want to spoil it, but there are a couple of Academy award nominees and winners in this movie.

I know, I know...I haven't blogged in awhile. I blame work.

I'm hoping to go see the documentary It Might Get Loud this week. A review will follow.

Other than that, not really anything out there right now that's lifting my skirts. Just waiting for the holiday movie season to be upon us.

WEB: GotchaMovies

I had lunch with a friend of mine yesterday, a fellow movie / comic book dork like myself, and he mentioned a new website called GotchaMovies that is tying movie review / trailer sites like IGN with a social networking aspect.

It's still in the beta phase right now, but check it out, looks like it could be a pretty cool site. Friend request MovieDork, cause I'm there as well.

Lots of big movie and TV news coming down the pipeline, especially for a guy who hasn't been blogging in a few months.

First off, though, it's the return of the Boondock Saints in All Saints Day. Check out the trailer below...



To say that I've waited 10 years for this and am looking forward to it is an understatement.

REVIEW: The Spirit - THIS MOVIE BLOWS

I think I know why The Spirit's city screams.

Because this movie sucks like a Reno prostitute. It makes Max Payne seem like the Godfather. I'm glad I didn't pay $10 to see this in the theater, and was only tricked out of $5 to see it On Demand. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 14% and says this about the film. "Though its visuals are unique, The Spirit's plot is almost incomprehensible, the dialogue is ludicrously mannered, and the characters are unmemorable."

I couldn't have said it better myself. I'd go on about how much this movie sucks, but then I'd be wasting even more of my life on this travesty, and I need to take a shower.

Someone needs to tell Frank Miller that Robert Rodriguez was doing him a solid by giving him co-directing credit on Sin City. So far, Miller's track record in the film business has not been great. You're a comic book writer / artist, Frank. And a damn fine one. But please stop making films.

However, there was one five minute part that I didn't mind. And that's when Paz Vega showed up on screen.

This is going to replace my Princess Leia Gold Bikini fantasy

I don't know much about this fiery Spanish beauty, but I'm hoping to see her in A LOT more stuff. Or less stuff, heh heh (<- dirty old man laugh)

LOOKING BACK: Saving Private Ryan

Since yesterday was the anniversary of D-Day, I decided I'd sit down and rewatch Saving Private Ryan, Steven Spielberg's masterpiece of the invasion of Normandy. Band of Brothers is an annual watching event around Memorial Day, and it's been a couple of years since I've seen the movie that led to the idea of the mini-series.

In the past, the opening invasion scene has always made me feel uneasy and a bit sick, with it's graphic footage of the D-Day beach landing at Omaha Beach. I guess after watching Band of Brothers, and playing Call of Duty as much as I have, I'm kinda immune to it now. That's a disturbing thought.

While this film did tug on my heart-strings, and some tears did fall (I'm a sucker for war movies), I just didn't feel the same emotional connection with the characters as I did with Band of Brothers. In my opinion, the mini-series is significantly better than the movie. Which isn't surprising, as the mini-series is over 10 hours long, and there's that much more time to discover things that you love about the characters.

This is a fantastic movie, though, and it's cool to see the technical aspects and story aspects that make it into Band of Brothers. I did have one problem with it, though.


In the final battle, at the bridge in Ramelle, when everything is going on at once, Matt Damon as Private Ryan can be seen sitting out from the battle, cradling himself and rocking back and forth. This seems totally against everything that the character has been built up to in the movie to this point.

This is a guy who has jumped behind enemy lines, gone further behind said lines to defend a bridge, denied his chance to go home after finding out about his brothers, and has finally gotten the respect of the Rangers sent to get him by standing his post at the bridge and fighting against insurmountable odds. At yet, when the shit hits the fan, he's in the fetal position?

Not only is that insulting to the character, it seems insulting to the Airborne, men who jumped into enemy territory in the early mornings before the invasion and attempted to make the beach landings easier. I'm sure I'm just being sensitive, but this scene really seemed to upset something in me, and even after thinking about it, I still don't know why.

But Spielberg went on to glorify the Airborne with Band of Brothers, and this movie is a great view of early actors who at this time, weren't the big stars that they are now. The cast is littered with them, just proof that Spielberg has an eye for talent.

If you haven't seen the film, go rent it, or catch it on cable when it's shown. It's an important memorial to those men who died trying to change the world.

One of my new favorite actors, Barry Pepper, as sniper Jackson

REVIEW: Terminator Salvation

Went and saw Terminator Salvation the other day with a friend. My opinion?

It wasn't bad.

That's not saying that it's on the level of T2, which I think is one of the best movies to come out of the 1990s. But it's not as bad as Terminator 3.

My friend who I went and saw it with summed it up perfectly....For a Terminator movie, it's not bad.

The one thing that I didn't like was the fact that the movie seemed to focus more on Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington's character) than on John Connor, who has been the focus of the last three terminator movies and the recently canceled The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

I did like the little homages to the other movies that are sprinkled in the film. But Christian Bale must have one American accent, and that's the only one he uses, because it seemed like Batman was saying all his lines in this movie.

Again, I'm not saying this was a bad movie, but it's one that I probably won't see again till it comes out on DVD or On Demand. Or if someone else pays me to go see it.

REVIEW: Max Payne - SPOILER ALERT!!!

Here's my review on Max Payne, the video game adaption movie that came out last year, with Mark Wahlberg & Mila Kunis.

It's total crap. Don't go see it.

Seriously, I have no idea what the movie was about. I had no idea what was going on. And it was totally predictable. I think I knew that ***SPOILER ALERT*** Beau Bridges was the bad guy as soon as he showed up on screen.

Not a lot of thought went into this movie. And to think, people got PAID to write this crap.

The only thing I liked about this movie was that it seemed to be a colorized version of Sin City. And that got old after awhile.