Movie J - Movie News and Reviews

10 Biggest Movie News Stories of 2010 - The Moviefone Blog

2011-01-01T10:01:00.000-08:00

10 Biggest Movie News Stories of 2010 - The Moviefone Blog

Ebert's Glossary of Movie Terms

2010-11-16T16:59:00.001-08:00

Automatically Arriving Automobiles

Whenever cars in a chase go through a four-way junction, unrelated cars must appear from each direction and skid into the center. These cars may either stop unharmed or crash into each other in the center, upon which all the drivers will get out and shake fists at each other. No cars actually involved in the chase are ever involved in the crash.

Classic Car Rule

Whenever a beautiful classic car—usually the prized possession of an unsympathetic father—is introduced at the beginning of a film, that car will be wrecked by the end of it. (See RISKY BUSINESS, FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF, COUPE DE VILLE, etc.)

And More!…

http://academic.sun.ac.za/forlang/bergman/tech/glossary/ebert_glos.htm

Movie Trivia of the Day: 10/25/10

2010-10-25T19:51:00.001-07:00

According to an article by Nicholas Pileggi in The New York Times, Paramount planned to release a line of spaghetti sauce bearing The Godfather (1972) logo to promote the film. It also planned Godfather restaurant franchises that would sell pizza, hero sandwiches, Italian ices and Italian breads and pastries. A spin-off television series was also planned but none of these ideas came to fruition.

Brought to you by IMDB

Movie Trivia of the Day: 12/07/2009

2009-12-07T06:21:00.001-08:00

The Last King of Scotland (2006) was the first Hollywood movie filmed in Uganda since The African Queen (1951).

Brought to you by Movie-Rentals-Online.net

Movie Trivia of the Day: 11/30/2009

2009-11-30T21:11:00.001-08:00

Steve Hollar, who played the role of Rade Butcher in Hoosiers (1986), was actually a DePauw University basketball player during the making of the film. After the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) learned he was in the film, it was ruled that he was acting rather than playing and he was given a three-game suspension and fined 5 percent of his acting fee.

Brought to you by Movie-Rentals-Online.net

Movie Trivia of the Day: 11/25/2009

2009-11-25T15:47:00.001-08:00

Josef Stalin banned The Grapes of Wrath (1940) in the Soviet Union because of its implication that even the poorest Americans could afford to own a car.

Brought to you by Movie-Rentals-Online.net

Bing is Wrong

2009-11-24T14:06:00.001-08:00

A while ago, I made a post that highlighted the new search engine, Bing, and it’s “Visual Search” function. And as it is pretty neat in a visual sense, I completely missed how it is wrong in some of the factual areas. Here is a screen capture from the “Famous Directors” visual search (I highlighted what was wrong):

So, as you can see, it is listing Michael Apted’s highest grossing movie as “Batman Begins”. That’s funny, I always thought Christopher Nolan directed that.

When I clicked on the image, it didn’t even list that anywhere in his repertoire, which is correct. So it may just be the visual search that has the inaccuracies. It does still say “beta”.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t use Bing or its visual search because it is still pretty neat, but just don’t believe everything you read.

Movie Trivia of the Day: 11/24/2009

2009-11-24T13:21:00.001-08:00

Amity Island in Jaws(1975) was actually Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, with locals used as extras.

Brought to you by Movie-Rentals-Online.net

Movie Trivia of the Day: 11/23/2009

2009-11-23T07:30:00.001-08:00

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) was the first Hollywood feature film to ever film on the Galapagos Islands.

Brought to you by Movie-Rentals-Online.net

Movie Look-A-Likes Pt. III – Still More Posters and Covers

2009-11-22T13:45:00.001-08:00

see more Movie and Celeb Look-A-Likes

Top 20 List of Lists About Movies

2009-11-22T13:42:00.001-08:00

I have just discovered Listverse the other night and while looking through the various lists, I realized how many dealt with fascinating aspects of movies. I have subsequently put together a list (in no particular order) of some of my favorite lists that are about movies in some way. I submitted it, but there is no guarantee that it will get published. Therefore, I am posting it here. Take that fancy websites!

Anyway, you can click on the title to open the link to the list. So enjoy and hopefully this doesn’t waste as much of your time as it did mine.

- Movie J

20. Top 10 Tragic Movie Set Deaths

From the more famous death of Brandon Lee in "The Crow" to the lesser known death of Paul Mantz in "The Flight of The Phoenix", this list reports on some of Hollywood's most tragic moments during filming.

19. 9 Great Historically Accurate Medieval Movies

For those who love historical accuracy in their movies, this list even gives links to Amazon.com to purchased the well-researched movies.

18. Top 10 Errors in Science Fiction Movies

I, for one, love to go to IMDB and read about all the goofs and errors in movies and science fiction is full of them. Everything from sounds in space to humanoid alien species is on this list for the enjoyment of sci-fi lovers.

17. 10 Movies That Are So Bad They Are Good

Now, I've only heard of a few of these movies, and haven't seen a single one, so I'll have to take the author's word on how "good" they are, but it is an interesting list of some obscure movies.

16. 10 Of The Best In Hollywood Who Never Won An Oscar

There are quite a few people on this list that really surprised me (including those in the "Notable omissions" footnote). This is just proof at how the Academy is as fallible as a drunken sailor on leave.

15. Top 10 Most Controversial Religious Movies

Religion is a touchy subject for many people around the world and those who mess with religion can often be retaliated against. This is a list of films that have gotten quite a bit of flack for their religious views, jabbings, factual errors and propaganda.

14. Top 15 Great Movie Twists

Not surprisingly, this list is somewhat dominated by movies from M. Night Shyamalan, who is known for his incredible plot twists.

13. Top 10 Badass Women in Movies

The most hardcore women of the movies now have a spot in Listverse history. Whether you think these movies are good or not, you can't deny that these women kick some booty.

12. Top 10 Christmas Horror Movies

Most of the movies featured on this list are B-list movies, but they all try to combine one of the all-time favorite holidays, Christmas, with one of the all-time cheesiest movie genres, the horror flick.

11. Top 10 Amazing Film Swordfights

I am a fan of swordfighting far more than I am a fan of gunfights and this list is right down my alley. Covering a good sampling of movie history, this is the perfect list for the wanna-be swashbuckler.

10. 10 Incredibly Memorable Movie Quotes

Although I haven't heard most of these used in any conversation I've had, this list-maker does include which "aspect of society and the human condition" that each quote deals with. I found it pretty interesting.

09. 10 More Incredibly Bizarre Movies

This is another list of obscure movies that I have not seen personally, but I have heard of most of them. From the plot descriptions and the weirdest moments, these movies are very low on my "to see" list.

08. Top 10 Movie Clichés

How many times have we seen these clichés in movies? Then again, how many times have we seen lists and articles about these same clichés? Makes you wonder...

07. Top 15 Best Movie Sequels

Another list that I don't 100% agree to, but it is still interesting to see what other people think of as "best". You're probably thinking that about my list now, aren't you?

06. Top 10 Movie Sound Effects We All Recognize

Sound effects are something we usually don't think of unless they seem odd or out of place, however, without sound effects, movies would not be as convincing.

05. Top 15 Amazing Movie Endings

This is actually a list that I feel is quite accurate, at least in my personal opinion. I mean, more could be added, but for a short, 15 movie list, it's pretty good. Be careful, because it's basically a list of spoilers.

04. Top 10 Movie Shootouts

Like this list says, everyone likes a good shootout and this list contains at least a couple of my favorite movies, so I will, in turn, add it to my list.

03. Top 10 Best of the Best in Movies

This list goes down the line of the best of each aspect of film making, from the best director to the best special effects supervisor. I don't exactly agree with the list 100%, it is interesting nonetheless.

02. Top 10 Badass Movie Villains

Villains have been fan favorites since they first appeared in stories all over the world. The antagonist is what makes the hero, well, the hero. Without darkness, there is no light they say.

01. Top 10 Overrated Movies

I wanted to try and find a list with the top superheroes or movie heroes in general, but I got bored when I couldn't find one in the first three search pages. However, I did find this list which is pretty funny in that a lot of it is true.

Movie Look-A-Likes Pt. II - More Posters and Covers

2009-11-22T08:58:00.001-08:00

see more Celeb Look-A-Likes

Movie Look-A-Likes Pt. I - Posters and Covers

2009-11-22T03:55:00.001-08:00

see more Movie and Celeb Look-A-Likes

I’m a Movie Fan! Poster 2

2009-11-22T01:24:00.001-08:00

I’m a Movie Fan! Poster

2009-11-22T00:18:00.001-08:00

Movie Trivia of the Day: 11/22/2009

2009-11-22T00:12:00.001-08:00

MGM studios restricted the budget for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) so more money could be put into the production of Rose Marie (1954) and Brigadoon (1954) - each of which MGM had greater expectations for. However,Seven Brides for Seven Brothers was by far the most commercially and critically successful, as well as being the best remembered of the three.

Brought to you by Movie-Rentals-Online.net

Famous Quotes

2009-11-22T00:07:00.001-08:00

“The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder.”

- Alfred Hitchcock

Bing Visual Film Legends and Directors

2009-11-20T00:08:00.001-08:00

Here’s a neat little “visual search” from the new search engine Bing featuring the Top 25 Film Legends.

They are very loosely divided into two groups: actors and actresses, which last time I knew wasn’t politically correct, but who’s counting?

You can also sort them by their rank, Bing search popularity, name or number of Oscars. When you hover over a picture, it tells you their name, ranking, how many Oscars they won, how many movies they made and where they were born.

On the left side is a filter system with many different options as well, such as “still living” and “born in the U.S.”

You can also check out Famous Directors as well, in which I learned that out of all the people listed, Clint Eastwood has directed the most movies (30 movies)!

I don’t know how incredibly useful this is, but it is pretty neat to see all these people in one place, even if it is on the internet…

- Movie J

Movie Trivia of the Day: 9/30/2009

2009-09-30T19:06:00.001-07:00

For her role as Mammy, in Gone with the Wind (1939), Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American to be nominated for, and win, an Oscar (specifically: Best Actress in a Supporting Role). However, due to racial segregation issues at the time, Hattie was unable to attend the world premiere in Atlanta, Georgia.

Brought to you by Movie-Rentals-Online.net

Movie Trivia of the Day: 9/28/2009

2009-09-28T13:54:00.001-07:00

At $90 million, The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) broke the record for the biggest opening weekend ever and held that record until the release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in November of 2001.

Brought to you by Movie-Rentals-Online.net

Movie Trivia of the Day: 9/27/2009

2009-09-27T23:01:00.001-07:00

For her role in Erin Brockovich (2000), Julia Roberts (Erin Brockovich) became the first actress to break the $20 million salary level for starring in a Hollywood film.

Brought to you by Movie-Rentals-Online.net

New Movie Fan Social Network!

2009-09-27T22:47:00.001-07:00

Yes, I know. Everyone is tired of social networks. And I’ll be the first to admit that social networks are an internet genre that has been pretty much outplayed.

However, with all my searching (which actually was only a couple searches on Google and Wikipedia), I didn’t find a social network specifically for movie lovers. There were networks for music lovers, book lovers, college students only, etc., but none for lovers of movies.

And thus I took it upon myself to create just that and although it may not be much, with your help, it can be the next MySpace, Facebook or even Twitter! So come join the I’m A Movie Fan social network and let the world know how much you love movies!

The layout is simple (because I use the free version, being a penniless sitar player), but it is all we need to create something big for lovers of movies around the world. If you have any ideas for it, let me know, I have a profile on it already.

Just a little fun fact for you - I created the title graphic and the big sky/man walking graphic on the Welcome page. I’m proud of them.

- J

Movie Poll: Will Smith

2009-09-27T09:02:00.001-07:00

Movie Review: Equilibrium

2009-09-26T21:35:00.001-07:00

TITLE: Equilibrium

STATS:

U.S. RATING: R	RUN TIME: 107 min
GENRE: Action/Drama/Sci-fi	DATE: 2/26/2003
COMPANY: Dimension Films	LANGUAGE: English

MY SUMMARY: In a post-World War III world, the government has decided that the cause of violence and war is human emotion and thus has banned it. Within this strict totalitarian government is a branch of law keepers known as Clerics, the top-ranking being John Preston.

After Preston misses his scheduled dose of the emotion-blocking drug Prozium, he discovers the ability to feel. The underground resistance has learned of this and has recruited him to take down the government.

IMDB SUMMARY: In a futuristic world, a strict regime has eliminated war by suppressing emotions: books, art and music are strictly forbidden and feeling is a crime punishable by death. Cleric John Preston (Bale) is a top ranking government agent responsible for destroying those who resist the rules. When he misses a dose of Prozium, a mind-altering drug that hinders emotion, Preston, who has been trained to enforce the strict laws of the new regime, suddenly becomes the only person capable of overthrowing it.

DIRECTOR: Kurt Wimmer

ACTORS: Christian Bale, William Fichtner, Angus Macfadyen, Taye Diggs, Emily Watson, Sean Pertwee, Matthew Harbour

MY RATING: 7 out of 10

ROTTEN TOMATOES RATING: 36%

MOVIEFONE RATING: 2 out of 5 stars

ROGER EBERT RATING: 3 out of 5 stars

THE GOOD: This movie is a mixture of the novels “1984” and “Brave New World” and the movie “The Matrix”, just without some of the more interesting camera shots. However, even without the incredible special effects of some blockbuster sci-fi movies, many of the fights and the new type of martial arts made for the movie, the “gun kata”, are really cool and don’t need special effects to make you notice.

The movie also leaves hints and clues throughout about who is a “sense offender” and by the end of the movie, you notice these hints. It makes the movie a little more interesting and fun.

Although this isn’t an incredibly great film, I’d recommend it to anyone. The movie actually carries a message much like the novels mentioned above, but incorporates them in a more contemporary setting. So far, everyone I have recommended this movie to has enjoyed it.

THE BAD: Because this movie didn’t have the budget of many of the high profile blockbusters, some of the special effects are pretty cheesy. A few of the fights are cheesy as well, but they didn’t bother me nearly as bad as some of the effects.

However, the worst thing that always upsets me is that the ending seems rushed. The battle to get to Dupont seems too easy, the worst fight being with Brandt. After all that smack-talk and even showing his skills earlier in the movie against Preston, he gets taken down way too easily. The fight with Dupont is okay, but still a little too quickly ended.

Other than that, the rest leading up to these fights is really good in my opinion.

FUN FACTS:

The inspiration for the cityscapes and the design of Libria come mainly from the works of Hugh Ferriss, an early 20th century conceptual artist
Despite popular belief, absolutely no wires were used in the film at all. All of the gravity-defying stunts were done through conventional means. For example, the back flip off of the motorcycle was done with a trampoline
John Preston kills 118 characters in this movie, which makes him responsible for exactly half of the total 236 deaths shown. As of 2009, he continues to hold the 3rd place record for most deaths in a movie caused by one character

WORD	OCCURS	WORD	OCCURS
A**	0	RACIAL FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN	0
AHE	0
B*****D	0	RACIAL FOR HISPANIC	0
B**CH	0
C***	0	RACIAL FOR ASIAN	0
D**N	2
F***	1	RACIAL FOR CAUCASSIAN	0
GD*	1
H**L	0	RACIAL FOR OTHER	0
M***F**R	0
S**T	2	LORD'S NAME IN VAIN	0
* These numbers are as accurate as possible, but some mistakes may be present. This is to give a general idea of the vulgarity and not to represent a precise measurement system.

Movie Trivia of the Day: 9/26/2009

2009-09-26T19:27:00.001-07:00

Double Movie Trivia Saturdays:

Roman Holiday (1953), which starred Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck was the first American film to be filmed entirely in Italy.

Brought to you by Movie-Rentals-Online.net

David Bamber (Adolf Hitler) was the only non-German cast member in the film Valkyrie, who speaks with a German accent. The filmmakers felt that audiences would be distracted by Hitler speaking in Bamber's natural British accent.

Brought to you by IMDB.com

Movie Trivia of the Day: 9/25/2009

2009-09-25T18:15:00.001-07:00

So, I’ve decided to add a new feature to the blog; movie trivia of the day. I hope this will prove to be a good addition that everyone will enjoy as much as I do.

Brad Pitt, who played Achilles in Troy (2004), tore his left achilles tendon during the making of the film.

Brought to you by Movie-Rentals-Online.net

Movie Review: Space Chimps

2009-09-25T18:10:00.001-07:00

TITLE: Space Chimps

STATS:

U.S. RATING: G	RUN TIME: 81 min
GENRE: Animation/Comedy/Sci-fi/Family	DATE: 6/18/2008
COMPANY: Vanguard Animation	LANGUAGE: English

MY SUMMARY: An evil alien has taken over and enslaved his home planet with the help of Earth technology. Now, the descendent of the very first chimp in space, Ham III and his chimp team must fly to the alien planet and rescue the technology as well as the native alien race. However, there are many perils on the planet and much restlessness from the grumpy, scheming senator on Earth. Now, the fate of an alien planet and NASA rest in the furry hands of the space chimps.

IMDB SUMMARY: Jeff Daniels, Stanley Tucci, Cheryl Hines, and Andy Samberg lend their voices to this computer-animated comedy following the descendants of the first chimps in space as they blast off for fun and adventure on a far-away planet. Ham III (Samberg) is the grandson of Ham, the first-ever chimp astronaut. This ne'er-do-well chimp may not be the most qualified ape for the job, but a scheming senator (Tucci) has recruited him for a most dangerous mission. It seems that a powerful tyrant (Daniels) has overtaken an alien world, and now it's up to Ham III and his trusty simian crew (Hines and Patrick Warburton) to help overthrow the deep-space despot. Perhaps with some training from Ham III's mentor (Kenan Thompson) and the help of a friendly alien (Kristin Chenoweth) this fearless group of anthropoids can make the universe a safer place for aliens and humans alike.

DIRECTOR: Kirk De Micco

ACTORS: Andy Samberg, Cheryl Hines, Jeff Daniels, Patrick Warburton, Stanley Tucci, Kristin Chenoweth, Jane Lynch

MY RATING: 4 out of 10

ROTTEN TOMATOES RATING: 36%

MOVIEFONE RATING: 3 out of 5 stars

ROGER EBERT RATING: 3 out of 5 stars

THE GOOD: So there isn’t a ton that I thought was super good about this movie, but it does have some redeeming qualities, though not many.

The humor and graphics in the movie was nowhere near Pixar quality, but I was expecting as much. However, the graphics were better than I thought they would be for the most part. The areas that I thought they could have improved upon was the “freznar”, which looks like an amateur animated it using some chrome filter in photoshop and the flesh-eating beast scene.

When watching this scene, I wasn’t entirely sure what exactly I was watching. The reason being that the background, the creature and the characters all look like they’re are completely separate elements made from different things. For example, it looks like the characters are CG, the creature is somehow real or a puppet with the silicon skin and the background (which is a cave) is real footage. It’s a weird scene, but I thought the creature was done really well and looked pretty realistic.

The music in the movie was done by The Blue Man Group which you will notice as soon as the movie begins. The Blue Man Group is known for using their experimental instruments that they create themselves and it is these instruments that make the music of the alien world come alive in the opening scene.

The humor, although nothing hilarious enough for quoting, isn’t too bad. If you have young kids (I have 3 under the age of 3 right now), chances are they will find it pretty funny. It’s colorful enough and has enough action and movement to keep them entertained for the most part. The humor is clichéd, but there were still a few parts that made me chuckle. You just can’t take the movie too seriously.

THE BAD: Space Chimps has two different sides, the Earth/human/chimp side and the alien side. Now, the alien side has its own civil struggles because of our technology, but the movie doesn’t spend enough time (maybe 30 seconds worth actually) getting us used to and connected to the alien race, so we don’t feel any sympathy for them when the “evil” alien takes over.

And that is another thing, the evil alien Zartog isn’t all that evil. His voice isn’t evil, his look isn’t evil and his actions aren’t all that evil. Sure, he may dunk the aliens in the freznar, but they don’t die, they just stay frozen. And the freznar doesn’t look all that bad since it cracks as easy as that chocolate topping for ice cream. All this adds to the lack of sympathy I have for the aliens.

Something else that annoyed me through the whole movie is the fact that Houston’s voice didn’t seem to “mesh” with the other voices. It was almost otherworldly. I don’t know if he was standing too close to the mic or what, but it just doesn’t seem to fit for some reason.

And the last thing that I thought was bad enough to be included in this section was the lack of good adult humor. Like I mentioned before, this movie is nowhere near what Pixar and Disney have come out with, but it’s almost like they didn’t really try in some parts. The script tries for some adult humor, but misses completely. Luckily, I’m more childish than I am responsible and adult-like, so it was the little-kid humor that made me smile. So, when you watch this movie, keep in mind that you have to watch it like you’re a young child and you’ll enjoy it more.

FUN FACTS:

Fittingly, the teaser ad for this movie premiered on June 20th 2008 during a Fox broadcast of another 'Monkey in Space' movie - 2001's remake of "Planet of the Apes"
Adam Samberg contributed to much of the humor in the movie

WORD	OCCURS	WORD	OCCURS
A**	0	RACIAL FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN	0
AHE	0
B*****D	0	RACIAL FOR HISPANIC	0
B**CH	0
C***	0	RACIAL FOR ASIAN	0
D**N	0
F***	0	RACIAL FOR CAUCASSIAN	0
GD*	0
H**L	0	RACIAL FOR OTHER	0
M***F**R	0
S**T	0	LORD'S NAME IN VAIN	4
* These numbers are as accurate as possible, but some mistakes may be present. This is to give a general idea of the vulgarity and not to represent a precise measurement system.

Movie Trivia of the Day: 9/24/2009

2009-09-24T08:47:00.001-07:00

So, I’ve decided to add a new feature to the blog; movie trivia of the day. I hope this will prove to be a good addition that everyone will enjoy as much as I do.

John Rhys-Davies, who played Gimli the dwarf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, also provided the voice of Treebeard in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003).

Brought to you by Movie-Rentals-Online.net

The Social Network: the Facebook movie

2009-09-23T20:35:00.001-07:00

Just when people thought Hollywood was running out of ideas for movies, Hollywood proves them right…

The Social Network - A story about the founders of the social-networking website, Facebook.

Based off the book The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal by Ben Mezrich and directed by David Fincher (Fight Club, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), the movie is a loose account of the history of Facebook and its founders.

In The Social Network, Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield will play Facebook co-founders Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin, while Justin Timberlake will star as Sean Parker, the co-founder of Napster and the founding president of the site. The screenplay for The Social Network was penned by award winning writer Aaron Sorkin, and production on the film is slated to begin next month in Boston. The film will be produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures, Scott Rudin, and Kevin Spacey. – Screencrave.com

So far, the three people who have been confirmed for roles are Jesse Eisenberg (as Mark Zuckerberg), Justin Timberlake (as Sean Parker) and Andrew Garfield (as Eduardo Saverin).

The funny thing is that the book that The Social Network is based off of is not really doing so well according to Amazon user ratings. Out of 44 user ratings, the average is 3 out of 5 stars, but there are 10 one-star ratings (at the time of this post). That is not very good comparatively. Most of the lower-rating critics say Mezrich’s books are formulaic and his characters seem like puppets. But who knows? Never judge a book by its cover and never pre-judge a movie by its book – as we’ve seen with Twilight.

Resident Evil: Confusion

2009-09-23T01:05:00.001-07:00

I was just going to blog about the upcoming Resident Evil movie, the fourth in the franchise, but while surfing the web, I have learned that they are already planning a fifth movie! The interesting/confusing part is that is sounds like it is basically a remake of the first film, yet the fourth film is supposed to begin a new Resident Evil trilogy… [breath]

Confused yet? Let me explain, beginning from the fourth movie.

Resident Evil: Afterlife

Set for release September 17, 2010 (some sources say August 27, 2010), Resident Evil 4 is supposed to start a brand new trilogy for the Resident Evil film franchise. Shocktillyoudrop.com had an exclusive quote from writer/director Paul W.S. Anderson. One thing he mentioned is that this movie will be done in 3D (which seems to be the new/retro movie fad), using the same equipment as the upcoming movie Avatar by James Cameron.

Here’s what the site had to say about this fourth installment:

Anderson, who will write and direct, told us that the fourth film in the franchise will have the largest budget of all the films so far. "I always envisioned Resident Evil as a trilogy of films," he said. "And we've been very lucky where it's a trilogy where the audience has built and built. I wanted to kick off a brand new trilogy. I'm really excited we're doing it [in 3-D] and we're using the same camera system [James] Cameron used for Avatar. There are a lot of exciting things about this one. I don't regard it as Resident Evil 4, I regard it as a re-tooling and rebirth of the entire franchise."

Anderson is not the only one to return for the fourth movie - Milla Jovovich has been confirmed to return and Ali Larter and Jason O’Mara are rumored for a return as well. Also rumored to be in the movie are Eva Mendes (as Excella Gionne) and Jensen Ackles (as Leon S. Kennedy).

Paul W.S. Anderson wrote and directed the first Resident Evil movie, but bowed out directing the following two sequels, yet he did write the screenplay for them. He also produced all three earlier installments and is producing this fourth one as well.

Shocktillyoudrop.com also talked to Anderson’s fiancé, Milla Jovovich about his preparations for the 3D element:

Anderson has really been getting prepared to make his return to directing the franchise since the first movie, especially with the 3D factor being added to the equation. "He's been really studying it and seeing all the different things they have and watching every 3D movie ever made pretty much," Milla told us. "Especially for a movie like this, because it's wild and a lot of action and a lot of potential for 3D to use the medium at its best. Paul has been going to every 3D company and he's now signed a deal to go with Jim Cameron's 3D company--they did 'Avatar'--It should be pretty interesting. I've never actually seen a 3D movie."

Resident Evil: Afterlife will start filming September 28th in Toronto, Canada.

Resident Evil 5

So, even though they have just started filming the fourth movie, Sony Screen Gems, the studio that has brought the previous three Resident Evil movies, has announced a fifth movie. However, instead of continuing the story where Resident Evil: Afterlife leaves off, it is planned to do a “rehash” of the first movie, sans Alice (Milla Jovovich).

Bloody-disgusting.com has this to say:

Instead of moving forward with the ongoing story, the studio is planning a quasi-reboot, which is tentatively titled Resident Evil Begins. While it's a long, long, long way off, the idea is to redo the story of a special military unit who fights a powerful, out-of-control supercomputer and hundreds of scientists who have mutated into flesh-eating creatures after a laboratory accident.

Reacting to this news, Screenrant.com has said:

This news comes as a bit of a surprise since we recently heard that Resident Evil: Afterlife, the fourth film in the franchise, would kick off a new trilogy. How can the fifth movie be a reboot and yet still be part of that trilogy? Is the term “reboot” being assigned too readily? And is it more along the lines of a sequel, just following a different set of people? It’s hard to tell at this very early stage in the game, but nonetheless, it’s a bit miffing.

However, I remember at the end of the first movie, you hear a man (I forget who, it’s been a while) order a group of people to re-open the Hive and find out what happened. My thoughts are that the fifth film will be about that group and what happened, but who knows…

Movie Review: Stick It

2009-09-22T22:14:00.001-07:00

TITLE: Stick It

STATS:

U.S. RATING: PG-13	RUN TIME: 103 min
GENRE: Comedy/Drama/Sport	DATE: 4/28/2006
COMPANY: Kaltenbach Pictures	LANGUAGE: English

MY SUMMARY: A troubled youth gets a second chance at a prison-free life after getting in trouble with the law when her father pays for her to basically come out of retirement and get back into gymnastics. She is rebellious in nature and has a hard time agreeing, but it is that or prison for her. Her rebelliousness eventually rubs off on her teammates and others at the world competition.

IMDB SUMMARY: After a run-in with the law, Haley Graham (Missy Peregrym) is forced to return to the world from which she fled some years ago. Enrolled in an elite gymnastics program run by the legendary Burt Vickerman (Jeff Bridges), Haley's rebellious attitude gives way to something that just might be called team spirit.

DIRECTOR: Jessica Bendinger

ACTORS: Jeff Bridges, Missy Peregrym, Vanessa Lengies, Nikki SooHoo, Maddy Curley, Kellan Lutz, John Patrick Amedori

MY RATING: 6 out of 10

ROTTEN TOMATOES RATING: 31%

MOVIEFONE RATING: 3 out of 5 stars

ROGER EBERT RATING: 2 out of 5 stars

THE GOOD: Being a musician myself, the soundtrack to a movie is very important to me – a soundtrack can make or break a movie in my eyes (and ears). With this movie, although it wasn’t an original, instrumental soundtrack, I think the soundtrack fit the attitude that they were trying to go for, the pop-punk skater vibe. The soundtrack was basically a mixture of alternative rock and hip-hop with a few other songs sprinkled in. I liked it.

As for the characters, I think Joanne made a very good innocently dumb girl. She was quite believable. Hopefully it was only good acting and not natural…

I also liked the courtroom judge, Polly Holliday. I’ve grown up with her as Jill’s wife on “Home Improvement” and I just like her “essence”, for lack of a better word.

Also, since I would like to be a film director one day, I put a lot of observation into special effects and cinematography. I don’t mean to say that I’m an expert in these fields except in what I like and I really liked the scene in which all the girls are competing in their own little civil competition in order to find out who is going to the main competition. I thought it was pretty neat how they timed everything out and overlapped it all. But I’m simple like that.

Lastly, I do like when my questions that the movie brings up are answered and all loose ends are tied. For example, towards the end, we find out why Hailey left the Worlds competition and how Vick pays her restitution. Everything is finished and you’re left feeling pretty complete.

THE BAD: One main thing that bugged me from the start is how it felt like the director was trying way too hard to make Hailey seem skater-ish. Now, I’ve known quite a bit of hardcore skaters and none of them have a room that looks anything like hers. First of all, their rooms are usually completely messy. Second, none of them took the time to artistically spray paint their furniture. Usually, they were too busy skating!

Another thing that bugged me (and this is just because I am who I am) happens right after Hailey learns about how much her dad is paying Vick and her two friends pick her up. As they are driving down the road, there is a vehicle that is way too close behind them. Seriously, they are on the main characters’ tail! If those boys were as much punks as they were made out to be, they’d totally “brake check” that person. Just wait, once you notice it, you won’t be able to stop noticing it.

FUN FACTS:

Kassandra Nelson played the girl who threw a soda on Haley. She also was the stunt double for Haley
Nastia Liukin, the 2008 All-Around Gold Medalist at the Beijing Olympics, played herself. In the movie, she was 'chosen to win' the uneven bar competition
Missy Elliot's video for the movie, "We Run This," won a 2006 MTV Video Music Award for Best Special Effects

WORD	OCCURS	WORD	OCCURS
A**	4	RACIAL FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN	0
AHE	0
B*****D	0	RACIAL FOR HISPANIC	0
B**CH	2
D**N	1	RACIAL FOR ASIAN	0
D**K (Penis)	1
F***	1^τ	RACIAL FOR CAUCASSIAN	6
GD*	0
H**L	0	RACIAL FOR OTHER	0
M***F**R	0
S**T	5	LORD'S NAME IN VAIN	2
* These numbers are as accurate as possible, but some mistakes may be present. This is to give a general idea of the vulgarity and not to represent a precise measurement system. ^τ This was heard in the soundtrack music during a scene and not actually said in the dialogue.

The Randomly Random Movie Trivia Quiz

2009-09-22T16:37:00.001-07:00

Leave your score in a comment, if you’re brave enough…

Random Movie Quiz » Quiz School

Upcoming Movie: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

2009-09-21T20:37:00.001-07:00

For those of you not in the know (which usually includes me), there is a new movie based off of a video game coming out May 2010. It is Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and it is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the king of summer blockbusters – both on the big screen and on TV.

I haven’t seen a whole lot of the movie yet and I’ll post a link to the trailer when I am able to find a good quality trailer, but it stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, and semi-newcomer Gemma Arterton.

Adapted from the popular Prince of Persia series of video games. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Dastan, a sixth century prince who with help from a princess named Tamina (Gemma Aterton) fights to prevent a villainous noble from possessing a talisman called the Sands of Time, which can reverse time and make him ruler of the world. – CinemaBlend.com

The thing that I think is weird is that Jake Gyllenhaal doesn’t look like a Persian whatsoever, even from the very few clips of the movie that I’ve seen! But nonetheless, I am excited about seeing this movie, mainly because it looks like it is going to be a usual Bruckheimer-backed, high-budget production, and it just so happens to come out the day after my birthday (a hint to my wife…).

Hopefully, this will be on the better end of the video game-turned movie spectrum and not anywhere near such flops as Double Dragon, Wing Commander and the worst of all – Super Mario Brothers.

Munk Yourself

2009-09-21T00:18:00.001-07:00

So I completely gave in to my inner-child and “Munked Myself”. That is, I created a chipmunk character that speaks in honor of Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel coming Christmas Day, 2009.

Here is the image I created. You can click on it to hear the audio which I typed in and, using speech to audio technology, my character will speak to you.

You can “Munk Yourself” too, at MunkYourself.com

Tron Legacy Concept Test Footage

2009-09-20T23:54:00.001-07:00

I was strolling around Hulu and found a clip of some visual effects concept test footage for Tron Legacy coming out mid-December 2010. So far, it looks pretty neat.

Inside the ENCOM computer system, a program called CLU, created by Kevin Flynn during the original fight against the Master Control Program, has been causing chaos and destruction across the grid. Sean Flynn, son of former ENCOM CEO Kevin Flynn, is in search of his missing father, but Sean discovers that his father's whereabouts are somehow connected to the program making a mess of the ENCOM system. In order to find his father, Sean has to go into the ENCOM system, and fight his way to CLU, but in the neon world of TRON, a lot has changed and new dangers await him at every turn.

One thing I like about Tron Legacy (so far from what I’ve seen) is that it has an updated look and feel, while still keeping the same spirit of the original Tron. Everything is dark, quiet, sleek and square-cut.

Check for yourself:

Upcoming Movie: Toy Story 3

2009-09-20T22:02:00.001-07:00

So, for those fans Pixar and Disney movies, a third installment of Toy Story is coming out in 2010, about 11 years after the second Toy Story came out. Good news is that it looks like the original cast of the Toy Story movies is coming back to reprise their roles in Toy Story 3. I love when sequels have the original cast. It makes it seem like people are actually working on creating a quality product.

Here is the teaser for Toy Story 3, thanks to Hulu:

This movie looks like it is going to include Ken (voiced by Michael Keaton) and Barbie (voiced by Jodi Benson) as well as the normal gang of toys. The storyline is:

Woody, Buzz, and the rest of their toy-box friends are dumped in a day-care center after their owner, Andy, departs for college.

And here’s the poster, brought to you by Movies Online:

And the Winners Are…

2009-09-20T20:16:00.001-07:00

The Emmy Awards 2009:

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Winner: Glenn Close for "Damages" (2007)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Winner: Cherry Jones for "24" (2001)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Winner: Michael Emerson for "Lost" (2004)

Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Series
Winner: "The Daily Show" (1996)

Outstanding Miniseries
Winner: "Little Dorrit" (2008)

Outstanding Made for Television Movie
Winner: Grey Gardens (2009) (TV)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
Winner: Jessica Lange for Grey Gardens (2009) (TV)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
Winner: Brendan Gleeson for Into the Storm (2009) (TV)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
Winner: Ken Howard for Grey Gardens (2009) (TV)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
Winner: Shohreh Aghdashloo for "House of Saddam" (2008)

Outstanding Reality Competition Program
Winner: "The Amazing Race" (2001)

Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality - Competition Program
Winner: Jeff Probst for "Survivor" (2000)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Winner: Alec Baldwin for "30 Rock" (2006)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Winner: Toni Collette for "United States of Tara" (2009)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Winner: Jon Cryer for "Two and a Half Men" (2003)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Winner: Kristin Chenoweth for "Pushing Daisies" (2007)

Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Special (Previously Announced)
Winner: The 31st Annual Kennedy Center Honors (2008) (TV)

Outstanding Reality Program (Previously Announced)
Winner: "Intervention" (2005)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Winner: Bryan Cranston for "Breaking Bad" (2008)

Outstanding Drama Series
Winner: "Mad Men" (2007)

Outstanding Comedy Series
Winner: "30 Rock" (2006)

October Movie Line-up

2009-09-20T16:20:00.001-07:00

The good people over at CinemaBlend.com have compiled a list of movies coming out in October that they think people should not miss this fall season. The descriptions are taken from Fandango.

The Invention of Lying
IMDB | Cinema Blend | Moviefone | Fandango

Ricky Gervais directs himself in The Invention of Lying, a comedy in which everyone in the world tells the truth except for one misfit in the film industry, who after discovering the act of lying, milks it to become the world's most phenomenal performer. Matthew Robinson will co-direct from his own script that he and Gervais collaborated on. Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, Jonah Hill, and Louis C.K. co-star in the Media Rights Capital production, with John Hodgman, Tina Fey, Christopher Guest, and Jeffrey Tambor rounding out the rest of the cast. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in 3D
IMDB | Cinema Blend | Moviefone | Fandango

They’re toys, they talk—at least when people aren’t around—and they’re back… celebrating the return of the “Toy Story” franchise—this time in Disney Digital 3D! TOY STORY takes moviegoers back to that fun-filled journey, viewed mostly through the eyes of two rival toys— Woody (voice of TOM HANKS), the lanky, likable cowboy, and Buzz Lightyear (voice of TIM ALLEN), the fearless space ranger.
TOY STORY 2 picks up as Andy heads off to Cowboy Camp, leaving his toys to their own devices. Things shift into high gear when an obsessive toy collector named Al kidnaps Woody. At Al's apartment, Woody discovers that he is a collectible from a 1950s TV show called “Woody's Roundup," and he meets the other prized toys from that show - Jessie the cowgirl (voice of JOAN CUSACK), Bullseye the horse and Stinky Pete the Prospector.

Whip It!
IMDB | Cinema Blend | Moviefone | Fandango

Little Gertie from E.T. is now a full-blown filmmaker. For her directorial debut, Drew Barrymore casts Juno star Ellen Page as the newest member of an all-girl roller-derby team. Helping Page learn the rules of the rink is veteran derby queen Kristen Wiig – cast as the wonderfully named Malice in Wonderland.

Zombieland
IMDB | Cinema Blend | Moviefone | Fandango

A cowardly shut-in named Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is forced to join up with a seasoned zombie slayer named Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) in order to survive the zombie apocalypse. As Tallahassee sets out on a mission to find the last Twinkie on Earth, the duo meets up with Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), two young girls who have resorted to some rather unorthodox methods to survive amidst the chaos. Reluctant partners in the battle against the undead, all four soon begin to wonder if it might be better to simply take their chances alone. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A Serious Man
IMDB | Cinema Blend | Moviefone | Fandango

Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) is a physics professor at a 1960s university, and his life is coming apart at the seams. His wife (Sari Lennick) is leaving him, his jobless brother (Richard Kind) has moved in, and someone is trying to sabotage his chances for tenure. Larry seeks advice from three different rabbis, but whether anyone can help him overcome his many afflictions remains to be seen.

Couples Retreat
IMDB | Cinema Blend | Moviefone | Fandango

Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau, Malin Akerman, Kristin Davis, Kristen Bell and Faizon Love star in Universal Pictures’ upcoming comedy "Couples Retreat." Based on an original idea of Vaughn’s, the comedy follows four Midwestern couples who embark on a journey to a tropical island resort. While one of the couples is there to work on their marriage, the other three set out to jet ski, spa and enjoy some fun in the sun. They soon discover that participation in the resort’s couples therapy is not optional. Suddenly, their group-rate vacation comes at a price. What follows is a hilarious look at real world problems faced by all couples. The film also stars Kali Hawk and Jean Reno.

Where The Wild Things Are
IMDB | Cinema Blend | Moviefone | Fandango

The adventures of a young boy named Max who, after being sent to bed for misbehaving, imagines that he sails away to where the wild things are. Max is loved by the wild creatures who make him their King, though he soon longs to be back home with his family.

The Road
IMDB | Cinema Blend | Moviefone | Fandango

A father (Viggo Mortensen) and his son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) try to keep the dream of civilization alive as they wander through a post-apocalyptic landscape.

Amelia
IMDB | Cinema Blend | Moviefone | Fandango

After becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, Amelia was thrust into a new role as America's sweetheart - the legendary "goddess of light," known for her bold, larger-than-life charisma. Yet, even with her global fame solidified, her belief in flirting with danger and standing up as her own, outspoken woman never changed. She was an inspiration to people everywhere, from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (Cherry Jones) to the men closest to her heart: her husband, promoter and publishing magnate George P. Putnam (Richard Gere), and her long time friend and lover, pilot Gene Vidal (Ewan McGregor). In the summer of 1937, Amelia set off on her most daunting mission yet: a solo flight around the world that she and George both anxiously foresaw as destined, whatever the outcome, to become one of the most talked-about journeys in history.

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
IMDB | Cinema Blend | Moviefone | Fandango

16-year-old Darren (Chris Massoglia) was like most kids in his suburban neighborhood. He hung out with his best friend Steve (Josh Hutcherson), got decent grades and usually stayed out of trouble. But when he and his buddy stumble upon a traveling freak show, things begin to change inside Darren. That’s the exact moment when a vampire named Larten Crepsley (John C. Reilly) turns him into something, well, bloodthirsty. Newly undead, he joins the Cirque Du Freak, a touring sideshow filled with monstrous creatures from a snakeboy and a wolfman to a bearded lady (Salma Hayek) and a gigantic barker (Ken Watanabe). As Darren flexes his newfound powers in this dark world, he becomes a treasured pawn between the vampires and their deadlier counterparts. And while trying to survive, one boy will struggle to keep their brewing war from devouring what’s left of his humanity.

Michael Jackson’s This Is It
IMDB | Cinema Blend | Moviefone | Fandango

Prepare for Michael Jackson fans to go crazy when this movie is released in theaters. This Is It will be produced from over 80 hours of rehearsal and behind-the-scenes footage shot in preparation for Michael Jackson’s never-to-be-realized London concerts… R.I.P Michael Jackson…

Youth in Revolt
IMDB | Cinema Blend | Moviefone | Fandango

Superbad's Michael Cera discovers a vacation romance in Youth in Revolt, a teen comedy from Charlie Bartlett's screenwriter, Gustin Nash, and director Miguel Arteta (Chuck & Buck). The film is an adaptation of C.D. Payne's first book in a series of best-selling satirical novels starring Nick Twisp, a sexually charged 14-year-old whose intelligence and hormones get him into all sorts of adventures. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Gentlemen Broncos
IMDB | Cinema Blend | Moviefone | Fandango

Benjamin (Michael Angarano), home-schooled by his eccentric mother (Jennifer Coolidge), is a loveable loner whose passion for writing leads him on an offbeat and hilarious journey as his story first gets ripped off by the legendary fantasy novelist, Ronald Chevalier (Jemaine Clement) and then is adapted into a disastrous movie by the small town's most prolific homespun filmmaker.

I have added two films that Cinema Blend has left out of their list:

Astro Boy
IMDB | Cinema Blend | Moviefone | Fandango

Set in futuristic Metro City, "Astro Boy" is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist named Tenma (Nicolas Cage). Powered by positive “blue” energy, Astro Boy (Freddie Highmore) is endowed with super strength , x-ray vision, unbelievable speed and the ability to fly. Embarking on a journey in search of acceptance, Astro Boy encounters many other colorful characters along the way. Through his adventures, he learns the joys and emotions of being human, and gains the strength to embrace his destiny. Ultimately learning his friends and family are in danger, Astro Boy marshals his awesome super powers and returns to Metro City in a valiant effort to save everything he cares about and to understand what it takes to be a hero.

Law Abiding Citizen
IMDB | Cinema Blend | Moviefone | Fandango

Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is an upstanding family man whose wife and daughter are brutally murdered during a home invasion. When the killers are caught, Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), a hotshot young Philadelphia prosecutor, is assigned to the case. Over his objections, Nick is forced by his boss to offer one of the suspects a light sentence in exchange for testifying against his accomplice. Fast forward ten years. The man who got away with murder is found dead and Clyde Shelton coolly admits his guilt. Then he issues a warning to Nick: Either fix the flawed justice system that failed his family, or key players in the trial will die.

My Movie Luck…

2009-09-20T08:55:00.001-07:00

For some reason, when I watch movies, I always unknowingly favor the character who dies in the movie. I don’t know if I have an inner “radar” for it or what, but it happens quite often.

It all started with The Lion King. Mufasa was my favorite character from the moment he came on screen, and yet, he was the one to die at the hands (or paws actually) of his own brother.

Here is a list of movies that this has happened – a list that is bound to expand…

The Lion King - Mufasa
The Patriot – Gabriel Martin
Four Brothers – Jackie
King Arthur – Tristan
Gladiator – Maximus
The Man in the Iron Mask – D’Artanian
Serenity – Wash
Shawshank Redemption – Brooks
Brotherhood of the Wolf – Mani

Now I know that at least a couple of them, such as The Man in the Iron Mask, are based on the books, but I have not gotten around to reading these books yet, so I consider these legit. Otherwise, if I had read the book and the character dies in the book, I would expect it, and therefore it would not count.

- J

I Am Legend alternate ending

2009-09-19T17:14:00.001-07:00

For some reason unbeknownst to myself, I have not seen the alternate ending for the movie I Am Legend. I don’t know if it was because I only have the single-disc version of it and it comes with the double-disc version. I don’t know if I’ve just never went to the Special Features on the disc. I just don’t know. I mean, I knew there was an alternate ending, but I didn’t look on YouTube or anything for it!

So, for those of you who are not unlike myself, here is the alternate ending:

In a way, I like it better than the normal ending. It doesn’t show the complete sacrifice of the doctor, but it does show the loving side of the creatures which, I thought, showed up a little when Will Smith captured the female.

But whichever ending you like the best, now you know you’ve seen them both!

- J

Pirates 4 on shaky ground?

2009-09-19T16:50:00.001-07:00

For those fans (like myself) of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise, there may or may not be a fourth installment.

IMDB.com very recently added some more details to the Pirates of the Caribbean 4 page, namely the addition of a title (“On Stranger Tides”) and the “confirmation” of Johnny Depp’s reprise as Captain Jack Sparrow.

However, due to the resignation of Dick Cook, Walt Disney Studio Chairman, Johnny Depp may not be interested in making the movie anymore. Here is the reasoning taken from movieweb.com:

In an interview with The Los Angeles Times, Johnny Depp, who credits Cook as being a major supporter of his Jack Sparrow creation on set when other producers weren't happy with what the actor was doing, explained, "(Cook) said, 'We're thinking about doing this Pirates of the Caribbean movie,' I said I was in. This was before there was a script or anything. He's instantly trustworthy. And you generally don't meet people at the studios you trust. When things went a little sideways on the first 'Pirates' movie and others at the studio were less than enthusiastic about my interpretation of the character, Dick was there from the first moment. He trusted me." Now, with Cook gone, Depp said about a Fourth film, "There's a fissure, a crack in my enthusiasm at the moment."

And, as everyone knows, Johnny Depp is basically what has made the films what they are, a billion dollar entity. There are plenty more articles listing the same thing as well.

Another item to note is that the director for the fourth movie is non other than “Chicago” director, Rob Marshall instead of Gore Verbinski who directed the previous three Pirates movies. Interesting choice…

Movie Review: Orange County

2009-09-19T15:16:00.000-07:00

TITLE: Orange County

STATS:

U.S. RATING: PG-13	RUN TIME: 82 min
GENRE: Comedy/Drama	DATE: 1/11/2002
COMPANY: Paramount Pictures	LANGUAGE: English

MY SUMMARY: A high school senior picks up a book he found on the beach after one of his best friends dies. After reading the book, he decides he wants to become a writer and basically changes his whole lifestyle.

He writes to the author of the book who happens to be a professor at Stanford and basically commits to the idea of being accepted to that university. However, his oblivious counselor sends in the wrong transcript and he gets denied.

The movie is then mainly about him trying every means possible to get into Stanford while he balances his girlfriend and trying to keep his family from “ruining” his life.

IMDB SUMMARY: Shaun Brumder is a local surfer kid from Orange County who dreams of going to Stanford to become a writer and to get away from his dysfunctional family household. Except Shaun runs into one complication after another starting when his application is rejected after his dim-witted guidance counselor sends the wrong application. So, Shaun goes to great lengths with a little help from his girlfriend Ashley and his drugged-out loser brother Lance to get into Stanford any way they see fit.

DIRECTOR: Jake Kasdan

ACTORS: Colin Hanks, Jack Black, Schuyler Fisk, John Lithgow, Catherine O'Hara, Lily Tomlin, Carly Pope

MY RATING: 6 out of 10

ROTTEN TOMATOES RATING: 47%

MOVIEFONE RATING: 53 (3 out of 5 stars)

ROGER EBERT RATING: 3 out of 5 stars

THE GOOD: Although the movie is defined as a comedy, there aren’t many singular “laugh-out-loud” moments, but the movie as a whole is pretty funny; it’s just not the same kind of funny as watching a good comedian on stage.

The movie moves along pretty well so it doesn’t make you want to look at your watch and wonder how much longer until it ends. All the characters have a pretty good mix of realism and exaggeration to them. It’s just enough where you don’t pass the movie off as just a slap-stick type of comedy, but also enough embellished enough to not make it a Hallmark kind of movie.

I also wanted to note that I loved the soundtrack to the movie, which is mainly a collection of alternative rock.

THE BAD: If you want to watch this as a family, you have to be careful. Although there isn’t a ton of swearing, there are a lot of drug, alcohol and sexual scenes and innuendoes. Most of the “high school kids” in the movie are perpetually drunk, high or having sex or some combination. This isn’t a surprise as this is also an MTV movie.

Again, if you were looking for a comedy that will leave your sides sore, this probably is not the movie for you. Don’t get me wrong, I like it, but it just isn’t hilarious for the most part. Instead of a howling laugh, it’ll leave more of a half-smile on your face the whole way through.

Also, when you watch the movie, there is a little boy that makes you just want to reach in the TV and slap him across the face. This was obviously done on purpose, but maybe it was done a little too well. I don’t know if the boy could be that good of an actor that young… Just a little side-note.

FUN FACTS:

Jack Black wore a wig throughout the entire film
Three people involved in the production have famous parents. Colin Hanks is Tom Hanks' son, Schuyler Fisk is Sissy Spacek's daughter and director Jake Kasdan is Lawrence Kasdan's son
Jack Black is writer Mike White's next-door neighbor; his part in the movie was written specifically for him. Surprisingly little was improvised

WORD	OCCURS	WORD	OCCURS
A**	6	RACIAL FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN	0
AHE	1
B*****D	0	RACIAL FOR HISPANIC	0
B**CH	1	(used as “bitchin’”)
C***	0	RACIAL FOR ASIAN	0
D**N	2
F***	1	RACIAL FOR CAUCASSIAN	0
GD*	2
H**L	0	RACIAL FOR OTHER	0
M***F**R	0
S**T	1	LORD'S NAME IN VAIN	12
* These numbers are as accurate as possible, but some mistakes may be present. This is to give a general idea of the vulgarity and not to represent a precise measurement system.

Film School Exposed

2009-09-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

Need information about film schools?

Try http://www.filmschoolexposed.com/

Movie Review: Heart and Souls

2009-09-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

TITLE: Heart and Souls

STATS:

U.S. RATING: PG-13	RUN TIME: 104 min
GENRE: Comedy/Fantasy/Romance	DATE: 8/13/1993
COMPANY: Universal Pictures	LANGUAGE: English

MY SUMMARY: Four people from completely different backgrounds are involved in a fatal bus crash at the same time a baby is born, therefore they are linked to the boy. They discover however, that they are causing problems for the young boy as people think he has mental problems so they decide to disappear.

Twenty years later, they discover the reason they haven't crossed over is so that they can complete their unfinished business that they each had before they died. In order to do this, they must make Robert Downey Jr. believe in them again and the adventure begins...

IMDB SUMMARY: In 1959, Milo, Penny, Julia, and Harrison board a bus that later crashes, and all of them die but do not go to heaven right away. A baby is born in town at the same moment the bus crashes. The four dead passengers are tied to the baby, who would be named Thomas. For some reason Thomas can see them, and Thomas grows fond of them but when people think that Thomas might have something wrong with him, they decide not to let Thomas see them, which devastates him. Thirty years later Thomas is all grown and a little jaded when it comes to letting people into his life, and the four of them are still with him even though he can't see them. One day they simultaneously appear to him, and stay by his side until each one completes the final task of their personal lives.

DIRECTOR: Ron Underwood

ACTORS: Robert Downey Jr., Charles Grodin, Alfre Woodard, Kyra Sedgwick, Tom Sizemore, David Paymer, Elisabeth Shue

MY RATING: 7 out of 10

ROTTEN TOMATOES RATING: 50%

MOVIEFONE RATING: Not Available

ROGER EBERT RATING: Not Available

THE GOOD: The movie has pretty decent special effects for the time and the acting wasn't too bad for what I would call a "fill-in" movie (a movie that doesn't launch anyone's career, but gives the actors a paycheck). I especially liked Robert Downey Jr.'s acting when the characters inhabit him.

I also liked how their last "mission" tied everything together and completed the movie so to speak. There were plenty of heart-warming moments where even a criminal becomes a good guy. The movie also had some good morals, such as there is always hope and don't let love pass you by.

THE BAD: This is a pretty cheesy romantic comedy which is something I enjoy, but if you don't enjoy this kind of movie then you definitely wouldn't like this one. It is as cheesy as it gets, but it is a pretty good movie for families.

The one thing that really got me was a fight scene with Milo at the beginning of the movie. It was horrible. They didn't get anywhere near hitting each other. It was just a little too fake for me, but if you aren't as obsessive-compulsive as I am, then you'd probably look over it.

FUN FACTS:

When Robert Downey Jr. is a kid in the bathroom of his school, he doesn't actually wash his hands. He doesn't even turn the water on!
The microphone at the B.B. King concert looked to be a SM58 microphone made by Shure
The guest comedian at The Purple Onion is Bob Newhart, played by his real life son, Robert William Newhart

WORD	OCCURS	WORD	OCCURS
A**	2	RACIAL FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN	0
AHE	0
B*****D	2	RACIAL FOR HISPANIC	0
B**CH	1
C***	0	RACIAL FOR ASIAN	0
D**N	7
F***	0	RACIAL FOR CAUCASSIAN	0
GD*	1
H**L	3	RACIAL FOR OTHER	0
M***F**R	0
S**T	3	LORD'S NAME IN VAIN	10
* These numbers are as accurate as possible, but some mistakes may be present. This is to give a general idea of the vulgarity and not to represent a precise measurement system.

Five Resources For Screenwriters

2009-09-16T23:34:00.001-07:00

Five Resources For Screenwriters

Shared via AddThis

My Critiquing Style

2008-08-23T22:32:00.000-07:00

Before I review any movies, I just wanted to define my critiquing style.

I am a firm believer that movies are for entertaining. That's why they were created. During the Depression, movies took the viewer's mind off of the real world and transported them to a far off fantasy that always had a happy ending. I believe this helped America get through this tough time by giving the people some sort of dream to hold on to.

Therefore, I'm not really into deep movies like Lost in Translation or anything with too much drama in it. I figure "why watch something with this much drama in it when I could just go back to high school?" I mean, seriously, when I watch a movie (especially when I pay $10 for one at the theatre), I want to be entertained and not have to think too terribly hard. I want to be whisked away to some other world where things are slower or less stressful, etc.

I am more into super-hero movies, "light" action movies like Armageddon, animated family movies, romantic comedies, science fiction and just good, down-home family comedies like Cheaper by the Dozen. I'm also not into the "manly", shoot-em-up, cussing, explosion-filled movies like Die Hard, XXX, Rambo, etc.

I have never seen any of the Godfathers, Rambos, Die Hards, etc. I'm more in touch with my feminine side in that respect I guess.

So hopefully this clears up how I look at movies, but perhaps it made it more muddled. Either way, reading my reviews should help you get a feel for what I like and don't like and I'm hoping you'll agree or politely disagree with my critiques. Any feedback is most welcome as long as it's intelligent, polite, and contains no foul language. Please, keep this "G" rated. Thank you and visit often!

- J

Welcome!

2008-08-21T17:40:00.000-07:00

Welcome to movies by J!

I have wanted to critique movies for a while now, but I never have the time and/or money to go see the new ones that come out in theatres. What to do then?

So I had this great idea of just critiquing the 300+ movies I already have. You see, I never bought or even rented movies before I started working at Blockbuster. I worked there for about 2 and a half years, eventually accumulating nearly 250 DVD's of my own! And since then, I have had a hard time keeping myself from buying movies. I love movies!

I love movies so much in fact, that I now want to be a movie director which is something I am currently working towards. But until that time, I will just be content in critiquing older movies.

So please enjoy, but don't let my opinions ruin your own opinion-making. That's the whole joy of movies!

Thank you for stopping by and come again soon!

- J