Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel trailer.

Joblow.com has posted the new trailer to Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. Looks just like the first one... oh man, what's happening in Hollywood?

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Tony: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Review

Oh my God. Oh... My... God. And none of that was meant in a positive light. What the? What the hell? What the? Give me one minute to gather my thoughts, I mean hatred, for this movie.

Ok I'm better now. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is obviously the sequel to the 2007 mega hit, Transformers. Michael Bay directed both films and the movies star Shia Labeouf and Megan Fox. Let me list all the positives to this movie, and then follow them with the negatives.

Positives:
More robots. There are so many more robots as eye candy, it's pretty stunning actually. Especially the new motorcycle Autobots.

Ok... annnnnd that's it. I'm all out of positives to this movie.

Negatives:
Story. The most absurd, ridiculous, unbelievable story I've ever seen. The first Transformers managed to charm and make us believe that robots could come down from the heavens to live among us. In this movie, the characters are all over the place! There's a fallen? What? A matrix in there too? What? And a pyramid conspiracy? What the flip man?!

Michael Bay. The movie will win one award this season... Michael Bay's worst movie ever. Previous winner: Bad Boys 2. The guy should direct action porno, and I'm not kidding. The movie focuses on Megan Fox and Isabel Lucas to the point of discomfort. Plus, he has never been a true story teller. Yes, he can direct the ish out of an action sequence, but he forgot something: action should only lend itself to the story, not become the focus of the movie. I've said it before and I'll say it again; The Dark Knight was masterful because it focused on the story between Batman and The Joker and used action to compliment that story.

Length. The movie is almost 2 hours, 45 minutes! What the hell? The F' for? That movie could have been condensed to 1 hour 30 minutes without losing much substance. I woke up late to a meeting cause of this ish.

Characters. The first movie made me care what happened to Shia's character, it made me care about the core group of Autobots. By the end of this movie, I could care less if any of them made it out alive or not. All the human characters do is scream and yell and run... period! All the robot characters, good or bad, just fight... period! The only bright spot of character: Julie White as Judy Witwicky, Shia's mom in the movie. She... is... hillarious! Lastly... the movie WAS racist with its depiction of "the twins" and the African-American employee at the deli. I don't want to get into all that, so I'm going to leave it alone.

The movie will live in infamy as the worst reviewed movie to ever make $400 million plus. Pretty amazing what our culture has come to categorize as a good movie. Man, what happened to Bay movies like The Rock! Story, action, comedy all in one. I hated this movie so much that it is seriously my mission from now, until it is out of theaters, to make sure I tell as many people as possible not to see it. If that comes about through this Blog, so be it. I hate, hate, hated this movie!

Transformers wins big box office

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen took in 112 million dollars from Friday - Saturday. Not bad! The movie did start Tuesday at Midnight though... and its five day total equaled out to 201.2 million dollars; it was only 2nd place all time to The Dark Knight which took in 203.8 million dollars in five days. These numbers are only estimates until later today. The reason I bring this up is this: my wife and I went to the movies last night just before 10 P.M. and there were long lines waiting to walk into see Transformers. So these numbers could potentially go up before the end of the day. Studio estimates are usually very accurate, but then again two weeks ago The Hangover won the box office on Monday because the studio underestimated its ticket sales vs. Up. The Proposal did very well in second place for a romantic comedy up against a giant like Transformers. Here's the rest of the top ten... enjoy.

1. "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," $112 million.

2. "The Proposal," $18.5 million.

3. "The Hangover," $17.2 million.

4. "Up," $13 million.

5. "My Sister's Keeper," $12 million.

6. "Year One," $5.8 million.

7. "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," $5.4 million.

8. "Star Trek," $3.6 million.

9. "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," $3.5 million.

10. "Away We Go," $1.7 million.

The Smurfs movie, God helps us...

You will probably hear me bitch and complain about this a lot as time goes by, but I am guilty of supporting it... no new ideas! There are no fresh and new ideas in Hollywood and the Smurfs movie will be just another case in point. comingsoon.net has just announced that a Smurfs, live action/3d animation movie is in the works. With a tentative release date of December 17, 2010. The movie will of course be based on the 1958 comic strip turned Saturday morning cartoon.

I am guilty of supporting movies that take old ideas and re-hash. I support sequels and prequels and remakes... but I feel like it's so far and few between new, solid ideas that the industry is losing its sense of creativity. I'm not trying to sound hypocritical, I just wish there were more fresh movies like The Hangover. Either way, agree or disagree, the Smurfs movie it is.

Inglourious Basterds will NOT be cut

A few weeks ago, we told you Harvey Weinstein asked mister Quentin Tarantino to cut some 40 minutes from his new movie, Inglourious Basterds. Seems mister Weinstein is backtracking now. Check out these unbelievable quotes from GQ magazine:

No fucking way! I was telling Quentin the opposite—'You should put that shit back in the movie.' There’s scenes with Brad Pitt and the Basterds, and I’m praying he puts that shit back in, ‘cause it’s un-fucking-believably great. Listen—this movie will be between two hours and twenty minutes and two hours and twenty-seven minutes. I don’t think it’s going to be shorter—it’s just a question of rearranging.

Wow, I don't know who to believe... but I will tell you this, Weinstein is the boss, period! So had he told Tarantino to cut the movie, Tarantino cuts the movie, no questions. So we'll see how this plays out, but for all you Tarantino lovers, you get a 2 and a half hour movie coming soon.

Quickie: Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day trailer to premier at Comic-Con

Damn it! I have to work! I love comic books and would love to go to comic-con even without this trailer. Clifton Collins Jr. (starring in the film) gave an interview with movieweb and revealed that the trailer for Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day would premier at comic-con 2009, July 23-26 in San Diego, CA. If you haven't got your tickets, get em! And let us know what you thought of the trailer... bastards.

Daybreakers, ANOTHER VAMPIRE MOVIE!

On this episode of "Let's make as much money as we can while vampire movies like 'Twilight' are hot"... we have Daybreakers. The film stars Ethan Hawke (Training Day), Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man) and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park). It's about vampires trying to find a substitute to human blood because the human race is being extinct. Based on the trailer, the cinematography and look of the film is pretty neat. It has a washed out look, similar to Minority Report. Actors are top notch, we'll see if this is riding the coat tails of other successful vampire movies, or it will stand alone on its own two feet. Either way, you are always allowed to agree to disagree.

Quickie: New Amelia Trailer... the Hilary Swank one

Don't be confused... this Amelia Earhart reincarnation is starring Hilary Swank and Richard Gere. It is a straight forward biopic. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, starred Amy Adams as a comedic Amelia Earhart. Doesn't matter... this movie has had very little buzz in comparison to Ali, Ray and Walk the Line. But I have to say, the trailer has done its job... it makes me want to see the movie. Hilary Swank looks the part, talks the part with an accent and is just simply a great actress. Enjoy the trailer, let us know if you'll see this movie once it is released.

Watchmen gets a director's cut for one weekend in theaters

Reuters is reporting that Watchmen is getting the director's cut treatment... in theaters. July 17 through the 19th, you will see roughly 25 more minutes of film that was not released in the theaters a few months ago. This same version will be available on DVD and Blue Rey the following Tuesday, July 21st. So does anyone care? I didn't see the movie, even though I heard the graphic novel is absolutely brilliant. I didn't hear anything positive from friends... then again, they expected an action flick, and I know Watchmen is not that. So who's going to go see the Watchmen extended cut? Anyone?

The Hurt Locker to change 'Iraq War Movies'

Our blog is still young and has only been online for a few months. So we haven't really got a chance to share info about this movie with our followers just yet. The Hurt Locker is the story of bomb squad soldiers in Iraq. I know what you are thinking, "not another Iraq war movie". But this promises to be different. The movie stars Jeremy Renner (S.W.A.T.), Ralph Fiennes (The Reader), Guy Pearce (Memento), and it follows the squad throughout Iraq.

Iraqi war movies have not done well at the box office. Movies like Lions for Lambs, In the Valley of Elah, etc. I think people don't want to be depressed in this time in our country. People don't want to be reminded of what is going on in Iraq, maybe because the evening news is doing that for us. So why go spend 11 or 12 dollars at the theater for the same thing?

The Hurt Locker seems to be picking up buzz in every form of media: the internet, tv and print, everyone seems to agree it is the best Iraq war movie to be released to date. It is currently at a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes as far as critical appeal. The movie is to be released tomorrow in LA and New York with a wider release to follow in July. Keep an eye on this one folks, it may just blow up into something special this summer.... no pun intended.

Farrah Fawcett dies at 62

I'll probably get grief for this posting, but I think it's important. Yes, this is a movie blog, but Farrah Fawcett was a star in her own right. The actress died today of cancer. She has been battling the cancer for over years as was documented in a tv special just a few weeks ago.

Her big break was obviously Charlie's Angels, the tv show. Because of this actress, the Charlie's Angels movies were made. Her presence alone was the only popularity to the show. Think of it this way, we discovered McG because of those movies. So from Matt and I... we say R.I.P. Farrah Fawcett, you will be missed.

The Academy Awards to have 10 Best Picture nominees next year

Last year's Academy Awards was probably the most entertaining of the award show's history, in a long time. Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway doing a mini Broadway show of the nominees was pretty creative. The format for presenting the major acting awards was also very creative. Next year, the Academy will do something they haven't done since the 1940's... have 10 Best Picture nominees.

The move will hopefully create more interest and also give fan favorites a better chance of being nominated. Movies like The Dark Knight and Iron Man missed out last year for more dramatic movies like Milk and Frost/Nixon. The Associated Press reported President of the Academy, Sid Ganis, had this to say:

Having 10 Best Picture nominees is going allow Academy voters to recognize and include some of the fantastic movies that often show up in the other Oscar categories, but have been squeezed out of the race for the top prize. I can’t wait to see what that list of ten looks like when the nominees are announced in February.

I personally think it's stupid, and a waste of time, just trying to get people to somehow tune in for the show. Let's say for example a movie like Defiance was in the running last year for Best Picture, would it really have affected Slumdog Millionaire's chance of winning the prize? My answer is NO. But! But! If it is a year with a close race, a movie third on the list of favorites could screw up the votes and a surprise fourth or fifth place movie wins Best Picture.

Either way, let us know what you think... whether you agree or disagree, the decision has been made.

Quickie: 24 Minutes from James Cameron’s Avatar has been screened

We all know James Cameron only makes a movie about every ten years. So this December, his next film, Avatar, is highly anticipated to say the least. Well a few people got to screen 24 minutes of the finished product and the response has been unbelievable. This movie will be presented in 3D, and here are a few comments courtesy of comingsoon.net:

"With it comes the fact that 3-D until now has been used as a gimmick." "Finally a director who doesn't feel the need to stick it in the audience's face with cheap tricks like pointing objects at the camera." "...creatures seem so real, that within minutes you forget you're watching an enormous and very blue CGI character. Even the eyes are totally convincing. The characters have real personalities and a soul."

As the days go by, I'm sure we'll get more photos and a trailer. But until then, this is very exciting news to come out in Hollywood; because James Cameron usually keeps everything so close to the chest, we never see anything until before the premier. I have a feeling this movie is going to be big, real BIG! Keep tuning in for more info!

Quickie: Matt's Year One Review

"Year One" was supposed to be a funny movie. It stars Jack Black, Michael Cera, David Cross, Hank Azaria, Oliver Platt, Paul Rudd and other famous funnymen. But it just didn't deliver. It's pretty dull and mostly misses its mark. They depended on general stupid jokes rather than period-specific comedy. I expected more from this Appatow co-production. Hank Azaria's scenes are what cracked me up the most, and Michael Cera was consistently funny throughout. Unless you're big fans of theirs, I say skip this one. I'm not going to even bother writing more than this if they're not going to take the time to make better movies.

M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender Teaser Trailer!

Ok folks, this is the first promising movie from M. Night Shyamalan since Signs in 2002. Everything he's done since then, in my opinion, has been bad... at best! Remember Lady in the Water? Yeah, neither does anyone else. Or the horrible "The Happening" last year... OH MY GOD, THE POLLEN IS GOING TO GET US!!! Anyway, sorry for that rant, he's just made me very upset the last few years. The Last Airbender is based on the popular Nickelodeon cartoon: Avatar: The Last Airbender.

It's all fantasy action, and the trailer looks promising. The movie is due out next summer and is expected to be the first of three movies in the franchise. The movie will star new comer Noah Ringer and Dev Patel from Slumdog Millionaire. Enjoy everyone!

The Proposal wins the box office

It's been 10 years since a movie starring Sandra Bullock won first place in a box office draw. The last time that happened, was the forgettable Forces of Nature co-starring Ben Affleck. Well, this time around it's a different pretty boy, same results. The Proposal stars Sanra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. The story is, Reynolds plays Bullock's assistant. When Bullock is almost shipped back to her native Canada after her visa expires, she pretends she's engaged to Reynolds so she can stay in the country... you imagine the rest of the movie when she has to meet his family.

The Hangover is doing very well and so is Up. Here are the rest of the top ten:

1 - The Proposal (Disney) - $34.11 ($11,163) - $34.11
2 - The Hangover (Warner Bros.) - $26.86 ($7,575) - $152.92
3 - Up (Disney) - $21.34 ($5,568) - $224.11
4 - Year One (Sony) - $20.20 ($6,684) - $20.20
5 - The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (Sony) - $11.30 ($3,672) - $43.33
6 - Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Fox) - $7.30 ($2,465) - $155.95
7 - Star Trek (Paramount) - $4.70 ($2,037) - $239.44
8 - Land of the Lost (Universal) - $3.98 ($1,350) - $43.67
9 - Imagine That (Paramount) - $3.10 ($1,030) - $11.35
10 - Terminator Salvation (Warner Bros.) - $3.07 ($1,599) - $119.51

10 Year Old's dying wish granted... to see Up

I was reading the news today and came across a heart breaking story. In Huntington Beach, CA a 10 year old little girl has cancer. Colby Curtin was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer three years ago. Her parents and the doctors knew she had very little time to live. Colby's only wish? To see Disney Pixar's Up. She was too sick to be taken to the movie theater. A family friend called Pixar and pleaded with them to let Colby watch the movie at home. Sure enough, Pixar sent out a representative with a DVD copy of Up for little Colby to see at home.

Sadly enough, she died just seven hours after the movie was over. It breaks my heart to even say that, but little Colby held on long enough to get her wish. And now, just as the movie title says, she's be going Up to a better place. The full story. Our condolences go out to the Curtain family. And a thumbs up to Pixar for such a gracious act.

Neve Campbell won't be in Scream 4

We told you a few days ago about the Scream 4 plans. Today, it's been reported by the screenwriter, Kevin Williamson, that Neve Campbell won't be a part of the next movie. Are we surprised? Even with all the success of that franchise, Neve Campbell has disappeared from the spotlight. I don't think a fourth Scream movie would have done anything for her career.

2012 Trailer released, the world is over!

Ok who was a fan of Independence Day? Not a bad alien movie huh? Will Smith was in it, that guy from Jurassic Park was in it... again, not bad. That was one of Roland Emmerich's first movies. After that came a few... less than par movies. Godzilla, The Day After Tomorrow, and 10,000 B.C. Roland Emmerich loves special effects, essentially that's all he's ever done, are special effects movies. There is usually no story, no heart, no real character development. In 2012, it stars John Cusack and Amanda Peet. The two worked together before on Martian Child, but in this one it's a fight to survive. Check out the trailer below and tell us what you think. Another dud? Or movie magic from Emmerich?

Unbreakable 2?!

Remember M. Night Shyamalan's follow up to the Sixth Sense? It was a personal favorite of mine, Unbreakable. A lot of people... again... A LOT of people disagree with me. But I feel its as though they didn't understand what the movie was meant to be. The movie stars Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson. Samuel L. plays a character who is obsessed with comic books. He is so obsessed he believes, he has found a true life superhero in Bruce Willis' character. It is irony at its finest, yin to yang... Bruce Willis a possible superhero and Jackson "the glass man", because he has a condition that makes his bones very fragile.
--- SPOILER ALERT BELOW ---

Shyamalan's theory is this... there are three phases to most superhero movies. 1st, the discovery. The superhero acquires, or realizes his/her power. 2nd, the antagonist is developed. The "bad guy" needs to come about somehow. 3rd, the fight and conclusion. There has to be a battle and some kind of ending. Well, Unbreakable, the entire movie, is just that first phase. Bruce Willis discovering who he is.

The movie followed the Sixth Sense surprise ending with one of its own. But definitely left room for the story to continue. Josh Wigler at MTV interviewed Shayamalan and this is what he had to say:

I don’t know where all the parties are in the world. Sam [Jackson] is like ‘Mr. Comic Book’ now. And Bruce, I don’t know what he’s up to. I don’t know where Disney’s at in their head and what kind of movies they’re up for making. But yeah, I love that movie.

The article sites Jackson as being on board and fully supportive. Can Willis say no? I am excited about this one guys, anyone else?!

New Italian Inglourious Basterd Poster

Today is the day of posters and photos, so I thought I'd share this new Italian poster of Inglourious Basterd. It looks much better than the one we posted previously. What do you think? Is Tarantino a genius? Or do his movies suck and make no sense? Debate it here... after all, we are Agree to Disagree. The photos is courtesy of Obsessed with Film.

Russell Crowe as Robin Hood pictures

Here are the first pictures from justjared showing us Russell Crowe as Robin Hood. No secrets revealed in these pictures, but I thought it would be cool to give our followers a first look at the new Robin Hood directed by Ridley Scott.

Fourth Bourne may shoot early next year

Matt Damon as a spy hero? If you would have asked me that a few years ago, I would have say, yeah f'ing right! As the men of 40 Year Old Virgin put it: "Y'know, I always thought that Matt Damon was like a Streisand, but he's rocking the shit in this one"! I believe The Bourne movies have re-invented the spy genre so much that it has raised the bar on such movies. If you want to make a spy movie, it better live up to this franchise. I also believe the success of the Bond movies, especially Casino Royale is due to the Bourne franchise pushing the envelope. Dark Horizon interviewed producer Frank Marshall and here's what he had to say:

We’d like to shoot next year. It’s trying to get everybody’s schedules in the right place and getting the script right. We’ve done pretty well with these scripts that are pretty loosely put together, but I’d like the script to be really solid this time before we go forward. We’re spending a lot of time on this story.

If this is true, we could see a fourth Bourne movie by summer, or late 2011. Keep it here for more Bourne news.

Deadpool concept art!

Folks, Themovieblog has given us fans a few concept art pictures from the upcoming Deadpool movie. The movie is obviously a spin-off from the Wolverine movie that Matt and I reviewed a few weeks ago. This is kind of exciting to see the different steps involved before you see the movie itself... but did Fox give us a huge secret?! In the concept art is Victor Creed aka Sabertooth... before today's release I didn't know if he would be starring in the film. Then again, it is just concept art and may not end up in the movie. Either way, this is some cool stuff. Ryan Reynolds is playing Deadpool and is acting as a consultant in the development process.

Sean Penn leaving The Three Stooges

Maybe you didn't even know this, but the Farrelly brothers are making The Three Stooges. The movie has been confirmed to star Sean Penn as Larry, Benicio Del Toro as Moe, and Jim Carrey as Curly... until today. Sean Penn has backed out of the film to be at home more. He and his wife (Robin Wright Penn) filed for divorce a few months ago, but retracted the filing and want to give their marriage another shot.

This is kind of sad news for me. I love the Farrelly brother's earlier work such as Dumb & Dumber and There's Something About Mary. But as of late, their really just making below par movies. The Heartbreak Kid was seriously one of the worst movies I've seen in a long time (minus Danny McBride). And Stuck on You was pretty bad as well. So I was curious what kind of movie this would become. They promised it wouldn't be a Bio-Pic ala Ray, or Walk the Line.

The other intriguing part of the movie is its choice in casting. When was the last time you saw Sean Penn do anything that was funny?... Fast Times at Ridgemont High? So to see him as a comedy act would have been against the grain. He always does these super intense dramas. Same goes for Del Toro. The only thing I've seen him do that could even be considered comedy is The Usual Suspects, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas way back in 1998. And Carrey playing Curly is fascinating! It's rumored the Farrelly brothers want him to gain 70 pounds for the role. Holy shmoly! That should be cool.

So, as of now, there are only 2... stooges that is. We'll keep you up to date with all the latest as the movie is re-cast.

Quickie: One word... Bruno

GQ has given Sasha Baron Cohen the cover as his new film character, Bruno. Everyone remembers Borat and its incredible success. The studios are hoping for much of the same in his new movie. Bruno is the openly gay, European fashion critic. The movie is going to feature much of the same style as Borat, run ins with real people who don't know it's Cohen. I myself, wasn't totally in love with Borat, but I do have to give Cohen credit. His ability to hold character no matter what, basically lose himself in a character is pretty amazing. There are a lot of moments where one of us would have snapped and just started laughing uncontrollably. Either way, check it out July 10th, 2009.

More Clash of the Titans photos!

Last week we showed you Sam Worthington in the new Clash of the Titans. This week its Gemma Arterton's first picture in the new movie. You may know Gemma Arterton from the most recent Bond flick, Quantum of Solace. Courtesy of Gemma Online, we've got the first pic with Director Louis Leterrier (Incredible Hulk).

The Princess and the Frog photos released.

Walt Disney's latest hand drawn animation film is The Princess and the Frog. With its first African-American star in an animated film, Disney has just released the first few shots of the film. Set for a December 11th, 2009 release date, it looks like a sure winner for the studio. It's going to take place in Louisiana, and features the voice talent of such notable actors as John Goodman and Terrance Howard. Look for more info after at the link. CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THE PHOTOS.

Robert Rodriguez' Red Sonja Trailer Coming Soon.

Hey, remember our Governor before he was in office? Bet you don't remember a small movie he made called Red Sonja? Well it was a box office flop but has gained an incredible cult following on VHS and DVD. It is one of the very first comic book characters to come to life in a movie, in 1985. It starred Bridgette Nielsen as the title character and co-stared Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Red Sonja is a heroine who uses a sword and sorcery against evil in a fantasy land far away. The comics presented a visual land rarely seen in comics. That is what Robert Rodriguez wants to bring to the silver screen. His version promises a new vision on this classic comic. The trailer is going to be released very shortly, and based on just the promotional poster, it looks fascinating. Rose McGowan is the star of the new movie, set to be released later this year. After what he's done with Sin City, it's going to be interesting to see what he does with this source material. Keep it here at ATD.

Hangover wins the box office again, poor Eddie Murphy.

The weekend estimates are in and the AP announced that The Hangover was again the winner at the box office this weekend. Just like last week, The Hangover took first and Up, took second. The Hangover is closing in on $200 million before the summer is over and cost a reported $31 million to make! That's a nice profit I'd say. The Denzel Washington, John Travolta action/drama, The Taking of Pelham 123, came in third place with a respectable $25 million.

But the spotlight was not on the winners of this week, it was on poor Eddie Murphy. Imagine That opened to a whopping $5.7 million; and drew criticism from its own studio. Eddie Murphy is an idiot. ORRR, his agent is the worst agent in the history of the history of the industry (yes I wrote in the history of twice on purpose). Why the flip does he constantly try to make these idiotic, meaningless family movies. Meet Dave, The Haunted Mansion, Norbit, and the biggest movie loss in history... Pluto Nash! Those are just off the top of my head; I bet I could IMDB a few more. Fire your agent Eddie! And stick to the shtick! Some of you will understand that.

Here are the rest of the top ten this week:


1. "The Hangover," $33.4 million.

2. "Up," $30.5 million.

3. "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," $25 million.

4. "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," $9.6 million.

5. "Land of the Lost," $9.2 million.

6. "Imagine That," $5.7 million.

7. "Star Trek," $5.6 million.

8. "Terminator Salvation," $4.7 million.

9. "Angels & Demons," $4.2 million.

10. "Drag Me to Hell," $3.9 million.

Quickie Classic: The Sandlot

I was on Facebook today and saw a few people discussing "The Sandlot" and I couldn't help but post my love for this movie. Anyone who hasn't seen it, you're missing out. It's the story of a group of friends and their adventures during one summer in the 1960's. Their one passion that brings them together: baseball. They play baseball everyday on the Sandlot and get into the biggest "pickle" of their lives.

What makes this movie so amazing is how realistic it is. Who doesn't remember having a crush on an older girl (for all the fellas)? Who doesn't remember building their own contraptions with their friends in the backyard? Or the 'ghost stories' about the beast dog in the neighborhood. Remember the scene with the chew? Who hasn't tried to act older by doing something stupid like that.

The true success in this movie is its heart. You feel this shy boy, Scotty Smalls, played by Tom Guiry, come out of his shell and really make friends. The awkwardness of calling his step father by his name or just dad. The way his mom looks out for him but pushes him to break out of his shell. Very few movies last years and years in the mind's of audiences, but this one has.

If you haven't seen The Sandlot yet, get it. No matter what age, you're going to love it. I've shown it to my parents, little cousins, it doesn't matter, everyone enjoys this movie. And remember this quote: "you're killing me smalls"... because chances are, you've heard someone say it and you didn't know where it came from.

Prince of Persia footage!!!

Everyone remember the video game Prince of Persia? Well it was pretty ground breaking at the time, with it's gravity defying movies and flash forward action. The game is being adapted into a big budget movie by none other than Jerry Bruckheimer. The movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal (who got freakin' ripped for this movie) and is directed by Mike Newell, who directed one of the Harry Potter movies and DONNIE BRASCO! Check out the short clip.

Producers: Stephen Sommers is IN for G.I. Joe, not fired.

So just hours after Latino Review reported that Stephen Sommers was fired off of G.I. Joe, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura came to his rescue. Check out what the producer said of his director:

"We had three test screenings, three different times and tested it and each time it just got better and better," he said. "We started off in a good place and we ended up in even in a better place, which is what you hope on a film from testing it."

To me, this is just damage control. I've seen the trailer and believe me, it's more than enough reason to fire a director. Di Bonaventura continues:

"It's very unfair to Steve; It's completely untrue - he was never asked to leave or been fired or any of that. That's ridiculous. The movie tested very well."

Wow... seems like Matt and I are not the only ones that agree to disagree ;-)

Quickie: "New Moon" Info

Summit Entertainment recently released the trailer to "New Moon," their much anticipated sequel to last year's smash hit "Twilight."

The sequel will again star Kristen Stewart as Bella, Robert Pattinson as Edward, and Taylor Lautner as Jacob.

The two films are based on best selling young-adult fantasy romance novels by Stephenie Meyer.

"Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke will not be returning to film this sequel citing creative differences with the studio. Instead, Chris Weitz ("The Golden Compass") will be at the helm.

Summit released this synopsis of the film:

"Bella Swan is devastated by the abrupt departure of her vampire love, Edward Cullen, but her spirit is rekindled by her growing friendship with the irresistible Jacob Black. Suddenly she finds herself drawn into the world of the werewolves, ancestral enemies of the vampires, and finds her loyalties tested."

"Twilight" grossed $35.7 million on its opening day in the United States.

As of May 30, 2009, the film has grossed $382,133,300 in worldwide box office sales and $148,771,132 in North American DVD sales.

The sequel is sure to follow in its footsteps.

"New Moon" is slated to be released on November 20, 2009 in the U.S. and a sequel, "Eclipse," has already been greenlit by Summit to be directed by David Slade ("Hard Candy") with a release date schedueled tentatively on June 30, 2010.

Quickie: Matt: "The Hangover" Review

Just a quick rant & review for you guys.

Now when it comes to comedies, I don't like comparing one movie to the other. I hate the review that includes "funnier than..." or "not as funny as...". Comedy reviews should just point out if the movie is good or not and funny or not. Right? So here we go.

I saw "The Hangover" recently and it's really great fun.
The concept of a few friends going to Vegas and getting so smashed that they don't even remember what happened the night before is classic, and the jokes stemming from this are the funniest in the movie.
3 friends wake up in a trashed hotel room to find chickens roaming freely, empty cans of booze everywhere, broken furniture and even a live tiger in the bathroom!

They can't find their 4th friend that went with them and they have to try to piece their night back together to find him.In addition to the ingenius plot, this movie has a funny, unexpected story line coupled with some really good comedic performances by the entire cast, especially the always hysterical Zack Galifianakis.

I also feel as if there are so many subtle jokes thrown in there that it may need repeated viewings to catch them all.
We got a cult classic on our hands, people.
Definitely check this one out, preferably with a large group of friends.

-Matt

Quickie: Is Stephen Sommers fired from G.I. Joe?

Latino Review is reporting that yes, Stephen Sommers was fired from G.I. Joe, and was not allowed to edit the picture. Folks, a few weeks ago, I told you an insider on the set criticized the director's choice of CGI over live action stunts, THAT WERE ALREADY FILMED! So I have to believe this rumor. Supposedly the test screening for the movie was so bad, they immediately ordered the firing of Sommers. Again, it's only rumored, but Sommers apparently knew nothing of G.I. Joe history or "mythology". Kind of difficult to make a genre film without knowing the origins isn't it? The man can direct big budget films, I mean he's done the first two 'Mummy' films and Van Helsing. But, the trailer looks so fake; the rumor is starting to sound pretty real. Keep it here and remember, ATD is the place for all your movie needs.

Matt: "Up" Review

Gather 'round, kiddies!
It’s time for Uncle Matt’s better-late-than-never review of Disney/Pixar’s “Up.”

The movie starts off introducing us to Carl- the old man you see in the trailers- as he sits in the theater as a little boy and watches the latest news on his idol, the explorer Charles Muntz as he takes off to “Paradise Falls,” a beautiful wilderness in Argentina, and vows to return only with the mythical bird he claims to have discovered, the “snipe.”

Even in these early few minutes of the film, Pixar has already done a wonderful job capturing the look and feel of a 1940s-ish America in the video of Muntz, from the voiceover narration, to the streamlined blimp the adventurer pilots with his team of trusted mutts.

Early on in the film, we are shown a magical montage of Carl and his childhood friend and future wife, Ellie. We witness their life together, from their marriage, to their jobs together (Carl sells balloons to children at the zoo Ellie works in), to evening picnics under a tree, to Ellie finding out she can’t have children, and finally to Ellie’s death and Carl’s loneliness.
This entire sequence is done just beautifully and entirely dialogue-free with music gently flowing throughout to perfectly compliment both light and dark moments. It’s arguably the greatest sequence of the film.

The rest of the film is pure nonstop comedy till the end.
Russell, a cute, chubby boy, is introduced trying to help Carl in his old age in some way so that he may receive his “Assisting the Elderly” badge and be promoted to the rank of Senior Scout with his Wilderness Explorers group. He ends up “assisting” Carl as they both try to physically move Carl’s house to Paradise Falls to fulfill a lifelong promise Carl had many to Ellie when they were both children (hence the balloons and flying house).
They, of course, only face newer and bigger challenges the further they advance along their journey, which include a giant bird, talking dogs, and some shady (and dangerous!) characters.

Russell is voiced delightfully by newcomer Jordan Nagai, and Carl’s vocal work is performed “to the T” by none other than Ed Asner. Muntz is voiced by the perfectly evil Christopher Plummer.
The movie visually looks great. All the animation is nicely fluid and the textures are kept fairly light, similar to “WALL-E.”

Nothing in the film is too scary to take younger children. It has it’s sad, darker moments here and there but the majority of the film is definitely side-splittingly hilarious.
The story twists and turns you into some unexpected places, never disappointingly, and shares a very important life lesson in the end.

I saw the film in 3D, which is a real treat. Theaters are still holding 3D showings, so go catch it while you still can! The $2 dollar difference in price is worth it.
I also watched it in 2D and it’s still just as fantastic.
Definitely don’t miss out on watching “Up” in theaters, especially if you don’t have a mammoth-sized screen at home, because the visuals are deserving of a screen as large as the adventure in the film!

Go see this gem.
I highly recommend it.

-Matt

P.S.
Movie buffs should keep an eye (or ear, rather) out for John Ratzenberger, who voices a character in every major Pixar film. See (or hear) if you can recognize him in this one!

Quickie: Guillermo Del Toro confirms that Hugo Weaving has been cast in The Hobbit

Guillermo Del Toro is a true visionary. His films of fantasy, imagination and magic are truly something to behold. Del Toro's Hellboy movies and Pan's Labyrinth have been critical and commercial successes. Today it was reported that Hugo Weaving has been cast in The Hobbit, a prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I don't know about you all, but Matt and I are huge fans of this man's work and for good reason. I loved his performances in The Matrix trilogy and V for Vendetta. As news is released, we'll keep you posted. And remember, come to ATD for all your movie needs.

Photo debut of Sam Worthington in Clash of the Titans remake.

Remember a few weeks ago when Matt and I reviewed Terminator: Salvation? Well, both of us agreed that the best acting part was that of Sam Worthington. He is the lead in the new Clash of the Titans remake. The studio has released a photo that looks pretty awesome. We'll update you as news is released, but from my perspective, this looks to be a gritty, dirtier movie than the original. With all the special effects to boot. Enjoy.

Commando Remake with... THE ROCK.

Boys and girls, it is the dawn of a new era in Hollywood... The "don't try to create new, original ideas, just feed off the past accomplishments of others" era. This is such horse manure. The Rock is being rumored to fulfill the Govenator's shoes in a remake of "Commando" reports JoBlo. Now I love the rock, I believe he and Jason Statham are this generation's Stallone and Schwarzenegger action heroes. But I have a problem with all the remakes he's agreeing to do. "Jonny Quest"(TV Show, In production), "Planet 51"(Video Game, In production), "Race to Witch Mountain", "Get Smart", "Doom"(Video Game), and "Walking Tall"... Holy shmoley. I understand reboots of Superhero movies, because actors get older, technology gets better, and the character is still alive in other medias such as Comics, novels and TV. But the onslaught of remakes, reboots, and sequels to movies over twenty years old is a head-scratcher. Making movies is an art and its as if Hollywood forgot that and just became a bank; they want all the profits without any of the risks involved in a new and exciting ideas. Well, enough of my rant, again, it will probably make a gazillion dollars and we'll all live happily ever after.

First look at Mickey Rourke in Iron Man 2!

Paramount just released the first picture of Mickey Rourke in Iron Man 2. Director Jon Favreau is a big time Twitter fan and has been giving hints at this release for a few days. The suit Rourke is wearing is that of Whiplash in the Iron Man comics. Favreau has hinted that it stems from the same technology as Tony Stark, which is where the movie's conflict will be surrounded. Keep it here for more Iron Man 2 updates!

Scream 4, does anyone really care?

Ok this is news, so I thought I'd report it. Scream 4 is a go, but is it a sequel, prequel or reboot? Well it's answer "c", reboot. Reports are coming out that it is NOT a sequel or prequel of any kind, but rather a new start to a franchise. I don't get it with these bloody movies, bloody meaning stupid, not bloody as in bloody... you get the point. The Scream movies did however reintroduce a new generation to scary movies, but it was cliche stuff that is made fun of now. Whether you like scary movies or not, the 'Scream' franchise is coming back, we'll bring you the news as it's released.

Ridley Scott To Direct a new Alien Prequel?

Slash films is reporting that Fox studios really wants Ridley Scott to direct an "Aliens" prequel. This is the man that brought us "Gladiator" and "American Gangster", the man can direct! But I don't think he'll do it. I think he's a bit more on the dramatic picture side to do an action adventure movie. "Gladiator" had its action sequences but it was to compliment the story. What new, refreshing story is he going to tell? It's going to be a looping of characters we've seen before, mixed with robotic aliens and CGI. Either way, Fox has its work cut out for it. Scott is busy working on "Robin Hood" with Russell Crowe, which promises a whole new take on the story. Either way, we'll have to wait and see what happens.

40 Minutes Cut From "Inglourious Basterds"?

Slash Film and The Wrap are reporting that the Big Man at The Weinstein Company, Harvey Weinstein, is asking sir Quentin Tarantino to cut 40 minutes from his rough cut of "Inglourious Basterd".

There are several rumors as to why this would happen, number one being money. It costs money to cut, re-shoot, edit, etc. The Weinstein Company has had a bunch of flops over the last two years, most notably Fanboys, The Long Shots, etc. I'm a bit divided on this one. There are three hour movies that need not be, i.e. every Speilberg movie, and then there are those who need the entire time to tell the story, i.e. "The Dark Knight".

I also believe that it is the artist's choice to do what he wish with the picture. Tarantino, hate him or love him, is an artist and should be allowed to work his magic anyway he see fit. But the other side of me sees the potential problems in a three hour picture. Less showings at theaters during any given day, 90 minute action flicks that make much more money, and marketing. There are movies that pull it off like the 'Rings' trilogy, but for the most part, it's very difficult to have a viable three hour film.

CORRECTION: "Up" is NOT this weeks champ

This rarely happens in Hollywood, but the estimates were wrong closing out Sunday's box office weekend. Monday's final tally on the weekend's movies proved a shift in the number one spot. This week's box office champ is "The Hangover" by a mere 1 million over "Up". I'm going to take a guess and say late Sunday showings are to blame for 'Hangover's jump to first. Either way it's going to be fun to see both movies.

"Up" is this weeks champ... again!

Hello folks and good morning on a beautiful Monday. Looks like "Up" is the little movie that could... or big budget movie that could, either way. "Up" is the champ again this week at the box office which isn't a huge surprise. The movie had great numbers last week and the word of mouth and positive reviews are all to blame. This week, we had a couple of new comers to the top ten, including "The Hangover" and "Land of the Lost". "The Hangover" did very well for its first week out. Being that it earned an "R" rating, 40+ million is very good. Number three this week was the less than successful "Land of the Lost". I love Will Ferrell and love Danny McBride even more. You don't know who Danny McBride is just yet, but for all you HBO fans, remember this name: Kenny Powers! 'Land' had poor reviews and is a remake of the tv show by the same name, decades ago. I haven't seen it yet, so I don't want to give a full review, but to be honest I don't have any real desire to watch this film. The rest of the top ten are listed below... see you shortly.



1. "Up," $44.2 million.

2. "The Hangover," $43.3 million.

3. "Land of the Lost," $19.5 million.

4. "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," $14.7 million.

5. "Star Trek," $8.4 million.

6. "Terminator Salvation," $8.2 million.

7. "Drag Me to Hell," $7.3 million.

8. "Angels & Demons," $6.5 million.

9. "My Life in Ruins," $3.2 million.

10. "Dance Flick," $2 million.

Tickets on sale for "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"

Tickets are on sale now at all the online ticketing stores, fandango.com, etc. Who's down for the midnight showing?!?!?!

Quickie: New "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" Trailer

Ok boys and girls, we've got a good trailer on our hands. This is the trailer to the third "Ice Age". I liked the first "Ice Age" and thought the sequel could have been much better. Regardless, these movies make a LOT of money and here is the third one. You will notice a lot of new characters, it looks pretty good. Enjoy.

'Ice Age 3' Theatrical Trailer @ Yahoo! Video

Quickie: New G.I. Joe Theatrical Trailer

I want you guys to see this for yourself and judge. I personally know someone who worked on this movie. Not just a gopher type of employee, but one of the supervisors on the special effects team; and he told me they did live stunts, i.e. "The Dark Knight", and the producers opted out of the shots to replace them with CGI. Un-flippin'-believable. My friend worked on the Hummer launch sequence which is in this trailer. Check it out... I don't know what to think... I grew up on G.I. Joe toys and the cartoon, I hope they don't screw it up.

'G.I. Joe' Theatrical Trailer @ Yahoo! Video

Quickie: Paramount Releases 6 New Transformers Pictures

These are 6 new press photos of the robots, none of the human characters. Enjoy!