The A-Team review

I complain A LOT bout Hollywood's lack of original material.  A sequel here, a prequel there and every kind of reboot you could imagine.  The A-Team was no different to me.  Hollywood took an 80's TV show and decided they could make money on it.  How?  Reboot of course!

Well, it's 2010 and we have to work with what we've got.  Let me tell you something, this is the most fun I've had at the movies since the FIRST Iron Man, I'm not kidding!  The movie is a ton of fun, and I can't wait to talk about it with FattMatt.

Let me refresh everyone on our reviews, opinion, not plot.  I go over my "likes" and "dislikes", let's dive in!

What I liked about the movie:
The Casting
Wow, the chemistry amongst the four primary actors is awesome!  Hannibal, played by Liam Neeson.  Face played by Bradley Cooper.  B.A. Baracus played by Quiton Jackson.  And last, but certainly not least, Murdock played by Sharlto Copley.  I have never, EVER given a casting director a shout out... but here goes the first!  Deborah Aquila, thank you!


Neeson is just bad ass as the leader of the group.  I knew he had the action chops after Taken, this movie further proved the obvious.  Cooper played the arrogant, good looking guy perfectly.  Just the right mix of charm, humor and attitude so we loved him, not hated him.  I have to say, when I first heard about Jackson being cast in the movie, I was not OK with it.  But I stand corrected.  Jackson brings the physical presence needed for the role; plus there's an emotional side that was very well written for the Baracus character.

The man who steals the show.... drum roll please... Sharlto Copley as Murdock.  I can't explain enough how good Copley is in this movie.  After District 9 everyone knew Copley could play a corky type of character, but this is beyond that.  Murdock is a brilliant pilot that is literally insane... literally, he's in a mental hospital.  The comedy Copley brought to the role is awesome.  He alone is reason enough to see the movie.

The Action
Unbelievable, memorable, stunts!  Usually action movies have 3 separate action sequences.  One is usually in the beginning, the next is the middle and the third is the climax of the film.  The A-Team has 5 lengthy action sequences, FIVE!  All of which are creative, inventive ways to show action we haven't seen before.  The beginning of the movie jumps right in with a great escape scene.  There are planes, cars, helicopters, boats and motorcycles that develop into an awesome spectacle.  Thumbs up to Joe Carnahan, director of the film for the action.

The Director
Carnahan can do it all in my opinion.  Narc was a suspense thriller that was a critical success and had a decent sized following.  He directed Smokin' Aces which was also a fun ride.  He knows how to do action, he can direct big name actors, The A-Team was no different.  The pacing, the tone, the comedic timing and the score, all of them worked.  People criticize his editing choices, but I love it.  It's fast, and it's representative of the action.
Side-Note: watch the Narc DVD special features for an explanation from Carnahan about his editing.

What I didn't like about the movie:
Simple
I think Hollywood takes us fans as really simple people.  I touched on this a little bit in my 'Prince of Persia' review; the plots to movies these days are so simple.  Don't misunderstand me, I liked the plot to The A-Team, it's just so simple.  It's also a story I've read or saw in film a dozen times; as recently as this Summer's The Losers.  It's OK studio executives, we can handle a complex story!  I know the studios play it safe with simple stories like these, but come on, give us more!


Miss Jessica Claire Biel
I'm sorry to all of our male, testosterone driven readers, miss Biel just doesn't do it for me.  And I'm speaking from both a physical and acting level.   I will say this though, the character is essential to the story, I'm just not a fan of Biel.  She has to play this really tough Captain in the military, yet she's got a ton of make up on.  Not saying attractive women wouldn't be in a position of power in the military; I just don't see them caring more for their hair products than they do for the safety of the country.


The things I didn't like are really quite minor in comparison to the positives in the movie.  It was so much fun, I actually laughed and clapped at a movie!  Other than Toy Story 3, this is the only other highlight to an otherwise abysmal Summer at the movies.  I haven't seen The Karate Kid yet; but I'm going to say this will easily end up in my top 3 movies of the Summer this year.

The A-Team did the TV series justice and improved on it in my opinion.  The characters felt a bit more real than the TV show.  The acting and directing were top notch as well.  Go see it and tell everyone about it!  There's no reason this film shouldn't be doing better numbers at the box office.  And hopefully, HOPEFULLY they make a sequel to this awesome action flick!

Hot Tub Time Machine DVD Review

Hot-Tub-Time-Machine.... say what? That's the title of the movie? Yes, yes it is. Never did anyone think those four words would go together to create a hilarious title/movie. Let me tell you a little bit about the movie.

The film stars John Cusack, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry and Clark Duke.  The foursome do what else?  Time travel through a hot tub back to the 80's.  I cast is terrific.  It's nice seeing Cusack in a comedic role again, it's been awhile.  He's been caught up in the dramatics of late.  Robinson is one of my favorite new comedians in Hollywood.  Every time he has a bit role in a movie, he steals the screen.  Corddry was so fun in the 'Harold and Kumar' sequel and does not disappoint in this.  Duke is a fairly newcomer, but his work in Sex Drive and Kick-Ass was great.



So the crew time travels back to the 80's, now what?  The guys spread out at a Winter Ski resort and relive their youth.  One of the funniest concepts in the movie is that the men appear to everyone around them as they did in the 80's.  So Robinson is a young, hip, guy with a high-top that would challenge any 80's Rap artist.  There are a lot of funny situations that are brought up bases on this concept.  Does Robinson's character cheat on his wife?  She'll never know, he hasn't met her yet, why not?  Very funny.

There are a lot of funny moments purely because it's the 80's.  The clothes, the music, the technology.  Duke's character is the youngest of the bunch.  He's trying to hook up with a girl at a bar.  So he asks her for her cell number, nothing.  Her Facebook, nothing.  She has no idea what he's talking about.  It's 20 years before Facebook!  Haha.  Its a great scene that was also showcased in the trailers to the movie.

The main story arc follow's Cusack's character, and how his situation in the present came about.  Duke plays Cusack's nephew in the movie and that alone led to so many funny moments.  As far as the audience knows, Duke is a bastard child.  But it's funny seeing Duke's mom in 80's sluttin' it up with every guy she sees.  We get a better idea of who Duke's father is.

The movie never takes itself too seriously.  It never explains why the hot tub is a time machine, it doesn't care.  It takes us on a funny ride that needs no explanation.  There are a few scenes with Chevy Chase where the writing doesn't work.  It's supposed to be a play on words between Chase and the other actors, but it never quite hits its mark.

Other than that, the movie, to me, was truly "EPIC" (quote from the movie).  It was a very funny movie that will stand up to the best of them.  Cuscack and company are great in their respective roles.  The theme of friendship was a big one, and very well played out.  There's a surprise ending that I will not spoild.  But I will tell you this, you will never look at Google the same again ;o)  

You know what's a good movie? (Part 6)

Part 1: Forrest Gump

Connection: Tom Hanks

Part 2: Toy Story

Connection: Pixar

Part 3: The Incredibles

Connection: Superhero Films

Part 4: Batman (1989)

Connection: Jack Nicholson

Part 5: The Departed

Connection: Matt Damon

Part 6: Good Will Hunting

When talking about Hollywood pairs, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are as obvious a pair as it gets.  The two childhood friends wrote a script, waiting year after year for the right moment, and that moment came in 1997.  Capped with an Academy Award for "Best ORIGINAL Screenplay".  The two men were 27 years old, and thrust into the Hollywood spotlight.

Good Will Hunting focuses on Matt Damon's character, Will.  Will is an underachiever, working as a janitor at a college.  At the college, Professor Lambeau wants to challenge his students.  He writes down partially completed math problems on a chalk board outside the classroom, in hopes one of his students will be able to solve them.  The professor is played by Stellan Skarsgard, terrifically played by Skarsgard!  We quickly find out, Will is a mathematical genius solving the problems on the board during his night shift at the college.  After a series of events, Will must work with Professor Lambeau AND see a therapist to stay out of jail.

Will does whatever it takes to avoid talking about his problems.  So one therapist after the other gives up on him, and refuses to take him as their patient.  Until Professor Lambeau calls upon Robin William's character, Sean, the two were college roommates.  This is where the meat of the story begins.

Williams plays a widower that is content with the way his life has played out.  He's a soft spoken man, very contrary to the Professor.  He sees Will as a tormented soul, not just a math prodigy.  It takes a long time for Sean to get Will to talk, but when they finally begin to do so, they see they're a lot more alike than either had expected.  Through their sessions, we discover that Will was abused as a child, physically and emotionally.  His only escape was being with his friends.

His friends consist of Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck and Cole Hauser.  We see the lifelong friendship the foursome have created.  The comedy in the movie comes while the four are just simply sitting around telling stories.  There is a line during these scenes that is pure comedy "How you like them Apples?" is truly epic! The scenes between the friends seem so organic, and how couldn't they be?  We know three of the four grew up together.  That organic feel was absolutely necessary in developing the characters.

Will's love interest is played by Minnie Driver, who does a magnificent job, and was rewarded with an Academy Award nomination for "Best Supporting Actress", she plays Skylar.  The relationship between Will and Skylar grows throughout the movie, but Will is still stand offish.  He wont let her in.  Skylar is a hard working student with aspirations that Will just can't relate to.  In a critical scene in the movie, Skylar asks Will to follow her to Stanford for her next school.  The thought of another person abandoning him is too much for Will to handle, and he explodes in a fit or rage.  The scene is very well done and crucial to understanding why Will is as tormented as he is.

As the movie proceeds, Will and Sean's therapy sessions dive deeper and deeper into Will's psyche.  What this young man, Will, has been through, must have been unbelievably difficult.  Approaching the end of the movie, Will inches towards a breakthrough in therapy.  When the breakthrough occurs, it's amazing.  I personally think this specific scene is what garnered Robin Williams an Academy Award win for "Best Supporting Actor" and a nomination for Matt Damon for "Best Actor". 

The movie was directed by Gus Van Sant who had a very difficult task.  There were so many layers to every character; all of which needed ample screen time to develop.  We've seen many movies, this year alone, that had too many characters for their own good (i.e. Valentine's Day, Iron Man 2).  But Van Sant is like the conductor of a symphony, and what a symphony it is.  The way he peels away layer after layer off all the major characters is beautiful.  The tone, pacing, editing and music to the movie are perfect.  Speaking of which, the movie was nominated for "Best Film Editing", "Best Music, Original Dramatic Score", "Best Music, Original Song", "Best Director" for Van Sant and last, but not least, "Best Picture" of the year.

What I love more than the art that was created, was the way the art was created.  The movie is brilliant in my eyes.  But the way Matt Damon and Ben Affleck followed their dreams and became Oscar winning writers and two of Hollywood's A-List actors, is a movie waiting to happen.  They wrote the script, and were patient for the timing to be right; I'd say their timing was as good as it was going to get.  Nine Oscar nominations and two wins is impressive by anyone's standards.  Hopefully the duo reunite to bring us more original stories like the one in Good Will Hunting.

"Little Fockers" Trailer

The latest trailer for Little Fockers, the second sequel to Meet the Parents is out on iTunes.

The film stars Robert DeNiro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, Harvey Keitel and Barbara Streisand with Paul Weitz directing.

Click here to watch the trailer on Apple's site.

Peter Jackson to Direct "The Hobbit?"

Last month I told you that Guillermo del Toro had stepped down from directing The Hobbit.
Well, The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision is now reporting that negotiations to bring Peter Jackson to the helm have been already going on for about a week or two.

Warner Bros./New Line seem to be having trouble with third partner MGM though, which owns the rights to The Hobbit, and are in a shaky financial situation, which could delay production.
Jackson still hopes to push up the production dates for the 2 films to 2012 and 2013, respectively.

We'll keep you updated as more news comes out.

Nathan Fillion and Eva Longoria added to The Avengers?

No, please God NO.  The rumor about Fillion is OK, but come on, Longoria?!  Why?!  Last month I posted about Fillion possibly playing Ant-Man in The Avengers movie, that's cool.  But today the rumor online is Longoria will play his wife, Wasp.

Superhero movies are getting better and better actors as the genre comes into its own.  Why Longoria?  Because she looks the part?  Maybe.  Can she act?  No.  My personal opinion, she's just another pretty face in Hollywood that got lucky.  Every movie she touches flops (i.e. Harsh Times, Over Her Dead Body), her TV career is a part of an ensemble, and she can't carry anything on her own.  Not that she would have to carry The Avengers, but why go sub-par for this role?  I don't know.  Am I the only one that's so against this?

Quickie: "RED" Trailer, Very Cool

I remember when FattMatt first posted about the cast for this film, and I was in love. Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Mary Louise Parker, how cool. The concept? Very simple. Retired ex-CIA agents get called back into action, based on the DC Comics. Check out the trailer and let us know what you think. Enjoy

"Toy Story 3" Review

If you're a Toy Story fan at all, if you're a MOVIE fan at all, skip this review and go see Toy Story 3 immediately. Yes, it's good, it's really really good. I have a lot of "likes" on this one, so I want to get started already.

What I liked about the movie:
Story
Here's a little known fact about Toy Story 3, the story took 2 and a half years to perfect. And perfect is the correct word to use. I never talk plot in my reviews, I'm not going to start now. But I will say the trailer gives you a general idea as to what happens to the toys. But overall, the story is terrific. There is a solid beginning, middle and end. The end of this movie is very fitting to arguably one of the best trilogies in history, animated or not. I Tweeted after I left the theater, that the world would be a better place if Pixar wrote every movie in Hollywood. Online petition anyone?



The Characters

We all know them, we all love them, and they're all back. Woody, Buzz, Jesse, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, Rex, and more, are all in top form in this one. The voice acting is superb, as it has been throughout the trilogy. All the big names are back, i.e. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack. New comer Michael Keaton is awesome as the annoying, yet hilarious, Ken. Ned Betty plays one of the new major characters, Lotso the bear, also perfectly cast. Not everyone gets their fair share of screen time, but I felt that I got enough of all the major characters after an 11 year break from the previous Toy Story film. Great Job in this department.

The Animation
The animation just keeps getting better and better from Pixar. In our second installment of "You know what's a good movie?" we showcased the first Toy Story. And in that article I talked about how Pixar's techniques have improved with every movie they've released. TS3 is no exception. There are so many details that it's impossible to appreciate them all with just one viewing. I can't wait to see the movie again just to catch more that I may have missed the first time.

The Action
The action in TS3 is phenomenal. There are new things we've never seen in the previous 2 films. There's a planned escape scene that has so much to it, only Pixar could have kept track and executed it as well as they did. No spoiler here, but the last half hour of the movie involves a lot of action that was awesome. Again, it's only because the animators have gotten so good at what they do, that the action is this good.

The Themes

There haven't been too many movies that will tug at your emotional strings like this one will. In fact, I'll say this is the best movie of the year so far. There are several themes expressed throughout the movie. A child's coming of age. There is a fantastic scene in the movie where Andy is saying bye to his old room before he heads off to college. It's just Andy comforting his mom before he leaves, but it stays true to anyone who has experienced that situation. The emotion projected through the characters is nothing short of amazing.


MINOR SPOILER ALERT, not really giving anything away though:
Friendship is the other theme. Woody and Buzz' friendship. The friendship between Andy and Woody. The most talked about/ most Tweeted about/ most written about scene, will definitely have you in tears. I'm a man close to 30 years old. I haven't cried since the day of my wedding more than two years ago, and was crying like a high school girl on the night of a breakup. I can't express this enough, it comes down to Pixar's mastering of the art form. Without their amazing animators, none of the emotion would have came out of that particular scene where there is literally no dialogue, just emotion channeled through the characters.
END SPOILER ALERT.

The Ending
Some trilogies leave you disappointed, and this movie did not do that. Everything is wrapped up very nicely. Every problem resolved and we, as the audience leave the theater very satisfied with the toy's fates. There is a great scene with Andy and Woody that will stay with me for a long time. Amazing.


What I didn't like about the movie:
Rehash
I bet when you started reading this review, you didn't expect any negative feedback did you? Well 2 things, same category of negative. The first, too many plot points were similar in one way or another to Toy Story 2. I was reading this online before the movie came out and just sort of ignored it. But it's very obvious. By no means did it take away from experience though. In fact, I think they improved on all the material I felt they rehashed. Second was the latin Buzz, shown in multiple versions of the trailer. It worked, trust me, it's funny. But again, rehash. I can't really explain in detail about the Buzz scene without giving something away, so let me know what you think after you see the movie.

In conclusion, the movie is spectacular. I can't really do the movie justice with my review. The movie is so good on so many levels, to write about it in a blog format is not fair. Pixar is the best in the world at what they do, period. They knew to deliver this caliber a movie, it was going to take a long time. Like I said earlier, over 2 years writing and story boarding the movie. And it paid off. Unlike the rubbish that DreamWorks is banging out with their Shrek sequels, TS3 progressed the story and the characters.

One thing is for sure, I am going to miss these little computer generated toys a lot more than I thought I would before seeing the movie. To Disney, Pixar, the cast and crew... thank you for one of the BEST trilogies in movie history.

Newest "Green Hornet" Trailer

Sony Pictures has recently released this, the latest trailer of The Green Hornet.
The film stars Seth Rogen as the title character, along with Cameron Diaz, AtD favorite Christopher Waltz, Michael Pena, and Jay Chou as the sidekick.
Release date: January 14, 2011.

"The American" Trailers

Here are 2 different trailers for the upcoming film starring George Clooney, The American.

Is a DiCaprio produced Aquaman film really that close to happening?

This post is just for kicks; but I want to talk about it anyway. A year ago we posted that Leonardo DiCaprio's production company bought the rights to produce a big-budget Aquaman film. Then about a month ago we posted that Warner Brothers is pushing to get Aquaman off the ground. I even gave my opinion on who should play the underwater superhero.

On DiCaprio's IMDB profile, it lists Aquaman as "In Development". Normally, an "In Development" status is nothing to get excited about. But, knowing that Warner Brothers wants to get this movie going, can we get SOMEWHAT excited? I want to answer yes! I was hoping for Paul Walker as the casting choice, but I doubt that will happen. How about the dream scenario of DiCaprio, Producer AND Star?!

In Entourage, the HBO show, there was a rumor DiCaprio was in talks to play the superhero, why can't that rumor be reality? Nothing is impossible. I would have never thought in a million years Edward Norton would play a superhero, and guess what? He did, a big green one in The Incredible Hulk. So this is not outside the realm of possibility.

If you read this entire post, then you're interested, so it can't be a complete waste of time. Let's hope the movie is actually made, and pray a little more that it's actually a good movie! I know what I'm going to ask Santa for this year.

"Girls, Guns & Gambling" Cast & Plot

Writer/director Michael Winnick has a flick coming up called Girls, Guns & Gambling.

THR's heat vision reports that the film "throws Elvis impersonators, Indians, modern cowboys, a 6-foot-tall blond assassin, a frat boy, a corrupt sheriff and a prostitute into a chase for a priceless American Indian artifact stolen during a poker game at an Indian casino."

The unusual cast so far includes Christian Slater, Dane Cook and AtD favorite Gary Oldman.

Christian Slater will be playing an Elvis impersonator, which I thought was pretty funny considering a previous film he was in, AtD favorite True Romance (written by Tarantino & directed by Tony Scott), had Slater talk to his subconscious in the form of Elvis, played by Val Kilmer.

Any thoughts, Tonedog?

DiCaprio to Portray J. Edgar Hoover

Warner Bros. and Malpaso Productions' upcoming biopic about the FBI's founding director, J. Edgar Hoover, will star Leonardo DiCaprio. Deadline confirmed the news earlier about the untitled film, which was written by Milk's Dustin Lance Black and set to be directed by Clint Eastwood.

Hoover was known as being an eccentric man who might have been a homosexual. I think the casting choice of DiCaprio is a good one. He's excellent at playing odd figures, as in The Aviator. Also, it will be interesting to see how Lance Black has tied-in the homosexual undertones.

I'm not a big fan of Eastwood's directing style, and Tonedog disagrees, I'm sure, (although I really liked Changeling). But I think that Eastwood's style will work nicely here, given the central figure. He can just set the camera down and let the actor take over.

Your thoughts, anyone?

First Photos of Johnny Depp in "The Rum Diary"

Here are 2 new photos of Johnny Depp in The Rum Diary, the new film by Bruce Robinson.

As our friends over at Slashfilm put it: "Depp plays Paul Kemp, 'a freelance journalist who finds himself at a critical turning point in his life while writing for a run-down newspaper in the Caribbean. Paul is challenged on many levels as he tries to carve out a more secure niche for himself amidst a group of lost souls all bent on self-destruction.'"

The film also stars Aaron Eckhart, Giovanni Ribisi and Richard Jenkins.

Thanks to FilmTotaal for the pics!

The Book of Eli DVD review

This past Tuesday, two major movies were released on DVD and Blu Ray. One of which was When in Rome, which I already reviewed; the other is this treat, The Book of Eli. The movie stars Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman and Mila Kunis. Let's go!

The things I liked:
The Cast
Washington plays the title character of Eli, and does so with care. Eli's only purpose is to protect a book, the Bible, and make sure it gets to where it needs to be. He will do whatever it takes to protect the book, even fight and kill 10 guys at once with a huge sword. Awesome! But there is a tortured soul aspect to Washington's character. He is killing, in order to protect the last Bible on Earth. A bit contradictory. There is a huge surprise in the end that I will not spoil. But I would like to say that few actors in Hollywood could have pulled it off, Washington does.



Oldman plays a "mayor" of a town. He has aspirations of building-up, and controling cities after the Apocalypse has taken place. Oldman is so good at being a villain, I loved his role. Oldman's character wants the last Bible on Earth, because he believes that people will stop viewing him as a savior if they're reminded of the son of God as the true savior. He is driven to this cause that none of his men can relate to, no one can understand his obsession, yet it will not stop him.


I never thought I'd say this, but I liked Mila Kunis in this film. She did very well in the movie. I normally dislike all of her work (i.e. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Max Payne). She does well as a reminder to Washington's character. She reminds him of the value of life; something he forget while killing people to protect the Bible. The way Kunis reminds Washington what it means to be human is reminiscent of another Gary Oldman film, The Professional. Similar to Natalie Portman's character in that film, Kunis is for this film. She brings a human aspect to the story that Washington is missing. Nice job.


The Story/Concept/Pacing
The story is very easy to follow. There is nothing in the movie that "too religious" or "too preachy". It has a nice flow that will keep you entertained the whole movie. The other thing I must comment on is the action. I loved the action, but there's more to it. I've said this a million times; I hate action in movies just for the sake of action, IRON MAN 2, AHEM, ahem. The action in this movie was imperative in telling the story. Loved it! Like I said before, there's a surprise at the end that will make you want to go back and watch the movie again to see if you could find the setup to the surprise.


What I didn't like:
Plot Holes
There are a few plot holes in the movie that leave you scratching your head. For example; why and how could there be only ONE Bible left on the entire Earth. I understand how Eli got to the last Bible on Earth, but WHY is it the last one? The movie tells us its been 30 years since the Apocalypse, is that enough time for the entire world to forget the sayings or meanings of the Bible? I don't think so. It would take generations for the world to forget the readings of any major writings in Religion. There's a few more example, but none that took away from my experience.


Overall the movie plays it safe, and by the book, no pun intended. But it's done well. The Hughes brothers directed the movie, and I commend them. It would have been easy to make this a overly religious movie, but they didn't. There were no Oscars for the movie, but I liked it. It was nice because I didn't see the movie in theaters, but heard so much hype about it. So it was nice to see that hype pay off. So until next week, look at it this way.... you could buy/rent The Book of Eli, or that crap of a movie When in Rome. Your choice!

Kristen Stewart for Wanted sequel? How about a prequel?

So I guess the rumor lately is that Kristen Stewart is replacing Angelina Jolie in the sequel to Wanted, the comic book adaptation. Access Hollywood asked Stewart if she'd take the role and here's what she had to say:

Yes. Definitely, as long as it was good, Wanted was a great movie, James McAvoy makes that movie different than most other action movies because he's a real guy, and I feel like most action movies don't have that.

Without giving anything away, Jolie's character needs to be replaced. But I have a more compelling idea. This idea of mine is not good news for James McAvoy. How about a prequel about Jolie's character, Fox, and her first few years in The Fraternity. That would be sick! We got a glimpse of her childhood in the first Wanted, but there's more they could do.

I really enjoyed the first film, and agree with Stewart's comments about how the movie follows just a regular guy. I liked that. Not to mention all the crazy action! I'm OK with this sequel, although I'm sure others wont be.

Cuarón's "Gravity" Will Be 60% CGI

Alfonso Cuarón, (director of AtD favorite Children of Men), has a sci-fi space thriller in development called Gravity which will star Robert Downey Jr.
The film will be 60% CGI and the story was written by Cuarón's son, Jonás.

This new information comes from the website of the film's special-effects company Framestone, who have previously worked on Avatar, so we can expect some pretty good stuff CGI-wise.

The film will balance hybrid CG and live action, much like Avatar, and the opening shot alone is expected to be at least 20 minutes long. This is no surprise coming from Cuarón, who specializes in lengthy, intricate shots. One shot in Children of Men is about 8-minutes long and takes place in the middle of a battle scene.

Here's a little look at the plot, as taken from Framestone:

"...the film is a contemporary survival thriller that follows a woman as she attempts to make her way back to earth after a satellite crash sets off a chain reaction of further crashes. Because it’s set in space, most shots require every element to float in zero-gravity."

Smurfs teaser trailer, it's as bad as we thought

Wow, just wow.

The Karate Kid sequel is officially in development

I'll keep this post short and sweet. It comes as no surprise that this is happening. The Karate Kid starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan opened HUGE. To the tune of 55 million dollars, 30 million dollars MORE than second place The A-Team. The studio is working on a sequel and says it will be independent of the 80's sequels. I'm hoping to see the movie this week, I'll post a review. Til then, Hollywood's rehashing continues.

Nicolas Cage is back and these guys are going to direct Ghost Rider 2?

Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, the directors of Crank and it's sequel Crank: High Voltage are tapped to direct the sequel to Ghost Rider. This really worries me. I'm OK with movies like Crank: mindless, numb inducing action, really I am. But I don't think you can take that approach to Ghost Rider. What made the first film so bad was... well EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. GR has to be dark, demonic, similar to how Constantine was portrayed on screen. That battle between good and evil is how GR 2 should be done.


I already posted that the script was being written by superhero genius David S. Goyer. And I trust ANY approach he takes to this movie, because no matter what it's an improvement on the first film. Mark Steven Johnson wrote, directed, and obliterated the first movie.

Now, I guess the even bigger news is that Nicolas Cage will be back. It's in the "rumor" stage at this point, but it's reassuring nonetheless. One positive note to the first film was Cage's performance. He did what he could, but the movie was still really bad. If anything comes up, I'll post it. But for now: Neveldine and Taylor directing, Goyer writting and Cage is starring.

Quickie: First look at The Smurfs

Check out this first photo of the live-action/CGI hybrid film, The Smurfs. USAToday got the exclusive and posted it late last night. A few weeks ago I posted pictures of Hank Azaria as Gargamel in New York City. Just the idea of this movie makes me shake my head. But then again, Hollywood is ruining my childhood memories, one at a time.

Get Him to the Greek review

Forgetting Sarah Marshall was released a few years ago and was OK. There was really only one stand out role in that film... Aldous Snow played by Rusell Brand. Brand was so funny, so memorable, he made the movie. Now comes Get Him to the Greek, a spin-off. Let's dive right in.

What I liked about the movie:
The Jokes
Last year, around this time, a little movie called The Hangover was released. It re-established my faith in comedies. 'Hangover' succeeded by having jokes with four guys just talking; not just physical comedy. 'Greek' achieves the same thing. Brand and Jonah Hill deliver their lines with such timing, you can't help but laugh. It's no surprise the movie doesn't totally depend on fall over funny gags. The movie was produced by Judd Apatow, who seems to be a part of every successful comedy of the past 4 years.



There is one shtick that didn't work for me at all. The threesome, that's all I need to say haha. I don't want to give anything away so I'll just tell you this; it felt forced, out of place and was done simply to be funny, not add anything to the story.

The Settings
There are a lot of "road trip" type movies I'm a fan of, this is one of them. The duo of Hill and Brand travel from London to New York, to Las Vegas to Los Angeles. And each setting adds something to the story. In other words, they are all necessary. There are a lot of movies where they visit a particular city just to give the audience something they recognize (Jumper).

The Music
I have not purchased a CD in YEARS. You may think I download illegally if I haven't bought a CD in so long, but I really don't. The noise the studios release as music every year is horrible these days. To hear all the original material written for Brand's character was great. Some were really funny. It was reminiscent of another Apatow production, Walk Hard. Creative writing and perfect delivery made the songs great.


What I didn't like about the movie:
The Pacing
This was a minor negative for me, but still worth mentioning. The transition scenes from one city to the next were a bit off. They were slow and had tons of dialogue (serious, not funny dialogue). Some of these transitions were too long and some were just a tad bit too short. The most memorable one was when the two friends discuss Aldous Snow's relationship with his father, it felt off. But again, a minor defect in the movie.


Overall the movie is a winner. It deserves the accolades it's receiving. Also worth mentioning is P. Diddy who's role as a studio exec is fantastic. Diddy has really grown as an actor and I like that he's trying comedy. The movie is not The Hangover, it's not. What it is though, is a funny movie. It's one of the better road trip films, one of the better music related films, and some of Jonah Hill's best work. Russell Brand is great in the movie and I see his career only getting bigger as this movie hits DVD and later cable. Funny stuff.

When in Rome DVD review

I haven't written a DVD review in a long time, but When in Rome is so bad, it deserves a Hollywood sized reboot. My wife and I watched it and it was bad, really really bad.

When in Rome stars Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel and is directed by the god awful Mark Steven Johnson.

The movie is about a girl who is stuck with a curse of multiple men falling in love with her against their will. But she falls in love with a man, who may or may not really love her... because of the curse of course. Get it? Got it? Bad!



I don't know where to start. Every aspect of the movie was bad. The story is stupid, not even good enough to be in the terrible romantic-comedy genre. The acting is so bad, so unfunny, which came as a surprise to be honest with you. I like both Bell (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and Duhamel (Transformers), and neither delivered. Not only did they fail, so did all of their co-stars. The supporting cast is awful, annoying, unfunny and flat out forgettable.

The director, oh boy the director. Mr. Mark Steven Johnson. It took awhile after the worthless Ghost Rider to get another gig huh? Well Johnson probably wont get too many more chances in Hollywood if he keeps pumping out the same worthless junk. He does nothing to help this abysmal story. The pacing is off, the timing is off, poor casting, editing; really though, this movie is THAT bad.

I always love posting these kind of reviews for movies I hated, because I'll get an email from ONE fan to defend the movie. On this, I CHALLENGE someone, anyone, to come up with a reason why this movie doesn't deserve to be obliterated by me. I'm telling you all, I did not laugh one, single, time. Oooouf! I want my 2 hours back.

Sam Raimi directing Robert Downey Jr. as the Wizard of Oz

The origin story of the Wizard of Oz will be told through the eyes of Sam Raimi. Robert Downey Jr. will play the lead, the Wizard. The movie will be called Oz, the Great and Powerful which was written by Mitchell Kapner (The Whole Nine Yards).

Raimi created 3 of the biggest movies in the history of film with the Spider-Man trilogy. I really wasn't a fan. Yes, I paid to see all three in theaters and I own all three on DVD, but I didn't like the campy approach Saimi chose for the movies. Not every superhero movie needs to be The Dark Knight, but still, give me something a bit darker than Tobey Maguire skipping down the streets of New York. With no concept art, no other casting, no plot points, I'll stay skeptical of this project for now.

First look at Real Steel!

I've read about it, I've posted about it, and now I'm looking at the first photo. Real Steel is the "board game" adaptation starring Hugh Jackman. I remember posting that Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum) was set to direct; and not being too excited about it. I warmed up a little bit when Jackman was cast, but I'm still hesitant. I will not get overly excited about this movie, but I like the premise:

Human boxing is no longer allowed, so people are letting the big bad robots do the fighting. Hugh Jackman would play a an ex-boxer now looking to train a robot to fight.

USAToday.com posted the above picture and Facebook the bottom. It shows Jackman in a robot's corner of what appears to be a boxing ring. Again, not going to get too excited, but with this picture and a solid trailer, Levy and company can change my mind. We'll see.

Big name director for the Deadpool movie, guess who?

There's news today about a Deadpool director? Who may you ask? Robert Rodriguez! Director of some awesome stuff, like Desperado and Sin City. The movie was on the fast track after X-Men Origins: Wolverine featured the Deadpool character. Ryan Reynolds signed on to reprise his role as a spin-off feature. Then a road bump... he got cast as another superhero! Reynolds signed on to Warner Brothers' Green Lantern.

There was talk that Reynolds may have backed out of the Deadpool project, but that hasn't happened. It was reported by the guys at /slashfilm that Reynolds is indeed involved and the offer is out to Rodriguez to direct.


As long as Rodriguez takes a comedy-action approach to the movie, I'm totally OK with this decision by Fox. But if he tries to pull a Gavin Hood, and make the movie too serious for its own good, "somebody gonna get a hurt real bad". Hood made 'Wolverine' way too damn serious for its own good. And the fact that the Deadpool character is in fact a comedic one, let's hope Rodriguez takes a lighter approach. Till then, we'll keep ya posted.

The image at the top of the post is by DeviantArt contributor Will, screen name deusxmachina.

Quickie: Eastbound and Down season 2 teaser trailer

Kenny Powers aka Danny McBride is back b*tches! Ok, that was totally inappropriate, but that's how Kenny Powers talks. HBO's "Eastbound and Down" returns for Season 2 in September. This is just a teaser trailer to wet our appetites, but it's fine for now. If you have not seen this show yet, you're missing out, big time. McBride delivers as a washed-up major league baseball player, forced to move in with his brother and live a "normal" life as a substitute teacher. It's hilarious, and the fact that it's on HBO makes it even better! Check it out.

Kenny Powers Is Back In September

Quickie: AWESOME banner/poster for The Expendables

UPDATE: Here is the latest Expendables poster. Seriously, I think the cast alone makes the movie 50 million. And in worldwide markets, even more!

'Nuff Said!

Mortal Kombat like we've NEVER seen before, unbelievably good

Holy wow! Be prepared for some one of the most anticipated, most talked about reboots in movies today, Mortal Kombat! I've done a few posts about the Mortal Kombat reboot, but nothing could have prepared us for this! Latino Review had the exclusive on this almost 8 minute video. It's a test video with some great production value.

It's to better show Warner Brothers what a "bloodier" version of the video game movie would look like; and it's awesome. Hit the Latino Review link for the cast, including Michael Jai White playing Jax and Jeri Ryan as Sonja Blade. We will definitely keep an eye on this for you!

Green Lantern writer hired for Green Lantern 2 and The Flash?

I was reading this at /Slashfilm and really didn't know what to think. Sooo, Warner Brothers is loving Green Lantern (1), so much, they're starting part 2? Wowzers. I am impressed. WB hired Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, and Marc Guggenheim to start writing Green Lanter 2 as well as The Flash.

So we knew that WB was green lighting superhero movies left and right. We knew that. But we didn't know it was going to happen so fast. I've told you my thoughts on the superhero movies WB has lined up. I've also told you who I think should play these characters, now it's up to the studio to cast them correctly! Let the writing begin!

Quickie: Batman Year One is Warner Brothers coming

I love the Warner Brothers direct-to-video, animated films. A few weeks ago I told you about their latest outing, Batman: Under The Red Hood. Now comes news from Comics Continuum about a Warner Brothers animation movie; Batman: Year One.  Due out later this year.

The movie, I'm sure, will follow Frank Miller's legendary graphic novel which pulled Batman out of the "campy" and into the "dark side". The graphic novel is considered a classic and some of the key points were inspiration for Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins.

Quickie: Tom Cruise hints at a Les Grossman movie

Tropic Thunder was a great movie, that was well received by both fans and critics alike. Tom Cruise tore it UP as Les Grossman, the studio exec. who was quick to scream and curse at you. I loved the character and Cruise stole the show. Eonline reported just a single quote that has our hopes up: "Yup, we're working on it." We'll see what happens but I for one would see this movie.

Thundercats... no movie, animated series instead

/film got a press release from Warner Brothers Animation about a new Thundercats animated series to be released on Cartoon Network. Thundercats has had a strange last few years. One rumor was a live-action movie; then the CGI version we posted about July of last year; now this. I guess a theatrical release will have to wait. But what I do know is this; if the show does well, it will only speed up talks for a theatrical movie later. So we'll see. Here's a picture /film posted for the show:

Chris Nolan talks David S. Goyer and his approach to Superman!

Another Awesome posting by /slashfilm! Chris Nolan spoke to Empire Magazine about David S. Goyer and his approach to Superman. Remember back in February we told you about David S. Goyer being hired to write the new Superman film? At the same time, Christopher Nolan was to "Godfather" the project, whatever that means. Well, no matter what it means, we love it! After what Nolan has done with the Batman franchise, he can Godfather whatever the hell he wants at Warner Brothers.

Here's what Nolan had to say about the Superman film:

...he told me his take on it. I thought it was really tremendous. It was the first time I’ve been able to conceive of how you’d address Superman in a modern context I thought it was a really exciting idea.

My biggest problem with Superman Returns was not the same as everyone else. A lot of people didn't like the movie because there was no action, or very little. I looked at it the same way Nolan and Goyer did; that there was no way to relate the character to today. A guy that wears red, blue and yellow tights? That stands for truth, justice and the American way? That doesn't happen anymore.

We're in a world where people literally blow themselves up to kill others. Superman CAN NOT stop that. A world where crimes are being committed by guys in suits, not guys with guns and knives. THAT is why Superman Returns didn't work (and a whole mess of other problems I wont get into).

I trust what Nolan says, and am excited to see what Goyer can bring to this mess of a table. I will keep a close eye on this and let everyone know what's happening. For now, we have to trust in our Godfather or superhero movies, Christopher Nolan.

Three Men And A Baby threequel? Three Men And A Bride?

MTV talked to Tom Selleck about the possibility of a Three Men And A Baby sequel, Three Men And A Bride. I was going to aim this post in a negative direction. How Hollywood really HAS lost its creativity and can't come up with anything new. But I've decided against that. Instead, I kind of want to see this threequel. I guess it's nostalgia or just the fact that the first two movies were simple, feel good stories. I enjoyed Tom Selleck in both movies. For the studio, I supposed the natural thing to do is have little "Mary Bennington" get married. We'll see if it happens, hasn't it been too long to care? It's been 20 years since the previous film. There I go being negative again!

Tidbit: I didn't know this, but when reading /slashfilm's posting about this news, I discovered Mr. Spock himself, Leonard Nemoy directed the original film. How crazy is that?

Quickie: Gulliver's Travels trailer; Emily Blunt turned down Iron Man 2 for this?

Here's the trailer below for the new Jack Black "comedy"... Gulliver's Travels. Gulliver's Travels is of course a retelling of Jonathan Swift's classic novel. Read below the trailer, I have a few things to say.

The only reason I knew this movie was real, or that I cared it was real... was because of Emily Blunt. She was set to play Black Widow in Iron Man 2, but had to pull out due to her contract for 'Travels'. Don't get me wrong, I liked Scarlett Johansson as her replacement. But c'mon! Emily Blunt looks EXACTLY like Black Widow, and is a higher caliber actress than Johansson. So why my rant? Just because... I wish Blunt could have done the movie and we would be seeing her in The Avengers, not Johansson.

Quickie: Jeremy Renner for Hawkeye a reality?

/slashfilm reported yesterday about Jeremy Renner possibly playing Hawkeye. Hawkeye is one of the lesser known Marvel characters, but he's still pretty bad ass. He's like Green Arrow in that he carries a bow and arrow, but he's like Nightcrawler from the X-Men in that he is very athletic and acrobatic. He grew up in the circus in some versions of the comic.

I'm sure he'll be a secondary character in the Avengers movie, but the move surprises me. I love the idea, don't get me wrong. But I'm surprised Renner would take a movie role like this. Coming off an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, you wouldn't expect a role in this genre. BUT!... these movies are starting to be taken more seriously, which we've discussed here in the past at AtD. So let's see what happens!

Quickie: Captain America concept art

Aint It Cool News has the other Marvel hero concept art... Captain America. Chris Evans directed by Joe Johnston. Looking good Marvel!  Click the link to AICN to see the rest!

Quickie: Thor concept art has been released

Collider posted some awesome concept art for the upcoming Thor! Click on the link to see the rest!