This is a very promising, very intriguing dark comedy about a secret army program to train psychic warriors in the late 70s and early 80s. Set in modern day America and Iraq, it follows some of the program’s former “Jedi Warriors” while giving the backstory on their unit.

For the most part, the writing, acting and pacing of this film are spot-on. I found it disappointing in the way it resolved itself, but that’s actually neither here nor there when it comes to whether or not this is an enjoyable film. I was hoping for one thing and given another, but what I was given was a movie closer to Up in the Air, which is to say that it’s less tongue-in-cheek dark comedy funny, more sad introspection with the possibility of redemption.

However, with a fantastic supporting cast including Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges (as the unit’s commander), there are still a whole lot of good laughs, snide snickering and a decent dose of heartfelt sympathy.

Overall, this movie gets 4 out of 5 Cardiovascularly Challenged Goats.

Welcome to the worst bastardization of a cult classic since Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

(Not an actual line from the movie Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.)

So basically there are two main problems with this movie. One is the dialogue, and BELIEVE ME I remember that the dialogue from the first one isn’t exactly The English Patient. But this leads us to our second problem. Plot. It’s not that there are gaping holes in the plot, it’s quite simply that the plot is even more derivative and retarded than I could have possibly imagined.

On top of that, every bit of every cool thing they did, from snappy one-liners to inventive methods of attack to the way the attacks were described in detail by Special Agent Smecker… (In case you need a reminder) was fucking raped by two-bit writers, stuffed into a washing machine and slapped on the screen half-dry.

For gods sake, the brothers end up with SILENCED DESERT EAGLES!

There are a laundry list of complaints but the bottom line is:
Please don’t skullfuck yourself, or any positive associations you have with the first film by watching this giant fucking steaming pile of shit.

1.5/5 Celtic Cross Back Tattoos

Last Call is the first interactive horror movie in the world where the audience is able to communicate with the protagonist.

This could either be amazing or annoying. I’m not sure yet.

Vintage video of the behind the scenes making of Star Trek the motion picture. If someone knows of a website that has a steady diet of these types of videos all in one spot and easy to find give me heads up cause I love these.

via slashfilm

Hello all,

Sorry I didn’t get this up sooner, been a little busy.

Here is a movie that a buddy of mine and myself wanted to see ever since the first trailers appeared for Inglorious Basterds. The Wolfman is a pretty simple and classic story that can easily be adapted into any period of modern film making really; this is no different. The problem with this movie was not the story, nor the story telling.

Before giving you a blow by blow commentary of why this movie fails, I’d first like to give credit where credit is do, because not all aspects of this movie are bad. First of all, the entire cast, from Anthony Hopkins through Hugo Weavings were all fantastic. Weavings plays his part beautifully, as does Hopkins and Del Toro… Just in general, everyone does a fabulous job.  In addition to the acting, the Cinematography is also really neat and very well done (except for the crappy CG animals. There are only two, but damn are they obviously CG).

Now, on to the fail: While acting may have been spectacular, the direction was terrible.  It seemed as if Joe Johnston was either over matched or just didn’t care. For some reason, he takes a really classical approach in the way he shoots the film (the actual shots of the Werewolf were straight out of the original, and very well done) and then goes Tarantino to the max and adds unnecessary and unrealistic gore, gore that I’m sure Tarantino himself would not approve of. Apparently, the film was not originally like this, and Johnston brought in two guys to completely re-edit the film. If that’s true, that explains a lot, as not only is this unnecessarily gruesome, but it also transitions horribly. in almost all but one transition scene, the music doesn’t match the frame or the sequence, and they appear to come out of no where. In essence, the movie does not flow at all.

Johnston also goes out of his way to put in “shutter” moments, or moments that are startling. The problem is that he never works up any tension, so it’s just like “Oh, hi… yeah no, you got me there after the 20th time… really.”

Did I mention the editing was horrible?

Anyway, if you want to see this movie, regardless of what anyone says, at least wait until you can redbox it, because it’s absolutely and pathetically horrible; and I’m pretty upset that I spent 10.50. I put it in the same category as Van Helsing, it’s literally that bad.

So in conclusion, The Wolfman get’s 1 Gun out of 5.

JUST got back from seeing it… AWESOME.

First, some background. I was introduced to the intricacies of Sherlock Holmes, the different manners he implores within the stories to deduce his cases, and interesting mannerisms of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his writings by my college freshman English teacher (Dr. Gary Wilson, if any of you ever go to the University of Penn, St. Joseph’s University or Gwynedd Mercy College, I beg you to take one of his classes, the man is a truly gifted scholar and person). From there, I became enthralled with the personhood of Mr. Holmes, IE, who he theoretically is, what he does, his beliefs, why the character was created and what actually makes the character who and what he is, beyond the obvious. I’ve read many of the stories, in fact more then half, but not all (yet). I am by no means a Sherlockian, but I would say that if I were to pick a favorite fictional character or hero, it would have to be Sherlock Holmes.

That being said, I do not like most of the on screen adaptions of his adventures. Notable exceptions being the collective works that Jeremy Brett did, specifically the first 5 or so episodes (those being the most believable. Sadly, Jeremy Brett did not age well and gained a substantial amount of wait rather quickly, and it made his physical cast a hard one to believe, though he was always spot on in every other spectrum of acting the part). So when I first heard about the start of production for this movie I became both extremely excited and at the same time extremely weary. The first caution flag for me arose when I saw Guy Richtie was brought on as director. He is an action guy, and Holmes is far from an action hero. The second flag came when I heard there was going to be a new story featuring some characters (such as Irene Adler) from actual stories. Irene Adler is not really a re-occurring character and that REALLY troubled me.

Anyway, fast forward to tonight. The movie starts out sort of just how trailer starts, but elongated. It gives you a preview of how Holmes actually thinks when he is about to do something and it basically takes you in, and you never look back. The dialogue was spot on and I really did believe that Robert Downey Jr. was British. More over, I really believed he was Holmes. The kind of eccentric genius that he brought with him was incredibly perfect for the role and Jude Law (a man I probably would’ve actually picked for the part of Holmes) was a terrific Watson.

The most refreshing part of the movie however, is that it does not try to be a re-iteration of the books, nor does it try to completely take it’s own path. It is truly an interpretation, something that gives a different perspective on the written world of Sherlock Holmes while at the same time, trying not to heavily alter it. I was really, really pleased by this and I think it’s why I enjoyed the movie so much. It’s a movie that can live along side the stories and compliment them, not be part of them (well, not directly anyway) and not as a substitution.

Some points of interest:

• Watson is written in the movie as Doyle would have written him in the books. He is not a bumbling idiot like the Basil Rathbone silver screen Holmes stories of the 1940′s would lead you to believe, but in fact a very smart, capable doctor of medicine who shares a keen brotherhood with Holmes, though not the same keen ability or lust for deduction.
• Unlike the stories (not a negative, just an observation) the movie is not told from the perspective of Watson, which I actually like because it shows a nice separation from the books, again re-affirming the fact that the movie is to compliment the stories, not continue them nor to be looked upon as an equal.
• The ending of the movie is quite like how Doyle would end one of his stories, and it gave you that sense of satisfaction that you don’t always get when you come of from seeing a new movie
• *The cast for this movie is awesome and it is just another factor in why I liked it so much. It’s not an “all world” group, but rather a collection of very believable, very skilled actors and actresses who know how to really make every moment of the movie count.

In closing, I honestly give it a 5/5, and that’s from a person who really was expecting to be disappointed and rarely gives 5′s.

I hope you all get a chance to see it because in my opinion, there hasn’t been a better movie made in 2009.

500 Days of Summer “An offbeat romantic comedy about a woman who doesn’t believe true love exists, and the young man who falls for her.”

I am probably NOT the biggest Joseph Gordon-Levitt fan ever (thats being nice) I pretty much don’t like the guy as an actor and don’t get him. Zooey Deschanel on the other hand I do like and I heard good things about this movie so I had to see it.

I went into this thinking it would be your typical love story and that I would be extremely bored by it and I WAS WRONG. This movie is very unique in the way it tells its story. It unfolds haphazardly clever and actually makes your brain work. The thing I love most about this movie is that it fast forwards and rewinds thru the 500 days and shows you an onscreen counter when it does it. It is haphazard because it goes from the end of the 500 days in the beginning to nearly the end and then to different spots randomly. It makes for a very interesting story.

As much as I hate Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Loved Zooey Deschanel I have to admit he was the better actor in fact he was so good It actually changed my mind on him completely. Ive hated him in previous movies he has done but I think he is finally growing up and becoming a great actor with more movies under his belt.

Zoeey Deschanel I think puts on an alright performance and she is supposed to be this uber hot girl but I had a hard time buying it. She is a very good looking woman but she isnt THAT good looking if you know what I mean.

This is a great movie about relationships and it tells it in a non boring and unique way. I really loved it and im gonna go ahead and give it 5 out of 5.