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Podcast

MOV008: “Some Monks Can Meditate For Four Days”

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3D, 3D, 3D. Filmed in vs Upconversion, the next Spider-Man, Mad Max returns, The Deer Hunter, The Last Airbender, and The Green Hornet.

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News:

Feedback:

Worst Movies Responses

Voicemail

  • Ron

(warning Google Voice transcription)
Hey this is wrong. I wanted to say that I’ve seen, or any of that means, and even going about it on monday, including problems and suggesting maybe. However, the one that I think is probably the worst of actually paid for is when I wanted to see. I know that you did last summer. I wanna hoping I can see each other. Michelle Gellar Bureau. But, and I need a cult rescheduling it may be really bye bye. It turned out to be one of the worst in Thursday hit it. Bye.

Twitter

  • Leggomycraiggo – I didn’t pay to see it in the theater, but a rental I heartly regret: Big Fish. Well, that or City of Lost Children
  • Lukifurcub – The Masters of the Universe with Courtney Cox no less.
  • A movie title Grayskull is currently in developement according to IMDB

Facebook –

  • Kevin (my brother) – I actually paid to see “Giglli” (Gigli) or whatever that Ben Affleck/Jennifer Lopez bomb was. Matinee, mind you. I went in thinking, “It can’t be as bad as they’re saying,” and walked out (a minute or two before the end, thinking, “Yep, it was that bad.
  • Gryphon – I’m at work and can’t call but I would have to say Legion. Although it was good to see that kid from American gothic all grown up… Cute!
  • Don – Event Horizon

Comments

  • Dogboi – The worst movie I ever paid to see was The Wedding Planner. What was I thinking? Matthew McConaughey *AND* Jennifer Lopez. How could it NOT be bad.

Email

Solaris (2002) (Why they felt the need to put this political story into movie form I’ll NEVER understand and why oh WHY did we need to see Clooney’s naked behind?)

The Thing (1982) (I watched this in the theater on an Army base and probably 1/2 of the mostly male audience left within 30 minutes about the same time I did. This movie had no redeeming value, at all. Well, at least not for the first 30 minutes, but it showed no signs of being anything more than a really bad gore fest.)

I know there are others that were awful, but those are the ones that I REALLY remember as regretting going to.

Marcia

The Past: The Deer Hunter

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Director: Michael Cimino

Staring: Robert De Niro, John Cazale, John Savage, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep

Trivia:

  • 1979 Oscar Award winner for Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Christopher Walken, Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Picture, and Best Sound
  • The slapping in the Russian roulette sequences was 100% authentic. The actors grew very agitated by the constant slapping, which, naturally, added to the realism of the scenes.
  • Robert De Niro recently explained that the scene where Michael visits Steve in the hospital for the first time was the most emotional scene that he was ever involved with. He broke down in tears while discussing the scene in AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Robert De Niro (2003) (TV).
  • The wedding sequences were filmed in the summer, but were set in the fall. To accomplish a look of fall, leaves were removed from trees and painted orange. They were then reattached to the trees.
  • John Wayne’s final public appearance was to present the Best Picture Oscar to The Deer Hunter (1978) at The 51st Annual Academy Awards (1979) (TV). It was not a film Wayne was fond of, since it presented a very different view of the Vietnam War than his own movie, The Green Berets (1968), had a decade earlier.
  • First feature film depicting the U.S. involvement in Vietnam to be filmed on location in Thailand.
  • Features the worlds first (and Only) Christian Football Waltz “Drop Kick Me Jesus (Through the Goalposts of Life)” from 1976 which is odd, because the movie had to take place prior to 1976

Talking Points:

  • Holy long-ass movie!
  • Tons of extras!
  • Do y’all think this movie is how it really was for people who were going to Vietnam?

What We’ve Learned:

  • These wedding sequences have no significance what-so-ever. It is meant to take up film space and waste the watcher’s time.
  • Robert DeNiro was kinda hot when he was younger.
  • Regardless of the movie, Christopher Walken is always creepy.

Trailer:

Drop Kick Me Jesus:

Recommendations:

Jeff: /yawn
Ray: I think this was a really powerful movie, i would not discount the first act as being unnecessary at all. Powerful performances by a very young De Niro and Walken.
Steve: Wow…it took me two layovers and a flight from Houston to Tampa to watch this movie! I might have liked it if it was shorter and more to the point. Had promise, but I just lost interest.

The Present: The Last Airbender

Director: M. Night Shyamalan (Schmalamadingdong)

Staring: Noah Ringer, Nicole Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, Dev Patel, Aasif Mandvi

Trivia:

  • The film was originally titled “”Avatar: The Last Airbender” (2005)”, after the TV show it was based on. However, James Cameron and 20th Century Fox had already registered the film title Avatar (2009), so the word was dropped from the title to avoid confusion.
  • Jesse McCartney was originally cast to play Zuko, but was replaced with Dev Patel due to scheduling conflicts.
  • This is the first adaptation that M. Night Shyamalan directed.
  • The release of this movie prompted a group of fans to remodel a 1985 Chevy Astro van into an Appa look-a-like, known as The Appamobile.
  • Voice actor Dee Bradley Baker voiced Appa and Momo in the original animated show “Avatar: The Last Airbender” (2005) and reprises those roles uncredited for the live-action film adaptation.
  • This is the first PG-rated film (in the USA) M. Night Shyamalan has directed since Wide Awake (1998).
  • According to M. Night Shyamalan, the “mispronunciation” of the names of some of the characters (Aang, Sokka, Avatar, etc) is due to the fact that he wished to ‘honor the source material’ and use the Asian pronunciation.
  • Another “giant change” M. Night Shyamalan made from the animated series to the big screen was to limit the Fire Bender’s source of fire. Only the highest of the Fire Benders can conjure flames from their chi.
  • A scene involving the Kyoshi Warriors and the introduction of Suki (Sokka’s other love interest) was filmed but removed from the final cut, due to the director’s belief that it was a separate story and would only distract from the movie’s main storyline.
  • Critics Vs Airbender – The 6 Most Savage Quotes (Thanks Chris from the Dammit Lets Eat Podcast)

Talking Points:

  • Races
  • Bending
  • Length
  • Script
  • Sequel? Will Book Two: Earth be made?
  • The scenes were too quick – only true fans will even care about it (or get it, for that matter)

What We’ve Learned:

  • The cartoons on Nickelodeon are SO much better!
  • It looks great!
  • 3-D does not save a movie.
  • Don’t buy into the hype.
  • Falcor > Appa

Trailer:

Recommendations:

Jeff: Rent the DVD will be fine. Might be worth seeing in the Theaters but do NOT watch in 3D, it’s not worth the extra charge.
Ray: Bad Acting! Horrible Script! Unintentionally hillarious! I wanted to walk out. Just watch my reaction LOL
Steve: I’m a fan of this series, so I really, really wanted to like it. M. Night – really????

The Future: The Green Hornet

Starring: Cameron Diaz, Seth Rogan, Jay Chou, Christopher Walz, Edward Furlong, Edward James Olmos, Tom Wilkinson, Analeigh Tipton (Homo Alert – yep…Analeigh from America’s Next Top Model Cycle 11!!!)

Trivia:

  • Seth Rogen shed 30 pounds to play the titular role.
  • In late 2008, Stephen Chow was set to direct and co-star as Kato. However, creative differences prevented him from doing so although, for a while, it seemed he was still set to play Kato when Michel Gondry became attached.
  • ‘The Green Hornet’ was originally a radio show, first broadcast in 1936 and running to 1952. Although there were two serials in the 1940s (13 and 15 chapters, respectively), the last six chapters of the first one re-edited into a 100-minute feature and several episodes of the 1966 TV series were edited together into a pair of 90-minute films, this is the first original feature-length Hollywood treatment of the costumed hero.
  • The film’s release date was originally the day that an adaptation of another emerald hero was to be released, Green Lantern (2011).
  • When the rights to the Green Hornet property were purchased by Mirimax, Kevin Smith was attached to write and direct this film. However, Smith pulled out of directing due to an insecurity of directing something with such a larger budget than he was used to. He stayed on as writer and wrote two drafts, but with no further progress with the script, the rights were let go and purchased by Columbia Pictures. Then, coincidentally, his Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008) star, Seth Rogen, became attached to star and write the screenplay.
  • On July 23, 2009, Rogen, along with everyone else officially attached to the project at that point, appeared at the San Diego Comic-Con International and unveiled the Black Beauty, the Green Hornet’s car, as it will appear in the film. According to The New York Times, the production modified 29 cars to portray the Green Hornet’s luxurious supercar. The 29 cars were a mix of 1964, 1965 and 1966 Chrysler Imperials modified to resemble (but not exactly duplicate) the two 1966 Imperials used to portray the Black Beauty in the 1966 television series. The producers turned down product placement deals with both BMW and General Motors in favor of using the classic Chrysler.
  • The first trailer was released online on June 24, 2010 and was attached to screenings of Grown Ups, another film distributed by Columbia Pictures.
  • The film was originally set for a release for June 25, 2010 but the studio gave that release date to the comedy film Grown Ups. Sony then pushed the film for a December 22, 2010. The film is now slated to release on January 14th, 2011 due to the film’s 3-D conversion.

Talking Points:

  • Seth Rogan as a superhero? Can we really take him seriously?
  • Will this be an epic fail due to 3-D conversion?
  • What is it about Cameron Diaz and Green Hued Superhero’s (AICN)

Summary:
Newspaper publisher Britt Reid moonlights as a masked crimefighter called The Green Hornet accompanied by his similarly masked valet, martial arts expert Kato. Despite his heroic intentions, he is considered so disreputable among legitimate law enforcement that he is able to talk casually with known criminals and even do business with them.

Trailer:

Excitement:

Jeff: /giggle
Ray: Cautiously optimistic based on the International Trailer.. the Domestic Trailer was bad.
Steve: Based on the trailer…not even REMOTELY interested. I’d only see it to see how Analeigh does in it.

Coming Attractions: Steve

The Past: Heathers
The Present: Predators
The Future: Megamind

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MOV007: “Can I do this, Or Do I look Like some sort of Gay Superhero?”

Steve is in studio with Jeff, Tron Legacy and Comiccon, Peter Jackson directing the Hobbit?, A Dark Crystal sequel, Jeffrey, Toy Story 3, and the Smurfs Teaser Trailer.

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News:

The Past: Jeffrey

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Director: Christopher Ashley

Staring: Steven Webber, Michael T Weiss, Patrick Stewart

Trivia:

  • Bryan Batt was in the Broadway musical “Cats”, which is an in-joke during the movie (his character is also in the musical as well.)
  • When the priest (Nathan Lane) goes into the confessional and shows Jeffrey his theatre posters, there is a poster for the 1992 revival of “Guys and Dolls” featured prominently on the wall. Nathan Lane actually starred in that production.
  • Patrick Stewart was reading the script for this film while Star Trek: Generations (1994) was in production. He found it so sad that he used it to produce the appropriate feelings necessary for weeping during the scene where he finds out that his family back on earth has perished in a fire.
  • This movie is based on a play of the same name that was produced off-Broadway in 1993 at the WPA Theater. The film’s director, Christopher Ashley, had also directed the play. The play’s cast was: John Michael Higgins (Jeffrey), Edward Hibbert (Sterling), Bryan Batt (Darius), Tom Hewitt (Steve), Harriet Harris, Patrick Kerr, Richard Poe and Darryl Theirse.
  • The movie features cameos by Olympia Dukakis, Victor Garber, Gregory Jbara, Robert Klein, Nathan Lane, Camryn Manheim, Kathy Najimy, Kevin Nealon, Ethan Phillips, and Sigourney Weaver. Christine Baranski has a small but memorable role as the socialite hostess of a fundraiser that (in Jeffrey’s imagination) turns into a cater-waiter hoedown orgy. It co-stars Patrick Stewart as Sterling, an older gay decorator whose partner (Bryan Batt) dies of AIDS complications.

Talking Points:

  • Hiv Positive men are the hottest? wait..what?
  • This is the third “Play into movie” movie we have seen, did it work?

What We’ve Learned:

  • Neelix has a constant erection, and a 14″ penis
  • Working out can apparently replace sex
  • AIDS is scary
  • Cuddling is safer.
  • The reason to have sex with Yoko Ono is to see the apartment
  • Florescent Lighting is fatel during sex.
  • Mother Teresa on the Piano can gaurantee you a second date.
  • The Refusal of Joy is the only true blasphemy

Trailer:

Recommendations:

Jeff: Seriously, Patrick Stewart as a Flaming Homo Interier Designer. You can’t go Wrong!
Ray: Hated the Comedy. loved the serious parts..

The Present: Toy Story 3

Director: Lee Unkrich

Staring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, Don Rickels, Michael Keaton, among others

Trivia:

  • Lee Unkrich who edited the previous films and co-directed the second, was selected to take over the position of director from John Lasseter.
  • Blake Clark became the new voice of Slinky Dog, replacing Jim Varney, who died in 2000. Clark was good friends with Varney prior to his death
  • The first Pixar film to be released in IMAX.
  • Originally, a sequel was planned when it seemed that Disney and PIXAR would split over creative differences in 2004-2005. Disney started up an animation division titled ‘Circle 7,’ which would have been in charge of churning out sequels for PIXAR films that would not involve the original creators at PIXAR. Entertainment Weekly published an article that said the original plot for Toy Story 3 was going to be about Buzz Lightyear having a defect. Buzz would then be shipped to Taiwan to be fixed, but the other toys find out that the toy company is just replacing the broken Buzz toys with new ones, so they ship themselves to Taiwan to rescue him. This script had to be canned when PIXAR and Disney made amends. Part of their agreement was not to further develop projects that had been planned during their fallout.
  • The A113 logo thats pops up in most of the Pixar films makes an appearance on a license plate on the back of Andy’s Mom’s car.
  • The Ken doll in Toy Story 3 is modeled after “Animal Lovin” Ken from 1988.
  • Lee Unkrich and the animation team agreed to shave their heads before working on the film.
  • All the returning characters were re-developed from scratch.
  • The plot of the movie is loosely based on the original treatment for Toy Story (1995), which had Tinny (from Tin Toy (1988)) getting lost at a rest stop and being found by a junk man, who throws him into back of his truck. Tinny meets a ventriloquist dummy and they both decide to stick together. But in the end they end up in a preschool where they’ll never get lost or outgrown.
  • In terms of negative reviews, Armond White panned the film in a New York Press review, stating “the Toy Story franchise isn’t for children and adults, it’s for non-thinking children and adults. When a movie is this formulaic, it’s no longer a toy because it does all the work for you. It’s a sap’s story.” This review caused much controversy among fans of both Pixar and Toy Story, particularly for how White’s critique broke the film’s previously held 100% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes

Talking Points:

What We’ve Learned:

  • Pixar on a bad day.. is better then most studios achieve, and this one is knocked right out of the park.
  • Teddy bears that smell like strawberries are evil!
  • Mr Potato Head is about the parts, not the potato
  • Mr Cucumber head is more . . . (clears throat) . . . prominent then Mr. Potato Head

Trailer:

Recommendations:

Jeff: I almost cried, almost.
Ray: Awesome, My favorite movie of the year so far! And ill admit it.. i cried!
Steve: Loved it! Be ready to get a tear in your eye

The Future: The Smurfs

Starring: Jayma Mays, Neil Patrick Harris, Katie Perry, Sofia Vergara, Hank Azaria, Anton Yelchin, Hank Azaria, Alan Cumming, BJ Novak, Paul Reubens, George Lopez, Jonathan Winters, Fred Armisen, Keenan Thompson, Jeff Foxworthy – and Tim Gunn (don’t think he’s starring…but sounds like he’s making a cameo)

Trivia:

  • This is the second Raja Gosnell film that is a live-action adaptation of an animated series. The first was Scooby-Doo (2002).
  • This is the second adaptation of a William Hanna-Joseph Barbara animated series to be directed by Raja Gosnell.The first was Scooby-Doo (2002).
  • Quentin Tarantino was approached to voice Brainy Smurf, but turned it down.
  • After pursuing the film rights for half of a decade, producer Jordan Kerner finally secured the rights to The Smurfs property in 2002 and soon began developing the 3-D CGI feature film with Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies
  • In 2006, Kerner said it was planned to be a trilogy and would explain more of Gargamel’s back-story. He stated, “We’ll learn [more] about Gargamel and Smurf Soup and how all that began and what really goes on in that castle. What his backstory really was. There’s an all-powerful wizard… there’s all sorts of things that get revealed as we go along”

Summary:
When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the tiny blue Smurfs out of their village, they tumble from their magical world and into ours — in fact, smack dab in the middle of Central Park. Just three apples high and stuck in the Big Apple, the Smurfs must find a way to get back to their village before Gargamel tracks them down.

Trailer:

Excitement:

Jeff: I’m going to be seeing it, but sometimes I’m a glutton for punishment.
Ray: I think the smurfs.. look awful.. i would consider this another raping of my childhood. I dont think even NPH could pull this one out for me.
Steve: Eh. Not excited. Glad it will bring the Smurfs to a new generation though.

Coming Attractions: (Ray)

The Past:The Deer Hunter
The Present: The Last Airbender
The Future: The Green Hornet

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MOV006: “Stroke The Furry Walls”

Steve, Ray and Jeff cover the gambit of Remakes, Soldier’s Girl, Get Him To The Greek, Resident Evil: Afterlife, and more.

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News:

  • Another classic getting rebooted – Fright Night
  • Is this really necessary??? Mean Girls 2
  • Steve: Finally saw Avatar and wow it was awesome! Speaking of Avatar…Sam Worthington is slated to star in the 2011 release of the Dracula origin story, Dracula Year Zero. Alex Proyas is noted as the Director, best known for Dark City.
  • First Marvel Movie to be released under the Disney moniker.. Dr. Strange

The Past: Soldier’s Girl

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Director: Frank Pierson

Staring: Troy Garity, Lee Pace, Andre Braugher, Shawn Hatosy, Philip Eddolls

Trivia:

  • The real Calpernia talks about the movie
  • Soldier’s Girl was also hailed as one of the ten best Television Programs of the Year (2003) by the American Film Institute.
  • Nominated for a ton of awards (Emmy, GLAAD, Golden Globe, Independent Spirit, among others) and won Lee Pace a Breakthrough Award during the 2003 Gotham Awards and a Peabody Award in 2004.

Talking Points:

  • Contact with Calpernia Addams
  • Pretty much a word for word story from real life. Crazy to believe, but true.
  • Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
  • COL014: In the Army
  • July 4th is the 11th Anniversary of Barry Winchell’s murder

Trailer:

Recommendations:

  • Jeff: Must see, but a Rental will be fine.
  • Ray: Very Powerful, I would recommend this to a lot of people.
  • Steve: Powerful! Must see! Just be prepared to cry and be left thinking a lot.

The Present: Get Him To The Greek

Director: Nicholas Stoller

Staring: Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, Rose Byrne, & Sean “P Diddy” Combs

Trivia:

  • Russell Brand nearly chipped a tooth while filming ‘The Clap’ performance scene at the Today show.
  • Emily Blunt was announced for the role of Jackie Q but had to pull out and Rose Byrne replaced her.
  • Russell Brand filmed scenes of him performing as rock star Aldous Snow at his sell out comedy show – “Scandalous”, at the O2 arena in London, in front of an audience of 20,000 fans. He was joined on stage by Jack Black and Jason Segel.
  • This movie is a spin-off from Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008). Jonah Hill is in both films, but as two different characters. Kristen Bell reprises her role as Sarah Marshall in a cameo.
  • A week after the release of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Universal Studios announced a new film Get Him to the Greek, reteaming Jonah Hill and Russell Brand with writer/director Nicholas Stoller and producer Judd Apatow. Variety initially announced the project would focus on “fresh-out-of-college insurance adjuster (Hill) who is hired to accompany an out-of-control rock star (Brand) from London to a gig at L.A.’s Greek Theatre.” In July 2008, Brand mentioned that he would be reprising his Aldous Snow role from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, in a new film from Apatow in which the character was back on drugs
  • In an interview with CHUD.com, Apatow would later reveal that Get Him to the Greek was indeed a spin-off of Forgetting Sarah Marshall with Brand again playing a no-longer-sober Aldous Snow while in a different interview Nicholas Stoller said that Jonah Hill will play a different character named Aaron Green, a young music executive
  • While Russell Brand was backstage at the Paramount studio lot preparing to present the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, he approached Christina Aguilera, Pink, and Katy Perry about filming cameos for Get Him to the Greek.
  • On April 17, 2009, Brand filmed scenes of him performing as rock star Aldous Snow at his sellout comedy show “Russell Brand: Scandalous”, at the O2 arena in London, in front of an audience of 20,000 fans. He performed the songs “Inside Of You” and “I Am Jesus”.
  • The movie has gotten relatively favorable reviews. Even Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars by saying that “under the cover of slapstick, cheap laughs, raunchy humor, gross-out physical comedy and sheer exploitation, Get Him to the Greek also is fundamentally a sound movie.”

Talking Points:

  • Drug references in movies today – when does it become excessive?
  • Anyone else think the movie was really choppy? Maybe poorly edited?
  • Can Russell Brand actually speak without doing so through his teeth?

What We’ve Learned:

  • Drug references and lots of puke does not make a great movie.
  • P Diddy can be funny!
  • You can shape your body hair into just about anything (Microphone = Hairyoke?)
  • If life slips you a Jeffrey, stroke the furry walls.

Trailer:

Recommendations:

  • Jeff: Good movie, worth a full price
  • Ray: Thought parts of it were funny, I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to see it, maybe a rent..for a $1…
  • Steve: Could have done without seeing this movie. Not my cup of tea.

The Future: Resident Evil: Afterlife

Starring: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Wentworth Miller, & Sienna Guillory

Trivia:

  • The name of this movie “Afterlife” is the same working title that was used in the previous movie before it became “Extinction”.
  • This is the first live-action movie based on a video game to be in 3-D.
  • Will feature plot elements from Resident Evil Code: Veronica (2000) (VG) and Resident Evil 5 (2009) (VG).
  • The first Resident Evil film to be released in IMAX.
  • Anderson used James Cameron’s Fusion Camera System, the same system that was used in Avatar. He has stated the film has the largest budget in the series thus far and it will also feature new characters taken from the video games
  • Visual effects production manager Eric Roberston described the look of the film, “interesting contrasts, pure whites, which is a staggering look. It’s so clean and tight along with some real darkness too that may evoke a bit of a feel of Silent Hill. So we’ve got the extremes, but it’s definitely a unique look for this incarnation and it’s been fun to see those looks”

Talking Points:

  • 3-D
  • Wentworth Miller!! 🙂
  • Resident Evil: Overkill? Is it about time to put the series to bed?

Summary:
In a world ravaged by a virus infection, turning its victims into the Undead, Alice (Jovovich), continues on her journey to find survivors and lead them to safety. Her deadly battle with the Umbrella Corporation reaches new heights, but Alice gets some unexpected help from an old friend. A new lead that promises a safe haven from the Undead takes them to Los Angeles, but when they arrive the city is overrun by thousands of Undead – and Alice and her comrades are about to step into a deadly trap.

Trailer:

Excitement:

  • Jeff: I’m a sucker for some bad movies.
  • Ray: Hoping it doesn’t fall to the even/odd curse..so far ive liked 1,3 hated 2
  • Steve: Definitely looking forward to it!! Hoping it will be the last though. Let a good thing go before it becomes Resident Evil: Overkill

Coming Attractions:

The Past: Jeffrey
The Present: Toy Story 3
The Future: The Smurfs

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MOV005: “I love it when a plan comes together.”

Ray, Steve and Jeff discuss the announcement of the next Transformers Villian, Voltron coming to the big screen, a Wizard of Oz Prequel, Bear City Premieres, Chuck & Buck, The A-Team, and the Inception Trailer.

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News:

The Past: Chuck & Buck (2000)

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Director: Miguel Arteta

Staring: Mike White (Buck) , Chris Weitz (Chuck)

Trivia:

  • Mike White who wrote and stared in chuck and buck got himself eaten by a zombie in zombieland by violating rule #2, Beware of Bathrooms.
  • Chris Weitz went on to direct and produce such *cough” masterpieces like New Moon and The Golden Compass.
  • When Chuck turns to the TV in his office and claims to have signed the band whose video is playing, the TV is showing They Might be Giants playing their song “Dr. Worm”.

Talking Points:

  • James Keller says the film explores “the hysterical fear of exposure some heterosexual males experience” when they have had sexual relations with another man
  • Have any of us had straightboy crushes or crushes on the guys we’ve been trying to figure out?

What We’ve Learned:

  • Mike White can be really creepy.
  • Stalkers are scary, don’t entertain people who you think may be displaying stalker-ish behaviors!.
  • You never know when you’re going to run into people from your past!! So be prepared!!
  • “I’ve got freedom of my heart, it’s a brand new start” will give you nightmares if you hear it too often in one sitting.
  • Oodalee oodalee oodalee FUCK YOU! MAKE IT STOP!
  • Never invite your straight best friend over so you can blow him when you’re starting to get over him.
  • And Jeff can never watch this movie, not because he doesn’t want to, but because he’d run screaming from the room for 99% of the movie.

Trailer:

  • Impossible to find an embeddable one, but there are 2 versions on IMDB. Link.

Recommendations:

Jeff: Can’t recommend it. Can’t not recommend it either.
Ray: If the Idea of a Gay Stalker version of Napoleon Dynamite doesn’t scare you..go see it!
Steve: Wouldn’t recommend it to just anyone.

The Present: The A-Team

Director: Joe Carnahan

Staring: Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Sharlto Copley, Jessica Biel

Trivia:

  • Bruce Willis was considered for role of Hannibal Smith
  • Common, Ice Cube & The Game were all rumored for BA Baracus
  • John Singleton was the first director, but left when the film went into turnaround by the studio
  • Woody Harrelson & Ryan Reynolds were considered for Murdock
  • Amber Heard & Olga Kurylenko auditioned for role of Lt Sosa
  • Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson was originally scheduled to face his heated rival Rashad Evans at a December UFC event. Jackson’s decision to act in The A-Team movie led to a war of words between himself and Dana White, president of UFC. Due to the conflict, On September 22, 2009, Jackson wrote on his website that he is “done fighting”, and would officially retire from the sport. However, now that filming is complete, Jackson and Evans are fought on May 29, 2010. Evans won via unanimous decision over Jackson.

Talking Points:

  • CGI vs Staged Stunts – which is better??? Did anyone else think the end sequence felt very Indiana Jones & the Crystal Skull??
  • Is it a new trend to show teasers in the trailer that aren’t actually in the movie for the big budget flicks? (noticed this both for A Team – window washing scene BA didn’t whistle the A Tram theme & Iron Man 2 – Tony didn’t do the “You complete me” quote)

What We’ve Learned:

  • Not only can OLD helicopters do barrel rolls, they have bullet proof rotors
  • Its completely possible to fly a tank
  • BA Baracus is a very complicated character
  • Only good guys can shoot accurately
  • Never trust the government
  • If a complete stranger shoots you in the arm..its ok as long as your both ex Army Rangers

Trailer:

Recommendations:

Jeff: See it! See it NOW!
Ray: If you were a fan of the show or fan of over the top action flicks..see it..otherwise its wait for video.
Steve: Would recommend it to people who like action, shoot-em-ups & who liked the original TV show.

The Future: Inception

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Berenger & Michael Caine

Trivia:

  • Leonardo DiCaprio was the first actor to be cast in the film. He and Nolan spent months talking about the screenplay. In addition, Nolan took a long time re-writing the script in order “to make sure that the emotional journey of his character was… the driving force of the movie”.
  • During production, details of the film’s plot were kept secret. Christopher Nolan, who wrote the script, cryptically described it as a contemporary sci-fi action thriller “set within the architecture of the mind.”
  • Early on, James Franco was in talks with Christopher Nolan for a role. However, due to scheduling conflicts, he was unavailable to join the cast. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was ultimately cast in the role offered to Franco.
  • The labyrinthine style of the movie’s logo resembles the logo of Christopher Nolan’s production company Syncopy.
  • Evan Rachel Wood was Christopher Nolan’s first choice to play Ariadne, but she turned it down.
  • After Evan Rachel Wood turned down the role of Ariadne, Christopher Nolan considered casting Emily Blunt, Keira Knightley and Emma Roberts, but chose Ellen Page instead.
  • Christopher Nolan’s first film since his feature debut, Following (1998), that is a completely original work. All of his films between them are either remakes or based on comics, novels or short stories.
  • Tom Berenger’s first film to receive a theatrical release in the U.S. since Training Day (2001).
  • Leonardo DiCaprio was Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan’s only choice for the role of Cobb.
  • The name of Leonardo DiCaprio’s character is the same as that of the protagonist in Christopher Nolan’s first feature film, ‘Following’.
  • Nolan worked on the script for 9 to 10 years
  • Script is loosey based on movies like The Matrix, Dark City & Thirteenth Floor where the main priciples are that the world around you might not be real.
  • In the spring of 2010 a viral marketing campaign was started for the film. On June 2, 2010 a manual was sent out to various companies. The manual was filled with bizarre images and text all relating to Inception. No one was really able to make out what it all meant and how it ties into the film. As the month went on, more and more viral marketing began to surface including, posters, ads and strange websites all related to the film
  • Special effects expert Chris Corbould and his team built giant rotating hallways and a massive tilting nightclub for scenes where dream-sector physics become chaotic. One of the film’s actors, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, spent several weeks learning to fight in a corridor that spun like “a giant hamster wheel”. Nolan said of the device, “It was like some incredible torture device; we thrashed Joseph for weeks, but in the end we looked at the footage, and it looks unlike anything any of us has seen before. The rhythm of it is unique, and when you watch it, even if you know how it was done, it confuses your perceptions. It’s unsettling in a wonderful way”.

Talking Points:

  • Inception was first developed by Christopher Nolan, based on the notion of “exploring the idea of people sharing a dream space-entering a dream space and sharing a dream. That gives you the ability to access somebody’s subconscious. What would that be used and abused for?”
  • Furthermore, he thought “being able to extract information from somebody’s brain would be the obvious use of that because obviously any other system where it’s computers or physical media, whatever – things that exist outside the mind – they can all be stolen … up until this point, or up until this movie I should say, the idea that you could actually steal something from somebody’s head was impossible. So that, to me, seemed a fascinating abuse or misuse of that kind of technology”.
  • He had thought about these ideas on and off since he was 16 years old, intrigued by how he would wake up and then, while falling back into a lighter sleep, hold on to the awareness that he was dreaming, a lucid dream. He also became aware of the feeling that he could study the place and alter the events of the dream
  • He said, “I tried to work that idea of manipulation and management of a conscious dream being a skill that these people have. Really the script is based on those common, very basic experiences and concepts, and where can those take you? And the only outlandish idea that the film presents, really, is the existence of a technology that allows you to enter and share the same dream as someone else”.
  • Originally, he had written the film as a heist film but found that “traditionally [they] are very deliberately superficial in emotional terms”. Upon revisiting his script, he decided that basing it in that genre did not work because the story “relies so heavily on the idea of the interior state, the idea of dream and memory. I realized I needed to raise the emotional stakes.”
  • Nolan has said that the film “deals with levels of reality, and perceptions of reality which is something I’m very interested in. It’s an action film set in a contemporary world, but with a slight science-fiction bent to it”, while also describing it as “very much an ensemble film structured somewhat as a heist movie. It’s an action adventure that spans the globe”.

Summary:
Acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan directs an international cast in an original sci-fi actioner that travels around the globe and into the intimate and infinite world of dreams. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb’s rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible—inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming. This summer, your mind is the scene of the crime.

Trailer:

Excitement:

Jeff: Intrigued
Ray: Hope it doesn’t end the way im thinking it will.
Steve: Effects look cool…interested in seeing how it all comes together.

Coming Attractions:

The Past: Soldier’s Girl
The Present: Get Him To The Greek
The Future: Resident Evil: Afterlife

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News

Mortal Kombat Rebirth?

First, turn up your speakers and watch this in HD if possible.

Yesterday this video was floating around the intertubes, getting plenty of people stoked for a new and possibly better Mortal Kombat reboot.  Posted under the YouTube account of MortalKombatRebirth.  But what was this trailer for?  Is there a new movie in the works?  Was this just a fan made tease and this really is all we’ll see of it?

Today, Sonia Blade spoke:

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Yes, that was our favorite Borg playing the kick ass Sonya Blade. Be sure to follow her on twitter and we’ll see what comes of this MK concept.