Hollywood Dump

Top 5 casino scenes in movies

2013-04-10T10:15:00.000-05:00

Many film directors have included casino scenes in their movies. Some, like our first two choices below are all about casinos and gambling, while in others the casino is merely incidental to the action. You can find many movie themed games on online casino like Lucky Nugget as well, they always influence each other. Here is a selection of what we consider to be the top 5 all time casino scenes.

Casino
Casino is probably the best movie ever made about, well, casinos. The film, released in 1995, was directed by Martin Scorsese and starred amongst other Robert de Niro, Sharron Stone, Joe Pasci and Frank Vincent. Most of the characters were based on real life people, and the plot centred around De Niro as Sam "Ace" Rothstein (Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal in real life) who was employed by the Chicago mob to run their Las Vegas casino, and his wife Ginger (in real life Geraldine McGee Rosenthal). The best casino scene is hard to call, but our favourite is the “Get your feet off the table” scene in which Ace throws out the cowboy who works for his friend Nicholas "Nicky" Santoro.

Indecent Proposal
Indecent proposal is all about a different sort of gambling – gambling with your heart, but who can really blame Robert Redford for falling for Demi Moore, but was she really worth a million dollars? The casino scenes are a little naff, but the one where Demi kisses the dice before rolling an 11 is irresistible and more than a little sexy.

Casino Royale
Muck of Casino Royale concerns a game of Texas Hold'em between Bond and the terrorist banker Le Chiffre. Bond’s aim is to beat Le Chiffre in the tournament and bankrupt him, and then persuade him to work for MI6. The buy in is $10 million and initially Bond loses. Although his banker Vesper Lynd refuses to advance him $5m for a re-buy, a CIA agent offers the money in exchange for custody of Le Chiffre. Bond of course wins in the end, and the best casino scene in the movie is the final hand where Bond wins with a nut straight flush.

Rain Man
One of the best card counting casino movie scenes was that in the Barry Levinson directed move Rain Man starring Dustin Hoffman as the autistic Raymond Babbitt who had savant talents including a photographic memory, and his exploitive brother Charlie played by Tom Cruise. The scene is set in a Las Vegas casino and Raymond is counting cards in a game of Blackjack, winning a large amount of money.

21
Anyone who has played blackjack seriously will enjoy the movie about the famous blackjack card counting team from MIT which used team counting to win a considerable amount of money, initially from casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic city but eventually worldwide, that is until they were banned from every casino in the world. Not really a great movie in itself, but still a very good one. Best scene? Difficult one, but probably the one where the supposed high roller goes on tilt and nearly throws the whole plan.

Netflix Makes the Leap to Original Content

2013-01-31T06:53:00.001-06:00

As one Redditor put it, "Netflix's goal is to become HBO faster than HBO can become Netflix.

In a desperate bid to keep themselves in business as the tide of DVD rentals washes out of existence, Netflix follows in the footsteps of HBO and AMC and jumps into the world of original content.

Starting tomorrow, the company that once mailed movies to your door is doing its part to make broadcast television an entertainment-less wasteland, by unveiling its new series "House of Cards." This is what happens when you give David Fincher (Fight Club, the Social Network) $100 million and tell him to go make a TV series.

The political drama stars Kevin Spacey and GQ says the story is "pitch black" and plays like "the anti West Wing." OK, I'm in.

Here's the trailer for House of Cards

But here's the interesting thing about the way Netflix is doing this: unlike every other television series known to man, this one is premiering its entire season - all 13 episodes - all at once. Viewers can watch the first episode, decide if they like the show, and then immediately watch the rest of the season that first day it airs. Season two of the series is already in the works.

Will this change in distributing episodic television affect viewership? Part of what makes a television series entertaining is seeing the characters and story lines develop over time. Waiting creates anticipation that translates into viewers. People talking at the office or posting on Facebook about what happened on True Blood last Sunday tends to create interest in potential viewers that might not have watched before. Word of mouth is effective advertising.

What Netflix is doing is dramatically changing the way people watch television. It mutates the conversation from "Did you see what happened last night?" to "What part of the story are you at?"

And then what? What if viewers glut themselves on the show over the period of a weekend and then have to wait a while for the next season to be shot, edited and produced? What if people burn themselves out? Will they want to come back for series 2?

To be honest, not many people have an answer to this. As Spacey said, "I guess we'll find out really soon."

Game of Thrones Tops List of Most Pirated TV Shows for 2012

2012-12-29T12:25:00.001-06:00

HBO's "Game of Thrones" was the most pirated TV show this year. In fact, more people illegally downloaded an episode of the show than watched it when it originally aired.

I think part of the reason why the numbers are so high may have to do with the fact that the only way to watch Game of Thrones legally is to subscribe to a television provider like Time Warner or DIRECTV. But to do that means that you have to subscribe to a bunch of other cable channels most people are never going to watch. For decades, cable companies have been kicking around the idea of "a al carte programming" instead of the package deals they currently offer. But in doing this, they know that that certain channels would never get any viewers. This has always been a sore spot for most HBO viewers. Why do I have to buy other channels to see one or two shows on HBO? Why doesnt HBO simply offer their content online a day or even a week after it airs, like most other television networks?

As for me, I dont watch much television anymore. I cancelled my service to DIRECTV several years ago to save money and figured I would just watch stuff over the air or through the internet. And this scenario is not that uncommon. More and more people are dropping their bullshit cable services and watching what they want either through Netflix, streaming stuff online directly from the networks or torrents.

It's time for networks like HBO to seriously re-think the way they distribute their content.

Here's the full list of the top torrented TV shows for 2012, according to Aceshowbiz.com:

1. Game of Thrones - 4.28 million downloads
2. Dexter - 3.85 million
3. Big Bang Theory - 3.2 million
4. How I Met Your Mother - 2.96 million
5. Breaking Bad - 2.58 million
6. The Walking Dead - 2.55 million
7. Homeland - 2.4 million
8. House M.D. - 2.34 million
9. Fringe - 2.9 28 million
10. Revolution - 2.13 million

"Please dont Watch Two and a Half Men" says Jones

2012-11-27T09:23:00.001-06:00

Dont worry kid, no one is watching "Two and a Half Men" anymore.

Angus Jones, best known as the half man in the once-popular, now trainwreck "Two and a Half Men" said in a church web video that he wishes the show would be cancelled because its "part of the plan of the enemy." Which is of course (wait for it)...SATAN.

Jones alleges that there is a Masonic/Satanist conspiracy on the show to brainwash people using television.

“If you watch Two and a Half Men, please stop watching Two and a Half Men," Jones says. "I’m on Two and a Half Men, and I don’t want to be on it. Please stop watching it, and filling your head with filth. People say it’s just entertainment, do some research on the effects of television and your brain, and I promise you you’ll have a decision to make when it comes to television, especially with what you watch.”

Here's the video. This is part two. Part one can be found on YouTube. Fair warning: its 15 minutes of him being all religious and holy and shit. You'll have to sift through the usual "god is great" nonsense. The good stuff kicks in at the 7:34 mark.

The show has had pretty dismal numbers since Charlie Sheen's departure. However Ashton Kutcher says the show has found its groove.

Honestly if Jones really didn't want to be on the show, he wouldn't be on the show. He just re-negotiated his contract for another year back in May, and according to Celebrity Net Worth, makes somewhere around $15 million per season, or roughly $350,000 per episode. so I'm guessing that he's still happy to collect that paycheck while telling all of his new bible-pounding buddies how much he hates his job.

Nice work, Angus. Here's hoping you get your wish soon enough.

New Video from "Friday" Creators is Just What You Expect

2012-11-10T07:02:00.000-06:00

Remember Rebecca Black? That talent-less ditz whose Mom paid $4000 to have a song and video created so her little girl could become a star - but really her nasely auto-tuned mess of a video "Friday" turned into nothing but a flash-in-the-pan widely-hated internet viral sensation? Yeah. I know you've tried really hard to erase it from your memory, but just as the drugs have started to wear off, It turns out that the guys that created that infamy are at it again with a new "star" and a new "hit" video that is just as, simplistic, formulaic and annoying as the last one.

Songwriter/producer/ con-man Patrice Wilson, along with equally untalented co-conspirator Clarence Jay convinced another sucker that they could become a hit sensation without any of those pesky issues like talent, originality, or hard work.

Debuting just in time to barf up your Thanksgiving turkey, we present Nicole Westbrook and her new video "Its Thanksgiving"

Yes she really does use a turkey leg as a microphone.

I really feel kind of sorry for Nicole - Her parents are out several thousand dollars so that she could ultimately flounder in the shadow of Rebecca Black's 15-minutes-of-mediocrity. Just because someone got some publicity and notoriety creating something so profoundly bad doesn't mean you are going to become famous for attempting the exact same thing.

You know what they say about sequals.

Soundtracks: Discuss

2012-11-06T08:26:00.003-06:00

Here I go, always provoking debate. Well, really, go on. I thought I’d like to hear about people’s favorite movie scores, because, though a connoisseur of the finer moving picture arts, I know little to nothing about movie scores. So I’m going to list my favorite soundtracks, defend my argument, and generally try and prod some kind of response from your wheezing, pasty corpse.

Saw.

I love the Saw music because, not only can you use it to make everyday situations eight times more tense (searching for a pen for lectures becomes a pant-wetting trial of nerves with Hello Zepp playing), but it uses an almost ambient sound as percussion. The first film’s aesthetic is very industrial, very bleak, very modern. Using percussion that reflected this allowed the music to sit more comfortably within the film and become simply part of the background noise as opposed to kind of sitting there like a poo on a table.

Gremlins

Go on, put on the Gremlins theme. Do it now. Good. Now tell me you don’t feel gleeful, bouncy; a little arson-friendly. That’s Gremlins summed up in music. The pumping stupidity and gleeful staunchness on the soundtrack captures the movie perfectly. It’s also damn catchy, and I was once serenaded with it by an inebriated friend.

Submarine

I thought the use of full songs was interesting. It helps that Alex Turner is pretty much the living, breathing embodiment of Indie monarchy, and that the wistful sarcasticness of his pieces fit the film perfectly, but using the entire song allowed the audience to get inside that emotion on a different way. It might be this compulsion I have that brings me to heap praise on whatever Richard Ayoade does, but that’s irrelevant here.

Jurassic Park

I could have picked any John Williams score, really. It would have been a crime to leave him off any list of best soundtracks. I pick this one simply for the first real swell of the music as the helicopter rises above the island; an example of perfect camerawork and perfect soundtrack combine to make something eye-poppingly striking.

Streets of Fire

The pumping Jim Steinman beats! One Bad Stud at a strip club! Willem Defoe in a binbag! This film has everything, from a striking pre-Ghostbusters Rick Moranis, to an evil bike gang, to Diane Lane trying to express emotion with those cold, dead, leeching eyes that look like they go to the centre of time themselves and see nothing, see nothing at all. The acting is non-existent or massively over-the-top, the script is howlingly quotable, and it remains today one of my all-time favorite films.

Anyway, all this fist-pumping eighties jollity is underlined by a film-saving soundtrack, featuring performances from The Blasters and suchlike, that brings the film to Rock-Opera proportions and makes the whole thing a lot more credible.

Hollywood Loving

2012-10-07T12:14:00.004-05:00

Quiet at the back, it's time for a talk about sex scenes.

My first gripe is that sex scenes are pointless. If you are old enough to be watching a film that has a graphic sex scene in it, it's reasonable to assume you've got some idea about the general features of the horizontal shoe shuffle, and don't need to be shown it in all it's sweaty, heaving, thrusting, cheesclothed glory. The only time sex scenes are even slightly justifiable is in films like, say Boogie Nights, where we might have some questions about how a seventies porn scene would have been shot (or, indeed, what Mark Whalberg's penis looks like with comedically large attachment presumably fashioned from some kind of sandwich filling). Similairly, anyone old enough to know the logistics of it probably also knows that it's never, ever as good as it is onscreen either. Condoms don't appear from nowhere. Women don't launch into positively operatic orgasm after four seconds of stimulation. You forget to lock doors and roommates (or parents) stop by. You bump into people from your history class as you leave, and they never let you forget it (just me?).
I was watching the Ellen Page movie Whip It last night, in which she loses her virginity in a swimming pool, in a tender and loving fashion, with the boy of her dreams, to a sweet indie soundtrack. As a teenage girl with several teenage girl compatriots, I can safely say that the only thing I've done to a sweet indie soundtrack is eat crisps, and that virginities are rarely lost in any sort of semblance of romantic situations. It's all tents and everyone knowing about it and the whole situation stinking of an uncomfortable regularity. Like A Virgin? Like an uncomfortable and vaguely non-consensual, more like. Movies don't feel the need to have the heroes bleeding rainbows, or guns firing little pebbles of wisdom. Why try and romanticise the one thing that almost everyone has in common?
What get me most about these films is that they never actually show the sex act due to censoring, leaving sour-minded spinsters like me to assume that it's because of some x-rated fetish. Think of the grimmest sexual fetish you've ever heard of. Now add some vegetable matter. Next time a wishy-washy teen flick stops as soon as his shirt comes off, assume it's because that's what happens next. I'll tell you this for free: the image of Micheal Cera doing that with a handful of vine tomatoes in Scott Pilgrim vs The World will stay with me till the day I die.

A Look at Various Directors' Projects In Development

2012-09-29T05:35:00.003-05:00

Here's a sneak look at the projects "in development" from various directors. courtesy of IMBD pro.

Now, to be honest, "in development" could mean anything from a greenlit script, to "so I've got this idea for a movie..." so take everything you see here with a grain of salt: Dates are always subject to change, and don't think for a second that you are getting super top secret information here. If its on IMDB, someone wants you to know about it.

But still, the list is pretty interesting. I knew Rodriguez was going to do a sequel to "Machete," and "Avatar 2" has been rumored since the first one came out for Cameron, but ANOTHER Transformers film? And "Indiana Jones 5" from Speilberg? That might be amusing. (or it might suck, since the last one was an abomination to the franchise). And I think Scorsese doing a film about Sinatra would be thrilling (lots of crazy, coo-coo stuff happened behind the scenes with Sinatra. I'd like to see how Martin can visualize this.)

Here's a few screenshots of the projects. Sorry the images are tiny. They wouldnt fit in the Hollywood Dump frame correctly.

Here's the source, if you are having trouble reading these.

Robert Rodriguez:

Joss Whedon:

Christopher Nolan:

Steven Speilberg:

James Cameron:

Martin Scorsese:

Quentin Tarrantino:

Tim Burton:

Gorenography

2012-09-22T08:13:00.001-05:00

Now let's get this straight, right here, in my second post- I am a horror movie fan. I love them. For about eight months last year I inhaled all available horror movie knowledge, specimens and articles. I was sitting in a bar this evening and an advert for the DVD release of Cabin in the Woods played on the one the TVs abobe the bar. Someone made a lightly disparaging comment about it, and I killed him. Not just killed him, you understand- but killed him using a spear made to the exact measurements of the one used in a scene in Friday the 13th Part II in a sequence that has been accused of plagiarizing a similar scene in an earlier Giallo movie.
And here's what makes me a bit cross about the whole affair.
Horror movies have almost no gravitas. Grossly underrepresented in almost every prestigious awards ceremony, The Exorcist was the last horror film that made any kind of critical splash, winning director William Friedkin an Oscar.
I suppose people feel a bit uncomfortable giving out gongs to movies that are based around fear. And gore. Lots of it. Take Saw, for example- if you ignore the rest of the franchise, the first film is a masterstroke. With two powerhouse performances from Leigh Whannel and the unpronounceable Cary Elwes, an innovative soundtrack and the creation of Jigsaw, the most considered psychopath since John Doe in Se7en, Saw is a pacy, claustrophobic thriller that raises some genuine questions in an intelligent and unpatronising way. The same year, Finding Neverland was nominated for Best Picture. Yes, there have been arbitarty awards for Best Visual Effects or Best Makeup, but horror films always seem to get ignored on the wider stage, despite producing some of the most innovative films of the last twenty years. You only have to look at The Blair Witch Project and it's brilliant publicity campaign, as well as it's use of the still relatively untested found-footage style, to see that.
And I'll have none of this "Being scared isn't fun.". Any killjoy who you overhear saying this should be promptly beaten with a flat stick and sat down in front of Gremlins for an hour and a half. Horror has the capacity to be genuinely entertaining, in the same way that a comedy film can have emotional depth. I'll admit that sometimes you have to buy in to a darker sense of humour (at the first showing of Final Destination 5 at my local cinema, after one particularly brutal death scene, the entire audience paused for a moment out of decorum before roaring with thigh-slapping laughter), if you're going to be stroppy about it, stick to light family horror like The Hole or Beetlejuice. Not all horror films choose to have a comedic streak but the ones that do are infintley better for it.
Horror is a brilliant genre. What other genres have spawned clutches of franchises, a black market in Hallowe'en costumes, or had a scene in one film where a sentient, disembodied head performs oral sex on a nubile young woman? Go on. Go on to your illegal download site of choice and pull up An American Werewolf in London. You know that you want to.

By Louise MacGregor

http://thethreepennyguignol.wordpress.com/

Once More Into The Abyss- Glee

2012-09-17T16:34:00.000-05:00

My finger hovers over the button. I dare myself to click play. Will my dignity take this? We'll see. We'll see.

And so, I watch the first episode of Glee, the high school musical comedy thing, season 4. I can't get a handle on this show- sometimes, it's a bit sly and quite fun, and then suddenly everyone bursts into a synthetically tuneful version "Somebody to Love" and I want to die. The entire cast looks as if it's some awful result of a forced mating session at a Pop Idol casting call- a completely flat-faced, perma-grinning cross-section of different creeds, religions, and sexual orientations. But then Jane Lynch would come and spray remorseless venom over all the particularly deplorable ones and it was okay again.

The first song that sticks in my mind, my teeth, and probably the moral mesh of my soul was the raw sugar cube rendition of Call Me Maybe. But the song scenes vary- throwing up both the best scene (a completely cleavered-in scene for Kate Hudson to dance about sexily, to great effect) and the worst scene (a montage-audition scene, where the characters alternately grimace, gurn like a remedial class X Factor panel, gasp, nod, and comment on how sexy the singers are). And it also produces the scene were two girls try to signal down aircraft while singing Empire State of Mind. But who am I to judge? Maybe that's what your Lady Rihannas and your Sandy Emilys are getting up to these days. Doing their bit. Signalling planes.

The emotional subplots are getting absolutely glorious, though. One of the new characters, Beauty Singing Hardship Girl #11, has a mother who is fat. When someone comments on how fat she is, #11 just storms off in a cloud of complete blandness, and that’s the end of that. It’s like someone who used to direct anti-bullying commercials made this episode.

I think the problem with this episode was that it was an establishing episode. No subplots were introduced, and Glee is a show built on a precarious Jenga tower of interlocking subplots. Gay subplots, lesbian subplots, political subplots, pregnancy subplots, ill-health subplots, marriage subplots, crushed-dreams subplots (starring a less important character whose dreams can be pissed on willy-nilly without their smile wavering for a second)…the last season had it all.

What it needs is some unlikely romantic couplings. Do another teacher-student one. The attitude-laden black transvestite with the bisexual blonde cheerleader. I say just either scrap the romantic subplots altogether or have a full episode of grunting sex (they could sing, I don’t know, an acapella version ofPoison, or something) to fulfil the series quota for pre-adolescent hormone-porn and have done with it. Get back to the raw, uncensored scenes of steamy Glee club rehearsals and gruelling dance classes. Now THERE’S something to sing about.

What Films Did I See This Weekend?

2012-05-21T23:42:00.001-05:00

None.

What to Expect When You're Expecting showed all the funny parts in the trailer and those weren't really that funny and I'm not in the mood for OMG he's so hot kind of lines. I'm never in the mood for that. I guess I should state that I have zero tolerance for that this past weekend.

The Dictator could have been my choice had it not looked like a rehash of what he's already done before and movies are expensive. I'm not wasting more money to see what I've seen before any more. Well, for the most part.

Battleship ...do I need to really state why I didn't? I didn't think so.

Instead I seriously thought I might go see The Avengers again. I'd spend more money to see that than the above three.

Instead I did other things and one of the other things happened to be READING. I'm more interested in reading for a few hours than sitting down and shutting my mind off to believe that the lines I'm hearing are words people would actually utter in that given situation.

Oh, what was I reading? "Atlas Shrugged", "The Catcher in the Rye" and "Keepers of the Flame" -- which is an unpublished book by a friend. It'll be made into a movie, I'm sure. And I'll be there on the red carpet and talking her up like she's God's gift to the writer world.

No. It is my first time reading "The Catcher in the Rye" and (now) Holden Caulfield is by far one of my favorite characters in any book. I have never felt that I could be instant friends with someone in a book until I read "The Catcher in the Rye."

I might actually step out and see a film this weekend...MIB III is coming.

But I don't know. I'm sort of liking not going to the movies.

The Amazing Spider-Man 4 min. Trailer and a Batman Rant

2012-05-14T23:52:00.000-05:00

I'm more excited to see The Amazing Spider-Man than The Dark Knight Rises. After seeing The Avengers and how incredible Iron Man is, I cannot look at Batman in that trailer and think of anything but him being a second class Iron Man. His toys pale in comparison. The creators of Batman didn't have to do much thinking because Iron Man was in the background. Now he's in the foreground, they have to scramble. It appears that in The Dark Knight Rises trailer they didn't scramble anything worthy of seeing.

Reddit posters have made me want to bash Batman into guano. And I will. No one sees a Batman film for the hero. They see it for the villain and these villains are rehashes of the previous villains. Nothing spectacular. OHNOSE...Bane's going to be mean. Yeah, seen it. I can't believe people are fooled by such pathetic attempt at making Batman relevant.

I saw a cartoon movie with Batman vs Darkseid and I had to laugh. He knew where he was going and yet he brought NOTHING with him that could help him battle Darkeid. So he got tossed around like a ragdoll. Yeah, that's heroic.

Spider-Man loses a lot and yet he continues to pick hero. He loses everything and yet he still decides to fight for good. In his duel life as Peter Parker, he has no money to fall back on. He has only his smarts and he uses it well, but not enough to make bank. Batman is the 1%. I'm surprised he's liked at all by anyone who buys into that.

The Amazing Spider-Man isn't going to out do The Dark Knight Rises in profit. I'm not arguing that. Batman films try so hard to be Shakespeare when they fail to be fun, entertaining and worthy of seeing more than once.

"The Avengers" Breaks Records...a lot of them

2012-05-09T23:56:00.002-05:00

What was that Batman fans? I can't hear your complaints over the Cha-ching of millions. $207.4 million

The Avengers broke Monday's record. (non holiday) $18.8 million

Tuesday's record. (non holiday) $17.6 million

I'm pretty sure it'll break Wednesday's and Thursday's. Making it one awesome film that the (now nicknamed) Batbabies will whine about until The Dark Knight fades into the background to the number 3 best superhero film. I'm sure The Amazing Spider-Man will push it out of the way for number 2.

Have you seen the trailer for The Dark Knight Rises? What are they doing with the sound? I hate it. Every time it comes on I wish it were possible to take a mini nap. Ooh Bane. As if that's never been done before. I am going to see it. I might even see it at midnight, but come on...why couldn't the villain ever be someone interesting like Harley Quinn? Someone we've never seen in a live action Batman film. Why rehash what the previous Batman films already did?

There's a reason why DC doesn't have a Justice League of America film. Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman are not that interesting. I just saw a cartoon with them, and they're so bland. After seeing all the tech that Iron Man has, Batman is stone age boring.

I can't wait for The Dark Knight Rises to come out just so it can be shown that it's good, but not better than The Avengers. I want that first weekend to show that though it made money, it didn't make enough. It whimpered. At the beginning of the year it was thought that The Dark Knight Rises would pummel The Avengers.

I got some tissues for those Batbabies. It's going to hurt worse than seeing Batman wearing PINK.

Worldwide The Avengers inches toward a BILLION dollars.

“Marvel’s The Avengers” Is the Best Movie of 2012. Oh, Yes I Did

2012-05-05T02:34:00.001-05:00

In Theaters: May 4, 2012

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of sci-if violence and action throughout, and a mild drug reference)

Genres: Adaptation, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure

Run Time: 2 hours 22 minutes

Distributors: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Director: Joss Whedon

JJ Rating: A+

Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor, and Iron Man have all led up to Marvel’s The Avengers. The team of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes assemble to defend her honor.

18 Good Things About This Film

Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man adds dry wit, one-liners and references that will fly over a few people's heads (despite they're pure genius) to a heroic billionaire creation who has toys Batman couldn't even dream of on a full knight's sleep. Downey is flawless showing that his final line in Iron Man proves True with a capital...he is Iron Man.
Chris Evans as Captain America is as Boy Scout as needed without being overly goody with enough heart and stars to be heroic greatness and relevant among his future-esque teammates. All done because Evans can promote that type of purity, which is in direct contrast to an on fire hero from another team stationed in NYC that film rights are selfishly owned by a stingy little studio.
Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner brings the calm, collective and restrained to the forefront with a pinch of indifference. Ruffalo is a third try at getting the Bruce Banner Marvel wants and the saying uses a word that no one would use to describe the Hulk: Charm.
Chris Hemsworth as Thor is godlike, yet again, with a weightlifting body that I could never acquire. Hemsworth has engendered a hybrid of otherworldly royalty and demigod warrior that had Marvel tried to create the Avengers any other decade, they would've sorely miscasted.
Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow creates a version of the character that the comic book could never, ever bring to light. Johansson's subtly in her manipulation rivals Hiddleston's Loki, but she has ninja grooves and a widow's bite that brings a sexy heroin full bloom for all to marvel at.
Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye shows that girls aren't the only ones that can use bow and arrows. With every pull of the bow string, Renner displays determination to be Hawkeye and it worka. Renner's confidence bleeds into the role making it bloody awesome. Renner's just cool.
Tom Hiddleston as Loki impresses me as much as he did last year in person and on the screen. It is as if when Hiddleston dons the costume of Loki a different persona takes over. He wields the persona with such fierce maligning madness that each line slithers out of his mouth prepared to poison the listener.
Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson is (as I told him last year on Thor's red carpet) my favorite agent. Deadpan, serious, silly, school boy giddiness, all things that describe an agent that is worthy of so much care. Gregg brought to life a character that many fans fell for without even realizing.
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury is the THE AGENT. Marvel created an Ultimate Nick Fury with the likeness of Jackson for the revamp comics and when it came to the big screen were lucky enough for Jackson so be a part of this spectacular film. Jackson is usually rambunctious and all over the place as the loud character who needs to shout to win, but as Nick fury, Jackson doesn't shout, he stresses his points like a stern, determined and undaunted leader. No one else could be Nick Fury but Jackson.
Paul Bettany as Jarvis is just a voice, but a voice that everyone wishes they could speak to – to get things done. Something that comic books cannot give, a great voice for a much needed character.
Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill did the job. It's exciting to see Hill in the film. It makes me hope for a Civil War. Smulders played a strong woman who had a great moment when Loki is sneaking off the base with Hawkeye. For some reason that moment will stick out for me when I think of her. The power of facial expressions without words is shown in that moment.
The Avengers was stuffed with humor. I didn't know I could laugh that much while watching an action film. So many great moments, especially with the Hulk. The humor the Hulk gives is situational. I could sit here and describe it, but that wouldn't do justice. You have to see it. Then there's the Iron Man snark. The Loki hiss. Black Widow's emotional switch-a-roos. Captain America's naïve theme on pop culture references. Agent Coulson's giddiness. Thor's give and take. A smorgasbord of Comic Book beauty.
The action scenes were amazing. So much battling going on. Seeing Thor vs Iron man, Thor vs Captain America, Captain America vs Iron Man, Thor vs Hulk, Loki vs Captain America, Iron Man vs Loki, Hulk vs Loki, Thor vs Loki, Hawkeye vs Loki...the Avengers vs the invading army...it's so much fantastic action I can't pick a great, great moment. Maybe one...I really loved what happened when Thor's hammer collides with Captain America's shield. It's seismic.
Josh Whedon is a NERD GOD. He brought to life one of the most difficult teams Marvel has and aligned them just right to give us a film that is marked for classic status from here on out. He showed that it could be done and DC is peeing in their paints because JLA is DOA every time someone tries. The Avengers has set the bar so high, we may never see a JLA Movie.
Josh Whedon also did a marvelous job orchestrating everything in The Avengers. There is a lot of things I saw that I didn't anticipate seeing and I was in awe for 99% of the film. The 1% was set aside for me to blink. If he's not nominated of Best Director for all this hard work, SCREW the loser Academy. As if it's difficult to get two people to act out a dramatic scene making people boohoo. Try getting an army of Academy Nominees under one roof and get them to don silly costumes and churn out greatness like this and then tell me he doesn't deserve to be nominated. Not to mention great writing.
The Transformer comparisons are grossly overdone. Transformers transformed from being a boyhood dream to a manipulated piece of junk. I will not be a bystander to such douchebaggary. That's like saying Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles can still be MUTANTS WHEN THEY'RE FROM OUTERSPACE....huh, Michael I-Can-Destroy-Your-Childhood-Just-By-Looking-At-It Bay? The Avengers didn't fight any Transformer lookalikes. They were awesome aliens that could very well be Skrull in body-armor. Speculation...
The Avengers was going to be as long as 3 hours. There is a lot of deleted scenes. I look forward to watching every single one of them when I buy the DVD. I sat there and wanted more. The time flew by.
I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE AVENGERS 2 and what space has to offer.

Bad Things About This Film

NONE – Not flawless, but close enough in my book.

Marvel's The Avengers is worth every penny one has to fork over to see it. It is so worth it. I am going to see it again. People always want to know if a film is worth spending the outrageous amount of money it costs to see a film now days. Well, The Avengers is one of those films. The stars have aligned in a figurative and literal sense. Marvel is on a roll. I'm going to sit and enjoy the Superhero Renaissance that Marvel has brought, that Marvel has open the door to, and that Marvel will be remembered for. The Avengers is already on my Top Ten List for 2012 as number one. Who'll knock it down? Bring it on Dark Knight, The Amazing Spider-Man or anyone else that thinks they can muster enough stupendous superness to unseat The Avengers. I'll be watching.

P.S.
Enjoy some really neat posters I stumbled across when I was on www.boxofficemojo.com.

"Caine's Arcade" Innovative Imagination & Creatively Awe-inspiring

2012-04-15T13:49:00.001-05:00

Documentary

Run Time: 10:59

Produced: Interconnected

Director: Nirvan Mullick

JJ Rating: A+

Caine, 9 years-old, creates an arcade at his father's auto part shop. Persistent, creative, ingenious and down right charming, he tries to get people to play his games. No one stops to play despite his winning smile and eagerness...until one man decides why not? And good thing he did. Caine's Arcade.

6 Good Things About This Film

Caine reminds me of me. I created an entire Marvel Universe RPG like board game when I was a teen. I spent hours, days, weeks creating from scratch. I did everything from make the board to the coloring to the sheets of paper for each character describing what they could do, how much damage, how far someone would be knocked back if they got hit by...say the Hulk's punch. It is one of the few things I put my heart and soul into. I look at all the work I did and I don't know how I did it. I don't know where I found the time. When I watched Caine's Arcade, I felt a quick connection. I'd have participated in helping him that day. I'd stare in amazement and understand the hard work that went into Caine's Arcade.
I have not gone to the movies in two weeks. I just don't want to go any more. Films suck and I'm not too keen on writing reviews for sucky films, though I can write a scathing review, it's not fun any more. Going to the movies should be fun. I feel the money drain out of me when I go and it could be spent on other things. Ten minutes is way shorter than a film I'd pay $9 to see. And in those ten minutes I smiled – from start to finish. And that's not something any film I've ever seen can claim from me. It's short, but it's so happy. It restores faith that great people are waiting to do great things. And this was a great thing. Caine created something great and the people that came out to support his greatness made a child's dream come true – just by sepdning their time playing his games. A simple task that gave so many smiles. Especially to Caine.
The film exudes heart. Caine's smile exudes gratitude for what was given to him. It is so fantastic to see a child beam pride for his hard work. That no one could squash his idea. And that he was tireless in trying to get someone to play. When he found that someone he did so because he persisted. So many people don't get where they want to go because they quit just before they get there. Caine was as persistent as the swimming eagle.
Caine couldn't have gotten that one customer who brought him many more if it weren't for his father, George. Listening to George speak about his son I could hear how proud he was. That must have been a great feeling to see his son's hard work pay off. To see that if the right person cares, things will expand into something more. He cared and because he did, his son kept on creating and asking until he found that one customer who opened an entire world to Caine. It's astonishing and sad that more kids are not like Caine.
Stories like this make me realize that I just need to push harder and be more persistent and even though it might get tiring...I'm so close. If I just push I'll get what I want. It is just cardboard. But Caine put his imagination and heart into each cut, into each slice, into each strip of tape and into each meticulously stapled ticket. And instead of JUST cardboard he created an arcade. He transformed those boxes into a world he envisioned. That kind of innovation is so rare now days it's amazing to see it displayed like that.
Caine's Arcade made me cry tears of joy. How do you raise such a child? That's a process that should be duplicated the world over.

What did you create when you were his age? What did your imagination reveal? Tap into that time and bring forth that awe-inspiring feeling, that passion for flying cars, chocolate steak or a city made out of Legos and maybe you'll feel inspired again to think without adult bindings. Maybe you'll unleash a creation the world needs, wants or just plain would enjoy.

I don't normally recommend films because my taste is different than everyone's, but take ten minutes out of your day and watch it, and see that despite all the darkness that is in the news...all the terrible things that hijack life...that a little boy in L.A. recycled cardboard boxes into an arcade that became famous due to his ingenious heart. And if we emulated such wonder, oh what things we could create.

Congratulations, Caine. May you have a college fund that gives you the education your mind will use to make this world a more better, more interesting and more fun place to be. I'm sorry I don't have the funds available to help, but maybe I can notify someone else who can.

Titanic Super 3D!!!! (or maybe they mean 4D...)

2012-04-07T22:03:00.000-05:00

George Lucas has never been so creative!!
The J.J. Abrams shows his FLARE!!
Michael Bay EXPLODES all over the screen!!

A new and improved Titanic trailer.

ENJOY!

“The Hunger Games” Fills My Moviegoer Heart

2012-03-29T00:46:00.002-05:00

In Theaters: March 23, 2012

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for for intense thematic violent material and disturbing images -- all involving teens)
Genres: Action/Adventure, Adaptation, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Distributors: Lionsgate
Run Time: 2 hours 22 minutes

Director: Gary Ross

JJ Rating: A-

Book to Movie Rating: B+

The Capitol initiates the Hunger Games for punishment against the 12 districts. Two teens, one male and one female, from the twelve districts go into the Hunger Games and only one comes out alive and the winner. In the 74^th Annual Hunger Games Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers as Tribute so her sister doesn't have to enter the games. Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) joins her as the male from District Twelve. Only one will come out of the Hunger Games as winner. Of the 24, will it be Katniss? The Hunger Games.

15 Good Things About This Film

Costumes were sensational. Award winning creations. The Capitol looked as ostentatious as I had imagined. District 12 looked as downtrodden as described. Judianna Makovsky did a creatively beautiful job. Her previous works of costumes I recall as good: X-Men Last Stand, Seabiscuit, Pleasantville, Big. I don’t recall Big being awesome, I just like the film.
Jennifer Lawrence created an onscreen Katniss that didn’t deviate far from my reading vision. She looks good with a bow and arrow. Strong, silent and powerful is how I viewed Katniss and that’s what I got. I know she’s not totally silent, but she does more inner thinking than speaking. Which is where Lawrence's facial expressions come into play.
Josh Hutcherson worked a Peeta Mellark that I liked. Reserved, smart and self-sacrificing. He also has a charm about him. He was the best part of The Kids Are All Right. Cause outside of him, that movie sucked and the characters were as annoying as the morons that sat to the left of me. If their intent was to bore me with a family I didn't really care about, they did a good job.
Woody Harrelson as Haymitch was decent. He was off by a bit, but I can see him working. I don’t understand why they didn’t have his drunk fall at the reaping. That would have added a lot.
Elizabeth Banks made Effie come alive. She didn’t have a lot of screen time, but every moment she spoke I felt as if she jumped right out of the book. The clothes mattered, but her attitude shined brilliantly that if she were unLady Gaga clothes, I'd still buy it.
I have to mention Amadla Stenberg who played Rue because there’s all kinds of internet bile going on. I read the books and her race in the film didn’t bother me. It’s not a major factor for me – the race of a character. She was adorable, sweet and the tree scene with the tracker jackers was the right amount of emotional care.
I liked the subtly of silence from Katniss at times as well as with what is important later on in the other films…such as the roses for President Snow.
The deaths during the Hunger Games were well done. For the most part they all happened just as they did in the book. All except for the last one.
The musical score by James Newton was idoneous. It added smooth layer to the film creating an ambiance that made it memorable.
The control room and how the Gamemasters worked wasn’t ever describe in the book because it was in first person. The way they controlled the domed area for the games was awesome. Visually beautiful and technologically perspicacious. I wanted to work there. Not to kill children, but to mess with all that tech.
The interiors of the train and their suite were awesome. Whacky furniture that fit like blue hair on an old lady playing bridge. They did such an exceptional job with from costumes to the set. I’m still thinking about how sensational everything looked. I think that Suzanne Collins would be giddy over seeing her book come to life in such a wowing way. I would be.
Gary Ross did a better than bad job. I like most of the film and therefore I suppose I should be pleased with how he did it. He just needs a bit of tweaking to conciliate me.
I'm not a book-to-movie snob like quite a few book readers are. I know what they took out of the movie that's in the book and with that in mind I can say they were pretty faithful with their allotted time.
They have scenes with President Snow and Seneca Cane that are added to give some foreshadowing and overall understanding of why the games progress the way they do. I think that one of the scenes at the end that they switched up differently from how the book tells it, is a great addition.
I love the way banks reached into get the female name. So dainty. So Effie. And the way she said “And may the odds be ever in your favor” gave me goosebrainbumps. I felt them crest, crush and curl through my brain. Readergazm.

6 Bad Things About This Film

There are a lot of names in this film and throughout the trilogy. For film’s sake, they shouldn’t have used their names if they weren’t going to allow for recognition. Such as with Foxface. I’m sure not many knew who that was outside of who read the book.
Fight scenes would have been awesome to watch if it weren’t for the shaking. I hate not seeing what’s going on because the camera is so close to their face. Their face is no longer important. What they’re doing is.
Peeta and Katniss didn’t have as strong of a connection as they did in the book. This isn't any kind of love triangle that's brewing. This is realization that Katniss has feelings at all that are remotely close to love. She's living in a world that isn't made for that kind of love. She doesn't even want to have kids for fear they'd be in the Hunger Games. She dismisses that kind of love. There had to be more apprehension to make it work. For me.
Not having Haymitch fall off the stage at the beginning as he does in the book missed a great opportunity of sum up his character without wasting a breath.
When Peeta tells Katniss to run is a cheesy moment that I didn't like. They shouldn't have had him do it that way. Hutcherson can do better and they didn't urge him to.
I wished they allowed the mockingjays to stick around. In the book when the hovercrafts come to pick up the dead bodies, the mockingjays fall silent. They didn't have that in the film. They never showed the bodies being picked up. I don't know why they decided against that. At least they allowed the cannon fire.

What could it have done to get an A+?

The shaking camera was a massive buzz kill whenever it occurred. It removed me from the film, making me realize I'm watching. The dumb heifers that sat next to me did that as well, but that had to do with their stupid need to talk to one another. They didn't finish their popcorn. Who spends 7 inflated dollars on popcorn and not finish it? Teens who don't pay for the ticket. That's who. If I could hit people and get away with it, I just might have. I was about to preform a Hunger Game scene right then and there.

If the love between Katniss and Peeta that brews was more for show I would have really liked this film more than I do. That's why I liked “The Hunger Games” because it wasn't about her love for anyone. It just so happen that she needed to play on the love to get stuff. A bit of playing for the cameras.

And in conclusion...

This entire Rue diabolical with the douchebags of the internet going on and on about how she shouldn't be black is stupid. Why are they not upset that Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) is black? Actually I don't care. I would feel so upset that my writing attracted such human trash that I'd would care if I insulted my readers by speaking up on behalf of the film and the actress, who, by the way, doesn’t deserve to be treated that way. At all.

If you are NOT a douchebag reader and you have NOT bothered to see The Hunger Games, you should. It's one of the better adaptions I've ever seen. Don't starve yourself during this drought of good movies worthy of spending hard earned money and time to see. It's worth it. The more I think about The Hunger Games the more I like it despite it's shaking camera syndrome that makes me want to punch a camera man in the balls. Really, filmmakers, STOP. DOING. THAT. Thank you for listening. You'll make $50 million dollars more if you resist the urge to make a film feel as if I'm watching a cheap Japanese Godzilla film.

And may the odds be ever in your favor.

“John Carter” Pleasant Surprise for Crapuary...

2012-03-18T22:51:00.001-05:00

In Theaters: March 9, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence and action)
Genres: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure
Run Time: 2 hours 12 minutes

Director: Andrew Stanton

JJ Rating: B+

John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), an ex-confederate soldier, hid in a cave from Indians. The cave that held his gold he was going to get. Until someone appeared behind him. After shooting the intruder, he grabbed the medallion the man had and whispered the words the man was whispering. John Carter then transferred to Mars where he learns he can jump...high, where he falls in love and where he leads a people to victory. John Carter.

10 Good Things About This Film

Entertaining from start to finish due to the fast pace story telling. It did not feel like 2+ hours.
Decent acting gave way to characters worthy of care. Which gave way to a scene that sort of surprised me. It reminded me a lot of (without giving it away) Somewhere in Time.
Another great scene was when John Carter is killing Martians left and right (covered in blue, cause their blood ain't red) a flashback weaves its way through. It was a great combination of past and present.
Bring me to Andrew Stanton and how he did a good job. The amount of hands the director reigns passed through were numerous. I wonder how it felt to do a film on a book that predates Star Wars? The imagery of Mars was wonderful. I was engrossed in the world. Invested. And even enamored. John Carter was told in a way that makes me want to see it again.
The Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins (who played Dejah Thoris) had very good chemistry. Her eyes were very eye catching. I couldn't stop myself from wanting to stare at them.
The CGI work worked for me. I liked the look of the Martians. They were real enough that I forgot they were CGI long enough to enjoy the story. The ships they traveled in were neat.
The costumes were great. I liked them. Made the beautiful (Lynn Collins) more beautiful. According to how far I'm into the book...the characters were nude. So far. ha.
I liked the line “John Carter of Earth?” Only because it has a weird-cool ring to it.
Voice actors, again, do a good job. Samantha Morbin, Willem Dafoe, and Thomas Haden Church. The good job comes with making a CGI character real. And because the CGI was good and the voice acting fit the characters, I saw them as characters in a story that I was engrossed in.
I really, really liked the ending. Not as much as a twist of an ending as it was a great way to reveal. Which is another reason why Andrew Stanton did well. I was excited for more.

0 Bad Things About This Film
Nothing terribly bad to mention.

I didn't read Edgar Rice Burroughs' series on John Carter. After learning about how long this film was in development hell and that it inspired films like Star Wars and Avatar, I had to give it a go. So I snagged a sample for my Nook. Right now, I sort of like it. It's weird, though. I haven't read a single line of actual dialogue between the characters and I'm on page 50. It's not an issue, it's just something I've never encountered in reading a book.

John Carter was a good film, enjoyable and fun for the entire family. I'm thinking of owning it. Money is tight as it is, so thinking about it is all I can do. Considering that this is March (and still part of the Crapuaray film release months), John Carter is a pleasant surprise.

2012-03-13T07:26:00.001-05:00

Tony from onlinecriminaljusticedegree.com sent me this infographic about the TSA. And since Im going to be flying soon and love going through the theater that is the airport security process, I thought I'd share.
Created by: Online Criminal Justice Degree

Charging for Change?

2012-03-12T01:20:00.000-05:00

Bullies are a focal point (all of the sudden) for many people. They now care that kids are being picked on for asinine reasons. For years they looked the other way and now they look directly at the problem and go OMG it's a problem. Oh really? I'm well aware that it was a problem before this over-dramatic crap that's been going on.

I agree that NOW is worse than when I was in school, and worse still before that. This idea that all the sudden it's something to worry about makes me sick. If they didn't ignore the problem for so long there wouldn't be a problem to contend with now.

These people that now care are part of the reason the problem exists to begin with. Their NOW caring doesn't cure the ignoring they perpetuated for years. It's the entire idea that liberals think that if they make a film about it or they voice their opinion on it that they've done enough. Talking about a problem is good. It's the first step, but this thought that if they get enough people talking about it that change will happen is laughable.

Wasn't this what the Obama election was hinged on? Hope and Change. And where did that get America? Is it better because of believing in that hope in change? Is it better because people talked about change? No, it is not. That's because it's never good enough to just talk about a problem.

Of course you have to make people aware there is a problem, but once they are aware, then what? What are you going to do? Make laws and force them to comply? Did you know that laws are not created for those that follow, they're created for those that don't. And those that don't comply don't comply no matter what kind of law is created. Laws are precarious to begin with. You can't law people into being good. They either want to be good or they don't.

And if they don't, what will you do? Bully them into complying? Haha.

I think it's noble to create a film about bullying and bring people into a world that they are most likely not familiar with. What I'm not okay with is charging people for change. You can't charge for change. It doesn't work.

The people who are doing The Bully Project are trying to get the MPAA (who are a group of douchebags anyway. Uh did you hear about what the Director's Guild did to RobertRodriguez because he wanted to give co-director credit to Frank Miller? These unions can be real pricks.) to agree to a rating of PG-13 so that kids can see it without an adult's consent. They hear this language all day long, what's the big deal? The big deal is that they hear the language all the time. Is it really necessary to bring the language out to abuse more ears? The problem with using the same (or in this case allowing the same) abusive language is that “reality” doesn't necessarily bring about change.

This is the same as the anti-abortion crowd. They stand outside of Planned Parenthood (a horrible place full of hypocrites and morons) with nasty pictures of aborted fetuses in hopes of scaring away any girl that's thinking of using the services of these hypocrites. Does the nasty pictures really stop abortions? No. They happen by the thousands, daily. It's disgusting, but no amount of gross, horrible, ick pictures stops people from aborting.

Same with DWIs or DUIs with photos of horrible crashes because drinking or taking mind altering drugs that ruin your ability to drive. This doesn't stop either type of driving and people still die by the thousands because of said accidents.

Because you show reality to people doesn't mean they learn better or understand what's going on better than they had previously. All you do is show them nasty pictures under the idea that these nasty pictures will eventually do something to make them change. And if that were true, deaths by drunk driving and abortions would fall yearly. But they don't.

I understand what they are trying to do with this Bully Project, but I do not agree that it'll be helpful in anyway. Nothing is worse than activist that are activist for glory of being activist than just existing to help people out of their situation. I hate talkers. I hate marketers of said talkers. I hate the fact that someone's plight turns into an event that doesn't help anyone other than the talkers.

Here is the trailer for the film BULLY. I hate how this trailer markets the movie like any other film. The entire “The problem is real.” and “The problem is being ignored.” points are annoying. Seriously? This is how you market this film? By suggesting to me what a problem is? The power of objectiveness is that you can show an issue and have someone ask the questions without telling them what to ask themselves. This trailer talks to me as if I'm stupid. I don't appreciate that.

I think they are going about this all the wrong way. Screw the MPAA to the hell of olden times. Do NOT release the film in theaters. Release it on YouTube like other films have been released. Promote it through Twitter. Get people to back it with appropriate commercials and things that will reach out and help any student that needs it. Don't ask for the students to pay to see it. Don't charge for change. It's a terrible way of going about this.

The trailer makes me sad when the boy says that he can't make friends easily. I wanted to say, “I'll be your friend.” No one should feel as if they are alone. No one. No one should make others feel as if they are worthless or don't deserve to live. And though those kinds of people exist, they shouldn't be hated as much as they should be pitied that they feel as if they have to treat others like trash. There's something going on there that's just as damaging as they are to others. There's so much sadness in bullying that it isn't just the bullied that one should worry about.

I hope they get great results with this film. I don't see how they're going to get it by having people pay for change. That doesn't much matter if it works. Let's not forget that the road to hell was paved with good intentions and this...this is a good intention that hopefully is ending elsewhere, but to me it appears to be descending to that storybook hell, fast.

Yes, I'll see it when it comes out, even if I do have to pay.

“Dr. Seuss' The Lorax” Fake Care Up The Wazoozle

2012-03-09T13:58:00.000-06:00

In Theaters: March 2, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG (for for mild brief language)
Genres: Adaptation, Animated, Family, Action/Adventure
Distributors: Universal Pictures

Director: Chris Renaud

JJ Rating: B-

Ted (Zac Efron) wants to win Audrey’s (Taylor Swift) affection. In order to do that he has to get a tree. Grammy Norma (Betty White) tells him to go and see the Once-ler (Ed Helms). Ted does and he gets an epic Dr. Seuss’ tale. Dr. Seuss’ the Lorax.

9 Good Things About This Film

1. Zac Efron is never a disappointment. His knack for becoming characters gets better with each film.

2.                  Taylor Swift’s acting is MUCH better than her endeavor with Valentine's Day, but that could be because only her voice was used.
3.                  Ed Helms’ voice swells to the level of sarcasm without much effort, which was perfect for his role.
4.                  Danny DeVito as the Lorax was good.
5.                  I now want a marshmallow eating bear and singing fish all cause they be adorable.
6.                  It also made me want a unimotorcycle. Or whatever that thing Ted rides on is called...
7.                  I thought the animation was well done and (ignoring the preaching storyline) I got to feel a bit of my childhood returning. Not as much as when I saw the Muppets.
8.                  The last song of the film was the best one.
9.                  The idea that one could control air is funny in the TAX THOSE WHO “POLUTE” kind of way.

6 Bad Things About This Film

1. It preached like an overbearing evangelical or a philosophy vomiting atheist. Neither could be what one wants to listen to.

2.                  Who knew music could be used for propaganda laden crap? Nazis. If you're going to teach, could you at least not be as subtle as a punch to the face?
3.                  Ever meet a pretty person who is great to look at but when they open their mouth you want to run away? Yeah, that's how I felt watching Dr. Seuss' The Lorax.
4.                  The idea that ignorance has to be wrapped up in southern accents is a cliché mess at best.
5.                  An epidemic of fake care is contagiously being breathed in by so many people. The Lorax oozes this and people just gobble it up their wazoozle.
6.                  I dislike the business of AIR…a bit. Only because it was a tad overdone.

I don’t understand the need to make things that are powerful into political brouhahas. I hate the entire lack of subtly that “creative” people have now days. The powerful stories are the ones that don’t have a certain side it sits on.

I wouldn’t allow my kids to love this film. I couldn’t stand seeing it over and over again. That’s not just my opinion, that’s a fact.

Sponsered Video: Skype - Group Video Calling

2012-03-07T09:02:00.002-06:00

“Act of Valor” Is Bold, Determined and Heroic “Act of Valor” Is Bold, Determined and Heroic

2012-03-01T23:05:00.000-06:00

In Theaters: February 24, 2012

MPAA Rating: R (for for strong violence including some torture, and for language)

Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama

Distributors: Relativity Media Distribution Group

Run Time:1 hour 41 minutes

Director: Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh

JJ Rating: A-

I have never done this, but I feel that it would be best to allow the Act of Valor website to sum up the film.

When a mission to recover a kidnapped CIA operative unexpectedly results in the discovery of an imminent, terrifying global threat, an elite team of highly trained Navy SEALs must immediately embark on a heart-stopping secret operation, the outcome of which will determine the fate of us all. Actof Valor.

9 Good Things About This Film

The great action is enhanced by having real SEALs assisting. I liked the intense fighting.
I enjoyed the thrill of the SEALs accomplishing each phase of the mission.
The story kept me entertained from start to finish. It didn't feel as if I sat there for an hour and forty minutes.
Many stories have a good heart and that enhances the story making any imperfections less noticeable. Act of Valor has imperfections, but its heart smooths them over and makes everything charming, enjoyable and amazingly touching.
I watched what these SEALs did and there is no way that I could do half of what they did. I respect what SEALs can do and I understand that since I cannot do it or don't want to do it, doesn't mean it shouldn't be done.
Act of Valor helped me gain a fuller understanding of what happens in situations that are not in the news.
When there are not-mission conversations, it did feel a bit uncomfortable because of the acting. However, when they were in mission mode, the acting was so much better.
When they go in and get the CIA agent, it's interesting how they take out the opposition. In the trailer it's pretty cool cause they show a man getting shot falling toward the water only to fall into hands of a Navy SEAL waiting in the water. It's so sweet looking.
The Interrogation scene is one of the funniest scenes.
SEALs have a heroic job.

1 Bad Thing About This Film

The acting for the first few scenes.

I cannot stand when people take war movies and claim (due to them not liking their points) that they're propaganda. Those people who state things like that are almost always cowards. It's like saying horror movies propagate serial killers. Personally I think that horror movies promote horrible behavior in people who favor such films. So I could view this film as a propaganda film if it were actually a happy film throughout. But it's not. It has an act of valor that – for those that have one – will tug at the heart.

Act of Valor may be a bit amateurish with its acting and mature in language and action, but it's Oscar worthy in how it weaves a story. I am spiteful toward the unworthy to nominate anything Academy of SUCK. Anyway, Act of Valor is my second A- of 2012. Congratulations. It's well deserved.

Hunger Games vs Second City

2012-02-27T07:36:00.001-06:00

Since the "Twilight" series has made a stupefying amount of money on a small budget, studios are looking at teen novels as a new source of potential box office profits. Lionsagate is putting its money on "The Hunger Games," an adaptation of the young adult book series written by Suzanne Collins, out March 23.

And since "Twilight" became the source of many a funny (or otherwise) parody, the folks at Second City contacted us to let us know they are getting a jump on the competition and put together this film.

Here's there short. Pretty funny!

2012 Oscar Nods SUCK!

2012-02-26T13:54:00.001-06:00

The following is my unedited (because it was posted on a forum) view on the 2012 Oscars. They suck so bad, these nominations, that when they were aired I didn't care. I don't care now. I don't even know if I'll waste my time watching them. And I'm one of the few people who gets excited over them. Not this year.

The Artist this is a silent movie for 95% of the film. And it's almost twice as long as an actual silent movie. That's the makings of something that went overboard on the "cool retro" factor. And I saw it. I almost fell asleep. But I'm sure the douchebags of the Academy will fawn and molest this film to no end.

The Descendants George Clooney is one of the most overrated actors they have to fawn over and it's annoying because this film is a cliche wrapped up in a cliche and grilled with cliche seasoning only to be served on a cliche dish in a cliche taco truck behind a cliche building.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close This film is good and worth seeing or renting. But it is a filler movie because they, for some reason, rather not nominate a great Superhero film.

The Help Great film, but not the kind of film that wins best picture and that's because it's just a good film. It's not great. And since the rest of the nods are not great, this fits in just fine.

Hugo Uh, boring children's films. One of the most boring I've seen in a while. It's decent, but meh for the most part.

Midnight in Paris I Netflixed this film recently and loved it. Out of all the nods in this category, this is the only one that's worthy. It is not trying to be nominated and the writing is awesome.

Moneyball another good film like The Help, but it's that kind of good that is good Saturday movie good, not great OMG you gotta run out and see it goo.

The Tree of Life Uh, the idea on its own is boring.

War Horse War epic on WWII. How...Steven Spielberg of them. I know. It's good, but again...not great. And the main actor isn't nominated for an Oscar...which, by the way, was far better acting from him than any who are in any category for best actor or supporting.

They ignored the best supporting actor role of the entire year. Tom Hiddleston as Loki in Thor. No actor has touched that kind of acting in any of these ten films or any films nominated for best supporting actor. None.

Why wasn't the Muppets nominated for best Film? Because the Academy is full of saggy old people that have no flare for awesome. They nominated a movie that begged to be nominated just by being silent. OMG. They so need to be replaced. They're like dead bulbs. ugh.

9 of these ten film will not be remembered come next year...so who were the nominees in 2012? I don't know. They are that forgettable.

And Cars 2 wasn't nominated? But they nominate Kung Fu Panda 2 and Puss in Boots?

Trailer trash nominations at best.

I liked Puss and Boots as well, but it's not that kind of film that wins stuff. And now it can say it was nominated.

That use to mean something.

But I don't think so any more. Not for me. Not after this abysmal list of stupid.

They nominate so much crap that no one sees.

Bridesmaids? It was funny, but no where near as funny as the comedies they've never nominated.

Why have it on TV if what you're nominating is poo? Who cares?

And if it's just be a big commercial to drum up more ticket sales for films that suck, then admit to it so I can laugh in your face.

Don't have it on the TV any more if you're going to go about nominating B-films. Especially films NO ONE SAW. Look at ticket sales. Down again.

On top of high ticket prices they have this track record of crap and people would rather spend their money getting drunk than watch films that make them wish they were drunk.

* On a side note - This will be the lowest viewed Oscars in awhile. The host will not unsink this already sunk ship.