So I haven't updated in a while, but no one reads this so does it matter? Guess that goes along with the whole if a tree falls in a forest...but I digress.
What have I seen lately? Well, of course I saw The Hobbit and it was pretty awesome. Did they take a while to get out of the shire? Sure. Were there parts missing from the book? Of course. Did Peter Jackson really need to stretch this book into three movies? Probably not. But for all that, it was good. The fight scenes were killer, no pun intended, and the scenery was beautiful, as was expected of shooting around NZ, but the best parts? Bilbo and the dwarves. Martin Freeman, he of the much nakedness in Love Actually which I Love Actually (the movie, not Martin Freeman's nakedness, haha), was fantastic as Bilbo. And the dwarves were great. Especially Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield. Yeah, I have celebrity crush on him right now, and what girl wouldn't honestly? I think more should have been made of Manu Bennett playing the pale orc. He was pretty menacing and badass, if you ask me. Of course there is Gollum who I thought would creep out my youngest, but she was down with the movie and loves all things Hobbit now. The movie is three hours long so be sure you have refreshments, and take your potty break before it starts because you don't want to miss anything. Can't wait for the next installment.
Finally got to see Pitch Perfect on-demand last night. I knew this would be an all-by-myself movie as my husband would probably rather gnaw off his right hand than watch a movie about an a cappella girls group competing in a championship bout. I am a big fan of Anna Kendrick right now and she was pretty good, but Rebel Wilson really stole the show as she seems to do in every movie she's in. The girl is funny. I was singing along, badly, to all the songs they sang except for The Sign, because I had to draw a line somewhere. Yikes. I think I still have that CD from high school.
What's up next? I really want to see Zero Dark Thirty and not just because Joel Edgerton is in it. Initially I thought, eh a movie about the Osama bin Ladin raid. Could wait for Netflix. But the more I see about it, the more I want to watch. Plus who doesn't want to see a movie about a bunch of hot Navy SEALs?
The Last Stand actually looks not bad. I know, Arnold Schwarzanegger as a town sheriff on the US-Mexico border trying to get a guy running to the border in a Corvette ZR1 (I believe--sorry, not a huge car nut so I may be wrong on the nomenclature) sounds a bit far-fetched, but it also has Johnny Knoxville and Luis Guzman. I love Luis Guzman. So funny. I'd see it for that alone. Well, maybe not just for that but it could be a big factor.
Well, it's Christmas Eve so Merry Christmas to everyone. I'll be watching the 24 hours of A Christmas Story (you'll shoot your eye out!) and trying to get everything ready for tomorrow. Hope everyone's stockings are full this year, and may there be peace on Earth and goodwill towards all men. :)
Monday, December 24, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
Prometheus
I saw Prometheus this weekend with the hubby and thought it was fantastic. Mr. Scott, you are definitely back in the game (not that you ever really left). As I figured, Noomi Rapace was great. She wasn't Sigourney Weaver's in-your-face-she-could-definitely-kick-my-ass Ripley, but certainly showed a chick could be tough, and boy, was she tough. Playing Dr. Elizabeth Shaw, an archeologist (or maybe an anthropologist, or maybe a combination of both) she and Dr. Charlie Holloway (played by Logan Marshall-Green, who could double for Tom Hardy anyday) are searching for the origins of human life and think they have found it in ancient cave drawings, artifacts, etc. which all point to the same star cluster in the sky. Enter the dreaded Weyland Industries who funds their trip. You know that it can't possibly a good thing they're involved. They come with the requisite corporate heavy, played by a rather cold-blooded Charlize Theron, and an artificial human, Michael Fassbender. The cast is rounded out by Idris Elba, the ship's captain, and a creepy-looking Guy Pearce as Mr. Weyland.
The story is pretty well set up without you having to ask too many questions going in. They are all in the requisite cryotubes to get through the journey to this moon that's the only habitable thing in the area these drawings were pointing to. David, the artificial human, is the only one awake during this entire period as he learns to decipher ancient languages and has a few "human" moments. The gay couple sitting next to us in the theater seemed to thoroughly enjoy the scenes showing him dying his roots blond. The crew awakens when they get to the planet, LV-223, and see what the big fuss is about. They find a bit hollow structure that they, of course, have to investigate immediately. Can't wait a few hours or until the next morning when there might be more time. While checking this thing out, a big storm pops up (surprise!), and a couple people from the group get stranded there overnight. I won't reveal any spoilers, but if you're like me, you knew this couldn't end well. From there the entire trip goes to pot and the main characters are left trying to figure out what's going on and how to fix everything.
It's fast-paced, has more than a few "ew" moments, and definitely answers the question by the end of the movie if this is an Alien film. I won't tell you the answer, but I'm happy with it. And it definitely leaves the door open for a sequel. Yes, please, Ridley, do a sequel.
I saw this in 2D, because we all know what I think about the 3D debacle, and thought it was just fine. I will be purchasing this on Blu-Ray when available, and guess what, it's already available for pre-order. It was actually available before the movie even released. Aren't we getting a little ahead of ourselves movie executives? Just sayin.
The story is pretty well set up without you having to ask too many questions going in. They are all in the requisite cryotubes to get through the journey to this moon that's the only habitable thing in the area these drawings were pointing to. David, the artificial human, is the only one awake during this entire period as he learns to decipher ancient languages and has a few "human" moments. The gay couple sitting next to us in the theater seemed to thoroughly enjoy the scenes showing him dying his roots blond. The crew awakens when they get to the planet, LV-223, and see what the big fuss is about. They find a bit hollow structure that they, of course, have to investigate immediately. Can't wait a few hours or until the next morning when there might be more time. While checking this thing out, a big storm pops up (surprise!), and a couple people from the group get stranded there overnight. I won't reveal any spoilers, but if you're like me, you knew this couldn't end well. From there the entire trip goes to pot and the main characters are left trying to figure out what's going on and how to fix everything.
It's fast-paced, has more than a few "ew" moments, and definitely answers the question by the end of the movie if this is an Alien film. I won't tell you the answer, but I'm happy with it. And it definitely leaves the door open for a sequel. Yes, please, Ridley, do a sequel.
I saw this in 2D, because we all know what I think about the 3D debacle, and thought it was just fine. I will be purchasing this on Blu-Ray when available, and guess what, it's already available for pre-order. It was actually available before the movie even released. Aren't we getting a little ahead of ourselves movie executives? Just sayin.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Contraband
Contraband was the DVD in the PS3 last night, courtesy of Netflix. If you don't know already, Mark Wahlberg (Marky Mark!) plays Chris Farraday, a used-to-be smuggler turned family man who gets pulled back into the game to help bail out his brother-in-law, played by Caleb Landry Jones (Banshee from X-Men: First Class; see, trying to help y'all out on 6DofKB!), who gets mixed up with a funky-sounding Giovanni Ribisi playing the bad guy role. Kate Beckinsale (who I think is lovely) plays his wife, and Ben Foster (another X-Men alum, though not the same movie) is his best friend. Movie is set in New Orleans, which, incidentally, I think about 1 in 4 movies is now shot in part in the great state of Louisiana. Hollywood execs love them tax breaks. Lots of shots of the river and the boats that be floating down the mighty Mississippi.
Anywho, Chris decides to help out his bro-in-law--the kid is forced to dump a drug stash he was smuggling in because of a boarding by CBP (Customs and Border Patrol) and then is in trouble with the bad dudes paying him to smuggle said drugs--because he's family, even though it's obvious he thinks the kid is out of his mind for getting involved in anything resembling what used to be the family business (Chris' dad is in prison for smuggling and is just happy his son never got busted). The wife is grateful for the help but not happy Chris is reverting to his old ways. Chris is bound and determined to not smuggle drugs, and decides on counterfeit bills from Panama. Yeah, who knew? It follows his escapades down there including a run-in with a semi-bad dude and new tips on testing money to see if it's counterfeit. (I always wondered what they were looking for with those brown pens at stores. Now I know.)
There's a decent twist at the end and one that I had already anticipated; no, I won't give out any spoilers, but will say not too surprising. Mark Wahlberg is his usual self; Ben Foster does a good job as the almost-brother with issues of his own, and David O'Hara pops into a few scenes and is pretty fantastic (maybe it's just because of his accent). Overall, not too bad, but glad I didn't spend $15 to see it at a theater.
Agree? Disagree? Let me know at sixdegreesofkb@hotmail.com.
Anywho, Chris decides to help out his bro-in-law--the kid is forced to dump a drug stash he was smuggling in because of a boarding by CBP (Customs and Border Patrol) and then is in trouble with the bad dudes paying him to smuggle said drugs--because he's family, even though it's obvious he thinks the kid is out of his mind for getting involved in anything resembling what used to be the family business (Chris' dad is in prison for smuggling and is just happy his son never got busted). The wife is grateful for the help but not happy Chris is reverting to his old ways. Chris is bound and determined to not smuggle drugs, and decides on counterfeit bills from Panama. Yeah, who knew? It follows his escapades down there including a run-in with a semi-bad dude and new tips on testing money to see if it's counterfeit. (I always wondered what they were looking for with those brown pens at stores. Now I know.)
There's a decent twist at the end and one that I had already anticipated; no, I won't give out any spoilers, but will say not too surprising. Mark Wahlberg is his usual self; Ben Foster does a good job as the almost-brother with issues of his own, and David O'Hara pops into a few scenes and is pretty fantastic (maybe it's just because of his accent). Overall, not too bad, but glad I didn't spend $15 to see it at a theater.
Agree? Disagree? Let me know at sixdegreesofkb@hotmail.com.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
So It Begins...
Prometheus releases this Friday and I will be one of the millions going to see it. Well, maybe not on Friday, but definitely this weekend. I hope it doesn't suck. Granted this is a Ridley Scott pic so I'm quite sure I will enjoy it. Plus it's somewhat Alien themed, or at least that's what the trailers allude to so here's hoping for a thumbs up. Of course, I thought I would surely like Haywire as it was a) a Steven Soderbergh film, b) had MMA champ Gina Carano in the lead role, and c) Channing Tatum and Michael Fassbender were in it. What could go wrong? Too bad it was a letdown. Well, you live and you learn.
Back to Prometheus. The cast looks stellar. Who wouldn't want to see Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender (see, again, right?), Idris Elba (he's just always cool) and Noomi Rapace (see previous post about Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). Keep in mind that I like the Alien movies, with the possible exception of Alien: Resurrection, because that one was just too much, but I'm not an Alien geek. I mean that in the most flattering of terms. I don't know the minutiae of every movie, except for maybe Aliens which is probably considered sacrilegious to Alien purists, so if they have little screw ups, I won't be able to tell which may be a good thing. I say bring it on Mr. Scott. Welcome back into the fold of Alien fans. You have been away too long.
I did see Men in Black III which turned out to be about what I expected for a sequel of a sequel. In typical fashion, the storyline was okay, the acting was okay and the effects were okay. I did like Josh Brolin's take on "K" which was a good imitation of Tommy Lee Jones. Other than a moment near the end of the movie with Josh Brolin doing a fairly good job making me tear up--don't worry, no spoilers--it was pretty meh. Probably would be a wait for cable rather than renting it. Not that the movie was bad, but it wasn't great either. Solidly mediocre. At least it wasn't boy band zombie movie bad, which I never thought it would be. Just sayin'.
Can I just have a mini-rant again on the whole 3D hysteria that seems to be sweeping Hollywood? Please stop already. I already think that 3D is highly overrated. It's not like we as moviegoers actually think the actors are coming out of the screen, or that an explosion might actually hit us. I think Hollywood at large is just doing its best to gouge us for more cash since 3D, IMAX, etc. means the ticket price is higher, sometimes even twice as much as a standard ticket. It was announced that the new G.I. Joe movie which was set to release the same weekend as Magic Mike (twofold of Channing Tatum, thank you very much), has now been pushed back to a 2013 release because, wait for it, they've decided to convert it to 3D. Really? It's not like anyone thought this movie would be an Oscar contender, but come on already. Along with this rant is the fact that I have a rewards membership with the local movie theater which you can earn points towards concessions and movies. Well, you can't use those free tickets to any 3D or IMAX movie which is fine, except when it looks like Hollywood is going all 3D, all the time. Say it with me folks: lame. Stop already!!! Okay rant over.
Comments, complaints, stumpers? Throw them at me at sixdegreesofkb@hotmail.com.
Back to Prometheus. The cast looks stellar. Who wouldn't want to see Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender (see, again, right?), Idris Elba (he's just always cool) and Noomi Rapace (see previous post about Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). Keep in mind that I like the Alien movies, with the possible exception of Alien: Resurrection, because that one was just too much, but I'm not an Alien geek. I mean that in the most flattering of terms. I don't know the minutiae of every movie, except for maybe Aliens which is probably considered sacrilegious to Alien purists, so if they have little screw ups, I won't be able to tell which may be a good thing. I say bring it on Mr. Scott. Welcome back into the fold of Alien fans. You have been away too long.
I did see Men in Black III which turned out to be about what I expected for a sequel of a sequel. In typical fashion, the storyline was okay, the acting was okay and the effects were okay. I did like Josh Brolin's take on "K" which was a good imitation of Tommy Lee Jones. Other than a moment near the end of the movie with Josh Brolin doing a fairly good job making me tear up--don't worry, no spoilers--it was pretty meh. Probably would be a wait for cable rather than renting it. Not that the movie was bad, but it wasn't great either. Solidly mediocre. At least it wasn't boy band zombie movie bad, which I never thought it would be. Just sayin'.
Can I just have a mini-rant again on the whole 3D hysteria that seems to be sweeping Hollywood? Please stop already. I already think that 3D is highly overrated. It's not like we as moviegoers actually think the actors are coming out of the screen, or that an explosion might actually hit us. I think Hollywood at large is just doing its best to gouge us for more cash since 3D, IMAX, etc. means the ticket price is higher, sometimes even twice as much as a standard ticket. It was announced that the new G.I. Joe movie which was set to release the same weekend as Magic Mike (twofold of Channing Tatum, thank you very much), has now been pushed back to a 2013 release because, wait for it, they've decided to convert it to 3D. Really? It's not like anyone thought this movie would be an Oscar contender, but come on already. Along with this rant is the fact that I have a rewards membership with the local movie theater which you can earn points towards concessions and movies. Well, you can't use those free tickets to any 3D or IMAX movie which is fine, except when it looks like Hollywood is going all 3D, all the time. Say it with me folks: lame. Stop already!!! Okay rant over.
Comments, complaints, stumpers? Throw them at me at sixdegreesofkb@hotmail.com.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Random Musings
Battleship is being released this weekend which means we are being inundated with promos, Making Of specials, product plugs, etc. Sadly, what sticks in my mind more than anything else about this movie is the fact that during the promos the line "From Hasbro, the company that brought you Transformers..." Yeah, probably not what they were going for. I mean, really? Hasbro? The toy company? Is this who we really want to go to for our movies? Screw MGM or Martin Scorsese, let's get our ideas from the people who created My Little Pony. Yep, that's some deep, groundbreaking, commentary on our society, shiznit.
Magic Mike trailers are starting to roll. Aw yeah. I should start a countdown for the release of this movie. I know, it's a movie about male strippers. I should feel a certain level of guilt about really looking forward to a bunch of guys ripping their clothes off to the screams of millions of women, but I don't. I saw Showgirls when it came out in the movie theater so there's little to top that on my list of least proud moviegoing experiences. (Mainly, my friends and I wanted to see what the big deal was with this movie that it was rated the dreaded NC-17. After seeing it, I wish I had the hour and a half of my life back, along with the price of admission.) Is this the male equivalent of the objectification that feminists like to talk about? I say, you should be happy. Turnabout is fair play, right? Anyway, I have been to a male strip club. I was more embarrassed than anything, except for the bridal party across the stage/runway/catwalk thing from us. The bride-to-be was more entertaining than anything on the stage that night. We were all betting how long it took for her to get kicked out, but I digress. Now if the strippers looked like the guys in this movie, I may have been a repeat customer...Many repeats. Alas, they were not. There were a few good-looking guys, but not worth the $20 cover charge and $5 bottles of water. Do I think this will be an Academy award winning movie? Of course not, but it should be fun.
Prometheus is set to open the weekend after my birthday. I so want to see this. Mainly because Ridley Scott is the bomb, and partially because it's looking more and more like an Alien prequel which I'm all about. Plus it has Noomi Rapace in a lead role (the lead role?), who I thought was great in the original Swedish version of The Girl with Dragon Tattoo and the other Millennium trilogy movies, Michael Fassbender, who is great in everything he's in, and Idris Elba, who just seems like a cool dude (love the fact that he can do an American accent well, and he's a voice in Call of Duty-MW3--hell yeah!).
They're also pimping the new Spider-Man movie which I'm torn about seeing. On one hand, I love Emma Stone. She is so great. Very funny, but can do dramatic too. Just seems like a girl-next-door type and very easy to relate to. The new Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield (Stone's new bf), looks not bad in the previews, but I think it has to do with the fact that he looks like he's twelve that's kinda turning me off. I know Peter Parker is supposed to be young, but this kids looks really young. Guess I'm just not in the demographic they're targeting. Oh well.
Enough babbling for today. Peace out! Show some love at sixdegreesofkb@hotmail.com.
Magic Mike trailers are starting to roll. Aw yeah. I should start a countdown for the release of this movie. I know, it's a movie about male strippers. I should feel a certain level of guilt about really looking forward to a bunch of guys ripping their clothes off to the screams of millions of women, but I don't. I saw Showgirls when it came out in the movie theater so there's little to top that on my list of least proud moviegoing experiences. (Mainly, my friends and I wanted to see what the big deal was with this movie that it was rated the dreaded NC-17. After seeing it, I wish I had the hour and a half of my life back, along with the price of admission.) Is this the male equivalent of the objectification that feminists like to talk about? I say, you should be happy. Turnabout is fair play, right? Anyway, I have been to a male strip club. I was more embarrassed than anything, except for the bridal party across the stage/runway/catwalk thing from us. The bride-to-be was more entertaining than anything on the stage that night. We were all betting how long it took for her to get kicked out, but I digress. Now if the strippers looked like the guys in this movie, I may have been a repeat customer...Many repeats. Alas, they were not. There were a few good-looking guys, but not worth the $20 cover charge and $5 bottles of water. Do I think this will be an Academy award winning movie? Of course not, but it should be fun.
Prometheus is set to open the weekend after my birthday. I so want to see this. Mainly because Ridley Scott is the bomb, and partially because it's looking more and more like an Alien prequel which I'm all about. Plus it has Noomi Rapace in a lead role (the lead role?), who I thought was great in the original Swedish version of The Girl with Dragon Tattoo and the other Millennium trilogy movies, Michael Fassbender, who is great in everything he's in, and Idris Elba, who just seems like a cool dude (love the fact that he can do an American accent well, and he's a voice in Call of Duty-MW3--hell yeah!).
They're also pimping the new Spider-Man movie which I'm torn about seeing. On one hand, I love Emma Stone. She is so great. Very funny, but can do dramatic too. Just seems like a girl-next-door type and very easy to relate to. The new Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield (Stone's new bf), looks not bad in the previews, but I think it has to do with the fact that he looks like he's twelve that's kinda turning me off. I know Peter Parker is supposed to be young, but this kids looks really young. Guess I'm just not in the demographic they're targeting. Oh well.
Enough babbling for today. Peace out! Show some love at sixdegreesofkb@hotmail.com.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Redux
As I sit watching trailers and news spots on what movies are coming out, I have to ask: are remakes necessary? Do we really need new versions of certain movies? Can't Hollywood leave well enough alone?
I am a child of the 80s and 90s (if you want to stretch your definition of "child") so I have seen the original versions of Footloose and Total Recall and Nightmare on Elm Street. (You know I had to get the Footloose reference simply because of the title of this blog.) I'm not so sure they needed remakes. I hope the kids/teenagers/young people don't judge Footloose on the performances of Julianne Hough and Kenny Wormald. He was alright, but he's no Kevin Bacon, thank you very much. Jackie Earle Haley is a creepy dude, but he's no match for Robert Englund. Colin Farrell compared to Ahnold? Yeah, not really although he has to be in his heaviest Irish accent easier to understand than the Governator. That being said, I have a hard time believing that Hollywood studio executives, directors, agents, et. al., don't receive original screenplays by the truckload daily. Why do we have to recycle old ideas? They were great the first time around, but don't beat a dead dog.
I wanted to like Footloose. It was one of my favorite childhood movies. I could probably recite a good bit of the dialogue. I remember roller skating in my friend's basement to the soundtrack--oh where have you gone Kenny Loggins? I wanted to embrace the idea of a new version for a younger generation, with hipper dance moves, and tuxedos sans ruffles for the ending dance scene. But when they recycled everything, including word-for-word dialogue, I had to say, bleh. Hollywood, you could have done so much better.
To be fair, sometimes they can take an old idea and tweak it and turn it into something pretty good. Prime example? 21 Jump Street. Loved it. I loved the old television show with Johnny Depp and Richard Greico and their fabulous hair, so I was a little wary when it was announced a movie version would be released. But right from the jump, no pun intended, you could tell it wasn't going for that angle. It was going to be different, almost laughing at the drama approach the TV show took, including the fact that the guys looked like it had been decades since they were last in high school. That was the way to do it. Make something new out of an old idea. Don't take a movie, slap a new coat of paint on it (i.e. stick some hot new actress or actor in the lead role) without changing stuff around, and think we're not going to notice. Do something different. In a nutshell: stop f*&@ing with movies from my childhood.
Running a close second to the remake, in my opinion of hated movie ideas, is the sequel. I admit to a certain cheesy thrill when watching Friday the 13th Part XXX, but you know going in that it's going to suck and not come close to the original. Plus, those are strictly renters/wait for cable. They're talking about making another Fast and Furious movie, and as much as I like watching Vin Diesel and Paul Walker (he of the beautiful eyes), even I will not be paying money to watch the sixth movie in the franchise. Another Die Hard is in the works and rumors of a Top Gun remake/sequel. NOOOOOOO!!!!! (Now that movie I can recite almost word for word from beginning to end. I'm not proud of it, but there it is. Roger, that's your bogey.) I understand that Hollywood is in the money-making business, and if a movie gets tons of cash, why not see if people will come out for a sequel? I get that, but come on. And don't get me started on the television show/video game/board game to movie idea. Really? Battleship? Oy. What's next? Candyland?
All I'm saying is get some original stuff out there. People will watch. It doesn't even have to be ground-breaking, Oscar-worthy stuff. Look at Kevin Smith. With the exception of Red State (which I liked) he's made his entire career on movies that have no action, no special effects, barely any camera work and sometimes questionable acting, but people watch it. Except for Clerks II. That was pretty bad. Make it and they will come.
Bring on the hate mail at sixdegreesofkb@hotmail.com.
I am a child of the 80s and 90s (if you want to stretch your definition of "child") so I have seen the original versions of Footloose and Total Recall and Nightmare on Elm Street. (You know I had to get the Footloose reference simply because of the title of this blog.) I'm not so sure they needed remakes. I hope the kids/teenagers/young people don't judge Footloose on the performances of Julianne Hough and Kenny Wormald. He was alright, but he's no Kevin Bacon, thank you very much. Jackie Earle Haley is a creepy dude, but he's no match for Robert Englund. Colin Farrell compared to Ahnold? Yeah, not really although he has to be in his heaviest Irish accent easier to understand than the Governator. That being said, I have a hard time believing that Hollywood studio executives, directors, agents, et. al., don't receive original screenplays by the truckload daily. Why do we have to recycle old ideas? They were great the first time around, but don't beat a dead dog.
I wanted to like Footloose. It was one of my favorite childhood movies. I could probably recite a good bit of the dialogue. I remember roller skating in my friend's basement to the soundtrack--oh where have you gone Kenny Loggins? I wanted to embrace the idea of a new version for a younger generation, with hipper dance moves, and tuxedos sans ruffles for the ending dance scene. But when they recycled everything, including word-for-word dialogue, I had to say, bleh. Hollywood, you could have done so much better.
To be fair, sometimes they can take an old idea and tweak it and turn it into something pretty good. Prime example? 21 Jump Street. Loved it. I loved the old television show with Johnny Depp and Richard Greico and their fabulous hair, so I was a little wary when it was announced a movie version would be released. But right from the jump, no pun intended, you could tell it wasn't going for that angle. It was going to be different, almost laughing at the drama approach the TV show took, including the fact that the guys looked like it had been decades since they were last in high school. That was the way to do it. Make something new out of an old idea. Don't take a movie, slap a new coat of paint on it (i.e. stick some hot new actress or actor in the lead role) without changing stuff around, and think we're not going to notice. Do something different. In a nutshell: stop f*&@ing with movies from my childhood.
Running a close second to the remake, in my opinion of hated movie ideas, is the sequel. I admit to a certain cheesy thrill when watching Friday the 13th Part XXX, but you know going in that it's going to suck and not come close to the original. Plus, those are strictly renters/wait for cable. They're talking about making another Fast and Furious movie, and as much as I like watching Vin Diesel and Paul Walker (he of the beautiful eyes), even I will not be paying money to watch the sixth movie in the franchise. Another Die Hard is in the works and rumors of a Top Gun remake/sequel. NOOOOOOO!!!!! (Now that movie I can recite almost word for word from beginning to end. I'm not proud of it, but there it is. Roger, that's your bogey.) I understand that Hollywood is in the money-making business, and if a movie gets tons of cash, why not see if people will come out for a sequel? I get that, but come on. And don't get me started on the television show/video game/board game to movie idea. Really? Battleship? Oy. What's next? Candyland?
All I'm saying is get some original stuff out there. People will watch. It doesn't even have to be ground-breaking, Oscar-worthy stuff. Look at Kevin Smith. With the exception of Red State (which I liked) he's made his entire career on movies that have no action, no special effects, barely any camera work and sometimes questionable acting, but people watch it. Except for Clerks II. That was pretty bad. Make it and they will come.
Bring on the hate mail at sixdegreesofkb@hotmail.com.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
A New Hope...
I love movies. Good movies, bad movies, dramas, comedies, action/adventure, horror, etc. My brain is filled with more useless knowledge about movies than anything I should have retained from college. I am the champ at Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon (as evidenced by the title of this blog). As such, I have decided to start a blog about movies. Why not blog about something I love, right? So if you care, or if you don't, come along for the ride and hopefully we'll all get something out of it.
This last weekend I saw The Avengers in IMAX no less. Granted, I was so close to the screen I had to turn my head to see everything, but that's neither here nor there. I went into the movie hoping it didn't suck, but not expecting anything great. I was pleasantly surprised by the movie. Let me clarify that I am no comic book geek. Not that there's anything wrong with being a CBG but I'm just not one of them. I never got into reading and/or collecting various issues/editions of comics. As such, I couldn't tell you if the storyline was true to the backstories of The Hulk, Iron Man, Thor or the characters played by Scarlett Johannson and Jeremy Renner. Incidentally, are they really superheroes if they don't have super powers? Just wondering.
Don't get me wrong, I realize that Scarlett Johnasson (Black Widow) was kicking some major ass, but is she a superhero? And Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) had mad skills with a bow and arrow, but superpower? I think that's a bit of stretch. Again, maybe this is because I didn't read the comics with these two peeps in it, but considering they're going up with the God of Thunder, a huge green guy that is the result of gamma radiation poisoning (or whatever you want to call it), Captain of the stars and stripes who can do major things because of a "super serum", and the dude in the metal suit that can fly, shoot missiles, etc., being able to shoot a gun, or having really great archery skills seems to pale in comparison.
I think that Mark Ruffalo did a great job as Bruce Banner/The Hulk, and I've seen the Eric Bana and Edward Norton versions. Both were meh, though Edward Norton much better than Eric Bana. Not that I think it was his fault; I blame the writing and the fact that it was a good five years between the two movies. In movie tech terms, that might as well be a couple of decades considering how fast special FX tech moves.
And who doesn't love Robert Downey, Jr.? Had the best lines of the movie and delivered them perfectly. Love the sarcastic wit, plus he's not exactly a young buck anymore but still delivers on the action making you believe he could do it.
I would recommend watching in a theater, though the IMAX 3D seemed like overkill. Especially the IMAX ticket price. I won't be surprised if there's a sequel, or sequels to this. Obviously they're raking in the dough for this movie (biggest opening weekend ever), and the powers that be in Hollywood will milk this franchise for every last nickel. Hopefully, any sequel(s) produced won't get watered down and cliche.
As an aside, I'm not all up on the 3D bandwagon. It's rather distracting, I don't think it really makes it feel like the action is jumping out at you, and I certainly don't appreciate the extra cost for this "premium" service. I would have been just as happy to have watched in old-school 2D.
Summer movies are just around the corner, and here is a short listing of movies I will want to see:
Magic Mike - Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Joe Mangianello almost naked; 'nuff said.
The Bourne Legacy - Can Jeremy Renner fill Matt Damon's shoes (though technically, he's not Jason Bourne in this movie)?
Men in Black 3 - Josh Brolin sounds and looks so close to Tommy Lee Jones it's scary.
Prometheus - Ridley Scott back at the helm of a maybe-could-be-is-it-Alien movie? Yeah, I'm going. Brave - Pixar, a definite must.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation - Channing Tatum and the Rock. Yeah, it will probably suck, but throw in some good action with the eye candy and it may be worth the price of admission.
Ted - If you haven't seen the previews of this Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy) movie, Google it. Just because it has a stuffed bear in it, doesn't mean it's for kids. So wrong, but so right.
The Cold Light of Day - It's being released September 7, so technically it may not be a summer movie, but it has Henry Cavill in it and I'd pay to watch him polish silverware. Yeah, he's that yummy.
So there you have it kids. My go-to list of summer movies that I want to see. We'll see if I can actually get to all these. If so, I'll let you know what I think, whether you like it or not. Here's hoping.
Questions, comments, think you can stump me at 6 degrees? Send it to sixdegreesofkb@hotmail.com.
This last weekend I saw The Avengers in IMAX no less. Granted, I was so close to the screen I had to turn my head to see everything, but that's neither here nor there. I went into the movie hoping it didn't suck, but not expecting anything great. I was pleasantly surprised by the movie. Let me clarify that I am no comic book geek. Not that there's anything wrong with being a CBG but I'm just not one of them. I never got into reading and/or collecting various issues/editions of comics. As such, I couldn't tell you if the storyline was true to the backstories of The Hulk, Iron Man, Thor or the characters played by Scarlett Johannson and Jeremy Renner. Incidentally, are they really superheroes if they don't have super powers? Just wondering.
Don't get me wrong, I realize that Scarlett Johnasson (Black Widow) was kicking some major ass, but is she a superhero? And Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) had mad skills with a bow and arrow, but superpower? I think that's a bit of stretch. Again, maybe this is because I didn't read the comics with these two peeps in it, but considering they're going up with the God of Thunder, a huge green guy that is the result of gamma radiation poisoning (or whatever you want to call it), Captain of the stars and stripes who can do major things because of a "super serum", and the dude in the metal suit that can fly, shoot missiles, etc., being able to shoot a gun, or having really great archery skills seems to pale in comparison.
I think that Mark Ruffalo did a great job as Bruce Banner/The Hulk, and I've seen the Eric Bana and Edward Norton versions. Both were meh, though Edward Norton much better than Eric Bana. Not that I think it was his fault; I blame the writing and the fact that it was a good five years between the two movies. In movie tech terms, that might as well be a couple of decades considering how fast special FX tech moves.
And who doesn't love Robert Downey, Jr.? Had the best lines of the movie and delivered them perfectly. Love the sarcastic wit, plus he's not exactly a young buck anymore but still delivers on the action making you believe he could do it.
I would recommend watching in a theater, though the IMAX 3D seemed like overkill. Especially the IMAX ticket price. I won't be surprised if there's a sequel, or sequels to this. Obviously they're raking in the dough for this movie (biggest opening weekend ever), and the powers that be in Hollywood will milk this franchise for every last nickel. Hopefully, any sequel(s) produced won't get watered down and cliche.
As an aside, I'm not all up on the 3D bandwagon. It's rather distracting, I don't think it really makes it feel like the action is jumping out at you, and I certainly don't appreciate the extra cost for this "premium" service. I would have been just as happy to have watched in old-school 2D.
Summer movies are just around the corner, and here is a short listing of movies I will want to see:
Magic Mike - Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Joe Mangianello almost naked; 'nuff said.
The Bourne Legacy - Can Jeremy Renner fill Matt Damon's shoes (though technically, he's not Jason Bourne in this movie)?
Men in Black 3 - Josh Brolin sounds and looks so close to Tommy Lee Jones it's scary.
Prometheus - Ridley Scott back at the helm of a maybe-could-be-is-it-Alien movie? Yeah, I'm going. Brave - Pixar, a definite must.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation - Channing Tatum and the Rock. Yeah, it will probably suck, but throw in some good action with the eye candy and it may be worth the price of admission.
Ted - If you haven't seen the previews of this Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy) movie, Google it. Just because it has a stuffed bear in it, doesn't mean it's for kids. So wrong, but so right.
The Cold Light of Day - It's being released September 7, so technically it may not be a summer movie, but it has Henry Cavill in it and I'd pay to watch him polish silverware. Yeah, he's that yummy.
So there you have it kids. My go-to list of summer movies that I want to see. We'll see if I can actually get to all these. If so, I'll let you know what I think, whether you like it or not. Here's hoping.
Questions, comments, think you can stump me at 6 degrees? Send it to sixdegreesofkb@hotmail.com.
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