Greetings Freshly Pressed Visitors!

Hello, Freshly Pressed visitors! Thanks for checking out my blog!
I’m glad that you clicked through to the front page to see a little bit more about it beyond the Stallone/Schwarzenegger debate, and I’m sorry – I really am – that I closed that poll before you could vote!
While you’re here though, I hope you’ll find some things you like. I try to review the biggest new releases every week, and post reviews. For example, this last week, I hit all three major releases: “Lockout“, “The Three Stooges” and “The Cabin in the Woods“…
Each week, I take a look back at classics via my series “Movies That Everyone Should See” you can take a look through that category by clicking the link above, or scroll down and have a look at the sidebar on the right for some examples, and just click the posters!
I also co-host a weekly movie podcast! The (title pending) Movie Podcast with Tank and Fogs! You can check that out here… give it a listen, I think you’ll like it!
But the big thrill of my site is trying to get interesting movie discussions going every week! Each week, in my “Tossin’ It Out There” posts, I bring up a movie related topic of discussion, and let people have their say! Click the link above, check out some of the topics, and share your thoughts! We have a GREAT crew of commenters that come through every week, I hope you’ll join in!!

Cabin in the Woods

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before – five college students take a vacation at a creepy, deserted cabin in the woods. They intend to party and hook up in the midst of all the scenic natural beauty, but they’re interrupted by… something horrific.
Of course you’ve heard it, it’s like the basic plot of one out of every six horror movie ever made. But “Cabin in the Woods” is decidedly different. Right from the opening it informs the audience that everything is not as it seems, and then proceeds to unfold a witty, self-aware, genre-exceeding, half-parody that’s entertaining and enjoyable to watch, especially for fans of the horror genre.

The titular cabin in the woods is actually a highly monitored, controlled environment, overseen by an entire team of scientists in a bunker far below. They science team is not only watching and listening in, but is capable of manipulating events through a variety of physical controls and chemical stimuli. Now, I realize that that sounds like a spoilerific thing to say, but it’s actually not. For anyone who had seen the trailer, it was revealed there that there was some element of virtual reality/science fiction going on, and then the movie itself opens with the project administrators.
The science fiction element is interwoven throughout the film, it’s not held out as some sort of “twist” or “reveal”.
When the students arrive at the cabin, they find some unsettling things. A creepy painting, a two-way mirror. It doesn’t slow them down, however, from your typical college students on vacation behaviors. Swimming, getting wasted, fooling around… in fact, they’re smack in the middle of a game of truth or dare when the science team running the experiment blows open the hatch to the cellar door.
Down in the cellar are every conceivable style and make of horror talisman known to fiction. Music boxes, creepy diaries, dolls and masks, puzzles, amulets, a conch shell, dozens more that I haven’t even mentioned. Still not suspecting what’s going on, or that they’re being monitored and manipulated, the students begin to play around with all the things that they shouldn’t… to disastrous consequences.
There, the horror begins, but to me, it was always overshadowed by the science element. I was always far more interested in why this was happening to what was happening. Not that the horror angle wasn’t decently shot, acted, directed, made, whatever word you want to use, but having the “Control Room” angle completely neutered it for me. I never really cared that the kids were getting terrorized/brutalized/traumatized, I was wrapped up in WHY. Which kind of undercut the horror for me, and wound up being an element of disappointment.
Also, unfortunately, the final reveal was a considerable let down to me. The ultimate underlying reason behind all the goings on here was a disappointment to me. A big let down. It felt hackneyed, cheap, and lame. Which is the reason that I won’t be pitching in on the building of the altar for this movie that’s currently going on out there. I’m sure you’ve seen it.
Which is a testament to the rest of the movie, I guess, seeing as I still enjoyed the film quite a bit and plan on recommending it on the podcast. “Cabin in the Woods” strikes me as more of a genre send up than an actual entry into the genre. It’s far too self aware to come across as sincere, and in many ways comes across as satire. That’s the kind of thing that can interfere with a first viewing if the film doesnt announce its intentions properly. There’s a good twenty to thirty minute period though when the secrets are on the table, and the movie is approaching its climax, where all hell breaks loose and the movie is literally batshit crazy. I think it’s pretty much impossible not to be watching with a huge ass grin on your face.
It’s a fun movie that references and samples from almost every horror movie ever. Once it’s “wound them up and let them go” there are segments that border on legendary. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and keeps a good sense of humor throughout.
I just don’t want to get carried away.


B+

Lockout

Catastrophe strikes during the President’s daughter’s humanitarian mission to an orbiting space prison, and she’s take hostage during an inmate uprising. Now she’s isolated in space, surrounded by hundreds of hostile inmates, and time is running short before the prison station’s orbit decays and it plummets to Earth.
Rescue seems impossible.
Thankfully, the country has just the guy for the job.

Wise-cracking ex-CIA agent Snow (Guy Pearce) is caught in a set-up.
After attempting to intervene and save an ex-contact’s life, Snow makes off with a valuable briefcase, but is framed for murder and treason. Captured, interrogated, and beaten, Snow is told he’ll be put into stasis for 30 years… without a trial.
However, at the same moment, events are unfolding which will lead to his opportunity for freedom. During a humanitarian investigation of the treatment of inmates aboard the orbital prison MS One, the President’s daughter (Maggie Grace) is captured during a prison uprising. She had suspected that wealthy corporations were funding research on prisoners in stasis in order to test the potential for deep space travel. She also feared that the stasis itself is harmful to prisoners, potentially causing dementia. While interviewing a prisoner, however, her team is the catalyst in the escape that leads to the mass awakening and freeing of the prisoners, and her subsequent captivity.
A direct assault on the prison is deemed too dangerous, both for the President’s daughter, and to the stability of the station. Should the station fall out of orbit, it could obliterate the eastern seaboard. So the plan becomes to send in a single operative to attempt to rescue her.
Snow.
Even though it sounds like a suicide mission, Snow accepts. It’s his only chance to escape stasis, and his associate who hid the briefcase is on the station. He’s going in.
Onboard, a cheesy action movie with a dash of action movie romance ensues. Snow is a wise cracking, exasperated pessimist, and yet sparks fly between he and the President’s daughter. In a nearby space station, the President and the Secret Service try to coordinate his mission remotely, giving plenty of opportunity for Snow to balk at directions and crack wise. The villains are wonderfully menacing, and often are their own worst enemies. There’s plenty of fun to be had watching them chew scenery, threaten hostages, and fight with each other. And of course, eventually the station loses orbit, so the countdown clock to destruction is on.
Pearce is fun as the singly named Snow, and Grace gives him someone to trade barbs with nicely. There arent that many great action scenes, per se, but the story manages to keep your interest pretty well, and then the characters move it along.
It’s a fun enough movie, but never really over the top enough for me to fully enjoy it as cheese. Nor is it quite serious enough for me to embrace it as a straightforward actioner. As it is, it’s kind of a light, disposable, don’t think to hard action flick, but I doubt it’s anything that would make a “Cheese-Tastic Classic” one day. Were one of the mind to, you could easily pick a thousand holes in it, or point out some of the occasionally bad CGI, or the low-budget acting, but the movie knows what it is and just tries to give you some entertainment for your ticket price.

Now Showing on Cable: “The Smurfs”

Making its debut this weekend on Starz was last year’s CGI/Live action kid’s movie, “The Smurfs”.
Based on the 1980s cartoon (which in turn was based on a Belgian comic strip), “The Smurfs” takes a small handful of the creatures and has them magically teleported to our world. As they struggle to find a way to get back to their village, they’re pursued by the fiendish magician Gargamel and his cat Azreal, and struggle to find their way in this strange new, decidedly un-Smurfly environment.
The question becomes, is “The Smurfs” Smurftastic? Or un-Smurfing-necessary?

When Clumsy Smurf wanders too far from the Smurf village and is spotted by Gargamel, the location of the Smurf’s hidden haven is revealed. The Smurfs are put on the run as Gargamel and Azreal trample their huts and chase them through the woods, trying to capture Smurfs in order to distill their magical blue essence out of them. During the escape a handful of them, led by Poppa Smurf, are sucked through a vortex that dumps them into New York’s Central Park.
Poppa, Clumsy, Grouchy, Brainy, Gutsy, and Smurfette are decidedly lost in a strange new world, but quickly manage to find their way to the home of human characters, played by Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays. The couple is expecting a child, and Harris has just received a promotion working for demanding taskmaster Sofía Vergara. You would think that having diminutive blue critters in your midst would complicate things, but Patrick and Mays take to them rapidly, the biggest issues being the fact that the Smurfs always use the word Smurf and they always sing the annoying Smurf theme song.
In fact, everything about this movie is way too simple, and I say that in full recognition of the fact that it’s a children’s movie. The plot boils down to the Smurfs need to get home before Gargamel gets them. All the characters are flat and nondescript. Patrick, Mays and Vergara flatline their way through this, and I didn’t find any of the voice acting for the Smurfs that memorable. Well… aside from Jonathan Winters, who does a great job of sounding really, really old.
The humor here is utterly bland. None of the smurfs are funny as characters, and they’re all intentionally annoying so that the movie can joke about how annoying they are. Which winds up being annoying. There’s lots of silly slaptstick as Clumsy can’t keep his balance, or the Smurfs almost get run over or trampled by things, and of course there’s the comedy of Gargamel’s abject failures.
The action sequences are utterly forgettable. And the live action/CGI mix served to highlight the shortcomings of the Smurfs for me. I realize they’re cartoon characters and it’s a kids movie, so perhaps I shouldn’t hold them to as high a standard, but I never once forgot that I was watching actors interacting with animation. Or thought that Azreal was believable as an almost talking cat. Maybe its something that shouldnt be expected, but I guess we’ve come a long way since “Roger Rabbit”, and now I’ve grown accustomed to a more seamless blend of reality and animation, even in our kids movies.
The most notable thing about this movie is the performance of Hank Azaria. Azaria underwent hours of daily make-up work in order to physically resemble Gargamel, including a prosthetic nose and ears, buck teeth, huge fake eyebrows and a wig. He does a spot on impersonation of the cartoon character, but, unfortunately, that’s probably better suited for small doses. Even though he provided the majority of the films sparse amusements for me, by the end I was finding him just as tiresome as the Smurfs themselves.
Just an unmemorable film that really would only have appeal for small children who haven’t developed “taste” in movies yet.

Tossin’ It Out There: What Movie Reminds YOU of Your “Younger Days”?

So, for whatever reason, this month has been chock full of teen party movies. Beginning with “Project X”, then “21 Jump Street” and finally “American Reunion” (which, although not revolving around teens, does have a teen party, and then a “party like we were teens” party). All three served to remind me of my younger days of keg cups and debauchery.
Now that’s not everyone’s experience, but it did get me thinking. Everyone’s got a movie or two that makes them think of when they were younger. Could be a movie like “Stand by Me”, which was an MTESS just a couple of weeks ago. On that post, several people said that it reminded them of their youth, and or their experiences walking around out in the woods when they were young.
Maybe it’s an entire movie, or just a scene, or perhaps a character. It could be a movie from when you were younger, or a current movie that hits close to home. At some point in time though, it’s a safe bet you’ve watched a movie and thought to yourself… I remember those days…
For me, it’s certainly the teen party movies. My friends and I practically thought Jeff Spicoli was a guru. But there are others as well, including snippets here and there.
Maybe it’s something with your family? Or a vacation you took. Obviously school movies come into play. But everyone has a couple.
What are yours?!

Now Showing on Cable: “Fast Five”

HBO’s big new premiere this weekend was 2011′s “Fast Five”, the fifth installment in “The Fast and the Furious” franchise.
“Fast Five” returns all the major players – Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster – plus returns several familiar faces from prior chapters such as Tyrese Gibson, Gal Gadot, Sung Kang, and Ludacris. This time, though, they up the ante by adding Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to the mix.
But even though they assembled a “Fast and Furious” dream team, can they recapture the high-octane magic of previous outings?

“Fast Five” puts Paul Walker’s Brian O’Conner and Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto on the run again, this time down in Rio de Janeiro. After busting Dom out of a prison transport bus, O’Conner, Mia and Dom find themselves south of the border. When a car heist (from a speeding train ) goes sour, the two leads are forced to determine why. What they learn is that the car theft was actually a mission to recover the financial data of a crime cartel, contained in a computer in one of the cars.
They have no time to act on the realization prior to the arrival of The Rock’s Agent Hobbs and his team of bodybuilders special agents. Hobbs is a brutish, urban-tank driving special agent and leader of an elite task force. Once his team is called in to investigate the train robbery, he latches on to O’Conner and Dom and begins to track them with a relentless zeal. He’s “Old Testament. Blood, bullets, wrath of God, that’s his style.”
Even though O’Conner, Dom and Mia have Hobbs and his team on their trail, they also have the cartel data detailing the location of millions of dollars. They put a plan in motion to heist every dollar that’s listed. First they put out the call to all the past team members they can. Once the crew is assembled, they brazenly hit one location, which tricks the cartel into consolidating all their cash into a single, heavily secured location. The fact that it happens to be a police station doesn’t slow the “Furious” gang down at all.
The heist is on.
“Fast Five” continues the franchise’s proud tradition of ludicrous high-speed chases, ridiculous action sequences, and deliciously bad acting. In addition to the typical dosage of souped up speeding, they amp up the shootout quotient by 200%. To its credit, the movie features slick camera work, great pacing, and a propulsive soundtrack. But most of all, it’s cheesey fun, and they know exactly how to serve up what the fans want. Adding the Rock to this franchise was an inspired touch of brilliance, and the fist-fight between him and Vin Diesel is easily one of the best movie fights ever.
When it was released last year, “Fast Five” broke the box office record for the highest-grossing April opening weekend, and surpassed “Fast & Furious” to become the highest-grossing film in the franchise. It’s grossed over $625 million worldwide. To the shock of no one, a sequel has already been announced.
That’s fine with me. I’m in.

Directors Talk: David Fincher

Hey everyone! It’s time for another round of “Directors Talk”, the roundtable series of discussion about today’s biggest directors that I participate in with Ian and PG Cooper.

This time up on the agenda It’s David Fincher, most recently known for “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, but who has been Oscar nominated for “The Social Network” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”. Of course, he’s probably best known as the director of “Se7en” and “Fight Club”… two unforgettable movies.
He has an incredible filmography, and we have quite a discussion about him!
Ian is hosting this installment, so click here to check out our awesome roundtable!

Movies That Everyone Should See: “To Kill a Mockingbird”

For some reason, I felt the need to shift the “Movies That Everyone Should See” series decidedly back into the “classic” territory with this installment. Coupled with the fact that it would have been Gregory Peck’s birthday last week, I wound up with an easy choice.
This week’s Movie That Everyone Should See is one of the greatest films of all time, “To Kill a Mockingbird”.


In 1960, Nelle Harper Lee released her only published novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird”. Based partially on her own experiences growing up, it’s the story of a southern lawyer who defends a black man who’s wrongly been accused of raping a white woman. The racially charged trial divides the town. The events of the story are filtered through the point of view of the lawyer’s children, primarily his daughter. The child’s view of the extremely weighty events helped the book capture the public’s imagination. Its quality and timeliness helped it become an enormous success. In addition to becoming a best seller, it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.
A feature film adaptation was released less than two years later. December, 1962.
In 1962, the country was embroiled in the fight for Civil Rights. In the same month Gregory Peck would win his Oscar for playing Atticus Finch (April, 1963), Martin Luther King was arrested during protests in Birmingham, Alabama, and wrote his famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” He had not yet delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. The next month, May, fire-hoses and police dogs were used against protesters in Birmingham, the images of which were televised, and stay with us to this day.
The Civil Rights Act was still two years away.

This was the country and the time that “To Kill a Mockingbird” was released in.
It’s an important fact to remember, as the historical context makes the movie a brave one. It was a volatile, tumultuous, violent time. The country was wrestling with bigotry, ignorance and hate. So… the racist townsfolk of the movie’s Maycomb weren’t merely fictional characters, they weren’t representations of historical attitudes. They were countrymen. Contemporaries. The movie may have been a bit of a period piece already by the time of its release, but the racism it was portraying was still strongly prevalent in many parts of the country.
Given the highly charged climate of the time, and the film’s overt stance against racism, It’s impossible to imagine that the movie didn’t, in some small way, contribute to the culture of change.

The lead role of Atticus Finch was played by Gregory Peck.
Finch was a character that required a powerful, intelligent actor. It was a role that required equal measures of gravitas, kindness and toughness. Finch needed to be strong, and just, and smart. When Scout narrates, “There just didn’t seem to be anyone or anything Atticus couldn’t explain,” the audience needed to believe it. They also needed to buy into his impeccable moral compass. When he implores the jury at the end of the trial, “In the name of God do your duty,” the audience needed truly feel the admonishment.
Peck was more than capable of bringing such a character to life. He had been nominated for an Oscar three times prior to playing Finch (“The Keys of the Kingdom”, 1944, “The Yearling”, 1946, “Twelve O’Clock High”, 1949), and go on to be nominated again once more after (“McArthur”, 1977), his fifth. His qualifications as an actor were unquestionable, but he was also the embodiment of the character physically, as well. With his perfect posture, steely good looks, and textbook diction, Peck was the perfect choice.
It was his portrayal that lent “To Kill a Mockingbird” much of its strength.

Of course, there was also the incredible courtroom drama. Asked to represent an innocent black man against charges of rape, Atticus Finch not only accepts, he risks his own safety safeguarding him in jail, and then gives an impassioned defense in court. Even though he knows it will fly in the face of the town’s bigots, Finch stands up for his client. He proceeds to disprove the charges and provide an alternate theory of the crime – that there was no rape, and that the victim’s beating came at the hands of her own father, when he caught her making a pass at a negro man.
In his closing arguments, he lays the facts out plainly, but he realizes that that won’t be enough. He also lays out the inherent bigotry in the situation… openly telling the jurors that the victim and her father are counting on the jury’s prejudice. He pleads with them to do what’s right, to judge based on the facts. To do their duty in the name of God.
To no avail.
The jury finds Tom Robinson guilty. He is later shot to death, while trying to escape.

“There’s a lot of ugly things in this world, son. I wish I could keep ‘em all away from ya, but that’s never possible.”

“To Kill a Mockingbird” isn’t just the story of a lawyer defending his client, against injustice, however. It’s also the story of a father raising his children… teaching his kids to be kind, and righteous.
The movie is filled with instances where Atticus instructs his children on right from wrong, and throughout, he stands as an example for them to follow. You can sense the awe in Jem when Atticus shoots the dog from such a distance. You can see Scout soaking in her father’s instructions as he gives them to her. The Maycomb of the movie is obviously morally compromised, but Atticus stands as a shining example to them of the power of doing the right thing. He’ll even take endure being spit upon so that his children wont see him hitting another person.
And in the end, after Arthur “Boo” Radley saves his children from the vengeful Bob Ewell, you can hear the love he has for them in his voice. “Thank you Arthur. Thank you for my children.”

“To Kill a Mockingbird” is a powerful film. It’s a moving story, powered by a lead performance that’s chiseled out of granite. Its themes of racial injustice are still haunting. But it’s not a depressing film, due to the strength of the familial affection. There are lessons about within courage and not pre-judging others. It’s an engrossing story, with a strong moral center. It’s an amazing, amazing movie.
It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Score and Best Cinematography. The film won for Best Screenplay and Best Art Direction, and Gregory Peck took home the Oscar for Best Actor.
Over time, “To Kill a Mockingbird” has come to hold a place of honor in movie history. It initially placed at #34 on AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies, but ten years later rose to #25 on the tenth anniversary edition. It made #2 on their list of 100 Cheers, #17 on their greatest scores, and is their #1 Courtroom Drama.
In 2003, Atticus Finch was named their greatest movie hero of all time, topping Indiana Jones (#2) and James Bond (#3).
“To Kill a Mockingbird” has been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, guaranteeing that future generations will be able to cherish it, as well.
It’s definitely a “Movie That Everyone Should See”.

American Reunion

The American Pie gang is back.
With (roughly) ten years having passed since the first movies, the cast from the American Pie trilogy has a perfect excuse to return with a fourth installment – the high school reunion. “American Reunion” brings all the old classmates back in to town to reconnect and reminisce for a weekend. Of course they bring new problems with them that they didnt have in high school, seeing as they’re older… Marriage, children, careers, etc. Yet put them all together and they find a way to fall right back into their familiar rhythms and drunken sex antics.
Surprisingly though, “American Reunion” was a really well done comedy, with the added bonus of getting to spend time with old familiar, characters. It all added up to be highly enjoyable…
Just like warm apple pie.

“American Reunion” opens with Jim and Michelle. Still married, they now have a young son. I didn’t say “happily” married, however, because the two have fallen into a bit of a rut as far as their love life is concerned… they’ve lost that loving feeling. It seems like something that married couples would work through, but it happens to be rearing its head just before their high school reunion.
In this case, the high school class in question is the class of ’99.
As much as things have changed, many things still remain the same. Jim still can not get sexually aroused with any degree of privacy or physical safety. Thankfully, his father is still around to provide uncomfortably frank counsel. Steve Stifler is still as obnoxious as ever, perhaps even more so now that the rest of the group has matured. “Oz” Ostreicher has become a bit of a celebrity, with a career in sports broadcasting and an appearance on “Celebrity Dance Off” under his belt. Paul Finch has begun traveling the world, and still occasionally reminsces about Stifler’s mom. And Kevin Myers remains the character who you’re just not sure what his role is in the movie.
Putting them together reignites many of the same behaviors of past movies. There’s drinking and partying, hooking up, MILFs, and plenty of awkward sexual situations. Jim’s next door neighbor has grown up into an attractive young teenager, and she wants to act out on her childhood crush on him. Of course, this is going to complicate the already tenuous situation between Jim and Michelle. Add in the fact that Stifler is driven to throw a wild pre-reunion party so he can hook up with chicks, and you can see how things might get out of hand. The rest of the gang is brought along for the ride, including Jim’s dad, who is recently a widower, and who comes along to “get out of the house”. Of course, he winds up encoutnering Stifler’s mom. In fact, several of the cast deal with romances, but just like the first “American Pie”, they really only serve to but some breathers into the comedy.
And I have to say… it was a really good comedy.
It was really, really, funny. Seriously, I laughed pretty much from beginning to end. At times like, really cracking up. The movie didnt break any new ground, but it never felt like a straight up reheat, either. They just took the “American Pie” players, with as solid an excuse as any (the reunion), and created a new set of situations for them to get into. I’ll have to say that a lot of the enjoyment of this flick had to have come from revisiting the characters again, because it can’t be THAT good… but I was laughing through like the entire movie. Stifler was back in people’s faces, Jim is caught in every kind of embarrassing situation imaginable, and even Oz has some funny moments this time. Jim’s dad (Eugene Levy) and Stifler’s mom (Jennifer Coolidge) have one of the funniest post credits sequences you’re ever going to see. The comedy is crude and lewd at times, but they do it very well. The pacing is great, the jokes are solid, and the cast holds up their end.
All in all it greatly exceeded my expectations, and I went in hoping it was going to be good. The familiarity with the cast and characters added a level of nostalgic comfort to a well written comedy, and I laughed for through the entire showing.
Fans of the original series should consider this “Can’t Miss”.

Follow Fridays!: 3 Guys 1 Movie

Happy Friday Everyone!!!

As usual, Friday brings another great movie blog recommendation, and this week it’s 3 Guys, 1 Movie, home of our friend and frequenter, the San Clemente Jedi himself!

Click through and take a look at what they’ve got going on!

is the site of three friends from the Massachusetts area (originally), Scotty, Griff, and Adam. Now they’ve banded together to run a movie blog, although from their mug shots photographs I’m not sure if they’re running a blog or trying to start a hockey team.

Individually, they can all post what they refer to as “Quickie Reviews”. Recent examples include Peter Jackson’s “Heavenly Creatures”, “Young Adult“, and “Casablanca” Their new release reviews are when they put the 3 Guys Review format into play, though. In their 3 Guys Reviews, they all answer questions about the film… giving different opinions and perspectives. In addition to what they thought overall, they also cover their expectations going in, the performances, the music, favorite line, and recommendations of similar films if people enjoyed this one. Check out examples here on their reviews of “The Hunger Games” and “The Lorax”.

They’re not just a review blog though, they also cover major news announcements. They’ve recently posted articles regarding the anouncements of Dumb and Dumber 2 and Anchorman 2, Michael Bay having his way with the Teenage Mutant Alien Ninja Turtles and the release of major new trailers such as the latest Prometheus trailer or Dark Shadows.

Each week they write up the week’s new DVD releases, and they cover all the biggest new trailers in their Tremendous Trailer Trash Tuesdays

They’ve also started a weekly discussion thread called “Hump Day, Have your Say”. Ahhh Movie Discussion! Topics so far have included First Movie Memory, If you could have any car from a film and the classic Fight Club question – If you could fight anyone, who would you fight? They’ve been drawing great response so far, be sure to stop by and check it out!

Its a great blog thats lots of fun! Stop by and check them out at 3 Guys, 1 Movie, and Give ‘em a like on Facebook, here!

Now Showing on Cable: “Midnight in Paris”

Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” made its debut on Starz this past weekend.
Last year’s Academy Award winner for Best Original Screenplay, “Midnight in Paris” stars Owen Wilson as Gil Pender, a man who idealizes the Paris of the 1920s. Disenchanted with his career as a Hollywood hack, disrespected by his fiancée and lightly regarded by his future in-laws, Gil wishes he had lived amongst the great literary, artistic and culturally important figures of that time.
Little does he know… something extraordinary is in store for him.

While vacationing in France with his fiancée (Rachel McAdams), Gil Pender finds himself tiring of her tourist agenda and her know-it-all friends. He longs to stroll the Parisian streets and admire the city. She prefers to hit tourist sites and clubs. Her parents don’t seem to connect with him well, either, and her friends are borderline obnoxious.
He longs to admire the beauty of the city, and spend his time longingly envisioning the bygone era of the 1920s. Unfortunately, he can’t get any of the people close to him interested.
So, Gil wanders the city at night, alone.
And at the stroke of midnight, something magical happens. While resting for a moment on some steps, an antique automobile pulls up and the passengers offer him a lift. Intrigued, Gil accepts… and finds himself transported back in time. It’s a conceit that would derail a lesser movie. If not pulled off with such a deft hand, ”time travel” in a non sci-fi context could easily lose the viewer. Allen, however, plays everything perfectly and creates a fanciful, humorous atmosphere.
While back in the Paris of the ’20s, Gil rubs elbows with some of the most famous figures in literature and art. All of the luminaries of the “Lost Generation”, plus a few others to boot. Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda, Salvador Dalí, Matisse, Gauguin, Picasso. Others as well. Gil meets up with a virtual parade of historical figures, each funnier than the next, all idiosyncratic and unique. The actors and actresses given the roles of the 1920s luminaries are all exceptional. Kathy Bates makes a tough den mother out of Gertrude Stein. Corey Stoll is hilarious as the over-tough Hemingway, and Alison Pill is great as the manic Zelda Fitzgerald. Gil’s love interests are also enchanting – especially Marion Cotillard.
But it’s Gil’s earnestness and enthusiasm that sell the story here. Owen Wilson is fantastic, and a perfect mouthpiece for Woody Allen. He’s sincere as a boy scout and drinks in the wonder and awe of what’s happening as if he were at a magic show. He feels completely natural speaking Allen’s dialogue… they’re an exceptional pairing.
Of course, Gil is a man who doesn’t belong in the 20s. So he has choices to make. About his career, about his relationship with his fiancée, about whether or not he wishes to continue to live in two worlds… Which could make for a heavy film, but not here. From the music, to the characters, to the setting, to the romance – “Midnight in Paris” is a lighthearted, whimsical, fun film that is sure to entertain. It’s enchanting. It’s never melancholy, even though it could have been. It’s just sweet and easy-going. I found it totally enjoyable.
In addition to Best Screenplay, “Midnight in Paris” was also nominated for three other Academy Awards – Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Art Direction. It’s gotten tremendous critical acclaim, and virtually everything I’ve read is supportive of it. It’s highly recommended if you havent seen it. And if you have seen it, you probably don’t need me to convince you to see it again!

New Episode of The (title pending) Movie Podcast – “Mirror, Mirror” and “Wrath of the Titans”!

Posted on April 4, 2012

We’re back with another dose of (title pending) awesomeness!
On this episode, Tank and I go over “The Hunger Games” continued dominance at the box office, then discuss the week’s two NEW releases – “Mirror, Mirror”, starring Julia Roberts, Lily Collins and Armie Hammer and “Wrath of the Titans” starring Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes.
In our discussion of the week, we talk about remakes… with so many being made, Hollywood needs some ground rules! Plus we name drop some of the best and worst of all time.
It’s another great episode of the (title pending) Movie Podcast! Check it out! You can download and listen to the episode directly, here, or search for us on iTunes! If you do use iTunes, please take a second to hook us up with a star rating and a review, they really help us out!
You can keep up with all the goings on on The (title pending) Movie Podcast by giving our Facebook page a like! Join in the fun!