Variety reports that Universal has signed a deal to turn Bioshock into a movie. Director Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean) will head the project and Aviator writer John Logan may write the screenplay. Take-Two executive chairman Strauss Zelnick, who was in charge of Fox in the ’90s, handled the deal for his company and says the project will actually get made … unlike the Halo movie.
There’s also an interview with Verbinski on Variety’s Cut Scene blog where he discusses the project. He believes the movie will be rated “R” and says, in terms of the Little Sisters, that he’ll take the issue “right up to the edge,” not wanting the core audience to feel “betrayed.” Though no release date is currently targeted, Verbinski says he’ll start pre-production when Logan’s script is finished and approved.
Before Ironman started we got a nice “The Happening” preview. I am a big fan of M. Night but I don’t think you have to a big fan to think this movie looks sweet. Go Marky! Awesome trailer below.
I went to see Ironman this Friday with my wife and uncle. I had seen a million Ironman previews prior to seeing the movie. Initially I wasn’t interested in seeing it but the previews grew on me and I then realized I really wanted to see it. So we went. Overall I was very satisfied, Robert Downey Jr. does a great job as Ironman and the rest of the cast is a perfect fit as well. In my opinion Ironman is better than Spiderman, it’s somewhere near Batman for me and I am a big fan of Batman (dark knight!). The movie was not predictable and it wasn’t too “superhero-ish” either. Even though the movie is action packed you won’t find many “bad-guy vs good-guy” fights until the end, there is also a little revenge segment in the middle but it doesn’t last for very long. This left me wanting more and I can’t wait for Ironman 2. Hopefully it’s soon.
*UPDATE: Ironman 2 has been officially dated for April 30th, 2010
Over the past week I watched three more movies to keep the “movie-watching mood” in full force. These three movies included: Children of Men, Michael Clayton, and Dan in Real Life.
The first movie I watched was Children of Men. Children of Men is a very unique movie. The year is around 2027 and the world is pretty much on it’s way down hill. Women can no longer conceive and all foreigners are being sent back to their homelands. The main plot of the story is about a man who finds out that he is needed to help transport an African American girl who miraculously got pregnant to a safer place. Along the way we see some crazy and intense situations. Clive Owen puts on a great performance and confirms the fact that he is one of the better actors of his time and one of my personal favorites. Overall I really liked the movie because it was very original and like nothing I’ve seen before.
The next movie I watched was Michael Clayton. Michael Clayton was nominated for best picture of 2007 and was beaten by No Country for Old Men. Michael Clayton is a work of art. The movie was filmed awesome and the story is very intense. I thought that this movie may be a little hard to follow so I payed extra attention to it and I am glad I did. If you are willing to follow the movie closely then you will not be let down. The only complaint I have was that the ending was a little uninspiring. It ended good but it wasn’t mind-blowing like I thought it should be.
The last movie I watched was Dan in Real Life. I know that Kurt wrote about it in an earlier post but now I can say my thoughts on it. Dan in Real Life is the perfect movie to sit down and watch with the family. It’s very cute, funny, and clever, kinda what I thought Juno was going to be. I could probably watch it a few more times. Steve Carell really impressed me because he didn’t play the typical Steve Carell character, more like the opposite. The rest of the cast was perfect for the movie and I was even surprised at how much Dane Cook made me laugh. As of now Dan in Real Life is in my top 20 favorite movies. Go and rent it as soon as you can.
Don’t think I am done just yet. My movie-watching mood hasn’t faded yet so expect some more movie thoughts in the coming week.
I’ve been watching a lot of movies over the past few weeks. For me it’s easy to say no to watching a movie because I work half of the day and don’t want to waste 2 more hours sitting on the couch but I do have my times when all I want to do is watch movies. Last week and this week seems to be that time. For some reason I just decided that we would watch No Country For Old Men. I knew that it was scored well and that the majority of the world liked it so we decided to rent it. I had no idea what the plot was about so I guess you could say I was in for a ride. I also didn’t know that it was going to be so gory. It almost felt like a horror/thriller at times. Anyways, I really liked the movie. The weird thing is that I didn’t realize I liked the movie till a few hours after we had finished. I had watched it with my uncle, my wife, and a friend and the majority’s opinion was negative. I like NCFOM because it was very well made, they did a great job of keeping it interesting, they also picked a great cast. All the characters fit their roles perfectly. Lastly the story was very deep and I was intrigued throughout. I realized once I started repeating the name “No Country For Old Men” that this name has so much meaning for the movie. There truly is, as the movie shows, no country for old men…at least in Texas that is. Overall I was very satisfied with the movie and would watch it again in this moment if I could. If you’re a fan of actual endings to movies then you might not like this one.
Next on the list was Juno. Heh, I had seen a preview for it a while back and thought “this looks cute.” Time passed and we missed a few opportunities to go and then my wife left for Poland so we sorta put it on hold for a while. It was actually playing in a small theater last week but we decided to rent it instead. I know that the reviews were in favor of it and I know that a lot of people liked it but the bottom line is…I didn’t. I was really disappointed. I went into it excited and hopeful and came out of it with a bitter taste in my mouth. I pretty much knew after the first line from Juno that I wasn’t down with her. She and her friend kind of annoyed me and showed me how corrupt this generation of teens is. The one character that I did find funny was Paulie Bleeker but he barely even had a part in this movie. I really wanted to be a fan of Juno like the rest of the world but I was far from it.
Next movie was Hart’s War. Hart’s War? Yea I never heard of it either and after watching it I know why. Hart’s War came with the 5 free blu-ray movies that I was entitled to because I bought a PS3. Hey Bruce Willis and Collin Ferrell were on the cover, should be great right? Not the case with this one. Even though it was interesting to learn that some African Americans were fighter pilots in WWII this movie was plain boring. The only real part worth watching was when Terrance Howard gave a moving speech about working hard to become a pilot but other than that this movie was a waste of 2 hours and can be thrown in the garbage for all I care. Yes, I may be a little harsh but I had just watched a stupid movie (Juno) the night before. Two lame movies in a row isn’t good that’s why we are planning to watch something good tonight. At least I hope it’s going to be good.
I just thought I’d take the time to let you guys know what I’ve been playing, listening to, and watching over the past few weeks:
What I’ve Been Playing:
1. Rainbow Six Vegas 2 – I finished the game but have been working on some of the achievements. Kurt and I finally got the “Beat Every Terrorist Hunt on Realistic Difficulty” which I feel was a great accomplishment.
2. Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds – Great game. I think I’ve played through it far enough to let you guys know my final thoughts. Expect a post in the next week.
3. Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 – The wife and I are veterans of GRAW but we haven’t played for a while. I finally decided to go back to it and I am hooked again, we are playing every night now.
4. Rainbow Six Vegas – Going back with Kurt and getting the Terrorist Hunt achievements for this one now.
5. Peggle – Finally downloaded Steam and got myself some Peggle. Highly addictive. Expect my full thoughts on Steam in the next week or so.
6. Command and Conquer: Decade – I splurged and got Decade because I really wanted to play some C&C and Red Alert. These games were the only reason I played PC back then.
7. Call of Duty 4 – On my pile of games I really wish I was playing. I played a few matches on live over the weekend.
What I’ve Been Listening To:
1. Vampire Weekend – Love the whole CD, this band is very talented. Favorite songs would be “A-Punk”, “M79″, “One (Blakes Got a New Face)”, and “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance.”
2. Dave Matthews Band – I never really appreciated DMB as much as I should but recently got hooked on songs like “What Would You Say”, “Ants Marching”, and “Too Much.”
3. Jack Johnson – I really like his new CD and can’t wait to see him in concert on August 6th. My favorite song on his new CD would be “They Do, They Don’t.”
4. The 1UP Yours Podcast – Listen to it at work every week when updating the company’s project list. Great stuff!
5. Maroon 5 – The B-Sides Collection. Specifically “Miss You Love You”, “Until You’re Over Me”, and “Infatuation.”
6. Modest Mouse – absolutely love the songs “Dashboard” and “Missed The Boat.”
7. P.O.D. – Enjoying the recently released When Angels and Serpents Dance. Favorite songs include “Addicted”, “Condescending”, and “Kaliforn-Eye-A.”
What I’ve Been Watching/Watched:
1. Top Chef – Great show on Bravo. Makes me want to work in a restaurant again.
2. Stir of Echoes – Came with the free Blu-Rays I got for buying the PS3, decent movie.
3. The Prestige – It also came with the free Blu-Ray movies. I really liked it and recommend it to anyone.
4. Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites – The season started off slow but the wife and I are addicted once again.
5. 21 – Saw this at the theater over the weekend and really enjoyed it. Very interesting!
6. The 1UP Show – make sure to get my weekly dose.
7. Here Come The Newlyweds – The season finished last week. I’m guessing it was just a filler for the writer’s strike but it was still interesting. I was happy with the couple that won the money.
8. Desperate Housewives – I don’t care what you say, this is a great show. The season finally returned this past Sunday.
Just to let you guys know, I’ve added a better Movie Release Date calendar to the YNFVGB Calendar. Just click on the movie reel to have a window pop up with the releases for that day. Pretty nifty. In addition to that I’ve added a new DVD Release Date calendar. To view the DVD releases for a specific day (usually Tuesday) just click the purple DVD Releases rectangle and it will pop up with a list of the DVD releases for that day. Click “More Details” for a better view. Lastly I’ve added a simple US Holidays calendar which is shown in green. Enjoy!!
It’s nice when a team of people come together and deliver something good. It’s even better when those people come together repeatedly and continue to make good stuff. Dating back to the shows “Freaks and Geeks’ and ‘Undeclared’ the team of comedians have given us ‘Superbad’, ‘Anchorman’, ‘40 Yr Old Virgin’, ‘Knocked Up’, and been involved in various other projects individually. It’s great to see the same cast of characters carried over into different films with different roles that play so well together. (And it doesn’t hurt they brought ‘Veronica Mars’ Kristen Bell into the fold.)
A great trailer and a genius viral marketing campaign are setting this up to be a great spring comedy!
I’m pretty sure this is IGN’s April Fools day joke but I am not positive as it looks pretty believable. Even though I’ve always wanted a hollywood adaptation of “The Legend of Zelda” I don’t think I could stand to watch Ganondorf look like this…
I’m not going to take the time to review the movie, I just want to talk about the alternate ending.
The blu-ray cases states: ” Includes Alternate Theatrical version with Controversial ending.” Is it really controversial? Read on.
Most times you see ‘alternate ending’ listed on a dvd case it’s normally a few lines of dialog or a few added shots, usually nothing exciting. Then there are the films that have an ending so drastically different you wonder what the heck happened? ‘I am Legend’ falls between those. Normally alternate endings are the result of a studio forcing a director to change his vision, maybe opting for a ‘happy’ ending that leaves room for a sequel, or poor test screenings require the ending to be tweaked. I’m the first person to cry foul when a movie opts for the happy family ending, with everything wrapped up nicely and everyone riding into the sunset. Oddly enough this ending does that- and I prefer it.
The ending in theaters was after Will Smith secures the safety of the woman and child he sees a butterfly in the cracks of the glass door about to give in from the vampires, and unpins a grenade, ending his life and the lives of the lead vampire and others. (In Hollywood when all else fails just blow it up, it worked for Jaws how many times?) The woman and child make their way to Vermont and a voiceover lets us know that Will Smith was a hero, blah, blah, etc.
SO, the alternate ending begins right after he secures the woman and child through the small hatch door. The lead vampire smears his slimy hands on the glass door in the shape of a butterfly, we hear Wills daughter, and Will lifts the edge of the woman vampires shoulder to reveal a butterfly tattoo. With no sound, he unhooks everything from his test patient and has the woman open the door. He slowly wheels the gurney right up to the lead vampire, having his face mere inches from the creature. (resulting in a sense of fear that was never achieved in the theatrical) He reaches for a syringe to revive her and the other vampires swarm around him but are quickly called off by the lead. He injects her, she opens her eyes, and there is somewhat of a romantic moment, if you can call it that, between the lead vamp and his woman. (It sounds crazy, but in context with the rest of the film it’s actually somewhat touching) The lead vamp nuzzles his woman and carries her off, and the vamps all leave.
Will is left standing, with his wall of test patient pictures lining the wall behind him and we see him as the vamps must have seen him…..like a serial killer with his wall of fame proudly displayed…a nicely done reversal. Then they all load up in the family station wagon and head to Vermont, leaving us with some more cool NY in decay shots and a new recording playing on the radio.
So was it controversial in any way? Nope, just gimmick marketing for what I felt was a better ending.
Winning four Oscars this year including Best Picture and Best Direction, ‘No Country for Old Men’ arrives on blu-ray with one of the sharpest transfers I have seen. Shot in the deserts of Mexico, New Mexico, and Texas the film often has a three dimensional look to it as if you were seriously there. I’m not going to try to explain the film, because in all honesty it makes little sense upon an initial viewing. It’s a film that has no resolution, no closure, no explanations, and if that type of movie (Cloverfield) drives you nuts you better skip this one. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an interesting film, very enthralling-yet very violent. I personally was rooting for ‘Atonement’ which I’ll be reviewing shortly. Rent It.
One of my favorite actors of all time is Will Ferrell but lately I haven’t been digging his characters. I passed on Semi-Pro and have been waiting patiently for another “Frank the Tank” style character like the days of “Old School.” Well, I think “Step Brothers” may have been what I was looking for. Check out the trailer to see what I mean.
The first time I saw the preview for Vantage Point was during the Season Premiere of LOST and since good ‘ol Matthew Fox was one of the characters I knew that I would probably see it whether it was lame or not. Some friends and I decided to go see it last minute spite the negative feedback we had been hearing. I’d rather go into a movie thinking it was going to suck than go into it thinking it was awesome and be let down. I have to say I’m kind of in the middle with this one. The way this movie is presented to us is very interesting. During the first half we watch the same scenario from 5 different views, one at a time. First we watch the main storyline where the president is shot at the podium during a peace conference, afterwords two bombs go off and kill many people. We are then rewinded back to the beginning to watch it from another perspective. This repeats three more times with the last view being that of the 4 terrorists behind this nasty plot. After we see how all of this was planned we are then brought back to the present time where we learn a big twist. The second half of the movie is a typical car chase where the good guys end up winning in the end. Before I went into the movie I thought that there was going to be more plot that we had to “figure out” ourselves but the movie basically does it all for you. This movie requires no “figuring out” as it explains everything for you. The acting on Dennis Quaid’s part was great and Matthew Fox did a good job as well. All-in-all the movie was good, it was interestingly executed, it just didn’t boggle my mind the way I thought it would. SCORE: 6.7/10
‘Gone Baby Gone’ comes to us from the author of ‘Mystic River’ and directed by Ben Affleck. It is the story of a missing 4-year-old girl from Boston, and a couple who serve as private investigators that will ultimately risk everything to find her. Incredible performances by Casey Affleck (‘Last Kiss’), Morgan Freeman(‘Shawshank Redemption’), Ed Harris (‘A History of Violence’), and pretty much everyone else who has screen time. Beyond the performances and direction, what is so powerful about this movie is the decision made at the end, and the consequences. You’ll no doubt be debating it with those you watch it with, and everyone will have different feelings. We live in an increasingly gray world, where the ‘right’ decision is rarely clear from the ‘wrong’ one and this movie captures that perfectly. Easily one of the best of the year, a rare film that stays with you beyond the parking lot or overnight. 4/5
UPDATE: New Line will announce on Monday the specs for the standard and Blu-ray release of the Golden Compass, a 2 disc set should be expected. Let’s hope we get that Director’s Cut we know has to exist and we don’t have to wait for an eventual double dip.
At this point it has been neglected to a small theater, and there were only 5 other people in attendance. (Everyone else was seeing National Treasure) Quick background: I’m not that big of a ‘Fantasy’ genre fan. Sure Lord of the Rings and Narnia are good, but it’s typically not my genre. Anyhow, the main reason I saw this film was because of the religious controversy. Unfortunately the broad term ‘Christian’ often marketed during a controversy makes us look crazy or hypocritical. (Dobson and gay Spongebob anyone?) The vocal response of the Catholic church was the center of it, but some of my coworkers had their children bring home flyers urging them not to take their children to the film or read the books. (I’ll try to scan it and post later) How lame is that? I never understood the idea of sheltering our children from ‘Harry Potter’ either, but that’s another blog altogether.
On to the movie: Fun film, very well done. Daniel Craig isn’t in it as much as one would hope, and Nichole Kidman makes a good villain. (Never could stand her) The girl they discovered for the film to play the main character does a fantastic job, she never becomes annoying like the Narnia kids. The supporting cast is so well rounded you wish they all had more screen time. The visual effects are great, not amazing, but great nonetheless. The polar bear battle is crazy insane with a conclusion that slapped me upside the head. The idea of everyone having ‘daemons’ that are our souls in animal form is really neat, and well executed. There are a few parts that were a little intense for a movie geared at a younger audience, but then again this is the generation who is growing up with G.T.A. too. Anyhow, the film ends in an incredible battle scene that gets you really hyped and excited. The ending is very open ended leaving you to think you’ll see the next chapter soon as we did w/ LOTR….but with the box office being what it has been we probably won’t see it from New Line, who had a rough year. Personally I think it’s unfortunate, for what it’s worth I would really like to see the trilogy completed. I can’t speak for the books, just bought them but didn’t start reading them. The film has no anti-God message or spin like we have been led to believe. There is a group of older gentlemen who are working hard to keep their power over the world, and continuing to make the masses think they are needed to tell them what to do and think. Personally I saw it with more of an anti-government slant, but those are my personal views coming into play. Anyhow, the ending of the book is very different, and far superior. If you check youtube you can find a ‘pre-vis’ of what the scene is like, and at least part of it was filmed because a few shots are in the trailer. Hopefully we get a ‘Director’s Cut’ on dvd that restores this rough emotional conclusion. Overall it’s a fun way to spend a few hours and visit another world. Think I might have to rewatch Narnia now…..Go check it out.
Since seeing the teaser trailer before Transformers this past summer, I have been looking forward to the then untitled JJ Abrams (Alias, Lost, Mission Impossible 3, Felicity, Armageddon, Joy Ride) produced ‘Cloverfield.’ Unlike Pat, I had high expectations and they were all pretty much met, much like ‘The Mist’. I avoided as many spoilers and reviews as possible, wanting to get as much enjoyment out of it, not knowing anything about the monster, and not being critically tainted.
No other movie has had this much viral marketing, to this degree of success since the ‘Blair Witch Project’. No one knew the title, what it was about- next to nothing. Did it live up to the hype? Yes, it lived up to the hype…for me at least. A cast of mostly unknowns makes the experience that much better, although I was kinda taken out by the girl pictured above as she was in ‘Mean Girls’ with Lohan. Were they the best actors? No, but they did a serviceable job and the effects/experience take the focus here. In hindsight, the romantic aspect of the story was cheesy, but allowed the story to fall in a more structured flow. The subway monsters scared the crap out of me…the military street attack is so intense you want to duck in your seat, and you feel helpless as the helicopter that you are in plummets to the ground spinning in circles. (and I say boo to the people who complain that the camera was indestructible and had an incredible battery- a giant monster is attacking NY, suspend your disbelief and leave your brain at the door)
This is very much a film that could easily be told on a broad scale, like the US Godzilla, but containing such a large scale event on such an intimate level adds a much more personal layer. I hadn’t expected the gimmick of it being a tape that was taped over, but it worked very nicely minus the awkward scene in the bedroom. There are some eerily familiar moments seeing NY in terror that parallel 9/11, very similar to the footage captured by the two french filmmakers, but I never felt it was ‘too soon.’ One of the people in the group I saw the film with actually had the same experience of going on a rooftop and witnessing the smoke and explosions of 9/11 firsthand and found the moment very emotional.
If you hate things not being explained, or open ended endings (or lack of endings) you probably won’t like this movie. As a movie dork I loved it and think it will play out just as well at home with a nice home theater….will probably make it more personal, like you’re watching someone else’s home video. The only part of the whole film that I honestly can say I disliked was when the camera operator meets his fate with the creature. Showing the monster up close ruined the allure of the monster for me, and was lame looking. It was better left in far shots and more mysterious. Do the two remaining characters die under the bridge? Does the creature win? Personally I hope so. Did you catch the object in the corner of the screen during the Coney Island finale? hmmm..
I can only hope we see a sequel that is another take of the same events…maybe from the military point of view, or a reporter covering something else…..maybe just bits and pieces collected from phones, cameras, etc that are found on the dead and compiled into a creature ‘mixtape’ of sorts. A solid piece of cinema and a unique movie going experience on a cold winter evening worth repeated viewings.
I went into the theater with neutral expectations. Of course I wanted the movie to be good and originally I was super-pumped for it after seeing the trailer. But I started to worry, mainly about the “monster”. Was it Godzilla? Would there be some weird twist? These questions started to make me doubt the movie and eventually I became neutral. I think neutral is the best way to go into a movie. The second the movie started I was instantly engaged. I enjoyed the fact that they took a good chunk of time to introduce the characters without getting too in-depth. This gets you ready for what is about to happen. It gets you attached to the characters enough to care for them during the trials ahead. As for the movie as a whole, it is very well executed. You just have to put aside your questions and comments about the realism and just take the movie for what it is. If you put those things aside you will really enjoy the movie. The writers and producers did a great job making this as realistic as possible, the camera cuts were almost perfect, even the monster was scary. This movie is very unique and truly one of my favorites. There are parts of this movie that really grab you and pull you in. It’s human nature to want to experience terror and this movie gives you the closest experience possible while keeping you safe in your chair. With LOST and now this movie, J.J. Abrams is really making a name for himself. Cloverfield is a must see if you haven’t already.
This article is so good (and I’m format neutral) I had to repost it from DarkHorizons.com
“The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has published a startling story today that claims that not only did money change hands in regards to the Warner/Blu-ray deal, but that 20th Century Fox was also paid off to stay with Blu.
According to the report, Warner actually wanted to go HD DVD but would only do it if another studio were brought in and gave HD-DVD backers time to come up with that arrangement. Once done they would have had four of the major six studios behind it, leading it to likely win the format at.
That other studio was Fox, the least reliable and prodigious of Blu-ray’s exclusive backers who has frequently delayed their title releases. What ones the studio has put out have been mostly catalog releases that have had several problems.
Fox was apparently lined up, and told the HD DVD camp it was going to switch to HD DVD, but nixed the deal at the last possible minute as Fox apparently received a reported $US120 million payout from Sony to stay Blu-ray.
Warner then switched and apparently received between $US400 and $500 million for its defection. WHV home video reps have denied claims of a payout, but right up til their defection last week they repeatedly denied any plans to change either – rendering their credibility dubious at this point.
The Blu-ray move by Warners continues to have impact on the high-definition field with dual format adult studo Digital Playground revealing that they plan to stop releasing porn on HD DVD probably by the end of 2008.”
Universal has followed Paramount/DreamWorks in announcing that it will continue to release high-definition video disks in HD DVD (Last week Warner Bros.’ went Blu-ray only, and many including myself thought that would end the war) “Contrary to unsubstantiated rumors from unnamed sources, Universal’s current plan is to continue to support the HD DVD format,” IMDB
I made the mistake of playing this game after finishing Uncharted on PS3.
The good: Cinematics and voice work capture the movies perfectly. The mannerisms and movement of the characters are spot on. Visually the world is beautiful, very well done. You really feel part of the Pirates world. Unfortunately these pros aren’t enough to make this game worth your time.
The bad: The controls are weak, there is 1 button to swordfight, 1 to punch, etc. Basic button mashing. Boss fights are a little more interesting, but feel incredibly slow….swing…punch…swing. Half of the game recreates the 2nd film and the rest is devoted to the close of the trilogy. There is little excitement to the game, a very by the numbers movie licensed game that doesn’t do anything new or offer a sense of urgency or purpose. Other than the visuals there is no reason for you to keep this game in your library. Rental at best.
So in the next few days you will be seeing trailers for the new Batman movie, I would post a link, but Warner Brothers has been yanking them as soon as they show up. Next to Indiana Jones this my my most anticipated movie of the summer. Who would have thought that Heath Ledger would make such an amazing Joker? I can be pretty tough on sequels, but with all the total garbage movies that have been coming out lately I look forward to the next installment in these franchises. Disagree? POST A COMMENT!
It’s nice when a team of people come together and deliver something good. It’s even better when those people come together repeatedly and continue to make good stuff. Dating back to the shows “Freaks and Geeks’ and ‘Undeclared’ the team of comedians have given us ‘Superbad’, ‘Anchorman’, ‘40 Yr Old Virgin’, ‘Knocked Up’, and been involved in various other projects individually. It’s great to see the same cast of characters carried over into different films with different roles that play so well together. (And it doesn’t hurt they brought ‘Veronica Mars’ Kristen Bell into the fold.)
Winning four Oscars this year including Best Picture and Best Direction, ‘No Country for Old Men’ arrives on blu-ray with one of the sharpest transfers I have seen. Shot in the deserts of Mexico, New Mexico, and Texas the film often has a three dimensional look to it as if you were seriously there. I’m not going to try to explain the film, because in all honesty it makes little sense upon an initial viewing. It’s a film that has no resolution, no closure, no explanations, and if that type of movie (Cloverfield) drives you nuts you better skip this one. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an interesting film, very enthralling-yet very violent. I personally was rooting for ‘Atonement’ which I’ll be reviewing shortly. Rent It.
The first time I saw the preview for Vantage Point was during the Season Premiere of LOST and since good ‘ol Matthew Fox was one of the characters I knew that I would probably see it whether it was lame or not. Some friends and I decided to go see it last minute spite the negative feedback we had been hearing. I’d rather go into a movie thinking it was going to suck than go into it thinking it was awesome and be let down. I have to say I’m kind of in the middle with this one. The way this movie is presented to us is very interesting. During the first half we watch the same scenario from 5 different views, one at a time. First we watch the main storyline where the president is shot at the podium during a peace conference, afterwords two bombs go off and kill many people. We are then rewinded back to the beginning to watch it from another perspective. This repeats three more times with the last view being that of the 4 terrorists behind this nasty plot. After we see how all of this was planned we are then brought back to the present time where we learn a big twist. The second half of the movie is a typical car chase where the good guys end up winning in the end. Before I went into the movie I thought that there was going to be more plot that we had to “figure out” ourselves but the movie basically does it all for you. This movie requires no “figuring out” as it explains everything for you. The acting on Dennis Quaid’s part was great and Matthew Fox did a good job as well. All-in-all the movie was good, it was interestingly executed, it just didn’t boggle my mind the way I thought it would. SCORE: 6.7/10
