Sunday, August 31, 2008

Babylon A.D. Review

The Story
Veteran-turned-mercenary Thoorop takes a high-risk job and escorts a woman from Russia to America. However, little does he know that she is host to an organism that a cult wants to harvest in order to produce a genetically modified Messiah.

The Good
I just plain loved this movie, This movie had the distinct feel of a Sci-Fi flick. Generally I'm not to big on the whole over-the-top sci-fi, but this film kicks it out of the park with its mix up special and Visual effects. You notice straight away that this movies gonna be awesome when you see Vin Deisel actually acted really well.

The Bad
Yes, the action doesn't start in the first two seconds of the movie. But there in lies the problem, there wasn't enough action to satisfy my need (Though the futuristic building of earth looked a lot like Blade Runner). Oh, and the story was so minimal I could have sworn it was never there! Yeah sure they had a 15 minute scene explaining the story but then BLAM! back into whatever it is. It was almost as if they thought you would figure out who those people who are chasing them are (Nope, I guess we'll just leave it a mystery until the very end then we'll hit them with a sequel)

God I hope not! especially after the ending to film happened, if they did make another one it wouldn't make sense.

All-In-All
This was an fun entertianing film to watch, and if they come out with a orchestral soundtrack all definitely pick that up.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Poor Man's Podcast Episode 1

Actually it was scheduled to be posted yesterday but I had a problem uploading it to the computer but now that the problem has been resolved I am fully ready to record more podcast's. However, my co-hosts are having trouble showing up to record one. And I've been meaning to change the way the podcast is run.

The Way this podcast is going to work is like this, I search around the web for interesting movie news (About 3-5 things) and we sit around and talk about what we think of them, but at the end of all the questions we will then talk about things that we hate in movies that make us want to rant on about them.

I being the normal guy of the group am trying to get my other co-hosts to start writing on here as well. but that is something to talk about another day.

In today's episode we talk about these questions:

1) Is Voice Acting a dying profession due to celebrities acting in animated movies.

2) With the success of these comic book movie’s, do you think that because of their success that people will start to lean towards making a mainstream anime into a live action Hollywood film.

3) Superman Getting a Reboot

4) Dragonball may be canceled (Not!)

5) The Rise in comic book movies, if there was one comic or manga which would you choose to be made into a film.

6) Pac-man or Iron Man 2

7) Prince of Persia Vs. Warcraft

Thursday, August 28, 2008

3 New Posters (Ok! 2 new Posters)



I was ecstatic when I saw the first two posters, Any Movie with Gerard Butler I would definitely go see. Plus It's from the guys who made "Crank" and "Pathology". I really respect those guys as directors and writers. The Storyline Behind Game is about a man who is forced into this game world where people around the world control real people in a realist Video Game setting. It looks to be an interesting film.

Conan is a no brainer (it's to bad Arnold can't do it). I am not sure what they are going to do with this one. Maybe it's a remake or it could be a new vision of the original.

Tekken is something that will most likely flop. If it's anything like DOA was, I don't see how they can make a story out of a fighting game. This does tie into what I wrote earlier that If the studios had the creators help them more then maybe it would be somewhat decent enough to rent.

Spielberg Still Directing Tintin

Another post from the guys over at Obsessed with Film:

Rumors that Peter Jackson would be taking over the reigns on the first Tintin movie, replacing Steven Spielberg in their joint collaborate effort which was always going to see S pielberg direct the first movie.

If people who actually reported on these rumors used their heads for a second, they wouldn’t need official denials to deem them as being untrue. We know Jackson is…

A) Writing The Hobbit with Fran Walsh, Phillapa Boyens and Guillermo del Toro.

B) Is working on the lengthy post-production schedule for his next movie The Lovely Bones due out October 2009.

Basically, Jackson wouldn’t have the time to fully commit to Tintin and with Spielberg desperately trying to do this project for two decades, I would suggest that nothing will stop him now from helming this first feature. The first movie will be based on the classic stories “The Secret of the Unicorn” and it’s sequel “Red Rackham’s Treasure,” which were written by Tintin creator Herge between 1942 and 1944. Doctor Who writer Stephen Moffat has adapted the stories for screen. The movie will be motion captured animated with 18 year old actor Thomas Sangster playing Tintin and the chameleon Andy Serkis playing Captain Haddock.

I have never read any of these comic strips, nor have I ever heard of them. Thats probably because its old and I'm not. But if spielberg is directing it, I'll probably rent it. It just doesn't look all that interesting to me. That may have something to do with my taste in film. The only comic strip I read is Calvin and Hobbes, Far Side, Garfield, and Dilbert.

Strangers 2 will come to pass.

A Surprise from Obsessedwithfilm.com:

By all accounts, it was a watchable, original and entertaining horror film. And it just so happened to make $52 million domestic, on a poultry $9 million budget… and during the summer movie season no less.

After much speculation, Rogue Pictures have officially greenlit a sequel to the film today which will reunite Liv Tyler with several of the villains from the original flick according to Variety. Rogue Pictures believe they have stumbled across “the next Saw franchise” and you know they will milk it as far as they can.

Yes, this film was scary, until an annoying fat chick (and her other annoying blond friends) would start screaming at the top of their lungs. It completely ruined the movie for me. Now, saying that won't stop me from seeing the sequel but I'll probably only see it for the guy who looks really similar to Scarecrow from Batman Begins.

This film probably won't make it past the sequel. The Saw movies are famous for it's Gorey scene's and intelligent twists in the story.

Keanu Reeves to Play Spike In the Live-Action Adaptation of Cowboy Bebop

According to those guys over at ScreenRant:

First Showing is reporting that Keanu “Whoah” Reeves is adding another straight-faced hero to his resume, playing intergalactic bounty hunter Spike Spiegel in the live-action adaption of anime cult-favorite, Cowboy Bebop.

According to First Showing’s “inside source” at Fox studios, Cowboy Bebop has long been buried in the list of movies waiting to be green lit, with Reeves attached to the project for some time now. That bit of star-power, plus some early fan buzz, has motivated Fox to fast-track Cowboy Bebop for a 2010 release; though currently there is no director, writer, or script for the film.

I have been a Cowboy bebop fan since it's American release, And to finally hear that they have decided to make this is a fans dream. And I couldn't have picked a better actor to play as Spike Spiegel.

Now whether this movie will be based on the TV series or the Movie that came after it, I do not know. I Sure hope they do it on the TV series or maybe after the events of the movie. To be honest I wish that the American Studios would work more and more with the actual creators of the show instead of going on their own to create something (I mean look how Speed Racer turned out). If the writer of the Manga and TV Series came together and worked with the american directors to come up with something that both the japanese fan and American fan audience can enjoy will be the great collaboration in Anime to Movie History.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Appaloosa



Finally a great western with an amazing cast. Jeremy Irons getting better and better by age. Other then 3:10 to Yuma they haven't come out with any good westerns since Clint Eastwood (But he than gave up the reins to start directing) and yes I loved Flags of Our Fathers.

The fall of the Western genre and the rise of Spaghetti Westerns is disappointing to me.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Dragonball Cancelled, or what?

Apparently the Higher ups at FOX are giving the Dragonball Movie some dirty looks.

FilmJunk gave us this:

When it was first announced that a Dragonball movie was actually happening, a lot of people couldn’t comprehend how such an over-the-top, stylized animated series would possibly work in a live action setting. Then Stephen Chow came on board as a producer and suddenly it seemed like there might be hope. Of course, the movie was originally supposed to be ready for this summer, but Fox ended up pushing it back to April 2009. No official explanation was given, but some wondered if it might be the first sign of trouble. The fact that the movie also had no presence at the San Diego Comic Con only deepened suspicions.

This week we received word from an anonymous source that there may be some truth to this speculation after all. The higher-ups at Fox are not too impressed the footage that has been shot thus far, and are seriously debating shutting the whole thing down. Now I have no idea if this is a real possibility or if the studio is just putting pressure on director James Wong to deliver, but the movie supposedly has a budget of over $100 million and I can understand them wanting to cut some losses while they still can. The thing is, if this is all true, it only makes me that much more interested to see the movie. If it it’s strange enough to scare the suits, it’s gotta be good, right?

I am actually not surprised that the suits don't like what they see. It's their job to criticize the work of the director. And to be honest the source material isn't all that great either. I mean, they are all corporate business people, they take one look at the Dragonball Manga's the first think that will pop into their heads is "This is stupid" because it's their first time being introduced to it. If when they were kids they read it and followed it then they would probably like it more but that's not he case.

Plus the fact that they didn't have anything for the San Diego Comic Con probably pissed a lot of fans off.

But Rumours pass, we'll just have to wait and see.

World of Warcraft Movie?


To watch the Hi-res version click here

comingsoon.net gave us this insight:

This clip is of the Cinematic Trailer for Blizzard Entertainment second expansion, "World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King." The game is expected to be available later this year.

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures have a Warcraft Movie based on the popular fantasy video game franchise in development. When the project was announced, it was said to be live-action with a "yet to be determined level" of CG environments and effects. The story would take place about a year before the events in "World of Warcraft" and would be told from the Alliance perspective. No release date for the big screen adaptation has been announced.

Ok, people. I love Huge Epic movies like Lord of the Rings or Star Wars (4, 5, and 6 fuck 1, 2, and 3). And this trailer for the newest game coming out would make an awesome movie. I don't see why those guys over at Blizzard didn't think about making their own version of the movie but in a fully CGI world (of Warcraft). It would make perfect sense. It's a computer game and the game itself in the cinematics they use plenty of CGI so why cant they make a Full 90 min CGI film.

I would definitely go see it. Why? Cause the music is beautiful, the visuals are astonishing, and well it's epic. That should be good enough.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Are the 3 A-list Directors Starting to lose their Touch?


This very confrontational idea came to me while watching a video of those great guys over at The Movie Blog.

The Idea is simply this, Are the 3 big name directors (Tarantino, Lucas, Spielberg) losing their love for directing films. Lucas and Tarantino for the most part seem to do nothing but put there name on a movie and they get most of the fame and money from the success of the film. Since I am a student of film making I don't see the logic in this.

If you grow up and always wanted to direct films, then why stop!? I can understand Lucas stopping since he has the multi-million dollar Lucasfilm, Skywalker Sound, THX. And the continued support from the Star Wars Re-released DVDs.

Tarantino's movie career has spread far and wide. However, his recent release could use some toning up (Grindhouse). And now his next film to which he has nothing to do with (hell Ride) kind of gets me somewhere between my nut sack and my colon. I would understand if your financing the film but I still don't get why he doesn't just make it himself instead of having someone else do it for you and just slapping your name on it for publicity sake.

Spielberg I really have no problem with, he never did anything like those other two mentioned earlier. He directed every movie that had his name on it. This I respect about the man (even if some of his movies weren't my favorite).

Now I'm not saying that I won't watch any of their movies anymore, I'm just saying that I've lost a lot of respect or them as directors.

8:58 PM BY CHRIS GARCIA

Friday, August 15, 2008

Robert Downey Jr. Talks Iron Man 2

This Great announcement was given by IESB.net:

Fresh off an amazing, multi-layered comedic performance in TROPIC THUNDER, Robert Downey Jr. commented on Iron Man 2, saying that his goals for the movie included not following the superhero formula.

“Our goals are more of the same. The idea that he said he’s Iron Man in part 1…it’s one thing to say it, and it’s another thing to actually evolve to the point where you can live in a heroic fashion. You know, they say, ‘The superhero movie always needs to follow…’ and I said who is that guy? Get him out of here! We want to do what worked for us last time, in a way that evolves. We’re talking about a guy who is put in an extraordinary circumstance, and the people that are around him, and how that creates a sense of family, and how that disrupts whatever forces that we have to say that are working [in his life]. I like the idea of an Iron Man 2 that you’re able to understand various points of view. You’re able to touch on some subjects that are a lot more far reaching, while still grounding it in entertainment.”

What I great idea Downey Jr.! A story about people shrouded in familiarity. The idea of a superhero movie that involves more than just the main character is in my eyes a brilliant idea. When it comes to Downey Jr. He has made some really great films in the past half year (A Scanner Darkly,Charlie Bratlett, Iron Man, and Tropic Thunder) And because of these latest money making flicks he has great potential for other great roles. Such as his upcoming Sherlock Holmes film.

Bale's Alleged Assualt Charge Gone!

This News is brought to you all from the Fine Gentleman over at CNN:

Batman star Christian Bale will not face charges relating to an alleged assault last month on his mother and sister, prosecutors said Thursday, suggesting their decision was based in part on the family members’ wishes. Christian Bale’s mother accused him of assault the night before the London premiere of “Dark Knight.”
Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service said there was insufficient evidence to afford a “realistic prospect of conviction,” and ordered police not to take any further action.
The service said in a statement that while it “treats all incidents which take place in a domestic context seriously, it is important that the views of complainants are also taken into account when making decisions in such cases.”

These Allegations in my eyes was complete bullshit. Christian Bale doesn't seem like that kind of person to me. But than again From the show Day Break "Anyone is capable of anything". What I think happened is Some dude saw him yelling something at one of his family members (Dude, Everyone yells at a family member. I do all the time, it's just what families do.) and he took it way out of context and told some reporter, who then reported it to someone else and than came the police.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

New Prince of Persia Pics

These pictures are from those guys over at Cinematical.


There is a closer picture but I thought It would be better to show you all the wardrobe of the New Prince of Persia. However, Jake does look like the prince from the Second Game. Not the first one! The first game he was clean shaven with nothing but a small goatee.
I bring up the wardrobe because it looks close to the character at the end of the first game. But they seem to be getting the time lines of the games mixed up when it comes to the looks of the wardrobe and the landscape. Now this has nothing to do with my opinion about if the film will flop or not but with what I'm seeing now I'm not so sure that the people who are huge fans of the games will be happy. But me as a movie fan will go see it and hopefully won't be disappointed by it.

Monday, August 11, 2008

I Thought I should give you all a list of Trailers for upcoming movies, seeing as how I haven't posted anything in a while. I set them up as the ones I want to see the most to the least (Well I'm still gonna see them all anyways but you get the idea) And Here you go:

1) Yes Man

And just when I thought that Jim Carrey stopped making those kind of Comedies. He goes ahead and smacks me in the face with a load YES MAN!!! This Movie, just by watching the trailer looks promising.

2) Valkyrie

All I know is that it's based off of the plans to Assassinate Hitler, and that Tom Cruise Is played a guy with an eye patch, enough said. Plus my friend Jackie will more then likely have mixed feelings about this one.

Kudos My friend for taking an interest in that time period.

3) Punisher: War Zone

I for One, liked the one with Tomas Jayne a whole hell of a lot better then this new guy. but that's probably cause I liked the way He played the character. But this one looks to be a lot more violent that the one better it. Thought the gruesome scene did look a bit cartoony, as does the villain who you will see in the trailer. But you need to remember it is based off of a comic book, and comics do seem to portray way more blood and brain matter then usual so I think they can get away with that.

but Don't get your hopes up about it. Apparently Tomas Jayne was training for month for this movie than when He found out that it was inevitably going to suck he left. Then during the editing stage the director got fired. So it's probably going to flop.

4) Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

This Movie I wasn't expecting anything amazing, but this trailer blow me away. I didn't really pay attention to the other movies nor did I bother to read after the second book, But I'm starting to think I should. Because just by watching each movie, and they get progressively darker and darker and the fan base keeps maturing along with the stories is a brilliant setup.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

3 mirror Posters up!

Those guys of at MovieWeb Brought us these three International Posters.

Now I've been a fan of Kiefer Sutherland sense before 24 ever started. I of course am not a big fan of Korean Horror Remakes. The Grudge was one of those rare one's were the original was to cheesy to take seriously. And the Unrated Directors Cut was Freakin' Awesome!

Though it's been a while since I've seen a good Korean Horror Remake that looks really interesting. To watch the trailer click here. It looks as though they placed the scares in the right places, and the gruesome scenes are good enough to make you flinch and look away.

All-in-all I'd have to say that finally they made a good Korean Horror Remake movie that doesn't come off as a rip off.

Why Does No One Tell The Story of Skeletor? Cause He-Mans A Stupid Character Anyway!

To be honest, I always liked He-Man even the one back when I was little, In Fact, that’s the one that I remember as being the best. And it got me thinking, why do people always like “The Good Guys” the guys who think that doing the right thing is the best way. Why do they never like telling the story of the bad guys.


Why has no one told this story? This story has the potential to be SO much more dark, and be told to a more mature and intellectual audience. Why do they have to have such an Amoral value to them. I mean he has got to be on the A list of original villains, along with others likes Shredder and Darth Vader, but one wants to touch this kid friendly franchise and turn it into something with such a grand scheme it rival’s that of 300 on a Epic Scale.

But, No one dares touch it. This I will never understand. Oh sure, they are coming out with an all new CGI He-Man but in the long run it will inevitably flop. Why you ask!? Well let me explain,

1) If it isn’t executed right then everyone will hate it.

2) If it’s to kid-friendly, no adult will EVER want to go see that! Not to mention that kid shows are getting more and more retarded.

3) The concept of them making a new one is absurd in my mind, It’s to late to get kids interested in an old TV character.

4) I’m getting really sick and tired of the whole “Kiddy mind manipulation” they pull in kids shows these days, you know what I’m talking about, He’s a nerdy kid who suddenly has the power of Greyskull, and he turns into this giant muscle bound hero. Please, I grew out of the bullshit “Kiddy Propaganda” when I was 7.

To me, Skeletor has always been a more interesting character then He-Man. He-Man is nothing more then your average Muscle hero who always seems to win over every obstacle that gets thrown his way. I really HATE that! I always wanted to know how Skeletor came to be the way he is, and why he does what he does. And I know that there has to be some back story as to why he hates He-Man so much, And I know a lot of you are going to say “It’s because Skeletor is evil, and He-Man has to stop his evil ways etc etc!” Well, you know what!? Some of us don’t buy that “Saturday Morning Bullshit!”

You want to know what I think happened. What if He-Man and Skeletor were once friends, and then one day He-Man up and decides that (younger, not bony) Skeletor is getting to powerful for his own good and betrays Young Skeletor in the midst of battle and leaves him for dead. But he survives and seeks revenge for his brethrens betrayal. Of course, He-Man being the arrogant, and cocky bastard that he is, denies it and continues to try and silence Skeletor from revealing the truth.

AH-HA!! GREAT IDEA YOU SAY!? I SHOULD WRITE A SCRIPT YOU SAY!? OH, HOW IRONIC! I AM!!!!!

Please tell me what you think they should do to the He-Man Franchise, Continue it or dismiss it?

Friday, August 1, 2008



When Hugh Jackman surprised everyone at Comic Con, to show his new movie "Wolverine: Origins" It got me thinking that.

If Mr. Jackman didn't show up at Comic Con, then the movie would continue to get negative reviews and bad Press. But thanks to his honorable devotion to the character of wolverine and to the movie, he showed up not only to promote the movie but to show it the fans who have been dying to see and actually good adaptation to the Wolverine Franchise.

Now because he did this, EVERYONE is going to go see this movie. I know I am. Of course, this movie could end up being a whole hunch of shit, but I think that Hugh Jackman wouldn't sign onto a movie this would suck, Especially with this character that he grow to love to play.

All-in-all I hope this movie ends being good cause the trailer looks awesome.