Summer Action Movies

Posted on Apr 27, 2012 | 0 comments

Action Movies to Look Forward to This Summer

This summer should bring an exciting mix of action movies, from sequels and superhero flicks to fairytale and classic rewrites, there should be something for every film fan. So take a break from your college, job or fun online school classes to check out some of these much-anticipated summer action movies.

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Movies goers especially interested in the directing and producing process of films might want to develop their skills by completing an MFA Degree in Performing Arts, Studio Arts, or even Film Criticism. Also, check out the sources listed below for more news about upcoming hits.

Sources

IMDb (2012)

Flixter (2012)

Quill

Posted on Apr 20, 2012 | 0 comments

The Life of a Guide Dog

As a Labrador puppy, Quill is sent to live with a couple, Isamu and Mitsuko Nii, who train guide dogs (seeing eye dogs).

When he grows to an adult dog, Quill is taken to a guide dog school, by a friendly, yet firm trainer Satoru Tawada.

Although Quill is a little slower than the other dogs at the school, he seems to have an unusual ‘empathy’ and remarkable patience with his trainers. Tawade decides that Quill would be the ideal guide dog for Mitsuru Watanabe. A lonely and ill-tempered middle aged man, Watanbe isn’t as enthusiastic – he would “would rather sleep than be dragged around by a dog.”

From here, the story is narrated by Wanatabe’s daughter, Mitsuko, and slowly, Wantanbe is rehabilitated, venturing into the outside world, and learning, not only to trust other humans, but the animal at his side.

Men in Black 3

Posted on Apr 13, 2012 | 0 comments

It was only a matter of time, relatively speaking. What would a world full of aliens do without the likes of Agent J and Agent K to watch their scaly backs? Get ready for Men In Black 3.

The Men in Black franchise of Will Smith/Tommy Lee Jones is back in business, May 25, 2012. It’s been ten years since the dynamic duo strapped on their out-of-this-world weaponry and battled the so-called intelligent life-form Serleena (Lara Flynn-Boyle) hot black leather and all.  (Serleena, not Tommy Leee Jones)

In this reboot of the MIB team, Veteran MIB field agent Agent J learns that Agent K’s life and the fate of Earth are at stake. He must time-travel to 1969 to stop an alien criminal named Boris from assassinating K and changing the history of the planet, travelling back from the future to 1969 to team up with the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) to stop the alien, while apparently also facing a twenty four hour time limit before he will be trapped in the past forever.

I see Murphy’s Law all over this one.

All I can say is I am ready to see the Men in Suits hit the Big Apple and save the world from a life without Agent K.

Josh Brolin absolutely nails Agent K.

Total Recall – 2012

Posted on Apr 6, 2012 | 7 comments

Way back to 1990 when the former Governor of California was an occasionally pretty decent action hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger made a film named Total Recall.

This post is not about that film…mostly.

This is about a Hollywood slap-out of ideas and nothing better to do than rifle back through the catalog, shake the dust off an old script and see if a new movie falls out. It’s shake and bake movie making.

This is about the 2012 reboot of Total Recall with Colin Farrell reprising the Schwarzenegger role from the original. Watching the trailer I can gather that Farrell does a pretty first-rate job of rebooting Doug Quaid/Hauser. Farrell brings a certain savoirfaire to the role the Governator could never achieve.

But I have to ask you this… In what world could Kate “Beauty is such a burden” Beckinsale ever replace Sharon Stone? Surely a place does not exist.

Now, in the role of Melina, I liked the very under-rated b-role actress Rachel Ticotin who did a decent job in the original. She went on to do some very forgettable roles since including the hot prison guard in Nick Cage’s Con-Air. She was good but she’s no Jessica Biel. I expect Biehl, who rocks the action girl role, to really strut her A-game partnered with the action master, Colin Farrell.

I believe the original Total Call had one of the worst villain casting of all time with Ronny Cox in the role of Vilos Cohaagen. Cox was great as Captain Bogomil in Beverley Hills Cop but as a martian gangster, not so much. The flip side of that is the casting of Bryan Cranston, the chemistry teacher turned meth chemist in Breaking Bad, in the Cohaagen role. This oughta be something to see!

In the Kuato role, served up with a journeyman effort by Marshall Bell in the original, I’m interested to see what veteran British actor Bill Nighy can do with the part.

The original won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 1991. For the time it was all cutting edge stuff. The same gags in the 2012 remake is common Hollywood action now. What you can do with green-screen and a computer these days is amazing. We are almost at the point where they won’t even have to build anymore sets. Actors will soon be obsolete or at a minimum… redundant.

And then what will Beauty Beckinsale do for work? Barista? Bartender? Meter Maid? Spokesperson for Actresses of Hollywood Remakes, LLC? Only time will tell.

This looks like a definite big-screen watch but the cost of popcorn and gas to get there may keep me waiting for the Amazon Prime version for $3.99. It ain’t cheap being a big Hollywood film critic!

Safety Not Guaranteed

Posted on Mar 30, 2012 | 1 comment

Here’s one of those Indie films that crept up with little fanfare or Hollywood glitz. This movie has much promise among a slow set of indie offerings. The movie: Safety Not Guaranteed.

Here’s the essence of the film starring a small class of relatively obscure b-listers goes something like this:

An odd classified ad inspires three cynical Seattle magazine employees to chase the story behind it. In the process they meet the man behind the ad, a mysterious  oddball named Kenneth.

Kenneth is a likable but paranoid supermarket clerk, who believes he has solved the riddle of time travel and intends to depart again soon. Together, they embark on a hilarious, smart, and unexpectedly heartfelt journey that reveals how far believing can take you.

Between you and me I love everything about the core message in this film. It’s about faith and trust and believing the unbelievable. The funny thing about this film is…

It’s based on a real classified ad.

The newspaper advertisement originally appeared on The Copenhagen Post, a weekly newspaper providing Danish news in English. The image paired with the ad of the stone-faced man was not included in the original ad and his identity still remains unknown. The first “Safety Not Guaranteed” YTMND was created by axlbonbach on October 27th, 2005 and has over 1.2 million views as of January 2012.

About the only thing known about the “Time Traveller” is he doesn’t smile and he has a mullet.

It’s kind of cool that out of seemingly social media fraud, creative minds went to work and came up with a whimsical film with a cool story and great writing.

I take it as a very good sign the trailer coerced hairs on my arm to do the wave.

Opens in theaters – June 8, 2012

Official website for Safety Not Guaranteed.

Snow White & the Hunstman

Posted on Mar 23, 2012 | 1 comment

We’ve heard the story since we were children. However, this is not the old Queen/Witch with the rotten apple for the pretty Snow White tale. You won’t found those wimpy Disney dwarfs in this movie. These dwarfs have serious attitude and everyone comes together to deliver a fairy tale with balls.

This is Snow White and the Hunstman.

Hold on to your theater seats, the boys are back in town and Snow White isn’t going to lay down for anybody. The evil Queen is an evil bitch and Snow is going to go all medieval on her ass.

Kristin Stewart leaves the vampire world behind to slip into the role of Snow White. Charlize Theron shines in a purely evil performance as Queen Ravenna. Thor’s Chris Hemsworth steps in as Eric, The Hunstman and together the trio explode on the silver screen in a wonderment of action and magic.

Snow White opens on June 1st.

(Did I mention the Queen was really evil?)