Without a doubt the most highly anticipated movie of the summer. Obviously needs to go on the blog. Please note I did not read the book, so all comparisons can get wiped away so we can just review the movie. And maybe that's the problem with the entire series of movies. There is such a hype from the that the movies can in no way match.
But there is also a problem with some of the younger actors. Danial Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint strain through most of the movie to get their lines out. It is apparent that the three leads are tired of playing the same character and are looking to move on to bigger and brighter things. The only possible exception to the big three is Rupert Grint whose humor really helps the movie in the first half. However the movie doesn't seem to move onto anything in the second half.
A big theme through the first half of the movie is young love as the actors are supposed to be dealing with raging harmones. And the movie does supply that in spades, and maybe even too long as we are looking for a showdown the entire movie. But Ralph Fiennes as the dark lord makes a very brief apperance in the movie. He is insted replaced by a couple younger actors in Hero Fiennes and Frank Dillane who have not been lost in the series yet and give off a creepy performance as we see the beginnings of the evil one. Not only do they do well but all the adult actors are fantastic. Most notably Alan Rickman and Jim Broadbent who turn in fantastic performances.
The audience keeps waiting for the battle but it never seems to come. And they will have to wait another summer. This movie will no doubt have people talking, but its mostly them wanting more as you walk out of the theater feeling unsatisfied. Don't worry there is still 2 more movies from one more book. Still plenty of Harry on the big screen, sorry Danny.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Ryan Reynolds Scores the Green Lantern Role
Ryan Reynolds is one of my favorite actors. And The Lantern Corps is my favorite comic group. I'm so jazzed
Ryan Reynolds Scores the Green Lantern Role
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Ryan Reynolds Scores the Green Lantern Role
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Monday, July 13, 2009
Entourage
So I try to keep this to movies. But how can i disregard the biggest movie star of all time. I am of course talking about Vinnie Chase. He has a new movie coming out soon under the direction of Marty Scorsese he will be in Gatsby. While I am excited that is not what this post will be about. This ones all about the new season and I couldn't be more excited to have my sunday night program back. And while we all remember the disaster that was Season 4 due to Billy Walsh, this season looks to be headed in a solid direction.
First some comments: Sloan is bangin- God damn; Turtle has lost a whole lot of weight: good for him.
Not a whole lot happened as to drive the plot yet I was so satisfied with the show. There was a lot of playful banter with all the characters. Some great lines from Drama as per usual including:
E: He passed you for premiere tickets?
Drama: Why? Cheryl Walters let me go in the back door for Young Guns 3 tickets.
Turtle: Disgusting.
And
It's all the girls he's been getting. Pussy can smell other pussy and they have to pounce on it. That's why when you're on a hot streak you gotta press it like blackjack.
We also get to see come great character development. All the boys are growing up, and in this episode you see it exemplified better than any other episode. Each main character had some solid screen time. It was a great balance of growth and a nostalgic throwback to the carefree lifestyle of the earlier seasons. I'm pumped.
First some comments: Sloan is bangin- God damn; Turtle has lost a whole lot of weight: good for him.
Not a whole lot happened as to drive the plot yet I was so satisfied with the show. There was a lot of playful banter with all the characters. Some great lines from Drama as per usual including:
E: He passed you for premiere tickets?
Drama: Why? Cheryl Walters let me go in the back door for Young Guns 3 tickets.
Turtle: Disgusting.
And
It's all the girls he's been getting. Pussy can smell other pussy and they have to pounce on it. That's why when you're on a hot streak you gotta press it like blackjack.
We also get to see come great character development. All the boys are growing up, and in this episode you see it exemplified better than any other episode. Each main character had some solid screen time. It was a great balance of growth and a nostalgic throwback to the carefree lifestyle of the earlier seasons. I'm pumped.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Public Enemies
There was a lot of high expectations for this movie. You'd think that with Johnny Depp and Christian Bale that it would be an automatic hit. It may have been that, or it may have been the long(ish) run time but this movie just didn't have the gusto you'd expect.
The first point of contention is the camera work. As Micheal Mann may have pissed off someone in the union this may be forgivable by some people as he seems to do it a lot. But it seemed that a lot of the movie was shot without the benefit of a tripod. This provided a lot of shakey camera work and moves back and fourth that can also be seen in any beginners college news package. He tends to do this in a lot of his movies. But I just prefer a more slick look and don't need the camera to be jarring to get the point that there is action going on
Think Johnny Depp is a hunk? Well if you love staring into his eyes then this movie may give you a better chance then any other. As Mann also tends to have a lot of close ups with the actors faces. Bale also tries out a new southern accent in this movie which is a welcomed change of bace from the Bruce Wayne accent he had in his last few movies (including Terminator: Salvation).
From what I can gather it seems like this movie is fairly accurate in the historical perspective from the perspective of both John Dillinger and FBI pursuer Melvin Purvis.
But there just doesn't seem to be a whole lot driving this movie, which is tough to do in a bio-pic if the substance isn't there. The climax seems to be going towards the capture of Dillinger but what the audience wants to see more of are his robberies and planning.
There are some quality points to this movie and you can definately do a lot worse then this movie, but this is not a must-see.
The first point of contention is the camera work. As Micheal Mann may have pissed off someone in the union this may be forgivable by some people as he seems to do it a lot. But it seemed that a lot of the movie was shot without the benefit of a tripod. This provided a lot of shakey camera work and moves back and fourth that can also be seen in any beginners college news package. He tends to do this in a lot of his movies. But I just prefer a more slick look and don't need the camera to be jarring to get the point that there is action going on
Think Johnny Depp is a hunk? Well if you love staring into his eyes then this movie may give you a better chance then any other. As Mann also tends to have a lot of close ups with the actors faces. Bale also tries out a new southern accent in this movie which is a welcomed change of bace from the Bruce Wayne accent he had in his last few movies (including Terminator: Salvation).
From what I can gather it seems like this movie is fairly accurate in the historical perspective from the perspective of both John Dillinger and FBI pursuer Melvin Purvis.
But there just doesn't seem to be a whole lot driving this movie, which is tough to do in a bio-pic if the substance isn't there. The climax seems to be going towards the capture of Dillinger but what the audience wants to see more of are his robberies and planning.
There are some quality points to this movie and you can definately do a lot worse then this movie, but this is not a must-see.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
How long can you make one explosion last? Well Micheal Bay can apparently make one last a little less than 3 hours. It is indeed an impressive feat that a studio will allow any director to create a summer blockbuster longer than 2 hours, but i guess Micheal was just too attached to all of them to let any go. It seems that Optimus Prime spends more time in the sand than Tom Hanks does in Saving Private Ryan, but there doesn't seem to be any need for a lot of it.
Many of the sequences in the movie really don't need to be there and would benefit greatly from a little more work from the editor.
While I joke that Bay does use a lot of special effects he has clearly mastered the skill. All of the fight sequences and chase sequences in the movie are well done and awesome to look at. But there are only so many different things you can do with these impressive skills.
As long as you go into the theater and go in there expecting a lot of visual excitement and a few cheap laughs than you'll be able to enjoy the movie. And its not just the explosions that are visually exciting. Bay knows what he has with Megan Fox and takes the camera away from the dialogue so the audience can see Fox taking off her clothes. Clearly the right priorities, none of the men in the audience will complain as they will also be privy to a lot of slow motion running for Fox.
The plot of the movie for anyone who is interested (which you shouldn't be) is basically that some of the cube from the last movie survived and in order to revive their old leader they are going to need it. They then need to find more of the power which is again hidden somewhere on earth and once again Shia LeBouf is the key to finding the energy source.
It's an enjoyable movie and perfect for the summer movie audience just make sure you have some time on your hand.
Many of the sequences in the movie really don't need to be there and would benefit greatly from a little more work from the editor.
While I joke that Bay does use a lot of special effects he has clearly mastered the skill. All of the fight sequences and chase sequences in the movie are well done and awesome to look at. But there are only so many different things you can do with these impressive skills.
As long as you go into the theater and go in there expecting a lot of visual excitement and a few cheap laughs than you'll be able to enjoy the movie. And its not just the explosions that are visually exciting. Bay knows what he has with Megan Fox and takes the camera away from the dialogue so the audience can see Fox taking off her clothes. Clearly the right priorities, none of the men in the audience will complain as they will also be privy to a lot of slow motion running for Fox.
The plot of the movie for anyone who is interested (which you shouldn't be) is basically that some of the cube from the last movie survived and in order to revive their old leader they are going to need it. They then need to find more of the power which is again hidden somewhere on earth and once again Shia LeBouf is the key to finding the energy source.
It's an enjoyable movie and perfect for the summer movie audience just make sure you have some time on your hand.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Up/The Hangover
So me and the boys did a double movie showing and saw 2 movies this afternoon. We'll start with the first one.
Up
This is a great family film. Pixar does it again and proves how this studio can get away with making one movie a year. A very touching story featuring a widower and a young boy and moving on. Its very easy to tear up at many of the emotional moments in the movie. The movie moves well and there is hardly a wasted frame. The first 10 minutes, which lays out the emotional back story, is sure to pull you in as a viewer. Ed Asner does a fantastic job voicing the lead to this movie, Carl Fredricksen. It is sure to rake up big numbers in the box office and we will no doubt be hearing from this movie later as it is sure to be yet another movie nominated for best animated picture.
The Hangover
Quite a different movie than "Up" this movie was curtailed to my age demographic and hit the nail on the head. There is little doubt as to why this movie destroyed Land of the Lost in the box office. The ensamble cast of Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis pulls the movie together. Galifianakis ttakes away many of the laughs with his slapstick style and one liners. Cooper maintains his type-cast role as kind of a d-bag; yet this is one of the first roles where he is able to play a protagonist and its nice to be able to root for him. Ed Helms does a fantastic job being neurotic. Each actor feeds off each other, and make the movie work. Any frat boy can relate to this movie as they try to piece together the night and figure out why they are joined by a tiger, a chicken, and a baby and are down a groom. The jokes in the movie keep coming which is a tribute to the writing. The laughs come to the very end as a picture slideshow caps off the movie. For a some good belly laughs you will want to check out this surprise success
Up
This is a great family film. Pixar does it again and proves how this studio can get away with making one movie a year. A very touching story featuring a widower and a young boy and moving on. Its very easy to tear up at many of the emotional moments in the movie. The movie moves well and there is hardly a wasted frame. The first 10 minutes, which lays out the emotional back story, is sure to pull you in as a viewer. Ed Asner does a fantastic job voicing the lead to this movie, Carl Fredricksen. It is sure to rake up big numbers in the box office and we will no doubt be hearing from this movie later as it is sure to be yet another movie nominated for best animated picture.
The Hangover
Quite a different movie than "Up" this movie was curtailed to my age demographic and hit the nail on the head. There is little doubt as to why this movie destroyed Land of the Lost in the box office. The ensamble cast of Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis pulls the movie together. Galifianakis ttakes away many of the laughs with his slapstick style and one liners. Cooper maintains his type-cast role as kind of a d-bag; yet this is one of the first roles where he is able to play a protagonist and its nice to be able to root for him. Ed Helms does a fantastic job being neurotic. Each actor feeds off each other, and make the movie work. Any frat boy can relate to this movie as they try to piece together the night and figure out why they are joined by a tiger, a chicken, and a baby and are down a groom. The jokes in the movie keep coming which is a tribute to the writing. The laughs come to the very end as a picture slideshow caps off the movie. For a some good belly laughs you will want to check out this surprise success
Monday, June 1, 2009
Dave Matthews Band: Live from Beacon Theater/Conan's First Night.
The new Dave Matthews Band Album is coming out within minutes of this post. So to commemorate the occasion the band decided to put on a very intimate show at a small venue Holding about 2000 seats. For those who could not get in the people at FUSE and HULU decided to put the concert on for free. So that people like yours truly would get to watch the event.
The concert was a great success. The group is one of the best live performers out there currently I have been so lucky as to see them 6 times live and will be going for my 7th show this summer, but lets focus on this show.
The crowd was obviously into it the entire time and you could tell the band was feeding off that especially Carter Beauford on the drums. Dave was into it as well. He even got into a little dancing spree which he later revealed to the crowd that he threw his back out while doing. His interactions with the fans were great. Always making them laugh
But possibly the best moment took place while talking about the late LeRoi Moore. As he alluded to many times during the show this album was for him. The first track off the album is dedicated to him and Dave announced that the song "Why I am" is for LeRoi. Several chants of his name went off through out the whole show.
He led off with 'Funny the Way It is" which got the crowd into it and and then went onto 5 straight songs off the new album. The band was very excited about the new album. Infact Dave Matthews was quoted as saying if people will only listen to one of his albums he hopes its this one. I especially enjoyed Time Bomb and Alligator Pie.
They are much better live then they are on album so whether the album will be as good is yet to be seen.
All the fan favorites were well recieved including The Dreaming Tree, Everyday and Too Much. He wrapped up the first set with Two Step.
I would've loved to watch the encore but I felt compelled to watch Conan's first broadcast.
He opened up with a great montage of him running across the country from New York to Las Angeles.
His opening monalouge had him appear very greatful and included jokes about his new life in LA. And an exceptional joke about going to the Lakers. I'm excited to see what Conan can do with this time slot.
Thanks for reading. Stay Safe Out There
The concert was a great success. The group is one of the best live performers out there currently I have been so lucky as to see them 6 times live and will be going for my 7th show this summer, but lets focus on this show.
The crowd was obviously into it the entire time and you could tell the band was feeding off that especially Carter Beauford on the drums. Dave was into it as well. He even got into a little dancing spree which he later revealed to the crowd that he threw his back out while doing. His interactions with the fans were great. Always making them laugh
But possibly the best moment took place while talking about the late LeRoi Moore. As he alluded to many times during the show this album was for him. The first track off the album is dedicated to him and Dave announced that the song "Why I am" is for LeRoi. Several chants of his name went off through out the whole show.
He led off with 'Funny the Way It is" which got the crowd into it and and then went onto 5 straight songs off the new album. The band was very excited about the new album. Infact Dave Matthews was quoted as saying if people will only listen to one of his albums he hopes its this one. I especially enjoyed Time Bomb and Alligator Pie.
They are much better live then they are on album so whether the album will be as good is yet to be seen.
All the fan favorites were well recieved including The Dreaming Tree, Everyday and Too Much. He wrapped up the first set with Two Step.
I would've loved to watch the encore but I felt compelled to watch Conan's first broadcast.
He opened up with a great montage of him running across the country from New York to Las Angeles.
His opening monalouge had him appear very greatful and included jokes about his new life in LA. And an exceptional joke about going to the Lakers. I'm excited to see what Conan can do with this time slot.
Thanks for reading. Stay Safe Out There
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