Vote Obama, Oscar winning Director Ron Howard is...



p.s. HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Go watch a horror film!

It looks good but it also looks like a joke. It seems like a modern day version of every other movie he's done. there is a ruckus in the town and he takes care of it while taking names. Plus he's sooo old. But hey, "I guess they're right. Senior citizens, although slow and dangerous behind the wheel, can still serve a purpose".... and that purpose is to kick ass!

I was lucky and got to see an early screening of Kevin Smiths new film Zack and Miri Make A Porno. "Lifelong platonic friends Zack and Miri look to solve their respective cash-flow problems by making an adult film together. As the cameras roll, however, the duo begin to sense that they may have more feelings for each other than they previously thought." That is the description according to IMDB - a description I feel is pretty accurate but it should tack on - "With Hilariousness!" Was the film a revolutionary new comedy - no. But did it serve its purpose - hell yes.

THE AWESOME

Let's just start out with some simple awesome things - Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Justin Long, Superman, and Craig Robinson (who steals the show I might add). The people cast for this film live up to what you would expect, and Seth Rogen, once again, knocks it out of the park. I just can't get enough of this slightly overweight, furry, Jew. He wins.
The film to me feels like a combination (and I hate to do this to films) of Knocked Up and Clerks 2. (This is also going to pop up in the not awesome category). Because of this, the movie has vulgar, offensive humor coming out of every orifice, literally, but also has a bit of heart which is nice every now and again. The "love story" isn't quite as played out as in Knocked Up, but it is there enough to give the film a little more soul. There isn't really much to say in terms of the awesome, which isn't a bad thing. The film delivers on everything you would expect from a Kevin Smith film - raunchy, sexy, dirty, funny, foul, offensive, etc. If you like his previous films, you'll surely like this one. If you like Seth Rogen, you'll like this one. Hell, if you like Judd Apatow, I'd venture to guess, you'd still like this one.
The key here is the dialogue, and it works its magic as much, if not more than some of Smith's last efforts.

THE NOT SO AWESOME

The movie looses steam in the 3rd act. The setup is great, the rise to the peak is great, but the 3rd act, complete with resolution, leaves you wanting just a bit more.
As I mentioned before, I hate to do film comparisons, but I did. I chose Knocked Up and Clerks 2 and then stated that it is also a problem. The problem is just that. The film is foul enough to remind me of Clerks 2, and emotional enough to remind me of Knocked Up. But if a film is reminding me of two other films and not being completely itself, it takes me out of the picture a bit. This isn't meant to be a harsh criticism, but with all the connections going on here (Kevin Smiths world tied together with Apatows crew) we get exactly what is expected a combination of a Kevin Smith film and a Judd Apatow film. I also thought the Jason Mewes and Jeff Anderson of ViewAskewniverse fame were a little bit on the lame side over all (Although it was nice to see Jay play someone other than a burnout). They both kinda felt a little like tacked on characters.

OVERALL

Overall I think the film delivered on everything I expected, maybe even a bit more. As a fan of Kevin Smiths previous work (ALMOST all of it actually - NO, NOT JERSEY GIRL) and a fan of pretty much everything Seth Rogen or anyone else from his crew touches - this film delivers both. My complaints are small, but large enough to make it not the best comedy I've seen over the past couple years. But it keeps it's pace and steps right up to join the ranks of recent comedy kings. Overall, I give this film a 7 out of 10.

Find the Underworld: Rise of the Lycans Trailer here on apple.com

or watch it here...

My Dads first car was a Gran Torino. My First Car was a Gran Torino. This is the first poster for the movie Gran Torino!
Found at usatoday

By the looks of it, Clint Eastwood will kill you.
Found at USA Today.

James Marsden is gold. Plus the rest of it is pretty funny too.

I have these sporadic spurts of becoming a moderate Star Trek enthusiast from time to time, and right now is one of them. This tends to happen when I've been hanging out a lot with my all time Star Trek enthusiast friend Jim Hysell. It also happens when I am at the theater watching a Star Trek movie. Its been known to happen when I am flipping through the channels and a Star Trek movie begins to play. It happens most when I'm watching an episode of Star Trek that has Q in it, played by John de Lancie. Man those are good episodes!
Anyway, see if these photo's do the same for you and get you hyped for all things Star Trek.

These photo's are exclusives for websites all around the net, but I found them posted on TheMovieBlog.

Avatar, James Cameron's upcoming 3D epic, is a film that is getting alot of buzz even though it is still a year off. The film is supposedly going to feature CGI characters that are perceived to be real humans. It will also be 3D. Let's just say the expectations are high and I really hope he pulls this off so that my eyes can melt out of their sockets when I watch it's glorious-ness.

Recently, the director appeared on CBC's program The Hour and gave some info about his past career as well as a few insights into the world of Avatar. If you are as pumped as I am, you will want to see this clip.

I have been compiling a list of some of the slightly older and more recent news about George Lucas and the the Indy business. After the disaster that was the last film (I still like it for what it was, but it IN NO WAY compares to the other films), I knew they would be making more when it made a bumload of money. Here is some info that has developed over the past couple months.

First, back in June after the film was released was quoted saying in the New York Times about Indiana Jones 4,

“I mean, why do we have to make another Indiana Jones? There was no point to it, other than, gee, this might be fun.”

Basically admitting that the film was pointless to make was a HUGE mistake on Lucas' part and let the fans know that maybe his dedication wasn't all that huge. (And maybe his sausage fingers just wanted more money).

Then, about a month later, Lucas was talking again, this time to the Times Online. He said a few more shoddy comments about Indy 4 and the possibilities of an Indy 5.

“If I can come up with another idea that they like, we’ll do another. Really, with the last one, Steven wasn’t that enthusiastic. I was trying to persuade him. But now Steve is more amenable to doing another one. Yet we still have the issues about the direction we’d like to take. I’m in the future; Steven’s in the past. He’s trying to drag it back to the way they were, I’m trying to push it to a whole different place. So, still we have a sort of tension. This recent one came out of that. It’s kind of a hybrid of our own two ideas, so we’ll see where we are able to take the next one.”

“Indiana Jones only becomes complicated when you have another two people saying ‘I want it this way’ and ‘I want it that way’, whereas, when I first did Jones, I just said, ‘We’ll do it this way’ — and that was much easier. But now I have to accommodate everybody, because they are all big, successful guys, too, so it’s a little hard on a practical level.”

Seriously, what is this dudes problem? The movie made a shitload of money, and he is still talking about how he and Spielberg didn't get along. I mean sure, the movie wasn't that great, but it worked (at least in his money hungry eyes) so why talk down the film and then blame it on someone else?

And now, Harrison Ford is speaking up about the possible Indy 5 and offering his points of view (which make sense, but in my opinion seem kinda like he's been smoking too much weed and dropping LSD with hippies).

Harrison Ford said Friday that momentum is building for a fifth movie in the "Indiana Jones" franchise and that George Lucas is already cooking up a suitable plot for a heroic senior citizen with a penchant for whips and fedoras.

"It's crazy but great," the 66-year-old Ford said. "George is in think mode right now."

"It's automatic, really, we did well with the last one and with that having done well and been a positive experience, it's not surprising that some people want to do it again," Ford said.

When asked if this was more of a Lucas of Spielbergian idea to bring the franchise back one more time, he gave this crazy response,

"Really, it comes from the ethos, from the ether. It's natural. It's a way of nature, of course, success breed opportunities ... also we don't stay as closely in contact as have in the last year, that's part of it."

I give up. And I fear for the worst. I get the feeling Spielberg will get sick of dealing with Lucas' terrible ideas and hand off the project - then Lucas will poop on it - then Ford will go along for the ride because he doesn't want to see the character go to anyone else. What will we be left with? Another Lucas "masterpiece". I guess all we can really hope for is that it isn't done in that animated Clone Wars style. Woof.

Thoughts?

[Edit]
Derek 8-Track here,
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was NOT a disaster.
It ruled... minus the extremely lame CGI.

Guillermo del Toro recently spoke up about two of his upcoming projects that I am pumped for, The Hobbit and Frankenstein. Here is what he said at the Director's Guild of America in midtown Manhattan as part of The New Yorker Festival series of talks. (Or some of the best parts)

"Essentially, Smaug represents so many things: greed, pride ... he's 'the Magnificent,' after all. The way his shadow is cast in the narrative you cannot then show it and have it be one thing, he has to be the embodiment of all those things. He's one of the few dragons that will have enormous scenes with lines. He has some of the most beautiful dialogues in those scenes! The design, I'm pretty sure that will be the last design we will sign off on, and the first design we have attempted. It is certainly a matter of turning every stone before figuring out what he looks like, because what he looks like will tell you what he is."

And as for Frankenstein, del Toro promises an adaptation that does not leave its director shirtless. "I'm not doing Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. I'm doing an adventure story that involves the creature. I cannot say much, but it's not the central creation story, I'm not worried about that. The fact is I've been dreaming of doing a Frankenstein movie since I was a child."

I am really pumped for his Hobbit because I really do think he is one of the best fantasy directors EVER, especially today. I also think he has an unbelievable talent for combining CGI with practical special effects and it produces some of the best results since Jurassic Park.

In any case, you can check out more of the article here if you choose.

There is a new Australia trailer out and it is simply AMAZING. I am so pumped for this film and really think it has a shot at winning some sort of Oscar come the awards. Cinematography? Maybe even, dare I say, Best Picture? I am pumped. It is films like this (and Titanic) that make it easy for dudes to enjoy love stories. It is over at MSN Video which means I can't embed it here. So go take a look until I find a decent youtube version.

[UPDATE]



It is better quality still over at MSN, but watch it here if you don't want to link it up.

TMZ is reporting that Shia LaBeouf has once again injured himself. Stitches were required below his eyebrow, after he sustained a cut from a prop on the set of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The actor supposedly went right back to work.


Let's hope this dudes luck improves in the near future or he might not make it until Transformers III.

(On a Transformers side note, we just recently got some information that at least 3 of Transformers big action sequences in IMAX. Get ready for your eyes to hurt).

And someone set up a hilarious Twitter blog as a fake Michale Bay. It's AWESOME. Check it out here.