[Trailer] MISSION IMPOSSIBLE GHOST PROTOCOL

The Mission Impossible series got a bit of boost after a stronger 3rd entry, the less that’s said about the over stylized super slow-mo second film the better. This fourth entry feels more like the original Brian De Palma film.

Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg are joined by series new comers Josh Hollaway and Jeremy Renner who’s rumored to be prepped to take over the franchise from Cruise.

This first teaser trailer looks like good old fashion spy fun with Brad Bird at the helm, I always felt he gave The Incredibles a very 70’s era Bond feel, I’m kind of optimistic.

TV SHOW REVIEW: PARTY DOWN: SEASON 1 and 2 DVD

Synopsis: A group of actors move to LA to make it big, but end up working as caterers.

Cast: Adam Scott, Ken Marino, Ryan Hansen, Martin Starr, Lizzy Caplan, Megan Mullally, Jane Lynch

REVIEW:

Party Down is the type of show that leaves you wondering why it didn’t get a long run than it did. Sadly there are only 20 episodes of this hidden gem that showcases some excellent comedic talents from people who’ve moved on to bigger things. First and foremost you can’t walk away from this series without a new found appreciation of Adam Scott, presently working on the excellent Parks and Recreation. Scott’s is perfect straight man to cast of misfits. His reaction and delivery is just spot on throughout the series. Lizzy Caplan also shines as his primary love interest. Caplan just captures the Gen X sensibility so well I’m almost positive it’s not an act. She and Scott have great chemistry together and while the “will they won’t” isn’t anything new to sitcoms it’s never really a hindrance here. Ken Marino gets to stretch his comedic legs a bit as his character undergoes the biggest changes throughout the series. Ryan Hansen and Martin Starr are both solid as secondary characters which each getting moments to shine through. Jane Lynch is gold in her limited run, before Glee came a calling. Jennifer Coolidge replaces her for a short run, probably a good thing as her character could have gotten grating, and then Megan Mullaly takes over the better part of the 2nd season. Mullaly takes a little while to settle in but she fits right in by the second half of the season. The 2nd season does experience a bit of a rocky start, mainly because some of the dynamics have changed from the 1st along with new characters coming in. Its take while for them to hit their stride but they do with hilarious results. By the end of the 20th episode you’ll be forgiven to feel a bit disappointed that it’s over but it’ll be quickly replaced by a desire to watch the whole thing again.

B

[Trailer] Immortals

New trailer is out for this film, which is quickly going up my list of must sees. My love for Greek Mythology has been kind of slapped around by recent Hollywood films (Clash of the Titans Remake, Troy, etc…)

This looks like it’s taking the proper approach when dealing with the subject matter. It’s also one of those films I don’t have any issue with the overly stylized visual since it’s perfectly fine with the Gods and mythos.

Trailer shows off a lot more of the Gods in play and overall look of the film.

MOVIE REVIEW: BAD TEACHER

BAD TEACHER



A booze-swilling, pot-smoking, hard-swearing seventh-grade teacher rallies to get out of the classroom for good by wrangling a rich substitute teacher into marriage in this comedy from director Jake Kasdan (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story). Cynical teacher Elizabeth (Cameron Diaz) hates her job. She can't wait for the day she finds a man who makes enough cash to let her walk away from her life of middle-school misery, and when her fiancé cancels their wedding plans, her frantic search intensifies. Just when it starts to look like Elizabeth will have to muscle her way through another semester of skull-crushing hangovers, however, handsome substitute Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake) shows up at school sporting a fancy wristwatch and the promise of a care-free future. But in order to earn her meal ticket, Elizabeth will have to out-cute perky fellow teacher Amy (Lucy Punch). And it won't be easy, because Scott is crushing on Amy hard. Now, if Elizabeth can just motivate her students to study so that she can win a state contest to earn enough cash for some new breast implants, perhaps she can finally find a means of diverting Scott's gaze. Meanwhile, much to Elizabeth's chagrin, wisecracking, self-effacing gym teacher Russell (Jason Segel) refuses to admit defeat despite being turned down for a date by his gold-digging colleague time and again. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Jake Kasdan

Cast: Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Jason Segel, Lucy Punch, John Michael Higgins

Release Date: Jun 24, 2011

Rated R for some drug use, nudity, sexual content and language

Genres: Comedy

Review:

Bad Teacher is supposed to be crass, rude and outlandish. While it’s hardly kid friendly the biggest shock is how incredibly unfunny the entire way through. Cameron Diaz is game throughout so it’s hard to lay the blame on her. She plays the superficial gold digging teacher with great gusto but she’s limited by a script that’s peppered with cartoon characters. A prime example of this is Lucy Punch’s character whose like so sort of freakazoid valleygirl which supposed to serve as a foil to Diaz. It never works and it provides some of the biggest dead spots in the film, it doesn’t help that Punch looks like some sort of Lady Gaga mannequin come to life. Justin Timberlake is handicapped in similar fashion. Jason Segel is the only supporting player that allowed to shine. Various others talented comedians pepper the film but it almost feels like window shopping since their never allowed to actually be funny. Jake Kasdan directs it all with incredibly broad strokes and he never finds a good rhythm for it. As a result the movie feels like it goes on forever, aimlessly without any narrative force and even worse no laughs.

D

[Trailer] Captain America: The First Avenger

New more action packed trailer has come out and it appears this film maybe decent but I still have serious reservations.

I’ve been wrong about Thor and X-Men First Class so far but those at least had excellent directors at the helm, personally I don’t have much faith in Joe Johnston.

Still it looks like it can be a fun period comic book piece.

Screen Captures, Scene & promo from the Failed Wonder Woman pilot

Well it’s been a little over a month since NBC passed on David E Kelly’s Wonder Woman pilot.

Personally I can’t remember an unshot and ultimately unaired pilot get so much attention, mostly bad.

It’s a strange thing to say the least. I had a hefty dose of interest because I grew up with Lynda Carter series.

With the pilot’s failure it’s unlikely any studio is going to touch the property for a long long while, it’d already taken over 10 years to get a pilot actually shot and countless writers and scripts.

A crafty online blogger from Ifanboy.com got his hands on the pilot and reviewed it ( http://www.ifanboy.com/content/articles/REVIEW__Wonder_Woman_Pilot ) pointing out some big differences from the script that was online before shooting started and brought on a lot of the negative criticism.

In addition he took a handful of screen captures showing off Adrianne Palicki in a much more traditional WW outfit which is a lot closer to the Lynda Carter original.

It’s a post mortem but still interesting to see for anyone who had interest in it in the first place, it’s a shame because both Adrianne Palicki and Wonder Woman deserved better…









Super quick promo....

Quick pre effects fight scene from the pilot.... Credits from pilot...

[International Trailer] RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

A new International trailer for Rise of the Planets of Apes is out and I’m kind of biased but I think it looks amazing.

It shows a lot more story than the US trailer. I’m getting a good vibe about this prequel and hope it doesn’t let me down.

[Trailer] A Dangerous Method

David Cronenberg directs Michael Fassbender, Viggo Mortensen & Keira Knightley in a story of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and a woman that came between them.

This trailer is incredibly impressive and is totally something that right up my alley, personally I can’t wait!

MOVIE REVIEW: GREEN LANTERN

IN THEATERS

GREEN LANTERN



A test pilot embraces his destiny as a cosmic superhero in Casino Ropyale director Martin Campbell's adaptation of the popular DC Comics series. Ever since he saw his fearless father perish in a tragic aviation mishap, all Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) could think about was flying -- it was the only thing the brash, cocky, and irresponsible test pilot ever truly excelled at. Little did he realize he was destined for something much bigger. Somewhere out in space, a powerful force of evil known as Parallax is spreading fear and destruction; the only hope for defeating Parallax is the Green Lantern Corps, a group of intergalactic warriors powered by the force of will. When legendary Green Lantern Abin Sur (Temuera Morrison) is sent hurtling toward planet Earth after a deadly encounter with Parallax, his ring chooses Hal to continue the fight. The ring spirits our hero away to the Green Lantern’s home planet of Oa for training. The first human ever to receive the honor of becoming a Green Lantern, Hal is viewed with scorn by the league’s leader, Sinestro (Mark Strong), who trains him alongside the hulking Kilowog (voice of Michael Clarke Duncan). Later, on planet Earth, frail scientist Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard) becomes infected with Parallax’s evil while performing an autopsy on Abin Sur, and uses his newfound powers to stake claim on Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), Hal’s lifelong friend and fellow test pilot. When Hal learns that Parallax plans to consume all life on Earth to gain the energy needed to conquer Oa, he begins looking inward for the courage to defeat the malevolent force and embrace his destiny as a super-powered peacekeeper. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Martin Campbell

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Tim Robbins, Jay O. Sanders

Release Date: Jun 17, 2011

Rated Pg-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence

Runtime: 1 hr. 45 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure

Review:

Green Lantern is a film that feels bloated from the start. A fool’s errand gone wild, the budget was reported to have ballooned to 300 million dollars +, like blob like the primary villain in the film. Martin Campbell tries his best to steer the ship in an enjoy fashion but is left with just the most basic of comic book movie tropes and clichés. As a result, everything feels incredibly familiar and unexciting. It’s an inert film that rarely thrills or excites. Ryan Reynolds tries his best to give life to a character that’s so poorly written that he’s an enigma throughout. Reynolds does deliver his usual charm and wit when the script allows him to actually breathe which is incredibly rare. He never gets a good footing and the character kind of just movies along because he has to but not out of a natural sense of evolution. Blake Lively carries all the emotional weight of an invisible barbell. Her lines are delivered in the same wooden fashion throughout, not that there’s much she could do with a terribly underwritten and archaic female character. Peter Sarsgaard fairs no better as he’s handed an incredibly underwhelming role which serves no purpose in the long run other than run a tired dual daddy issues subplot into the ground. Mark Strong’s Sinestro is far and away the most fascinating and intriguing character, sadly he’s in the film for a criminally shortly amount of time. Tim Robbins and Angela Bassett suffer through some of the most embarrassing paycheck roles in recent memory. Their casting is a perfect example of how mishandled the entire enterprise is. The film stumbles and drags as it reaches its climax which feels more like an afterthought. Green Lantern works best when it’s in space, the FX are impressive and the characters there are far more interesting than their human counterparts, sadly most of the film takes place on generic comic book Earth.

D+

Bluray quality; Video is surprisingly poor for a film this new; Sound is excellent but hardly makes up for the poor qualities of the visuals.

I was hand-selected to be a member of Blu-ray Elite, a beta program from Warner Home Video which has graciously sent me this free Blu-ray disc.

[Trailer] Moneyball

From this new trailer Moneyball looks like an interesting film that might draw in some sports fans like myself especially with Pitt all in as Billy Beane and Jonah Hill giving a more serious role a shot.

Sports fans know how this plays out but the performances might be worth the price of admission.

MOVIE REVIEW: SUPER 8

IN THEATERS

SUPER 8



Writer/director J.J. Abrams teams with producer Steven Spielberg for this period sci-fi thriller set in the late '70s, and centering on a mysterious train crash in a small Ohio town. Summer, 1979: a group of young friends are filming a Super-8 movie when a pickup truck derails a speeding train. When the locals start to disappear and even the inquisitive deputy can't come up with answers, suspicions emerge that the incident was anything but an accident. As the truth finally begins emerge, no one is prepared to learn what now stalks the unsuspecting citizens of this once quiet community. Kyle Chandler and Elle Fanning star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: J.J. Abrams

Cast: Kyle Chandler, Elle Fanning, Noah Emmerich, Ron Eldard, Katie Lowes

Release Date: Jun 10, 2011

Rated PG-13 Intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language and some nudity

Runtime: 1 hr. 52 min.

Genres: Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Review:

Super 8 is an ambitious homage that tries incredibly hard to pay respects to Steven Spielberg’s 80’s films like ET and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. J.J. Abrams never reaches those levels, instead delivering a hodgepodge of clichés that lacks any real thrills. Abrams borrows from a variety of sources with ET and The Goonies being the most obvious. Thematically he set his film up nicely and the child actors used are all impressive with Elle Fanning delivering an impressive performance. The main issue that permeates this film is a sense of pandering to the children of the 80’s. Yes the nostalgia is nice but if you are going to try and emulate the films from that era at least give the audience something new and fresh. Abrams, along with his trademark lens flare, directs the film with impressive gusto and keeps a steady pace throughout. Once the trip down memory lane ends, Abrams takes up down another familiar road with a Cloverfield, which Abrams produced, type second half which is watchable but lacks the thrills you’d expect. The creature itself, which is hidden for the better part of the film, even looks like the Cloverfield monster to a certain extent. Like the first part of the film, that latter is all very familiar territory stacked with macguffins that even the casual movie goers will recognize. Super 8 isn’t a bad film it’s just not a very original film, that being said the children in the cast are all very impressive and be sure to stick around during the credits to see the kid’s finished film.

C-

MOVIE REVIEW: X-MEN FIRST CLASS

IN THEATERS

X-MEN FIRST CLASS



Set in the era before Professor Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr became mortal enemies as Professor X and Magneto, respectively, director Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class follows the two former allies as they lead a powerful team of mutants on a mission to save the planet from nuclear annihilation. Charles (James McAvoy) and Erik (Michael Fassbender) were just young men when it began to appear as if the world was careening toward destruction. And as the Doomsday Clock ticks faster toward midnight, the time comes to take action. In the process of saving humanity, however, Charles and Erik clash. In the years that followed, Professor X would lead the X-Men in the fight for good, as Magneto and the Brotherhood spread chaos and destruction throughout the land. Kevin Bacon, Caleb Landry Jones, Nicholas Hoult, January Jones, and Lucas Till star in a film directed by Matthew Vaughn and adapted from a story by Bryan Singer. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence

Release Date: Jun 03, 2011

Rated PG-13 for Intense sequences of action and violence, some sexual content including brief partial nudity and language

Runtime: 2 hr. 20 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Review:

X-Men First Class is a movie that I had serious skepticism about from inception. Matthew Vaughn being given the directing reigns quelled some of those fears but not all. Any fan of the franchise would be hard pressed to have any sort of hope after X-Men The Last Stand and the criminally atrocious Wolverine X-men Origins film. This prequel faced plenty of challenges and somehow someway it overcame them all. Vaughn delivered one of the best superhero movies ever, just shy of The Dark Knight. A stellar cast working from a strong script brings a thoroughly engaging experience that rarely drags. Michael Fassbender leads the cast with a performance that brings all the rare and pain that his character suffers. Fassbender’s matched by a spot of James McAvoy who’s performance as Charles Xavier is respectful of Patrick Stewart’s original run yet singular in of itself. Jennifer Lawrence taking up the reigns as Mystique is a more than capable and its always good to see certain characters get fleshed out a bit more, ditto for Beast. Kevin Bacon is appropriately sinister and nefarious as the villain. January Jones, who can’t seem to stretch beyond the stepford wife persona, has perfected the art of acting via blinking and cleavage. Vaughn stages the action in epic fashion and even with a few questionable musical choices they never cease to impress. The scale and scope of the story are huge and impressive, A perfect way to restart the series.

A

PostScript

How I paid 90 dollars to see X-men First Class

In case if wasn’t terribly obvious I’m a bit of a nerd. So in perfect nerdish fashion I looked for the first showing of First Class in Las Vegas where I’d be for the week. Nothing says Vegas more than checking out the latest superhero movie afterall. Through a series of missteps and google confusion thing became terribly confused and expensive. I boarded a taxi and handed the cabby the directions. I should have been worried that he wasn’t familiar with the address but not enough to do anything about it. The cabby punched the address into his phone and headed off, still unsure of where he was taking me. Down the strip and on to the freeway, he rushed to try and make my 10am deadline. The more he drove the more I became worried there might have been a slight mistake. 20 minutes later and 40 bucks later he dropped me off at the theater quite literally in the middle of nowhere, later in the weekend I would walk by about 4 theaters that were pretty close to Caesars which we were staying at. Watched the movie which was a first showing so that saved a little cash because I like being thrifty when possible. Once the film ended, I had to ask the manager for a taxi cab number which he happily gave and waited a good 20 minutes for and then paid another 40 dollars to get back to The Strip. One the bright side I did get to see a lot of the Rocky Mountains in my extended trip around the outer reaches of Vegas…..