the lowerlife

Monday Business Time

2011-12-19T12:08:00.000-05:00

"So then I told him, That's what she said"

Happy Monday fellow internet enthusiasts! Christmas is fast approaching and I hope all of you have embarrassed yourselves (or will be) at either your company's holiday party or your spouse's! Because nothing says holiday cheer more than accidentally brushing your wife's boss's butt with your hand when trying to grab a cold one out of the cooler. Listen, we've all been there and the best way to handle it is to give a slight nod to the boss and quickly guzzle down the beer to hide your hidden shame that the first thought that came to you was "Hmmm, Tom sure does work out." Speaking of hidden shame, there's been some new trailers recently that have me somewhat shamefully aroused.

If you haven't seen the ridiculousness of the new Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, you really should see it because there is some great one liners: "Road kill." and "We better make sure he doesn't turn out to be the Anti-Christ." are just a few of the hammy, deadly serious lines Nicolas Cage will be spewing (besides fire vomit) out of his mouth come February. Sadly, this trailer doesn't have fire piss, but you do get to see the Ghost Rider swallow bullets! Hooray! Am I the only one who thinks this movie would be better served if it was a video game? Hold the right trigger and you can pee fire on people! Oh wait....they already did and it was terrible. Nevermind.

Also debuting this past week was the trailer for number 30: Jack the Giant Killer. It certainly has a Clash of the Titans meets Gremlins vibe to it (Don't get those seeds wet! And don't feed the cat after midnight!). It's just a tease, but it's looking tight, if not downright fun. Bring on the fairy tales next year!

Oh and G.I. Joe: Retaliation is also looking not bad! Color me surprised. Your obligatory ninjas fighting on a cliff scene has been fulfilled. I also am looking forward to the 2014 Red/G.I. Joe crossover movie where Helen Mirren is fighting ninjas on the moon. Thank you, Jon M. Chu.

But my favorite trailer so far that's been released recently was the Men in Black 3 trailer. Not only do they manage to keep the series' humor and tone, but they introduce time travel and we all know that any movie that incorporates time travel, is by definition, awesome. Well, except maybe The Time Traveler's Wife. That movie was awful and I would rather watch a Nicholas Spark's adaptation where a whole family has been diagnosed with some incurable disease and their eldest daughter falls in love with a soldier who has to leave for Afghanistan and gets killed and everyone in the story dies but they all come together to appreciate each other as a family and learn very important lessons about life. I digress, but I like where the story is headed and it's really eerie to see Josh Brolin play a young Tommy Lee Jones because I think they're the same person caught in a weird 12 Monkeys plot and only one can survive (It's Josh Brolin). Plus, according to IMDb, Johnny Knoxville returns and we all know how such a wonderful actor he is and how much gravitas he added to the sequel.

Speaking of jackasses, I was certainly a jackass long before those, ummmm, jackasses ever got their own show. Me and my friends actually would blow up 2-liter pop bottles using a toilet bowl cleaning liquid and aluminum foil. This was back in the heyday of the 90s when you had to connect to the internet using a modem that tied up your phone line. We got a hold of this huge text file called the anarchist's cookbook and it had all these really dumb ideas (like you could bake banana peels and somehow if you did it right they would turn into LSD/acid tabs). But the most fun we had was the 2-liter pop bottle bomb recipe. We would go to the park by my house and set it off. The first time it sounded like a shotgun and we all ran away thinking someone would call the cops. Luckily no one ever did and I took home the disfigured corpse of a Mountain Dew bottle. Unfortunately, me being a really dumb 13-year-old, I left evidence of our anarchy in my bedroom and my mom was cleaning stuff out and found the bottle. She asked me what happened and I came up with the best lie a 13-year-old could: I melted it with hot water (mind you this thing had a hole in it with burn marks). Of course mom didn't buy it and it wasn't until my dad came over to drill me on the specifics that I confessed. Now, my dad isn't very good at dealing with these situations so he told me to never do it again. But I never got punished nor did he threaten me with consequences if I ever did it again. So naturally, we continued to make stuff blow up, lesson learned.

My dad was always full of weird lessons. One time, after I had survived cancer and we were driving to a basketball game he was refereeing (I was the score keeper. Sweet money - I earned like $15 per game and there were two games each night. My dad has good connections within the Parks and Rec department. Which might help him win the mayoral office in 2013. This is not a joke.) and I'm pretty sure he saw someone smoking outside the building and he told me "Colin, I don't ever want you to smoke. After having to go through cancer you shouldn't be doing that stuff." And that was it. I think he would have been okay if I had smoked before I got cancer. At least that's the way I heard it. Plus I think he may have been referring to smoking not only cigarettes but pot as well. I was left to ponder this whole scenario as we walked into the gym. Visions of my dad smoking pot were filling my head (there was one time my mom told me he saw Star Wars in the theater high and said it was amazing and she had to do the same. My mom never did watch that movie) and needless to say, I totally effed up the scoring that night. Lesson learned, dad.

The Dark Knight Rises Prologue Review!

2011-12-14T23:15:00.002-05:00

Okay let's get straight to the point - I nabbed some tickets to see a preview screening of the opening few minutes of The Dark Knight Rises. It was showing at the Henry Ford IMAX in Dearborn - the only place in Michigan as far as I know. They handed out some swag (a cool black T-shirt that may or may not be recognizable as a cool Batman shirt) and we were only in the theater for maybe thirty minutes tops. And you know what? I cannot wait to find out what the hell I was watching.

The scene is mostly shot in IMAX and it's pretty gorgeous - there's lots of wide, sweeping camera angles of some country side (America? Africa? Uzbeki-beki-stan-stan? Does it matter?). It's a heist - in very similar fashion to Joker's famous entrance at the beginning of The Dark Knight. And much like that movie, you don't get to see the main villain's face until halfway through the scene. There's a lot of information (I think) to be had in this brief scene but not knowing the context of all that is happening only raises questions in my mind. But boy was it fun.

As far as memorable opening scenes, it's right up there with The Dark Knight. I would say what happens on that plane ride and the subsequent heist of said plane was completely nuts and over the top. But as far as revealing the bad guy? Ehhh, not so much. It's not that I have a problem with how they introduced Bane, because it plays out like The Dark Knight. But either Tom Hardy is going to have to redo some scenes or they're going to have to clear up the audio because sitting through Bane's lines was pretty awful.

And that's the main problem I had while watching it. It's like my friend Pat who was with me said, "He sound like he's speaking through a bad drive-thru microphone." And that's pretty apt, because I could only decipher about a third of what Bane was saying. If Christopher Nolan wants to keep it that way because that's how it's meant to be or it adds something to the dialogue, then I could swallow that excuse. But I'm pretty sure Bane is going to give crucial information throughout the movie and if he sounds like the teacher from Charlie Brown then well, sorry Mr. Nolan, but you suck. I'm just sitting there thinking why aren't the characters reacting to Bane by saying "WHAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU THROUGH THAT MASK!"

After the scene ended, they showed a short montage of clips from the movie and it looks every bit as badass as you might think. I'm still not sold on Catwoman - Hathaway looks like she's wearing a Halloween costume in her brief appearance. But after the lights came up I was left with so many questions. Is Bane going to break Batman's back? What's up with the blood transfusion? How the hell does one afford a military-grade cargo plane? This is just a teaser and they did a helluva job making me more anxious to see the finished project. I just hope they'll fix the audio - they have a whole seven months to do that.

Bottom line? I would say if you don't mind spoiling a bit of the fun, it's worth seeing. The IMAX is gorgeous and if you saw The Dark Knight in the format (at one of the larger, 60 ft. screens and not the rinky-dink retro-fitted screens they've employed across the county in the past couple of years) then you know what I'm talking about. Now in order to see it you're going to have to pony up some extra money for Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol and to me, that's fine - I wanted to see that movie anyway. But if you can't muster seeing Ethan Hunt run from shit and climb shit for a couple of hours then you're really not missing much - it's a good tease, but that's all it is.

July 20 cannot come any faster!

The 50 Most Anticipated Movies of 2012: Not What You're Thinking

2011-12-09T17:08:00.001-05:00

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

I may have made a few miscalculations last year when it came to my top 5 (ughh what was I thinking with Cowboys & Aliens?). I may make them again this year, but I'll tell you what - all these movies have me super excited for next year. There's going to be a guaranteed blockbuster with the potential to draw record numbers, a possible surprise breakout hit, possibly the best romantic comedy next year, a somewhat risky war movie and finally, a movie from the man who knows how to make some of the most iconic movies in Hollywood. This will be a good year if nothing but these five movies fulfill their promises and live up to the hype. Man I cannot wait!

5. The Five-Year Engagement
Starring: Jason Segal, Emily Blunt
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Release Date: April 27
I will admit I'm showing some bias here. Not only is this one of the few romantic comedies that looks good, but the movie was filmed in Ann Arbor, a stone's throw away from where I work! So yeah, I'm excited to see this movie! Of course it doesn't hurt that Jason Segal is in it. I'm pretty sure I'll watch anything he's involved with. I love how this time around, it's the guy who's waiting on getting married. Plus you have the director from Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek involved as well. And I thought those movies were absolutely hilarious. I'm sure the movie's going to follow most standard romantic comedy troupes and cliches, but I think the comedy from the actors and writers involved will make this one especially special. Plus Alison Brie (Annie from Community) is in this and affecting a British accent! How cool is that! Maybe she'll show off her cleavage! And Chris Pratt (the adorable goofball Andy Dwyer from Parks & Rec) is in this! Yes! Exclamation points abound! I think this is going to be great simply for the fact that Emily Blunt get's punctured by an arrow and Jason Segal has a hipster beard. That's worth paying for, for shiz.

4. Untitled International Thriller
Starring: Jason Clarke, Tom Hardy, Rooney Mara
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Release Date: December 19
I thoroughly enjoyed The Hurt Locker two years ago. It was my favorite movie that year and totally deserving of the Best Picture Oscar. Even before she started working on The Hurt Locker, Bigelow was working on this movie, but got sidetracked with her Oscar winning movie. After that, she got back to the project but was again sidetracked with the actual killing of Osama Bin Laden. Her and her writing partner (Mark Boal, who also wrote The Hurt Locker) were left scrambling to rewrite the script after the events unfolded on May 2. The movie even got pushed back a few months from an October release to December. And this movie has got a wonderful cast - I don't doubt that we will be hearing Oscar buzz from this once fall hits. A definite Oscar contender, to say the least. I have confidence that there's going to be heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat moments in this movie even though we all know what happens at the end of the movie. Knowing the ending didn't hurt Titanic from earning gobs of money and an Oscar, so I won't be surprised if this does big money. Who doesn't want to see Osama get killed??? It's a temptation that plays on our animalistic tendencies for justice through revenge. But I simply don't believe Bigelow will leave it at just that - there's more grey to this event than some people would like to admit and I am confident that Bigelow will shine a light on these dark areas making for a thoroughly engaging study on war and specifically the war on terror. But at the same time, I'm sure it's going to be awesomely badass, too! This is one I'm extremely excited for because there's virtually been no news about how this movie is shaping up. And that leaves me wanting to just know what this will end up being like.

3. The Dark Knight Rises
Starring: Christian Bale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy
Director: Christopher Nolan
Release Date: July 20
I'm sure this is on most people's mind when they think of the biggest release for next year. Some may be shocked to see this listed as only 3, but to me, this list is sometimes about the unknown and The Dark Knight Rises, in my opinion, is a known quantity. I know this is going to be great and a huge hit. It will undoubtedly be the top-grossing movie next year. When the previous entry is the third highest-grossing movie of all time, there's no doubt the final (well, final for Nolan and company) movie in the trilogy could do even bigger business (but then again you don't have Heath Ledger's Joker in this movie either). Hell, the 7-minute prologue that's accompanying Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol is getting buzz itself (and may help that movie sell more tickets than usual!). And on top of all that, you have two of the buzziest actors appearing in sizable roles (Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tom Hardy). It's hard to come by movies that are considered events in and of themselves, but this is as close as you can get. As far as I know, the movie takes place eight years after The Dark Knight and follows Batman trying to save Gotham once again from a notorious and mysterious terrorist named Bane. If anybody has ever followed the comic book story and read about Bane, he's the one villain that finds out who Batman really is and eventually confronts him in the Batcave and breaks Bruce Wayne's back, making him a paraplegic. I don't know if that's where Nolan wants the film to end, but it wouldn't surprise me - it would be a somewhat fitting ending to the story of Bruce Wayne (although extremely dark, but isn't that where the story has been taking us?). Who knows? I'm sure this film is going to live up to the hype and we'll soon find out where Batman ends up - whether it's on a gargoyle statue overlooking the city or in a wheelchair.

2. Looper
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt
Director: Rian Johnson
Release Date: September 28
Rian Johnson is waiting for his breakout hit. He's on the same trajectory as Christopher Nolan, in my opinion. Nolan made a splash with his second movie, Memento and won the director's chair for Warner Brother's reboot of the Batman Franchise. And so it began. Rian Johnson was a critical darling for his debut effort, Brick and it's one of my favorite films (it's a noir film set in the present day in high school about a kid who finds his ex-girlfriend dead and he's determined to find the reasons why). When people ask me to find a movie for them that they may have missed, my first instinct is to show them Brick. It's by no means a perfect movie, but you can see where Johnson has the potential to be a great filmmaker. He followed up Brick with the very underrated The Brothers Bloom. And now I think Looper is going to be his breakout hit. Well, at least I'm hoping. The movie hits all the right notes for me: A present-day killer works for a mob in the future and kills people who are sent from the future. He recognizes one victim as himself and hesitates, resulting in the escape of his older self. It has a little bit of Twelve Monkeys (seriously one of the best sci-fi movies ever made) and Inception. Plus you got JGL, who can do wrong playing the lead role. And Willis is just icing on the cake. I have no doubt this is going to mess with your head with all the time traveling involved, but I can't wait to get lost in this one and watch it over and over again. You know with Willis involved there's going to be some heavy-duty action and I can't wait to see him face off with JGL. This is going to be epic in every way possible.

1. Django Unchained
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jamie Foxx
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Release Date: December 25
Once again, my number one movie this year falls on Christmas. Like Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, this is a great feel-bad movie for Christmas. And it's going to be huge. When Will Smith was first attached to this movie, I don't think this would have made the top 5. But thankfully, he's not attached anymore and Foxx is a suitable replacement. Tarantino's previous film, Inglourious Basterds, was my second choice to win the Oscars (behind The Hurt Locker). I didn't catch it in the theaters thinking it wasn't my cup of tea. And then on DVD, I fell in love. It's Tarantino's best movie, hands down. And I think he's going to run away with his take on the western. I cannot wait to see what he has in store for us. You know the dialogue is going to be sharp and the action and tension in this movie will be spectacular. The plot is pretty simple: With the help of his mentor, a slave-turned-bounty hunter sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner. There's something special about Tarantino and what he can infuse into a genre. And the western seems to be on the rebound as of late, with True Grit raking in the dough from last Christmas. And you have a great cast! Joseph Gordon-Levitt is da man - he's in every single movie in the top three! I may be a bit biased toward the dude, but I didn't even know he was in this movie until I started writing tonight! Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson (It's mandatory that he show up in a film like this), Sacha Baron Cohen and Kurt Russell! How crazy is this film going to be? Crazy like a fox. I have full faith that I will be blown away with this movie - it has all the right ingredients to become an instant classic.

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

The 50 Most Anticipated Movies of 2012: Cracking the Top Ten

2011-12-08T11:37:00.001-05:00

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

The top ten awaits you after the page break. It's a glorious time to be a movie goer. Whether you love some original recipe or you'd rather kick it with extra crispy, Hollywood has usually got you covered. I hate it when people say Hollywood has nothing new to offer. But then they go ahead and pay to watch that superhero sequel and actually enjoy it. OF COURSE there's nothing original, but that's not the point of movies anymore. We know how most of the movies are going to end, but that doesn't ruin the experience we have while watching some amazing drama and action unfold before us on the screen. Or bust a gut because there were some really good fart jokes. Seriously, movies are an adventure and if they're told right, you can have some of the best experiences sitting back and being entertained. The next five movies are definitely not original and play to our comforting emotion of familiarity, but that doesn't mean they're not going to be spectacular or awesome. The Dark Knight, The Empire Strikes Back, Aliens and especially Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey were all sequels that were undoubtedly better than the original. Whether that will hold true to some of the movies is yet to be seen, but that doesn't get me less excited about it! I live for this stuff, man!

Don't worry! This is the trailer for the book, not the movie!
_

10. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Starring: Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper, Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Release Date: June 22
Okay, you can forget about the Lincoln biopic directed by Speilberg. I'm sure it's going to be good and it will probably get nominated for a bazillion Oscars. You know what? It sounds boring. Like a Ken Burns documentary boring. AL: VH is like Speilberg's magnum opus (or so he likes to tell us) only with a lot more flavor. And cajun sauce. With a lemon twist, too! I mean, the book was simply amazing - I really didn't get into Seth Grahame-Smith's other retellings (Pride & Prejudice & Zombies was good, but the others after that were simply lazy). But his fictionalization of Mr. Lincoln's life as a vampire hunter after he finds out that his mother was killed by one was surprisingly good. I read the book in two days! If you haven't read it, go ahead and pick it up, it's worth your time. I know I've said earlier that I'm sick of zombies and vampires, but when you introduce something so fresh and unique, it's bound to catch my interest. On top of all this, Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Day Watch) is directing - he's got such a unique visual and creative style that this seems like a perfect fit. The cast is a hodgepodge of younger actors which actually may help this movie. Instead of a big name attached to the film, there won't be a distraction in place so we'll be able to see Lincoln the President instead of Daniel Day-Lewis in a Lincoln costume. The book was told through diary entries by Lincoln himself, so it will be interesting to see how the movie tackles all of his thoughts and emotions. This summer is going to be pretty epic and in the center of it all is this movie! Hype!

9. The Avengers
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth
Director: Joss Whedon
Release Date: May 4
This is every Marvel fanboy's wet dream come true. The culmination of five movies (The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 1 & 2, Thor and Captain America) that laid the groundwork for this penultimate comic book film kick starts the summer movie season. I don't believe this movie can live up to the amount of hype that the internet has heaped upon it, but I'm sure it's going to be a real good time at the theater. The only thing that can get in the way of this movie is the fact that there are so many characters! On top of the main cast which includes Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Hulk; you have Black Widow (Scarlett Johanssen, previously seen kicking some butt in tight leather in Iron Man 2) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner who had a very small cameo in Thor). PLUS! You have Samuel L. Jackson reprising his role again as Nick Fury, who until now, has only been on the sidelines gathering up the team to create The Avengers. To say this is a big movie is not doing it justice. I don't know how long it's going to be, but I seriously wouldn't mind a three-hour action-packed popcorn flick. I have faith Joss Whedon, the man behind Buffy, Dollhouse and Firefly, can shine in this movie. If he can't make a great movie out of this, then really no one can. Obviously this is a guaranteed box office hit - I don't know how much it will make domestically, but worldwide? Probably at least $500 million, and that's a conservative estimate. So we can probably expect more of these movies on the horizon. I don't want to get my hopes up, but secretly I want to be blown away by this movie. The trailers released so far haven't wowed me, but that's probably a good thing because I can only expect they're saving the best stuff for the actual movie (or on the other, more depressing side of the coin, this is all they've got to wow us. Sad face). And you know what I'm most excited about? Cobie Smulders doing something outside of How I Met Your Mother! I hope she has a significant role which might be hard to come by with all this stuff jampacked into the movie. I can only dream. But what a great way to start off the summer!

8. The Amazing Spider-Man
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans
Director: Marc Webb
Release Date: July 3
At first, I didn't understood why Sony had to reboot this property. I mean, the original Spider-Man came out only ten years ago! But then they made some interesting choices. First, they hired Marc Webb to direct. He did the phenomenal (500) Days of Summer a couple of years ago and I think his unique perspective might actually be a refreshing change for this franchise. And then they hired Andrew Garfield (although Donald Glover would have been the shiz, for real), a British guy who, at the time, had one big movie credit to his name (The Social Network). A lot of people were upset, but this only made me more curious as to what the execs were smoking, not necessarily that they may have forever effed this franchise up. And of course, another talented British actor, with a long list of movies to his credit, got hired in as the villain. So now this is no longer an American movie. The UK has invaded our comic book movies and the internet is upset! But I have faith - Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy (Peter Parker's real true love, in my opinion) was a brilliant stroke of genius. So whatever the studio has in mind for this movie - it's going to be quite an interesting version they've cobbled together. The first-person perspective used in the teaser trailer above I think is purely for show - it's all kinds of messy and I doubt it will show up in the film. It's a great way to get people talking, though. This is in my top 10 for a reason and some might pass on this, but I am going out on a limb, maybe even overselling it a bit, but I'll say it right now: this may be better that the 2002 Spider-Man. Whereas I feel like Spider-Man was a modern take on the superhero, The Amazing Spider-Man seems like a throwback - it's just the vibe I'm getting. And to me, that sounds awesome.

7. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen
Director: Peter Jackson
Release Date: December 14
Forget The Lord of the Rings, this was by far the best book with Hobbits in it! Don't get me wrong, I really love the LOTR trilogy of films and what it did to bring back fantasy to the masses, but The Hobbit was the better book out of all of them. It's just more fun and funny and it doesn't seem to make a big deal out of everything like the other books did. It was just an adventure that some dwarves and a hobbit had together plus there was a dragon. (Was there a dragon in LOTR? No, no there was not). And while I wouldn't say the book is so big that it needed to be split into two movies, it's nice to know that there's more Tolkien love coming the Christmas after. You have a great cast along with some familiar faces from the trilogy and Peter Jackson is back to finish what he started. I don't really think there's anything more to say about this movie other than you know it's going to be good - it's probably as close to a guarantee you're ever going to get from Hollywood. If you loved Lord of the Rings, you're going to love The Hobbit. Come Christmas, New Line can just sit back and watch the hundreds of millions roll in (again).

6. Prometheus
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender
Director: Ridley Scott
Release Date: June 8
This movie started out as a prequel to the Alien movies. But then it wasn't. But then it was, vaguely. Although the new movie will be connected with the Alien movies, the characters and events that unfold will explore different territory than those films. It's a grand, sci-fi epic written by Damon Lindelof (the same man who wrote most of Lost), who I totally respect, but at the same time I question his ability to deliver. He was the main writer for Lost and that was great up until the joke of a last season. And he wrote Cowboys & Aliens, a film I loathed. But despite these reservations, it's still an Aliens prequel and it's still Ridley Scott. Plus there are a lot of quality actors. Included are Guy Pearce, Idris Elba and Patrick Wilson rounding out the cast. I can't wait to see the Sherlock Holmes sequel to see how Noomi Rapace handles herself for an American film and if she's goood, the sky's the limit for her as far as I'm concerned. She was great in all three Dragon Tattoo movies and if she can bring her A game to this movie, we might have another Sigourney Weaver. Plus Michael Fassbender is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors and I know he's going to be great in this. So it's all up to the story - because the rest of the pieces seem fine to me. I just hope it's one hell of good time.

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

The Most Anticipated Movies of 2012: Familiar Territory

2011-12-07T22:41:00.001-05:00

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

We're almost down to the top ten! I've been trying to keep a diverse list - but sometimes there's just not enough of a certain genre. Thus, the romantic comedy has been neglected. Hell, even comedy itself is sorely lacking next year. There were a lot of great comedies last year - Bridesmaids was a wonderful surprise (even though it cracked my top 10 on last year's list, I just didn't expect it to be the funniest movie all year) and Horrible Bosses, Bad Teacher and Friends With Benefits were all great R-rated comedies. But next year? I counted about a dozen on my list and only two romantic comedies. I'm sure there's actually more than that coming out, but besides those two, they all look rather pitiful. Some may say the same of the two choices I've made, but to each their own, right? With that in mind, let's get this party started!

15. What to Expect When You're Expecting
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Elizabeth Banks, Anna Kendrick
Director: Kirk Jones
Release Date: May 11
As many may already know, I'm a sucker for romantic comedies. I really, really enjoyed Something Borrowed (I even read the books! Gosh, I really hope they make a sequel because in this rare instance, the second book was better than the first! OMG I'm such a lady right now. A really, really intelligent and good looking lady, BTW) and I also thought Crazy, Stupid, Love was a really fun surprise. But alas, 2012 is practically void of any big-name romantic comedies. I really don't know what to expect with the plot of this one, but it's an ensemble cast comedy - like He's Just Not That Into You (another favorite of mine from a couple years back) or Valentine's Day (a just okay movie). So either this movie is going to be pretty awesome, or it may just end up being okay. I don't think it's going to be disastrous - most of the time these movies have enough storylines that the bad ones will get overshadowed by the good ones (like in Love Actually, when Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson have marital problems, sheesh, shoot me now!). So really, this is all speculation, but I'm sure I'm going to enjoy most of the movie, even if it's just "okay." Mmmkay?
Update (12.8): The trailer just got uploaded to the interwebs today and it confirms my suspicions that this will be pretty good. Although I just hope Jennifer Lopez has two lines of dialogue. Why does she keep trying to be relevant? Go away! Oh and I didn't realize this movie was written by Shauna Cross, the lady behind Whip It, possibly one of my top ten movies from the past five years! So yeah, this will be good.

14. Wettest County
Starring: Tom Hardy, Shia LeBeouf, Gary Oldman
Director: John Hillcoat
Release Date: April 20
Oh man - this movie has an insane cast and two of the most underrated screenwriter/director duos working today! Not only do you have the above-mentioned cast, but Guy Pearce is in it along with hot new actresses Mia Wasikowska and Jessica Chastain (they've had two of the year's best performances with Jane Eyre and The Debt). And Hillcoat is teaming up with Nick Cave (yes, the amazing Nick Cave who gave us this masterpiece of an album) again after he wrote one of the best westerns this past decade - The Proposition. I'm expecting gritty action and some brilliant dialogue. It's based on the critically praised book of the same name that deals with three brothers' bootlegging business in Virginia during prohibition. To say I'm excited is a bit of an understatement - I'm actually surprised this isn't getting a later release because this sounds like Oscar-contender material to me. To me, these period-piece dramas are few and far between. And when they're done right, they're pretty amazing (despite what others thought, I loved Public Enemies and American Gangster was also awesome). I can only hope that they're elaborate process involves bowling alleys and gutterballs.

13. Total Recall
Starring: Colin Farrell, Bryan Cranston, Kat Beckinsale
Director: Len Wiseman
Release Date: August 3
Much like Men in Black III, this movie is another big risk/reward. It's reportedly costing around $200 million to make and this movie won't likely see even that domestically. Arnold Schwarzenegger's original film is somewhat of a cult classic (three-boobed ladies might have sealed the deal on that one) and has garnered a lot of attention lately thanks to the comedy gold mine of a Mr. Schwarzenegger audio commentary. But despite the internet's backlash at anything that's considered a remake, if they're done really well, then people are willing to overlook Hollywood's desperate attempts at cashing in on nostalgia (True Grit, The Karate Kid come to mind, both critically acclaimed and box office hits). I'm not too sure how I feel about Colin Farrell in the lead role, but I don't despise him like some people do. He's a good actor and he can transition from comedy (Horrible Bosses) to drama (In Bruges) to action star (Alexander) quite easily. So I have confidence that the producers made the right choice - and they did a hell of a job with the rest of the cast - Bill Nighy, Ethan Hawke and John Cho are solid actors. Farrell has said the movie will not be like the original story from Philip K. Dick, so it remains a mystery as to how the conspiracy-laden plot will be toyed with. Expect more of a nitty-gritty, Blade Runner-esque thrill ride rather than an action-packed explosion-fest. This is one to watch out for.

12. The Bourne Legacy
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton
Director: Tony Gilroy
Release Date: August 3
In direct competition the same weekend as Total Recall is the new entry in the Bourne series. Although the title retains the same moniker, it's a completely new character in the titular role (although he's not named Bourne). Tony Gilroy, who wrote the script for all three previous Bourne movies, wrote this one as well. And he is also directing the movie (his previous movies were Michael Clayton and Duplicity). Although I am sad to see Paul Greengrass leave the director's chair, I am excited to see what new adventures this franchise has in store. Jeremy Renner is a competing for the ultimate bad ass next year and this may be his crown achievement. I have no idea if the film will follow the book of the same name (probably not because the book still follows Jason Bourne). I don't think people are going to flock to this movie because if they don't see Damon attached at all to the main role, they'll just roll their eyes and move on. But this movie could be awesome if they maintain the same manic action and hectic pace as the others did. I am fully prepared for some great choreography and mind-blowing conspiracies. Bring it!

Source: RNK Fan Art

11. Skyfall
Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes
Director: Sam Mendes
Release Date: November 9
After all the trouble MGM has gone through in the past few years, we're finally getting another Bond movie. I love how they rebooted the franchise. I think Daniel Craig does a great job. I've never really been a fan of all the other Bond movies, but I'm definitely hooked on the new ones. I think part of it has to do with how they're treating the character this time around. Instead of a man who seems to have his life reset with each new movie, Quantum of Solace was a continuation of Casino Royale. I just hope they keep chugging along with Skyfall. The plot sounds like it's going to be riddled with twists - as Bond questions M's loyalty and MI6 headquarters comes under attack. It could be a confusing mess, but I trust the crew and writers to nail it. And Sam Mendes is aboard to direct, lending some Oscar-winning credibility to the whole affair. He's not known for action, but I have no doubt he'll do just fine with this movie. Plus Javier Bardem plays the villain (or one of them anyways) and that's good news because he's pretty much got that angle covered. Seriously, can't wait.

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

The 50 Most Anticipated Movies of 2012: Finally!

2011-12-06T22:44:00.001-05:00

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

I don't have much time to bother you with pretense - I need some sleep, people! So here's the next five!

20. 21 Jump Street
Starring: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum
Directors: Phil Lord, Chris Miller
Release Date: March 16
Credit the makers of this R-rated trailer for making this movie jump about 20 spots. I heard about this movie and just thought, "Oh, how dumb. Johnny Depp's show from the 80s? Puuhhhlease, what won't they resurrect from that era? I mean, Dallas is pretty untouchable. Oh wait, what???" And I'm also thinking, Channing Tatum, while easy on the eyes, (amirite, ladies?) isn't exactly what I call a box office draw for me personally. I love Jonah Hill, but Channing Tatum's chiseled jaw offsets all the comedy gravitas Hill brings to the movie. But of course, the trailer dropped and I am hooked. I really cannot wait to see what happens. This movie probably would've just been awesome without the name 21 Jump Street. But money is to be had and nostalgia is a big money maker - so here we are. Plus you got Dave Franco - little Davie! - in the movie! AND Mr. Ron Swanson (well I assume that's just another version of Nick Offerman's character). How can you not want to see this?

19. Wanderlust
Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Paul Rudd
Director: David Wain
Release Date: February 24
This movie was on my list from last year, but for some weird reason, was delayed about 4 months. In that span of time, their has been a trailer. And even though the trailer makes this movie out to be some wishy-washy, generic fish-out-of-water comedy, I still have my hopes. First of all, like I've mentioned last year, Jennifer Aniston gets naked. And we all know she's still smokin' hot (did you see Horrible Bosses this year? Meow!), so the movie's got that. But ya know what, fellas? I am more excited to see what David Wain does behind the lens. Him and Ken Marino wrote this movie and they are part of MTV's The State, the funniest skit show since Monty Python. They did the most amazing comedy film ever put to celluloid - Wet Hot American Summer. If you haven't seen the genius behind that movie, go ahead and do yourself a favor and buy it, because you'll be watching it about twenty times. Now that we've got that clear - I believe the trailer is selling lies! This is going to be a great comedy and unfortunately the marketing team doesn't want to tell you how great it's going to be. Trust me, this one is going to be great.

18. Hunger Games
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks
Director: Gary Ross
Release Date: March 23
I'm not going to lie, I am getting sick of young adult novels claiming to be the next Harry Potter or Twilight. The supernatural/fantasy genre has quickly taken over pop culture and I'm totally fine with that, but it seems like every year there's some movie that gets made claiming to be the series that will redefine everything. But every year, they come and go (Percy Jackson, I Am Number Four, etc. all have failed to spark any sort of devote following beyond their core novel audience). And now, The Hunger Games, a franchise that has sent the internet abuzz with a loud fury, is set to stake its claim among the elite box office hits like Twilight and Harry Potter. I pretty much ignored the buzz - I haven't read any of the books, but at least they don't involve magic and vampires. It sounds more like a post-apocalyptic setting than anything else. Which, as we all know, is the way to my heart - I love these kinds of stories. And when the trailer finally debuted, I became instantly fascinated. I want to know more and the studio is bold and confident enough to release this potential blockbuster in March. Jennifer Lawrence is the new it girl and she really has shown range with her roles in Winter's Bone and X-Men: First Class. I cannot wait to see what she'll bring to the table with this movie. Count my ticket punched.

17. World War Z
Starring: Brad Pitt, Matthew Fox
Director: Marc Forster
Release Date: December 21
Probably one of the more ambitious movies on this list, World War Z is based up on the best-selling novel of the same name. Much like The Good War (an oral account of World War II), the book focuses on different interviews done by a journalist who survived the Zombie War. Critics have praised the book for redefining the genre and I think some are even frothing at the mouth in anticipation of this movie. But I am kind of tired of zombies - I watched The Walking Dead and couldn't muster past a few episodes. It's a great show, don't get me wrong, but I just can't get into TV dramas anymore. I'd rather see a movie. And now we have something like that on our way. Just in time for the holidays! Seriously, next Christmas is going to be bizarro - there's something for everyone to go see (I won't spoil just yet what other movies are coming out, but there's quite a lot!). I'm curious to see how a movie is going to play out if the book is written from different perspectives. Sounds like a challenge which I think is well-suited for the director, Marc Forster. He has quite the impressive resume - it's a very diverse collection of movies (Quantum of Solace, Stranger Than Fiction, Monster's Ball). He has his work cut out for him, but I'm pretty confident this one's going to be stellar. Oh yeah, and Brad Pitt? With zombies? That's as close to a guaranteed box office gold that you can get!

16. Premium Rush
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Shannon
Director: David Koepp
Release Date: August 24
Okay, this may seem like another typical thriller with a twist (he's got a bike!). But you know what? The trailer is sick. I mean dope - it's fantastic! If the movie is half of what the trailer is throwing at you, then this is going to be slick-looking rush of a movie. Plus! You have probably one of my favorite actors, JGL (so hot right now), in the main role. It's only a matter of time before he gets nominated for an Oscar. I was tempted to keep this a lot lower on my list, but once again, the trailer has really sold me on this movie. Seriously, the dudes who get paid to make these things are doing a damn good job lately! And you have the director, David Koepp doing double duty as writer and director (he also wrote Men in Black III), so I'm excited to see what he brings to the table. It's too bad it got pushed back by 6 months - to a late August release (which is usually reserved as the dumping ground for studios' not-quite-summer blockbusters). I don't know if that says anything about the movie, but nevertheless, I'm going to be there on day one fo' sho.

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

The 50 Most Anticipated Movies of 2012: The Outliers

2011-12-05T22:56:00.001-05:00

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

I've always considered the second half of the top 50 my Must-See. They're the movies that I will, hands down, pay money for to go and check out without hesitation. Even if they're one of the worst movies of the year. There's some really, really big movies coming out next year that get my inner (and outer) geek all excited. The outliers are on this part of the list - they seem to be toss-ups, in my opinion, but I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt.

25. The Raven
Starring: John Cusack, Alice Eve
Director: James McTeigue
Release Date: March 9
This subject matter is in my wheelhouse. 19th century gothic fiction is what I'm about. So when I heard this movie was getting made, my heart skipped a beat. I thought if they get the tone right and nail it with the plot, this movie could be one of my favorites next year. And then they released a trailer and my hopes sunk. This looks like a second-rate Sherlock Holmes mystery movie made for TV. Something about it all just doesn't...click. I was figuring the movie would be more about Poe and possibly a fictionalized descent into madness where he thinks the killer is stalking him. I'm pretty sure Castle has had better episodes than what we might witness here. I think John Cusack is a perfect fit for the role and the director did manage to make a really awesome movie before (V for Vendetta), so there is still hope. This movie is still high on my list, but I'm not holding my breath on this one.

24. Project X
Starring: Thomas Mann, Oliver Cooper
Director: Nima Nourizadeh
Release Date: March 2
This movie was completely off my radar until the trailer came out. I'm not a fan of found footage films. I think once you've seen one, you've pretty much get the point. But I do have a soft spot for teenage comedy films - especially ones that center around an evening of debauchery (Can't Hardly Wait and Superbad are quintessential viewings for this specific genre). And there's enough teasing in this trailer to get me excited to actually pay for this movie. I want to know what the hell is going to happen! So kudos to the marketing team - they've got me hooked. Everyone on this project besides Todd Phillips is fairly green when it comes to making movies. And when a movie advertises "Produced by BIG NAME" I kind of gloss over it. Because there are producers who just write a check and slap their name all over projects and then there's the real producers who are involved with this movie as if it were their only child. So who knows where Phillips lands on the side of the fence. I just know I'm willing to plunk down some money to see this movie and have a good time. Maybe I'll sneak in a beer, too. And some beer nuts. And gummy bears, I love me some sweets!

23. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart
Director: Bill Condon
Release Date: November 16
I really don't care what other people say, but this franchise is not bad. In fact, some of the movies are quite good if you can get past some corny dialogue and very dull moments. I really did enjoy Eclipse the most - there's was a lot going on compared to New Moon. Breaking Dawn, Part 1 was good, but man did it take forever to get going. I mean, the wedding and honeymoon could have been whittled down to twenty or so minutes but it's a good forty-five minutes long! But I will say I'm very intrigued to find out what happens next - I haven't read the books and I told Maggie don't spoil anything for me! She's very kind because I know deep down it's killing her to not say something. All the while I pontificate what may happen in the last movie, asking her dumb questions like "Does Bella's ancestry have anything to do with her vampire-blocking abilities?" But you know what's going to be the most exciting part of the last movie? Michael Sheen. They've been teasing him in the series for too long - I hope his role is significant enough to warrant a lot of screen time. But all the crazy stuff that happens in the book that I heard about already happened in the first part, so I'm excited to see what happens next. Yes, you heard that: I am excited to see the ending of the Twilight Saga.

22. Men In Black 3
Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Release Date: May 25
I really loved the first Men in Black. The second one was good, but seemed to rehash the same old ground that the first one did. Now, ten years after Men in Black II was released, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones seem like it's the perfect time to make some money again. I think there's a lot of pressure for a movie like this - movie audiences have changed a lot in the past ten years and if the movie and its producers rest on their laurels, they might end up with a box office dud. But here's where I hold out hope - they got the original director on board, they've made some great casting decisions (Josh Brolin, Jermaine Clement) and the script is written by David Koepp, a man who knows a little bit about big time franchises (he's written Mission: Impossible, Spider-Man, Indiana Jones 4). So the movie's in good hands and it might just be fun and awesome, like the original. But this could end up being lousy and uninspiring. I think this movie, out of all the movies next year has the biggest risk/reward going for it. But I'll go check it out unless the trailer just smacks of mediocrity.

21. This is Forty
Starring: Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann
Director: Judd Apatow
Release Date: December 21
A companion piece to Knocked Up, Judd Apatow looks to cover fertile ground with Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann's characters from that movie. Apparently Apatow felt that there was a lot of compelling drama/comedy in their relationship to warrant a movie. There will be several cameos/returning characters from Knocked Up in it as well. Despite what most others felt about Funny People, I really enjoyed the movie and felt it was Apatow's best work to date as a director. So I'm really excited to see how this movie shapes up. I think Apatow is the comedy king right now - his direction is impeccable - and he knows how to let improvisation take over at the right times. This movie did get pushed back by the studio, not out of hesitation, but simply because they wanted their Snow White movie to better compete with Mirror Mirror. Go figure, but this should be a great reason to go to the movies, as there really isn't any comedies coming out during the holidays. Count me in!

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

The 50 Most Anticipated Movies of 2012: Happily Ever After

2011-12-02T10:18:00.001-05:00

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

It's funny how all of the next movies on this list have some sort of magical or fantastical theme. I didn't pick it this way, it just happened! I love fairy tales - it probably stems from my childhood watching Nickelodeon's David the Gnome and Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics. Those were great shows, I'd spend Saturday mornings watching this stuff. I don't even know if there's such a thing as Saturday Morning Cartoons anymore. But Nickelodeon definitely had the best kids programming in the 90s. You couldn't beat all the young kids programs and if you were older, you'd watch Salute your Shorts or Hey Dude. I don't know if any of these movies will capture that same childhood nostalgia, but I can only hope.

30. Jack the Giant Killer
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Stanley Tucci, Ewan McGregor
Director: Bryan Singer
Release Date: June 15
I'm not a really big Bryan Singer fan. I don't know why people love him so much. I thought The Usual Suspects was a good movie, not blow-your-mind amazing and the first two X-Men movies were solid and fun superhero movies, but nothing mind-blowing either. And let's not forget how awful Superman Returns was (although I really don't blame Singer for that turd. Superman is probably the most boring superheros of all time so it's really hard to make a compelling movie about him. I mean the dude can't die. And Lex Luthor is his boring villain counterpart: "I'm evil because I'm bald and rich! MWAHAHAHA!"). With all that in mind, I am a little weary of this re-telling of a classic fairy tale. The story goes that Jack, a young farmhand, unknowingly opens up our world to the land of giants, igniting a war against the humans because the giants were banished long ago. It's up to Jack to fight back and save a princess in the process. Isn't there always a princess involved in these stories? I love the cast - you have Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies, on the previous part of the list) playing Jack and Ewan McGregor, Ian McShane, Bill Nighy and Stanley Tucci play back up roles. (holy cow that's a lot of top notch actors! Hopefully the budget's big enough to accommodate all of them while delivering some good visual effects). This should be a fun adventure - as long as the effects are good, there should be some epic battle sequences. But it might come across as a family film first - the script could be full of bad puns and one-liners - "You know what they say the bigger they are, the harder they fall!" I'll have to wait and see the trailer before I make any more judgement.

29. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Gemma Arterton, Famke Janssen
Director: Tommy Wirkola
Release Date: March 2
Taking a more comic and darker turn on all the classic fairy-tale adventures, the movie unfolds 15 years after the events of the Gingerbread House incident from the original tale. You know, where the kids get stuffed into the oven so the witch can eat them! Now Hansel and Gretel are bounty hunters that unleash righteous vengeance upon any evil witches they come across. Although to be fair, all witches are evil. This includes a coven of witches who plan on sacrificing several children in the local village for some ritual and such and it's up to the formidable duo to take them down. Sounds like a fun movie and also like it isn't going to take itself too seriously. This is where I hope there's plenty of one liners where they replace the word bitch with witch. Let's hope this doesn't turn out to be like Your Highness - a terribly dumb and gross movie. Jeremy Renner has become the new hotness and he's turned himself into a complete badass. Also, Gemma Arterton is one of my freebies - she's not only extremely beautiful, but she can act, too! So naturally, this movie is on my radar. Another toss-up, really, and I'll reserve more judgement, once again, when the trailer pops up on the interwebs.

28. Snow White and the Hunstman
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron
Director: Rupert Sanders
Release Date: June 1
Funny thing, I was going to put both Snow White movies on this list, but after seeing the trailer to Mirror Mirror I decided to trash that idea. Haven't seen it yet? Go ahead, I'll wait. Yeah, now tell me that doesn't look truly awful - what's up with Julia Roberts hamming it up and Armie Hammer acting like a dog? Plus there's a Scarface reference in the movie! Well, I never thought I'd say this, but Kristen Stewart has trumped Julia Roberts. Not that I'm a big fan of Roberts (she seems so stuck up her own butt - half her movies she's starring as herself. Talk about narcissistic). This version of Snow White looks pretty epic and, well, awesome! I think having Snow White dressed up like Joan of Arc was a wise decision - the movie has me excited to see some great action and set pieces. And if I were a lady, I sure wouldn't mind Mr. Hemsworth hunting me down, Meow! While I'm not going to go out on a limb and call this a must see, it's certainly is one to look out for.

27. Brave
Voiced by: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson
Director: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman
Release Date: June 22
I was pretty excited about this movie when I first heard it announced. I love Irish/English folklore and Pixar really hasn't let me down (hell, even Cars 2 was good - color me surprised!). But after the teaser was released, I'm feeling a little let down. Don't get me wrong, I still think it looks good, just not great. Part of me feels like it's not taking itself too seriously, which isn't a bad thing, but for the purposes of this movie it just doesn't seem to fit. There was too much physical comedy in the trailer and not enough Pixar magic dust, you know the kind where it makes you want to see the movie really badly. Plus the story doesn't seem all that compelling - a young princess defies custom and unleashes chaos on her kingdom. I remember when word first got out on the movie that people were saying, "It's Pixar's first movie with a female heroine! Great job, Pixar!" like they've broken some barrier in family films (uhhhh Mulan and Coraline would like to object!). Pixar has always been extremely good at telling new tales and they haven't let me down yet, so here's to hoping for the best.

26. Ted
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Seth MacFarlane (voice)
Director: Seth MacFarlane
Release Date: July 13
I loved Family Guy. After Fox had cancelled the series, I went out and bought the DVDs. I probably watched at least one or two episodes a day for a good year. And then when Fox brought it back, I was suddenly disinterested. And then I slowly realized Family Guy was pretty much repeating the first three seasons over and over again. But I still believe Seth MacFarlane is a funny guy and his directorial debut sounds like it could be very funny and definitely quirky. I won't be surprised if this bombs big time and is an epic failure, but it could be a surprise hit. I'm guessing it will fall somewhere in between. The gist of the story is that John's childhood wish comes true - his Teddy bear (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) comes to life and his is constant companion. Which only interferes with John's life as he tries to grow up, where Ted refuses to. It's like The Odd Couple except with a creepily animated Teddy Bear! I have a feeling this movie is going to be a lot like Paul from this year - a solid comedy, but nothing I'd wanna watch again. The movie has tons of potential - I could see this being the stoner comedy of the year. Although depending on the animation, stoners might be totally freaked out by Ted's appearance in the movie. Oh well, the stoner audience has always been a fickle target audience.

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

The 50 Most Anticipated Movies of 2012: War all the Time.

2011-12-01T12:57:00.001-05:00

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

War seems to be the theme at this point on the list. I'm not really a huge action fan - don't get me wrong, I love me some gun-shootin' and hand-to-hand combat as much as any other self-respecting bro, but sometimes they're just so dumb. I can't get behind anything Jason Statham does now. He's pretty much pigeonholed himself into replacing Steven Segal. And he's a good actor - he would be awesome in a romantic comedy or a drama (The Bank Job was a great example of this). But Killer Elite? Blitz? There's mainly no soul to all these movies except for the next explosion or choreographed fight. Which is fine, it just doesn't float my boat. Despite my disposition to this genre, there looks to be some interesting movies next year that might just keep my boat floatin'.

35. Battleship
Starring: Liam Neeson, Taylor Kitsch, Brooklyn Decker
Director: Peter Berg
Release Date: May 18
Hasbro has got to be raking in the dough nowadays. After the successful launch of the Transformers movie franchise, they're looking to expand their empire. When Battleship was announced, everyone laughed it off, but seriously, it wouldn't surprise me if this movie makes $150 million. First of all - you have a familiar face with Liam Neeson (dude will star in anything, I swear! He's in four movies this year!) and secondly you have an easy-to-swallow story - alien ships engage the American Navy! Hopefully someone will say the catchphrase "You sunk my battleship!" and wink at the camera. I won't say this movie is going to be great, but it looks so fun and campy. And I love campy - at least in the case where the movie knows it's being campy (like Captain America or Spider-Man 3). Plus Tim Riggins cuts his hair! I'd never think I'd see the day that would happen (he does have a lovely set of locks). And I like the director - he's directed The Kingdom, which I think was a highly underrated movie; one of the most entertaining films set in the Iraq War. He's also done Hancock (a solid movie, if a bit flawed) and Friday Night Lights - so it's not like this is some first time director taking the helm. I love how at the end of the trailer you see a dome surround the ships and it looks like a Battleship (R) board. I can only hope they make a video game version of the movie version of the board game. Full circle, people, full circle.

34. Act of Valor
Starring: Alex Veadov, Roselyn Sanchez, Nestor Serrano
Director: Mike McCoy, Scott Waugh
Release Date: February 17
This is going to be an interesting movie. It's pretty much taking the Call of Duty franchise and turning it into a live action movie (seriously, the title of this movie couldn't come closer to that video game franchise without getting the pants sued off of them). And much like Call of Duty, the story is at best going to be incoherent and at worst, non-existent. And there's no real actors (and no real directors, either! They're just stuntmen!), just real live Navy SEALS. Which is pretty bad ass, but part of me thinks the producers are being manipulative - we're supposed to feel for these "characters" because this is real (but not really). But at the same time - some of the footage in this trailer seems completely balls to the wall awesome. But you know what? This might be better suited for those awful Army/Marine commercials they were playing in theaters a few years back with that awful 3 Doors Down song "Citizen Soldier." Who gave permission for that band to represent America? They're almost a step down from Nickelback. If Nickelback or 3 Doors Down isn't on the soundtrack, there will be consequences!

33. Wrath of the Titans
Starring: Liam Neeson, Sam Worthington, Ralph Fiennes
Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Release Date: March 30
Liam Neeson strikes again! Reprising his role as Zeus, he finds himself taken prisoner by his other, traitorous son Ares and his old nemesis and brother Hades who are trying to bring the old gods, the Titans, back to power. It's up to Perseus to save the day once again and rescue his dad as he confronts his fate. The first movie was fun and full of some great action set pieces. One can expect only more of the same, which isn't bad - it's not like there's a ton of movies about the ancient gods and demigods being produced. And much like the first one, the story takes a back seat to some great action. And you got the director from Battle: Los Angeles doing this movie - which I thought was one of the better action flicks last year. So count me in come March - which is lining up to be a great month for action fans.

32. Haywire
Starring: Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Release Date: January 20
Steven Soderbergh is a mystery, an enigma nestled in a box of conundrums. He offers up crowd pleasers like Ocean's Eleven while making sure the critics and indie film lovers are satisfied with movies like The Girlfriend Experience and Che. Then he goes and proclaims he's retiring from filmmaking, but only after he finishes about half a dozen movies first. Dude can't make up his mind and I highly doubt he's totally leaving Hollywood. He'll come crawling back as soon as he realizes he misses his lobster dinner and $50 caviar when he's sitting on a milk crate eating ramen noodles because his last piece of art sold for $5 to a homeless man who needed it to complete the roof of his back-alley house. But before that all happens, he's got an intriguing movie coming out next year. Haywire's main lead was an MMA fighter and played as Crush on the American Gladiators reboot. Apparently she's pulling a Dwayne Johnson, so I'm guessing her next role is some family-friendly affair. The movie looks like a straight up action flick - kind of like Shooter from a few years back, which I enjoyed. This looks to mine similar territory, so I'm up for it! Soderbergh, despite his ADD attitude towards filmmaking, is a great director and I'm excited to see what he'll deliver.

31. American Reunion
Starring: Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Sean William Scott
Director: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg
Release Date: April 6
Despite having a successful franchise on their resume, most of the cast of the original American Pie movie have never really found much success. Except for Alyson Hannigan with the TV show How I Met Your Mother, every other actor has faltered in other movies and TV shows. So it's no surprise that the whole cast is back to tackle the subject of parenthood and reaching your thirties. It's pretty amazing that the owners of the American Pie franchise have found success outside of the main "trilogy" with four straight to DVD affairs, all starring Eugene Levy (who must be seriously hurting for cash). But now everyone's back and while the first trailer hasn't blown me away, I'm sure it's going to be way better than the crappy (quite literally) American Wedding and those four straight to DVD movies. The guys who wrote all three Harold & Kumar movies are behind this one, so you know it's going to be raunchy and disgusting. This American Pie movie isn't a teen comedy anymore, but don't expect it to have grown up and matured.

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

The 50 Most Anticipated Movies of 2012: Destroying Great Works of Literature Edition

2011-11-30T20:53:00.001-05:00

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

Do you remember Treasure Planet? Disney's ill-fated attempt at taking a classic piece of literature and "modernizing" it for all those ADD-riddled children. "Hey kids? Remember that swashbuckling tale of adventure in the high seas? Now it's in Space! And there's robots and other cool shit! Yes, we're so cool we just swore! Take us seriously!" Now while I wouldn't say there's any re-imagining going on in this part of the list, there's certainly, some, uh liberties being taken with these adaptations. What exactly, are these, well uhdoi! Read to find out!

40. Life of Pi
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Irrfan Khan, Suraj Sharma
Director: Ang Lee
Release Date: December 21
Now Life of Pi isn't a classic just yet, but it is considered one of the best novels from the past decade (or as I like to call them the Fightin' Aughts!). It's a wonderful book about a boy, who after a shipwreck, gets trapped on a lifeboat for 227 days with a Bengal tiger (there is some clever 127 Hours joke in there, but I'm too tired to find it). Ang Lee, who's known to jump from genre to genre these days (his last three movies were Gay Cowboy Romance [yes this is a genre now], a World War II Drama/Porn and classic Zany Pot Comedy). So the man can direct if you know what I mean. And he's cast a kid who has never acted before and probably has never even seen a camera in his life, much less a Bengal Tiger. Much like everyone guffawed at the idea of Danny Boyle tackling a stupid story about some guy in a rock for five days, well, you were wrong. So it's absurd to think Ang Lee can't create a compelling story about a boy and a tiger on a boat. So I have the utmost confidence this is going to be a great family movie come Christmastime next year - it's going to fill that We Bought a Zoo void we'll all be feeling next year.

39. The Great Gatsby
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan
Director: Baz Luhrman
Release Date: December 25
I remember reading this book in high school and thinking how depressing the whole thing was. I'd probably appreciate it a bit more now that I am a full time bookworm. So the story revolves around the enigmatic Jay Gatsby and how Nick Carraway gets sucked into this charming man's life only to find tragedy and madness hiding behind his phony nouveau riche existence. The best part about this adaptation? It's in 3D! Yes, you heard me! The man behind Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet is having a go at one the greatest American novels and doing it all in that fancy new dimension! That alone is reason enough for me to pony up some money (whether it be brilliant or a sophisticated train wreck) but you have a really nice cast. I've come to really enjoy DiCaprio in about everything lately, so it will be interesting to see him in this role, as I pictured someone wholly different as Gatsby while reading. And as much crap as Tobey Maguire gets around the interwebs, he's still a good actor. Plus you got Carey Mulligan, still trying to get that Oscar along with Isla Fischer and Joel Edgerton rounding out the cast. Sounds like a fun time at the movies and a perfect counterpoint to Life of Pi next Christmas.

38. John Carter
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe
Director: Andrew Stanton
Release Date: March 9
Another great piece of fiction (or so I'm told) is Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars. Unfortunately Disney thinks audiences are unlikely to watch a movie with the word Mars in it (Mission to Mars, Mars Needs Moms, Mars Attacks!, Ghosts of Mars - all movies that got dumped on at the box office) even TV shows are not immune from the four letter word - Veronica Mars, while brilliant, only lasted a paltry three seasons and let's not forget the classic 70s time traveling cop drama Life on Mars - why only one season? Oh, Hollywood, you tease. So you can understand the change. The story takes a simple Civil War vet, minding his own business when he gets magically (or scientifically?) transported to Mars where he battles crazy creatures and saves a princess. Sounds pretty cool! Taylor Kitsch is looking to have a break out year in 2012 - he's appearing 3 times on this list! But the first trailer leaves a little to be desired - it all just looks so... well... dull! I've never read the books, but the setting is supposed to be fantastical and romantic, not a vacation to Arizona! C'mon people! I can only hope that the director of Wall-E can transition to live-action and pull off something magical here.

37. Contraband

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Giovanni Ribisi
Director: Baltasar Kormakur
Release Date: January 13
This movie was totally off my radar until I sawthe trailer. I mean, c'mon who doesn't want to see Mark Wahlberg take names andkick some ass? It's got a mixture of crime drama, action and heist movie allrolled into one. Count me in! It probably won't win any awards or anything, butthis looks like a solid, fun movie with the producer of Entourage flexing hisaction star muscle. Plus, I've always felt a little sorry for Giovanni Ribisi -he's a really good actor that hasn't quite hit the big time, but he's seems tobe doing fine - he's on this list three times! And who couldn't resist watchinga movie that's directed by a guy named Baltasar? That is epically awesome. Ithink he might slay dragons as a hobby.

36.Dark Shadows
Starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green
Director: Tim Burton
Release Date: May 11
I know - we can all collectively roll our eyes as Tim Burton teams up once again with his not-so-secret schoolboy crush Johnny Depp. This time they're re-imagining another beloved franchise - the cult TV show Dark Shadows. The movie, according to Wikipedia is thus: Barnabas Collins, a wealthy playboy from the 18th century, breaks the heart of a witch who turns him into a vampire and buries him alive. In 1972, Barnabas is freed and returns to find his manor in ruin. It is occupied by dysfunctional descendants and other residents, all of whom have secrets. And thus hilarity ensues as only a heavily-eyelined vampire Johnny Depp can create. I will freely admit Mr. Depp has lost his charm the past few years. He has a schtick now and he's sticking to it, dammit! Depending on how the trailer looks, this one might get stricken from my list or be bumped up. I don't know! The duo of Burton and Depp is hit and miss lately (Alice in Wonderland was a horribly chaotic mess of a movie, but then Sweeney Todd was fantastic!) I've never seen the show, but I can only imagine that heavy groan of discontent (or joy - I claim to not know these people) echoing around the internet from all the fans of the show will only further emphasize what side of the fence I'm on. The really odd thing about the movie is the release date. Wouldn't this be more suited for the fall? What's up with that, Mr. Warner and your brother?

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

The 50 Most Anticipated Movies of 2012: Gangbusters

2011-11-29T12:57:00.001-05:00

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

The hardest part about selecting a lot of these movies is there's really no hard evidence has to how good these movies are. Trailers are hard to come by for movies that are more than four or five months out from release and even then you can't really estimate how good or bad it is. Remember the Terminator Salvation trailer? That was so good and the movie was so bad! Or a seemingly terrible trailer can mask the true greatness of a movie - Red from 2010 is a great example (that trailer made the movie to be some goofy Paul Blart-esque type action/comedy. And that movie was way better than that). So here's the next five movies - all with pretty stellar casts and great directors.

45. Savages

Starring: Ben Johnson, Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively

Director: Oliver Stone

Release Date: September 28

When I first heard about this movie - I was ultimately "meh" on it - it seems like a good story, and I'm sure the book is pretty kick-ass. A couple of pot growers (one an ex-mercenary) rub a Mexican drug cartel the wrong way for moving in on their business. They refuse to back down, the fight escalates when the cartel kidnaps their confidante and shared girlfriend, Ophelia. Ophelia's "abduction sets off a dizzying array of ingenious negotiations and gripping plot twists that will captivate readers eager to learn the costs of freedom and the price of one amazing high." (Amazon). But what spun this story around for me was who is attached to the film. Oliver Stone directs which isn't a huge draw for me, but you know he's a solid director and the film is in good hands. No, it's the cast - not only do you have Mr. Kick-Ass himself, Aaron Johnson, but you got Taylor Kitsch (TIM RIGGINS!), Emile Hirsch, Benicio Del Toro, Uma Thurman, John Travolta and Salma Hayek. The only weak component is Blake Lively. In my mind, she hasn't proven she can act with A-list actors. Sounds like a solid movie - it might move up my list if the trailer is awesome. This could be a surprise hit in the fall, much like The Town was a year ago.

44. Dog Fight

Starring: Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis

Director: Jay Roach

Release Date: August 10

I will admit, Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis's comedy bit has run a bit dry as of late. I still think they're funny men - but it's nice to see them branch out from time to time (Everything Must Go and It's Kind of a Funny Story come to mind as solid evidence these two actors are more than just comedy geniuses). But much like Talladega Nights and Step Brothers, this pairing of two eccentric and crazy comedians might just be a match made in heaven. They play dueling southern politicians who are vying for the same seat in Congress. This could turn out to be funny, but people, including me, might be wary of any kind of political comedy come August of next year. But this could be a nice escape from all the doom and gloom of the upcoming campaign season. Who knows? It could go either way and I really hope there's a lot of laughs with this one no matter what political reality we're faced with next year.

43. Gangster Squad

Starring: Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Release Date: October 19

After playing the video game L.A. Noire, I wanted to delve deeper into the world of crime and crooked cops and - lo and behold! - along comes the announcement of Gangster Squad. Set in the 40s and 50s, it's a crime drama about the LAPD's fight to keep the East Coast Mafia out of Los Angeles. Ruben Fleischer, the talented director behind Zombieland and 30 Minutes or Less, is tackling unfamiliar territory with this drama. I think he's up for the task and there's a great cast to support him. The white hot Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone pair up again along with Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Nick Nolte, Giovanni Ribisi and Michael Peña. That's a solid cast and I'm expecting nothing less than an instant classic film noire with Stone playing the femme fatale. I've always loved film noire and I certainly can't wait to see how this modern take on the genre shapes up!

42. Dredd

Starring: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey

Director: Pete Travis

Release Date: September 21

After the deluge of comic book movies this year, you would think Hollywood would take a break, but nope! There's a handful of reboots and sequels heading our way next year. None of which carry as much baggage as Dredd. Aside from a much-lampooned film version in 1995 starring Sylvester Stallone, Judge Dredd really isn't well-known. This movie has a lot of potential - Karl Urban is pretty bad ass and a good fit for the role, but Juno's friend (Olivia Thirlby) as Dredd's rookie partner? Plus, the film has had a bumpy production - the studio refused to allow Pete Travis, the director, to edit the film citing "creative disagreements." Which is just code for "we hated the movie." So there's still a lot of time before this one comes out (not surprising that they opted out of a summer release). So it sounds like this could be a huge mess. Or this could very well be an amazing superhero film. BTW - the film's plot seems pretty ho-hum: In a violent, futuristic city where the police have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner, a cop teams with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO. But all the drama behind the scenes has me at least intrigued, plus I'm anxious to see how goofy (or good?) that helmet will look throughout the film.

41. Warm Bodies
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich
Director: Jonathan Levine
Release Date: August 10
I am definitely tired of zombies. In fact, I'm pretty much tired of all the supernatural storytelling craze that's exploded in the past five years. But there's always room for quirky and inventive takes on these genres. And Warm Bodies fits that bill. The movie's based on a book where the narrator is a zombie himself. R (as he cannot remember his name) moves through a post-apocolyptic America where he gets high on people's memories after feeding on their brains. After one particular memory, he falls in love with a woman and sets out to save her from his kind. It sounds like this one is filled with a lot of dark humor and who better to take up the director's chair than the guy who directed the cancer comedy 50/50? And you have Nicholas Hoult (Beast from X-Men: First Class) and Teresa Palmer (I Am Number Four, all around hottie) playing the leading roles - they're up and coming actors that I really have enjoyed (if you haven't seen the original British version of Skins, do yourself a favor and watch the first season - Hoult is a standout in that cast). This could be a real winner - I wouldn't be surprised if this is a breakout hit next year.

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

The 50 Most Anticipated Movies of 2012: The Countdown Begins!

2011-11-28T11:27:00.001-05:00

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

There's going to be some gargantuan movies next year and I certainly am excited for all of them. If 2012 is going to be the end of the world, at least there's going to be some good movies to watch. The beginning of the list sees some comedies that may just transcend from good to great - they have potential with all the talent behind them, but they could all just be duds, too. And remember, all these release dates are tentative, studios are fickle and are prone to changing their minds at the last second, so take these dates with a grain of salt. Let the countdown begin!

50. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

Starring: Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Steve Zahn

Director: David Bowers

Release Date: August 3

You may be asking yourself - how can you get excited about a family movie about a middle school kid? One word: Rowley. I've recently discovered the Diary movies and their genius - a surprisingly funny take on growing up. But Rowley - the main character's best friend - is the best part of these movies. They hired the perfect actor - he has such a dumb/sweet smile on his face the whole time and it makes me giggle. I wouldn't say the Diary movies are essential viewing for a kid growing up, but they're pretty darn hilarious. The new one combines the third and fourth books that covers his disastrous summer break, but more importantly there's going to be more screen time with Rowley - which was sorely lacking in the second installment.

49. Jeff Who Lives at Home

Starring: Jason Segal, Ed Helms, Judy Greer, Susan Sarandon

Director: Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass

Release Date: March 2

Pretty much anything Jason Segal is involved with I will get excited about. He's on fire, with the recently released Muppets movie getting rave reviews and making a splash at the box office, and it seems he's poised to have a solid year (again). The story centers around Jeff, a stoner who lives with his mom who gets a wrong call and is sent on a mission to look for a "Kevin." Along for the ride is his brother, played by Ed Helms. The events that unfold will forever change their family dynamic. This is all brought together by the Duplass brothers, who made the wonderfully quirky Cyrus movie last year. It's been getting some solid reviews and it sounds like another indie comedy that will have some really funny moments along with more sincere poignant ones as well.

48. Donny's Boy

Starring: Adam Sandler, Adam Samberg, Leighton Meester

Director: Sean Anders, John Morris

Release Date: June 15

I haven't been a fan of Adam Sandler movies in a long time. Jack and Jill looks like a train wreck and Grown Ups was so boring. But sometimes he'll surprise me - Funny People was a smart, fun comedy (it didn't hurt that it was coming from Judd Apatow). So here's Sandler working with what I consider the funniest comedy directors in Hollywood now. The guys who wrote and directed Hot Tub Time Machine, She's Out of My League and Sex Drive are looking to have their first breakout hit. Plus Ken Marino and David Wain (of MTV's The State and greatest comedy of all time Wet Hot American Summer fame) were called in to do a rewrite of the script. Originally titled I Hate You, Dad, Adam Sandler plays a father who moves in with his son right before his wedding and soon begins sparring with his daughter-in-law. Sounds a lot like Hot Rod, only a lot funnier. This should be higher on my list, but this one is a huge question mark. It could live and die by its marketing campaign and if the trailer seems funny enough, I'll definitely go and see this.

My photoshop skills are pretty awful. So you're stuck with this crappy graphic.

47. Neighborhood Watch

Starring: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill

Director: Akiva Schaffer

Release Date: July 27

Speaking of Hot Rod, the director from that movie is trying to have his breakout hit. He's already garnered a ton of good will with comedy fans for being one of the singers in The Lonely Island and pretty much helping Saturday Night Live survive with Digital Shorts (Dick in a Box, Lazy Sunday, etc.). I think I'm a bit tired of Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn - they seem to have dug themselves a hole as to the roles they're willing to play. Stiller hasn't done anything worthwhile in the past five years besides Tropic Thunder and Double V (as I affectionately call him) is in the same boat - Wedding Crashers was the last great comedy he's done. But Jonah Hill is, pardon the pun, one to watch. He's right next to Jason Segal in my book - I'll pretty much watch anything he's in. So you can understand why this isn't higher on my list. The plot sounds just ho-hum: Suburban dads form a neighborhood watch group to get time away from their families, only to discover an alien plot to destroy Earth. It has a lot of potential, but it all depends on the cast and the director, in my opinion. As long as Stiller and Double V don't ham it up every time they're on screen, I think this could be really good!

46. Gravity

Starring: George Clooney, Sandra Bullock

Director: Alfonso Cuarón

Release Date: October 19

Cuarón is the architect behind the massively under appreciated Children of Men a film that's one of my favorite sci-fi flicks. So to say this is going to be awesome might be an understatement. He wrote this movie with his son and it's about a group of astronauts whose space station gets hit by satellite debris and the two lone survivors are forced to survive to get back to Earth. It's taken forever to get this film off the ground, but it's in production right now and I cannot wait. I really don't like Sandra Bullock all that much, but she's not going to stop me from seeing this movie. The reason this movie didn't land any higher on my list is that I don't know if this is going to be a straight-up survival story or if there is really going to be some sci-fi mixed into it. If it's more of a tale of rugged survival, it might just end of being 127 Hours in Space, and I will pass. But if there's more to the story, oohhhh boy, that would be awesome! I'll have to wait and see the trailer for this to really pass judgement. But I cannot wait until then!

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

The Most Anticipated Movies of 2012: The Runner-Ups Part 2

2011-11-23T12:52:00.001-05:00

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

I'd like to call this list the mediocrity part of the list. So why even bother? Well, maybe mediocrity is a strong word, but most of these movies here are sequels to just okay movies. Most of them are sequels to box office hits, so it's no wonder why they got greenlit, but they all are questionable choices for studios and so they all have an air of intrigue surrounding them. I'll be taking a break for Thanksgiving weekend and starting Monday, I'll begin the real countdown!

Untitled Taken Sequel
Starring: Liam Neeson, Famke Jensson, Maggie Grace
Director: Olivier Megaton
Release Date: October 5
Okay, Taken was a pretty fun movie, so a sequel sounds fun if they do it right! Well, sign me up! Wait! You mean Liam Neeson and his wife Famke Janssen get kidnapped this time around and it's up to Maggie Grace, the whiny, dumb daughter from the first movie to save them? Uhhhhh..... well, let's just say I'll check this out on DVD. The guy directing this movie did Transporter 3 and has the most ridiculous name since McG. It's too bad Hollywood can't seem to leave modern blockbusters at one movie - they just love the word franchise.

G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation
Starring: Channing Tatum, Bruce Willis, Dwayne Johnson
Director: John M. Chu
Release Date: June 29
Well, apparently Hollywood thinks G.I. Joe can be a franchise as well. The first one was just alright - a pretty solid action movie. I can only imagine this one will be the same, except with more Dwayne Johnson! So the only reason this is on the list is because of Jon M. Chu. I'm very interested in what the director of Justin Bieber: Never Say Never and the Step Up sequels has to show us. Will there be choreographed dance sessions? I can only hope that Usher makes a cameo of some sort: "When we first met, Snake Eyes almost passed me by! He didn't even know who I was!! I'm Usher, bitch!"

The Expendables 2
Starring: Every action star imaginable
Director: Simon West
Release Date: August 17
Sylvester Stallone doesn't have time to come up with a clever subtitle. Nor does he have time for your bitching about how the last one was not that good. He's got Chuck Norris this time around! Well, you can just add about $100 million dollars to the box office right now. The only way they'll be able to top this one is if they get Mike Tyson, Kiefer Sutherland (as Jack Bauer) and Sean Connery to cameo.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
Starring: Nicolas Cage
Director: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor
Release Date: February 17
I know the first movie was an unexpected hit, but it's been 5 years since then (that's almost 10 years in Hollywood time). And you know what? Comic book movies have evolved. You've seen The Dark Knight? Watchmen? Yeah, that's how we do comic book movies now. The comic book crowd is a pretentious lot so Nicolas Cage, can you take your flaming skull and motorcycle and maybe hipster your outfit up? Isn't there a real person under all that leather and fire? One can only wait. And I will, when it comes out on DVD.

Lockout
Starring: Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace
Director: James Mather, Steven St. Leger
Release Date: April 20
This movie seems effing crazy! Just read the plot description (emphasis added): A man wrongly convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage against the U.S. is offered his freedom if he can rescue the president's daughter from an outer space prison taken over by violent inmates. Seriously, I'd watch the hell outta that movie. But you know what? It's got Maggie Grace in it and this might just be Taken in Space! I mean, the headlines write themselves, folks. Is Hollywood even trying anymore? I just hope there's some zero g fighting scenes. If that's the only lesson Hollywood has learned in the past few years, is people love them some zero g.

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

The Most Anticipated Movies of 2012: The Runner-Ups, Part 1

2011-11-22T13:26:00.001-05:00

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

While 2011 had its moments, I still feel like it didn't live up to the hype that I had heaped upon it. Yes, I know that I am only letting myself down because of this, but I can't help myself. I love movie trailers, I love the anticipation and excitement movies bring. And while I think there's a lot of big time contenders that are sure to get me excited, there's a lot of movies that remain question marks as to how good they'll actually be. Starting next week, I'll reveal the top 50, but today and tomorrow I will be revealing the movies that just missed the mark.

Gone

Starring: Amanda Seyfried

Director: Heitor Dhalia

Release Date: February 24

This looks like a decent thriller. I don't think it's worthy of the top 50 mainly because this plot could've been for a Lifetime Movie. That's not a bad thing, it just doesn't make this that special. But color me intrigued - I like Amanda Seyfried and I'm always up for a good mystery. I probably won't catch this in theaters, but it'll be good for a rainy night in the summer when it gets released on DVD.

The Woman in Black

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe

Director: James Watkins

Release Date: February 3

Another thriller, although this looks more to be like a horror movie. Which I have no quibbles with - I love Gothic fiction and the movie is based on a seminal 1983 Gothic novel that centers around a menacing spectre that haunts an English town back in the 19th century. The trailer is quite effective and I'm very intrigued as to how Radcliffe can act beyond the Harry Potter universe. This should be a good one, but I'm always disappointed in these kinds of PG-13 horror/suspense movies, so call me skeptical. I'm hoping for the best, but anticipating the worst.

The Grey
Starring: Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulroney
Director: Joe Carnahan
Release Date: January 27
If you're noticing a theme, it's pretty apparent. Most of these movies are thrillers being released in the first two months of the year. I didn't plan on this, it just happened. But I am looking forward to this movie - you have Liam Neeson, who seems to pump out a movie like this once a year and the director, Joe Carnahan, who has done the underrated A-Team and the instant classic Smokin' Aces. I hope there's more to the movie than just fighting wolves with broken bottleneck knuckles (although that's pretty kick-ass!). And while the teaser does have me stoked about the movie, I can't help but feel this might end up a cross between Into the Wild and Taken.

Man on a Ledge
Starring: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell
Director: Asger Leth
Release Date: January 27
Surprise! Another thriller! And it's opening on the same day as Liam Neeson's wolf killer movie! This has shades of Inside Man (which was awesome, BTW) and Phonebooth (another solid movie). I'd like to see what happens in this movie - it looks like it's going to be a fun thrill ride. But what to do with the main actor's hair? It's like they hired a kid straight out of beauty school to provide hair and makeup. Besides the awful costuming, the movie seems like it's a one and done kind of deal. After you've seen the set up and punch line, there's no reason to go back. And I just can't put that on my top 50 for that reason (and the hair!).

Red Tails
Starring: Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard
Director: Anthony Hemingway
Release Date: January 20
A tale of courage and brotherhood...yada yada yada, let's just get to some sweet plane on plane action! I guess George Lucas wanted to make this movie for a long time, thank god he's too busy revisiting Star Wars for the 12th time to take the director's seat. Because if that was the case, I wouldn't have bothered to put this on a list at all! Joking aside, it does look good, but this one could end up being as dull as Flyboys (during the surreal days when James Franco wanted to be an action star! Remember Annapolis?). It has enough going for it that it might end up being good despite the tainted presence of Cuba Gooding Jr.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the last batch of runner-ups!

List: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36 | 35-31 | 30-26 | 25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | Runner-Ups: 10-6 | 5-1

Festival!

2011-11-21T13:37:00.001-05:00

A brontosaurus eating what seems to be a pineapple.

My attention span is that of a dog - I find many ways to distract myself. Point being - on our way back from the grocery the other night, we drove by a light up Brontosaurus! I immediately had to see what this is all about and we quickly took a detour to the Wayne Country Festival of Lights. It was simply amazing. If I was a six year old I probably wouldn't stop talking about it for the next week and begging to come back.

It was a slow start - but once I saw the Baseball Santa, I knew it was going to be the most badass Christmas light tour I've ever seen. They have all the sports included - Basketball, Football and Golf Santa are represented here. I will say this - why hasn't Hollywood started this franchise? You know how kick ass combining the sports genre and a lucrative Christmas comedy would be? I can think of a million different ideas that would generate at least a $100 million dollars. Scenario: The Cincinnati Reds are in dire straits, the franchise is losing money and they desperately need star power. Luckily, Santa also needs some extra moolah because his present-making factory is old and needs repairs. Yada yada yada, the Reds win the World Series that year with a walk-off home run. And Santa learns a valuable lesson in self-respect because his big jolly belly is what gives him his edge against pitchers - it makes for a smaller strike zone. See? I'd watch that movie. Well, at least on DVD.

There was even more awesomeness if you can believe it! There was a velociraptor about to make a stegosaurus its dinner - something that may give little Timmy nightmares, but completely solidified my theory that dinosaurs can make anything extra awesome! Also, there was a pink dragon! How can you not love that? The county of Wayne was even thoughtful enough to include the Jewish community by having a a menorah, a dradle and the flag of Israel all on display! Who says Christmas is exclusive to just one set of beliefs? All in all, it lasted a good 15 minutes and it was only $5! How can you pass that up? There were some jerkoffs that passed us with their lights on! Who does that? Those bastards think they're too cool for school but I'll tell you what - I know I'm awesome. And so does Football Santa.

Football Santa has a strong leg.

Other than that delightful night, I've been watching some movies, so let's just get down to that.

Green Lantern (PG-13) Runtime: 114 minutes
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard
Director: Martin Campbell

Well, this was one of the dumbest, messiest superhero movies I've seen in a while. There's probably about fifteen minutes of exposition in the beginning of the movie. The Green Lantern universe is so complicated apparently the producers think the audience won't understand unless there's a color-by-numbers guide to universe. Speaking of colors, the power of will is represented by the color green. It's the most powerful source of energy. Sounds like a lot of hippie mysticism in my opinion. And fear is yellow. They don't mention any other forces, but I can only assume that courage is purple and mediocrity is brown.

On top of the hammy storyline, the effects are just so dull and uninspiring. In fact, a lot of the live-action (not CGI) special effects just look cheap. For instance, a doctor gets flung across the room into a glass window, which doesn't shatter - it's so bad that you can see that it's a rag doll being thrown up against the glass. The CGI wasn't so bad, but more than half the movie is special effects. I would say two thirds of the movie is just computer generated - there's barely any real sets.

All this makes for a sloppy movie with no real heart or genuine emotional connection to the audience. It's all fluff and no substance. I would not recommend this because it's almost two hours of your time that you will never get back.

Rating: Avoid Like the Plague!

Random Thoughts

2011-11-18T14:21:00.001-05:00

NEVER FORGET

I don't normally get upset that much. Debt crisis? Just another bend in the road of capitalism. Occupy Wall Street? I'd rather a ham sandwich occupy my stomach right now. Speaking of which.... hold on.

Okay. I'm back. Ummm, The internet possibly going kaput? Well, it was a good run, guys. Let's pack it in. BUT I have very little tolerance, in fact ZERO leniency when it comes to my television shows. First it was Arrested Development and now my beloved Community is possibly on the grindstone to get axed (yes, I like mixing my metaphors). Seriously, what has the world come to when a FOURTH place network has to go to great lengths to replace a critically-acclaimed show and a loyal fanbase with an inferior product? Wake up, NBC! It's not 1998 anymore - you'll never get back Must See Thursdays, just stop trying. There's no way you'll have a blockbuster, scripted show on network TV. Everyone's migrated to cable and HBO (because we all know it's not TV, it's HBO). So you might as well enjoy the 4 or 5 million devoted fans you have now because you're never going to get them back! Occupy Greendale is much bigger than me or the show; it's about the idea that smart is better than dumb. It's about loyalty and freedom, not corporate greed and shallow laugh tracks. Deaney Vidi Vici!

My future

As newly monikered Uncle CK, I am pretty happy with the first results of me being an uncle. I think I'm going to go for that cool TV show Uncle vibe. Think about it, in possibly every show in the history of entertainment, the best characters have always been Uncles. Uncle Jesse rode a motocycle, had a great catch phrase "Have mercy," and he built his own sound studio just so he could have moments like these! There's also Uncle Scrooge who built himself a 90-foot deep room full of gold coins that he can swim through and show off to his nephews. Uncle Buck has his name as the title of the movie, 'nuff said. Uncle Ben bestowed upon the world the phrase "With great power comes great responsibility." Now that I have my role models, it's just a matter of emulating them for my nephew. When you see me rolling through the streets with my motorcycle and Aviator sunglasses, you can think to yourself, "Wow, that guy must be a great uncle to some kid." I just need to figure out my catch phrase. Too bad "Awesomesauce" is already taken.

This is not Jack, but isn't LOLcatz funny?

Sometimes I wish my cats didn't exist. Don't get me wrong, they're wonderful pets, it's just sometimes they're the opposite of that. Jack will sometimes howl like he's dying. It happens so much I've gotten used to it. If Jack was really dying, I wouldn't know for a long time. This is what happens when you cry wolf too many times. This is also the case with many other people in my life. I've learned to just shut out people in my mind. It's been happening a lot at work. Sometimes I'll just see an irritating person open up their mouth and my mind goes on autopilot. Sometimes I'll be thinking about that ham sandwich in the backroom or about that movie trailer playing - isn't that so and so from that TV show with the lady and the hat? And I blame Jack for all of this. He's a cat and he doesn't know that I blame him, but I hope that someday cats will learn the ability to discern the human language and one day stumble upon this blog entry. Although if that were to actually happen, I better make sure I get him declawed. Sometimes I'll look over and there's just something evil behind those cat eyes - like he's plotting his revenge or world domination. So if you do happen to stumble upon this future Jack, sorry! I'm just preventing you from taking over the house and installing a cat-run dystopian future! Human race, you can thank me later.

Coming to a Close

2011-11-17T23:00:00.000-05:00

2011 is coming to a close and it's been a fairly weird year in movies. Personally, it's been an awfully crazy year for myself. Not only am I a new car owner and new homeowner, I am a first-time uncle. Life seems to barreling forward and although I've enjoyed 2011 (with its ups and downs) I cannot wait to see what 2012 has in store for us.

With that, I'd like to take a breather here before I get to my Most Anticipated 2012 list and look back on what 2011 has brought us with movies.

The Predictably Good:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
If you just can't stand this series, you can probably skip this one. Otherwise, we'll just say this has been the penultimate wrap up to one of the greatest stories ever told. I think Part 2 was perfect - it's the culmination of 7 previous movies and the build up to this one was astounding and the execution was simply breathtaking. It's as epic as epic can get, but the movie didn't forget the more quiet moments in between all that wand flinging. The Harry Potter universe is my generation's Star Wars. I would love for J.K. Rowling to come back and visit it again or bestow others to do the same, but we all know too well what can happen when someone doesn't know when to stop (coughGeorgeLucascough).

Bridesmaids
No doubt I had this high on my list for most anticipated last year and it did not disappoint. It is probably the funniest movie I've seen all year and it goes to show that sometimes the ladies can bring more funny than the men.

Battle: Los Angeles
One of the best sci-fi movies this year, the hype surrounding this movie didn't hurt it one bit. They did this movie right - instead of a mishmash of civilians like Independence Day, the movie strictly stays in the viewpoint from one military unit's perspective. It has all the drama like any decent war story but mixed in with the horror of battling an alien race.

Lincoln Lawyer
One of the best dramas this year, this movie did not disappoint. There's some really good acting and a clever story behind all those chiseled good looks. I'd love to see them do another one soon, here's to hoping!

Source Code
My number two anticipated movie is one of the year's finest! It's not gonna blow you away, but the performances and the tight script make for a rewarding watch, even multiple times. If you don't fancy sci-fi that much, this is still worth watching - the characters are really the set piece as the sci-fi setting is really the backdrop to some great Groundhog Day-esque material.

The Seriously Disappointing:

Cowboys & Aliens
Uggh. Who knew this one could crash this bad? You had a lot of great people working on this movie and it had a great concept. But somehow it manages to not only be dull and boring, but quite messy with all its theatrics. The characters were so blah and uninteresting it was hard to care at all when the aliens came to steal their gold (seriously, this is what they did in the movie!)

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
I called this one out last year. If Johnny Depp was going to be the main attraction of the movie, then it's going to be bad. And it was. Too much Jack Sparrow does not make a good movie. He's more of a side character and to shove him in the spotlight only makes him annoying. I was not amused and unfortunately the rest of the world was because it made over a billion dollars worldwide. So get ready for a fifth Pirates movie in which Johnny Depp plunders the comedy stylings of Eddie Murphy to play Jack Sparrow and his long lost twin brother!

The Hangover, Part II
Don't get me wrong, Part 2 was hilarious, but it was also more of the same - it lost a little bit of its magic that made the first one special. Some of the jokes fell flat and forced and at times it seemed to move slowly. But all is forgiven because of the monkey. Seriously, that monkey needs it's own show.

The Wonderfully Surprising:

Super 8
There was a lot of speculation about this movie and there was ton of hype, but maybe not in a good way. To put it bluntly, this is the best movie I've seen this year. J.J. Abrams sprinkled Speilbergian magic dust all over this movie. It's an enchanting movie and by gosh, if Kyle Chandler isn't the best underrated actor out there (he did win an Emmy THANK GOD). So, so good - this is the reason why I go see movies.

50/50
I knew this movie was going to be special. As a cancer survivor myself, everything rings true in this movie. It's heartwarming, funny and sincere. It's one of the best movies this year. Everything is done right and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood right now. There's a scene where his character finally breaks down and lets all his emotions out. It's a very raw and wonderfully tragic moment in this film, it's simply one of the best scenes I've seen all year.

Moneyball
Moneyball is something special. Some may know the story of the Oakland A's (although I didn't, so I was on the edge of my seat the whole time!), but Aaron Sorkin's script is so riveting and entertaining, you find yourself rooting for Brad Pitt's Billy Beane even if you know the ending. There's a triumphant feeling in the film that few others have touched this year. And such good acting - it's really just a one-man show and I'd be surprised if he didn't get nominated for an Oscar.

X-Men: First Class
Expectations were high for this movie, but I didn't expect this one to top all the other superhero movies this year. In fact, it's by far the best X-Men movie. The acting is top notch and the plot isn't watered down with zingy one-liners and ludicrous set pieces. The 60s setting works perfectly for this film and I can't wait to see what they do for a sequel.

Sucker Punch
I am probably the only person in the world who loved this movie enough to put it in my top ten. It's a visually stunning movie that I think will be remembered long after this year. Call me crazy, but this movie has everything a geek could want - so where was the love? It's a fun movie and there's a really great story as well. It's well worth repeat viewings just to catch everything!

Great Movies Not on My Anticipated List:

Beginners
Ewan McGregor plays Oliver, a lonely man who finds out his father is gay after his mother passes away. This seems to complicate his life, but only makes him come to terms with his own relationship problems. This is one of the best movies this year - it's a comedy that treads the fine line of hilariousness with somber, meaningful moments. I absolutely fell in love with every moment in this movie.

Crazy, Stupid, Love.
The only wrong thing about this movie is its title. Talk about melodramatic. But the movie is often funny more than you would think. There are a few rough edges, but it's a great date movie where you won't be rolling your eyes or vomiting in your mouth at all the cliches. Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling work great together and there's just too many good moments/jokes that it's hard to pass up.

Bad Teacher
This was the year for R-rated comedies and they were all pretty good, but I wasn't prepared to laugh this hard. Cameron Diaz is perfect in this role and there's a great supporting cast involved. It has some weird moments (mainly from Timberlake's character), but overall, it's a blast to watch.

Hanna
A tight, character-driven thrill ride with an awesome soundtrack. It's a lot like the Bourne movies, so if you dug those, you'd definitely enjoy this movie. There's some great editing and cinematography in this movie and I was totally engrossed in this cat and mouse man hunt for a girl who can kick some serious ass.

Everything Must Go
Will Ferrell needs to do more roles like this. He is a wonderful actor and he shows it in this story about a volatile alcoholic who has possibly the worst day anyone can have (he gets fired and his wife leaves him and locks him out of the house with all his stuff in the yard). What happens after that bad day is really something amazing. It's a great story and there's some real charming moments along with absolutely devastating consequences.

There you have it! I still believe there's going to be some great movies this holiday - Sherlock Holmes 2, The Muppets, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and on and on. I'm excited for the end of the year, but there's going to be some doozies next year as well!

Most Anticipated: Your Highness

2011-08-14T23:45:00.000-04:00

Your Highness (R)
Runtime: 102 minutes
Starring: Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman
Director: David Gordon Green
Original Ranking: 30

Wow, talk about missing the mark considerably. I ranked this movie based on the red band trailer I saw and to be real honest, the funniest moments are all in that trailer. Go ahead watch it now. Done? Well, that's really all you need to see.

The movie just is slow, not only with the plot but with the jokes. Part of the movie takes itself way too seriously (a lot of the fantasy elements) and it seems the main joke is that Danny McBride is playing himself stuck in a fantasy movie. It's too bad because there hasn't been a good fantasy comedy in a looong time - probably Monty Python's Holy Grail is the last (and only?) good comedy based around this theme. I'd love to see Edgar Wright and Pegg and Frost tackle this genre.

Well, you know the movie's not good based on the fact that I'm talking about a hypothetical movie that would be way better. There's not a whole lot of substance to this movie and it's evident from the beginning. There's a really bizarre and very serious sacrificing/rape (WTF? I know, right?) scene in the beginning that sets the tone for the rest of the film - the comedy is constantly fighting this very disgusting first scene and it just doesn't come off right throughout the rest of the movie.

I would definitely avoid the hell out of this movie and in fact, rent Monty Python instead. You'll thank me later.

Rating: Avoid Like the Plague!

Movie Review: Crazy, Stupid Love

2011-08-08T11:01:00.000-04:00

Crazy, Stupid, Love. (PG-13)
Runtime: 118 minutes
Starring: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore
Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa

Aside from the goofy sounding title, Crazy, Stupid, Love (period) is a fun and truly wonderful romantic comedy. It hits all the right spots and the cast is exceptionally good (and exceptionally beautiful). This was not on my most anticipated list, but nevertheless, it's definitely one of my favorite movies this year!

Steve Carell plays Cal, a dull husband who gets cuckolded (look it up - or better yet, watch the movie!) by his wife and ends up taking advice from a ladies man, Mr. Hey Girl himself, Ryan Gosling to get over his wife and start bangin' some chicks. That pretty much sums up the movie - you pretty much know what is going to happen (well, at least I thought I did. More on that later). So what's the point in watching this movie, you might ask? Well, first off, it's pretty funny. Secondly, there's a lot of good acting going on here. Ryan Gosling is perfect as the handsome pick up artist and Steve Carrell and Julianne Moore are always good for these types of roles. Plus you have some truly memorable side characters played by Marisa Tomei and Kevin Bacon. Oh! And Cal's son has a subplot about him falling in love with an older high schooler - his babysitter no less!

While that subplot is not great, there are some great moments and all the story arcs collide near the end of the movie in a very big and climactic scene. It may have been a bit too much, but I still laughed a buttload during it. Plus, I should have seen it coming from a mile away but there's a big reveal in that scene that I will admit I was surprised. All in all - it's a good story and it's made even better by the cast. Maggie pointed out that the babysitter is played by a previous America's Next Top Model contestant and going into the movie I figured she would be the worst part, but fortunately, she was really good! So there's lots of surprises in this movie and most of them are good.

The movie does start off really slow - I was about to write this one off after the first 15 minutes, but it slowly found itself and really delivered on the laughs, too. It's a solid date movie, so what more could you ask for?

Rating: See It!

Most Anticipated: Cowboys & Aliens

2011-08-01T14:44:00.003-04:00

Cowboys & Aliens (PG-13)
Runtime: 118 minutes
Starring: Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig
Director: Jon Favreau
Original Ranking: 3

On paper, heck, even in the trailers, this movie seemed awesome! How could you not love a genre mash-up? Not only do you have Speilberg and Brian Grazer producing, you have the very talented Favreau behind the camera. Also, make sure to have two very iconic movie stars and throw in a really hot chick and instant success. The formula is quite simple:

1. Find two genres to mix up.
2. Get some well-loved actors/filmmakers to do it.
3. ???
4. Profit!

Well, sometimes too many ingredients (or as Maggie likes to put it - too many flavors) can ruin something special. It's like when I tried to make the ultimate pizza the other night. Maggie was having a ladie's night in (watching a movie and eating pizza), so some of them brought over their own pizza toppings. Being stuck upstairs with not much to do, I decided to throw everything we had onto the pizza! Great idea, right? WRONG! I had goat cheese mixed in with red olives and on top of that sausage and pepperoni and a handful of other ingredients. Well, you can understand how stupid that may seem now. But I was hungry and needed all those awesome ingredients now! Point being, it may seem like awesome sauce from within the confines of your hungry brain, but step back and it's a disaster. This is Cowboys & Aliens.

The movie starts off really well - they had the atmosphere of the western down to a T. Daniel Craig wakes up after being anally probed (just a hunch, really) and has some crazy bracelet/weapon locked onto his wrist. Of course, he's a bad guy who cannot remember a damn thing and it's up to Olivia Wilde to show him who he really is (that is, a nice guy who doesn't talk much and who just did some bad things). Harrison Ford shows up as the local mob boss who runs the town and wants his money back that Craig stole. Yada, yada yada, aliens invade the town and snatch up all their loved ones and it's up to both cranky pants and mutey to band with outlaws and Indians to save the day!

It all sounds awesome, but it gets real messy after the first aliens attack. Not only do they ride out in search of the kidnapped, but they decide it's a great idea to take the prisoner (Craig) and set him free because he has that weapon bracelet thingy. And they take a kid with them because apparently no one wants to take care of him back home. The frontier is harsh, man. Then they find out (SPOILER!) that Olivia Wilde is an alien herself, sent to warn the humans about the other aliens. Who, BTW, are just here to take all of our gold. And apparently research us because they want to know our weaknesses. It's all just a bit too ridiculous for me to swallow. Oh the moviemakers definitely wanted a sequel to happen - Wilde warned everyone that this is a just a scouting party. She mentions that if they stop them and destroy their ship, they'll all be safe. Umm, no, wouldn't that just make the other aliens mad to know their scouting party never came back? So I'm guessing that's the sequel (which will probably never happen after its miserable performance at the box office). (END OF SPOLERS!)

Plus, the climactic battle at the end is all sorts of messy. They go down into battle and the aliens are killing all of them (they only had about 50 humans, but it seemed like they had 150 by the time everything was over - so many people died!) and after one of the main guys gets killed, Harrison Ford gets off his horse and cradles the dude and sheds a tear for him! So did all the aliens just leave the area or did they all just stop killing the humans so we could all share this touching scene? It was weird and that happened more than once (not Harrison Ford crying, just spontaneously stopping the battle).

Another thing - I'm getting sick of aliens looking the same in all the movies - they're slimy and have scaly, reptile skin,. Their limbs are backwards and all the aliens look the same. It's like this in almost every alien movie lately - Super 8, District 9, Battle: Los Angeles. Don't get me wrong I love those movies, but can't we get someone new to design these aliens? And on top of that, the climactic battle scene was so chaotic I really could not tell what was happening half the time because the CGI aliens were too blurry.

I still have lingering questions about the movie. So if the aliens are here to steal our gold, is this the whole alien race going after gold on distant planets. Or is this a corporation on the alien homeworld seeking wealth? Do they have a government and do you think they have these liberal aliens who are against the mining and destroying of other civilizations? That's probably the only worth wile conversation I will get out of the movie and it sounds really, really silly. But I wonder...no! no! Colin, just stop! Stop it!

It's a shame to see such a highly anticipated movie come out such a turd. I had it ranked number 3 and this is clearly the most disappointing movie so far this year. I thought having all that talent behind the movie would only make it that much better, but in the end it ends up being okay. The action was okay, the plot was okay. It's really only worth renting if you can get it free.

Rating: Not Worth Paying For!

Most Anticipated: Friends With Benefits

2011-08-01T13:59:00.001-04:00

Friends With Benefits (R) - Runtime: 109 minutes
Starring: Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis
Director: Will Gluck
Original Ranking: 29

After the success of No Strings Attached, Friends With Benefits seemed fairly redundant. But instead of playing the same notes as the other R-rated comedy, the movie is good, if not better than its counterpart.

Justin Timberlake is surprisingly funny in this movie - he's quickly becoming a great actor and one of the few crossover stars from the music world to successfully manage a movie career. As usual, Mila Kunis is brimming with hotness and awesomeness - she plays a rough and tough girl who's just "one of the boys." When both characters meet for the first time in the airport (a pretty smart choice for the writers - they're not best friends from childhood, which would make their sexual escapades a bit too awkward) there is a budding chemistry that's present and it slowly works its magic throughout the movie. Woody Harrelson provides more comic relief (and a lot of the raunchiness) in the form of Timberlake's co-worker/buddy. He has some great jokes and he should have been in more of the movie.

It's a fun movie and funnier if you enjoy R-rated humor - the movie does get a bit sappy at times, but its never overbearing or weighed down with melodrama. Although there are very serious moments when they go to LA and Timberlake's father is dealing with Alzheimer's. It's a bit sad, but it never really drags the movie down. In fact, it adds a whole dimension to Timberlake's character and you start to understand his motivations for undeveloped relationships. Mila Kunis has similar issues, but they're really light-hearted (her mom is a slut! Hardy har har!), so it's fitting to see these two broken individuals come to see each other as more than just friends.

There are a few missteps, however. The beginning scene when they first meet goes on a bit too long - the main crux is Timberlake is being headhunted by Kunis and in order to get him hired, she sells him New York City. It's an okay way to start, but they make NYC seem like the only place you can have fun - oh and there's flashmobs! Seriously, that's exactly what sold Timberlake on the job - a five year-old fad that could be replicated anywhere. Lame! They do leave a couple of loose ends about their families, too - Kunis never really knows who her father is and they never really resolve that issue, which is fine - but they kept bringing it up throughout the whole movie! Frustrating, none the less.

Aside from those small issues, the movie is great. It's a fantastic romantic comedy that most anybody can enjoy - it's not just for the ladies! Plus you have two very attractive leads and they get naked! So you can't go wrong with that - thank god we didn't have to see Harrelson's bum or anything like that.

Rating: See It!

Most Anticipated: Catching Up part 2!

2011-07-26T14:39:00.000-04:00

It really is good to be back writing again - I feel a sense of anticipation when I come to sit down and put my thoughts down on the ol' keyboard. If ya missed it, here's part 1 of my catching up reviews. Part 2 is after the break and it's pretty hefty!

Battle: Los Angeles (PG-13) - Runtime: 116 minutes
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez
Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Original Ranking: 17

The ranking is still appropriate - this was a great alien invasion film. The best thing about this movie was it never left the platoon's (unit's?) perspective. It was all from their eyes how events unfolded and that made for a wonderful story. Forget Will Smith's cocky-ass marine from Independence Day, Aaron Eckhart is the real deal here.

Rating: Rent It!

Thor (PG-13) - Runtime: 115 minutes
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman
Director: Kenneth Branaugh
Original Ranking: 14

A solid, by-the-books superhero movie. The movie did a good job of not getting bogged down in its own mythology. There was just enough exposition to set things up. And largely this movie serves as a prologue to the epic Avengers movie coming out next year. If you love Marvel, you need to own every one of their "Avenger" movies and this in no exception.
Rating: Own It!

Something Borrowed (PG-13) - Runtime: 112 minutes
Starring: Kate Hudson, Ginnifer Goodwin
Director: Luke Greenfield
Original Ranking: 11

Although the story may sound like the most unoriginal and cliched romantic comedy, this one is special. The characters are well written (it doesn't hurt that the book is pretty phenomenal) and it has quite a few laughs, too! The movie is nearly perfect and sets up a sequel (the book had a proper and necessary sequel, so I can only hope!) for more gooey romantic goodness. Yes, I am a sucker for these movies.

Rating: Rent It!

Bridesmaids (R) - Runtime: 125 minutes
Starring: Kristen Wiig, Rose Byrne, Maya Rudolph
Director: Paul Feig
Original Ranking: 9

I knew this movie was going to be special. And what a huge surprise at the box office, too! It's already pulled in more than $160 million. And it's due in large part to the comic sensibilities of this phenomenal and talented cast. The writing's sharp and the characters are authentic - Wiig outdoes herself here and Rose Byrne is great as the arch-nemesis to Wiig.
Rating: Own It!

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (PG-13) - Runtime: 136 minutes
Starring: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz
Director: Rob Marshall
Original Ranking: 16

The movie has accumulated more than a billion dollars worldwide and only a paltry 25% of that is America, for good reason. The movie is just alright - the problem is Captain Jack is comic relief and more of a supporting role than a hero. But this movie is all about Jack Sparrow and it's just too much at times. Plus, it treads the same ground as the previous movies - and I loved all three of them! If the next movie is all about him you can count me out.
Rating: Not Worth Paying For!

The Hangover, Part II (R) - Runtime: 102 minutes
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Zack Galifinakis, Ed Helms
Director: Todd Phillips
Original Ranking: 4

While definitely another fine R-rated comedy, Part II just doesn't deliver the same amount of insanity as the first one did. Of course there were some awesome and ridiculously funny moments, but it all seemed a bit stale - it was a fill in the blanks movie - just follow the same recipe from the first. That's not a bad thing as the first one was spectacular, it's just Part II doesn't feel as special.
Rating: Rent It!

X-Men: First Class (PG-13) - Runtime: 132 minutes
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Original Ranking: 6

By far the best X-Men movie to date, First Class is a great story and is very powerful and emotional. But it also kicks ass! The cast is great, the story is poignant and the setting and metaphors they invoke are meaningful without being too heavy handed. A brilliant directing effort by one the most underrated directors right now, Vaughn knocks this movie out of the park.
Rating: Own It!

Super 8 (PG-13) - Runtime: 112 minutes
Starring: Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler
Director: J.J. Abrams
Original Ranking: 18

This is by far my favorite movie this year. Abrams manages to create something magical on screen. This film is largely a coming of age tale with a teen coming to terms with a new reality after his mother's death. It's poignant and strikes the right emotional chords. Oh and there's some awesome sci-fi alien stuff happening to push the narrative forward. Kyle Chandler is probably the best dad ever, BTW.
Rating: Own It!

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (PG-13) - Runtime: 157 minutes
Starring: Shia LeBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
Director: Michael Bay
Original Ranking: 23

Transformers 2 just plain sucked. But Dark of the Moon has at least redeemed the franchise. It's a fun movie and takes a much more serious and darker approach to the series and comes out with better results. It's almost three hours long, but it sure went by fast. This is what summer blockbusters are all about and Michael Bay delivered.
Rating: Rent It!

Red Riding Hood (PG-13) - Runtime: 100 minutes
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Lukas Haas, Gary Oldman
Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Original Ranking: 36

I do not know what I was thinking with that ranking. This movie was pretty much a stinker. Besides being utterly predictable and boring, the movie chugs along very slowly. The characters are nothing more than place cards in a setting. You never actually care for anything that happens in the movie. Dull, dull, dull.
Rating: Avoid Like the Plague!

Unknown (PG-13) - Runtime: 113 minutes
Starring: Liam Neeson, January Jones, Diane Kruger
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Original Ranking: 42

A decent, if very predictable thriller. Liam Neeson is a great actor and it seems like he's just collecting a paycheck in this movie, though. And the German actress Diane Kruger plays an illegal immigrant in Germany (as Maggie pointed out). Bizarre, as is the case with some of this movie. It's fun while your watching but you'll probably forget it exists after a couple of weeks.
Rating: Not Worth Paying For!

The Eagle (PG-13) - Runtime: 114 minutes
Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Original Ranking: 32

A solid period action piece, although this is no Gladiator. I really did enjoy this movie but it is a bit slow and the ending, while appropriate, I couldn't help but laugh and shake my head. Marcus (Channing Tatum) and his slave Eska (Jamie Bell) are leaving the court and Eska asks Marcus, "What shall we do next?" and Marcus replies "I think it's your decision!" and they smile and walk into the sunset. It's soooo cheesy and weird - like I can hear an old-timey tinney radio voice from the 1930s doing a voiceover: "Stay tuned next week for the next thrilling adventures of Marcus and Eska! What excitement awaits them - dangerous polar bears and a viking hoard hell-bent on their destruction? Eagle ho!"
Rating: Rent It!

I Am Number Four (PG-13) - Runtime: 109 minutes
Starring: Alex Pettyfer, Dianna Agron, Timothy Olyphant
Director: DJ Caruso
Original Ranking: 50

Not only does this movie have a really dumb title, the plot itself is kind of dumb. Or at least some of the characters. They're being chased by the police and aliens and they decide to take a detour at the high school so the artsy fartsy bitch can develop her photos! Huh? It was just an excuse to have the climax of the movie at the high school and to shoehorn in a romantic kissing scene. It's an alright movie but it could have been way better - the ending sets up a sequel, which actually sounds alright - I just wouldn't pay to watch it.
Rating: Not Worth Paying For!

Horrible Bosses (R) - Runtime: 98 minutes
Starring: Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day
Director: Seth Gordon
Original Ranking: 38

This is the year for R-rated comedies. It seems like there's been one or two big time releases every month and they're all at least good, if not downright hilarious. I'd have to say this falls in the latter category. It's an easy idea to get around and the whole cast is spot-on with their roles. Especially Spacey and Farrell as two of the bosses. They're not just bad bosses, but they're just awful human beings which makes it easier to want to kill them. The jokes are fast and furious and I laughed hard throughout. Great stuff.
Rating: See It!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (PG-13) - Runtime: 130 minutes
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
Director: David Yates
Original Ranking: 8

I love Harry Potter. It's a genius work of fiction and unlike George Lucas with Star Wars and his prequels (or the TV show Lost), J.K. Rowling knew exactly how the whole story would work itself out. The movies have been just as good for adaptations and this one is great. It's too bad the Academy won't recognize this film for how awesome it is, but it's definitely my generation's version of Star Wars.
Rating: See It!

Captain America: The First Avenger (PG-13) - Runtime: 125 minutes
Starring: Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Tommy Lee Jones
Director: Joe Johnston
Original Ranking: 15

Another solid superhero movie - this one was more fun than Thor. A lot of it was cheesy, but this is what these comic book characters are all about. It was great to see him dress up and do war bond tours before the real action started - it was if the movie was winking at the audience, knowing full well how campy it is. And of course the end of the credits is a teaser for the Avengers movie, which looks like it's going to be all sorts of crazy! 2012 cannot come sooner!
Rating: See It!

Most Anticipated: Catching Up

2011-07-25T11:48:00.000-04:00

It's been quite a while since the last post and I need to catch y'all up to the movies I've seen - and to grade my Most Anticipated movies! Instead of doing a review, I'm just going to sum up most of the movies in two or three sentences and hand out a grade - these are in chronological order (as to when I've seen them). Also, I will be re-ranking them (some won't even make the top 50) and I'll be doing a year-end list with newer movies that didn't make it the first time around. Stay tuned!

The Roommate (PG-13) - Runtime: 91 minutes
Starring: Minka Kelly, Leighton Meester
Director: Christian E. Christiansen
Orginal Rank: 43

A decent, if largely unforgettable Single White Female clone. This time it's rated PG-13 and it ultimately hurt this movie. It could have been way more interesting and some parts were just boring!

Rating: Not Worth Paying For!

Hall Pass (R) - Runtime: 105 minutes
Starring: Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis
Director: Bobby and Peter Farrelly
Original Rank: 35

A really funny and raunchy comedy from the guys that did There's Something About Mary. Jason Sudeikis is on fire this year and he's quickly becoming one of my favorite comic actors.
Rating: Rent It!

The Adjustment Bureau (PG-13) - Runtime: 106 minutes
Starring: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt
Director: George Nolfi

Original Ranking: 24

A fun and exciting romance/thriller with a great cast of characters. Some may come away from this movie baffled at its convoluted plot, but it's enjoyable despite its flaws. Plus the ending was clever enough to keep me guessing.

Rating: Rent It!

Limitless (PG-13) - Runtime: 105 minutes
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Robert De Niro
Director: Neil Burger
Original Ranking: 45

A big surprise as the ranking really doesn't reflect how good this movie is. A great thriller and Bradley Cooper oozes charm throughout. Maggie remarked "I didn't think the production value would be this high!" It's a fun movie and Neil Burger adds a great visual flair to the whole proceeding.

Rating: Rent It!

The Lincoln Lawyer (R) - Runtime: 118 minutes
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Phillipe
Director: Brad Furman
Original Ranking: 41

This movie is going to be bumped up in the rankings quite a bit. It's a great drama and legal thriller where Matthew McConaughey is at his best. They don't make too many of these movies for big releases anymore but this one shines - a must-see.

Rating: Rent It!

Paul (R) - Runtime: 109 minutes
Starring: Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, Seth Rogen (voice)
Director: Greg Mottola
Original Ranking: 34

I think the ranking fits for this movie. It's a fun and funny movie, no doubt, but I didn't think "Instant Classic" like I did with Frost/Pegg's other two movies (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead). Still, it's a solid comedy and definitely worth checking out when it hits DVD in August.
Rating: Rent It!

Sucker Punch (PG-13) - Runtime: 110 minutes
Starring: Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone
Director: Zack Snyder
Original Ranking: 5

A lot of people absolutely despised this movie, but I had the complete opposite reaction. This is a great movie and I think ten or so years down the road it's still going to be great! The action is not just great, it's amazing and the plot, while some dismissed at misogynistic and cliched, I thought it was clever and just plain fun.
Rating: Own It!

Source Code (PG-13) - Runtime: 93 minutes
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan
Director: Duncan Jones
Original Ranking: 2

Yes! This movie was simply amazing and near-perfect. From the opening shots of Chicago's roadways to the end shot of Cloud Gate, it's a gripping, Groundhog Day-esque thrill ride. I loved every shot and it's certainly one of my favorite movies this year.
Rating: Own It!

Scream 4 (R) - Runtime: 111 minutes
Starring: Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, Emma Roberts
Director: Wes Craven
Original Ranking: 10

Despite all the bad reviews and disappointing box office numbers, Scream 4 is just as good as the original. The kills are just as awesome (and sometimes very funny) and the ending will leave you speechless. It's a bit messy at times, but it's all effortlessly done and I can't wait to see this one again when it's out in October on DVD.
Rating: Own It!

Fast Five (PG-13) - Runtime: 130 minutes
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson
Director: Justin Lin
Original Ranking: 40

A complete surprise not just for myself, but for the box office as well. While the fourth movie kick-started the franchise again, Fast Five completely rocketed it into outer space. This one is by far the best of the five movies - it's a tightly written and expertly executed heist movie. And the ending, oh man, the ending - stay after the credits! I cannot wait for the next one!
Rating: Rent It!

There's at least 10 or more movies I need to review - so stay tuned for future posts!

Twofer Thursday: Comedy Gets Serious

2011-02-10T16:39:00.000-05:00

Twofer Thursday:

Offering up a new release and a complimentary older movie for the upcoming weekend. I have pretty good taste, so you should just follow my advice.

It's Kind of a Funny Story (R)

Starring: Kier Gilchrist, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Roberts

Directors: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck

The theme this week is getting out of your comfort zone. Normally, Galifianakis is known for his comedy roles, but here he plays a much more deeper and darker character than normal. A teenager (Kier Gilchrist) is, like most teenagers, depressed and hating his life. He constantly thinks about suicide and so decides to check himself into a psychiatric ward. There, he befriends Bobby, a depressed young father who voluntarily checks himself into the ward a lot. There's a special bond that develops between the two and it's very stirring and genuine. But along with all the touchy-feely stuff, there's a lot of good comedy. The other patients offer up a diverse group of characters that you end up loving to spend time with. It's a fairly easy going movie, despite all the heavy themes being thrown out. I was simply amazed at how easy it was for Galifianakis to play such a different and complex character. The rest of the cast is just as good - Kier Gilchrist, in his lead role debut, is really good at playing the awkward teenager and Emma Roberts is just mysterious enough to want to know more about her. All in all, a wonderful movie that probably will make you feel good about yourself and who can't love that about a movie?

Stranger Than Fiction (PG-13)

Starring: Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman

Director: Marc Forster

Another huge leap for a comedian, Stranger Than Fiction really shows off Will Ferrell's acting chops. Here he plays an IRS auditor, Harold Crick, who suddenly finds his life being narrated by Emma Thompson. After several attempts to ignore said voice, he decides to confront it. It's a wonderful movie and Harold Crick is an amazing character - he's a diligent, statistical person. Everything in his life is sterile and removed from any emotion. But it all comes shattering down on him when the voice appears. He starts to get involved with a auditee that he's investigating and the movie carries forward full steam ahead. Although more of a drama than anything, there is a lot of laughs to be had and they don't necessarily come from Ferrell. Plus, the soundtrack is one of the best this past decade - Spoon headlines and it injects the movie with some energy. There's a great scene where we see Harold crack and reveal more of his true self - when he starts to play Wreckless Eric's "Whole Wide World" on the guitar. It's such a great revelation and breakthrough not only for Harold, but also for Ferrell. It's a great movie and it makes you want to see this side of Ferrell more in movies.

Notable Tuesday Releases

2011-02-08T14:06:00.005-05:00

Life as We Know It (PG-13)

Starring: Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel

Director: Greg Berlanti

We didn't get this movie in on time so I didn't get a chance to watch this movie. But you can pretty much guess from the trailers if you're going to like it or not. It's pretty much a cookie cutter romantic comedy - so it boils down to the comedy and actors. I personally loathe Katherine Heigl - not so much as an actress, but as a person. She's come off in interviews as a holier-than-thou jagweed. But Josh Duhamel, he's a solid actor (plus he's easy on the eyes, am I right, ladies?). So they pretty much cancel each other out. Which means it's probably just okay.

Paranormal Activity 2 (R)

Starring: Kate Featherston, Micah Sloat

Director: Tod Williams

Another movie that we didn't get in on time, Paranormal Activity 2 seems pretty much more of the same. I'm not one for these kinds of movies, but if you've seen the first one, you'll probably enjoy this one just as much. Although unlike most horror sequels, this movie is actually a prequel! Surprise! But you know this franchise isn't going away until they've milked every penny out of it. So expect Paranormal Activity 10: Supernaturally Scary coming to theaters in 2018!

It's Kind of a Funny Story (PG-13)

Starring: Keir Gilchrist, Zach Galifianakis

Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck

Now this was a funny and sincerely heartfelt movie. Zach Galifianak plays a much more somber character and is absolutely brilliant as a depressed young father. Kier Gilchrist plays the troubled teen who thinks his life is spiraling downwards and checks himself into an adult psychiatric ward. There's great chemistry between him and Zach and there's lots of great moments in the movie - especially when they get the whole ward together to play Queen's "Under Pressure" for the hospital. I highly recommend this one!

Rating: Rent It!

You Again (PG)

Starring: Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis

Director: Andy Fickman

If you like a sterile, Disney PG comedy that teaches you morals that you already know, than You Again is for you! I'm sure some will find it cute, but the jokes fall flat (there's a lot of dumb, physical comedy) and even the great Betty White can't save this dreadful comedy. Kristen Bell plays a gal who had a horrible experience in high school and wants to forget about it. But her brother is marrying the girl who made her life a personal hell. And hilarity ensues (well, not really). I wish they would have taken this movie to a darker edge - like Election. But it's Disney, so we're stuck with this lame comedy.

Rating: Not Worth Paying For!

Other Releases

My Soul To Take (R)

Starring: Max Thieriot, John Magaro

Director: Wes Craven

Uggh, what a mess of a movie. It's a good premise: seven kids were born on the same day a serial killer supposedly gets killed. There is some convoluted myth surrounding his death/disappearance, but it's never fully explained and that pretty much sums up the whole movie. A lot of stuff (yeah, it's too boring to go into detail) happens and I couldn't follow all the slang the kids were throwing around. The high school dynamic and power structure was weird and I didn't understand why this girl was in charge of the whole school. It's pretty dumb throughout so I'd stay away from this one.

Rating: Avoid Like the Plague!

Middle Men (R)

Starring: Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi

Director: George Gallo

A story about literally the middle men who get between your dollar and your porn on the internet. It's a crazy, R-rated, boob-filled romp all carefully narrated by Luke Wilson, the center of the operation. It's a story that involves two boneheaded geniuses, a Russian mob boss, the FBI and porn stars. It's a very messy plot, but it's easy enough to follow because of the narration. It's an enjoyable story from start and Giovanni Ribisi is particularly great as one of said geniuses. I highly recommend this one if you don't mind boobs.

Rating: Rent It!

Ong Bak 3 (R)

Starring: Tony Jaa

Director: Panna Rittikrai, Tony Jaa

Ong Bak is bak! For a third time the martial artist looks for revenge? I guess, I don't know, I haven't seen any of these movies - but I'm guessing if you enjoyed the last two, there's nothing stopping you from enjoying the new one. I expect Tony Jaa to not just jump off of one elephant, but two this time! Nay! I demand it!

The Romantics (R)

Starring: Josh Duhamel, Katie Holmes, Anna Paquin

Director: Galt Niederhoffer

This movie has a great cast and wonderful style. The tone and look of the movie is absolutely beautiful. But what it has in style, it lacks in substance. There's a desperate, nostalgic vibe to this movie - college friends get together to celebrate the wedding of a certain scandalous couple. Apparently, Josh Duhamel had dated Katie Holmes all throughout college and suddenly ditches her for Anna Paquin. And they're getting married now, but there are still unresolved issues between all of these self-proclaimed (yeah, they're that douchey to call their own little group "The Romantics!"). But by the end of the movie, nothing ever gets resolved! Yeah, it's all artsy and ambiguous at the end, which normally I don't mind, but there's no difference between all of the characters from the beginning of the movie to the end of the movie. There's absolutely no character development and the audience is left to ponder the meaning of it all. Frankly, it's a pretentious, dealing-wit- you- 30s bullcrap movie. Reality Bites was way better.

Rating: Not Worth Paying For!

Twofer Thursday: Buried & Moon

2011-02-03T15:17:00.008-05:00

Twofer Thursday:
Offering up a new release and a complimentary older movie for the upcoming weekend. I have pretty good taste, so you should just follow my advice.

Buried (R)
Starring: Ryan Reynolds

Director: Rodrigo Cortés

Here's two movies that rely solely on the performance of one actor. Buried is not going to blow your mind with plot twists and surprises, but the film succeeds in creating a palpable thrill even though it takes place entirely in a coffin buried underground. Ryan Reynolds, convincingly the sexiest man alive, is a terrific actor who does not get the credit he deserves, talent-wise. I would not be surprised if he lands an Oscar nomination in the next few years (it just takes the right role). But audiences love him and here he's crafted quite a powerful performance. It's amazing what the movie can do with just one guy, a cell phone, a pen and the occasional snake. The movie creates a very good sense of claustrophobia - we're left in the dark physically and mentally - there isn't a whole lot of exposition and we're left to guess what's really happening outside the coffin. The movie does have a few surprises (the company phone call where he subsequently gets fired is both shockingly funny and sad all at once) and the ending will either enrage you or leave your mouth agape. It's a thoroughly engrossing movie from start to finish.

Moon (R)

Starring: Sam Rockwell

Director: Duncan Jones

I've reviewed this movie earlier for Project 182 and I still consider it one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time. It's not only a great story and Sam Rockwell gives a great performance, but the tiny details and mood of the movie are what's best about this ode to 2001 and many other great science fiction movies. The robot voiced by Kevin Spacey is classic and all of the shots outside the space station are beautiful and eerie. This movie will have you guessing what's real and what's not - and that can mostly be attributed to Rockwell. It's destined to be a classic in the genre and I cannot wait to see what Duncan Jones has in store next.

Notable Tuesday Releases

2011-02-01T14:04:00.003-05:00

Conviction (R) - Drama - 107 minutes
Starring: Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Melissa Leo
Director: Tony Goldwyn

"A working mother puts herself through law school in an effort to represent her brother, who has been wrongfully convicted of murder and has exhausted his chances to appeal his conviction through public defenders"

For the record, I really dislike Hilary Swank. I really can't put my finger on it, but I've never really liked anything she's done. But I love Sam Rockwell - he's a consistently good actor and has surprising range. So Conviction was a big question mark, but despite it's A-list cast, this movie really could have been on the Lifetime network. It's a good story and one that deserves to be told, no doubt, but I just don't think the movie convinced me enough that it was worth paying for. It's well acted, but the story was slow and poorly paced. Plus, the movie is all about Hilary Swank - we never really see the hardship endured by her brother in prison, nor do we get a greater sense of why the two are so close. There are certain flashbacks as to how they bonded, but they never are convincing enough to show why she's so obsessed with taking care of her brother and why she neglects everything and everyone in her life to pursue her law degree. It seems, though, at the end of the movie that everything is nicely tied up for her life, but it's hard to imagine that all of her close relationships haven't suffered in the past twenty years - and the film never really delves too deeply into that. But if you like inspiring movies and don't mind a very shallow look at the determined spirit, this movie is for you.

Rating: Not Worth Paying For!

Let Me In (R) - Horror - 116 minutes
Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Grace Moretz, Richard Jenkins
Director: Matt Reeves

"A bullied young boy befriends a young female vampire who lives in secrecy with her guardian"

A not-so-surprising American remake that is surprisingly better than the original in some respects. Based on a Swedish novel, Let Me In is a very haunting and quiet film. The mood and the young actors are what's best about this movie. There's never any rock and roll moments like you would normally find in vampire movies. It's more of a slow boil - and the true horror is not necessarily the person with the fangs. In fact, this is one of the most smart and beautiful vampire movies to grace screens in a while. The film focuses on the young boy, who is brilliantly portrayed by Kodi Smit-McPhee and his troubles with bullies at school. These are not the normal bullies - they're out for blood quite literally. But when he befriends a quiet, graceful little girl (once again, Chloe Grace Moretz, from Kick-Ass, shines here), he starts to stand up for himself - and the terror he finds within her is nicely contrasted to the terror he sees within his bullies. There isn't a whole lot of exposition (something Maggie commented on - it's a very important aspect of movies to her), but if you are willing to go along with the movie - it's a fantastic journey. And for those that loved the original Swedish movie, it's every bit as good, if not better in some respects. Although it didn't do gangbusters at the box office, it will probably work itself out to be a cult classic in a few years.

Rating: Rent It!

Never Let Me Go (R) - Drama - 103 minutes
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Kiera Knightley, Andrew Garfield
Director: Mark Romanek

"As children, Ruth, Kathy and Tommy, spend their childhood at a seemingly idyllic English boarding school. As they grow into young adults, they find that they have to come to terms with the strength of the love they feel for each other, while preparing themselves for the haunting reality that awaits them."

I don't normally cry when I read books, but damn, this story had me blubbering like a baby at the end. It's a sad, terrific story and I wholly recommend reading the book if you get the chance (TIME magazine considers it the best book of the last decade). And despite its shortcomings as a movie, Never Let Me Go does the story justice, even if it may just be skimming the surface. It seems like the studio wanted to market the kids fate as a mystery, but there's really no spoilers in telling you that they're clones destined to give up their organs for "real" people. The movie follows three close friends as they grow up in a safe environment shut away from the outside world. The movie clearly knows the tone of the book - a very lonely existence for each of the three characters, even if they are constantly surrounded by each other. The movie quickly moves past their childhood into their young adult lives and it never really establishes a sense of friendship between the three main characters. The book spends a lot more time as kids and you get a better sense as to why they are all friends and why certain betrayals happen. But the movie is striking and there's just a sense of hopelessness that abounds in the film that's quite tragic. Plus, if you're a fan of Spider-Man, you get to see Andrew Garfield in all his glory. Where the film does succeed is the acting and not just the main characters, but the surrounding cast as well. The movie will definitely pull at your heartstrings, unless you're a robot who has no sense of human emotion.

Rating: Rent It!

Other Titles

Welcome to the Rileys (R) - Drama - 110 minutes
Starring: James Gandolfini, Kristen Stewart, Melissa Leo
Director: Jake Scott

"On a business trip to New Orleans, a damaged man seeks salvation by caring for a wayward young woman."

Metacritic: 50/100

"The film wears its heart on its sleeve, but the drama falters when the tone grows over-earnest; additionally, Scott's direction fails to exert a tight grasp on his material" - Richard Mowe, Boxoffice Magazine

"Stewart's intense, courageous performance as a 16-year-old New Orleans prostitute is really something special." -Lou Lumenick, NY Post

Monsters (R) - Drama - 94 minutes
Starring: Scoot McNairy, Whitney Able
Director: Gareth Edwards

"Six years after Earth has suffered an alien invasion a cynical journalist agrees to escort a shaken American tourist through an infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the US border."

Metacritic: 63/100

"An amazing achievement for a 'first-time' filmmaker, which measures up to the finest indies for performance and character-work, and the biggest blockbusters for jaw-dropping effects. And it has the year's best sex scene, too. " -Dan Jolin, Empire

"There's so much right with Gareth Edwards's low-budget alien invasion tale that you almost want to brush aside everything that's not up to snuff. " -Keith Uhlich, Time Out New York

The Tillman Story (R) - Documentary - 94 minutes
Director: Amir Bar-Ley

"Pat Tillman never thought of himself as a hero. His choice to leave a multimillion-dollar football contract and join the military wasn't done for any reason other than he felt it was the right thing to do. The fact that the military manipulated his tragic death in the line of duty into a propaganda tool is unfathomable and thoroughly explored in Amir Bar-Lev's riveting and enraging documentary."

Metacritic: 86/100

"It is enraging yet nuanced, an elusive combination for any documentary." -Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

"By the way, The Tillman Story has an R rating because of language. Think about that one, too: Lies are rated G and can be heard around the clock on television, but try saying the truth with the proper force and you end up with a restricted audience." -Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

For Your Consideration: Kick Ass

2011-01-15T23:50:00.001-05:00

Assessing the year's best films, according to my refined tastes and, as usual, in no particular order (except this one). These are the top 10 movies I would select on my ballot for a Best Picture Oscar nomination.

Kick-Ass (R)
Starring: Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Chloe Grace Moretz, Mark Strong
Director: Matthew Vaughn

Kick-Ass is probably the most underrated movie this year. I think a lot of people passed it off as silly nonsense with a profanity-ridden young girl as the hook. I give this movie a lot more credit than that. This is probably the most fun 2 hours you can have with a movie. Understandably, this movie is not for everyone - there is an extreme amount of violence, sex and of course, language. So if you can't stomach a little girl spilling blood and launching f-bombs, this is most definitely not the right movie for you. But for the rest of us shallow people, Kick-Ass is one of the best superhero movies I've seen. The characters are actually quite believable and real, even though some of the story is a bit fantastic (jet pack gatling guns!). But the best part of the movie is summed up in the title - it kicks ass! I could watch this movie over and over - the action is great, there's laugh-out-loud moments and it's just fun to watch. The scene where Big Daddy and Kick-Ass get captured and Hit Girl has to save them is one of the most beautiful and strangely haunting scenes I've seen in an action movie. It's a perfect blend of slow-mo, lighting, choreography and music. And the movie sets the stage for an even bigger story for the sequel (which is in the works!), which should be excellent. You can't get a better action movie than this one.

That's my top 10 for 2010! If someone had to twist my arm and get me to rank them, I'd have to put them in this order:

10. True Grit
9. Toy Story 3
8. Easy A
7. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
6. Inception
5. 127 Hours
4. The Town
3. The Social Network
2. Kick-Ass
1. Black Swan

Twofer Thursday: The Social Network and Zombieland

2011-01-13T16:22:00.003-05:00

Twofer Thursday:
Offering up a new release and a complimentary older movie for the upcoming weekend. I have pretty good taste, so you should just follow my advice.

The Social Network (R)
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield
Director: David Fincher
I've already touched upon what I like most about this movie back here. To sum up: it's a great movie and will probably still be considered great long after this year. It's an instant classic and further cements David Fincher as one of Hollywood's elite directors who knows how to make a damn good movie.

Zombieland (R)
Starring: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin
Director: Ruben Fleischer

This was one of the movies I saw during Project 182. It was amazing back then and still is now. If you consider for a moment that Zombieland is what it would be like if, in an alternate universe, Jesse Eisenberg's Mark Zuckerberg's genius had only been interrupted by the inevitable zombie onslaught. In fact, the movies are more closely related than you think: Columbus (Eisenberg) in the movie goes so far as to say "You want to know the best thing about Z-land? No Facebook status updates. You know, Rob Curtis is gearing up for Friday. Who cares!" This was noticed by Maggie and I only imagined it made her spit out the current beverage she was consuming at that time.I would tell you more parallels between these movies, but you'll just have to watch both this weekend to scout them out! (Or maybe that's all I got and I'm too lazy to think about any other possible connections. Who knows!?! You'll just have to play along!) So, anywho, Zombieland is great than for no other reason than the Bill Murray cameo. It's up there as far as cameos go in movies - right next to Bob Barker in Happy Gilmore and Lance Armstrong in Dodgeball. It's funny how this movie was originally intended as a TV series, but they couldn't sell it. Now The Walking Dead is the new hotness and Zombieland, I believe, is getting a sequel. Cool beans for zombies everywhere!

Movie Calendar

2011-01-13T15:29:00.001-05:00

In anticipation of the start of this awesome year (yes, technically Season of the Witch came out last week, but let's just assume that didn't happen, mmmkay?), I've put up a calendar for all the releases I'm excited for! The Green Hornet kicks off the year and you should definitely check it out! Here's a preview of the PDF file - if you want to download it just click the link. Thanks to Scribd (and Peter at bloggertipsandtricks.com) for the help even though they don't know it!

Movie Calendar

For Your Consideration: Toy Story 3

2011-01-13T13:41:00.000-05:00

Assessing the year's best films, according to my refined tastes and, as usual, in no particular order (except this one). These are the top 10 movies I would select on my ballot for a Best Picture Oscar nomination.

Much like True Grit, this is one of the outliers on my top 10.

Toy Story 3 (G)
Voiced by: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen
Director: Lee Unkrich

Despite all the disappointments from 2010, there was a solid slate of animated movies that were far superior to a lot of live action movies (How to Train Your Dragon, Despicable Me, Tangled, Legend of the Guardians). Toy Story 3 is by far the best of them and is most definitely the best in the series. The movie wraps up all the toys' stories quite nicely and there's just a lot of fun with this one. The movie takes on a Great Escape-vibe and it works perfectly to tackle the underlying issues of the whole series - What happens when you're abandoned by those that you love? It's a very scary scenario if it wasn't all cute and about toys. But the movie finds deeper meanings in these adorable characters. I've even read a quite plausible Toy Story 3 Holocaust metaphor. Whether intended or not, it's hard not to argue that Toy Story 3 has a lot of depth to it. And that's what makes this movie fit in the Top 10 - I don't think I've ever felt more attached to any sort of animated characters as I do Woody, Buzz and the whole crew. The ending is gut wrenching and bittersweet. Not only because it's the end of Andy's relationship with his toys, but it's our ending with this franchise. Oh, I'm sure they'll try to make a sequel, but to me, this is the most fitting way to end their stories. Pixar has made it known they will only work on sequels when they deem the story completely necessary, but it seems they've already broken that vow with the Cars sequel. (Lightning McQueen dress up as a car super spy? Really, Pixar?) Sigh. The only bad thing I have to say about Toy Story 3 is the ending that seems to drag on forever! It's a bit over the top and I rolled my eyes a few times when they seemed to have been saved only to land in a much worse predicament. Just end the movie! Despite that tiny flaw, it's a wonderful film and completely deserving of the moniker "#1 Animated Movie of All-Time."

For Your Consideration: True Grit

2011-01-13T00:31:00.003-05:00

Assessing the year's best films, according to my refined tastes and, as usual, in no particular order (except this one). These are the top 10 movies I would select on my ballot for a Best Picture Oscar nomination.

I still have yet to see a few movies that I suspect might edge out a movie or two in my fake Oscar ballot (Never Let Me Go, The King's Speech and The Fighter to be exact). When I get to those movies, I'll let you know. True Grit is one of those movies that would probably get the cut.

True Grit (PG-13)
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Hailee Steinfeld
Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

After what some considered their most personal work to date, A Serious Man, the Coen brothers come back with what is arguably their biggest and most accessible movie to date. I won't say they've brought the western back from the dead, but they've certainly made the genre more appealing to a younger generation. And while I really did not like the first movie with John Wayne, I knew I was probably going to enjoy this truer adaptation of Charles Portis' novel. And it certainly was worth the wait - this movie is highly entertaining. It was a lot funnier than I expected it to be. Jeff Bridges is pretty good as Rooster Cogburn, but sometimes I felt like he was hamming it up too much for the camera. But of course, the best part of the movie, much like the first, is Mattie Ross. She's more empowering in this version of the film and I feel like she won over Rooster's respect throughout the movie. She's smart and I've heard quite a few people say her performance is more rehearsed, like she's reading lines instead of acting. I would have to disagree - I'd say it's more that her character really does talk that way - she's a very educated girl that probably learned to talk through writing very formally and that's all she knows how to talk. Either way, newcomer Hailee Steinfeld gives a great performance against some truly great actors. Another great part of the movie was the banter back and forth between Rooster and the Texas Ranger played by Damon. He's pretty much an asshole with a badge, but Rooster seems to get the best of him most of the time. As for the film as a whole? It's beautiful and there's a quiet sense of menace throughout - this is not a pretty picture of the west. Things get really creepy and weird when an grizzly old man lumbers on horseback up to Rooster with a whole bear suit hanging all over him. He looks like death himself and I wouldn't have been surprised if he went crazy and tried to kill them with a battle axe or something. But that's what the Coen brothers are great at - creating awkward moments with the macabre and it pays off in this movie well. The movie is well-paced too - I never really found myself checking my phone. The plot is straightforward as it can be, so the movie's more about the characters and their journey together and the Coen brothers do a good job of keeping us entertained, whether it be some funny moments or truly riveting suspense. This is probably the Coens' most accessible movie they've ever made and it's superb. Maybe not an instant classic, but a solid movie and quite wonderful.

Most Anticipated: The Green Hornet

2011-01-12T00:04:00.000-05:00

The Green Hornet (PG-13)
Starring: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz
Director: Michel Gondry

Seriously, this is just amazing. Not only have I already seen two movies for this year off my anticipated list, but I've seen them before they've even opened and they were free! I feel pretty good about my life right about now. Okay, I'm the asshole soaking up all this awesomeness that is my life when I should be telling you about the movie. Well, let's just say it was awesome, bro! But to begin, I will put this out there - if you are not a fan of Seth Rogen, you probably will not like this movie. He's co-written and produced as well as being the lead man (duh!) in this movie. It has his stench all over it (and I mean that most flatteringly). I really like Seth Rogen - I think people got sick of his slacker image plastered on what seemed like every movie two years ago. BUT! He's playing a different kind of slacker this time around! Plus, he's a bit more toned in this movie and I found that not jarring at all. It's not like he's Kato and jumping around in 3D, kicking ass. So, if you're on the fence about Rogen, I say give it a chance! Secondly, I feel really dumb for seeing the poster and thinking about the Donnie Darko bunny:

Because they really don't look that much alike. At all. And after I said this to Maggie while adding I just don't get what the headlights are all about, she pointed out the headlights formed a HORNET. So apparently I cannot make out pictures like a four-year-old can.

But back to the movie - it was surprisingly awesome! I remember thinking after the first twenty minutes, wow, this movie isn't that funny. And then the funny happened. A lot! I laughed quite a bit - whether it was the banter back and forth between Britt Reid and Kato or Christoph Waltz's gleefully eccentric bad guy - I couldn't help myself from laughing out loud. The movie mixes things up pretty well between the dreadfully serious action movie and the over-the-top cheesy action that first inspired The Green Hornet's roots. There's a great article from The New York Times that follows the 70-year history of the franchise. It's funny how Nicolas Cage almost ruined the movie with his Jamaican accented villain idea. Or Stephen Chow's idea to implant a chip in Britt Reid so Kato could control him with a joystick. Those movies would have been train wrecks. Thank god Seth Rogen got a hold of this movie. It's balls deep in kickassness. Michel Gondry, the eccentric filmmaker who brought the world Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, seemed like an odd choice, but he's been attached to this movie since 1997. And he's a perfect fit, because Kato-vision is pretty awesome and there are some cool sequences including a scene where the film gets cut up into tiny boxes, each showing the spreading of news by the bad guy (I'm not doing it any justice - let's just say it was pretty cool). And the action is just enough, although the ending I can't decide if it was balls-to-the-wall awesome or if it was a bit too much to swallow (Maggie would argue it was too much. And that's what she said). So...yes you should see this movie! Unless you don't like Seth Rogen. But you can skip the 3D - it's not like the movie was worse because of it, it just didn't add anything special. The credits were actually the coolest 3D part. The movie is out this weekend, so make sure it gets some love!

Rating: See It!

For Your Consideration: Easy A

2011-01-11T23:05:00.000-05:00

Assessing the year's best films, according to my refined tastes and, as usual, in no particular order (except this one). These are the top 10 movies I would select on my ballot for a Best Picture Oscar nomination.

Easy A (PG-13)
Starring: Emma Stone, Amanda Bynes, Penn Badgley
Director: Will Gluck

Yes, this is easily one of the funniest movies this year (although that's not a stretch - I can probably count on my one hand the number of comedies in 2010 that were actually funny). Not only do you have a great premise, but you have the next actress that personifies charm and wit. Emma Stone is the next it girl and she totally delivers in this movie. She plays Olive, a whip-smart girl who's in over her head in high school. But as she navigates the gossip mill, there's something more profound happening in the movie. I think we're seeing a classic John Hughes-esque teen comedy at play. Instead of the jocks versus the geeks, you have the reasoned, well-mannered versus the extremists. It's not political, just emotional - and Olive is just as guilty as taking things to the extreme as her crazy, religious classmates have done. Okay, enough of the bullshit metaphors and analogy about this movie - it's fun-nee and well written. There's a lot to love about the movie - from Thomas Hayden Church's tragically hip English teacher to those crazy parents (played by the impeccable Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson) who reminded me of my friend's parents (oh man they were so cool, unlike my parents!). It's destined to be a classic - something that will be remembered as a classic high school movie, like Mean Girls or Sixteen Candles. And as much as the movie is about sex (or the illusion of it), there's something sweet about the whole movie. Maybe it has something to do with the writing or the direction. Or maybe it's just that Emma Stone has got that girl next door thing going for her. Either way, it all ends up coming together as one of the best in 2010.

For Your Consideration: The Social Network

2011-01-10T22:56:00.000-05:00

Assessing the year's best films, according to my refined tastes and, as usual, in no particular order (except this one). These are the top 10 movies I would select on my ballot for a Best Picture Oscar nomination.

The Social Network (R)
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield
Director: David Fincher

What an amazing and fascinating movie. Upon first hearing that they were making a Facebook movie, I scoffed and immediately decided it was just going to be boring. But then they got Aaron Sorkin to write the screenplay, won of the snazziest screenwriters in Hollywood today. And then David Fincher, my boy, got attached to direct. And then! Jesse Eisenberg decided to bring his geek-tastic acting skills to the movie. Eisenberg is a good actor and he plays the arrogant asshole pretty well. It's pretty amazing to see how this insecure and socially awkward genius turns into one of the richest guys in the world. It's a stunning masterpiece of a movie, not simply because of the story, but how it's told. Fincher is an amazing director and this is one of his best. He's always finding great ways to frame his movies. One of the most unique parts of the movie is the rowing competition scene where he uses the tilt-shift effect to great use. Everything looks miniature and the music swells to the climax of the race. It's a perfect little scene that really has nothing to do with the main story, but says a lot about the dwindling status of the twins who are suing Zuckerberg. And the scene in the club where the music is pumping so loud that you have to lean closer to the screen in order to hear what's going on; It's this kind of attention to detail that makes this movie special. And Sorkin's screenplay crackles with snappy and witty dialogue. It's fast and fun and makes for repeat viewings with the subtitles on so you can catch everything. This is the obvious front-runner for Best Picture and it's most deserving. The story may not be all true, but it's just so fun to watch how the biggest social phenomenon of the 21st century came from one of the biggest assholes of the 21st century. And as much as I'm comforted by the last scene of the movie that depicts him as really just a lonely, sad man, I'm sure he's crying every night into his billions of dollars and sobbing after a dive into his pool of gold.

For Your Consideration: Inception

2011-01-09T23:00:00.000-05:00

Assessing the year's best films, according to my refined tastes and, as usual, in no particular order (except this one). These are the top 10 movies I would select on my ballot for a Best Picture Oscar nomination.

Inception (PG-13)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page
Director: Christopher Nolan

This is a guaranteed best picture nominee. There was much speculation heading into the summer whether this movie could deliver and indeed it does in spades. It's got a great cast, an intriguing and mind-bending plot that requires repeat viewings and one of the best directors working in the business. But make no mistake, behind the dreams and sci-fi drama, at heart this is just a good old heist movie. Cobb (DiCaprio) assembles his team to steal an idea, or rather, implant an idea, into the mind of another man - a monumental task called inception. What most people get tied up in is that awesome fight scene in the hallway. While all that's good and pretty spectacular, there's a great story and great characters at the heart of this movie. Cobb's continual guilt over the death of his wife haunts him quite literally throughout the movie. In the words of Nicholas Angel, he "doesn't know how to switch off." Without that tragic love story, the heist probably would go off without a hitch, but there's his crazy bitch of a wife, ruining things for him like sending their target into a seemingly never ending dream limbo. Bitches be crazy. Among the standouts from the movie is Joseph Gordon-Levitt being a true badass in the movie and Thomas Hardy, the next up-and-coming movie star, who steals pretty much every scene he's in nowadays. And while I adore Michael Caine and his many impersonators, I'm kind of sick of seeing him show up in every Nolan movie. Seriously, the dude is the father of "can't-hide-my-French-accent-in-this-movie-Marion Cotillard?" You might as well have hired Rihanna as the suicidal nutter. So, aside from that obvious flaw, the movie, is umm, flawless. Yeah, that's about right, I'm pretty sure that I came up with that idea.

For Your Consideration: The Town

2011-01-08T22:51:00.000-05:00

Assessing the year's best films, according to my refined tastes and, as usual, in no particular order (except this one). These are the top 10 movies I would select on my ballot for a Best Picture Oscar nomination.

The Town (R)
Starring: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm
Director: Ben Affleck

The Town came out of nowhere for me. I had not even heard about it until I saw the trailer maybe about a month before it came out. This was the surprise of the year, no doubt. It's an intense flick. The actual heist scenes are filmed to perfection. Even though (Spoiler Alert!) when you know the last robbery is just plain suicidal, you can't help but sit at the edge of your seat and watch it all play out. That's great filmmaking and Ben Affleck is going to have a long directorial career long after his acting career slows down. I have long been a non-fan of Boston-based movies, but this one is an exception. There's just too many things to love about this movie - the direction, the cast (RIP Pete Postlethwaite) and the score. Everything comes together so well - the cast is amazing. I did not realize Jon Hamm could be such an arrogant asshole. And Jeremy Renner gives another great performance - he's very close to landing an Oscar. The rest of the cast is great (except Blake Lively, although I think that's more due to her role than her acting) and it's an addicting movie. Once you finish the movie you want to delve back in and spend more time with this flawed and tragic cast. I love how the roles are reversed - you're cheering on the bad guys in this movie and booing at the FBI agents. And the ending is sublime - there's no other way it could have ended without making it a lesser movie. And as intense and serious as the film is, it's just fun to watch. The action and robberies are clever and thrilling - especially the car chase scene with the minivan. Spectacular! Plus all those good looking people aren't too hard on the eyes, either. Although I will admit the sex scene between Affleck and Lively made me vomit in my mouth a little bit. Other than that? Perfection!

For You Consideration: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

2011-01-07T23:59:00.001-05:00

Assessing the year's best films, according to my refined tastes and, as usual, in no particular order (except this one). These are the top 10 movies I would select on my ballot for a Best Picture Oscar nomination.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (R)
Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin
Director: Edgar Wright

Writing about this movie reminded a lot about Watchmen. Not the plot, but its performance at the box office. Needless to say, neither film did not do so well according to expectations. But I think both Scott Pilgrim and Watchmen will eventually become cult classics and quintessential graphic novel movie adaptations. They're both near-perfect in fulfilling the requests of those hard to please fanboys. The pure uniqueness and relentless visuals of the movie alone make this a standout among the year. Not to mention it's just pure fun. Michael Cera seems to keep being typecast as the too-shy teenager, but I love him, so that didn't really matter to me. But for those detractors, he's really not the best part of the movie. It's Edgar Wright's direction and the surrounding cast that elevate what could have been just a ho-hum story about teenage romance (remember Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist? Didn't think so.) to a homage of overindulgence, ADD, video games and those lovable freaks and geeks. The film hums along at a breakneck pace, as Scott has to battle all seven of his new found love's evil exes. The plot sounds ridiculous, but once you accept the absurdity of it all, it's hard not to smile the whole way through. Plus the movie is quite hilarious! Chris Evans and Brandon Routh both have amazing cameos that deliver the funny. And! (There's so many things to love about this movie!) The music is perfect and the songs made specifically for Pilgrim's band, Sex Bob-omb, deliver that hard, crunchy punk that I think was lost back in the late 80s. I will freely admit this movie isn't for everyone (anyone over the age of 50 may well be put off by the barrage of noise and visual effects and the constant references to video games and comics), but it has a lot of heart - it proudly hangs its freak flag high.

For Your Consideration: 127 Hours

2011-01-06T14:56:00.001-05:00

Assessing the year's best films, according to my refined tastes and, as usual, in no particular order (except this one).

127 Hours (R)
Starring: James Franco
Director: Danny Boyle

Much like Moon from last year - a film that was in my top 10 - this is a one man show. Having an entire movie dependent on a single actor and location is one of the biggest challenges a director can face. But Danny Boyle, one of my favorite directors, is well-suited for this demanding task. The biggest question people ask me is what happens during the movie? Does it all take place during his entrapment? Yes, it does. But it's not boring. In fact, Boyle does an excellent job of creating drama and tension. You know he has to cut off his arm, but what is the journey like to get to that moment? What does a man have to endure before he reaches his breaking point? These questions are answered and it's all beautifully shot. There's a sense of claustrophobia and wide-open loneliness at the same time - it's an amazing work of art. Of course, the movie practically hinges on a great performance and Franco is flawless in his execution as Aron Ralston - probably his most challenging role as an actor (right next to Franco from General Hospital!). And yes, they do show him sawing off his arm. It's gruesome and bold, but also very triumphant. There's a moment at the end when he finally literally breaks free from the rock that forever changed his life and he's stumbling out into the desert searching for civilization that Sigur Rós' Festival starts to amp up and we see him getting rescued. It's one of the most beautiful and emotional moments I've seen in a movie this year and it makes you want to stand up and cheer (the song kicks in at 4:30):

Review: No Strings Attached

2011-01-05T14:34:00.001-05:00

No Strings Attached (R)
Starring: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher
Director: Ivan Reitman

I am one for one on my most anticipated list. Not only is this a great romantic comedy, it's really just a fun and funny movie. I knew it was going to be much different from the normal romantic comedies when one of the first lines of the movie is "Can I finger you?" In all honesty, I really wasn't expecting that much sex in the movie. But there was a lot. I am not complaining - it's all tastefully (well, for the most part) done and seeing two very good looking people do it was just as entertaining as the comedy itself. In fact, the sex scenes in the movie were done shockingly good - they had the right blend of intimacy and sexiness, but nothing too invading or embarrassing to watch. It was pretty perfect. Not too shabby for a director who's last film was the atrocious My Super Ex-Girlfriend. I'm sure some people will toss this aside as nothing special, but I think this movie is going to start the new year off right. Much like Going the Distance, the movie is R-rated and is definitely targeted at the thirty-something crowd. Which I don't mind - I'm kind of in that category and the jokes were great and of course, like any good romantic comedy, it had a lot of heart and charm. Kutcher is pretty good - he's pretty much playing the straight guy to Natalie Portman's depressing, non-committal sex fiend. They work well together and I will freely admit it was steamy at times (it might have just been the theater. Speaking of which, some biznotches tried to sneak into the screening after it had sold out! There was a huge confrontation right beside where the Magster was sitting and it was awkward. They finally were told to leave and thankfully no punches were thrown!). If you liked Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Going the Distance and/or She's Out of My League, you'll definitely love this movie. The movie comes out January 21 and I'll gladly pony up some money to see this one again!

Rating: See It!

For Your Consideration: Black Swan

2011-01-05T14:07:00.001-05:00

Assessing the year's best films, according to my refined tastes and, as usual, in no particular order (except this one).

Despite my lament over this year's lack of firepower at the theater, there were some great films that came out this year. These are my picks if I had to put in a ballot for the Oscars.

Black Swan (R)
Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel
Director: Darren Aronofsky

I've been really excited about this movie and I got a chance to see it before it's nationwide release. I was completely blown away. What an amazing movie, it's near-perfect in execution. From the direction, to the acting and everything in between, Aronofsky has crafted his best film to date. Here is Natalie Portman's best performance to date, too. I think what I liked most about this movie is the layers of meaning you can uncover. It makes for a perfect repeat-viewing experience. The movie's themes involve psychological issues like sexual awakening, obsession and just going plain bat-shit crazy (a highly professorial term, I know). It's part thriller and part tragedy all rolled up in a nice package. The movie's metaphorical story within a story about the play Swan Lake, seamlessly glides along with the story arch of Portman's character. The movie ends on such a perfect note (and almost eerily similar to Aronofsky's previous film The Wrestler), it's hard not to stand up and applaud and immediately go back to the ticket booth to purchase a ticket for the next show. It's a movie that will elicit head-nods from everyone when you say it's good, something that transcends it's own genre and audience to become a classic.

The Most Anticipated Movies of 2011: Excitement!

2010-12-10T15:59:00.000-05:00

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Here's my top 5! It's been really fun writing all these previews as brief as they were. Looking back, there may not be 50 great movies coming out next year, but I'm still looking forward to all of these movies!

5. Sucker Punch
Starring: Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish
Director: Zack Snyder
Release Date: March 25
Zack Snyder's done an amazing job directing other notable works of fiction and now it is his turn to direct his own screenplay. Sucker Punch sounds like a bad dream (from IMDb): A young girl is institutionalized by her wicked stepfather. Retreating to an alternative reality as a coping strategy, she envisions a plan which will help her escape from the facility. The line between reality and fantasy is blurred to the point where it's hard to figure out what the hell is going on in the trailer. But I'm expecting big things from Snyder's visual panache and epic action scenes - he really knows how to bring those two elements together for some stunning and memorable moments in cinema. And who can't resist a bevy of badass women taking on their captors and enemies? The movie features a bunch of fresh faces - including Emily Browning, who looks equal parts sugar and spice. Meow! It may not be a groundbreaking film - but this is going to be one helluva treat for action fans! If there is a midnight showing for this movie, count me in.

4. The Hangover Part II
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Zack Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha
Director: Todd Phillips
Release Date: May 26
I only know one person who did not like The Hangover. It was an unexpected surprise in the summer of 2009, quickly becoming the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all-time. It's with great relief, before the movie even came out, that the writers already had two more movies in mind with these characters. So this isn't a rushed sequel greenlit by the studio to cash in on the success of the first. The sequel has a lot to live up to and they're changing up the scenario - this time in Thailand - in hopes that these characters in a foreign land will be enough for moviegoers. There's no doubt this is going to be a bigger movie than the first - Liam Neeson replaced the controversial Mel Gibson's role in the movie as a tattoo artist and Bill Clinton has a cameo. Others are back including Mike Tyson and Ken Jeong, which while they're going to be funny, remains to be seen how they're going to bump into them halfway across the world in Thailand. But that's not a problem, really. Because this is going to be damn hilarious.

3. Cowboys & Aliens
Starring: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford
Director: Jon Favreau
Release Date: July 29
When this trailer came up before Harry Potter, I heard some ask behind me if it was Oregon Trail the Movie. And then the title came up and a bunch of people laughed. I don't care what those people think, this is going to be one awesome movie. Hollywood has been wanting to make this movie, based on an 16-page comic book trademark (called an ashcan copy) from way back in 1995. It was finally given a graphic novel treatment three years ago and now it's finally coming to the big screen. This is pretty much every movie geek's dream - it could only get better if ninjas were involved (disclaimer: I don't think ninjas are involved). Jon Favreau, while taking some flak for Iron Man 2, is determined to get his mojo back with this movie. I've become most recently a fan of western movies, so the combination of that genre and sci-fi will be intriguing at the worst and spectacularly awesome at best. Some keep calling this Wild Wild West 2, but that was a campy, flash in the pan movie that never really made any sense. I don't think Favreau & company would sign up for such mediocrity. The movie looks pretty badass and terrifying - I like Daniel Craig taking on the role of the wordless wanderer (at least, that's what I see in the trailer) and Harrison Ford as the (sinister?) sheriff should be a treat. Hell yeah this is going to be great!

2. Source Code
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga
Director: Duncan Jones
Release Date: April 1
OMG I'm so excited for this movie! Duncan Jones, who directed the wonderful Moon, is tackling another sci-fi picture. This time he's dealing with time travel and secret government agencies. All of this excitement pretty much stems from my love for Moon and the trailer above. And even though Tony Scott has tackled this kind of plot before (Deja Vu), I think Duncan Jones' penchant for sci-fi and his unique storytelling voice makes this a stronger movie. Gyllenhaal is a great actor, too and along with Michelle Monaghan and Vera Farmiga, the cast is solid. I can't wait to see what surprises this movie has in store. It's no surprise that a two sci-fi movies are in my top 5 - I'm a total geek about the genre and 2011 looks to have that in spades. And this is by far, the cream of the crop.

1. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Starring: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer

Director: David Fincher

Release Date: December 21

The books are international best sellers and the Swedish movies have gone on to gross more than $200 million worldwide. The studio brilliantly brought David Fincher on board to direct this film and found a relative newcomer, Rooney Mara (who was briefly in another great Fincher movie, The Social Network) to play one of the most interesting female characters ever written. To say the movie has high expectations is an understatement. It's probably not too early to say that it's the front runner to next year's Oscar race. Fincher hasn't made a bad movie yet, in my opinion, and I think he's only getting better at making beautiful, dramatic and intense films. The source material is even better - the series is by far, some of the best books I've read in quite a long time. They're amazing works of literature and as the Swedish movies can attest, easily adaptable to the big screen. My only regret is that there is so much good stuff in the books (back stories and side plots) that I would have liked to see a long HBO miniseries instead of a feature-length movie. But, saying that, it is going to be great because Fincher is behind it and they have assembled a great cast - Christopher Plummer is a perfect fit for the head of the Vanger family and Stellan Skarsgård as his nephew is another brilliant choice. It's a year away, but it's the clear choice for number one on my list.

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The Most Anticipated Movies of 2011: Booya Top 10!

2010-12-09T14:58:00.004-05:00

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There's only 10 (really 11) spots left so I won't bore you with my musings. On to the countdown!

10.A. Red State
Starring: Michael Angarano, John Goodman, Kyle Gallner
Director: Kevin Smith
Release Date: Unknown
Who knows when this one is coming out? The movie is completed, so it just needs to find a distributor. I'm jazzed about this movie because I like pretty much everything Smith has done. Zack and Miri was one of the funniest movies I've seen in the past three years and I can't wait to see how he tackles a horror movie. Plus, I'm a bleeding heart liberal, so to see American conservatism taken to the extreme with blood and guts just sounds awesome. According to Wikipedia, Neil Gaiman has seen the movie and twitted(?): "Best thing he's ever done. Left me shaken & grateful & wanting to make art." Dude, Neil Gaiman is da bomb and I can only guess that the movie will have the same effect on me. I had almost forgot about this movie, so this one is late in the game and I had to tie it in somewhere, along with another great horror movie coming out next year:

10.B. Scream 4

Starring: Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Neve Campbell
Director: Wes Craven
Release Date: April 15
I'm so pumped about this movie. The main trio is back plus a whole slew of new characters played by Kristen Bell, Anna Paquin, Emma Roberts, Adam Brody, Anthony Anderson and Hayden Panettiere. It's going to be nutballs to say the least. I think it's about time Craven went back and showed how a real scary movie is made - enough of this torture porn stuff already! The movie was filmed in Michigan and parts of the movie was filmed near where I worked and people would come in telling me they saw part of the filming. So I've been pretty stoked about this movie for a while. What I'm really hoping for (an idea offered by Mags) is that they kill off Sidney Prescott within the first half hour because how badass would that be? I'm not expecting Craven to totally rewrite the slasher film again, but I want this to be balls to the walls awesome! April cannot come any sooner.

9. Bridesmaids

Starring: Kristen Wiig, Rose Byrne, Maya Rudolph

Director: Paul Feig

Release Date: May 13

It's rare to find a women-only headlining cast. Sure the handsome Jon Hamm is in the movie, but he's going to be taking a backseat to the hilariousness of this awesome cast. The plot centers around two best friends who are competing to plan their other friend's wedding. That's all I need to know, really. Kristen Wiig wrote the movie and she's one of the funniest working ladies in Hollywood right now. Sometimes these movies devolve into dull romantic comedies or get mushy near the end (Bride Wars, anyone?), but I expect a full on blitz of comedy throughout. The cast is fantastic - I really like Rose Byrne in everything she does - she's another girl-next-door type actress that has a considerable range. And the director, Feig, who's been behind the camera on so many awesome TV shows (Arrested Development, Freaks and Geeks, The Office), knows comedy and I fully expect my eyes to be watering because I'm laughing too hard.

8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
Director: David Yates
Release Date: July 15
This is pretty much number one or two on everyone's list. But I know I'm going to like this movie, so my anticipation for it has waned, especially since Part 1 has recently come out. I can wait. With that said, I have loved every single Harry Potter movie, especially the last two and nothing's going to change my mind. This will be epic. It's sad to finally see an end to the Potter franchise and from now on we're all going to have to rely on bad fan fiction to keep this world alive. Plus all the endless merchandise. Oh and don't forget about the theme park! It's actually quite surprising how well this franchise has carried itself. Warner Bros. has done a remarkable job at making each and every movie special and an event of its own right. What is even more surprising is that we haven't seen any god awful spin-offs or holiday specials centered around this universe J.K. Rowling has created. Which is probably for the best, as we continually get beaten over the head with more Star Wars movies, TV shows, books and games that all seem to contradict one another. The only decision I am snubbing my nose at? This last installment is in 3D. And reportedly they're re-tooling the rest of the films to be in 3D so all 8 people can watch them on their 3D TVs. Count me out. However, I will buy those Ultimate Edition Blu-Rays, so I am somewhat of a sucker.

7. The Muppets (2011)
Starring: The Muppets! (duh!) and Jason Segal
Director: Justin Bobbin
Release Date: November 23
When it was first announced that Segal was working on the new Muppets movie, I flipped and did a cartwheel where my socks were literally blown off. If you haven't seen Forgetting Sarah Marshall, then go out and rent it, fast forward to the end and watch the epic Dracula puppet show Segal's character puts on. To say that this movie is going to be spectacular won't do it justice. Segal is one of the finest comic actors and writers around. And now he's got a lot of stars appearing in the movie: Amy Adams, Zack Galifianakis, Rashida Jones, Emily Blunt, Ricky Gervais, Chris Cooper, Charles Grodin plus Billy Crystal, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Alan Arkin are all rumored to be in it, too. The movie's script was titled The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time!!! and it's surely going to be just that. The Muppets will always bring nostalgic memories of my childhood, but this will be the first time I've actually seen one of their movies in the theaters. To say I'm super excited is a bit of an understatement.

6. X-Men: First Class

Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Release Date: June 3

Not only do you have a fantastic cast and director helming this movie, the story is undeniably cool. Before there was Magneto and Professor X, Charles Xavier and Eric Lensherr were best of friends, discovering their mutant abilities and working with others like them to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. During this time, a void opens up between the two best friends, forever splitting them apart and quickly making them mortal enemies. This is going to be miles better than the other X-Men Origins story. James McAvoy is truly awesome and I can't wait to see him as the young Charles Xavier. Jennifer Lawrence, coming off of her award-winning movie, Winter's Bone, will be playing Mystique. Rose Byrne, Kevin Bacon and January Jones are also in the movie. It's shaping up to be a something special - it takes place during the 1960s and is said to parallel the history of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. And Bryan Singer, the original director and writer of the first two X-Men movies, has his hand in this one. Vaughn is being tight-lipped about the story, but he has gone on to say the it is clever in how it fits into history and also more recent world events. Intriguing. No doubt this will be very epic. I only expect greatness from the director who made, what I consider to be 2010's greatest movie, Kick-Ass.

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The Most Anticipated Movies of 2011: New franchises!

2010-12-08T15:57:00.006-05:00

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We're nearing the top 10 and these next five movies are all based on existing books/comic books, none of which have ever been adapted to the screen. Exciting new franchises are what 2011 is all about! All five have potential to make big money at the box office and if that happens, there's going to be sequels to four of those movies. Which is great, because who can't get enough of the same stuff? I really don't mind sequels and in fact, sometimes the sequels are better than the original. The Dark Knight, The Empire Strikes Back, Aliens, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, Terminator 2. There's at least ten more that I can think of, but you get the idea. All of these movies took the original and either reworked the setting and plot or just made the same movie again, only more perfectly. So if any of these movies enjoy box office success, here's to hoping they end up in that same list and not like the Matrix Reloaded.

15. Captain America: The First Avenger

Starring: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Samuel L. Jackson

Director: Joe Johnston

Release Date: July 22

I will be the first to admit I am not a comic book guy. I've never really gotten into them and they're not my kind of entertainment. However, I have thoroughly enjoyed the past ten years because there has been a lot of great comic book movies. And it's all going to culminate in one big fanboy orgasm next year with the Avengers movie. But before we get to that, Marvel has been laying groundwork in most of their movies these past few years. Captain America is just another step towards comic book movie history. I don't know much about the comic book, but that hasn't stopped me from getting excited. Most people I know think Chris Evans as the Captain is wrong, some even think it's blasphemous. But ya know what? I like Evans. I haven't seen the Fantastic Four movies, but I heard he was decent. He's been pretty good in the movies I've seen him in and I think he can handle a role like this. It's not like he's going for an Oscar or anything, so people should just calm down. I think Marvel is doing something brilliant by tying all their movies together. It makes me want to see all of them so I can catch everything! It's exciting and they are building up that excitement with more movies! Oh joy! But besides Evans, you've got Hugo Weaving, Samuel L. Jackson, Stanley Tucci, Tommy Lee Jones, Toby Jones and Dominic Cooper all on board. It's an astounding cast and the only thing that bothers me is the fact that women seem to be virtually non-existent in the movie - there's only two actresses listed on IMDb. Kinda weird, but you got Joe Johnston directing, who did another American pride movie, The Rocketeer. So of course you have to see this, if you want to still be called an American! BTW, why isn't this opening on July 4?! Synergy is what America is all about! C'mon Marvel, get your act together!

14. Thor

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Release Date: May 6

This is going to be an interesting superhero movie. While everyone can get behind Captain America and Spider-Man and Superman, Thor is a different type of superhero, he's a god for cryin' out loud and he's not really sent to Earth to protect us, it's his punishment. This premise alone makes the film unique and I'm really interested to see famed thespian Kenneth Branagh tackle a big-budget action flick like this. It's only fitting, because it happens to be so out-there for a comic book movie. It was also smart to cast Hemsworth, a relative unknown, into the main role and surround him with a cast of established actors. This will be Natalie Portman's third movie this year (holy cow!) and Hopkins as Odin should be fantastic. It's going to be a fun movie and it might also be poignant and somber, too. Who knows? It's the first movie to start the summer blockbuster season and I know I will be lined up to see this one!

13. Green Lantern
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard
Director: Martin Campbell
Release Date: June 17
This would be higher on my list, but the trailer is a bit underwhelming. I felt the same way about the first Iron Man movie when the trailer came out and I really loved that movie! So this could end up being the same way, but I'm not expecting greatness. Ryan Reynolds is the new hot thing, being named the sexiest man of the year and having a wealth of job offers. After so many years of making good and decent movies, he's finally hit the big time and this is his dream job right here. He's a great actor and from what I hear from fans of the series, he's a perfect fit for Hal Jordan. Martin Campbell, who successfully rebooted the Bond franchise is in the director's chair. I really, really loved Casino Royale and he should bring the same sort of gritty edge to Green Lantern. Once again, there's a good cast attached to the movie and sometimes the right cast can elevate a movie from good to great. If this does really well at the box office, expect at least one sequel and a possible DC mega-superhero movie with the Justice League of America to finally begin production.

12. Hugo Cabret

Starring: Asa Butterfield, Chloe Moretz, Jude Law

Director: Martin Scorsese

Release Date: December 9

Based on the best-selling book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the film follows the story of an orphan boy living in walls of a Paris train station. He encounters a strange girl and a broken machine and is taken on a fantastical voyage. The book is a work of historical fiction set in Victorian Europe, which is so in my wheelhouse that I'm already getting excited just thinking about the setting. Plus I love these kinds of stories with fantastical settings and characters. Movies like Stardust, Pan's Labyrinth and The Princess Bride are all movies that I love. Plus! This movie has my new favorite actress, Chloe Moretz. She stole all the scenes in Kick-Ass and she's going to be great in this movie, too. Plus! You have Martin Scorsese working on his first family-friendly movie. This is going to be a fantastic movie and I am really super excited for the holiday season next year. Good times, people.

11. Something Borrowed

Starring: Kate Hudson, Ginnifer Goodwin, John Krasinski

Director: Luke Greenfield

Release Date: June 10

I'm sure this movie is not on a lot of people's radar, but I can't help myself. I'm a sucker for a good romantic comedy and this fits the bill. I've actually read the sequel to book this is based on and I'm working through the first one right now. I really love the characters and the story is not breaking any new ground - Rachel falls for her best friend's fiancé and drama ensues. But the book is so well done and it would work perfectly for a film that you can't help but get excited if you're a fan of rom-coms or the book. Kate Hudson is perfect as Darcy, the high maintenance and selfish go-getter. Ginnifer Goodwin, despite spelling her name all kinds of wrong, is one of my favorite girl-next-door actresses and she plays Darcy's best friend, Rachel. It's a great fit. John Krasinski plays a smaller role in this movie, but has a much larger part in the sequel (if they do make one!). The fiancé, Dex is played by Colin Egglesfield, in his first major role in a major motion picture. He's the mystery equation to this movie and that works in the movie's favor, in my humble opinion. This is one of the big date movies of the summer and you can bet Mags and I will be there opening weekend!

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The Most Anticipated Movies of 2011: Keeping things in perspective.

2010-12-07T15:21:00.006-05:00

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I know this sounds ridiculous coming from the guy who's writing about upcoming movies and how excited I am, but I always have to keep my expectations in check. Sure, I'm excited for these movies, but when expectations are so high, it's easy to be let down by a movie that's really good. People expect big things out of blockbuster movies - especially those that are sequels. Take for example, Iron Man 2. The movie was quite good, but I think a lot of people, myself included, got caught up in how great it was going to be. The expectations were near impossible to live up to. I'm trying to keep that mindset in perspective as I count down, because you'll start to notice that a lot of movies that people are drooling over, I don't have that high on my list. It's more a reality of keeping my expectations somewhat low so that I don't feel disappointed when I go check out these movies. Okay, seriously, that was long and obnoxious - here's the next five!

20. The Green Hornet
Starring: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz
Director: Michel Gondry
Release Date: January 14
At first when this trailer hit, I wasn't so impressed. Looking back at it one more time, I can't help but get more amped up. I really think Gondry as the director is going to take this movie to a whole other level. He's so wildly inventive and I'm sure he's making this big-budget superhero movie as quirky as possible. And you know what? I like Seth Rogen - he is going to be great in this role (who knew he could be an action star?) and along with the rest of the cast, you can't help but get a little giddy. Christoph Waltz as the villain is perfect and Tom Wilkinson as his father is another great matchup. I like where this movie is headed and I'm sure it's going to end up being a fun summer blockbuster in January.

19. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg
Director: Brad Bird
Release Date: December 16
Aside from the atrociously video game-themed title, the new M:I is looking to be a sweet holiday treat at the end of next year. I think it's one of the smartest moves Paramount has done - instead of competing with the crowded summer market, take this action epic to the holidays and I'm sure it's going to do gangbusters. But aside from the release date, you got some great people lined up for this movie. Brad Bird, in his first live-action directorial debut, will be making this one special. He's best known for the Pixar movies, The Incredibles and Ratatouille, so it's going to be interesting to see how he will fare with a big time action movie. I have no doubts he's going to reinvigorate this franchise. Which is sad, because I think M:I 3 was really good and J.J. Abrams had already reinvigorated it, but apparently, audiences and the studio don't agree with me. Also, along with Simon Pegg returning as the techy assistant, Jeremy Renner, Josh Holloway (Sawyer from Lost!) and Michael Nyqvist (from Sweden's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) round out the rest of the cast. I really like everyone that's involved in this movie and hopefully Cruise will get back to his big-time action star days. I think Knight & Day was really fun and I can't wait to see what he does in this movie - scaling the world's tallest building is no doubt going to be epic.

18. Super 8
Starring: Elle Fanning, Elle Michalka and Kyle Chandler
Director: J.J. Abrams
Release Date: June 10
Not much is known about this movie and most people at first thought this was a follow up to Abrams' Cloverfield, but this is an entirely different beast (quite literally). Abrams knows how to keep a film under wraps and works well with sci-fi mysteries, so you can expect very little to come out about this movie until it hits theaters. It could be a movie filmed Cloverfield-style or it could not. It could be about aliens or it could be about government experiments gone wrong. Who the hell knows? But this is such a good tease for sci-fi geeks that I can't wait to see it this summer. While I did enjoy Cloverfield, I don't really think it was spectacular and worth watching again. I hope that this will be as epic as it portends to be. Plus Kyle Chandler, or as most people know him, Coach Taylor, is in this one and that can only mean good things.

17. Battle: Los Angeles
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan
Director: Johnathan Liebesman
Release Date: March 11
Another alien-themed movie, this one has way more potential than the DOA Skyline. First of all, the movie takes a viewpoint from a soldier's perspective, so already it has an interesting vision to it. I think the last movie to take on this vibe was Starship Troopers, an extremely entertaining and campy us vs. them alien movie. Great stuff, but I think this one is more serious and somber. Think of it as War of the Worlds, but instead of trying to survive, we see us fighting back. The only thing that bugs me about this movie is the total lack of originality with the alien designs. It's like everyone thinks that Independence Day's alien ships set the benchmark for how they should be designed, but that movie, I think, was pretty lame. Remember when people got so excited about them blowing up the White House? There were at least ten TV shows that revealed how they did it: "Ummm, yeah, we took a model White House and blew it up. Then we enhanced it with Adobe Photoshop." So why do the ships have to be these monstrosities of metal with blinking lights all over them? I'm starting to think the 50s versions of alien's transportation might start to look refreshing, with big ass bubbles and flying saucers all over the place. Get on this, Hollywood!

16. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Starring: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane
Director: Rob Marshall
Release Date: May 20
I really, really loved the entire Pirates trilogy. That said, I'm a little hesitant about this new one. I'm glad they're starting fresh with a whole new cast, save Depp's Jack Sparrow. But you can only take Jack Sparrow so far; I'm hoping he is not the main focus of the movie. And then there's Rob Marshall as the director. I really hope he proves me wrong, but I just can't see him taking on this franchise and making it better. He's best known for Chicago, a musical that I enjoyed and that one best picture back in 2002. But that's a far different movie than Pirates. And although I have trepidation for the new one, I'm still going to see this day one. I think they've also lined up a great cast around Depp, so this should be a solid movie. I mean, it would be hard to really mess this movie up. Michael Bay isn't behind the camera for this one! So I know it's going to be good, I just hope it's great.

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