A diary, an account, even a novella of man's exploration into the great unknown of MOVIE AMAZINGNESS. Our quest? To bring to pass overall world peace and intellectual harmonics.... and also to discover and verbally communicate with alien lifeforms or unicorns, preferably both.
The celebrities were out in full force on Monday for the World Premiere of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”. The cast and crew were in attendance as well as other notables such as Alice Cooper and Seinfeld’s Kramer. The festivities began shortly before 6:00 with Hugh Jackman riding his motorcycle around the crowd and up to the stage as he was introduced. Hugh introduced the rest of the cast, but not before giving his sincere thanks to the fans and the city of Tempe, Arizona for their support and enthusiasm. To everyone’s enjoyment, Hugh also said that he was confident that this would not be the last premiere held in Tempe. After a night like Monday, I can only hope that is true. The cast and crew then walked the red carpet on their way into the theatre, giving fans an unforgettable experience of picture taking and autograph getting. I have to say, I was very impressed with the cast and their enthusiasm and devotion to their fans. Each person seemed to really enjoy the festivities as well as the time they spent with the fans. After the cast had made their way to the theatre, the rest of us were ushered into our auditoriums for an unprecedented world premiere attendance of around 3,000 viewers. After a brief introduction to the film, the movie started and cheers could be heard from a mile away.
The movie’s intro was fantastic and really set the stage for the tone of the movie as well as providing some important insight into the main characters. The movie has action from beginning to end and definitely has some “oooh” and “aaah” moments. The special effects were good but not great and the casting was terrific. I definitely felt like Ryan Reynold’s character “Deadpool” deserved more screen time, and based on conversations with others in attendance, I am sure that others would agree. Fans of the series will definitely enjoy seeing Gambit for the first time on film and the addition of other more well known mutants such as Cyclops also add to the likability of the movie. The movie remains somewhat light hearted throughout, even when dealing with more serious scenarios. My main complaint is that the movie did not seem to get the attention it deserved from the production studio and was somewhat predictable. Perhaps if Marvel would have overseen the movie as they did for Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk it would have made the movie as equally unforgettable. That being said, the movie was still highly enjoyable and I would definitely recommend it to comic fans and non-comic fans alike. Overall I would give “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” a 7 out of 10.
If Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Me, Myself and Irene had a love child they would have called it Observe and Report.
Observe and Report is one of the strangest combinations of humor I have seen in quite some time. It almost seems that the filmmakers were unsure what type of movie they wanted to make and combined slapstick humor with a meanness that made me unsure of what I was watching. The story revolves around Seth Rogen's character Ronnie Barnhardt. Ronnie is a mall security guard, or "head of mall security" as he makes sure everyone realizes. He is infatuated with a hot girl, Brandi, in the cosmetics department. She of course will have nothing to do with him because he is a complete loser.
But luck strikes for Ronnie, when a flasher appears on the mall scene. The flasher exposes himself to the Brandi and she is completely terrified and convinced that the flasher is going to come back and kill her, thanks to the consistent suggestions of Ronnie. Now Ronnie has a mission, to save the woman he loves and bring the flasher to justice. Unfortunately, the detective assigned to the case, Ray Liotta, is stealing Ronnie's thunder and Ronnie comes to realize that the only way he can truly impress Brandi is by becoming a cop himself.
Now don't get me wrong there are some truly funny scenes in Observe and Report, but there is a whole section of the movie when the story begins to revolve around Ronnie's psychosis and his need to take medication to keep it under control. There was a meanness that the movie makers used to portray this part of the story and it felt very disjointed from the other parts of the movie. It wasn't funny at all and removed the light heartedness from the movie. I am sure that is what the filmmakers wished to do, but then they certainly are excluding me from their future audience as I will be hesitant to see another one of the director, Jody Hill's movies.
You better get your fuzzy slippers of happiness on, the time of magic, the time of excitement, the time of cinematic bliss is upon us. Within a few short weeks the “summer movie season” will be in full swing.Hence, if I were to pick a national or world monument that I could use as a metaphor for this summer’s movies, that could encapsulate what this summer’s entertainment value will be, I would say this summer is like the Eiffel Tower. Instantly recognizable, like the tower, with movies such as Harry Potter and Transformers 2, but really a toss up if it is worth it to fly all the way to France just to see some iron rods bolted together. Yes there are some exciting movies on the horizon, but it really seems that this summer could either be fantastic or it could be a catastrophic disappointment. So bolt yourself down and lets go for a wild ride through summer 2009!
A prequel to the X-Men movies, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is the history of how Wolverine came to be. If you are familiar with his story from the original movies then you will remember that he is indestructible, that he will heal instantaneously. Hence, the story takes us over a hundred years into the past to show us why there is such great animosity between himself and Sabertooth and also how he got those really cool claws.
This movie really could be a mixed bag. I truly want to like it, but I am worried that the filmmakers are going to try and plug in too much into the movie and it will be a 90 minute special effects marathon. I hope I am wrong, because I really liked X-Men one and two.
pays homage to the old Charles Dickens Classic about Ebenezer Scrooge, but instead of a wretched miser, the scrooge character is played b a womanizing man candy who is God's gift to women. Eventhough he is everything they want visually, he has a problem with relationships and hence he must be taken on a trip into his past to realize what a wonderful opportunity he has with Jennifer Garner's character. I like both these actors so we shall see how it turns out. It will have a hard time finding an audience being paired up against Wolverine and then precluding the blockbusters following soon there after. However, it might be just what the fairer sex needs to get through these opening weeks of summer action movies in May.
Wow I am a geek! I am really looking forward to Star Trek and I really hope that the director J.J Abrams doesn’t screw the pooch on this one. I really like that they have taken us back in time with the story, very similar to what they did with Batman Begins. The story starts with Kirk, Spock and all the rest coming out of Star Fleet Training and having their initial adventures on the Enterprise. The film looks grittier and nastier, which I think would serve the series well. Some of the reasons why Batman and The Lord of the Rings did so gangbusters is that the subject matter was given a dose of reality and “dirt under the fingernails”. I have high hopes for this one. We shall see!
You may or may not know it, but this film is actually a prequel to the movie “The DaVinci Code”. It is the story of Robert Langdon fighting a secret society from blowing up the Vatican. Now, I actually had the pleasure of reading both The Davinci Code and Angels and Demons before the release of the first film and the actual storyline and excitement of Angels and Demons far exceeded DaVinci. There is greater suspense and overall the story was better, however it did not drop the “Jesus was married” bomb, hence it did not get the same publicity as DaVinci. Unfortunately there hasn’t been much buzz about this film, so it might slip in to summer obscurity. I however have high hopes as I am a big fan of the book, Tom Hanks and also Ewan McGregor.
There is only one reason why I would even give this one a chance. After the third Terminator, which was utterly horrible, I completely wrote off this series and thought it had gone the way of The Matrix series, Beverly Hills Cop series and The Godfather trilogy. The first two excellent, the third, a blemish upon the entire memory of the series.
So when I heard they were releasing a fourth Terminator movie, I immediately regulated it to a DVD rental at best a TNT watcher at worst. However, when I heard that Christian Bale was going to be playing John Conner it made me stop and take notice. He rarely takes missteps in his career so this might actually be a well done film.
It is the story of John Conner battling the robots of Skynet. It is also the story of the evolution of the Terminator and how it moved from model to model, until eventually arriving at the Schwarzenegger model. I have reservations, but I am optimistic that this might be a good movie.
Now this movie is actually a sequel instead of a prequel like many of the films above. The story revolves again around Ben Stiller trying to cope with a museum coming to life on his watch. However this time he is in the museum of all museums, the Smithsonian. From what I have read, no other film has ever been allowed to be shot inside the actual Smithsonian until this one, so I am quite excited for the insanity that should follow. All of the main stars return and it looks like this movie is going to be a great one for the kids and hopefully they can take it into new directions instead of just rehashing old jokes and old predicaments. A good family movie none the less.
Pixar is the heavy weight champion of the world when it comes to computer animated films. Not only are they visually stunning, but their story lines are always top notch. It is as if the ghost of Walt Disney has reemerged into the body of John Lassiter, top dude at Pixar, to provide for us a conduit into the past of Disney’s prominence.
Now we are getting into the realm of my personal opinion, but I though Wall-E, although a wonderful film, didn’t quite have the same magic as some of it’s predecessors. The box office receipts showed that as well as it did not do as well as its digitally processed brothers. However, if a studio has a misstep and still makes a film as remarkable as Wall-E then there is obviously some pretty talented individuals working at Pixar.
Up is the story of Carl Fredricksen a 78 year old man setting out to fulfill his life long dream of exploring South America. How is he going to explore South America? By tying thousands of balloons to his home and having them carry him there. There is a snag. A young explorer scout inadvertadly gets caught on the porch during lift off and he is now a part of the adventure amongst the clouds. This movie could truly be magical.
What if you were required to say "yes" to every question, every request, every challenge? The question intrigued me. I sat there on my extremely comfortable sectional couch and gave the challenge thorough and determined thought, 15 seconds later, I forgot what I had been thinking about and realized I needed to tell you what I thought about the movie "Yes Man".
Jim Carrey is a mixed bag for a lot of people and you eithier love him or hate him as an actor. His type of humor is like the Hammer of Thor that divides asunder the believers and non-believers.
Am I a believer? Lets just say I have been baptized, but not confirmed into the holy church of the Jim Carrey. I have loved many of his films, but then others have been less than spectacular.
So I entered the DVD into the player with great optimism, but a sliver of doubt that Reverend Carrey might lead me astray again. The DVD began playing and I began on the roller coaster that is the movie "Yes Man".
Jim Carrey's character is a divorcee that has lived in a state of self pity for the last three years. He hasnt been able to let go of the life he had with his ex-wife and he has let all of his other relationships die as well.
Of course, he says "No" to everything, from helping an elderly neighbor to attending an engagement party for his best friend. Life is passing him by like a distant train passing through his rain soaked lifescape, barely noticed, barely noticing him. (That simile took me about 45 minutes to write, so please read it a couple of times so that it was worth the effort.... Hey, literary geniusness dont come easily.)
Then one day Jim Carrey bumps into an old acquaintance who is a "Yes Man". He had attended a seminar where he was liberated by the power of "yes". Jim Carrey initially says "no", but then eventually comes around to the idea and decides to attend the seminar.
He has an earth shattering experience at the seminar and he decides to give the "yes theory" a try. Of course from then on, it is a wonderful joke of all the things that happen to him, because he cant say "no". Without a doubt, Rhys Darby from Flight of the Conchords fame stole the scenes he and Jim Carrey were in together and added some amazing chops as the Harry Potter re-enacting, Bank Manager.
There are some genuine hilarious moments throughout the movie and I had a lot of fun with it, but then.... The roller coaster began. The moments of hilarity were punctuated by moments of slowness that gave the film a weird pace that made me look down at the DVD time clock to see how close to the 90 minutes mark, so I could get a gauge on when it might end.
Now dont get me wrong. Overall I thought the movie was an easy laugh and I am glad I watched it. It just wasnt all that it could have been. Would I recommend it to you? ........... YES.
Did Dreamworks find the secret to Pixar's success? Yes, I must confess, EL Golden Stallion is some what of a phony. I am sure that when one hears the name EL Golden Stallion many thoughts come to mind; dashing, clever, verbose, beautiful, unbridled..... Which when taken and examined as a whole, is fairly accurate. However, I must expunge "unbridled" from my list of adjectives. The reigns, bit and blanket of matrimony and fatherhood do saddle EL Golden Stallion. Hence, EL Golden Burro might be a bit more accurate depiction, but like that one famous dude said once "Live in the past, it is warm, fuzzy and happy there." and who am I to cast aside the wisdom of the learned.
I give the above explanation to help you see why I am writing a review about Monsters vs Aliens. So on a Saturday morning with my two saddle bags in tow, we braved the IMAX theater. We sat, we donned the 3D glasses and we were transported into the world of cuddly Monsters and ferocious Aliens.
The 3D affect certainly is the wave of the future for "event" movies and I can see it being a valuable way for Hollywood to entice families to come out to movies in the future. My two Golden Ponies both loved how the images reached out for them and made the whole world come alive. They were transfixed by the effects and were glued to the screen..... until.... the effect wore off and the story needed to take over. One of them still loved it, whereas the other became tired and was more interested in studying his eye lids.
As for me, I too found the 3D effect neat at first, but then it became more of a distraction than an actual benefit by about half way through the movie. But enough about the way the movie was showcased, what about the actual movie? Well, I asked the question if Pixar was still the top of the computer animation pyramid and I can answer that with a resounding YES! Monsters vs Aliens was fun, but it was like a grape soda, all fizz and flash, no real substance.
The story revolves around a Woman on the verge of saying her wedding vows when all of the sudden the affects of a meteorite take hold of her and transform her into a 50 foot "Monster". She then is seized by the government and hidden away with other Monsters, like the Swamp Thing, Dr. Cockroach and the Blob.. who is actually the highlight of the entire movie.
She is doomed to stay there for the rest of her life, until an Alien ship crashes into Earth and begins to wreak havoc on the human population. The government sends the Monsters in to fight the Aliens. I wont ruin the rest of the movie, but overall it was one of those movies you don't mind going to it, but you wouldnt be sad if you never saw it again. Entertaining but forgettable. Pixar you are still champ!
NOT WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT! I'll be completely honest with you. When I first heard about this film and then saw the cover, I wasn't overly anxious to see this movie. The cover and title took me back to the film Lord of the Flies and I thought it was going to be another re-hash of unsupervised boys letting the law of the jungle take over and anarchy reign.
Lets just say that, that assumption was about as close to the mark as Star Scream actually thinking he was going to depose Megatron or Squidward actually making it as a concert clarinetist. Yes you are right, I was a fool.
The movie is actually an ode to boyhood. It is the story of two young boys, both of them outsiders, un-liked and shunned, who come together to make a movie with a video camera.
The movie takes place in England during the mid 80's and screams nostalgia. The music, the clothes, the slang, are all transposed from the akward 80's and made the backdrop for these two boys making the sequel to Rambo, The Son of Rambow. I have to be a bit honest, I am a child of the 80's and a resident of the U.S., and it came as a surprise how closely the film, taking place in England, was tuned into what it was like to be a kid in the 80's for me.
Not only was the movie a trip down reminiscing lane, but also the story is quite uplifting. It shows how a friendship grows, is nearly destroyed and then survived, because they care about each other. I know I have already said this, but the movie wasn't what I thought it was going to be and I am happy for it. Check it out !
Now that this film has won the Academy Award for Best Documentary, any praise I may heap upon it is like putting a fuzzy red turtleneck on a Best in Show Sharpee. Cute and perhaps warming in the winter time, but like the Bible says, hiding the light under the bushel.
Never the less, let me say that I came across Man on Wire at the suggestion of a fellow film producer. I found it at my local Blockbuster. I grabbed it and decided to give it a whirl. Lets just say, it was the best whirl I have had in quite some time.
It is the story of Philippe Petit a Frenchman from France, who in 1974 decided to illegally sneak to the top of the World Trade Center Towers and connect a wire between the two towers. He then climbed out onto the wire with only his balancing pole to help him steady himself from the 1,368 foot plunge to the concrete below.
Now what is fascinating about this movie, is the skill in which the filmmakers tell the story and also how Phillipe recounts his story (he is fluent in English).
Phillipe is an artist and his art form is overcoming fear, heights and the authorities preventing him from mastering his structural nemesis. He explains with the glee of a young boy how he and his compatriots hid out on the top floor of the World Trade Center Towers for hours with the security guards mere feet away. He truly is a very likeable hero and you cheer for him throughout his entire quest to overcome the towers and you cant imagine how he will ever be able to do it, with all of the obstacles that get put in his path. It is truly an inspiring and remarkable story. I dont believe I could recommend a Documentary film more than I do Man on Wire. You can go to www.pubfilms.com to see more photos of this daring walk amongst the clouds.
Welcome weary internet surfer, you have found your destiny, you have found your Mecca, you have found a place that sucks a little less than other sites. I am El Golden Stallion, co-founder of Pubfilms.com and like you a movie enthusiast.
My special qualifications include; in order of importance, interpretive Rollerblade skating runner-up 1992 (Class AA-Arizona Chapter), MS Read-a-thon Champion 1982 (Elledalaun Elementary) and Flag Football MVP (Turkey Bowl 2002). Eventhough, I may have had extraordinary experiences in my life that are not common place, I dont wish you to feel like I dont know what it is like in the real world. Yes, I have had my ups, but I'll have you know they have been tempered by some downs.
So pull up a log, grab a stick, put a marshmallow on the end and warm it in the fire of my above average intellect. Together lets discover some movies, lets talk about what is going on in Hollywood and lets become like the five Lions of Voltron, united deadly, apart, somewhat deadly. I get to be the Red Lion though.
dance as well as other notables such as Alice Cooper and Seinfeld’s Kramer. The festivities began shortly before 6:00 with Hugh Jackman riding his motorcycle around the crowd and up to the stage as he was introduced. Hugh introduced the rest of the cast, but not before giving his sincere thanks to the fans and the city of 
I get to be the Red Lion though.
