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May032008
Iron Man is apparently the man…
Iron Man is the first major “blockbuster” to hit the theaters this summer, and it’s a doozy. Getting all sorts of great reviews it is shaping up to be the early hit of the season. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 94, that’s pretty high for that site and Metacritic is bringing it in at about 78, also pretty high. -
Apr262008
Looks like the Hobbit has found it’s director
Amid fan speculation and all sorts of rumors on the internet, today we got the news that Guillermo del Toro is going to direct the next Lord of the Rings franchise movie “The Hobbit” and Peter Jackson will produce.LOS ANGELES (AP) — Guillermo del Toro is directing “The Hobbit” and its sequel, New Line Cinema announced Thursday. The 43-year-old filmmaker will move to New Zealand for four years to make the films back-to-back with executive producer Peter Jackson.
Del Toro wrote and directed “Pan’s Labyrinth,” which earned six Oscar nominations in 2006 and won three awards. He is also the director of the upcoming sequel “Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” whose monsters bear the unmistakeable surreal vision of the Mexican-born filmmaker.
Speaking of Hobbits, have some fun and generate your own Hobbit name or if you find yourself in the Montpelier area check out the live production of our favorite halfling…
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Mar112008
Picking-the-Movie Syndrome
When I was a kid, I lived in a neighborhood behind a dollar theater. And though I like to think those days were not so long ago, I look back and marvel at all the freedom my parents gave me. With my dollar allowance in hand, I got into a lot of movies, and, more often than not, I went by myself. From checking the Friday newspaper listings to picking out the candy I would smuggle in, the choices were mine, and, after a final, lingering glance at the movie poster as I left the theater, I still had a solitary walk home to think it all over. And so my lifelong love of the movies began by spicing up the inner life of…kind of a lonely kid. It was not until years later that I first experienced what I have come to call “Picking-the-Movie Syndrome.”
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Feb212008
Is Jason Segal the Next Ben Stiller?
Watching the trailer for Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I am struck by how much it looks like some lost Farrelly Brothers/Ben Stiller movie. Comically vulnerable guy gets dumped and then trembles and pratfalls his way to true love with fun/foxy lady. With a cast of distinctive television actors Jason Segal (”Freaks and Geeks,” “How I Met Your Mother”), Kristen Bell (”Veronica Mars”) and Mila Kunis (”That 70’s Show”), it looks a little like action figures put through the romantic comedy motions in your sister’s dollhouse, complete with the goofiest take on a rock star boyfriend since John Corbett rocked the recorder in 2001’s Serendipity. It’s sure to be slapstick fun with a dose of heart, and I’ll totally be there, hoping Judd Apatow works his usual magic with his cast of buddies, like potential scene-stealer Jonah Hill (Superbad). And maybe Bell, so fierce and sharp in “Veronica Mars,” gets a worthy line or two. Get in line for popcorn on April 18.
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Feb112008
Welcome Back, Jane Krakowski, from a Long “Vacation”
If I had to name the movie I reference most often, it would be National Lampoon’s Vacation. Whether I’m reluctantly signing up for a mailer, rolling up my car windows in panic or reminding my kids that “the bed was very soft,” the language of Vacation is all around me, elevating the mundanity of my day. One especially memorable side character is Cousin Vicki, played by a 15-year-old Jane Krakowski. In her short time onscreen, she manages to stir a batch of Kool-Aid with her arm, brag that her father has declared her the best French-kisser, and reveal a shoe box full of pot to prove that being a farmer is indeed cool. Then where did Krakowski go? (more…)
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Feb082008
Let’s Leave Poor Abigail Breslin Alone, People
This past summer my friend and I were in a theater, punchy with outrage at No Reservations. What we thought would be as guilty a pleasure as the happily massive bowl of spaghetti featured in the trailer turned out to be the most appalling bit of neglect porn served up since Gwyneth Paltrow languished away in her equally-creepy apartment in Se7en (shame on you, Catherine Zeta-Jones). So when Definitely, Maybe showed up in the coming attractions recently, I considered throwing my precious popcorn at the screen while Laura howled, “Leave that poor girl alone!” (more…)
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Feb052008
Hey Jennifer Garner, Where’s Your Nomination?
Looking at the list of nominees for Best Supporting Actress, I’ll assume that all of those ladies did powerful work, but Jennifer Garner should have bumped at least one of them for her performance in Juno. As Vanessa Loring, the suburban professional poised to adopt Juno’s baby, Garner had me in tears halfway through. (more…)
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Feb042008
Iron Man
Not sure how many of you have seen the new trailer for Iron Man. I really loved it and I get the feeling this is going to be another one of those Marvel home-runs like with Spider Man and X-Men. When I heard that Robert Downey Jr. was cast as Tony Starks it made me do a double take but seeing him in Zodiac was actually what sold me on the choice.
Linkage: You Tube, IMDB, Iron Man Site, Movies.com, Wikipedia, Marvel
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Jan202008
First look of the “New” Enterprise
Moviefone has a “first look” at the new U.S.S. Enterprise. I’m not a huge Star Trek fan but this newest due out in December ‘08 looks very interesting. It’s being directed by J.J. Abrams and the cast looks really crisp; Chris Pine
Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Eric Bana, Anton Yelchin, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Leonard Nimoy, Bruce Greenwood.
