Good old James

Going to this, I was debating whether or not I would need some tissues. Not because of the story (which is just an indie'esque com-rom) but because it may be the last Gandolfini project movie I will ever be able to see.

As far as the movie, I really enjoyed it. James and Julia were great! Ben Falcone (Melissa McCarthy's real life husband and "lust-interest" in Bridesmaids) was surprisingly funny. Definitely go see it if you get the chance.

Ps. Should have brought tissues, sad to see James and say goodbye.

Too Many Movies... Let's Stick With One (or two) Sentence...

R.I.P.D. - I was right, Bridges was worse than Reynolds... not as bad as everyone said, but still bad. C

Red 2 - Just an ok sequal... not bad, not good. C+

Girl In Progress - I can't complain about Eva Mendes being on screen, Thought it was supposed to be a hard drama, a bit different than I thought it would be... bit of a dramedy. C+

The Wolverine - Probably won't be my favorite superhero movie this year... for a mutant movie I could have used a whole lot more mutant action. B-/C+

21 & Over - Just a fun, stupid, college comedy... nothing special. C+

An Insignificant Harvey - Interesting... kind of like these "Canadian-snow-slum-depressing" movies. B-

The Mighty Quinn - Early Denzel movie, basically watched to get through his catalog. Meh C/C-

Red Riding Trilogy: 1974, 1980, 1983 - Very interesting... just got to get past the English language barriers. B+ for all three movies.


Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters - Liked it only because I love the source material... made for fans. B

The Factory - Umm... just whatever. Wouldn't watch it again. C-

2 Guns - Better than what people said... always love Denzel's movies and he and Mark E. Mark were pretty good together. Recognized the navy base that they were on, since I worked there... New Orleans. Cool for me.

We're The Millers - Hilarious! Had ok expectations going in and it ended up being surprisingly funnier than I thought it would be. B/B+

Elysium - A little disappointed because I love District 9 (the writer/director's first movie). C+

Salmon Fishing In The Yemen - Not too bad... enjoyable. Felt like a chick flick at times, but other like a just a normal dramedy type movie. B

Kick Ass 2 - I liked this... fit well with the first one. Just a crazy superhero movie. Could have had some Cage-flash backs. B

Harmony And Me - Cool Austin movie. Actually a funny script. Really indie, if it had more budget, could have been even better. B

Bullet To The Head - Stallone should just stick with Expendable movies now and not try to make other "actual" movies. This is also not saying Expendables are great movies. D


The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones - Never read the books, but I understand why they could be good... the books, not this stupid movie. C-

Down The Shore - One of James Gandolfini last roles... made it that much more emotional for me. Good movie even without that... B

The World's End - I will have to rewatch to figure which place I will put this in the Cornetto Trilogy. Fun, laughed a lot. B

Black Rock - Didn't know what to expect when going into it... Really liked this. Labeled as horror, but is a lot more suspense/thriller. Also, Katie Aselton and Lake Bell... hello! B

In A World... - Another one that I didn't know what to expect. I did see the preview and really got me intrigued.... fun and funny. B

See Girl Run - Not sure the point of this one. Like Adam Scott, but this had too much drama than I wanted when I watch this. C

Dead Man Down - Pretty good, thought Colin and Noomi both did great. Good action scene at end to finish it up. B-

Ghost of Mississippi - Better than I thought it would be. B

Frozen River - Umm... not sure why the Academy Award nomination was given... just an ok indie flick. C

Brother John - Not sure I totally understand who Brother John was supposed to be... death or an alien? C+

Mutual Appreciation - Kind of slow and annoying at times, but other parts really enjoyed. Could have used more music since the concert scene was great. B-

Network - Not as big of a film-snob to really love this movie, but I could appreciate it. Some scenes were crazy good, but as a whole not sure if this stands the test of time... with me. B-

All The Real Girls - Early Zooey movie... umm, kind of boring. Did like seeing an early Danny McBride role.

Candy - I really want to watch and like as many Australian films as possible, this was just ok though.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer - I got so ANNOYED with this movie... OHHHH, all this because of crazy sense of smell. COME ON! So dumb. F

3 Days of the Condor - Not that I'm a huge fan or seen all his films, but one of the better Redford movies for me. B

Take Her, She's Mine - Always love me a Jimmy Stewart movie. This one is just ok for this time in his career (Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation is my favorite of his later movies). B-

Twixt - Could have been better... just weird. C/C-

Bad Ass - Kind of a crazy mindless movie that I didn't mind that it was dumb. C

Lenny - Don't really know Lenny Bruce's work... but based on this, I don't think I would have really liked it. Basically won't like any Bill Hick biopic that will ever come out. C/C-

Edge of the City - I really want to like more Sidney Poitier movies than I actually do. This one was just ok, so I'll consider it that I like it. B-

Badge 373 - Crappy 70's cop movie with Robert Duvall. Don't watch, and you probably haven't even heard of it. D+

Precious - Am I racist for not liking/hating this? Because I didn't like it... or even thought it deserved the nominations/wins. C-

Hurricane Smith - What? Australian movie though.

Drinking Buddies - I thought it would be a funnier/more of a comedy... very much a drama. Love me a Olivia Wilde!!!! Even though it wasn't what I thought, I still really enjoyed it.

Diggstown - One of those OK  movies to have on when you don't have to really pay attention. Even then not great. C-

The Square - Interesting. Not sure how to define this one... thriller? suspense? Another Australian movie... just love the idea of Australian movies. B-

Adoration - Not sure why I chose to watch this on Netflix... just kind of weird and not sure the point in the long run. C/C-

Catch-22 - Enjoyed this. I've thought about on a few different movies, but I think I would have loved it more if I was around when it first came out. B/B+

Fugitive Pieces - Interesting/different movie about a young holocaust survivor. Anyone interested in WW2 or holocaust movies will want to see this one. B

Magic Town - Again, another Jimmy Stewart film. This one from his earlier days, enjoyable as always. B

Barefoot In The Park - Netflix labeled this a classic... I'm not calling it a classic, I'd just stick with an "oldie" label. Just an ok movie. C+/B-

Raising Flagg - Disappointed. Not a HUGE fa, but I enjoy Arkin's movie... just not this one. Just boring.

A Shock To The System - Dumb. That's all this movie deserves. D-

Natural Selection - Umm, not sure. Indie/dark comedy. Needed a bit more comedy for me. C

The Big Fix - C

It's A Disaster - B

The Number Station - B+.... hello MALIN!

Extreme Prejudice - C... has a scene outside a building in El Paso that I have worked at twice... thought that was cool... for me.

Prizzi's Honor - C

42 - Better drama than a "baseball movie". My judgement is still out on Harrison Ford. I want to say I liked him in this, but it was REALLY weird to see him play a "character".

Mommie Dearest - Just weird... kind of annoying. Only way I got through it, I would swith the John Walters commentary on and off on occasion.

Machete Kills - HAHAHAHA... just a crazy, mindless movie. Go into it with a sense of humor/don't take it too seriously. Another reason why I don't think Ga-gA is attractive. Ummm... Holy moly Spy Kid girl!!!!!! B

Wait Until Dark - Pretty good... I could be into a remake of this. B

Movie 43 - 50/50 on the shorts. On movies like this, I prefer enjoying at least 75% of them to make it worth while. C+

Arranged - For a random Netflix pick I REALLY liked this one. Jewish woman and a Muslim women become friends at the school they both teach at. B (a bit more in the production value and such could easily send this up to a B+

Stoker - Kind of crazy. Thought some of it was uncomfortable (read: shower). C+/B-

Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 - The inner child in me loved this. Noah and I saw the first one were cracking up. One of the animation movies that can be genuinely enjoyed by all ages. B

The Comedy - C+

Nature Calls - C-

Escape Plan - Judging this against The Expendables movies, Last Stand, and Bullet To The Head... This Movie Is BRILLIANT!!! C

House At The End Of The Street - The idea of Jennifer Lawrence and Elisabeth Shue in the same movie is the only good thing about this. D+

Solomon Kane - An idea that possibly could have been good, but turned out horribly. D

Men of War - Crap 90's action movie starring Dolph... not sure why I watched it. F

Only God Forgives - WTF!!! This is garbage but you will get film-snobs saying this is brilliant... it's not. D

Puss In Boots - Pretty horrible... only watched because Christopher Walken... even his greatness couldn't make up for this crap. F

Red Scorpion - Dumb, dumb, dumb, duuuuuummmmmmmbbbmmmm F

Then She Found Me - Random netflix... I've said it before, but I shouldn't do randoms anymore. D+

Event Horizon - The devil? Come on! D
 

- - - -  These next movies are absolutely horrible... and I knew that going into them. 

These were watched for purposes of listening to How Did This Get Made podcast. 

Some people listen to this podcast without watching the movies... that doesn't make 

sense to me. So here are some horrible, but some fun, movies. - - - -

All About Steve - Crap. Falls under the not even so bad its fun... it's just bad. F

Burlesque - Poop. Falls under the not even so bad its fun... it's just bad. F

Fast & Furious 5 - These movies... these movies... I can't believe my friends made me watch the original sooo much back in high school. D-

88 Minutes - This was a pretty shitty movie; however, it is one of the better HOW DID THIS GET MADE episodes (with guest Pete Holmes) because of the Al Pacino impressions. Watch if you want will listen to the episode. F


The Room - You have to watch this! The podcast only will add to the awesomeness of this horribly great movie. A+/F-

Mac and Me - Not worth watching... just bad. F-


Skyline - Pretty bad... not worth watching. However, a couple of episodes later on the podcast, they talk with the director about some of the things they riffed on. F



Back-Up Plan and Gigli - JLo... horrible.

Leprechaun 5: In The Hood - Crazily bad movie.

Birdemic: Shock & Terror - Like the room, you have to watch.

Here are some more horrible movies for the podcast.........
Cool As Ice, The Adventures of Pluto Nash, Tiptoes, Liz and Dick, On The Line, The Apple (not part of How Did This Get Made, but still horrible), Sleepaway Camp, Spice World, Joyful  Noise, From Justin to Kelly: The Tale of Two American Idols

Upcoming Movies That I Just Can't Get Excited For

So I don't get pumped for EVERY single movie that comes out. There are some that just don't interest me at all, and that's ok. But when one of those movies are (highly) anticipated by the masses, some people can't believe I don't care about them. Skimming through BoxOfficeMojo's upcoming releases, I pull some of these title onto this list.

Movies That I Just Can't Get Excited For...

jOBS -  I am not an Apple-zombie. I do not drool over the ads for the next iPhone, or the one after that. I have used Apple computers and I prefer Microsoft. But I'm not a diehard Microsoft zealot. I simply use it and that's the end. I don't understand why everyone was so in awe of Jobs. I guess thanks for the iPod, but that's about it.

Gravity - These previews do NOTHING for me. If anything, they make me want to see it less. Someone floating around for 1.5 to 2 hours in space, thanks but no thanks. And this isn't my normal anti-Clooney thing either... it just seems like a boring movie.

Captain Phillips - This hurts. I love Tom Hanks, who doesn't?! But again, nothing about this peaks my interest. Like Jobs, I'm hating that Hollywood is cranking out movies about very recent events... didn't they make TV Movies like that (thinking of the Amy Fischer TV Movie). Though, I'm hoping this will be a movie I see anyways and like... that would be a pleasant and wanted surprise.

The Fifth Estate - This one doesn't have a trailer yet, but photos from the file we posted online last week and everyone seemed to go crazy for the Julian Assange movie. Yet again, I have zero desire to see this. Didn't this basically just happen? I say don't start making any movies about events until they are at least 10 years old. Plus, Cumberbatch bothers me... he over acts too much for me. Tone it down Khan.

Oldboy - Spike Lee - No. Josh Brolin - No. Recreating the "Hammer" scene - No. I don't like anything about this remake so far. Skip this and watch the original.

First Book... Becoming Odyssa

I have about 4 books I'm reading now, but this is the first one I've finished since starting my unread blog.

I probably wouldn't have pick this one up from Barnes & Nobles or used a Kindle to get this  on my own. Not that it couldn't be a good read, but judging a book by it's cover (and back description) it just didn't seem to fall under my normal categories of books I read...

But my Uncle Steve Neitzel was all wrapped up in this book on vacation at OBX this summer. You see, this non fiction is about a girl who sets out to hike the Appalachian Trail alone right after graduating college. What probably peaked Steve's interest is that he and my Uncle Al are hikers in the Kentucky hills (or is it mountains?). Well, I understand why Uncle Steve loved the story of Odyssa (Jennifer Pharr Davis' trail name). It wasn't just about the hike, but all about finding one's self. Once she stepped foot on the trail, you were hiking with her from her second step til the end of the story. Found myself really enjoying this book, especially the interaction with the other thru-hikers... and it made me want to hike the trail. That is until I think of no Chipotle for 3 months. I think I have my priorities out of line there. I really appreciate Uncle Steve handing over the book the last night of vacation, thanks Uncle Steve. I'll bring you a book (and bourbon) next OBX trip to repay you.

See, short and simple review. I don't have any special rating system yet, so I'll just give it a "Read It"; you know, as opposed to "Don't Read It".

Alrighty Toledo...

You now have The Way Way Back in theaters at Franklin Park and Levis (I think)... go see it!

The Sapphires will be coming out on DVD the first Tuesday in August... go to Family Video or check the Netflix release data.

You still haven't seen Stand Up Guys, Quartet, and A Late Quartet... get on the ball.

Ok, I'm done.

Thank You HULU!!! Klown is here.

Fate. Serendipity. Luck. Whatever it is, I'm pumped. It has come to America!

Ok, lets start at the beginning. Inspired by watching Dr. Who and Torchwood like this last year, this year I have put into affect my new TV viewing regiment: 1) cancel cable. 2) one show at a time on Netflix. 3) watch the whole series on Netflix, start to finish (or at least to current episodes). I had to expand into Amazon Prime, due to the limited selection for one show on Netflix.

So this year I started Smallville... which I never finished. I think I just want it to last longer. Then moved on to The Walking Dead (like it despite my minor distaste for the zombie culture on a whole). That was followed by Weeds. I never once rooted for Nancy Botwin (or her annoying children); however, Kevin Nealon joined my unorganized list of favorite supporting TV characters (Andy might make honorable mention on that list).  After that was Nip/Tuck... good, not great. Another annoying child (Matt). Bad last season... left me disappointed. Took a quick down Whedon Lane by watching the short, but good, Firefly series (with a side of Serenity). And finally I have just caught up on Dexter... amazing. I watched the first 3 seasons before, but I had to go start to finish. If you say anything about this season, my dark passenger will come out and find you!

So just today I was going to call out for suggestions on what to watch next... when i signed on to The Alamo Drafthouse's website and saw the amazing news: the complete series of Klown is coming to Hulu!!!!

What, you don't know what Klown is?! It was best explained to me as the Danish version of Curb Your Enthusiasm, but with European raunchiness... or the poor man's Curb. The show follows to Danish comedians/TV personalities that play themselves. I first found out about Klown because they made a movie that was picked up by Drafthouse Films for US distribution. I kept seeing previews for it before most movies at the drafthouse. When it opened, i said what the heck and went. At this point I didn't know it was a movie for a TV show and didn't realized these guys were famous in Denmark. Not knowing didn't matter. Klown is by far the funniest eeeeeeen fil i have seen, and on of the funniest  movies all around. I must warn you, it is not for the faint of heart. I "raunchiness" earlier for no reason. Basically, my parents should never see this movie.

Help... Need "Best of..." list ideas

The title is pretty self explanatory... looking for some suggestions for "best of lists". I have some ideas, my brother gave me some, but looking for some more to supplement my weekly'ish posts. Let me know what you think.

Ps. Looking for something more than just "best sports movies"... get creative.

Also blame The Dude

Random line of thought time...

I just read yet another article about R.I.P.D. and how its going to flop, and a lot of that credit is going to Ryan Reynolds. Let me remind everyone, he is not the only lead in that movie... Jeff Bridges is right there with him. But nobody is saying anything bad about him, even though he seems like the dumbest of the two characters. No one wants to talk bad about The Dude... well, when it comes to R.I.P.D. he should share the potential blame.

Best of... Pixar

With the recent release of Monsters University, I figured this would be a good time for my first list... 
so here you go:

1. The Incredibles - You can argue this with me... but you'll lose
2. Toy Story
3. WALL-E
4. Toy Story 2
5. Finding Nemo
6. Brave - Give it a year or so and this might move up a peg or two
7. Ratatouille
8. Monsters Inc.
9. Monsters University
10. A Bug’s Life
11. Up
12. Toy Story 3 - Don't take this 12 spot as I don't like this movie... see the explanation below.
13. Cars
14. Cars 2 – To be fair, I haven’t seen it, and zero desire to see it… unless I’m desperate or in the mood where I will willingly watch a crap movie.

        This was actually a kind of hard list to put together. Other than Cars 2 (which I will not see) all of Pixar’s movie are pretty much neck and neck. Out of the 12 good ones, they basically all register on the same level: great movies.

        Along with basically everyone, I really liked Finding Nemo, but I don’t have much hope or a desire to see Finding Dory (coming in 2015). Between the Toy Story sequels, a critically/publicly crap Cars sequel, and a Monsters Inc. sequel (that no one was really asking for), the one that blows me away is no Incredibles sequel. This is the one that people seem to want, but with Pixar’s recent statement of “less sequels, more original stories” it seems that we probably won't see Mr. and Mrs. Incredible again.

My favorite comic strip is coming to the movies... kind of.

This is a great movie poster.

Maybe it's my attitude towards documentaries that is changing or maybe its just the subject matter... but I'm finding myself pumped for a doc coming out this fall, Dear Mr Watterson. Who didn't love Calvin & Hobbes?! No really, tell me. I will be deleting them from Facespace.

About a year or so ago, I was in El Paso for work and I went to Barnes and Nobles to hang out, read, book shop... I ended sitting on the floor for about an hour and a half reading through on of the compilation Calvin & Hobbes books. Even as an adult, I was laughing out loud to comics that made me laugh as a child.

If you read Calvin & Hobbes as a kid, I guarantee you wished/pretended your pet turned into something like Hobbes.









Busy week... let's just break these down quickly.

1. The Giant Mechanical Man- Good indie flick. Shot in Detroit... kind of is like home. Chris Messina continues to be a great actor in these small movies. For the guys not sure, Malin Akerman is in this and she's easy on the eyes. I give it a "See It" rating (stupid rating system).
2. Despicable Me 2 - I don't get the minions, but they do make me laugh. Just an ok animation movie... not that its a great year for me in the animation department. They've all been just ok. 
3. The Lone Ranger - 45 minutes too long. Johnny Depp played an indian jack sparrow... that's it. Plus I still hate Armie Hammer. I think I would have been ok with this movie if it cost 100 million dollar less than what it did (215 million budget, plus 150 million advertising budget). Wait for it on video.
4. Pacific Rim - Liked it, didn't love it. I think I liked the idea of it more than the actual execution. Bad acting. Corny plot with annoying cliches... had a bit of an Avengers rip off. Missles can't hurt the monsters, but storage containers can?!
5. The Way Way Back - Might be my favorite movie of the year. See other post - HERE
6. Burke and Hare - Simon Pegg and Golum, I mean Andy Serkis... um... sure, see it. Leave it at that.
7. Monkeybone - another "leaving it to fate" movie pick on Netflix. Again, I shouldn't do that anymore. AVOID AVOID AVOID
8. Kiss Toledo Goodbye - Supposed to take place in Toledo, but obviously shot in California. But they had the decency to use an issue of The Toledo Blade as a prop. Really wish this was shot at home, because that means Christopher Walken would have been there. Probably don't see it... can't imagine anyone really liking this.
9. Cold Mountain - Very good. Anymore I get annoyed with Nicole Kidman, but not here. Surprised it took me this long to see it. See It.
10. Top o' The Morning - Old black and white with Bing Crosby. The last few years I have really enjoyed these old movies... make me think of my grandparents.
11. The Butchers Wife - Not sure why I watch this... for what it was, it was just OK.
12. Grown Ups 2 - It was no Grown Ups 1... had some funny parts, but I didn't laugh that hard at any one moment. I know Taylor Lautner was making fun of himself in this, but it only made me hate him more... so annoying with all the flipping. Maya Rudolph... so that's a plus at least.

New #1 of 2013? The Way Way Back

Lived up to my expectations!

First impressions: Might be my new #1 if this year, screenplay Oscar winner, my favorite Sam Rockwell performance, my crush on Maya Rudolph is alive and well, better than The Descendants (made by the same guys), hope this gets bumped up for a wider screening, and finally, I hope AnnaSophia doesn't turn into the next Lohan or Bynes.

Will definitely be seeing this again in theater. 

Female-Bromance, Bunch of Whedon, White House takeover blueprints... again, and a couple forgein movies

Another busy week. Some pretty good ones, and one piece of filth. Also, had a mini marathon for Firefly so I could watch Serenity... my geek has been coming out more and more the last couple of years. These are basically the last week of June. Let's start it off with the filth.

• Searching for Sugar Man - Already made mentioned of this one... but I'll say it again, great! I'm not the guy to ask questions on documentaries... but as far as my knowledge goes, I totally get why it won best doc at the Oscars. Again, highly suggest seeing this one.

• The Heat -  Went opening night at a Houston Alamo Drafthouse. It was weird seeing a movie in a non-Austin Drafthouse. It was still really familiar, but just not right. It was like cheating on your girlfriend with her sister. Ok, that's just a guess... I have to date a girl before I could cheat on her with her sister... not that I would.

Alright, for the movie. Really really funny. Directed by Paul Feig, who directed Bridesmaids... had a lot of the Bridesmaid vibe, strong female leads. Bullock and McCarthy were great together. Bullock's character was almost too much like her Miss Congeniality character. One of the things that was annoying was that the trailers did give away some fun parts... not enough that it ruined it though.

Since the Drafthouse is awesome, they gave away full prints of this Mondo 70's/80's inspired action poster on opening night. Not sure if it's worthy of going up in the living room, but give it time it might be (but not framed).

• The Fairy - Every time I start to think the French are making great movies, I see this and it reaffirms that the French are weird. This movie... weird. Good'ish, but a little too weird fore me. It did remind me of those old clips of silent movies. The background, the musical sequences, the characters and the like. The movie premise is nice enough, a lonely hotel desk clerk meets a girl who claims to be a Fairy and grants him 3 wishes. Not sure if anyone I know would genuinely like this. Watch at your own risk.
 

• Monsters University - So Pixar delivers, not surprising. Even though I would trade this one in for an Incredibles 2, I'm not mad they made it (read: screw off Cars 2 and Toy Story 3... more so Cars 2). The new characters, the frat brothers, are great... especially Art, who is voiced by Charlie Day. Voice acting can be big for movies, because even as a cartoon character the actor's personality can come through. This was true with Day, I was cracking up at all his scenes. You can just picture him doing the gags in real life. Overall, it was right on track with the original Monsters Inc.

• Headhunters - This one kept popping up on almost every page of Netflix. I figured this did pretty well over sees, that's why they had a big push over here. BoxOfficeMojo only has it making 14 million, which is nothing compared to The Intouchables that made 416 million overseas. Netflix (and Amazon Prime from what I've seen) push certain forgein movies for them to gain some traction hoping they're the next Girl With A Dragon Tattoo. If they invested a lot of money in this push... my conclusion is they shouldn't have.  It was just an okay movie, nothing really special. The main character was a bit annoying... maybe could have been better if it was cast differently. The story was good, with a bit more tweaking, could have been a touch better. Watch if you're into Norwegian movies. I guess I will say this one has the potential of getting picked up and remade her in the US.          

Found this pic online, and it fits perfectly

• White House Down (mild spoilers)- For just an action movie... fine, it was ok. But once I start looking at it closer, the less I like it. The biggest problem, just like the a lot of reviews are saying, a rip off of Die Hard. Not just the dirty white wife beater, but the characters/situations... cop out of place, nerdy-tech villain, annoying TV reporter, separated/ex-wife, villains finds out family connection, villain mad about his brother/friend murdered, villain putting someone on the walkie to talk the hero down, cop on the other end of the phone, ok... enough. It was annoying how they were trying to make Jamie Foxx out to be the cool president... a lot of stupid stupid jokes... just keep it action, get rid of the crap comic relief. Wasn't really surprising. What was surprising was Leonard Maltin called this original. Original?! Olympus Has Fallen just came out a few months ago... basically the same movie. Original? I don't have anything against Tatum, but I was glad this tanked.

•  Much Ado About Nothing - Never really got into Shakespeare back in the day. After rewatching some old movies, and some newer ones, I think I appreciate him more. As far as this one specifically, the black and white did give it something, but if it was in color I don't see myself saying, "Ya know? This would have been a whole let better in black and white". As far as Shakespeare modern setting movies, this was probably the easiest to follow. Romeo + Juliet... too stylized, took away a bit from the story. Hamlet (with Hawk, not Gibson)... too whiny and Kyle MacLachlan is one of those guys I can't stand looking at. Much Ado was straight to it. Story first... maybe the black and white was to make it even more simple. It was very good... makes me want to watch the version we saw in high school.

• Serenity / Firefly (TV show)- I've been wanting to watch Firefly for sometime now. I think I've put it off knowing that it was cancelled before the first season was over... something about that makes sad. Everything I knew about the premise, it sounded like something I would like. And I did. The 14 episodes were very entertaining. Mal, Walsh, and Jane were my favorite characters. Pretty neutral on Shepherd and Inara... probably like everyone else, wish I got more back story on Shepherd. Kaylee was cute/fun, but sometimes kind of annoying. I get Simon and River (especially River) were important parts, but I got really sick of the both of them... River's gibberish just got old. Looking into it, I kind of understand why it was cancelled. I think Firefly unfortunately was just on the wrong station at the wrong time/year. I would imagine on a SyFy, with a more specific audience, Firefly would have been around for at least a few seasons... especially if it came out a few years later. 

As far as the movie (and still the TV show I guess), it was good. You could tell Whedon tried to get in as much info to wrap up the story line. Some of the aspect just happened far quicker than you'd like, but again, time constraints. Like River. You have at least a full complete season of finding out all the stuff that happened to her and what she is capable of... but in this movie, it just happens. And it has to. Not enough time to get into it. Also Shepherd. How did he know those things? Who was he? Obviously being the lead, you'd want more about Mal. Zoe, nothing there I want to explore. Walsh was great and could use more. I liked Kaylee, but I guess there's
          nothing there either that I'd want to know more. Jane, of course you want more, he's great. Simon, he
          can just be there with no more back story. i know there are a couple of comics out there that may
          answer some of my questions... but I haven't reached that level of geekdom. If they started up with
          novels (like Star Wars did), I would be all about that. But you are left wanting more that will never
          come. That's f------ annoying.
          

• ATM - Filth, garbage, crap. I hate hate hate Josh Peck... this, Red Dawn, What Goes Up... he is just an awful actor.... All the actors reactions to the horror situation were ridiculous... they were like robots. There is a killer out there, and they are worried about the little things... both guys need to grow a backbone... they could have gotten away almost immediately... so many problems with this. Might be why I hate the genre... it's just too ridiculous. It seems like it would be a good premise for movie, just was executed horribly. This was a random pick on my Netflix queue... I think I need to stop leaving my movie watching to fate.

• The Paperboy - Wasn't really sure what I was going to be getting into when I started this one. I remember when it came out, really didn't do much but it was more that it was Lee Daniels directorial followup to Precious (which I haven't seen). Nicole Kidman got nominated for a Golden Globe, not sure why... not that it mattered, Anne Hathaway had that one in the bag. Zac Efron was whatever... I don't think I'll be able to take him seriously no matter what. John Cusack was just too weird to comment on. McConaughey was good... even though he's a big name, I still think he's underrated. At the very least, I think he has an Oscar nomination in him, if not a win... keep an eye on him in The Wolf of Wall Street.

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In the works: possibly Best of... Pixar, The Lone Ranger, Despicable Me 2, another Christopher Walken flick, Doug Benson comes to Austin for a 3 movie lineup

My kind of art gallery (Part 1)

I pay rent to the Alamo Drafthouse. Well, at least I should. Outside of work, it seems I split my awake hours between the Drafthouse and everywhere else.

If you only go to the Drafthouse once or twice, you'll think it's cool and maybe leave it at that. But if you are an average movie goer, the Drafthouse changes the way you experience the movie. Between the movie selections, the special events, beer and food at your seat, the no talking PSA's... I can't imagine going anywhere else for a movie when a Drafthouse is near by.

To me, it isn't just a large room where i can see the most recent flick, but a place the lives and breathes the movie culture... it's my sanctuary. 

So tonight I am in Houston helping out the guys here with some overflow work. On the drive over, pulled up the Drafthouse locations to see if any were on my route. Google landed me at the Mason Park Alamo Drafthouse in Katy, TX. This is not the first time I've been to a Drafthouse outside of Austin... it sometimes gives me the feeling like I'm cheating on a girlfriend... or something. There are differences from the Austin theaters to all the ones outside of it... usually they make Austin's look a little better. Except for one thing I found tonight. The Mason Park location has a mini art gallery themed to recent releases. Right now, all the art has to do with superman. Wish I had a bit better camera, but here are some pics of the art wall.

This one was my favorite

Best of... 2013 Halfway Point

We are basically at the halfway point of the year... so here is my list of the releases thus far. These are all films that have US release dates in 2013 that I've seen thus far (based off of BoxOfficeMojo).

Ok, so Les Mis is on this pic... that doesn't count for 2013.

1. The Sapphires
2. Starbuck
3. Star Trek Into Darkness
4. The Kings of Summer
5. Stand Up Guys
6. Mud
7. World War Z
8. The Internship
9. Quartet
10. Man of Steel
11. Iron Man 3
12. Side Effects
13. Identity Thief
14. Oblivion
15. Disconnect
16. Oz: The Great And Powerful
17. Warm Bodies
18. This Is The End 
19. The Host
20. Admissions
21. A Glimpse Inside The Mind of Charles Swan III
22. The Hangover Part III
23. Epic
24. John Dies At The End
25. The Croods
26. The Place Beyond The Pines
27. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
28. Beautiful Creatures
29. G.I. Joe: Retaliation
30. Now You See Me
31. Trance
32. Broken City
33. Pain & Gain
34. After Earth
35. A Good Day To Die Hard
36. Wrong
37. Gangster Squad
38. Jack The Giant Slayer
39. Hansel And Gretel: Witch Hunters
40. The Last Stand
41. Parker
    

Notable movies that I still have yet to see from this year… or choose not to see:

• Fast & Furious 6
• The Great Gatsby
• Olympus Has Fallen
• 42
• Basically any horror movie... just not my bag
• The Heat, White House Down, and Much Ado About Nothing will go towards the second half

I'd call it a successful week

 We'll keep this one short and sweet... well, shorter than some of the others. In no particular order.

• The Darkest Hour - AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID.... This was horrible. Yet another reason why Emile Hirsch is on my "do not like" list. F-----

• Liberal Arts -Very enjoyable indie movie. Not Segel, not Patrick Harris (or is it just Harris), but the other guy from How I Met Your Mother was in this and was great. I'm pretty neutral to that show (and him), but this movie may have won me over. Maybe this idea has already been out there, but is he the next Braff? He (Josh Radnor) wrote and directed both this and Happythankyoumoreplease ... I'll have to check that one out. PS. I'll take this Olsen over her stick sisters.
  

• Fat Kid Rules The World - Umm... probably most won't enjoy this one. I somewhat did... and that was about it.

• The Cabin In The Woods - For basically hating the horror genre, I did somewhat enjoy this one. Seemed to make as much fun of the genre then it did to play to it. 

• This Is The End - One of those "exactly what I thought it'd be" type movies. It was funny but some scenes got old. Even though he wasn't in it a ton, Michael Cera might have been my favorite.

• Death Of A Superhero - Surprise movie of the week! I had this in my Netflix queue for a while and always overlooked it. I never read the description for it... so of course, I just assumed it was about a death of a superhero. Wrong. I would very much recommend this one. Looks like Netflix has it on instant viewing, but has not been released on DVD here in the states. Here is the IMDB and Netflix descriptions:
• IMDB: A dying 15-year-old boy draws stories of an invincible superhero as he struggles with his mortality.
• Netflix: Sick of chemo -- since it hasn't cured his leukemia -- 15-year-old Irish lad Daniel is full of fear, anger and worry. Concerned about dying a virgin, he's sent to a therapist whose compassionate yet pragmatic attitude helps him face his fears.

• A Glimpse Inside The Mind Of Charles Swan III - I guess this would be the somewhat disappointment of the week. I did enjoy it, but I was really hoping to love it. Carlos Estavez was ok... Jason Schwartzman was good. Bill Murray was of course great. For those who like Wes Anderson movies (he and Roman Coppola are buds), you might like this.
  

• ParaNorman - A bit surprised that it was a bit more "grown up" than I would imagine. It was ok, but my favorite stop motion/clay animation of 2012 goes to The Pirates! Band of Misfits

• Smokey And The Bandit - Well, this was a surprise. I actually really liked this one. Figured it would be boring and way too country for my tastes. Wrong... well, it was a lot country, but I overlooked that. Saw this at an outside screen with the Austin skyline in the background... maybe it was the environment that made it better. PS... Sally Fields was a hottie back then.

• World War Z - The zombie movie that isn't a zombie movie. Probably why I liked it so much. There's a lot of chatter online about die hard zombie fans thinking this is a blasphamy because there isn't the normal blood/gore/zombie'isms that there should be. GREAT! I hate zombie movies. This had a I Am Legend type feel to it... dealing with Zombies, but didn't really feeling like a zombie movie. I really enjoyed it and suggest seeing it. The only showing I could get into on opening night was 3D... do not see it in 3D. Even though I loved the movie, I found it EXTREMELY pointless that it was in 3D. No need for it.
  

• Career Opportunities - John Hughs written/produced early 90's (felt more like an 80's flick). Guy locked up in Target at night with Jennifer Connelly... sounds like me fantasy. Too personal? Stars Frank Whaley, who I find pretty annoying (in basically everything). I think I saw this movie back in the day because everything seemed familiar, or it could have been because of my days at Target. Who knows.

• The Kings Of Summer - I'd call this pretty close to perfect. Went to the art-house theater (don't tell the drafthouse), about 20 people at my showing and I was that lone guy laughing at stuff no one else was. Maybe I just get it. I'm not on the Nick Offerman band wagon like everyone seems to be these days, but I was laughing (sometimes cracking up) at every one of his scenes. The idea is simple: 3 teenagers runaway from annoying parents into the woods for the summer. Build a house. Live like kings. This also had the most surprising/hilarious character, Biaggio... weird loner who joins the 2 others in the woods for the summer.

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Ok... I lied. Not short and sweet. 

Next time: HALFWAY POINT - My personal top to bottom list of releases for the first half of 2013

The time after next: A few foreign flicks, The Heat, maybe White House Down,  my first book review'ish... if I can finish it by then, and maybe something else

Not one for documentaries, but...

Wow... Searching For Sugar Man. This was great. Just great.

I tend to find documentaries too depressing... seems like there are too few documentaries not dealing in war, poverty, scandal, disease, or something else horrible. My two friends Johnson and Whitlow have two different opinions on docs. Johnson enjoys the docs that are about the topics I previously listed. I can turn on the news to see all this. That's why I tend to lean towards Whitlow's thinking...

''I watch movies to escape reality, not to have it thrown in my face for an hour and a half."

Ok, so I quoted him, but not sure if that was his official wording... ask him.

Watching Searching for Sugar Man didn't open for my floodgates of loving docs... but it may be a stepping stone. Definitely suggest watching this if you are into documentaries and/or music. Here is IMDB's description:

"Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock 'n' roller, Rodriguez."