is still my favorite comicbook movie (since people always argue that The Matrix and Unbreakable technically don't count). All the hooplah, cash flow, and studio biting surrounding Nolan's Batman Begins and The Dark Knight (and of course the death of Heath Ledger) called to question which was greater, and even though I'm probably alone in this, I'll side with The Crow.
, Philadelphia
, American Gangster
, Glory
) 
is one of them. Once i saw the early trailer for this post-apocalyptic action joint The Book of Eli
(featuring a grizzly, disgruntled, blade-swinging Denzel and directed by Albert and Allen Hughes [Menace II Society
]), it was immediately put on my schedule of things to do in the dime.
I didn't bother going to watch the Keanu Reeves vs Jennifer Connelly alien- invasion- as- social- commentary joint The Day the Earth Stood Still when it came out in theaters, but I figured it would be good enough to watch on television.
before i went out to see Astro Boy last night, I watched the movie critics on At the Movies tear the movie apart. They hated the movie, and said that it was confused, boring, and totally inappropriate for children. They appeared especially concerned with the violence, death, and questionable character motivations at the core of the conflicts in the film. although both critics suggested skipping the movie, their reviews actually intrigued me to give the movie a chance. As often happens, the critics got it wrong.
after weeks of self-imposed deadline-related exile, i went to the the sneakeasy* with my man Corance (creator of Champion of Children and 1/5th of the mighty Ghostwerks crew) and saw two totally different movies (namely Zombieland and The Informant!) and really enjoyed them both, for different reasons, of course.
after weeks of self-imposed deadline-related exile, i went to the the sneakeasy* with my man Corance (creator of Champion of Children and 1/5th of the mighty Ghostwerks crew) and saw two totally different movies (namely Zombieland and The Informant!) and really enjoyed them both, for different reasons, of course.
I really enjoyed the Ricky Gervais (The Office) anchored romantic comedy Ghost Town, about a dentist who gains the ability to hear and see ghosts after a near-death experience. Gervais is in full British Bastard mode as the easily-annoyed Dentist hounded by ghosts who want his help with their unfinished business. One of those ghosts is a blackberry-addicted, adulterous fast-talker played by Greg Kennier (Flash of Genius, Little Miss Sunshine), who convinces Gervais to help him wreck the impending marriage of his widow, played by underrated actress Tea Leoni (Spanglish, Bad Boys, Deep Impact).
me and my boy copped some free passes to a sneak preview showing of the new documentary style sci-fi joint District 9 produced by that dude Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings,King Kong) and directed by his protege Neill Blomkamp. the film takes place in Johannesburg, South Africa where an alien ship has been hovering for twenty years, and the shiftless aliens inside have been relocated from the dormant ship to the alien superghetto, District 9. the South African corporation MNU has designs on the aliens' technology, which will not work for humans, but as the documentary framing sequence foreshadows, something goes horribly wrong.
I just got done watching Run Fatboy Run on satellite, and while it was not a great movie, i'm pretty sure you could make it into one with just a few changes. first, change the star. Simon Pegg (Shawn of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) is funny in the role, and does his level best to carry the romantic and heartfelt scenes, but he fell short of ever nailing it. The supporting cast all did their jobs well enough. Thandie Newton (Traffic, Pursuit of Happyness, W) shines as Pegg's long-suffering ex/baby mama, while Hank Azaria is her over-acheiving new BF. Dylan Moran and Harish Patel, Pegg's quirky friends who train him to win his ex back by running a marathon, perform admirably too...
after finishing a big project this week, and smashing another dope live art event, i decided to zone out and hit the local sneakeasy with my boys. so here's my brief reviews of Up
, Star Trek and Terminator: Salvation
. don't be surprised if i review them at length later...
I went out and caught Next Day Air starring Donald Faison, Mike Epps, and the mighty Mos Def tonight. the good news is Mos Def is awesome in the film. the bad news is, he's only in two scenes. but i'm getting ahead of myself...
), and or course hyjinx ensues.
as i write this i'm taking a break from the freelance job i'm working on, and watching Kill Bill
on TNT. i was surprised at how well the foul-mouthed ultra-violence of this two-piece Tarantino value meal works on teevee... but i guess it IS cable teevee, right? anyways, let me just state up-front that Tarantino is over-rated, and that characters in his movies are often racist (resulting in many people calling him racist), but yo... that dude sure knows how to film a freakin' GIRLFIGHT!
joint on the DVR... this mess is fun and original, but still brings the 'toon violence for cats like me! I found it on youtube for the fam, but you can click the pic if you want it for your teevee...
When a Quintet of Gun-Clapping Ne'er-do-wells decide to gaffle a Vegas casino, their point man -a sinister Elvis enthusiast played by Kevin Costner (Robin Hood)-decides to dress the crew up as the King himself and do the job during an Elvis Presley convention. 3000 Miles to Graceland
Okay. i just watched a full-length cut of the new marvel mutant movie that isn't supposed ta be out yet... (click the pic on the left and you can stream it like me or download it if you're not in the mood for "buffering"... be quick about it! it will likely be gone soon...). i'm sure the blogosphere is blowing up with hate over the changes they made to "the continuity" of the character... but you won't get any of that here. the leak is missing special effects in places, but not so much that you can't follow the story.www.myspace.com/damrap
-samax
this is a repost from my original review of V for Vendetta (also adapted from a comic by Alan Moore) on ghettoManga.com
was AWESOME!
when that dude Zack Snyder (300) announced he was directing a live-action studio adaptation of what is considered by some the greatest comic of all time, I spent every day for months moaning about how bad an idea it was. the original comic, Alan Moore's Watchmen
, was masterfully built specifically to be a comic. much of the greatness of it comes from devices that can't be replicated in film. plus, there is so much going on that it just wasn't possible to fit it all into a two (or even three) hour film. i was convinced it was gonna be a disaster!
it was fabulous! i mean, don't get me wrong, it wasn't as good as the comic, but it was about as good as it COULD be! Directed by Zach Snyder (300), Watchmen
has an ensemble cast that includes a home run performance by Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach, a grimy, bone-snapping masked vigilante investigating the murder of nihilistic government spook/retired superhero, the Comedian. as Rorschach investigates the murder we also meet his ex crime-fighting partner Nite Owl and other members of the ill-fated superteam, and become entrenched in the fear and apprehension of a world headed for mutual assured destruction.
The movie does a great job of shifting between the storylines of the many characters, which i was really concerned about. Snyder had the daunting job of cutting the fat out of one of the most highly celebrated stories in all of comicdom, and handled it admirably. Rorschach, the most popular character in the story, is handled perfectly without losing the other characters in the shuffle. in fact, the love triangle between Nite Owl, Silk Specter and Dr. Manhattan is handled better than i expected as well.. once you've seen it, buy (or reread) the graphic novel for an additional kick in the tail!
that's right, you can get PAID to watch Watchmen
! click the pic for details. i got this in one of my many emails for press releases and promotional stuff...
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