Friday, July 29, 2011

Cowboys & Aliens Mash-up Smash!

The Verdict
GO SEE!

REVIEW:
Yes, cowboys and aliens are in the same movie as well as James Bond and Indiana Jones!

Cowboys and Aliens (based on a graphic novel) is easily the coolest movie of the summer.
Daniel Craig (the newest 007: 2006-present, this is his Steve McQueen cowboy moment (who he eerily resembles). Gone of course is his British accent, replaced with an American one. It's weird to hear but pretty decent sounding.) is meant to play silent but tough cowboy Jake Lonergan who wakes up in an Old West town with no memory and an alien device on his arm that lights up and can blast stuff. Co-star, or maybe the real star, the great Harrison Ford (The Fugitive, Indiana Jones series) is the gruff, no-nonsense Colonel Dolarhyde whose son is abducted by the aliens (referred to as "demons" and "monsters" by the townsfolk) when they take half of the town one night. Longeran and Dolarhyde clash at first but team up together to get their people back from the aliens. 
The aliens (made from great CGI!) are very cool--- they're not the stereotypical "little green men"--- they are slimy, tall, muscular, mean as hell and have two sets of arms! 
There's also a great twist near the ending involving Olivia Wilde's  (Tron: Legacy) mysterious Ella character.
Cowboys & Aliens looks authentically Western with a saloon, Indians, stagecoach robbers and lots of desert and authentically alien with the alien's cool dragonfly-esque looking space ships that zoom down like lightning to take people and the huge mother ship where they house humans to be dissected. 
Cowboys and aliens within the same movie may sound preposterous and silly but it's anything but--- and nothing but fun!
Here's to a Cowboys & Aliens sequel (the ending leaves the perfect set up for one), Craig starring in more cowboy flicks and maybe another cool movie genre mash-up. 
Samurai and Zombies anyone?



Trailer:


*Fun Film Facts*

~Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man, Sherlock Holmes series) was the original actor wanted for the Jake Lonergan character Daniel Craig plays.





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Deranged Devil's Double

The Verdict:  
GO SEE!

REVIEW: 
Dominic Cooper's (Mamma Mia!, The History Boys) wonderfully deranged performance as Uday Hussein in The Devil's Double has Oscar-worthy written all over it!
Cooper invokes the evil spirit of Saddam Hussein's brutal son who picks up and rapes school girls, rapes brides on their wedding day and kills anyone who disagrees with him.
Cooper's depiction of Uday Hussein is so real, it feels like you are watching the horrors once acted out by the real life Hussein! 
Cooper is so brilliant he is able to to portray another character within the same film--- Latif Yahia--- the man Hussein forces to be his body double. In playing Latif, Cooper invokes a sensitive yet strong and rational character. It's very amazing to watch him switch on the crazy Hussein then switch on the calm Latif. At some points I thought there were two separate actors playing them because it was just too unbelievable to see Cooper's dual role.
This disturbing based-on-a-true-story film and Dominic Cooper's intense, dazzling performance will  stick with you long after you leave the theatre--- whether you like it or not!




 
 
 
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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

New Movies Playing!


Cowboys & Aliens
What's It About?
Cowboys--- led by one who wears a strange device on his arm--- and aliens battling it out.
 

Trailer:

PREDICTION:
"Cowboys + Aliens in the same movie?!? Super cool and fun plot! It looks like non-stop action! Newest Bond Daniel Craig is perfect playing an old school cowboy and the always great Harrison Ford is just as perfect as his co-star. This is the movie of the summer!"



*


The Devil's Double


What's It About?
Based on the true story of the man who was the body double for Hussein Saddam's oldest son.
 

Trailer:

PREDICTION:
"It looks very good--- very reminiscent of Scarface in the money, power and women aspect--- but with terrorism in the mix."






*


Good Neighbors

What's It About?
A killer is on the loose in a neighborhood causing suspicions to arise among neighbors who the killer is.
 

Trailer:

PREDICTION:
"Very creepy plot. Even though it looks straight-to-dvd with the B list actors, it looks surprisingly good."




*
 
The Future
What's It About?
When a couple adopts a hurt cat--- who can talk--- their lives are turned upside down.
 

Trailer:

PREDICTION:
"It looks very very very quirky. A talking cat?!? Should be interesting and fun!"








*


Crazy, Stupid, Love
What's It About?
A divorced 40 something year old man gets relationship advice from a ladies' man 20 something year old man on how to win his wife back.
 

Trailer:

PREDICTION:
"It looks fun enough. The cast is great! Steve Carell playing a loser is nothing new but it should be very fun to watch Ryan Gosling play a stud."






*

The Guard
What's It About?
An unlikely pairing of an Irish police officer and a black FBI agent--- join forces to stop drug smuggling in Ireland.
 

Trailer:

PREDICTION:
"The plot is very uninteresting but it looks pretty funny."






*


The Smurfs
What's It About?
Those blue creatures called Smurfs--- come to life on the silver screen.
 

Trailer:

PREDICTION:
"The Smufs CGI-ed are very cute but having them lost in New York City takes away from their story."




*


Attack the Block
What's It About?
Hooligan teens in London fight against invading aliens.
 

Trailer:

PREDICTION:
"Super bad plot! And it doesn't even look a little bit fun or funny."







*



The Myth of the
American Teenager
What's It About?
Adventures of a group of teens before their new school year begins.
 

Trailer:

PREDICTION:
"It looks sweet but nothing new from this coming-of-age teen movie."










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E N J O Y
*the*
M O V I E S
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Best New Movie Poster(s) of the Week

(Official movie poster for upcoming movie  
Cowboys & Aliens.)




WHY THIS POSTER IS GREAT!:

*Daniel Craig's character's back to the viewer with the mysterious contraption on his wrist in focus. Sans the device, Craig's character's stance is reminiscent of a contemporary Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven movie poster (http://www.impawards.com/1992/unforgiven_ver1.html).





(Alternate movie poster for upcoming movie  
Cowboys & Aliens.)




WHY THIS POSTER IS GREAT!:

*Craig's character in a blue smoky shadow--- highlighting the blue device on his arm.








(Alternate movie poster for upcoming movie  
Cowboys & Aliens.)




WHY THIS POSTER IS GREAT!:

*Craig and Harrison Ford's characters side-by-side in ready-to-fight stances.







(Alternate movie poster for upcoming movie  
Cowboys & Aliens.)




WHY THIS POSTER IS GREAT!:

*Craig's cowboy character standing underneath the alien spaceship.


*The tagline.



****************************


(Official movie poster for upcoming movie  
The Devil's Double.)




WHY THIS POSTER IS GREAT!:

*Dominic Cooper's character and everything else within the poster, is drenched in gold. The look and stance of Cooper's character is very reminiscent of Al Pacino's Tony Montana in Scarface (http://www.hollywoodsouvenirs.com/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=1265).




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Monday, July 25, 2011

Phil the Devil



Meet 

the 

Devil:



(Bradley Cooper's ladies man character Phil Wenneck from 2009's The Hangover.)




Phil/Bradley Cooper will play Lucifer in the upcoming movie, Paradise Lost, based on John Milton's epic poem of the same title:


Talk  about bad casting!

 Of all of Hollywood's wonderful actors, so-so Cooper is cast to take on the role of Lucifer?

His good looks seemingly don't even fit into the picture as he supposedly looks  a la:

(Concept art of Bradley Cooper as Lucifer in the upcoming movie Paradise Lost.)



It's mind-boggling why a seasoned, legendary actor wasn't cast for Lucifer--- especially since Milton's poem is so classic.


I wish any of these old pros were playing Milton's devil:





Al Pacino would be my top pick. 

He already mastered playing the Devil in 1997's The Devil's Advocate (ironically his devil's name was: John Milton).



Anthony Hopkins would be wonderful as the Devil. 

He didn't officially play the Devil in any roles but he played a devil: the infamous cannibal Hannibal Lecter in 1991's Silence of the Lambs.




Jack Nicholson would make another great Lucifer without a doubt. 

He too as Pacino, played the so well Devil already: in 1987's The Witches of Eastwick.




 Roberto De Niro would have made a very good Lucifer too. 

He played the Devil in 1987's Angel Heart.





Christopher Walken would have been another great choice for Lucifer.

He knows how to play bad, as he played one Lucifer's bad angels in 1995's The Prophecy.



A younger actor than those above, but more experienced (and even better looking) than Cooper, could be his perfect replacement:




Brad Pitt played "Death" in 1998's Meet Joe Black, not the Devil but close enough.


I just cannot see nor do I want to see, hangover loving Phil Wenneck/Bradley Cooper playing Lucifer.


Is there time for a recast?!?





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Sunday, July 24, 2011

Captain Cool





The Verdict
GO SEE!

REVIEW:

Captain America is one of the coolest new additions in the superhero movie genre!
America (played perfectly by the perfectly cast Chris Evans, Fantastic Four, The Losers) hands down has one of the best superhero costumes brought to life from comic to film ever!
The great thing about Captain America is it so finely made, if you took out America and his nemesis Red Skull (Hugo Weaving, V for Vendetta, Lord of the Rings), the movie would be a great 1940's drama/war film involving Nazis and pre-Captain America aka Steve Rogers' quest to be admitted to the army to fight them.  There isn't tons of action, like in some of the other superhero summer movies of 2011, Thor and X-Men: First Class, but that's what makes Captain America so classy. But when the action hits, it's worthwhile!
The ending is so cool and maybe one of the best superhero movie endings I've seen in awhile! There's a post-credits scene that had the audience at my showing hooting and hollering at the epic-ness of the continuation. A Captain America sequel is definitely in the works--- as it should be!



Trailer:




*Fun Film Facts*

~Some actors who were contenders to play Captain America include: Ryan Phillippe, Channing Tatum, Chris Pine and Garrett Hedlund.
~To achieve the ultra skinny Steve Rogers pre-Captain America, Chris Evans' body was shrunk digitally.

 

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Thursday, July 21, 2011

New Movies Playing!




Captain America:
The First Avenger
What's It About?
   The origin of the superhero Captain America.
 

Trailer:


PREDICTION:
"Chris Evans makes a very great looking Captain America! His costume is definitely the coolest of the superheros that have come to life on the silver screen this year. The shield is especially cool! The origin story of Captain America doesn't look the most exciting but good never-the-less."



*


Another Earth
What's It About?
   A young woman wonders about her other self when a mirror planet of Earth is discovered.
 

Trailer:


PREDICTION:
 "The plot is so very one-of-a-kind. This looks interesting and wonderful!"




*

A Little Help
What's It About?
   The comic journey of a newly widowed woman.
 

Trailer:


PREDICTION:
"This looks darkly hilarious! It's always great to see an actress starring in a comedy and successfully being funny."



*

Sarah's Key
What's It About?
   A journalist investigating a young Jewish girl's story during the Nazi invasion into France.
 

Trailer:


PREDICTION:
"This looks good--- dramatic and powerful."


*

Friends with Benefits
What's It About?
   A girl and guy best friends who decide to seek sex with each other instead of love and become--- friends with benefits.
 

Trailer:


PREDICTION:
"Didn't this already come out earlier this year? But under the title of: No Strings Attached and starring Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman? Co-starring with the cute Mila Kunis, sometimes singer, sometimes actor Justin Timberlake and her make a cute pair. This looks so-so funny and definitely not anything new. It does look more fun than it's boring looking counterpart, No Strings Attached."






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E N J O Y
*the*
M O V I E S
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Best New Movie Poster of the Week

(Official movie poster for upcoming movie  
Another Earth.)




WHY THIS POSTER IS GREAT!:

*The up-close shot of one Earth and a far-away shot of another Earth.

*The up-close image of one of the movie's character's.  


*The word "Another" in the movie's title with the "O" written doubled.




(Alternate movie poster for upcoming movie  
Another Earth.)




WHY THIS POSTER IS GREAT!:


*The other Earth's perfect alignment with the lost-in-thought character.


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Worst New Movie Poster of the Week

(Official movie poster for upcoming movie Friends with Benefits.)


WHY THIS POSTER SUCKS!:

*The weak images of Timberlake and Kunis' characters doesn't correlate well to the movie's title and the plot.

**A better poster would be them in one split side, innocently walking together or  laughing. The other would show them in bed unclothed/semi-unclothed.


**Or, simply the movie's title split up--- The Friends side, would list all the things friends do like: talk, laugh, dinner, movies, etc. The Benefits side, would list all the benefits that a FWB entails: Sex, Sex, Sex and more Sex.




(Alternate poster for upcoming movie Friends with Benefits.)


WHY THIS POSTER SUCKS!:

*The hand motions Timberlake and Kunis' characters are making to imply sex, doesn't work good because of their boring looking facial expressions.

**A better poster would have just the image of the hand motions for sex with Timberlake and Knuis' name under each respective implied body part.



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