I think I meant to review this trailer when I reviewed the trailer for Gone. Gone is already over for me. Goon, however...
The thing about hockey is that it is so much more than violence and fighting. It's actually a beautiful and flowing game played at a fast pace and it requires great skill, finesse, vision, instincts and a high level of physical ability and mental toughness. But that's not what this movie is about. Based on the trailer, this is one not so bright man's indoctrination into the not-so-subtleties of hockey... um fighting. And by fluke...well, sort of.
I heard somewhere that this is the Tie Domi story. Tie Domi played in the NHL for 15 years, mostly with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was considered a "goon" or enforcer, but was a pretty fast skater and made his presence felt on the ice. He was also a fan favourite. Off the ice, I know for a fact that he was involved in charitable work, especially working with children with disabilities. The flip side is a story that was told to me. My friend, Rob, was meeting a girl he was interested in at a bar. At the bar was Tie Domi and Peter Ing. Peter was a young goalie in the Maple Leafs organization and Peter also liked the girl. Rob tells me that Peter and Tie saw Rob and the girl sitting at a table, joined them with two pitchers of beer and Tie "accidentally" spilled one of the pitchers on Rob. True or not, I've known a few hockey players in my day and this didn't seem out of character.
Goon is the story of the black sheep in a Jewish family who received more brawn than brain at birth and, by chance, becomes a minor league hockey player. The trailer had a sort of a Slapshot feel. Slapshot is THE fun goon hockey movie. Liev Schreiber, while I was surprised to see him in this one, is awesome in every role I've seen him in. He actually looks the part of an ageing hockey tough guy - the handlebar moustache and mullet are perfect. Sean William Scott plays this one innocently dim and, at least in the trailer he's pretty funny. It was also funny to see another American Pie co-star, Eugene Levy, play the disappointed Jewish dad (I don't think Tie Domi is Jewish, I think he's Albanian). Guilt combined with muscle is a sure fire recipe for lashing out at others.
While the movie may not do the sport of Hockey justice, I might see this because I like Hockey and it looks like a harmless laugh.
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Saturday, 25 February 2012
VIEWED: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
My recommendation for this one was...
"While you expect a smart tale of espionage, treason and betrayal from the mind of John LeCarre, the trailer looked really, really dry. I was actually thirsty when it ended.
Despite the dry trailer, I have no doubt that Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy will be an entertaining, multi-layered and suspenseful story that will keep the audience guessing as to who the mole is until the very end.
I think Mark Strong is the mole."
Everything about this film was 70's authentic, from the clothes to the hair to the attitudes to the music and sets and even the general feel.
But seriously, who wants to hear 70's men talk in "circus" code for 2 hours while nothing really happens? I shouldn't say "nothing" because they catch the mole and it isn't Mark Strong.
Gary Oldman is a great actor though his performance in this film was understated to the point of boring. If he wins an Oscar it should be for his brilliant work as an actor and not for this role because he has done much better.
Let's just say that this movie is as dry as the trailer and I'm still thirsty.
"While you expect a smart tale of espionage, treason and betrayal from the mind of John LeCarre, the trailer looked really, really dry. I was actually thirsty when it ended.
Despite the dry trailer, I have no doubt that Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy will be an entertaining, multi-layered and suspenseful story that will keep the audience guessing as to who the mole is until the very end.
I think Mark Strong is the mole."
Everything about this film was 70's authentic, from the clothes to the hair to the attitudes to the music and sets and even the general feel.
But seriously, who wants to hear 70's men talk in "circus" code for 2 hours while nothing really happens? I shouldn't say "nothing" because they catch the mole and it isn't Mark Strong.
Gary Oldman is a great actor though his performance in this film was understated to the point of boring. If he wins an Oscar it should be for his brilliant work as an actor and not for this role because he has done much better.
Let's just say that this movie is as dry as the trailer and I'm still thirsty.
Thursday, 23 February 2012
Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy
I know this film has been out for a while, but the wife and me and a few friends are seeing it tomorrow night so I figured I'd review the trailer. I was actually surprised that this movie was still playing. For the record, I wanted to see Safe House because it was the least unfavourable trailer review I'd written in a while. Yeah, sad, I know.
The trailer for this one was a slow whodunit teaser. Watching the trailer you learn there's a high-level mole in MI6 - or whatever the intelligence service is - and you see snippets of spy stuff happening. I trust the movie will be 2 hours of spy stuff until the mole is revealed. While you expect a smart tale of espionage, treason and betrayal from the mind of John LeCarre, the trailer looked really, really dry. I was actually thirsty when it ended.
Mark Strong is in this one.
The first time I saw Gary Oldman, he was opposite Tim Roth in the film adaptation of the Tom Stoppard play, Rosengrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. If you haven't seen it, go rent it, or torrent it. It's hilarious in a Shakespearean way (again, f**k off Anonymous). While these two bumbling servants of Hamlet (yes, Shakespeare's play) float along cluelessly, the actual story of Hamlet is going on in the background. Oldman and Roth are genius.
Mark Strong always plays the bad guy in movies.
Gary Oldman is brilliant and versatile and it's great to see him in a leading role. He's made tons of movies and I haven't seen them all, or most for that matter but... Who didn't love his Rastaman killer in True Romance? Who didn't love his psycho corrupt cop in The Professional? As Dracula in Bram Stoker's Dracula? He stole every seen, even when he wasn't on screen. He even played Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy.
Despite the dry trailer, I have no doubt that Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy will be an entertaining, multi-layered and suspenseful story that will keep the audience guessing as to who the mole is until the very end.
I think Mark Strong is the mole.
The trailer for this one was a slow whodunit teaser. Watching the trailer you learn there's a high-level mole in MI6 - or whatever the intelligence service is - and you see snippets of spy stuff happening. I trust the movie will be 2 hours of spy stuff until the mole is revealed. While you expect a smart tale of espionage, treason and betrayal from the mind of John LeCarre, the trailer looked really, really dry. I was actually thirsty when it ended.
Mark Strong is in this one.
The first time I saw Gary Oldman, he was opposite Tim Roth in the film adaptation of the Tom Stoppard play, Rosengrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. If you haven't seen it, go rent it, or torrent it. It's hilarious in a Shakespearean way (again, f**k off Anonymous). While these two bumbling servants of Hamlet (yes, Shakespeare's play) float along cluelessly, the actual story of Hamlet is going on in the background. Oldman and Roth are genius.
Mark Strong always plays the bad guy in movies.
Gary Oldman is brilliant and versatile and it's great to see him in a leading role. He's made tons of movies and I haven't seen them all, or most for that matter but... Who didn't love his Rastaman killer in True Romance? Who didn't love his psycho corrupt cop in The Professional? As Dracula in Bram Stoker's Dracula? He stole every seen, even when he wasn't on screen. He even played Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy.
Despite the dry trailer, I have no doubt that Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy will be an entertaining, multi-layered and suspenseful story that will keep the audience guessing as to who the mole is until the very end.
I think Mark Strong is the mole.
Gone
You'd think that Jennifer Carpenter would have had enough of serial killers. She's been playing Dexter's sister for six seasons, now. Did I mention that I thought season 6 of Dexter was a complete and total waste of time, given that I really liked all 5 previous seasons? Here is my response to a close friend who thought season 6 of Dexter was "awesome."
"Yeah, Norman Bates was his own mother... no wait... Travis was Dr. Gellar... no wait... mother was in his head... no wait... meticulous clarity from a delusional mind... no wait... Dexter finds and loses God because God took his friend and Dex loses the code... no wait... He changes the code... no wait, what's the code? Deb loves Dexter...ahh, sick considering that they were together in real life... and season closes on cliffhanger, which it never did in the past but had to do this season or nobody would watch the next season..... F**KING DISAPPOINTING SOAP OPERA NONSENSE, categorically speaking :)"
Gone. My first impression of the trailer, after seeing Amanda Sigfried's wide-set eyes was: beware of women with wide-set eyes. I've known a few and, in my experience, there is some form of crazy behind them. Not that we judge on Beerbohmtastic...
One of the nominees for a Beerbohm Award is Dream House, in the category of Most Misleading Trailer. For some reason Gone made me think of Dream House. Dream House was a tragic story about a delusional mind who couldn't come to grips with his past to the point of blocking it out. His past and present collide and, in the end there is a level of closure, albeit still very tragic.
Though a slightly different story, Gone looks very similar. Wide-eyed Amanda, who looks kind of delusional anyway, believes that her sister has been abducted by the same person that abducted her a few years earlier. From what I get from the trailer, the police didn't believe that Amanda was abducted and she was put in an psychiatric institution OR they don't believe that Amanda's sister was abducted and they try to put her in a psychiatric institution OR both. The point is that nobody believes her so she believes that she has to find the truth.
Finding the truth will answer: are Amanda's experiences real or is she completely delusional. In Dream House there was a touch of reality combined with much delusion until the reality came crashing down. In Gone, I suspect this point to be somewhat similar, but there has to be some kind of major twist. The twist can't be that she was right all along because the trailer implies this when she talks to who we are made to think is the killer. If that's the case then the only reason to watch the movie is to find out how she proves her story.
It seems too simple, which is annoying because the trailer tells us as much. Maybe there is more? Maybe she's the killer and she abducts her sister and she's messing with the police and the psychiatric profession and her friends. And hopefully, Jennifer Carpenter doesn't walk in on Amanda killing someone like she does in Dexter. But, you know, Amanda does have wide-set eyes...
I'll likely watch this one on-line, out of curiosity, if I come across it.
"Yeah, Norman Bates was his own mother... no wait... Travis was Dr. Gellar... no wait... mother was in his head... no wait... meticulous clarity from a delusional mind... no wait... Dexter finds and loses God because God took his friend and Dex loses the code... no wait... He changes the code... no wait, what's the code? Deb loves Dexter...ahh, sick considering that they were together in real life... and season closes on cliffhanger, which it never did in the past but had to do this season or nobody would watch the next season..... F**KING DISAPPOINTING SOAP OPERA NONSENSE, categorically speaking :)"
Gone. My first impression of the trailer, after seeing Amanda Sigfried's wide-set eyes was: beware of women with wide-set eyes. I've known a few and, in my experience, there is some form of crazy behind them. Not that we judge on Beerbohmtastic...
One of the nominees for a Beerbohm Award is Dream House, in the category of Most Misleading Trailer. For some reason Gone made me think of Dream House. Dream House was a tragic story about a delusional mind who couldn't come to grips with his past to the point of blocking it out. His past and present collide and, in the end there is a level of closure, albeit still very tragic.
Though a slightly different story, Gone looks very similar. Wide-eyed Amanda, who looks kind of delusional anyway, believes that her sister has been abducted by the same person that abducted her a few years earlier. From what I get from the trailer, the police didn't believe that Amanda was abducted and she was put in an psychiatric institution OR they don't believe that Amanda's sister was abducted and they try to put her in a psychiatric institution OR both. The point is that nobody believes her so she believes that she has to find the truth.
Finding the truth will answer: are Amanda's experiences real or is she completely delusional. In Dream House there was a touch of reality combined with much delusion until the reality came crashing down. In Gone, I suspect this point to be somewhat similar, but there has to be some kind of major twist. The twist can't be that she was right all along because the trailer implies this when she talks to who we are made to think is the killer. If that's the case then the only reason to watch the movie is to find out how she proves her story.
It seems too simple, which is annoying because the trailer tells us as much. Maybe there is more? Maybe she's the killer and she abducts her sister and she's messing with the police and the psychiatric profession and her friends. And hopefully, Jennifer Carpenter doesn't walk in on Amanda killing someone like she does in Dexter. But, you know, Amanda does have wide-set eyes...
I'll likely watch this one on-line, out of curiosity, if I come across it.
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Ghost Rider: The Spirit of Vengeance
When is a comic book movie not a comic book movie? When it stars Nicholas Cage?
As one who loves comic book movies, even if I didn't read the comic book, it pains me to avoid seeing the films. Case in point: The Green Lantern. No need for me to rant again about Ryan. It's time for another rant. Hello, Mr. Cage. No, I didn't see the first Ghost Rider.
Damn it, Nick! You've made some great movies! You vs. yourself and having to take on the lone rider of the apocolypse in Raising Arizona? That was played beautifully. Moonstruck? Even though you played the same type of doofus, you were still believable. Leaving Las Vegas? Good one, too. Adaptation and Matchstick Men showed that you actually had acting chops and you know what? They were good movies. The wife loved Captain Corelli's Mandolin, which I refer to as Captain Crunch's Violin (or more appropriately, fiddle). Shit, for what it was, I enjoyed Lord of War.
Nicholas Cage is another in a long endless line of aging actors who need to be super heroes (in this case anti-heroes)... but I've done this rant already, too....
So, now that Nick has defeated the lone rider of the apocolypse, he IS the lone rider of the apocolypse in Ghost Rider. And it only took 20 years! In between (and after) he's made a ton of movies... many of which I just haven't seen.
The thing about Cage is that I don't know if he makes a movie or he has the clout to do whatever he wants. Help me out here, readers, am I way off base about this guy? What do you think of Nicholas Cage? Click on "comments" below or just email me at beerbohmtastic@gmail.com
Okay. The trailer for Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance shows our anti-hero coming out of hiding in order to prevent the devil from taking the soul of his son... or something like that. So, our bad guy who is good has to take on the ultimate bad guy and his minions. And, from the look of the trailer, our bad guy who is good will defeat the devil/satan/the head dude of the underworld - or at least make a deal to save his son. Very few, if any, can beat the devil unless of course you go down to Georgia...
Speaking of which, I'd rather listen to the Charlie Daniels Band play the Devil went down to Georgia - great song, by the way - and picture the battle in my head then have to endure 95 minutes of another shite adaptation of a comic book movie.
You've made some good ones, Nick, but I doubt this is one of them.
As one who loves comic book movies, even if I didn't read the comic book, it pains me to avoid seeing the films. Case in point: The Green Lantern. No need for me to rant again about Ryan. It's time for another rant. Hello, Mr. Cage. No, I didn't see the first Ghost Rider.
Damn it, Nick! You've made some great movies! You vs. yourself and having to take on the lone rider of the apocolypse in Raising Arizona? That was played beautifully. Moonstruck? Even though you played the same type of doofus, you were still believable. Leaving Las Vegas? Good one, too. Adaptation and Matchstick Men showed that you actually had acting chops and you know what? They were good movies. The wife loved Captain Corelli's Mandolin, which I refer to as Captain Crunch's Violin (or more appropriately, fiddle). Shit, for what it was, I enjoyed Lord of War.
Nicholas Cage is another in a long endless line of aging actors who need to be super heroes (in this case anti-heroes)... but I've done this rant already, too....
So, now that Nick has defeated the lone rider of the apocolypse, he IS the lone rider of the apocolypse in Ghost Rider. And it only took 20 years! In between (and after) he's made a ton of movies... many of which I just haven't seen.
The thing about Cage is that I don't know if he makes a movie or he has the clout to do whatever he wants. Help me out here, readers, am I way off base about this guy? What do you think of Nicholas Cage? Click on "comments" below or just email me at beerbohmtastic@gmail.com
Okay. The trailer for Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance shows our anti-hero coming out of hiding in order to prevent the devil from taking the soul of his son... or something like that. So, our bad guy who is good has to take on the ultimate bad guy and his minions. And, from the look of the trailer, our bad guy who is good will defeat the devil/satan/the head dude of the underworld - or at least make a deal to save his son. Very few, if any, can beat the devil unless of course you go down to Georgia...
Speaking of which, I'd rather listen to the Charlie Daniels Band play the Devil went down to Georgia - great song, by the way - and picture the battle in my head then have to endure 95 minutes of another shite adaptation of a comic book movie.
You've made some good ones, Nick, but I doubt this is one of them.
Sunday, 19 February 2012
VIEWED: Underworld Awakening
I'd seen the trailer for this one, unintentionally several times. It was placed as an add on, of sorts, after many other trailers that I intentionally viewed. The policy at Beerbohmtastic is to review by choice or request.
So, while I didn't review the trailer, I watched the film. A first at Beerbohmtastic.
That said, I like Kate Beckinsale and enjoyed the only Underworld film I'd seen. Underworld Awakening, however, was a waste of 75 minutes.
To quote the wife, in her review of Colombiana, how was Underworld Awakening?
"It was shit."
So, while I didn't review the trailer, I watched the film. A first at Beerbohmtastic.
That said, I like Kate Beckinsale and enjoyed the only Underworld film I'd seen. Underworld Awakening, however, was a waste of 75 minutes.
To quote the wife, in her review of Colombiana, how was Underworld Awakening?
"It was shit."
Saturday, 18 February 2012
Here are your nominees for the Inaugural Beerbohm Awards for Movie Trailers
And the nominees for the 2012 Inaugural Beerbohm Awards are:
BEST TRAILER
The Best Trailer Award is given to the trailer which truly teases, entertains and leaves the viewer wanting more.
The nominees for best trailer are:
Red State
Apollo 18
The Descendants
Contagion
The Debt
WORST TRAILER
The Worst Trailer Award is given to the trailer that left the viewer (me) annoyed,
but not annoyed enough to dump it in the trailer park.
The nominees for worst trailer are:
Melancholia
A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas 3D
Jack and Jill
Shark Night 3D
This Means War
MOST MISLEADING TRAILER
The Most Misleading Trailer goes to the trailer that misrepresented the film.
It applies to either a good trailer for a bad film or bad trailer for a good film.
The nominees for the most misleading trailer are:
Carnage
The Grey
Dream House
Reel Steel
Chronicle
WORST SPOILER TRAILER
The Worst Spoiler Trailer goes to the trailer that gives so much away
that there was no point seeing the movie (even though I may have).
The nominees for the worst spoiler trailer are:
The Help
Abduction
Straw Dogs
Monte Carlo
The Whistleblower
Final Destination 5
BEST MUSIC IN A TRAILER
The Best Music in a Trailer goes to the trailer with either the best overall music or song.
The nominees for the best music in a trailer are:
Queen Bitch by David Bowie (Young Adult trailer)
The Immigrant Song, performed by Trent Reznor (The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo - 2011, trailer - David Fincher version)
No Church in the Wild, performed by Jay-Z and Kanye West (Safe House trailer)
BEST ONE-LINER IN A TRAILER
Snow White and the Huntsman:
It once pained me to know that I am the cause of such despair...
but now their cries give me strength.
Spoken by Charlize Theron
Conan the Barbarian:
I live, I love, I slay... I am content
Spoken by Jason Momoa
Red State:
I think it's the use of the word 'repeat' that makes this work, everytime
Spoken by Kevin Pollack
50/50:
A tumor? Me? That doesn't make sense. I don't smoke, I don't drink, I recycle.
Spoken by Joseph Gordon-Levitt
The Avengers:
If we can't protect the earth, you can be damn sure we'll avenge it.
Spoken by Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man)
Congratulations to all nominees. Winners will be announced the week after the Oscars!
Thursday, 16 February 2012
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
This one is by request...
Okay, the accomplishments of Abraham Lincoln are well documented... not to mention the nickname "honest Abe." The dude is righteous. He played an important role in American history (thanks historyking.com) during the Civil war. His heroic efforts helped preserve the Union.
Other accomplishments include:
I can see how it would be a cool period piece - I liked the look and feel of Sleepy Hollow. And, you expect a dark, perhaps even twisted perspective from Tim Burton. The shorter of the two trailers (the longer one is really, really cheesy and looks almost spoof-ish - the wife says that the trailer on Youtube is actually a trailer for the book) is the better of the two and bills: From the director of Wanted, Timur Bekmambetov... Wanted was an interesting Clive Barker-ish concept that had a decent cast, good action and all the elements of cool... but was very disappointing. I'd compare it to blue balls. He's also done other vampire things, but I haven't seen them.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith and is written in "found footage" style... I should say "found secret diaries and letters" style. Interesting concept.
So, will this be a Tim Burton film that looks beautiful and has a tongue-in-cheek element like Sleepy Hollow or will it take itself too seriously? Or is it just an odd, albeit interesting attempt at breathing new life into vampires on film after they were almost destroyed at the box office (and by the Twilight Shite) in the last 10 years by zombies.
You'd be pretty hard pressed to find a dude more righteous than Abe. If he can end slavery, why not kill vampires, too?
I'm too curious to miss this one.
Okay, the accomplishments of Abraham Lincoln are well documented... not to mention the nickname "honest Abe." The dude is righteous. He played an important role in American history (thanks historyking.com) during the Civil war. His heroic efforts helped preserve the Union.
Other accomplishments include:
- The Proclamation of Emancipation which was responsible for ending slavery in the southern states.
- Inspiring speeches, including The Gettysburg Address.
- He is often quoted. My favourite being: It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool then to open ones mouth and remove all doubt.
- The Homestead Act, which allowed the poorer people in the east to get land in the western part of the country.
- The Morrill Act was passed to ensure that every state had an agricultural and mechanical college. The National Banking Act helped all the banks to be nationalized and get connected through networks in the United States.
- When Lincoln took office the country was in a chaotic state in the Civil War. His excellent foreign policy made sure that America did not come under attack from any foreign countries because of the unrest in the country due to the Civil War.
- He is the role model for every president that gets elected to the Oval Office.
I can see how it would be a cool period piece - I liked the look and feel of Sleepy Hollow. And, you expect a dark, perhaps even twisted perspective from Tim Burton. The shorter of the two trailers (the longer one is really, really cheesy and looks almost spoof-ish - the wife says that the trailer on Youtube is actually a trailer for the book) is the better of the two and bills: From the director of Wanted, Timur Bekmambetov... Wanted was an interesting Clive Barker-ish concept that had a decent cast, good action and all the elements of cool... but was very disappointing. I'd compare it to blue balls. He's also done other vampire things, but I haven't seen them.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith and is written in "found footage" style... I should say "found secret diaries and letters" style. Interesting concept.
So, will this be a Tim Burton film that looks beautiful and has a tongue-in-cheek element like Sleepy Hollow or will it take itself too seriously? Or is it just an odd, albeit interesting attempt at breathing new life into vampires on film after they were almost destroyed at the box office (and by the Twilight Shite) in the last 10 years by zombies.
You'd be pretty hard pressed to find a dude more righteous than Abe. If he can end slavery, why not kill vampires, too?
I'm too curious to miss this one.
Tuesday, 14 February 2012
This Means War
I must be getting old.
Suspension of disbelief should allow a viewer to accept the unbelievable in a film.
The use of government resources, weapons, gadgets and personnel, for personal purposes is corruption.
The trailer tells us that two best buddy, highly dangerous CIA agents discover that they are dating the same girl. Then it becomes a spy vs. spy (which was funny in all its brevity in Mad Magazine) attempt to sabotage the other, apparently utilizing all of their training.
Why would two, clearly attractive and deadly CIA agents who happen to be best friends, wage war on one another for a women? And after tens of millions of dollars are spent on destruction - a lot of shit blows up in the trailer - is the moral of the story going to be that no women should get in the way of friendship? Are we going to learn that they decide to team up and pull a prank on her because she can't choose? So, is it just me or is this just another stupid premise for blowing shit up (and I like shit blowing up)? Even if the prize is a clueless, albeit immensely talented and hot, Reese Witherspoon?
While the film could potentially be funny, in a completely mindless cartoonish sort of way, I'm having trouble with the suspension of disbelief thing - i.e. these idiots would be sent to Guantanamo for using CIA resources.
The thing is: when something looks so blatantly stupid that it pisses me off, I can't help but think that I might be missing something. Like maybe, could this be a metaphor for friendship? How about for trust? How about the virtues of monogamy and how all else is too complicated? Shit, I if you don't already know this stuff, I'm sure you could learn it from Barney or Dora or whomever the kiddie role model of the month is.
I am so annoyed by this trailer that I think I will actually see This Means War. It's fun being wrong, but even more fun being right.
Suspension of disbelief should allow a viewer to accept the unbelievable in a film.
The use of government resources, weapons, gadgets and personnel, for personal purposes is corruption.
The trailer tells us that two best buddy, highly dangerous CIA agents discover that they are dating the same girl. Then it becomes a spy vs. spy (which was funny in all its brevity in Mad Magazine) attempt to sabotage the other, apparently utilizing all of their training.
Why would two, clearly attractive and deadly CIA agents who happen to be best friends, wage war on one another for a women? And after tens of millions of dollars are spent on destruction - a lot of shit blows up in the trailer - is the moral of the story going to be that no women should get in the way of friendship? Are we going to learn that they decide to team up and pull a prank on her because she can't choose? So, is it just me or is this just another stupid premise for blowing shit up (and I like shit blowing up)? Even if the prize is a clueless, albeit immensely talented and hot, Reese Witherspoon?
While the film could potentially be funny, in a completely mindless cartoonish sort of way, I'm having trouble with the suspension of disbelief thing - i.e. these idiots would be sent to Guantanamo for using CIA resources.
The thing is: when something looks so blatantly stupid that it pisses me off, I can't help but think that I might be missing something. Like maybe, could this be a metaphor for friendship? How about for trust? How about the virtues of monogamy and how all else is too complicated? Shit, I if you don't already know this stuff, I'm sure you could learn it from Barney or Dora or whomever the kiddie role model of the month is.
I am so annoyed by this trailer that I think I will actually see This Means War. It's fun being wrong, but even more fun being right.
Saturday, 11 February 2012
VIEWED: Chronicle
My recommendation for this one was....
"If done well, Chronicle could be a really cool examination of the good/evil struggle. It could also be like watching a train wreck. Like the morbid fascination of staring at the scene of a bloody wreckage, I am interested in seeing Chronicle for the same reason."
Yes, it was done well. Yes, it was a cool examination of right vs. wrong. Yes, it was like watching a train wreck. Yes, I found it entertaining, and even kind of sad. And yes, I enjoyed it.
The coolest thing about Chronicle is that it's only 75 minutes long, which means: like the movie or not, it doesn't take up too much of your time.
"If done well, Chronicle could be a really cool examination of the good/evil struggle. It could also be like watching a train wreck. Like the morbid fascination of staring at the scene of a bloody wreckage, I am interested in seeing Chronicle for the same reason."
Yes, it was done well. Yes, it was a cool examination of right vs. wrong. Yes, it was like watching a train wreck. Yes, I found it entertaining, and even kind of sad. And yes, I enjoyed it.
The coolest thing about Chronicle is that it's only 75 minutes long, which means: like the movie or not, it doesn't take up too much of your time.
Friday, 10 February 2012
Safe House
Talk about opposite leading men in this one... Denzel Washington is an Oscar winning actor who has made some great, or at the very least, interesting movies. From the first time I saw him on screen in, A Soldier's Story, I knew he would be a big star.
Didn't I write something recently about ageing actors wanting to be action heroes? No need to rant about that again... here's a new rant...
Then you have Ryan Reynolds. I've never seen him in anything that has been remotely entertaining, most often due to his acting. Though I love comic book movies, I refused to see The Green Lantern because of him. I hear it was shite, anyway. The only thing this guy does well is take off his shirt (props for using your looks to make a career; no shame in that). Otherwise, from his voice to his on-screen arrogance, he must be someone important's nephew, because I don't know how or why he gets cast so often.
He's kind of like a modern version of that other shirt removing, nephew of someone - also a dud - Steve Guttenberg. Remember him? Cocoon and the Police Academy movies? Meh.
Regardless, the trailer for Safe House was entertaining in a big budget, action movie sort of way. It looks like another variation of every rogue spy on the run movie, but this one combines the "buddy picture" element (you know, a mis-matched pair having to work together for the sake of survival). Heh, the buddy element... the dog from Turner and Hooch may not be as good looking as Ryan Reynolds, but is just as good an actor. Sorry Ryan, while I respect that you've made a successful career, I'm just not a fan.
Did the studios think that a male rogue spy movie (when was the last one? way back in 2011?) would be a refreshing change from the last two female rogue spy pictures, Colombiana and Haywire? Are the studios that organized or is the strategy simply to produce what sells and make a profit? I ask a dumb question. I guess if it's entertaining to the public it doesn't matter.
I doubt Safe House will wow me, but it may keep me entertained as I chow down on popcorn and other overpriced cinema treats, while I stare down at my lack of abs. And, if Ryan Reynolds can avoid being Ryan Reynolds and show more acting ability than skin, Safe House may even surprise me...
Didn't I write something recently about ageing actors wanting to be action heroes? No need to rant about that again... here's a new rant...
Then you have Ryan Reynolds. I've never seen him in anything that has been remotely entertaining, most often due to his acting. Though I love comic book movies, I refused to see The Green Lantern because of him. I hear it was shite, anyway. The only thing this guy does well is take off his shirt (props for using your looks to make a career; no shame in that). Otherwise, from his voice to his on-screen arrogance, he must be someone important's nephew, because I don't know how or why he gets cast so often.
He's kind of like a modern version of that other shirt removing, nephew of someone - also a dud - Steve Guttenberg. Remember him? Cocoon and the Police Academy movies? Meh.
Regardless, the trailer for Safe House was entertaining in a big budget, action movie sort of way. It looks like another variation of every rogue spy on the run movie, but this one combines the "buddy picture" element (you know, a mis-matched pair having to work together for the sake of survival). Heh, the buddy element... the dog from Turner and Hooch may not be as good looking as Ryan Reynolds, but is just as good an actor. Sorry Ryan, while I respect that you've made a successful career, I'm just not a fan.
Did the studios think that a male rogue spy movie (when was the last one? way back in 2011?) would be a refreshing change from the last two female rogue spy pictures, Colombiana and Haywire? Are the studios that organized or is the strategy simply to produce what sells and make a profit? I ask a dumb question. I guess if it's entertaining to the public it doesn't matter.
I doubt Safe House will wow me, but it may keep me entertained as I chow down on popcorn and other overpriced cinema treats, while I stare down at my lack of abs. And, if Ryan Reynolds can avoid being Ryan Reynolds and show more acting ability than skin, Safe House may even surprise me...
Thursday, 9 February 2012
Nine Queens (Nueve reinas) 2001 - Argentina
A very close friend of mine leads a monthly movie night called "edible cinema." Each month a different host picks a film and a meal to go with the film. I used to be invited monthly, but I think because I haven't yet attended, the invitations have become less frequent.
Continuing with the "edible cinema" theme, as the film is Argentinian, so will be the food and wine. I don't know anything about Argentinian food and the only Argentinian wine that I know and have had many glasses of is, Fuzion. Like many of my favourite wines, it's cheap and cheerful.
As I will likely not attend - sorry kids - my contribution is to review this film in my usual way.
Nine Queens is not a movie about nine cross-dressing female impersonators - just so you know. From the trailer, Nine Queens is about two con artists who team up to run small time scams on a variety of marks (I think "mark" is the term for victim in con artist lingo). They decide to go for a bigger con, one involving a collection of nine stamps, all with a queen on them (hence the title). Well, as in all caper movies with a sense of humour, the complicated scam comes with complications.... all of which look kind of funny, though I'm not sure if this is a comedy.
The trailer kind of made me think of that Guy Ritchie movie, Snatch, which came out a year earlier. Snatch is still one of my favourites, so if this is half as good, then it'll be entertaining. My absolute favourite work of Guy Ritchie is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X13akB5-_kA. It's 8:57 min. of pure comic genius - and bless Madonna for being such a great sport.
That said, Nine Queens (Nueve reinas), looks like a fun movie. I hope I get a chance to see it.
Bueno appetit, my friends.
Continuing with the "edible cinema" theme, as the film is Argentinian, so will be the food and wine. I don't know anything about Argentinian food and the only Argentinian wine that I know and have had many glasses of is, Fuzion. Like many of my favourite wines, it's cheap and cheerful.
As I will likely not attend - sorry kids - my contribution is to review this film in my usual way.
Nine Queens is not a movie about nine cross-dressing female impersonators - just so you know. From the trailer, Nine Queens is about two con artists who team up to run small time scams on a variety of marks (I think "mark" is the term for victim in con artist lingo). They decide to go for a bigger con, one involving a collection of nine stamps, all with a queen on them (hence the title). Well, as in all caper movies with a sense of humour, the complicated scam comes with complications.... all of which look kind of funny, though I'm not sure if this is a comedy.
The trailer kind of made me think of that Guy Ritchie movie, Snatch, which came out a year earlier. Snatch is still one of my favourites, so if this is half as good, then it'll be entertaining. My absolute favourite work of Guy Ritchie is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X13akB5-_kA. It's 8:57 min. of pure comic genius - and bless Madonna for being such a great sport.
That said, Nine Queens (Nueve reinas), looks like a fun movie. I hope I get a chance to see it.
Bueno appetit, my friends.
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
The Inaugural Beerbohm Awards, In recognition of movie trailers...
In the spirit of this blog, I introduce you to The Beerbohm Awards: in recognition of movie trailers. Please note that the Beerbohms are awarded only to movie trailers that I've seen since starting this blog in August 2011 and are not an award for the actual movie. The Oscars are for that...
The categories for the Inaugural Beerbohm Awards are:
Best Trailer
Worst Trailer
Best Music in a Trailer
Best One-Liner in a Trailer
Worst Spoiler Trailer
Most Misleading Trailer
The Nominees will be released on Sunday, February 18th. Nominations from readers are welcome. Either comment on the blog or email your nominations to beerbohmtastic@gmail.com.
Stay tuned...
Best Trailer
Worst Trailer
Best Music in a Trailer
Best One-Liner in a Trailer
Worst Spoiler Trailer
Most Misleading Trailer
The Nominees will be released on Sunday, February 18th. Nominations from readers are welcome. Either comment on the blog or email your nominations to beerbohmtastic@gmail.com.
Stay tuned...
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Chronicle
What could be worse than giving a loaded gun to an idiot and asking him not to hurt himself or anyone else? If power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely AND with great power comes great responsibility, then telekinetic power in the hands of teenagers can be both funny and terrifying.
The premise for Chronicle is that a group of teens stumble upon something - a force of some kind - that gives them super powers. At first, it's all about childish pranks. Scaring people, moving cars, practical jokes, removing women's clothing. But then it becomes something more. As limits are pushed and the realisation of the extent of the power grows, individual darker sides begin to emerge.
What I found interesting about the trailer is that it's all fun until someone dies. Once one of them crosses the line... the right/wrong, good/evil, legal/illegal line, the rest become divided. Some are repulsed by the ability to destroy while others are drawn to it.
Max Beerbohm said that "to destroy is still the strongest instinct in nature."
The power that the kids in Chronicle acquire is pretty spectacular. It looks like, with a wave of a hand, they can destroy cars, buildings and, yes, people. What would you do with such power?
Would you use it for personal gain? Would you help others? Would you hurt others? Would you hurt that driver that cut you off? What would you do to the teacher that doesn't appreciate your genius and gives you a C+ on your absurdist paper on absurdist playwrights? What about that rude guy in the grocery store? How about the mechanic who tried to rip you off? Would you rob banks? Would you send food to the hungry? Would you join the military so that you could help your country? Would you torture then kill all paedophiles and child molesters?
If done well, Chronicle could be a really cool examination of the good/evil struggle. It could also be like watching a train wreck. Like the morbid fascination of staring at the scene of a bloody wreckage, I am interested in seeing Chronicle for the same reason.
The premise for Chronicle is that a group of teens stumble upon something - a force of some kind - that gives them super powers. At first, it's all about childish pranks. Scaring people, moving cars, practical jokes, removing women's clothing. But then it becomes something more. As limits are pushed and the realisation of the extent of the power grows, individual darker sides begin to emerge.
What I found interesting about the trailer is that it's all fun until someone dies. Once one of them crosses the line... the right/wrong, good/evil, legal/illegal line, the rest become divided. Some are repulsed by the ability to destroy while others are drawn to it.
Max Beerbohm said that "to destroy is still the strongest instinct in nature."
The power that the kids in Chronicle acquire is pretty spectacular. It looks like, with a wave of a hand, they can destroy cars, buildings and, yes, people. What would you do with such power?
Would you use it for personal gain? Would you help others? Would you hurt others? Would you hurt that driver that cut you off? What would you do to the teacher that doesn't appreciate your genius and gives you a C+ on your absurdist paper on absurdist playwrights? What about that rude guy in the grocery store? How about the mechanic who tried to rip you off? Would you rob banks? Would you send food to the hungry? Would you join the military so that you could help your country? Would you torture then kill all paedophiles and child molesters?
If done well, Chronicle could be a really cool examination of the good/evil struggle. It could also be like watching a train wreck. Like the morbid fascination of staring at the scene of a bloody wreckage, I am interested in seeing Chronicle for the same reason.
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Sunday, 29 January 2012
VIEWED: The Grey
My recommendation for this one was...
I'm not sure when Liam Neeson became a badass, action hero type.... Maybe Neeson was always a badass... So, Grey is the story of a pack of men vs. a pack of wolves. I think I'll see it, but I hope the wolves win.
Neesan was a badass. The movie delivered a good amount of suspense and badassary. It builds up to a confrontation between alpha badass Neesan and alpha badass wolf. All I can say, without spoiling why I was a bit disappointed (though I understand why it was done the way it was), is: stick around until after the credits.
I'm not sure when Liam Neeson became a badass, action hero type.... Maybe Neeson was always a badass... So, Grey is the story of a pack of men vs. a pack of wolves. I think I'll see it, but I hope the wolves win.
Neesan was a badass. The movie delivered a good amount of suspense and badassary. It builds up to a confrontation between alpha badass Neesan and alpha badass wolf. All I can say, without spoiling why I was a bit disappointed (though I understand why it was done the way it was), is: stick around until after the credits.
Thursday, 26 January 2012
Haywire
I think I mentioned in my trailer review of Colombiana that I like movies where hot girls kick ass. So, did I like Haywire when it was called Colombiana?
I really like movies where the hot girl is trained to kick ass, then is betrayed by the ones that trained her and then they can't stop her. So, did I like Haywire when it was called La Femme Nakita?
I really like movies where the protagonist has to fight his/her way through a sea of peer assassins in order to get to the people who betrayed them and gave the orders to have them killed. Did I like Haywire when it was Matt Damon in the Bourne Identity franchise? Well, no. Matt may be hot, but he's not a hot chick.
Kate Beckinsale is the current queen hot girl kicking ass with the Underworld franchise. I've seen some of them and always find her entertaining. In other things, not so much, though she was smokin' hot in Laurel Canyon.
But Haywire has a pretty good supporting cast. Ewan McGregor is a great actor and should have won an Oscar for Big Fish. Fassbender is in every other movie these days. Paxton has done some interesting work over the years. What can you say about Michael Douglas that he probably hasn't already patted himself on the back for? He's made some good movies, though. I don't think I've seen Channing Tatum in anything but he couldn't be the offspring of Stockard Channing and Tatum O'Neill, could he? I still haven't forgiven Banderas for portraying Armand as such a pussy in Interview with a Vampire in 1994.
All that said, Haywire could easily be Colombiana (which the wife said was "shit") or La Femme Nakita or even the female Bourne Identity. But you know what? Whether this movie will be as predictable as the trailer looks or not, the hot girl kicking ass is still fun to watch.
I really like movies where the hot girl is trained to kick ass, then is betrayed by the ones that trained her and then they can't stop her. So, did I like Haywire when it was called La Femme Nakita?
I really like movies where the protagonist has to fight his/her way through a sea of peer assassins in order to get to the people who betrayed them and gave the orders to have them killed. Did I like Haywire when it was Matt Damon in the Bourne Identity franchise? Well, no. Matt may be hot, but he's not a hot chick.
Kate Beckinsale is the current queen hot girl kicking ass with the Underworld franchise. I've seen some of them and always find her entertaining. In other things, not so much, though she was smokin' hot in Laurel Canyon.
But Haywire has a pretty good supporting cast. Ewan McGregor is a great actor and should have won an Oscar for Big Fish. Fassbender is in every other movie these days. Paxton has done some interesting work over the years. What can you say about Michael Douglas that he probably hasn't already patted himself on the back for? He's made some good movies, though. I don't think I've seen Channing Tatum in anything but he couldn't be the offspring of Stockard Channing and Tatum O'Neill, could he? I still haven't forgiven Banderas for portraying Armand as such a pussy in Interview with a Vampire in 1994.
All that said, Haywire could easily be Colombiana (which the wife said was "shit") or La Femme Nakita or even the female Bourne Identity. But you know what? Whether this movie will be as predictable as the trailer looks or not, the hot girl kicking ass is still fun to watch.
Saturday, 21 January 2012
The Grey
I'm not sure when Liam Neeson became a badass, action hero type. I checked IMDB and I think badass Neesan begins in Batman Begins. After that, it's Taken and more badassary. Prior to that, he seemed to play milder mannered characters. I liked him in Kinsey and.... wait a minute... he played Darkman in 1990... nevermind.
Maybe Neeson was always a badass but never thought of as a badass so in the last 10 years he chose roles where his badassary was more blatant and in your face. Does that happen to actors as they age? Look at Ralph Fiennes. My image of him was a poncy annoyance on screen (though not as poncy or annoying as Joseph Fiennes). Ralph was ridiculous as Francis Dolarhyde in Red Dragon (which was a bad remake - even though the ending was truer to the Thomas Harris novel - of Manhunter). Tom Noonan was awesome as Dolarhyde. Fiennes was a joke.
That said, Fiennes was pretty badass in In Bruges (which I really liked). My point is that as these actors age they seem to want an edge, an image beyond nice guy. Or, like Bruce Willis, they can't let go. Could it be that they're just pissed that they're ageing? Shit, I'm pissed that I'm ageing, too.
Liam Neeson is 60 years old. In Grey, he's another tough guy and like every aging tough guy movie, he's likely ex-military, ex-CIA, ex-assassin or all of the above. I'm not sure if he looks 60 or not, but he looks to be in good shape and he leads a group of plane crash survivors on a journey to survival.
Unlike other movies where the plane crashes in an arctic wilderness, it doesn't look like these guys are going to eat each other - thankfully. So, what challenges will these he-men face while walking in the snow to safety? Wolves. Yes, wolves. Big, mean, and clearly hungry, wolves.
Dermot Mulroney is also in this movie, though I didn't recognize him in the trailer. I've only seen him in a few movies that the wife "suggested" I view with her. I find him really dull. He lacks leading man presence and frankly, I don't think he's that good an actor. Maybe he'll get eaten by a wolf.
So, Grey is the story of a pack of men vs. a pack of wolves. I think I'll see it, but I hope the wolves win.
Maybe Neeson was always a badass but never thought of as a badass so in the last 10 years he chose roles where his badassary was more blatant and in your face. Does that happen to actors as they age? Look at Ralph Fiennes. My image of him was a poncy annoyance on screen (though not as poncy or annoying as Joseph Fiennes). Ralph was ridiculous as Francis Dolarhyde in Red Dragon (which was a bad remake - even though the ending was truer to the Thomas Harris novel - of Manhunter). Tom Noonan was awesome as Dolarhyde. Fiennes was a joke.
That said, Fiennes was pretty badass in In Bruges (which I really liked). My point is that as these actors age they seem to want an edge, an image beyond nice guy. Or, like Bruce Willis, they can't let go. Could it be that they're just pissed that they're ageing? Shit, I'm pissed that I'm ageing, too.
Liam Neeson is 60 years old. In Grey, he's another tough guy and like every aging tough guy movie, he's likely ex-military, ex-CIA, ex-assassin or all of the above. I'm not sure if he looks 60 or not, but he looks to be in good shape and he leads a group of plane crash survivors on a journey to survival.
Unlike other movies where the plane crashes in an arctic wilderness, it doesn't look like these guys are going to eat each other - thankfully. So, what challenges will these he-men face while walking in the snow to safety? Wolves. Yes, wolves. Big, mean, and clearly hungry, wolves.
Dermot Mulroney is also in this movie, though I didn't recognize him in the trailer. I've only seen him in a few movies that the wife "suggested" I view with her. I find him really dull. He lacks leading man presence and frankly, I don't think he's that good an actor. Maybe he'll get eaten by a wolf.
So, Grey is the story of a pack of men vs. a pack of wolves. I think I'll see it, but I hope the wolves win.
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
VIEWED: The Descendants
My recommendation for this one was...
"for some reason I found the trailer compelling. I also made the wife watch it just to be sure the soy milk that I used to drink hadn't altered my hormones. When the trailer ended she looked at me and said, "hmm, let's see this film." I told her that just because I liked the trailer doesn’t mean I’ll be seeing the film AND there's a difference between being in touch with your feminine side and actually touching your feminine side. Yeah, this will be a date night movie."
Yes, this was a date night movie because we heard that it won a bunch of awards.
Clooney was pretty good - an understated sadness and subdued anger that was befitting a work-a-holic, non-present dad. The rest of the cast was good, too.
Though The Descendants was slow moving, there was an air of sadness and enough conflict to make it entertaining - at least for me. At the 52 minute mark the wife said, "dude, why are we watching this shit?"
PLEASE NOTE: The views of the wife do not reflect the views of Beerbohmtastic.
"for some reason I found the trailer compelling. I also made the wife watch it just to be sure the soy milk that I used to drink hadn't altered my hormones. When the trailer ended she looked at me and said, "hmm, let's see this film." I told her that just because I liked the trailer doesn’t mean I’ll be seeing the film AND there's a difference between being in touch with your feminine side and actually touching your feminine side. Yeah, this will be a date night movie."
Yes, this was a date night movie because we heard that it won a bunch of awards.
Clooney was pretty good - an understated sadness and subdued anger that was befitting a work-a-holic, non-present dad. The rest of the cast was good, too.
Though The Descendants was slow moving, there was an air of sadness and enough conflict to make it entertaining - at least for me. At the 52 minute mark the wife said, "dude, why are we watching this shit?"
PLEASE NOTE: The views of the wife do not reflect the views of Beerbohmtastic.
Thursday, 12 January 2012
A Dangerous Method
Cronenberg is an odd one. I've seen many of his films and liked a few. When I see a Cronenberg film, I ask myself, "did I really get it, did I understand the point?" If I can't answer, then I didn't.
Of the Cronenberg films I've seen, Rabid was an interesting take on the zombie theme at a time when there were few zombie movies. The Brood was just weird. Videodrome, which I watched again recently on Netflix, while dated, is an interesting statement on technology at the threshold (1983) of home entertainment, interactive video and access to porn.
The Dead Zone and The Fly were more mainstream and both excellent films. Then he started getting weird again. Dead Ringers (based on a true story) was sick (old school definition). I didn't understand Naked Lunch (based on the Burroughs novel, which I also didn't understand), but the insect thing reminded me a bit of Kafka's Metamorphosis. I hated the book, Crash, by J. G. Ballard, so I never watched the film. eXistanZ (a Videodrome update?) and Spider were just boring - or I didn't understand them.
I really liked History of Violence, except for the ending which may have been a metaphor? Man kills his past by literally killing his past.
I liked Eastern Promises.
I didn't realize that Viggo made any movies before Lord of the Rings until I looked him up on IMDB. I've seen him in a few movies but before LOTR, he was one of those guys who looked familiar but you didn't know his name. I guess Cronenberg likes Viggo as this is their third movie together. Dude can act.
Fassbender is appearing in lots of stuff. Dude can also act.
Vincent Cassel, an arrogant Frenchman always seems to play an arrogant Frenchman. Gotta go with what works for you, I guess.
Kiera Knightly never impresses me.
The trailer for A Dangerous Method, also based on a true story, looks like a return to the mainstream - as mainstream as Cronenberg can allow himself to be (maybe he goes mainstream for the money and weird for himself - if I was smart and talented, I'd likely do the same).
So the gist of it is that Freud and young Jung develop a friendship of sorts but Jung's theories are different from Freud's and, given that Freud doesn't approve of Jung's affair with a patient (which likely proves Freud's theories) it isn't surprising that Jung separates himself from Freud.
During the trailer young Jung says, "sometimes you need to do something unforgivable just to go on living." Ahh, great minds sometimes create clever sounding yet silly statements to justify their less than noble actions... Nice example of Freudian rationalization, Carl.
Just to highlight the differences: The id, ego, superego, and Oedipus stuff are Freudian; archetypes, extro- and introversion, and the collective unconscious are Jungian (thanks http://www.mentalfloss.com/difference/freud-vs-jung/).
There are enough elements here to make this a good film; I'm just not sure if I care to see it.
Monday, 9 January 2012
The Divide
When I was a kid at summer camp, the counsellors used to play a game with us. They would describe an end of the world scenario and ask us who should be allowed to stay in a bomb shelter to survive the end of the world and rebuild civilisation. They would list about 12 people with different backgrounds and skills and say there was only room for 8 (or something like that...), then ask the kids to discuss who would be allowed to stay and who would have to die. Heavy stuff to pull on pre-teens.
I always answered, "well you need both men and women to populate the world, so I say have men and women in the bomb shelter." This answer was usually met with mild acknowledgement. Then I'd say, "but if the same few people are re-populating the world, then there will be inbreeding and potentially a cross-eyed, cannibalistic, Texas Chainsaw Massacre scenario," then I'd add that "I'd rather die in the blast."
Given that I'd completely missed the point of the exercise, I was usually asked to leave the cabin. Which, by the way, didn't help me understand the point of the exercise. The lesson here is that you include the dummy to help make him smarter. Excluding the dummy never lets the dummy learn. Hear that, Mr. Krasner?
When Ned Flanders built a bomb shelter, he let everyone in, then he was kicked out. Feeling ashamed, all the Springfieldians in the bomb shelter joined the outcast Flanders, only to watch a tiny piece of the meteor destroy the bomb shelter. Great stuff.
I watched the "teaser" trailer for The Divide: A nuclear bomb blast sends the tenants of an urban, low-rise apartment building scurrying down the stairs to the exit. When the exit is blocked by fire, they head for the basement where some have already gathered in the sub-basement, furnace area, looking room. Some get in, some don't.
So, a bunch of people, during the end of the world are possibly trapped together in a large room with limited food and the panic and uncertainty of their situation. This is some pretty intense stuff. What we can guess is that some will emerge as leaders, some as agitators, some as diplomats, some as criminals, but all will slowly lose social graces and civility as hunger, panic and fear, combined with length of stay, set in.
The Divide is a good title. This film looks like one of those experiments that examines what happens when you put a bunch of rats together in a small cage and they have to face the reality of their situation, limited food and space, and each other.
Given what I (sadly) feel about human nature and the horrors we are capable of as a species, I don't know if I have the stomach to even want to see this film. That said, it looks really interesting.
I always answered, "well you need both men and women to populate the world, so I say have men and women in the bomb shelter." This answer was usually met with mild acknowledgement. Then I'd say, "but if the same few people are re-populating the world, then there will be inbreeding and potentially a cross-eyed, cannibalistic, Texas Chainsaw Massacre scenario," then I'd add that "I'd rather die in the blast."
Given that I'd completely missed the point of the exercise, I was usually asked to leave the cabin. Which, by the way, didn't help me understand the point of the exercise. The lesson here is that you include the dummy to help make him smarter. Excluding the dummy never lets the dummy learn. Hear that, Mr. Krasner?
When Ned Flanders built a bomb shelter, he let everyone in, then he was kicked out. Feeling ashamed, all the Springfieldians in the bomb shelter joined the outcast Flanders, only to watch a tiny piece of the meteor destroy the bomb shelter. Great stuff.
I watched the "teaser" trailer for The Divide: A nuclear bomb blast sends the tenants of an urban, low-rise apartment building scurrying down the stairs to the exit. When the exit is blocked by fire, they head for the basement where some have already gathered in the sub-basement, furnace area, looking room. Some get in, some don't.
So, a bunch of people, during the end of the world are possibly trapped together in a large room with limited food and the panic and uncertainty of their situation. This is some pretty intense stuff. What we can guess is that some will emerge as leaders, some as agitators, some as diplomats, some as criminals, but all will slowly lose social graces and civility as hunger, panic and fear, combined with length of stay, set in.
The Divide is a good title. This film looks like one of those experiments that examines what happens when you put a bunch of rats together in a small cage and they have to face the reality of their situation, limited food and space, and each other.
Given what I (sadly) feel about human nature and the horrors we are capable of as a species, I don't know if I have the stomach to even want to see this film. That said, it looks really interesting.
Saturday, 7 January 2012
VIEWED: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
For the first time in five months of Beerbohmtastic, I have gone to see a movie without reviewing the trailer. I had seen the trailer; I meant to review the trailer; I think I even liked the trailer, but I didn't get around to reviewing it. Last night, the wife told me we were going to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie at the local cinema. I asked what else was playing and she said, "nothing else at 7:00 PM."
I hadn't read any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. I think I watched The Hound of The Baskervilles, starring Basil Rathbone on TV when I was a kid. I don't remember much about it. I did love Disney's The Great Mouse Detective... What I'm trying to say is that I'm not a purist, nor snob, and other than knowing about Sherlock Holmes and "deductive reasoning" (which I don't practice) and the term, "elementary, my dear Watson," which is an old fashioned way of saying "duh," I know enough about him to know that he was brilliant, a master of disguise and was the first CSI detective in history.
I believe (please correct me if I'm wrong) it was the great director Robert Altman who said that Robert Downey Jr. is the best American actor of our time. He said something about the fact that, regardless of the issues in Downey Jr.'s personal life, on-set he was always prepared and professional.
I like Robert Downey Jr. He is great in every role and he has played so many different roles. As Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder he was brilliantly hilarious. He was perfectly cast as Tony Stark in Iron Man. I loved the first Iron Man and was entertained by the second. But I am a sucker for comic book movies...
The image of Sherlock Holmes is that of a meticulous, clean, gentleman. One who can use his fists, but also doesn't need to because he is clever, cunning and smarter than pretty much everyone.
Robert Downey Jr.'s Sherlock Holmes is not exactly the Sherlock Holmes I would have envisioned. As great an actor as Downey Jr. is, I'm not sure if I like his Holmes and I can't quite identify why. Maybe it's just me.
I don't really care for Jude Law, but he's okay as Watson.
All that to say that Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a good, not great, movie that provides enough entertainment, action, cleverness and fun to make it worth the cost of admission.
I hadn't read any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. I think I watched The Hound of The Baskervilles, starring Basil Rathbone on TV when I was a kid. I don't remember much about it. I did love Disney's The Great Mouse Detective... What I'm trying to say is that I'm not a purist, nor snob, and other than knowing about Sherlock Holmes and "deductive reasoning" (which I don't practice) and the term, "elementary, my dear Watson," which is an old fashioned way of saying "duh," I know enough about him to know that he was brilliant, a master of disguise and was the first CSI detective in history.
I believe (please correct me if I'm wrong) it was the great director Robert Altman who said that Robert Downey Jr. is the best American actor of our time. He said something about the fact that, regardless of the issues in Downey Jr.'s personal life, on-set he was always prepared and professional.
I like Robert Downey Jr. He is great in every role and he has played so many different roles. As Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder he was brilliantly hilarious. He was perfectly cast as Tony Stark in Iron Man. I loved the first Iron Man and was entertained by the second. But I am a sucker for comic book movies...
The image of Sherlock Holmes is that of a meticulous, clean, gentleman. One who can use his fists, but also doesn't need to because he is clever, cunning and smarter than pretty much everyone.
Robert Downey Jr.'s Sherlock Holmes is not exactly the Sherlock Holmes I would have envisioned. As great an actor as Downey Jr. is, I'm not sure if I like his Holmes and I can't quite identify why. Maybe it's just me.
I don't really care for Jude Law, but he's okay as Watson.
All that to say that Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a good, not great, movie that provides enough entertainment, action, cleverness and fun to make it worth the cost of admission.
Thursday, 5 January 2012
Contraband
When is doing the right thing not doing the right thing? When it's against the law? When is it right to take the law into your own hands? When the legal system can't or will not? So, the Buford Pusser's (Joe Don Baker) and Paul Kersey's (Charles Bronson) of the world did the right things for the right reasons, even though their actions were against the law and the in-effective law turned a blind eye.
Contraband, at least from the trailer, isn't exactly like that. It's doing the wrong thing, for the right reasons and the actions are against the law because the wrong thing is having to commit a crime to make things right. And not just a small crime, but a mega caper by a retired criminal who, just when he thought he was out, they pulled him back in... OR ... Only one man can pull of this heist and it's you, so you gotta come out of retirement or they're all gonna die...
In Contraband, Mark Wahlberg has to commit the crime to save his wife's brother, a petty criminal from bad guy Ribisi or the law or both.
I like Mark Wahlberg. He's made some really great films and some real stinkers. I loved him in I Heart Huckabees and The Italian Job. He was great in Boogie Nights and The Fighter, but really pissed me off as Max Payne, one of my favourite video games ever. Four Brothers was lame with a similar concept to Contraband- borderline and reformed criminals kicking the asses of real criminals for the greater good because the cops in movies can't. Not exactly realistic.
What's with movies that glorify criminal activity? Maybe it's just the notion that the average man, when pushed to the brink, can emerge as an action hero and save the world. I guess it helps when the average man is an ex-criminal and is a lethal fighter.
I couldn't name 3 Giovanni Ribisi movies, but whenever I see him he's awesome. I think he's one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood. Cool to see him as such a bad ass in the trailer.
My friend, Huss, met Kate Beckinsale and said he didn't recognize her in person because she was small and mousy. Hard to believe because she's pretty hot on screen.
If there was a video store in my neighbourhood, I may have rented this one. If I come across it on-line, I might watch it.
Contraband, at least from the trailer, isn't exactly like that. It's doing the wrong thing, for the right reasons and the actions are against the law because the wrong thing is having to commit a crime to make things right. And not just a small crime, but a mega caper by a retired criminal who, just when he thought he was out, they pulled him back in... OR ... Only one man can pull of this heist and it's you, so you gotta come out of retirement or they're all gonna die...
In Contraband, Mark Wahlberg has to commit the crime to save his wife's brother, a petty criminal from bad guy Ribisi or the law or both.
I like Mark Wahlberg. He's made some really great films and some real stinkers. I loved him in I Heart Huckabees and The Italian Job. He was great in Boogie Nights and The Fighter, but really pissed me off as Max Payne, one of my favourite video games ever. Four Brothers was lame with a similar concept to Contraband- borderline and reformed criminals kicking the asses of real criminals for the greater good because the cops in movies can't. Not exactly realistic.
What's with movies that glorify criminal activity? Maybe it's just the notion that the average man, when pushed to the brink, can emerge as an action hero and save the world. I guess it helps when the average man is an ex-criminal and is a lethal fighter.
I couldn't name 3 Giovanni Ribisi movies, but whenever I see him he's awesome. I think he's one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood. Cool to see him as such a bad ass in the trailer.
My friend, Huss, met Kate Beckinsale and said he didn't recognize her in person because she was small and mousy. Hard to believe because she's pretty hot on screen.
If there was a video store in my neighbourhood, I may have rented this one. If I come across it on-line, I might watch it.
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
VIEWED: Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol
My recommendation for this one was...
"The MI franchise continues to deliver while the Bond franchise continues to deliver cold pizza: some people still like it, but it ain't the same as hot...Yeah, I have no doubt that this one will deliver and I have no doubt that I'll see it, hopefully soon."
Yes, this one delivered. Great stunts and great action with a true old school Bond-type story. Madman tries to destroy the world... classic! The MI franchise is so much better than what the Bond franchise has become.
"The MI franchise continues to deliver while the Bond franchise continues to deliver cold pizza: some people still like it, but it ain't the same as hot...Yeah, I have no doubt that this one will deliver and I have no doubt that I'll see it, hopefully soon."
Yes, this one delivered. Great stunts and great action with a true old school Bond-type story. Madman tries to destroy the world... classic! The MI franchise is so much better than what the Bond franchise has become.
VIEWED: Young Adult
My recommendation for this one was...
"Judging by the trailer, which is the point of this blog, I didn't find this story interesting, intriguing or even clever. That said, I want to give Diablo Cody the benefit of the doubt because I can't imagine that this story is as pointless as the trailer looks."
This film has the depth of a kiddie pool. Indeed, it was as pointless as the trailer looked.
"Judging by the trailer, which is the point of this blog, I didn't find this story interesting, intriguing or even clever. That said, I want to give Diablo Cody the benefit of the doubt because I can't imagine that this story is as pointless as the trailer looks."
This film has the depth of a kiddie pool. Indeed, it was as pointless as the trailer looked.
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