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Movie Picture of the Day 7/29/13
Michael Keaton, Michael Keaton, Michael Keaton, and Michael Keaton in the hysterical comedy Multiplicity (1996).
Trailer for 47 Ronin (2013)
47 Ronin (2013)
I finally had a chance to post this trailer. I heard about this movie months ago and I have been excited to see the trailer. Why have I been excited? Because I had heard rumors that Keanu Reeves was going to play a samurai.
The rumors are correct and I’m not quite sure what to think about this movie. I think it will either be hit or miss. Reeves could be an excellent samurai, however it appears like the film may be a little too far out.
Reeves plays an outcast who was enslaved and sold. His owners mistreat him and he is forced to fight. The enemies of his owners help him to break the bond of slavery and give him a chance for revenge.
The film is directed by Carl Rinsch and the rest of the noteworthy cast includes Rinko Kikuchi, Hiroyuki Sanada, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Tadanobu Asano, Yorick van Wageningen, Togo Igawa, and Haruka Abe.
Reeves has not really been in a big movie since 2008. This film appears like it has potential. I’m a fan of Keanu and him playing a samurai is enough to make me want to see it.
The film is set to release this Christmas, 12/25/13.
Movie Picture of the Day 7/28/13
Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin put on their frightening faces to try to scare the living in Tim Burton‘s classic film Beetlejuice (1988).
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
With the release of The Wolverine (2013) this weekend, I thought that it was about time that I watched X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I have seen all of the other X-Men movies and I used to watch the cartoon as a kid, so I’m not sure why I waited so long to watch this movie.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine tells the story of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) as a child and his earlier life prior to the other X-Men films. Wolverine and his brother Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber), both mutants, are forced to leave home together at a young age. They fight through a number of wars together until they are recruited by Colonel Stryker (Danny Huston) to become part of an elite unit made up of all mutants. Eventually Wolverine disagrees with what the unit stands for and decides to leave. He moves away, falls in love with a woman, and leads a simple life. Time passes and Wolverine’s life gets turned upside down when his old unit wants him back.
The film was directed by Gavin Hood and the rest of the noteworthy cast includes Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Durand, Will.i.am, Taylor Kitsch, Daniel Henney, and Dominic Monaghan.
After watching this film, I am sort of kicking myself for not watching it sooner. It does an excellent job of showing where Wolverine came from and why he is the way that he is in the other films. After the movie, I gained a greater respect for Jackman and his Wolverine character.
This is my favorite X-Men movie so far. What I especially liked about the film is that it concentrated on the life of one of the X-Men instead of overflowing the movie with tons of mutant characters with too many stories to go around. This made it possible for greater character development and helped to create a more meaningful story. Of course, there are a number of X-Men characters in the film, but they didn’t try to tell the story of each one of them.
Gambit/Remy LeBeau was one of my favorite X-Men characters when I was a kid, and it was fun to finally see his character in a live action film.
Jackman and Schreiber both brought a level of fierce intensity to their characters that were very exciting to watch. This, in conjunction with the solid supporting performance by Huston and the film’s awesome special effects helped to make X-Men Origins: Wolverine the sharpest X-Men movie in the box.
I rate this movie an 8.5 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Buy.
Click on the link below to see a picture and read about the time when my wife and I and some friends got into a fight with Wolverine and Iron Man.
We Got Into a Fight with Wolverine and Iron Man
Note: Jackman and Schreiber were both in Kate & Leopold (2001) together.
If you enjoyed X-Men Origins: Wolverine, then you will probably like The Wolverine (2013).
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013)
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013)
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone looked a little cheesy, but with Steve Carell, Jim Carrey, and Steve Buscemi in a comedy together, I knew it had to be good for at least a few laughs.
Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carell) and Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi) are both magicians and longtime friends. The duo has had a popular show together in Las Vegas for years. But now, a street performer (Jim Carrey) is beginning to steal their thunder with his crazy magical stunts that he is pulling off throughout the city. Wonderstone and Marvelton must try to come up with fresh new material in order to try so save their show and their friendship.
The movie was directed by Don Scardino and the rest of the notable cast includes James Gandolfini, Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin, Jay Mohr, Brad Garrett, and David Copperfield.
I have to say, I expected more from this movie. It was in fact good for a few laughs, but that was about it. A lot of the humor was a little too dry and tacky. Many of the jokes fell short and the story was pretty predictable.
Carrey’s character was by far the funniest. His goofiness made the movie worth watching, although he was not in enough of the film.
Gandolfini played his part well in one of his final films. He will be missed.
Arkin was excellent. His character seemed genuine.
Buscemi could have been funnier.
Wilde’s character needed more screen time and Garrett should have had a bigger role.
The magic depicted in the movie was fun to watch, but the humor was very inconsistent.
Overall, the comedy superstar talent in this film was somehow neglected. If the filmmakers had made proper use of the talent that they had to work with, this movie could have been one that you laugh out loud until you cry throughout the entire film. Instead the laughs were sporadic and the movie was just a step above mediocre.
I rate this movie a 6 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Rent.
Movie Picture of the Day 7/25/13
Joe Pesci just asking his mother if he could borrow her butcher knife in the film Goodfellas (1990).
It’s a classic scene, but could you imagine trying to borrow a butcher knife from somebody, especially your dear old mother? Yeah, mom I just need to “borrow” this butcher knife for a little while. I’ll get it back to you soon, don’t worry about it. I just need to butcher something…
Evil Dead (2013)
Evil Dead (2013)
I have not seen the original film that this movie is a remake of, The Evil Dead (1981). I hardly knew anything about this movie before watching it, except that it was about dead people that come back to life and are evil; go figure right?
A young woman with a drug problem goes to a remote cabin in the woods. Her brother and 3 of their friends join her to show support as she tries to quit her addiction. Unknowingly the woods had recently become haunted by evil spirits. They find a book in the cabin that causes each one of them to be possessed by demons. Eventually they are all desperately fighting for their lives.
The movie is directed by Fede Alvarez, and the noteworthy cast includes Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, and Elizabeth Blackmore.
This film is the epitome of what it wrong with the horror movie genre today. Instead of trying to be scary with a well thought out story and quality filmmaking and acting, this movie relies solely on blood and guts entirely for the shock value.
The story is ludicrous and hardly tries to make sense. It seems like its only intention is to try to depict evil and death. If that is in fact the only point of the film, then they were successful. There is a lot of evil and there is a lot of death. So much so, that it all becomes laughable and you just want the movie to end so that the suffering stops; the suffering of both the characters in the film and the viewers.
The acting was awful because it appears like they spent all of their money on the gory special effects and didn’t have any left over to pay for a decent cast. The only thing that this movie has going for it is how disturbingly grotesque and realistic the special effects are. However, the bloody special effects help this movie to be the true definition of a “slasher” film.
This horror movie does not scare, it tortures. It will probably easily be the bloodiest movie of the year and maybe even so far this century. If you enjoy gut-wrenching dismemberment and more liquids exiting the human body than it can actually hold, then this movie is for you.
I rate this movie a 0 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Run far away and hide. Save your time, money, and dignity.
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