Wednesday, January 23, 2008
R.I.P. Heath Ledger
Heath Ledger - star of movies such as The Patriot, A Knights Tale, 10 Things I hate About You, and the upcoming The Dark Knight Returns - was found dead in his SoHo apartment around 3pm on January 22nd, 2008. He was 28. STORY
I'm bummed. I thought Ledger was a good actor, I liked his movies, and I was looking forward to seeing what he did in the future.
At this point, it's not clear if it was suicide or not.
I'm bummed. I thought Ledger was a good actor, I liked his movies, and I was looking forward to seeing what he did in the future.
At this point, it's not clear if it was suicide or not.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Cloverfield
I actually made it to the theater for this movie!
I really wanted to see this movie after the spectacular viral marketing campaign and knowing that JJ Abrams was involved. (I love Lost, Alias, and MI:III) Therefore, I was really disappointed by the movie. It seems like a universal rule: The greater the hype, the bigger the disappointment.
Aside from being shot in genuine shit-o-vision (the movie takes a Blair Witch approach, but turns of modern video camera features like screen steadying to make the picture jerk around barf-tasticly), the film just doesn't ever get over the main characters being fucking goofy morons. The main camera operator is a dumbass until the end, making stupid remarks like a hero from an action movie. That's pretty standard, except this movie is supposed to have been shot by real people! I silently cheered as each of the wooden actors was killed off. Good riddance! And good luck with that acting career.
As far as story, you never learn anything about the monster or what the fuck is going on. You're expected to hunt down tidbits of information on the web. Yeah, I don't know about you, but a movie is a movie. When it's done, I don't want to spend five hours trying to figure out what the fuck was going on in the movie. I want to have been entertained, maybe challenged a bit, and then move on with my life.
So as far as Cloverfield, you might want to take a pass and wait for the next field. I hear they have poppies there.
I really wanted to see this movie after the spectacular viral marketing campaign and knowing that JJ Abrams was involved. (I love Lost, Alias, and MI:III) Therefore, I was really disappointed by the movie. It seems like a universal rule: The greater the hype, the bigger the disappointment.
Aside from being shot in genuine shit-o-vision (the movie takes a Blair Witch approach, but turns of modern video camera features like screen steadying to make the picture jerk around barf-tasticly), the film just doesn't ever get over the main characters being fucking goofy morons. The main camera operator is a dumbass until the end, making stupid remarks like a hero from an action movie. That's pretty standard, except this movie is supposed to have been shot by real people! I silently cheered as each of the wooden actors was killed off. Good riddance! And good luck with that acting career.
As far as story, you never learn anything about the monster or what the fuck is going on. You're expected to hunt down tidbits of information on the web. Yeah, I don't know about you, but a movie is a movie. When it's done, I don't want to spend five hours trying to figure out what the fuck was going on in the movie. I want to have been entertained, maybe challenged a bit, and then move on with my life.
So as far as Cloverfield, you might want to take a pass and wait for the next field. I hear they have poppies there.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Are you, er, watching Sarah Connor?
I got a chance to watch the first episode of The Sarah Connor Chronicles this weekend. I have to say I'm impressed. They completely ignore T3 (Thank God!) and start their own timeline. The new Terminators are much more human in their actions, so they have a wider range of expression and therefore more possibilities exist for their characters. As much as I love Arnie as the T2 Terminator, you have to admit a season of his wooden robot mannerisms would have gotten old quick. Plus, Summer is easier on the eyes.
Leana Heady channels Linda Hamilton so well it's almost spooky. Her voice even has the same inflections as Hamilton's while doing the voice overs. Thomas Dekker is a fairly good John, and I would say an improvement over the previous two incarnations. (Let's face it, screechy-voiced John from T2 was the movie's most annoying aspect.) Summer Glau was the perfect choice for a female Terminator. She plays weird, emotionally distant characters very well. (Firefly, anyone?)
I'm downloading the second episode now, and crossing my fingers in hopes that they keep the quality up.
Leana Heady channels Linda Hamilton so well it's almost spooky. Her voice even has the same inflections as Hamilton's while doing the voice overs. Thomas Dekker is a fairly good John, and I would say an improvement over the previous two incarnations. (Let's face it, screechy-voiced John from T2 was the movie's most annoying aspect.) Summer Glau was the perfect choice for a female Terminator. She plays weird, emotionally distant characters very well. (Firefly, anyone?)
I'm downloading the second episode now, and crossing my fingers in hopes that they keep the quality up.
3:10 To Yuma
I'm not huge on westerns, but I do like well done ones. Silverado comes to mind. The Unforgiven. I recently watched Seraphim Falls, however, and it was horrible. Liam Neeson and James Bond, er, I mean Peirce Brosnan are great actors, but the movie was paced horribly slow, and the story just wasn't that gripping. Oh, and the ending was horrible.
3:10 To Yuma, on the other hand, was perfectly timed, well acted, and had a good ending. Russell Crowe and Christian Bale were fantastic as the main characters, and the supporting cast was just as good. There were a ton of cameos, but they were done well enough that they added to the movie, rather than distracting you from the show. All in all, a very enjoyable 2 hours.
3:10 To Yuma, on the other hand, was perfectly timed, well acted, and had a good ending. Russell Crowe and Christian Bale were fantastic as the main characters, and the supporting cast was just as good. There were a ton of cameos, but they were done well enough that they added to the movie, rather than distracting you from the show. All in all, a very enjoyable 2 hours.
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