Review in a Flash: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)

tmnt2014Sometimes I’m too lazy for a full-out piece. Sometimes everything I’ve got to say about a film can be summarized in a sentence or two. Sometimes it’s both. So herewith, a quick-n-dirty on the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

Nutshell: Gotta give TMNT a solid B. It’s not fine art, but then anyone going to this film expecting that is loco en la cabeza. The turtles are amazingly lifelike, proving that the Academy will have to start realizing that acting is more than getting your ownself on screen. Not a great story, but what more is needed than Bad vs. Good in a movie like this?

Before: Oh man. I don’t know anything about TMNT beyond pizza, Cowabunga, turtles, a rat and nuclear sludge. What have I done? Bonus points for the theater being filled with very, very young kids. (sarcasm) Please let the shrieking be kept to a minimum. PLEASE.

During: Okay, the beginning credits scene does exposition better than I’ve seen in awhile, and on-par with other “it’s fun to learn!” starting expo scenes like World War Z and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Plus, the moving-drawings style of animation here is beautiful, a very bare-bones Sin City, and that’s a good thing. And while I’m enjoying the film well enough, I’m definitely not enjoying it as much as Pumped Dad sitting immediately behind me. Then again this fella is probably the target demo; a 30-something dude that most likely grew up watching the original cartoons. Dude is stoked. Meanwhile, in my brain I’m loving the banter between the teen turtles, the grimy but groovy art direction and the motion-capture, which is perfect. Megan Fox & Will Arnett are great straight-humans to the turtles’ amped shenanigans and seem to be enjoying themselves. Fox does seem to take a bit of time warming up to the whole emoting thing, but she seems to be getting the hang of things quickly.

After: Hey! This wasn’t too bad. Okay, it wasn’t as amazing as Pumped Dad thought it was, but perhaps that’s because I’m not the target demographic. As I’d expected, the film was short on plot but long on quality FX and fandom shout-outs, and it’s basic “turtles save the day from Shredder’s fiendish plot” ain’t nothing new. But man, that Shredder in full battle gear may be too much for very young kids, though I heard not so much as an indrawn breath from even the tiniest kids at the screening. Guess they were as sucked in as Pumped Dad. Loved the end credits song “Shell Shocked”, a crazy blender-on-frappé tune performed by Juicy J, Wiz Khalifa and Ty Dolla $ign. Woop! Psst: no post-credits scene here. Move along once you’ve gotten your fill of the credits jam.

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Elsewhere Review: Magic in the Moonlight

First posted on Geek for e, the original piece can be found here.

Nutshell: I’d give Magic in the Moonlight a B.  Though it’s not Woody’s best, it’s a sure sight better than most of what’s out there right now.  Plus, Firth & Stone have undeniably sweet chemistry, and there’s plenty of quips to giggle over.  Love Eileen Atkins as Aunt Vanessa, and all the women’s costumes need to be in my closet Right Now.

Movie Review: Magic in the Moonlight

Twitview: Not his best, not his worst.  Firth & Stone are sweet and funny. B

Stanley (Colin Firth) hates a con artist.  Which is kind of ironic, as he’s a magician of the highest order, providing his audiences with grade-A illusions.  But outside of his day (night?) job, he’s a debunker of pseudo-mystics, and he loves his work.  So when his best — and only — friend Howard (Simon McBurney) calls upon him to help debunk a mystic that has her claws in a wealthy family down in the French Riviera, Stanley leaps at the opportunity.  But Sophie (Emma Stone) isn’t what he expects, and soon he’s questioning his ideals.  Should he stick with stodgy, disappointing truth or allow that there’s the possibility of magic and joy in the world?

The basic story here is Stanley’s battle with his own deeply held disbelief.  He’s desperate to hold on to the idea that there is no real magic in the world, that there’s an explanation for everything, and that the head trumps the heart every time.  Of course you know he’ll be taken down a peg or two.  Being as this is a Woody Allen joint though, Stanley will get a ton of wisecracks in before his inevitable shift in perspective.  Firth and McBurney have a wonderful lifelong pals chemistry, and although I’m sick to death of the May/December romances that litter Woody’s work, I have to admit that the chemistry between Firth and Stone is equally engaging.

Colin Firth is winning here, even though his Stanley is about as big a jerk as anyone could come across.  Plus, it’s good to see Firth dust off his Darcy, as Stanley is just as arrogant as his Austen counterpart. There’s even a playful wink-nudge for P&P fans, as Stanley plays out a scene that seems cribbed straight from Austen’s notebooks. Fun in it’s own right, but even better if you know the ‘95 BBC adaptation.  Sadly there’s no rising up from the lake in this film.  Sorry folks.

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Principal photography wraps on Petit biopic The Walk

LOVED Man on Wire. So I’m super interested in seeing how this film turns out. Enjoy!

Image: Gannett

Image: Takashi Seida (©2014 CTMG, INC All Rights Reserved.)

TRISTAR ANNOUNCES TITLE AND WRAP OF PRODUCTION FOR “THE WALK”3D / IMAX 3D CAPER FILM

DIRECTED BY ROBERT ZEMECKIS

STARRING JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT

BASED ON PHILIPPE PETIT’S BOOK “TO REACH THE CLOUDS”

Tomorrow Marks the 40th Anniversary of Petit’s August 7, 1974 Walk Between the Twin Towers

MONTRÉAL, Canada, August 6, 2014 – Principal photography has wrapped on the inaugural film from Tom Rothman’s TriStar Productions, now officially titled The Walk. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the film is a true story based on Philippe Petit’s book “To Reach the Clouds,” starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the young dreamer who dared the impossible: an illegal wire walk between the World Trade Center towers. Zemeckis wrote the screenplay with Christopher Browne. Producers are Steve Starkey, Robert Zemeckis, and Jack Rapke. The film will be released on October 2, 2015.

Tomorrow, August 7, is the 40th anniversary of the astounding event, now being brought back to vivid life in the third act climax of the film.

Twelve people have walked on the moon, but only one man has ever, or will ever, walk in the immense void between the World Trade Center towers. Guided by his real-life mentor, Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley), and aided by an unlikely band of international recruits, Petit and his gang overcome long odds, betrayals, dissension and countless close calls to conceive and execute their mad plan. Robert Zemeckis, the director of such marvels as Forrest Gump, Cast Away, Back to the Future, Polar Express and Flight, again uses cutting edge technology in the service of an emotional, character-driven story. With innovative photorealistic techniques and IMAX 3D wizardry, The Walk is true big-screen cinema, a chance for moviegoers to viscerally experience the feeling of reaching the clouds. The film is a love letter to Paris and New York City in the 1970s, but most of all, to the Towers of the World Trade Center.

Also starring in the film are James Badge Dale, Ben Schwartz, Charlotte Le Bon, Clément Sibony and César Domboy.the walk image2

The production’s creative team includes director of photography Dariusz Wolski, production designer Naomi Shohan, editor Jeremiah O’Driscoll, and costume designer Suttirat Larlarb. The composer is Alan Silvestri.

Moviegoers can follow the film on the official movie site at http://www.thewalkmovie.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TheWalkMovie or on Twitter @TheWalkMovie.

About Sony Pictures Entertainment

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com.

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Phoenix AZ’s FearCON will be TWO days of mayhem this year.

 

Two of my favorite words; Fear and Con. Together.  FearCON!  Niiiiice.  And now there’s two days rather than their usual one.  But this year they’re doing it outside.  In Phoenix.  That should be interesting.  Luckily it’s in November, and they’re doing an Indigogo drive to finance a tent for the convention goers.  Backing the project gets you discount tix.  Again with the niiiiice.

I wonder if I can make it down there.  With the November 1st start date, it’s right at All Saint’s Day.  Oooooh, so perfect.  Perfectly scary!  Now I’m jonesing for October’s scary vibe….

Read on for the full deets!

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Free Baltimore screening TOMORROW: hey, Let’s Be Cops!

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Just got this, just sharing it.

Looks like a hoot. Personally, I think they should be pushing the Nina Dobrev angle – hello VD fandom! – but hey…

LET’S BE COPS

Action-Comedy
Release: Wednesday, August 13, 2014
MPAA Rating: R
Run Time: 105 minutes
Director: Luke Greenfield
Cast: Damon Wayans Jr., Jake Johnson, Rob Riggle, Nina Dobrev, James D’Arcy and Andy Garcia.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlMIRn1_q5c

Synopsis:

It’s the ultimate buddy cop movie except for one thing: they’re not cops.  When two struggling pals dress as police officers for a costume party, they become neighborhood sensations.  But when these newly-minted “heroes” get tangled in a real life web of mobsters and dirty detectives, they must put their fake badges on the line.

Deets:

When: Thursday, August 7, 7:00pm

Where: Landmark Harbor East

How: clicky!  http://l.gofobo.us/bxPM8FCm

REMEMBER: seating for screenings are always first come, first served and are not guaranteed. So get there early to get a seat.

Good luck everyone!

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Rashida Jones, Cobie Smulders, and Angela Kinsey Dive in to Help Oceana Protect Belizean Reefs

Love these three ladies. Love the Oceana organization. Leonardo DiCaprio helped out earlier this year, now it’s Rashida, Cobie and Angela. Niiiiice!

Read on. Read on!

(Psst: it was tough picking just a few pics. So here’s the whole set!)

oceana_logo
New PSA and Photos Show Celebrity Trio Using Star Power to Protect the Oceans

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — A trio of Hollywood celebrities recently took their star power to Belize to help Oceana protect the largest reef in the Western hemisphere. Cobie Smulders, Rashida Jones and Angela Kinsey traveled to coastal Belize, where they raised awareness for this delicate ocean ecosystem and promoted Oceana’s ongoing work in the country.

Cobie Smulders of “How I Met Your Mother” fame filmed a new Oceana PSA in the stunning South Water Caye Marine Reserve where she visited a unique island made of mangrove trees. She swam through this critical habitat that is home to juvenile reef fish and provides shelter for them to grow before they settle on the nearby barrier reef. Once back on dry land at the Pelican Bay Resort, Smulders remarked on how amazing it was to see such a diverse and important habitat just beyond the surface of the water.

“Maybe because it’s underwater people don’t really think about it as much, but this reef is Belize and you just want it to always be there,” said Smulders. “It was really interesting to see how necessary these habitats are for the good of the reef. Oceana works really well with local governments and communities to empower them and educate them in how to preserve their local marine habitats,” she added.

A short ride away to the north, friends and “The Office” co-stars Rashida Jones and Angela Kinsey traveled together to the island of Ambergris Caye, where they stayed at The Phoenix Resort, right next to the second-largest barrier reef in the world. Oceana took Angela and Rashida snorkeling in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, where they learned about the various pressures facing this reef ecosystem and marveled at the sharks, turtles, fish, and rays that flooded this protected area.

“You can tell this area is totally protected because every fish is like ‘I’m hanging out here!'” commented Kinsey after her first snorkel. “I felt like I was in a giant encyclopedia of fish. You really see how important protecting their habitat is.”

“Hol Chan [marine reserve] is like the 405!” added Jones. “There’s every type of creature imaginable. It’s amazing to see that type of diversity in one snorkel.”

Since opening its Belize office in 2009, Oceana has tallied a number of impressive victories that include securing a national ban on destructive bottom trawling in all Belizean waters, and advocating against offshore oil drilling in Belize’s incredible marine environment.

Join Cobie, Rashida and Angela in protecting the ocean’s hidden treasures by visiting www.oceana.org/hiddentreasures.

Oceana is the largest international advocacy group working solely to protect the world’s oceans. Oceana wins policy victories for the oceans using science-based campaigns. Since 2001, we have protected over 1.2 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea turtles, sharks, dolphins and other sea creatures. More than 600,000 supporters have already joined Oceana. Global in scope, Oceana has offices in North, South and Central America and Europe. To learn more, please visit www.oceana.org.

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Wanna know the Theory of Everything? Here’s the trailer!

In April we saw the first images for the new Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything. Now here’s the trailer! And check out the synopsis:

Starring Eddie Redmayne (“Les Misérables”) and Felicity Jones (“The Amazing Spider-Man 2”), this is the extraordinary story of one of the world’s greatest living minds, the renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, who falls deeply in love with fellow Cambridge student Jane Wilde. Once a healthy, active young man, Hawking received an earth-shattering diagnosis at 21 years of age. With Jane fighting tirelessly by his side, Stephen embarks on his most ambitious scientific work, studying the very thing he now has precious little of – time. Together, they defy impossible odds, breaking new ground in medicine and science, and achieving more than they could ever have dreamed. The film is based on the memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, by Jane Hawking, and is directed by Academy Award winner James Marsh (“Man on Wire”).

#TheTheoryOfEverything

What do you think?

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Wayback Review: Restless

Originally published on Atomic Popcorn: read the original piece here.

I’d nutshell this, but honestly?  I’d almost forgotten I’d seen this, and that intrigued me enough to re-post.  But I do remember it pulled all the right strings, and had a love/hate relationship with the ending.

Movie Review — Restless

It’s October.  A time when Ghoulies, Ghosties and Long-Legged Beasties roam the earth.  But if you start seeing the ghost of a World War II Japanese kamikaze fighter pilot, you’re probably Enoch Brae, the central character of Restless.  And that’s not a bad place to be.

Enoch is an odd kid.  If your name is Enoch you probably have to be a loner slack indie hipster.  It’s probably the law.  Enoch traces his outline in chalk, as you’d do for someone who has died.  He hangs out with a ghost that regularly beats him at Battleship.  And Enoch crashes funerals.  One day, during his usual round of funeral-hopping, he meets Annabel, a beautiful little Mia Farrow doppelganger that is almost as quirky as he is.  The two strike up a friendship, Enoch finds out Annabel has terminal brain cancer, and the rest of the film is about the time they spend together.

This ain’t your momma’s “terminally ill pretty thing heading for the light” kinda film.  Annabel isn’t raging against the dying of the light (or if she is we don’t see it), instead she’s trying to enjoy the time she has left by doing whatever she wants.  Mostly that’s dressing like a cross between Audrey Hepburn and Zooey Deschanel — I’d like 15 minutes in the costuming room of this movie, a big bag, and a lack of security — and trying to get Enoch to realize that he’s in love with her.  She succeeds on both counts.

Relative newcomer Henry Hopper plays Enoch, and he does a good job of playing a messed up kid that spends so much time pushing others away he doesn’t even like himself very much.  Pixie-like Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) plays Annabel, and her not-entirely-here beauty is tailor made for the role.  Ryo Kase (Letters from Iwo Jima) is Hiroshi Takahashi, the ghostly kamikaze pilot that is Enoch’s best friend, and Gus Van Sant (Milk, Good Will Hunting) does an amazing job weaving their stories together to form a cohesive tale that builds toward it’s tragic, but ultimately satisfying conclusion.  Van Sant gets quirky, and lets the story unspool at it’s own pace, something that movies rarely do in today’s crash-bang-boom era.  In a world where viewers are pulled along at warp speed through all sorts of stories, it’s refreshing to have a tale that finds it’s own rhythm and sticks with it.

A lovely, quirky score by Danny “Somebody Give This Dude An Oscar” Elfman, ties scenes together and gives a light touch to the darker aspects of the film.  And have I mentioned how the costuming of Annabel has pulled all the strings on my covetous, baser nature?  All the costuming should be commended for lending a timelessness to the film, instead of going for the easy on-trend pieces that would date this piece by the end of the year.  Yes, there’s an unusual amount of pretty in Annabel’s terminal illness, but there’s a surprising lack of sap that makes Restless head and shoulders better than sobfests like Terms of Endearment and Love Story.

Relax, slow down, and let yourself meet the speed of this curious little film.  You’ll be glad you did.

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Small Press Expo’s 20th Anniversary = great guests!

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Image: SPX

Dig the indie scene man?  The SPX (Small Press Expo) is where it’s at, for indie comics.

It’s the weekend after the big Baltimore Comic-Con blowout, so if you’re a fan o’ comics there’s no need to choose between the two.  That’s Saturday/Sunday, September 13, 14 , in Bethesda, MD.

Read on for the full release, with complete deets!

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More guests sign on for Baltimore Comic-Con: Blanch! Lee! Mhan!

Phew. BronyCon was 200% cooler than I thought it’d be. Otakon’s schedule is up. (Guidebook is your Con friend y’all.) But ’tis Con Season, so that means I ain’t done yet — Baltimore Comic-Con has announced even more guests!  I know, right?

Gotta get my paws on The Damnation of Charlie Wormwood; Blanch’s Thrillbent-to-Dynamite (aka Web-to-Print) work is definitely the good stuff.  Plus, Norman Lee; he works on freakin’ Iron Man!  And I hope I can see Mhan draw close-up, for his Spidey covers are gorgeous.

Read on for the full press release, and don’t forget that this year’s BCC is September 5-7!

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