Movie Review: Rock of Ages

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Denise

Up all night!  Sleep all day!  Ahh, the life of a rock star.  Or, in the film Rock of Ages, the life of rock singers, fans and the folks that own the places you go to get your rock on.  This film delivers all the spectacle and shine of 80s rock-n-roll with an all-star cast that may play fast and loose with the storyline but never holds back on talent or entertainment.  Is it Glee with AquaNet?  Yeah, but that’s not a bad thing.  This film makes me wanna whip out the denim mini and tease up my hair (oh who am I kidding; I never needed to tease, as I’m a natural born frizzball.)  Never thought I’d say this, but damn I miss the 80s.

It’s 1987 and Sherrie Christian is just a small-town girl, livin’ in…Oklahoma.  Til she decides to hop on a bus and head to LA.  Her precious record collection is stolen from her almost immediately, but a hunky barkeep named Drew comes to her aid.  He also gets her a job at The Whiskey Bourbon Room, “the” place for rock-n-roll on the LA strip.  Unfortunately, new mayoral candidate Mike Whitmore wants to clean up the strip, and his wife Patricia is just the gal to do it.  Before you can say Tipper Gore, Patricia is out picketing with her bible groupies.  Meanwhile, the Bourbon Room’s owner Dennis is setting up for the biggest concert of his club’s history; the final show from Arsenal, whose batshit crazy lead singer Stacee Jaxx is about to launch a solo career.  Can Sherrie and Drew find love with all this going on?  Uh, this is based on a Broadway musical, do you think they’ll let you down?

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Movie Review from Sleeping Hedgehog: Snow White and the Huntsman

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Denise

As always, clicky for the full review!

It’s been said that Snow White and the Huntsman is a “visual tour-de-force”.  That it is, without question.  But what it isn’t is a coherent, evenly-paced film.  The fault of this lies with new feature film director Rupert Sanders, whose current directorial style is to let his actors go about their business however they like.  These actors do provide brilliant performances, no doubt.  But without a director that knows how to balance these performances and deliver a film that doesn’t seem like various scenes tacked together with glue, these performances become puzzling, or worse; unintentionally comical.

But first, the good.  Sanders, a director so new to the feature film game that his IMDb page is all but empty, is an experienced commercial director.  He got this gig by presenting a short film that showed his idea of how the film should look and feel.  He nailed that.  Snow White and the Huntsman is visual eye candy for people who love their fantasy with a tinge of darkness.  Mushrooms blink up at you, tiny fuzz-covered fairies fly off in a puff of golden dust, and enormous tree beasts make the forest an evil, beautiful delight.  He also had the good sense to hire a mythology consultant and a military consultant; bits of old-school fables and fight styles give the film a touch of class.  Pity he didn’t nail the working-with-people part.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.

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News-a-palooza!

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Denise

A little update from my ramblings at Geek for e.  As always, clicky for the full post!

Stan “The Man” Lee coming back to Baltimore Comic-Con!

I love Baltimore Comic-Con, I won’t lie.  It’s the geekiest of the larger Comic-Cons, which means more time to spend with the designers, writers and developers of the comics/graphic novels you love (or love to watch on tv; can I get a what-what, The Walking Dead?)

Now, there’s something more to celebrate as Stan Lee, THE man of Marvel, returns to Baltimore Comic-Con this year.  Sweet!

His visit last year was a huge success — anyone who saw or waited in the looooong lines waiting to say hello to him can attest to that — so I’m glad to see he’s coming back.

Trailer for House at the End of the Street up on Apple.com

Don’t Look In The Basement.  Last House On The Left.  The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane.  Seriously, it’s getting so that our homes aren’t the safe havens we like to think they are.  Now the latest film to chill you right out of your lovely two-bedroom mortgage payment is House at the End of the Street.  It stars Hunger Games wondergirl Jennifer Lawrence, and it looks like it’ll be some spooky…shut yo’ mouth.

Read on, if you dare!

Behold…Frankenweenie!

Oh stop.  It’s totally SFW.  Frankenweenie isn’t the latest Ron Jeremy film, it’s the latest Tim Burton animation-fest!  Based on his 1984 short film of the same name, it’s sure to be an adorable heart-tugger.

Read on to see the brand-new “one sheet” (or poster, as you like)….

What’s Moonrise Kingdom? A record-breaking new movie, that’s what.

I adore Wes Anderson movies.  Okay, maybe Bottle Rocket didn’t do it for me, but Rushmore?  The Life Aquatic?  Absolutely.  Not to mention The Royal Tennenbaums, one of my top-ten movies of all time.  (Hey, it’s like he filmed my life y’all.)

Anyway, his latest is Moonrise Kingdom, and last weekend it set a record by posting “the highest recorded per-theater average for a live-action movie released domestically.”  Not to shabby.

Read on for more info from the folks at Focus Features!

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The Tumbler Tour made Charm City feel a little safer

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Denise

How was your Memorial Day?  Hope you didn’t melt, that’d be bad.  A ton of folks braved the unacceptably hot weather to take an advance peek at the Bat Pod and Tumbler from The Dark Knight Rises.  Totally worth it.

Could we take a ride or sit inside?  No; this was for outer beauty only (plus, I hear there will be some sweet awesomeness featuring these babies.  Don’t want to spoil the surprise for everyone, amirite?)

Slideshow of Batness, commence!

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The Bat Pod and Tumbler will be at the Inner Harbor on Monday!

Posted on May 26, 2012 by Denise

ZOMG — The Dark Knight Rises is coming.  But his groovy rides are coming even sooner…..

Take it away, press release!

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Hysteria opens in Baltimore, The Great Gatsby trailer is upon us

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Denise

The “how the west found vibrators” film Hysteria opens in Baltimore June 1st, and I for one couldn’t be happier.  Been looking forward to this film for months.  I do believe this will be a Bringing In Wine type of movie.  C’mon; Maggie is sure to be brilliant, and hilarious.  Bottoms up!  And yes, the double entendre was intentional.

Take it away, press release!

Please note that Sony Pictures Classics’ upcoming release, HYSTERIA, will open at the Charles Theatre in Baltimore, MD on Friday, June 1st.

Starring Hugh Dancy and Maggie Gyllenhaal, HYSTERIA is a cheeky romantic comedy set in Victorian London about the invention of the world’s first vibrator. The film also stars Jonathan Pryce, Rupert Everett, Gemma Jones and Felicity Jones.

We invite you to view the trailer here: www.hysteriathefilm.com

Plus, if you haven’t seen the trailer for Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby, check it out.  The trailer is up and runnin’…on serious beats from Jack White.  Just another movie that serves to remind me how much I love the groovy fashions of the 20s and 30s.  Mmm…sigh.

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The Butcher Brother’s follow up to The Hamiltons – The Thompsons

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Denise

I caught The Hamiltons during the 8 Films To Die For fest in 2006. It was a great spin on the uber-bloody films that had been hitting the local multiplexes; not that uber-bloody is a bad thing, but I respected the hell out of the Butcher Brothers’ twist on the genre.

Now, finally, we get a taste of the sequel. The Thompsons looks like a bloodier, more in-your-face film, which isn’t surprising now that the surprise twist from the first movie is out of the bag. The Thompsons (Hamiltons, whatevs) go in search of others like them. Hilarity ensues.

As I am creeped out and turned on by the teaser poster, you know my tuchas will be firmly planted in a first-row/second-section seat. (I like to put my feet up on the rollercoaster-like bar. Don’t hate.)  Clicky on the link below for a full-screen view of the new trailer (thanks to the folks at Daily Motion!)

The Thompsons trailer
The Thompsons – Trailer (VO) by ohmygore

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The Dictator and Rise of the Guardians at the Cannes Film Festival

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Denise

Da da dada dada dat dat Circus!  Da da dada dada dat dat Afro, circus afro!  Circus afro! Polka dot polka dot polka dot, AFRO!

Yes, that song has been playing in my head AAAAAAAAAALL day.  Thank you, Chris Rock.  And also?  Halloween costume managed.

But enough about Madagascar 3.  Although the weather here in my ‘hood is pretty nice today, what I’d rather be doing is lounging on the French Riviera.  Amirite?  For those of us that aren’t able to do that, here are a few pics from the Cannes Film Festival, going on right now. So check the latest pics of Sasha Baron Cohen as The Dictator‘s Admiral General Aladeen, and the Rise of the Guardians Q&A panel.

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Movie news and a review from Geek for e

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Denise

The latest over at Geek for e.  Tada!  As always, clicky to see the full piece….

No Mother’s Day Weekend plans? The Artist is re-releasing this weekend!

It’s already Tuesday.  Flowers die, your mom is trying a new health kick so chocolate is out.  What to do?  Well, you could take her to the movies (or treat yourself, if she’s too far or she’s you)….  In fact, it’s a great time to head out to the multiplex, as The Weinstein Company is re-releasing their Oscar smash, The Artist!

Here in the Baltimore area you can catch The Artist this weekend at these theaters:
* AMC Owings Mills 14
*  The Annapolis Mall 11 Cinema
*  Eastpoint Movies 10

Movie Review: Sound of My Voice

Friends Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling wrote Sound of My Voice as a reaction to the shock they had felt moving to Southern California.  We’ve all heard about how everyone seems to be searching for something in the bright Cali sun, and here, in Sound of My Voice, is a breathtaking look at how far some people will go to belong to something.  Utterly mesmerizing and beautifully acted, this is a hauntingly brilliant film that leaves you with more questions than answers.  Instead of tying things up with a bow, Sound of My Voice lets you draw your own conclusions; a brave piece of filmmaking that stands out among most of today’s cookie-cutter productions.  This is the movie Martha Marcy May Marlene wanted to be but just missed.

Maryland-based film Lovely Molly hits Cinemark Egyptian May 18th

You do all the right things to support local businesses; you shop local stores, you visit farmers markets and you even buy locally made beer (or maybe that’s just me — holla Heavy Seas!)  But now you can hit Cinemark Egyptian and support a movie that was shot here in the Free State. Creepy-cool horror movie Lovely Molly hits three cities in it’s opening weekend, New York, L.A. and Baltimore.  If you liked The Blair Witch Project, this one should be on your radar, since Eduardo Sánchez wrote and directed this film and that instant classic of the found-footage genre.

Check out Batman’s Tumbler and Bat-Pod when they come to Baltimore!

The final film of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, is coming our way soon.  But we’ll get an up-close look at two of the coolest machines this side of Gotham when Batman’s Bat-Pod and his brand-new Tumbler hit Baltimore.  Yes, they’re coming to Charm City.  Sweet, right?  Well, here’s how to get a peek….

The Latest Movie News: Gangster Squad, Getaway and Las Vegas

Yeah, you’re still trying to re-watch The Hunger Games and Marvel’s The Avengers.  I know.  I’m right there with you.  But there are other movies coming at us while Summer Blockbuster Season hits us full force.  Read on for more info on these upcoming films!

 

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Digging around Dark Shadows

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Denise

If only the movie was as groovy as this poster....

It’s been a given that Tim Burton has a way with strange material.  Edward Scissorhands, The Corpse Bride, Alice In Wonderland, all are wonderfully dark confections.  But he’s had his share of duds, bless his heart.  I’m still trying to get over Ape-braham Lincoln in his Planet of the Apes flop re-do.  But I love me some Dark Shadows — used to run home after school to catch the repeats when I was a kid —  and the idea of Burton & Depp paying a loving homage to this crazy, creepy soap opera sounded like a perfect fit.  Ah, I was so young and full of hope.

Whazzat?  That huge CLAAAANG you heard was the hollow, leaden plot clunking down with a loud bang. It’s as if Burton and Depp had a great idea…and then decided the idea alone would be awesome.  Fun in parts, yes.  But awesome?  Not so much.  It’s like a chocolate easter bunny; beautiful to look at, delightful at the start, but then you get to the empty heart of it and all you’re left with is a funky aftertaste and a wish for something more.

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