Movie Review: Marvel’s The Avengers

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Denise

Well, here it is folks.  We’ve clamored for and spent hours dissecting post-movie easter egg scenes in Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Captain America and Thor.  Hooted with excitement with each tidbit, teaser trailer and footage release.  Now, we’ve got the assemblage: Marvel’s The Avengers has arrived.  Does it live up to the hype we’ve created in our own minds?  Yes and no.  If you’re a true Marvel-addict, this will be the crack that will have you flying…well, at least ‘til The Amazing Spider-Man (or more likely ‘til DC’s The Dark Knight Rises, but either way it’s a buzz that’ll last for two months y’all).  If you’re somebody that just digs an action movie but doesn’t know the backstory?  You’ll be amazed, but you may not enjoy it as much as the fanboys hugging each other next to you are enjoying it.  The moral here kiddies?  Like your teachers told ya in school, do your research.  If you do, you’ll be rewarded.  And you’ll get geek cred, always a good thing, people.

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Movie news catch-up

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Denise

As always, click the title to read the original post!

Take a peek at the Chernobyl Diaries

Chernobyl.  Like Three Mile Island, only a thousand times worse.  Even 25 years later, the area in and around Chernobyl is “unsound”.  Sounds like the perfect vacay spot! If you just read that and thought “not for a million bucks”, you’re a heck of a lot more intelligent than the characters in Chernobyl Diaries, the […]

Rock of Ages soundtrack hitting stores June 5th

You’ve seen Tom Cruise rock out with his pecs out.  You’ve seen Catherine Zeta-Jones all buttoned up.  And now the soundtrack for Rock of Ages has an official go-date: June 5th, almost two weeks before the film’s debut. Wanna know what’s on on tap?  Yeah you do.  Rock read on, my friends.

Towson rolls out the red carpet for Crooked Arrows

Hey, you know how Terps lacrosse tend to really kick some serious…crosse?  (What; I’m a Terp!  Hey, it’s better than saying balls, right?)  Well, you also knew that lacrosse has it’s origins in Native American sports, yes?  No?  Well, it’s time to get schooled and walk the red carpet at the premiere of Crooked Arrows.  […]

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Need a horror comics fix? Let the Ghastly Awards help!

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Denise

Mmm, horror comics.  So creepy, so bloody.  So amazingly drawn and written!

If you’re like me, you find yourself falling into the same-ol’, same-ol’ when it comes to gettin’ your horror on.  For me, it’s The Walking Dead, 28 Days Later, Crossed and the odd one-shot volume I stumble on.  But hey; the folks over at the Ghastly Awards are here to lend a hand.  Yeah, so they’re really giving out the 411 for folks in the biz to vote on the best of the best…but that doesn’t mean we can’t take advantage of the tips, right?  Right.

So, right from the press release’s mouth, here’s a look at what the pros are looking at!

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New pics of Scrat and the gang in Ice Age: Continental Drift

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Denise

I love me some Scrat.  He’s adorable, and let’s face it; that’s one little dude that knows what he wants.

Seen the Scrat short film for Ice Age: Continental Drift?  How about the follow-up?  I’m interested to see how the whole pirate-thing gets the Ice Age treatment.  It’s gotta have at least a few  moments of awesome, what with Peter Dinklage voicing villainous Captain Gutt.  (Plus, I hear Dennis Leary’s Diego gets a ladyfriend, voiced by none other than Jennifer Lopez.)

So let’s check out the new pics from Blue Sky Studios!

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Ice Age: Continental Drift opens on July 13, 2012.  That’s Friday the 13th folks.  Shiver me timbers!

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New images for Breaking Dawn Part 2!

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Denise

If you’re like me, you want to be snobby and dislike the Twilight movies.  But their too much fun, so you can’t help yourself.  Go ahead, give in.  There’s always the promise of a drinking game to liven things up (I prefer the ones over at Forever Young Adult, but surf away; you’ll be amazed.)  Of course, you can always substitute booze for chocolate, but I say why not both?

And speaking of why not both, take a gander at Jacob and Edward (with Bella, natch) in the new pics from Summit Entertainment.  Mmm, looking pretty groovy.  Full sized, for your viewing pleasure:

Gotta say I’m loving Bella’s red eyes.  I was worried — after all that sparkling in the first film — that they’d over-vamp Bella, but it’s very low key, so it works.  And it’s good to see that Jacob isn’t done with his pity party.  He looks good when he broods.

Bring on the next teaser trailer — I wanna see some Bella vampiric action!

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (and am I the only one that adds “Electric Boogaloo” to this title?) opens November 16, 2012.

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A few movie news updates….

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Denise

The latest bits of info the Press Release Bandwagon has sent my way.  Clicky to read the full piece (all three are at Geek for e)….

 

10 minutes of The Hobbit screened at CinemaCon

 

Jackie Robinson gets a new biofilm with “42″

 

John Cusack gets star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

 

And one bit of “movie news” that I’ve been digging on: Snow White & The Huntsman has a tie-in with Benefit cosmetics.  Pretty groovy stuff.  They even have tutorials on how to mimic particular looks based on the film.  My favorite?  “Rise to the Calling”.  What can I say; I’m a neutrals kinda gal.  Oh, and they have a contest to win a screening party through their Facebook page.  Not to shabby.  Though I’ll most likely be at a screening, mainlining Good-n-Plentys like it’s my job.

 

 

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“She Said”…on Think Like A Man

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Denise

My fellow critic-in-arms Rock Young penned the review of Think Like A Man for Geek for e, but I figured the entire bit of blather from my thoughts on the film should be tossed posted here for…posterity?  Something?
Anyway, here ’tis.


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Movie Review: The Lucky One

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Denise


I’m not what one would consider a girly-girl.  But I have a hidden weakness for really bad chick flicks.  Or what others consider really bad, because I think they’re awesome.  Movies like The Holiday, When In Rome and Maid In Manhattan?  Love ‘em.  The unbelievable stories, sticky-sweet “meet cute” moments, and utterly implausible happy endings are like crack to my little brain.  Still, I wasn’t particularly excited about heading to see The Lucky One.  Because there’s good-bad movies, and there are bad-bad movies (All About Steve, Kate and Leopold? I’m talking about you.)  I worried this newest entry into the Nicholas Sparks cannon would be a complete suckfest.  Why?  Anytime there’s a teen heartthrob trying to be a “real man” now that he’s post-puberty, it doesn’t particularly work well. So the film ends up falling out of the fun-for-a-goof category and lands smack dab in the middle of Movies To Pity.

The Lucky One starts out with an extreme wide shot, as a small boat chugs along the reedy waterways of Nowheresville, Louisiana.  Zac Efron’s voice floats over the scene, and I second-guessed my decision not to have a few beers to deaden the pain I was certain to endure.  Then a strange thing happened.  The Lucky One started to grow on me.  And so what started out as a movie I figured I’d need to be blotto to endure turned into a guilty pleasure.  Nobody is as shocked as I am at this turn of events.

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Review-a-palooza!

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Denise

The latest reviews, from Geek for e and Sleeping Hedgehog.  And even a book review!  Yes, I can read.  I can also clean up HTML to make it look all similar and pretty-like, but I’m lazy.  There, now you know for sure.

As always, clicky on a heading for the full review!


It started out as a whisper in a bar, as many things do.  “You haven’t read The Hunger Games yet?  Why not?  You really need to.  Seriously.”  Then there was the lost weekend when my brain snarfed down all three volumes in one sitting, breaking only for the usual eating and sleeping and such.  Now there’s a film in theaters based on the first book (more on that in another review).  So what’s the big deal?

The big deal is that this series deals with timely issues in a timeless fashion; by blending modern-day issues like humanity’s current obsession with reality TV with classic mythology, The Hunger Games is a tale that pushes all the right buttons.  It has gore, love and a feel-good triumph over a corrupt government system, this series advocates while it entertains.  A science-fiction story that reads like fiction (in other words, it’s not “too weird” for non-genre folk.)  No wonder it’s so friggin’ popular.

The Hunger Games is the latest film to get the “Hollywood Blockbuster” moniker, and the latest piece of cinema entertainment launched from a series of popular YA fiction.  The books are amazing, like the Harry Potter series, and the stars of The Hunger Games are appealing, like the stars of Twilight.  But instead of being the latest cut-and-paste Hollywood cash-grab, it’s something more.  It’s a movie that makes you think.  And it works in your little ol’ cerebrum by being so dang entertaining that you find yourself leaving the theater thinking about morality in the face of self preservation and how absolute power corrupts absolutely, all without barely realizing it.  That a film can deliver these affecting messages in such a quiet manner is downright… subversive.  And I’d bet that’s just how the downtrodden masses of Panem would want it.

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Movie Review: The Cabin in the Woods

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Denise

I have a love/hate relationship with Joss Whedon.  On the one hand, there’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.  On the other, Dollhouse (sorry, never did get into it), the fun but mostly messy “Buffy Season 8” graphic series, and YOU KILLED FRED YOU BASTARD.  (Though Whedon’s re-vamp of Much Ado About Nothing, with Amy Ackers as Beatrice, could go a long way towards forgiveness.  Kinda.)  When Joss said he was going to “attempt to revitalize the horror film which…had ‘devolved’ with the introduction of ‘torture porn'”, I got excited.  Because I cannot stand pointless horror films that amount to nothing more than an over-glorification of senseless death.  Gory slashers, fine.  But don’t crap on my parade with a shocking ending that is no longer shocking, and that adds insult to injury by leaving the door open for an even crappier sequel.  Although The Cabin in the Woods starts off as a deliciously creepy surprise, it sputters out and ends with a weak-willed bang that’s more okey-dokey than awesome.  This is a film that has too many good ideas, and loses itself in the weight of it’s own excess.

Must. Not. Let. Cat. Out. Of. Bag.

It’s difficult to discuss this movie without spoiling the heavily hyped “game changing” plot points.  So let’s just cut to the chase, shall we?  The Cabin In The Woods is a Whedonphile’s dream come true.  It’s got everything his acolytes want; actors from his TV shows, snarky dialogue and constant snide nudge-nudges at genre clichés.  Though it was fun to watch, it wasn’t the satisfying concoction I’d been hoping for.  Viewers who haven’t memorized all the episodes of BtVS and Angel may think this stuff is a revelation, but halfway in, The Cabin in the Woods feels like Joss’ Greatest Hits playing at a multiplex near you.  Not necessarily a bad thing, but nothing truly new either.

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