Entries
Unlimited Theater Movies for $50 a Month? Nope.
We are all guilty of theater-hopping on at least one, two, or, if hard-pressed, maybe even a couple hundred occasions. Once upon a time, movie theaters stationed stub-checking ushers at the front of each auditorium between shows. Today, most theater …
So, What Are You Doing Tonight?
Stay with me on this one... When I think of Star Wars, I tend to think of this speech from Commissioner Gordon in Frank Miller's Batman story, The Dark Knight Returns: And you, dear reader, may not see what this …
Small Screen: Has George Lucas Taught Us Nothing?
So AMC Networks (Mad Men, Breaking Bad, other stuff) went public just now, and sadly, shares are trading a little lower than expected. (Guess maybe they should have made nicer with Mr. Weiner?) In response, AMC CEO Josh Sapan emphasized …
For Scorsese, Life Is No Longer a "Cabret"
First it was titled The Invention of Hugo Cabret, then Hugo Cabret. Now word has it that Martin Scorsese's 3-D adaptation of mega-selling author Brian Selznick's novel is simply, Hugo. Personally, I call it the Best Picture of 2011...I hope. …
Local Filmmaker Asks for Community Support
Paul Espinosa Paul Espinosa needs our help. The documentary filmmaker (The Lemon Grove Incident, The New Tijuana, In the Shadow of the Law), professor, activist and founding member of the Board for the San Diego Latino Film Festival, is holding …
Played Out: A Final Thought on Super 8 Director J.J. Abrams
Presented by some of his characters. Dear J.J. - sooner or later, you're going to have to figure out what's in the box. (Of course, I could be wrong.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpjVgF5JDq8
Played Out: MST3K Takes On The Tree of Life [UPDATED]
[UPDATE: Now slightly funnier!] Well, it seems like a good idea at the time...but let us leave this joke on a cheerful note, with Mr. Sean (Chuckles) Penn himself... Related.
What's the Matter(horn) with Disney's lack of Originality?
When it comes to being green, no studio recycles their own garbage with more aplomb than the Walt Disney Company. Spielberg and Lucas were the first to turn movie theatres into children's thrill rides, but leave it to the house …
Speaking of stealing...
A while back, I wrote a story with Reader film critic David Elliott about Dennis Hopper. Elliott selected nine films from the Hopper canon, I watched 'em, and then we exchanged thoughts. The only one I couldn't find on video …
In Space, No One Can Hear You Steal
So here's the brand-new trailer for Apollo 18: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-82qd_rCzOs Check out right around 1:05. "It's inside my suit." Hmmmm... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J8mOOtS7XI It's a nicely done slow open, but you want to just get to the point, go ahead and skip to …
Reviews!
Reader critic David Elliott stays strong and resists the bright shiny thing that is Transformers: Dark of the Moon, opting instead for Le Quattro Volte, Page One: Inside the New York Times, and Viva Riva!, a film which necessitates an …
To Zoom Or Not to Zoom?
The zoom lens is the most useless gadget in a lazy cinematographer's toolbox. Why hand crank a lens when you can move a camera? So what it you have to hire grips, lay and level track, rehearse the movement, use …
War Horse
Filmdrunk had the quickness of mind to run this gag comparing Spielberg's upcoming War Horse with Stiller's Simple Jack, and I salute him for it. But even though those funny pink pills I took last night make quick thinking pretty …
Why Porn Movies Deserve To Die Out
Modern day porn movies are notorious for their ridiculous and idiotic titles. Looking at a porn star's list of film names would have been funny to me a few years ago. Now, it's just sad and disturbing to realize that …
Sunday Dinner And a Movie From Big!Lots
On alternate Sunday evenings for the past 10-years, it’s been my pleasure to dine with friends, both of whom I consider to be highly cineliterate. These outings have become bi-monthly vacations from cinema, with the added benefit of exceptional conversation …
Oh, dear, Megan, Part 3
Wrapping up our coverage of Megan Fox's photobombing of her replacement Rosie Huntington-Whitely at the Transformers: Dark of the Moon VIP screening at the IMAX Waterloo in London. Director Michael Bay also paused for a few pics, and apparently, that …
Oh, dear, Megan, Part 2
Continuing our coverage of Megan Fox's photobombing of Rosie Huntington-Whitely at the Transformers: Dark of the Moon screening at the IMAX Waterloo in London... In explaining the difficulties that arose between Fox and director Michael Bay on the Transformers set, …
Oh, dear, Megan, Part 1
So as I'm sure everybody in the free world knows, Rosie Huntington-Whitely replaced Megan Fox as Shia LaBeouf's arm candy in the latest installment of the unbelievably profitable Transformers franchise. Why the switcheroo? It may have something to do with …
10 Ways for Michele Bachmann to Tell the Difference Between John Wayne and John Wayne Gacy
While out stumping in Waterloo, Iowa, Republican presidential wannabe Michele Bachmann compared her character to that of legendary right-wing movie star John Wayne. She told a reporter for Fox News, "John Wayne was from Waterloo, Iowa," and "that's the kind …