Posted Aug 11th 2008 10:02AM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Action, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fandom, Remakes and Sequels, Monday Morning Poll, Polls
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I'm heading out to watch
Star Wars: The Clone Wars later on today, and while a part of me is excited to be revisiting some of my all time favorite characters, the rest is sort of "eh" about the whole thing. And I'm not sure why, either. It's funny, too, because Campea over at
The Movie Blog wrote up a similar piece recently where, prior to attending this film's premiere, he was trying to figure out why he wasn't excited about going to see a brand spanking new
Star Wars movie. For him, it seems dude wasn't keen on watching another between-episode story.
Me? Not sure. I really enjoyed the last
Clone Wars series, and ever since the original flicks I've always wanted to see this time in the
Star Wars mythology played out a bit more. Honestly, I think I'm just spent on summer movies. I mean, is it just me or does it feel like
Iron Man came out seven years ago already? I'm hyped out. I'd rather spend the last days of summer watching simple comedies or dramas (especially before a heavy awards season) than with a beloved franchise like
Star Wars. So yeah, for me maybe it's the release date. A movie like this in late February, early March or early April and my excitement level is higher. End of August and, well, I'm just burnt. Still, though, I really do hope it rocks.
What about you? Are you excited for a new Star Wars movie?
Posted Aug 6th 2008 12:35PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Romance, Fandom, Exhibition, Polls
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Hey, when did the
LA Times become the new
Cinematical (
ahem ... and
ahem)?
We've got such craziness this week with two big summer films landing in theaters on Wednesday instead of Friday. No, you don't have some fancy holiday weekend coming up (sorry cubicle dude), but the Olympics
do begin later this week, and, well, some of us really want to get our Women's Swimming 100m Butterfly on. That said, those mid-weekers have a choice between the weed action/comedy
Pineapple Express and the sober adventure/comedy/romance/jeans-wearing sequel
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.
I imagine each film has a completely different audience, with one attracting stoners, fans of Judd Apatow-produced content, comedy nuts and the
Girls Obsessed with Seth Rogen Association of America (or GOWSRAA), while the other looks to bring in pre-teen and teenage girls (and their parents) who like to watch other girls come of age and explore the rest of their lives ... or something like that. Word has it each flick is worthy of your nine bucks (I've seen
Pineapple and can vouch for its coolness), so it's really about which movie fits your cinematic tastes.
So, what are you watching:
Pineapple Express or
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2?
Posted Aug 5th 2008 12:33PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Box Office, Fandom, Distribution, Politics, Polls
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Each day seems to bring us yet another piece of promotional marketing for Oliver Stone's Bush flick
, W. Not long after
Moviefone debuted the trailer,
AICN now has a teaser poster and what you see above is one of two newly-released images from the film. They're definitely pimping it, trying to get folks interested in a movie about the life and times of George W. Bush even though many of us are tired of the man, the jokes, the legend -- all of it. We've spent 8 years with this dude ... can't we just shake his hand, thank him for a job done and move on?
Anyway
, W (which feels like it was shot and edited in three weeks in order to make a pre-Election Day release date) arrives in theaters on October 17, and we were wondering how much you think it's gonna make? With one of the biggest presidential elections in years only a couple weeks away from that date, and with the entire world watching to see who we'll replace Dubya with, will all that chitter-chatter raise more or less interest in the Oliver Stone movie? Is this the kind of flick that will surprise everyone with a giant taking, or will it crash and burn? Sound off below ... and we'll revisit your answers in a couple months when
W rolls out.
Posted Jul 22nd 2008 8:02PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Action, Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, Polls
So last night I was twiddling my thumbs, watching a re-run of
Design Star (shut up) and I suddenly remembered that our friends from Slashfilm had
Kevin Smith as a guest on their podcast. Since we're in no way above pimping out something pretty awesome on another site, I'll let you know now that I truly enjoyed listening to Smith talk about how much he loved
The Dark Knight -- and, essentially, just hearing these guys all geek out over the flick. (I think
they just posted the full podcast for those of you who missed it.)
So anyway, at one point they were talking about the intense marketing for
The Dark Knight, and how the hype had reached a ridiculous level just prior to the flick arriving in theaters. But then Smith brought up the point that the hype surrounding
The Dark Knight was not even close to the hype surrounding Tim Burton's
Batman back in 1989. I was still kinda young (12), but I do remember
Batman being the first giant summer movie. And Kevin made a good point in that with
The Dark Knight, most of the buzz was online and other folks didn't really know much about it until we got closer to release -- whereas Burton's
Batman was everywhere. Of the things I remember, the Bat symbol was on everything -- I vaguely recall walking through the mall in Staten Island and seeing it on walls, on stands and, at one point, in cardboard box form all piled up in the center of the Macy's wing. The hype was out of control for that flick.
So, is Kevin Smith correct in saying the hype for Burton's
Batman far exceeded the hype leading up to
The Dark Knight? Sound off below ...
Posted Jul 21st 2008 11:02AM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, Monday Morning Poll, Polls
Now that
The Dark Knight has
shattered box office records, it's only fair to start discussing the inevitable third installment. Of course, we hope Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale and their team will return for a third film, but we know that's not guaranteed. However, there's no way Warner Bros. is going to ditch Batman while he's on top, and so we should assume serious talk of another sequel will take place within the next month or so. In the meantime, that leaves us to talk and talk and talk and talk. Today, let's talk Batty's next enemy.
I'm going to leave the poll off today's post because there are just so many Batman villains through the years that it's impossible to narrow it down to four or five for a poll. I'd much rather give you my two cents and then open up the discussion in the comments section below. That being said, I don't think I'd like to see someone like Penguin or Catwoman (both are kinda boring in my opinion) -- buuuuuut, I wouldn't mind Riddler showing up to drive Gotham wild with all sorts of ridiculous riddles (and imagine that viral scene). But maybe he's too close to Joker, so perhaps we could go with Deadshot, Black Mask (who actually makes sense in the Nolan-verse) or The Mad Hatter.
How about you? Which villain would you like to see show up in the next Batman film?
Posted Jul 19th 2008 9:02PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Fandom, Polls
So I finally caught a screening of
The Dark Knight last night after spending weeks of dodging reviews and spoilers, while watching everyone I know stop just short of dropping to their knees and praying to a new God in Batman. Personally, I absolutely fell in love with the film and (I'll admit this once and only once, so don't get used to it) actually shed a tear or two during the quiet of the night whilst thinking of Ledger's performance and how he's no longer with us. It really hurt last night for some reason. But that's all I'll say about that.
I feel that if a gritty crime drama like
The Departed can win Best Picture, there's no reason why
The Dark Knight shouldn't be nominated for a few things; most definitely for Ledger's Joker and for the dynamite screenplay ... with its layer upon layer of sweet awesomeness. But that's me. I obviously dug the film a whole lot. Both our reviews (
James' review and
Scott's review) capture exactly how I felt about the film, so I'll stop here by saying that I cannot wait to see it again.
What did you think? Did it live up to the hype?
Posted Jul 16th 2008 10:02PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Action, Fandom, Movie Marketing, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, Trailers and Clips, Polls
We've already asked who your favorite Batman is (and
Christian Bale is still winning that sucker by a mile), so now it's only right that we take a look back at all the Batman trailers to decide which one we like best. Watching some of these brought back good (ah, Keaton ...) and bad (
Batman & Robin trailer = yikes!) memories, but I believe they are all required viewing before taking in a screening of
The Dark Knight. Below, we've compiled all the live-action, big-screen Batman trailers (and
Catwoman!) for you to sift through in one window. Check them out, then head after the jump to participate in our poll. Sound off Bat-geeks!
Continue reading Poll: Your Favorite Batman Movie Trailer?
Posted Jul 14th 2008 11:02AM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Action, Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, Monday Morning Poll, Polls
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Finally. After God knows how many trailers, TV spots, viral sites, movie posters, merchandise, fan art, contests, Batman Anonymous meetings ("Hi, my name is Earth ... and I'm addicted to Batman), and an assortment of tomfoolery,
The Dark Knight will officially arrive in theaters this Friday. And I've heard shows are already sold out through March 2011. Right on! That said, this might be the week you want to reflect back and read your favorite Batman comics, watch your favorite Batman movies, or spend some alone time with your favorite Batman.
Which brings us to this week's super awesome Monday Morning Poll: Who is your favorite Batman? For this we're sticking solely to folks who've played the Caped Crusader on the big screen. Since a lot of Bat-fans have come to adore Kevin Conroy's voice performance, we'll include both live action and animated versions. For me, it's a toss up between Christian Bale and Michael Keaton. Bale has the looks and the charm, but Keaton had that "insanity factor" -- one look in his eyes and you knew this guy had a few screws loose. Tough choice. Where do you stand?
Posted Jul 10th 2008 6:02PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: New Releases, Fandom, Polls
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Yes, I'm back again wanting to get all up in your business and find out what, exactly, you're planning to go see this weekend (otherwise known as "the weekend before Bat-mas ... or Bat-ukah if you're Batish"). If you're in the mood for lots of action featuring some of the most badass monsters this side of the Troll Market, then you'll want to head on over to Guillermo Del Toro's new flick,
Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Maybe take in a screening of
Hellboy before delving into the sequel -- paint yourself red, punch out a few walls (only if you're over 18) and have a blast.
For the kids, I'm hearing
Journey to the Center of the Earth is a must-see in 3D. Cinematical's Chris Campbell
raved about the 3D experience he had with this film (I think it was borderline orgasmic for him, but he's a theater geek like that). Keep in mind the 3D might be a little freaky for the real little ones, but it seems like the kind of moviegoing experience I'd have wanted my parents to give me growing up. So do something nice for the little buggers and take them on a journey ... in 3D!
Then you have Eddie Murphy in
Meet Dave. It's brought to us by the folks behind
Norbit, which means it ain't Oscar material, but I'm sure there are drugs that exist that will make this movie worth the price of admission. Kidding! We love you Eddie ... I just wish you'd produce something a little dirty, a little risky, a little mid-80s. Give us the old Eddie and we'll give you two or three more of these "all-too-safe" comedies.
So, what are you watching movie freaks???
Posted Jul 9th 2008 10:32AM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Action, Fandom, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, Polls
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As it stands right now, this year's
The Incredible Hulk will most likely gross slightly more or less than Ang Lee's
Hulk worldwide. The latter walked away with roughly $245 million, while the former is currently sitting at $220 million ... though it's still making the international rounds. In an article over at
The Hollywood Reporter, they ponder why the new (and improved?)
Incredible Hulk was considered a success when the 2003
Hulk wasn't (
THR noted it was "widely dismissed as a commercial failure").
Both Marvel and Universal are saying they're happy with the way
The Incredible Hulk performed at the box office, though there's been no word on a sequel and chances are we ain't gettin' another one. Critically, the two Hulk films aren't very far apart:
Rotten Tomatoes has Ang Lee's Hulk at 61%, while
The Incredible Hulk is currently sitting at 68%. Fan-wise, I feel it was fairly well-received because a) folks were still coming off the
Iron Man high, and b) expectations for the new
Hulk were pretty low. Thus, when the film turned out to be kinda, sorta pretty good, it gave us a reason to cheer ... finally ... for an
Incredible Hulk live-action movie.
But now that we've had some time to step away from
The Incredible Hulk (at least here in the states), what do you think: Was the film a success? And how do you define success? If they choose not to make a sequel, does that mean the film failed ... even though it took in well over $200 million at the box office? Sound off you green freaks ...
Posted Jul 7th 2008 5:02PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Fandom, Exhibition, Polls
Yesterday, Lou Lumenick posted a piece for the
NY Post on a new book called
Our Movie Houses: A History of Film and Cinematic Innovation in Central New York. This got me thinking about oldie movie houses and movie theaters before the huge, crisp megaplex experience.
I grew up in upstate New York. I remember watching
Interview with the Vampire at Proctors Theater, and better yet, I remember hitting the Northway Mall's Cine 10 for $3 screenings in chairs so old they reclined into perfection, as long as you didn't move around and make them squeak a lot. They weren't old movie houses, but they weren't today's cinematic incarnations either.
Even today in Toronto, I flock to the Bloor and ignore sound problems and flaws for a grittier moviegoing experience. Sure, I love seeing some blockbusters in IMAX, or on other sweet, high-tech screens, but the experiences I remember are the less-than-slick ones. The charm of the simple indie theater has never died for me, no matter how crisp the pictures get in new theaters. No matter how much the sound envelopes me.
Is it the same for you? Is there an old movie house you love, or mediocre, ill-kept theater that you can't live without? Or, do you praise the end of that flicker of dust on a lens?
Posted Jul 7th 2008 11:32AM by Scott Weinberg
Filed under: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, Monday Morning Poll, Polls
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With the arrival of this weekend's
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, we find ourselves (once again) discussing *damn* how great a genre filmmaker
Guillermo del Toro is. I mean, he's a wonderful filmmaker all around, but I include the word "genre" as an indication of my respect for the man. He's so knee-deep in horror, dark fantasy, and pulp fiction that I doubt he'd even WANT to do a straight courtroom drama. (I'd go see it though.) One of the most creative storytellers since the also-awesome Terry Gilliam, Guillermo del Toro hopes you'll want to take another spin with
Hellboy this weekend, and that got us thinking ... if you could convince the director to do
another sequel, which would it be. And why, knucklehead?
For me, I'd love to see another movie in the vein of
The Devil's Backbone, but then again ... I wouldn't really
want a sequel to that particular masterpiece. But fine, once the man is all done with his
Hobbit movies, I say let him resurrect the
Blade franchise. His chapter was (far and away) the best of that series.
Posted Jun 30th 2008 11:02AM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Action, New Releases, Fandom, Polls
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Since this week finds fireworks in the sky and a new
Will Smith action flick in theaters
(Hancock), we thought it might be fun to take a look back at Smith's previous action films and try to decide which one we like the best. We're not including all of Smith's films here, because, well, it's kinda unfair to compare, say,
The Pursuit of Happyness or
Ali to
Men in Black or
I, Robot. Perhaps next time we'll take a look at Smith's watered down, dramatic efforts, but for now we'll stick to the rock-em-sock-em fan favorites.
And since I always give my opinion before asking for yours, I'm going to say that out of all of Smith's action-adventure films,
Bad Boys is my favorite. Yes, I've gone with the Michael Bay film -- kill me now! Actually, now that Smith is a huge, mega star, we don't see him in buddy films anymore -- and watching him opposite Martin Lawrence in
Bad Boys (as well as Tommy Lee Jones in
Men in Black) was an absolute blast. The sequel(s) ... well, how about we not go there. What say you, Will Smith fans -- which of his action films is your favorite?
Posted Jun 26th 2008 12:02PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Action, Animation, New Releases, Fandom, Family Films, Polls
Unlike last week's double dose of the funny, this weekend we're dealing with two completely different flicks. One is a light, breezy, beautiful Pixar animated effort, while the other is a wham-bam-boom, guns drawn, bullets flying, sexy, adrenaline-fueled action pic. Good news is the buzz on both films is pretty damn good. Personally, I've only seen
WALL·E, and it's definitely one of my favorite films of the year so far. But you have to be the sorta person who digs Pixar. I know grown adults who can't stand watching animated feature films. That might be you. I happen to really enjoy them, as does my wife, and so we had a blast with it. Read
my review. Maybe it'll help sway your decision.
On the other hand,
Wanted looks to be the flick for those in need of a big-screen rush. It comes highly-stylized and proud to be rated R. Did we mention that
Angelina Jolie still looks sexy as all hell?
In his review from the Los Angeles Film Festival, James said, "
Wanted's a corporate product, but, thankfully, it's an excellent one -- the two-fisted, double-barreled high-octane guilty pleasure summer action movie you've been waiting for." Couldn't have summed it up better myself. But which one are you seeing? Both? Neither? Something else entirely? Sound off below ...
Posted Jun 23rd 2008 11:02AM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Animation, Fandom, Monday Morning Poll, Polls
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Well, the time has finally come for another funtastic Pixar film to hit the big screen. This Friday,
Wall·E touches down on earth, and naturally its impending arrival has got us thinking about those nutty dudes over at Pixar who took giant risks, worked their asses off and revolutionized the world of animation. I'm fully aware that naming your favorite Pixar film is kinda like naming your favorite child, but it's fun to look back over the years and attempt to come up with the one Pixar flick that entertained us the most.
Which do you hold closest to your heart? I'm sure everyone has a soft spot for the original
Toy Story, but most folks I've spoken with feel
The Incredibles was the best all-around Pixar film. Me? I'm a
Monsters, Inc. guy. Yup, that's my favorite Pixar film. I just remember having so much fun watching
Monsters, Inc. for the first time -- more fun than I had watching any other Pixar flick (with
Toy Story and
The Incredibles following closely behind). My least favorite is
Cars, though I was sick the one time I watched it and have been meaning to give it another chance. Should I? Which is your favorite Pixar film (feature, not short)? Feel free to tell us why in the comments below ...
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