Friday, January 31, 2014

Reposting This Weeks Blogs with Pictures

I'm reposting this weeks Blogs with pictures added for the weekend. These are from the theatre that I go to while I'm away from NYC. Mainly in the town of Aguadilla in Puerto Rico. More of these coming in the next few weeks. This is a request from a question as to where do I see the films that I review when I'm on the road.



Thursday, January 30, 2014

Thursdays Leftover's - Links Galore

Links and Movie Reviews that didn't fit the first time around this past week. Posted in Date Order.
Also by request, where do I see these films? At the bottom of this page is my second home. lol.

Links:
Reason #945 why is movie is going to suck big time!
http://variety.com/2014/film/news/jesse-eisenberg-cast-as-lex-luthor-in-supermanbatman-jeremy-irons-set-as-alfred-1201079902/
Wow, didn't see that coming. Everyone was talking Bryan Cranston as Lex. Guess they wanted someone younger. But Irons makes sense. He's British. LOL.

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/X-Men-Producer-Wants-Channing-Tatum-Play-Gambit-Future-Film-41408.html
He should be part of the team aka GI Joe. No fault of Tatum but he works great when partnered with someone. Jump Street, White Down yes dumb ass movie but him and Foxx were good, etc. Making Gambit into a solo movie would not work. Look at Wolverine, first one sucked, second one been there done that, not waiting for a third. Gambit Tatum, team work. Check out the poll at the bottom.

http://www.movieweb.com/news/seth-macfarlanes-a-million-ways-to-die-in-the-west-red-band-trailer
Well if it worked for a teddy bear, maybe it could work for the west. Looks great but be warned:
It's one of those 3 minute trailers. Hope it doesn't show off all the best stuff.

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Did-Bryan-Singer-Simon-Kinberg-Just-Reveal-Ending-Days-Future-Past-41396.html
Spoilers? To convoluted for me to care. Looking forward to this but this article is a mess.

http://read.bi/1b1SUS5
Watch Vin get his groove on. Still haven't seen Riddick BR version but a sequel is a go. Cool.

http://www.businessinsider.com/real-imax-screens-size-difference-2014-1
Great video. It's from a NYC angle but this represents all screens where ever you live.
Note: Lincoln Square is one of the biggest screens out there. Of course others will be small.

http://www.altfg.com/blog/movie/best-song-oscar-nomination-alone-yet-not-alone/
Everyone was asking where did this song come from? All these songs suck. Bland, generic and I hate that Frozen song which will win. Arnulds version is where better. That should be nominated instead:
http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/cool-videos-schwarzenegger-as-mr-freeze-performs-let-it-go-from-frozen

http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/check-out-seven-character-posters-for-a-million-ways-to-die-in-the-west
Long overdue for a comedy western aka Blazing Saddles. Seth proved he can conquer the box office.
Now if only he can let go of tv sitcoms. Dad sucks and Cleveland was the start of the downhill.

www.darkhorizons.com/news/30630/photos-ninja-turtles-new-shredder-revealed
Everything Micheal Bay touches gets jinxed. Besides Transformers, why you think he keeps making these?, he has no luck with anything else. This won't be any different. And I don't like the look already.

http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/30627/photos-hiddleston-s-audition-to-play-thor
Glad this didn't happened. It doesn't look right. All I can say "OH MY".

http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/30642/marvel-exec-co-scripting-thor-3
Never the script. This was the third highest grossing

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Bruce-WIllis-May-Reunite-With-Night-Shyamalan-There-Twist-41373.html
This reeks of desperation on both sides. They don't learn do they? And nobody cares.

Movies:
Nut Job: 3 - Cute movie with great animation. But the story did get convoluted at times in a small time frame. While it does try to tell a few stories in which it all ties up at the end, the comedy suffers for this as this could have been funnier. But you do get your moneys worth as this gets to be a very busy movie with all that's going on with so many multiple characters. This could have been more streamlined for it's story arc. Would play better at home but still worth checking out on Netflix.

Blu-ray:
Rush (RB) 2 - Overrated racing movie about 2 egostical jerks that you couldn't care less about. Both actors were good in the leads but couldn't save this picture. Decent racing scenes but this is a yawner. And this was nominated for Best Picture at the Golden Globes?  I met Ron and Tom Hanks at the making of "Splash" with down at Wall St., NYC. Both great guys and Ron was giving out autographs while busy directing! Top notch guy. Shame I couldn't get into this one.

Never Sleeps Again: The Elm Street Legacy: 5 - If Crystal Lake Memories is any indication and made by the same filmmakers. Horror film making 101. Both are keepers. I'm still in the process of watching
Friday 13 Memories as they are 4 hours plus commentary and features.
Note: I saw the DVD version of Elm Street which is a 5 itself for the hardcores fans like me and now it's an expanded edition with a lot more added. Who cold ask for more. Want more details:
http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/62470/never-sleep-again/?utm_medium=Email&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign=
Never what I think. If this review doesn't convinced you, well guess your not a fan, either that
it's just to much work And yes it is. And worth it.



Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Wednesday's Mini Reviews

A lot of reviews this week as we will continue tomorrow as we try to catch up on these releases.
RB = Redbox, BR = Blu-ray. Note: some of these are not available on Redbox hence the BR mark.


Last Vegas: 4 (RB)  - Funny comedy which was really underrated at the theatres. All 4 actors bring their game with their comedic skills at the beginning and their drama skills in the second half. There's a good story here besides the usual gimmicks and jokes about being old. But there are some funny one liners and situations. And Jack Nicholson was almost in this one. Shame, I would've given this a 5.
Maybe on the commentary they explain this. Have to get to that. But no other features. Bummer.

Instructions Not Included: 5 (RB) The ultimate tear jerker of the year. This is on my top 10 film of the year. This brings Dramedy to a whole new level.This is the film that critics have their head up their ass. Big Time. Yes it plays like a tv Spanish Novella in the first half and there is subtitles but you still get the humour. But it's the second half where the drama takes over and theEnglish language takes over. So while is a mexican import to not treat as such. A problem the critics had those heartless basterds. What really got me was the ending. You don't see it coming. And make sure you have a box of tissues. How sad is the ending? "Grave of the Fireflies" sad for those who know that picture. We have a clip from that film with commentary with Roger Ebert on YT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU3mZT0a9Rw
\
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs: 2 (RB) - Besides the hit tune by Sir Paul, this was a weak sequel that just couldn't measure of the first. Even though the studio would like to continue with this franchise they should end it here. Besides the cute angle with names aka The Croods, this does not have the winning team that created the first one and it shows. But not a total waste if your a fan if the first one.

Bad Grandpa: 3 (RB) - While not a fan if Jackass movies and a subplot that was completely deleted, it helped, this still has many funny moments and could've fooled me with Knoxville was actually under that makeup. He plays the old man pretty good. My favorite skit was him as the all male strip joint.
1 hour behind the scenes of the setups, it's victims and deleted scenes.

Bonnie And Clyde: 0 (RB) -  The writer and director decided we should know these 2 instead of the bank robbers that they were. I walked away knowing less. A total Fk bore. Do not waste your time. What surprise me is there is 45 minutes explaining thier angle for this approach. "Don't give up your day job guys" So rent out B & C 1967 with Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Gene Hackman. That's a 5 by the way.

You're Next: 3 (RB) - It looks like a grainy low budget pictures from the 70's but that adds to the charm as this had a twist in the middle of the movie and another one at the end. Took me by surprise.
Don't let it fool you that this was on the shelf for so many years. Studio politics. I'm looking forward to what these guys come up with next (no pun intended). While no major features this has 2 commentaries. This has to be worth listening to with the drama they put with.

Black Water Vampire: 2 (RB) - Documentary style that had a nice approach, very few shaky cam shots. But..the first hour you get the know the crew about looking for the vampire. Boring! Don't matter, they all get killed off by the end except one survivor with a surprise ending (yawn). Fast forward to 60 mins and you do the see the vampire (makeup left over from Star Trek) and some action at the last 20 minutes for the curious. Don't be made at me, I saved you an hour of your life.
Trivia: One of the actresses was producer and camera operator. You deserved a 2 for that.

Deranged: 1 (RB) I must have been to bother with this. It's not even a horror movie. One of the guests turns out to be the killer for revenge. The kills are boring tv made. The last 10 minutes has one of the actors to the ultimate over the top that has to be seen to be believed. How she kept a straight face is beyond me. Horrible.

Night of the Demons: (BR) 3 - I remember the DVD release. This has been updraged big time which I have not seen. So going by memory on that release. But this one is a keeper for sure.
Old school 80's horror with actual makeups effects and SFX. Remember CGI was not the norm back then. While it takes a while to get started that last half is a real trash fest. This came with a great commentary by the makers and now this new release has a new commentary with the cast. And a new 90 minute documentary on the making of the film. Shout Factory did the same with Day of the Dead BR release and did a greta job with that. I know I won't be dissapointed with the work Factory does with it's release. The 3 is for the original DVD release so this BR would probably get a 4.

Tomorrow will be some leftovers including links and reviews not covered the past 3 days.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Tuesday's Mini Reviews

From now on Tuesday will be movie reviews only and BR/DVD will be on Wednesdays. This let's me catch up with thebonus features on some of these discs. Ratings: 1-5, bad to good.

http://www.studiodaily.com/2014/01/read-the-oscar-nominated-screenplays-and-more-scripts-from-2013-films/
Want to read Screenplays of Oscar nominated movies? Something new the studios have started.

http://www.script-o-rama.com/
This oen has been around for years but it has a lot of unproduced scripts that were never made in movies aka Aliens vs Predator (space station battle), Planet of the Apes (Arnuld version) and many more. Note: Click on the Yellow Car picture to get into the site.

http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/30612/in-cinema-trailers-get-strict-guidelines
Theatres owner complaining about long trailers: I, Frankenstein is a good place to start.

I, Frankenstein: 2 - I, Remake of Underworld Franchise. That's all this is. It even has Bill Nighy from Underworld. The whole look screams of that franchise but not even half as fun. And I hated that franchise! If you saw the trailer you've seen the movie. Demons, Gargoyles, Frankenstein. Oh My. What looked good on paper doesn't translate to good here. Poor Echhart, he is so miscast to the point of distraction. Only for the curious, wait for Netflix if only for the last 10 minutes where all hell brakes loose and eveyone has a big showdown. But then again if you saw the trailer you saw the end.

Ride Along: 2 - Been there buddy cop movie. While it did have it's moments thanks to Kevin Hart he still couldn't save this film. After a while we get Ice Cube screaming at Kevin to prove himself after he screws up, again and again, which gets into into mini setups until the third act when Kevin saves the day with a subplot which wastes the talent of Laurence Fishburne. Kevin does his best with a generic script but this proves he has to be let loose like Robin Williams and just ad lib the damn thing, and supposedly he did with some scenes. You couldn't tell the difference. And to think that Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds were going to do this. It wouldn't have mattered.

A lot more reviews coming this week as I'm still trying to catch up.
And more Redbox reviews. Home away from home. The local theatre.



Monday, January 27, 2014

Monday's Links

First is the outcome of the Grammys. Then some Movie news. By request I included the highlights as I tune off myself at the end myself but here are some of the best nights performances.

http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/music-news/ranking-grammy-performances-lorde-taylor-score-katy-perry-072427408.html
First is the grand finale. Some say this was cut out at the end. I was asleep already. Glad for the link.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/27/arts/music/grammy-awards-feature-wild-swings-and-partnerships.html?smid=gp-nytimes
The big surprise was Daft Punk winning Major 3 awards. Sir Paul winning 3 and Jay-Z winning 2 out of 9.4
Now that's funny. Oh that opening. Didn't that look old already? Metallica with a Piano Player took the cake. But Daft Punk with Stevie Wonder was the keeper. Loved seeing Carole King, songwriter classic.
Big jam at the end but they need to make this2 hours tops. That's if anyone's still tuning in.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/27/arts/music/grammy-winners.html?smid=gp-nytimes
So Zep got their Grammy. About time and better late than never. Bullshit. Look at the people that won last night. You mean to tell they are the best that the industry has? It is so friggin sad for this generation.
Compare to what you may ask. How about the past 50 years or so. Here's a repost from yesterday.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/25-artists-who-have-never-won-a-grammy-20140123/brian-mcknight-0023041
This is a shame. I mean who's is going to remember Macklemore & Ryan a few years from now?

OK Now the movie News:
http://www.altfg.com/blog/movie/alfonso-cuaron-dga-awards-gravity/
Looks like this Harry Potter director will have final laugh. And look who's posing with. Funeeeeee..

http://www.movieweb.com/news/batman-vs-superman-have-massive-plot-spoilers-been-leaked-by-a-disgruntled-crew-member?utm_cid=prod-email-topstories&utm_emailalert=daily&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=m40BFgPEGBSSdw
I take this with a  grain of salt since even the studio doesn't even know what the hell their doing. But it is interesting how this is building up. Hell just give me The Lego Movie and I'm good.

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/frozen-passes-lion-king-810-million-global-box-175215765.html
What the hell. Better than the Lion King. This has to be the most overrated Disney flick ever. Not a fan.






Sunday, January 26, 2014

The Grammys - Artists Who Never Won

No. As a musician I do not get carried away with any of these music awards as I do with the movie award shows. And for the most part those who win the Oscars deserve it even if some don't win or get the nod more often as they should: Scosese and Streep.
But when it comes to music it's a political mess and completely out of touch. So here are some links for The Grammys. Talk about head scratchers. And the legends who never won. What bullshit.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/grammys-2014-the-performers-nominees-and-predictions/

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/25-artists-who-have-never-won-a-grammy-20140123/brian-mcknight-0023041


Saturday, January 25, 2014

So What About Those Grammys Tomorrow?

By request I'm reposting this weeks previous posts for the weekend. In the meantime...

Yeah,What about those Grammy's tomorrow? I'm just watching Macca, Sir Paul McCartney and that's about it. As far as the other nominations. Who the hell cares. It's completely pointless.
I'm not here to rant. But to put it simply, once Minni Vanilli won a Grammy this award has gone downhill
and I lost all respect for this. They won and Bob Dylan has never won a Grammy.WTF?!

And don't get me started about Jay-Z. All those nods for what? Still pissed about him making the
Grey Album. Where he took samples of the Beatles White Album and made a complete mess of it.
Simply horrible. As a musician, sampling is just a friggin insult. That's about it.

Back on Monday for Links and Tuesday movie reviews.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Zoe Bell - Expendabells, Raze and More

Who? That cool chick who rode the hood in Death Proof and kicked Kurt Russells ass! That's who!
I'm so impress with this lady I decided to end the week with female power. Yeah Baby!
First 2 great articles on the projects she's working or trying to get a hold of. Thanks to Cinemablend for that.
Then a review on her latest project, Raze in which she produced.

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Zoe-Bell-Talks-Raze-Catfights-Being-Feminist-Icon-41008.html

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Marvel-ExpendaBelles-Raid-3-6-Projects-Uber-Stuntwoman-Zoe-Bell-Pursues-41104-p3.html

Raze:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2111392/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Mostly good reviews and info in case you never heard of this. Yep available at Redbox.

My review of Raze:
Raze: 3 - This is not for all tastes. After a while it gets a little repititious as she keeps fighting woman after woman to stay alive, You do see some cameos with actresses she has worked with before. But what I do like about it that it doesn't wimp out on the topic. There is some brutal fighting among them and doesn't hold back. And while we don't get the obvious topless, naked showers in which  the exploitation pictures of the 1970's had in this genre, we do get the female villain who's in charge of this enterprise. And the ending does pay off in which she gets her revenge on her captors. I mean how else is going to end?

Mini-reviews for the weekend. Films not to see. Both available at Redbox.

Age of Dinosaurs: 2 - Asylum Pictures with a budget of theSy Fy Channel. While you do get Dinosuars they just don't do much with them. Treat Williams and Ronny Cox should fire their agents. Is it that bad?

Hell Baby: 1 - By the makers of Reno cable show there is not one funny joke here. A take off on Rosemary's Baby, Exorcist, and all other ripoffs, a good cast completely wasted besides Riki Lindhome completely naked in the shower. She does lots of tv by the way. Why be in this? See IMDB for credits.
You'll be scratching your head too.
Quote from the movie: Ghosts don't kill people. People kill people". Guest these actors wanted to kill their careers.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Thrusday Leftover Links

These are links from the rest of the week. Catching up so we can be back on track.
As usual I post these and put my usual opinion and spin on the subject.

http://www.tohokingdom.com/news/2014/01-21_kraken_ebirah_godzilla_hedorah_gigan.html
Great news for us Kaiju fans. The Lobster and The Flying Turd were always my favorite next to King Gidorah and Mothra. They were unique to say the least. Now if only they can get to the Hensei seires from the 1900's and re-issure those. Some weren't even letterbox. Crossing the fingers.

http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/30529/lots-of-batman-vs-superman-gossip

mablend.com/new/Marvel-Studios-Ant-Man-Takes-Over-Batman-Superman-Release-Date-41281.html
This is funny. Talk about a bitch slap. Only hard core fans know who is Ant Man and this takes over 2 super hero icons. DC just can't get it together can they. PS New JL release review coming next week.

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Carrie-Fisher-Expects-Start-Filming-Star-Wars-Episode-VII-March-Or-April-41254.html
So Harrison Ford is going to this after all. What happened to Indy Jones. LOL. (and rolling on floor).

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57617655-1/mark-hamill-unearths-star-wars-memories-on-reddit/
Great interview. But keeps quiet on the new Star Wars. umm...

http://www.imdb.com/news/ni56695541/?ref_=hm_nw_tp_t5
So that's why Jonah Hill go nominated for taking a pay cut? Oh I'm just saying. Still haven't seen this damn movie. But glad when he went up in flames in "This is The End" Man. Now that was funny.

Friday: Some reviews on some really bad movies. Kind of what not to rent for the weekend. More Redbox coming.
Weekend I'm just going to repost this past weeks blogs for those who missed it.
Sunday a quick commentary of the Grammys.
 Like anyone cares. Jay-Z with 7 nods? R U FKing Kidding Me?


Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Wednesday's Mini-Reviews Blu-rays

Catching up with many reviews this week so Leftovers will be on for Thrusday and have a few there too.

Legend of Hercules: 2 - While this has nothing to do with the greek mythology by name only, it's a basic retread of Gladiator with slo-mo shots from 300. He gets caught alot, fights, escapes. repeat. In between he has time to go in the lake with his lady. Too many times. The highlight is when they fight a really bad CG Lion ($70 budget?) and near the end when he uses lightening from his hands to kill the soldiers who surround him. UH, how come he didn't do this at the beginning? There's a line in the movie between a villager and Herc: "Hercules a God!, No, I'm just a man" My Quote: "Legend of Hercules!" No, just a Redbox Rental"  Man, I wanted to say that all week.

Blu-rays:
Raise the Titanic: 3 - Now Playing on You Tube! Interesting setup for the first half of the movie which is basically under search for the ship. It sure looks like outtakes from Cameron's film, right James?
But if you just want to go to see the ship get uplifted go to the 1:15m mark. A Giant model was used and not a CG effect.  For the plot, get this: This is where James Cameron got the idea about getting unabtanium for Avatar and the only place to get is of course, Titanic. Check out the ship going under the Brooklyn Bridge at 1:35 mark and you'll The World Trade Center in the background. Great shot near the end of the film. At the end film credits you can see the model being raised in one complete uncut sequence.Yes it's dated but if you want to see where Jimbo got some ideas for his big ship ideas, this is one of them.

Machette 2: 3 - While it not as over the top?! like the first one, it tries, but still a lot of fun. And surprised nobody noticed the James Bond 007 plot rip off of "Moonraker". I'll let you figure that out. too obvious.
Note: 2 features? That's it? Where the hell is the 10 minute cooking school? Remember those? I had those clips on my you tube site and they made me take it down. But those were the extras that were included that made the discs a most own for the collection. No love here. At least Matchete 1 had an Audience track.
Sin City had one. I still have that clip running on You tube. Guess those were the days. The studios just don't care in putting these out anymore. Rumours of a double dip? They said the same for Machete 1 and that never happened. so don't count on it here. And as far as the 3rd one to complete the trilogy? Only if this one sells like crazy and there's next to no promos for it. Not good. Only Rodriguez knows.

Capt. Phillips: 4 - When you see the last 10 minutes with Hanks going for his Oscar moment, you'll agree he deserve it. For him not to get the nod was a shame. Commentary included which I haven't to. Greengrass, another Oscar for directing he didn't get, has done commentaries and are always good, so I will get to this down the road. He info is always on the money. A must listen. One thing why he deserve the nod. You know the story, he lives, Spoiler! LOL. But like "ARGO" who do you keep the audience attention for 2 hours when you they know the outcome. A true director knows. Ask Afflect. (and enuff with him being Batman!).

Blue Jasmine: 3 - A dramedy I didn't care for. But I can never knock Woody's writing. I prefeedr Emma Thompson performance but she didn't get the Oscar nod so Blanchett will win it. But man she was annoying to the hilt. crying, whining, etc. Where's that baseball bat?
Only Feature is  a behind the scenes aka Midnight in Paris feature. You saw that, you saw this.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Tuesday Mini-reviews

By request I'm now posting reviews from Redbox, which I have done before due to some titles that people did not recognize but now I'm marking them RB, Blu-ray as BR (those include dvd's) and Movies are the latest major releases. Ratings of course are 1-5, Bad to Great. Unfortunately that includes a lot of RB. LOL.
Also note: On the bad ones please see IMDB for the plot or I'll be here all day typing this crap.

47 Ronin: 3 - OK, where's the rest of the movie? Studio interference cut out a major character in the subplot who shows up at the end as a cameo. What a mess. But what is left on the screen was damn good.
They took the famous tale and put a fantasy spin on it. Some were pissed with this. With so many versions out there already I can recommend those films who want the facts. I had no problem with this spin. While it doesn't look like a $200M movie ($125M tops) it's still a great looking movie, well acted even Keanu!!!. So I a gave this movie the benefit of the doubt. I liked what I saw, I just want to see the whole thing. Note:
The editor was Stuart Baird (see IMDB) who edited Die Hard and many action flciks and directed Star Trek: TNG: Nemesis (no fault his own as that was a generic tv script overblown for theatre release). Baird who is a legend amoung editors had to be furious for his work to be butchered by studio heads. And the poor director, he did have a vision and that was chopped up too. A better reviews when released on BR.

Man of Tai Chi: 3 RB (Redbox) - Talk about Keanu who directed this in his first outing. Good job. Real fighting amoung the actors (who are trained and experts to begin with) and you can see the action even with the quick cuts! It helped he had a good cinematographer do the film. But this time hisacting betrays him when him being a villian starts laughing and says "I own you". He should stick with his new job, and give up his day job.

Jack Ryan: 2 - As generic as this movie is, it's the action that counts with Director Brannagh (Thor 1) but the script is a leftover back from the 1980's with the Russians as the bad guys. Been there, done that. Would I like to see a franchise of this? Lets just say Pike should cross his fingers for Star Trek sequels. Minor spoiler for anyone from NYC: there's a Scene where a truck goes off a pier (Queens), cut to roof of a building where truck flies off (Bkyln), lands in the water and explodes by Brooklng Bridge, lower east side by South Street Seaport (NYC) my backyard. WTF! The whole film is like that. After a while it's a joke.

Force of Execution: 3 (RB) - Pretty good flick for Steven Seagal even tho he's only in half the movie with supporting players to fill out the movie aka Dolph Lundgren but always filled with action. While not as fast as Seagal used to be with a lot of cuts it's still better than his pevious other features. Too many to mention here.

Sweetwater: 3 (RB) - For a western this is a pretty wacky revenge flick with the style of a Robert Rodriquez movie with its body count. Ed Harris is great as an over the top sheriff who's got some major issues.
Not your typical good ole western, so beware. Takes a while to get going but the third act pays off.

Voodoo Possession: 1(RB) - One is for Danny Trejo Fans who's in it for only for 2, TWO! scenes. Man, what a quick cash in that must have been. Hell he deserves it. Hell if you see this crap, boring, awful with a lousy ending. Save your Dollar which brings me to....

Ritual Horror: 0(RB) - Let me spell that out...ZERO!!! For filmmaking 101: How to make a horror filming using a hotel room, a hotel hallway, a car on a highway, a car trunk, that's it. I want my $1.20 back. Make that $2.40 for this and Voodoo P.
Scorsese wrote a letter to the industry celebrating the future where anyone with a camera can make a film.
This is an example why anyone with a camera should not make a film. I don't think Marty had this in mind. .
Note: Marty's Letter is in the previous log. Please see Mondays link.

Super Note: Tomorrow will be more reviews as I didn't cover the BR's today. Thursday will have the leftover's.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Monday Links

We are back from those award shows so we have a lot of links to catch up even tho I still have some more award talk but this time we have the funny stuff. Even I don't take all of this seriously.
As usual I put the link and give my professional opinion on the matter. (put my 2 cents in and wing it). Enjoy.

http://www.deadline.com/2014/01/pga-awards-2014-producers-guild-award-winners/
Gravity and 12 Years a Tie? It's obvious by now that Director Cuaron will win the Oscar for Best Director but maybe people are just getting tired of the mention of American Hustle (I know I am as I said before) and as 12 Years is a great movie (remake, which is a no in my books) now Gravity is getting the big push.
I wouldn't be surprise is Hustle and 12 Years might cancel each other and Gravity gets the Nod for Best Picture.

http://www.movieweb.com/news/9-movies-i-cant-believe-were-nominated-for-a-2014-oscar?utm_cid=prod-email-topstories&utm_emailalert=daily&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=4BVNeNqNGvM0MA
I agree with this list. Lone Ranger for Visual Effects and not Pacific Rim. WTF. Enough with the Friggin Hobbits, To Boldly Go Where No....Frig That! Where's the TV Show. But this is the one that kills me:
The Croods don't belong here? It's all about family! So what its a variation of The Flintstones. Remember when Speilberg did the live movie version with John Goodman? Suck City! And we all know what belongs on this list. Frozen! So damn over rated! Fk the mouse!

http://www.razzies.com
Adam Sandler gets his due. The sequel nobody was asking for ( that's happening a lot lately tho).
Stallone gets 31 nods for 3 flix. Ouch. M. Night Shamalayacaca for Worst Director. No surprise there.

http://www.movieweb.com/news/5-most-overrated-movies-of-2013
Are you kidding me? Really? Ok didn't see Grandmaster yet and I can see why "The Butler" hated those cameos but MU, WWZ, Capt. Phillips? Really?

http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/videos/damn-you-oscars-says-peter-travers-20140116?utm_source=dailynewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter
Travers rants like nobody can rant. He does crack me up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_UY7RuaSTM
Screen Junkies, they too can be funny but who are those guys as guests?

http://www.studiodaily.com/2014/01/2014-oscar-nominations-10-fun-facts/
Other title: What the hell were they thinking?

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Martin-Scorsese-Writes-An-Open-Letter-About-Bright-Future-Cinema-41022.html
Oscar nominee says anyonecan make a film. But can they make a good one with a $200M Budget? Nope.

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Delayed-Batman-Superman-Should-Become-Justice-League-America-Movie-41178.html
Now this is getting sad. And I mentioned this before. Just go and make JL already. So maybe tey are reading my blog. lol.

More links will be posted on Wednesday's leftovers.



Sunday, January 19, 2014

Winners at the SAG Awards


http://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/20th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards

While most were predictable, I got wiped out with my predictions in the Ensemble Awards besides
Outstanding Performance by a cast in a Motion Picture (that have to make these titles shorter!):
American Hustle, even I'm getting tire of saying this title.

I forgot one Ensemble title in which Breaking Bad won which made sense.
But all my Favs won including Matthew and Jared for Dallas Buyers Club
and Nyong-o for Best Spt. Actress which made my night. This was a hint to
the Oscars that she should win and not J. Law, sorry but not a fan of Hunger Games!

Update: And no I did not forget Rita Moreno Tribute:
One of the few actresses that have all the major awards: Oscar, Tony, Emmy etc.
And of course in one of my favorite movies of all time: West Side Story
More on the Live show when it premieres.

Well that's about it, Moday Links and Tuesday Mini-reviews.
We are looking at Jan 27 for a new live talk show. Soon everyone soon...
.





Saturday, January 18, 2014

SAG Awards Prediction

Tonight are the SAG Awards. Check your listings: But TNT and TBS are presenting these.

http://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/20th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards

As previous mention are the Ensemble awards are my favorite as the Oscars don't have this.
On the site this is from top to bottom.
Oustanding Performance in a Motion Picture: American Hustle
Comedy Performance in a Comedy Series: Big Bang Theory
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble : FF6
Oustanding Action Peformance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series (damn thats a long title):
Walking Dead

So what's the difference on these catagories. Who hell knows especially that last one but it's fun to guess these. C'mon you don't think I take all of these awards seriously?

As far as movies and tv shows bleh... its the same thing as Globes.

Any ways have fun and tomorrow we'll see if there was an upset. Probably not as you can tell these
are going the same route with the winners.

Monday links and Tuesday mini-reviews coming this week.
PS: I'll be posting this past week blogs just to have people catch up for those who missed it.
So don't mind me...LOL...

Friday, January 17, 2014

SAG, BAFTA and Critics Choice Awards

Today I'm including some links I that were leftover from yesterday and we cover the Bafta Awards which are the British version of the Oscars and the SAG awards. The Screen Actor Awards  includes my favorite catagory, Best Ensemble Cast.

Didn't even know they had this but this one is on the money as Nyong-O won Spt. Best Actress.
http://www.nj.com/entertainment/celebrities/index.ssf/2014/01/2014_critics_choice_awards_complete_list_of_winners.html

To celebrate Miyazaki Oscar nod here is a clip from The Simpsons:
http://creativeplanetnetwork.com/videography/news/watch-simpsons-pay-tribute-hayao-miyazaki/65065

Some tidbits about Oscar:
http://www.studiodaily.com/2014/01/2014-oscar-nominations-10-fun-facts/

Award Shows:
http://www.sagawards.org/
They concentrate on Movies and TV like the Globes but this blog I'm just going to concentrate on Moies.
The 2 main awards that a get a kick out of that you don't get on any of the othe award show are the Cast Ensemble Awards.
The first is on top of the page is Oustanding Performance by a cast in a Motion Picture.
As I said a million times before American Hustle has this mainly because this is where most of the cast hang together as the other movies people come and go individually. The second that comes close is August:Osage County. This Ensemble really hang good together.

The second which is on the bottom of the page is Outstanding Action Performance bya Stunt Ensemble.
FF6 has my nod as the others just don't make sense. They are mainly behind the scenes especially Redford's "All Is Lost". Besides a shark and someone's hand isn't this a solo performance?

Note: See the other awards in Movies: 1 in each catagory who weren't picked for Oscars like Hanks. Man that's gotta hurt.

http://awards.bafta.org/award/2014/film
British version of the Oscars except they only chose 5 nominees for Best Film.
But the reason I included this is The Special Visual Effects Catagory: Pacific Rim got the nod!
What's wrong with the Ocars. Even Bafta recognizes great work by Del Toro and Company.
The rest of the awards are spread out like the Oscars. Not much difference there.




Thursday, January 16, 2014

The Oscars Are Here...

Well there were a few surprises but you can never tell what the Academy has on it's mind. Below are 2 examples what a lot of critics thought would get the nods. And these are the experts. Final predictions of the winners for the full list will be posted before we do the live shows. Dates to be announced for those.

This one is really short:
http://carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/15/in-advance-of-oscar-nominations-what-the-pundits-are-saying/?_php=true&_type=blogs&smid=gp-nytimes&_r=0

Long but good coverage. Got Redford right but not Streep.
http://movies.yahoo.com/news/oscar-nomination-predictions-crowded-meryl-streep-robert-redford-054646431.htm

Again I pick the main catagories and you can check my previous blogs to compare these.
Basically I got 4 out of 5 like most experts in the field. With the academy you can never tell.

Picture: Dallas Buyers Club - I'm surprise this got the nod. As mention before the story arc is not
conventional and didn't think the Academy would pick it. Glad they did. But we all know there's only 2
to fight it out. The others don't have a chance.

Director: Paul Greengrass got dissed big time. I thought if Scorsese got picked Payne would get bumped off.
Both Scorsese and Payne are in! Surprised me there.

Actor: Same scenerio: Both Leo and Bale are in and Hanks got kicked out. OUCH! Glad Dern is in and Matthew has this.

Actress: Same scenerio again! Streep is in, I'm good with that cause she was that good but what else is new, LOL, But my Fav Emma Thompson was out. But Meryl's got a hundred nods so Amy's got this.

Supporting Actor and Actress: Leto and Nyong-O are in. And I'm good.

Animation: Croods, YES! DM2, YES! and The Wind Rises. Mayazaki got his nod. STill haven't sen this and really think anyone would acknowldge this. So glad he got recognized. And the other I never even heard of, Ernest & Celestine. More homework which will be fun as I love this catogory.
But then again it doesn't matter. Darth Vadar's boss is going to make sure who wins.

Song: As noted in previous posts, besides U2 nothing really stuck for me then they picked "Happy"
I love this song from DM2. This gets me going in the morning. Good for Pharrell. But again we know who's got it.

And now I save the worst for last and that is Visual Effects:
WTF! No Pacific Rim! Why the Del Toro hate? What else can it be. We all know he brought the genre to the next level with his imagination in Effects.
But they give it to Lone Ranger? What, for the friggin train? ARe you FK kidding me? IM3 Blows.
I had it up to here (pointing at my knee caps) with those friggin hobbits.
Star Trek is OK even if the Effects were on steroids. Only Gravity is the only worthy opponent as Cuaron took that film to the next level. But that's James Cameron's Problem.
This is outrageous. And this catagory in all catagories, these films were picked by those who work with Visual Effects. Again why the Del Toro hatred?

That's it for now as next week I'm going to review the other sections like editing, costumes, etc.
In 2 weeks we are going to premiere the live show and talk more in details about Oscar, Globes and of course SAG award this Saturday to see if FF6 gets the award for Best Cast Ensemble. Probably
American Hustle will get this as I've been saying all along.

It's been a slow recovery for me but as they say in the business "The Show Must Go On"...


No Pacific Rim? WTF!


Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Oscar Nominations Prediction

I just picked the top catagories as they are tightist in the nominations. Too many contenders and not enought spots. The winner of Oscar who I think is going to win is listed on top. Getting ahead of myself but why not.

Director:
Cuaron - Gravity
David O'Russell - American Hustle
Paul Greengrass - Capt. Phillips
Steve Mcqueen - 12 Years
Scorsese - Wolf of Wall Street

Alexander Payne - Nebraska could be the upset. If he's in then Marty is out.
Note: There has been many times a Best Picture gets a nod and wins without it's Director getting
any recognition. Just ask Speilberg. The Color Purple, Every nomination in the book besides him. OUCH!

Actor: This is the catagory I'm watching the most.
Matthew McConaughey
Tom Hanks
Bruce Dern
Chiwetel Eijifor
Christian Bale

Redford will be shut out which is a shame. So it will be between Bale and Leo but most of the cast will
be nominated and that has Bale as a lock. Leo got nominated in the Comedy catagory at the Globes and Oscar doesn't respect that.

Actress:
Cate Blance
Sandra Bullock
Amy Adams
Emma Banks
Judi Dench

Could Meryl be the big upset here? While Amy won over Meryl but that was comedy catagory and Oscar doesn't give a crap with that. So this won't matter either way cause it's obvious Cate has it.

Supporting Actor:
Jared Leto - To be honest I don't care who gets the nod. I'm putting my bets on Leto.

Supporting Actress:
Lupita Nyong-O - I still think she will get it no matter what. Her Globe was stolen from her.
No offense to Lawrence but already won a few years ago. And she's young. She has more than enough of a future like Streep to get her dues. Give it a break already.

Picture:
American Hustle
12 Years A Slave
Gravity
Capt. Philips
Wolf of Wall Street
Philomena
Nebraska
#8, #9 = pick any movie, Her, Blue Jasmine etc..who cares..

Showdown between Hustle and Slave but who knows. They might cancel each other out and give it to
Gravity. Woudn't that be funny? Na, that only happens in the movies. LOL.

Note:
Remember Lincoln? All those nominations and it only won one. That's what's going to happen with
12 Years a Slave. Nyong-O will get her Oscar for Supporting Actress and that will save face for 12 Yrs.
Also both 12 Years and American Hustle are period pieces so both will share the Costume and other catagories and probably split those, maybe.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Tuesday Movie Mini- Reviews

Well we are back with some reviews. Monday Links will return next week.
Oscar nod predictions will be announced as which Actors will be nominated as that is the catagory to watch.
Ratings: 1-5, Bad to Great

American Hustle: 5 - The movie that Marty should have made. The strength is not the individual cast as they are all good but as an cast ensemble which prove to be a powerhouse. Any soundtrack that has ELO on it is something to cheer for. And no Gimme Shelter on the soundtrack either. That is so cliche. So much to say.
Just see the damn thing. Oscar for Best Picture.

Dallas Buyers Club: 5 - Matthew and Jared steal the show. Saw this as soon as they got the nods for Globes to decide for myself and yep, they nailed it. They proved me right. Oscar all the way. But it's a great story that needed to be told. Some critics had a problem with it's 2 story arc. First with the characters in the first act then the politics Matthew's character had to deal begin in the second half. Not really conventional but it works for the movie. Maybe that's why it didn't get an nod from the Globes. Maybe Oscars. It deserves it.
At least its important to remember those who went through the pain and died from this disease.

Blue Jasmine: 3 - Overrated as far as being told as one of Woody Allen's best. It's more of a drama than anything else and after while you want to put a baseball bat to Blancett's head as her character gets really annoying after a while. Yes she's is good with the character (I preferred Emma Thompson's Mr. Banks) but you can't reach any sympathy for her. The film overall is no Midnight in Paris.

Her: 2 - I was bored to tears besides gppd direction, Globe script winner, cinematography, spx but either Jaoquin smiled a lot or was depressed. I couldn't care less about such unsympathetic character. I was surprise with all the kudos this picture got. Maybe Iexpected to much fromt he hype. But this movie did nothing for me. Not even a rental from me. I love Spike Jones with Where the Wild Things Are and Malkovich of course but this didn't do it for me.

Secret Life of Walter Mitty:  2 - Not a remake but more of a re-imagine of the classic movie that
fails big time. It doesn't even compare. No fault of Stiller's Direction or acting as he proved he can handle both with Tropic Thunder which was in my top 10 of that year. Not even the locations and cinematography can save this as for a fantasy this just failed flat and besides a few chuckles it doesn't add up much. Note: I saw the filming of this at Rockfellar center for a whole week  and near Wall St. in NYC for 2 days. It hardly registers on the screen. Ah the magic of movies.
PS See the original. Danny Kaye's Acting is top notch. That's what you call real acting young ones.

Next Week: Lone Survivor, Wolf of Wall St. and more while I try to catch up.

Monday, January 13, 2014

Golden Globe Outcome and Surprises

So here is my quick wrap up about the Globes or as they call it: Pass the booze Around!

Well I got quite a few right:
Matthew and Jared, Blancett, Douglas, Bissett out of all things, Douglas, Frozen (big deal)
I still prefer Emma over Cate but Emma should total class with the shoe and wine. Totally English.

If not one it be the other:
12 Slaves not Gravity, Cauron not Russell, Amy not Streep guess Meryl got too many.

Surprises:
Lawrence and not Nyong-o! What the hell is that about, sorry JL was good and again it was a cast ensemble! Nyong-o was robbed but Oscar will prevail. She will get her due!
Spike Jonz instead of David Russell. Well "Her" was well written but boring as hell. Review soon.
Amy Poehler is funny but that show sucks crap. This was a lousy catagory anyways.

WTF!!!
Andy Samberg, Brooklyn 99 !?!?! Fox had payola in its corner. What bullshit. That show Sucks!
Over Big BangTheory? Did anyone see those scripts, the writing is at it's best!

Best Score: Some were curious why I, being a musician, didn't pcik this and best song:
I felt all the songs and U2 is just a weak song. Good lyrics, boring chords.
But the score got me really pissed off. Did anyone see the Redford movie "All is Lost"?
There's hardly any music let alone a soundtrack. What the hell were they thinking.
But I couldn't judge the rest as I haven't seen The Book Thieve and felt the other soundtracks
were weak and just serve the movie as it were. Even Zimmernan for 12 Year was just there.
But this was an outrage. Write 10 minutes worth of music and get a Globe. Oscar will correct this.
But then Trent Reznor got an Oscar for Social Network, a head scratcher if there ever was one.

So now on to the Oscar Predictions. The big deal here is in the Actor and Actresses catagory.
10 nods each for Drama and Comedy/Musical which will be condensed to only 5 each.
I will list my predictions tomorrow on who will get the nod.
As far as Best Picture they've been picking 9-10 the past few years so they all got a chance but
it will be American Hustle unless Oscar goes Mush like Globes did for 12 Years. So one or the other.

And no I haven't forgotten the Bafta and SAG awards as the SAG acknowledges ensemble casts.
They have FF6 and American Hustle. That should be interesting.

I'm skipping links until Friday along with Reviews including American Hustle, Walter Mitty, Her,
Dallas Buyers Club, Blue Jasmine, others...



Sunday, January 12, 2014

Golden Globes Predictions Pt. 3

Here are some leftover predictions for the tv/cable section.
Remember all of these guesses are for fun since the GG can be so unpredictable. But as history goes who ever wins here most likely will win the Oscars.

Comedy:
Show: Big Bang,
Sorry but all the others nominated suck. why Parks is still on is because NBC doesn't have squat in thier line up. I could never get into Modern Family, B99 and Girls are just horrible.

Actor:
Jim Parsons, this guy never misses a beat and all those long dialogues! Talk about a great memory. We all love Micheal J Fox but its got that NBC curse, what a shame.

Actress:
Edie Falco, she can do drama and comedy. Who doesn't love Ms. Soprano?

Mini Series:
 Behind the Candelbra, to be honest the only one I saw but Douglas and Damon, yeah.
Shame Spector wasn't nominated cause that's the other one I saw but no nods.

Actor:
Douglas will get it over Damon because he's got more years in the business. It's a coutesy call but Pacino was great as Spector. Finally saw Elba in Luther this afternoon on BBC. Damn that dude is tall.

Actress:
Only saw Helen Mirren in Spector saw I go with that, but she never fails.

Spt. Actor:
Rob Lowe, for looking scary freaky as the plastic surgery dude. Did you know he almost got the lead
part in "Dune" movie? But did not want to commit to a trilogy. Yep David Lynch Dune. Yikes!

Spt. Actress:
Jaqueline Bisset. Nope I haven't seen any of these performances. But Bisset might get it again for a long time recognition and besides she's total English. Foreign Press loves that. Is that an expect opinion? Hell no!
I just remember her in that wet t-shirt in that Jaws rip-off The Island. Oh the memories.

So to wrap it up my main bets are on the movies for Best Picture, Actors, Directors all on Pt. 1
of my predictions. With Pt. 1 & 2 I'm just having fun. But then again for you die hards whohave been
following me for years, remember I stuck with Argo for Best Picture and Hush Puppy nod for Actress?
You never know.

Enjoy the show everyone! See ya Tommorrow with the outcome.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Golden Globes Predictions Pt. 2

Okay here are the leftovers from yesterday's list:

The Comedy/Musical section doesn't make much sense but:
Picture: American Hustle. This will get the Oscar unless the academy goes mush and goes for 12 Years.

Actor: Bale might let nominated for an Oscar but it's a stretch. The strength for this movie is for it's cast emsemble if anything else. Leo for comedy is a death sentence, no way for Oscar.
Bruce Dern is a long shot for Oscar but remember Peter Fonda got nominated for Actor?
Both these actors were famous for those low budget 1960's movies, aka Roger Corman. But for me
I remember him for Silent Running, one of my favorite sci-fi movies from the 1970's. Classic movie.
And of course starring with the Duke himself John Wayne for True Grit. Dern should get a nod.

Actress: Amy Adams?I love this girl and her outfits but against Streep? No way. You go Meryl.

That's it for movies and as far as tv goes here are my 2 for now. More tomorrow.

Comedy: Big Bang Theory. The theory is the longer a show is on the air the weaker it gets.
This damn thing is funnier and stronger than ever. Cool.

Drama and Actor: The Blacklist and James Spadar.
This could be the longest blog ever written on why I love this show. Well I'm saving that for the live show.

Speaking of which, I'm looking for a new season beginning with Oscars and Best and Worst like I promised.

Thanks to all of you for your support on behalf of me and my family.
I'm looking at the end of January to start the live shows. For sure to talk about the Oscar nods.
It should be interesting.

Friday, January 10, 2014

Golden Globe Predictions Pt. 1

Update: Since I was rushing to post this to meet the day's deadline I put in some extra tidbits.

Starting on Monday we are going back on schedule in time for Oscar talk. In the meantime:

The Golden Globes Nominations. I will concentrate mainly on the movies but on Sunday
I will mention some tv/cable as I have not seen most of them and just mention some tidbits.

Best Picture: Gravity
This should be American Hustle but got put in the Comedy section instead which makes no sense.
Why didn't I pick 12 Years Slave? As good as it is, this is a remake. The original starring Avery Brooks from Star Trek:DS9, was presented as part of the American Playhouse series back in 1984 and is pretty much the same story but not that explicit in its violence.

Actor: Matthew McConaughey
Nailed it. Never mind that weight loss crap. That has nothing to do with it. You hate his character then you love his character and you wind up cheering him on for the cause. Excellent.
Honorable mention: Tom Hanks, The nurse asks if he's ok, he goes full blown Oscar moment.

Actress: Cate Blancette
While I prefer Emma Thompson in Saving Mr. Banks, who was great tin breaking Hanks balls through out the picture, Blancette is everyone's favorite. Good performance but you can tell it was because of Woody's direction that she achieved that performance.

Spt Actor: Jared Leto
I got to admit I never put 2 and 2 together while watching Dallas Buyers Club. Who is this guy cause he was fantastic. Only after the movie I checked IMDB and said: The Musician?!?!? You got to be fkin kidding me!
Nailed it!
PS He reminded me of John Lithgow in World According to Garp when he played the character Roberta. Classic.
Honorable mention: That scary dude from Capt. Philips. He stills scares me.

Spt. Actress: Lupita Nyong'o
She was the highlight of this movie, 12 Years. She has this in her corner.

Director: David Russell
Great script with character narration and smart cast ensemble. A direct nod to Scorsese style and movies.
Marty is pissed!
PS: Everyone is talking about Gravity but thats more of a technical achievement if anything else but don't be surprise if Cauron gets it since the Globes is the foreign press.

Screenplay: David Russell and Eric Warren Singer
Love that dialogue. Who couldn't?

Animation: Frozen
The mouse is being a bully. I would chose The Croods but  they chose Monster University instead.
I rather give it to Despicable Me 2. Minions rule.
Imagine being afraid of Mickey. Yep that's why Frozen will win. It didn't even deserve to be nominated.
That's right, I'm not afraid of no damn mouse. oh oh someone's banging at the door. Gotta go....

Wednesday, January 01, 2014

Last Blog For A While...

Due to a death in the family I'm taking some time off.
All projects will be on hold for the month.
Hopefully I'll have better news at the end of the month.
Thank you for your understanding.