When I’m not geeking out about movies, I attend my other part-time job: geeking out over videogames. When those two worlds collide however, it tends to suck balls. I love David O. Russell. I love Uncharted. That collaboration? A potential Final-Destination-esque disaster. Luckily, the ringleaders behind the adaptation actually noticed the eye of the storm, ditched O. Russell and hired Limitless director Neil Burger. This raises an eyebrow to the open possibility of Bradley Cooper taking the lead (he’d make a better Drake than a Crow). Personally, I’d give James Roday (AKA dude from Psych) a chance in the role.
Movies that should’ve been split into two parts: Watchmen
There’s a new trend going on. Harry Potter, The Hobbit and even Twilight are breaking their latest entries into two parts in an attempt to cover more of their source materials (and more of that oil-laden area their striking). This trend probably should’ve started a few years ago with Watchmen. I’ve thrown in my 100 cents before, but let’s just say that with the extra running time, we could‘ve gotten that extra depth in the back-story along with the character development that seemed strangely absent (Adrian!). Considering the legendary status of the novel, it sure as hell deserves two films.
How Beauty and the Beast was ruined for me
Beauty and the Beast is one of Disney’s properties that’s critic-proof. Given its glorious artistic direction, musical prowess and cast of memorable characters, it’s easy to see why it’s been magnetised to the fridge of animated legends. However, the ending always bugged me. The moral of the story is simple: beauty is on the inside. A charming message, but one that’s abused with the over-glorified transformation from the beast to the absurdly handsome prince. I understand that it benefit’s the conventions of storytelling, but when it comes to the idea of inner beauty, that point was nailed harder by Shrek.
Shia LaBeouf
This guy’s a f**king idiot. Those aren’t my words, but I couldn’t put it more elegantly. It’s not like I dislike the guy (even though I kinda do). I even appreciate him on some level (even though I kinda don’t). It’s just that he hasn’t exactly hit a winning streak lately: Indiana Jones 4 followed by Transformers 2 followed by Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (though audiences did #zing) followed by Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Eagle Eye’s in there somewhere). Shia’s tried his motor-mouthing arm-flailing face-spasm-ing best to make those films somewhat appreciable, but he could not. F**king idiot.
In my kick-ass DVD collection: Rope
Hitchcock’s first stab (#doublezing) at colour film slid under the realm of popularity, but it’s still Alfie at his finest. Shot entirely in one room, two men celebrate the “perfect” murder they just committed by having the victim’s friends and family over for dinner with the body still hidden in the room. Jimmy Stewart is dynamite as always, but John Dall’s performance as the composed lunatic is an absorbing act to behold and admire. With swift cinematography, a brilliant overbearing sense of tension and even a subtle homosexual subtext, Rope is a film that deserves the attention it never got.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aco15ScXCwA
Trailer Time! – Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy
0:03 Guy hits record on ancient iPod-like device. Badass music starts.
0:28 Winner of the most obvious line to use in a spy mystery movie.
0:38 The mole is one of these chaps. My guess is the sneaky guy on the left whose face is hidden.
0:43 Reassurance that there will be guns. And the firing of said guns.
1:01 …and the firing of other “guns”.
1:05 A sudden flash of The Conversation. That’s a good movie.
1:06 …and a possible stabbing, just to round things out.
1:07 Awesome shot. “Beware of hand entrapment.”
1:12 An intimidating list of talent.
The new scent-sation
I’m not a fan of Robert Rodriguez, but I admire his ability to further our cinematic experiences. With Spy Kids 4D, everyone will be given a scratch-n-sniff card in order to get a whiff of the action (when prompted). But don’t rule out “Aromascope” as an absurd gimmick. In fact, you should back the immersive innovation. With enough support, we can Aromafy movies of the past. We’ll finally be able to smell just what exactly The Rock was cooking. Nothing would make Basic Instinct better than an appropriately timed scent of supermarket fish. It’s the future people. Make it happen.
