The Reel Movie Blog

Another one of my ‘most awaited’ remakes of all time. I remember growing up with Alice in Wonderland as a story and no doubt later recalling how that particular story had shaped my perception and shaped my life. I felt the same way when I first saw the Matrix. It had the effect of a crow-bar prying open my mind to new possibilities and opportunities. I loved it.

And here it is again… so far only a few pics of the movie have been released and the cast looks brilliant, with a few staples from the Tim Burton toolbox. Namely, Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter and Helena Bonham Carter as the Queen of Hearts. The nice touch is Anne Hathaway as the White Queen.

The movie is set to release on 5 March 2010.
Here’s an idea of what it’s going to look like…

Alice in the Caterpillar’s Garden

Johnny Depp - The Mad Hatter

Helena Bonham Carter - The Queen of Hearts

Anne Hathaway - The White Queen

I remember posting before on Sarah Michelle Gellar working on creating the movie version of that AWESOME game, American McGee’s Alice. I don’t
know when that will be released, but one at a time… right now I’m looking forward to Tim Burton’s recreation. I wonder who’s playing Alice???

Technorati Tags: Alice in Wonderland, Tim Burton, American Mcgee, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, 2010

[Rating=7.8-10]

Okay you don’t have to tell me I know that isn’t the real title I’m simply trying to inform anyone who reads this that this is in fact the second one and they haven’t missed any of the ” Transformers Trilogy”. First off I would like to ask a question why does Michael Bay of all directors have to be the one making these movies?! WHY?! And second I had been hoping the editor of this site was going to beat me on putting a review up for this movie before me but oh well.

Transformers, have actually been around since 1984 when the Japan toy company, Takara Tomy, sold the distribution rights to the American toy company Hasbro. Over nearly the first 23 years of the “Robots in Disguise” there were various new lines of the popular toys coming out very often with the main premise of the “Autobots” vs the “Decepticons” fighting each other constantly with the “Autobots” trying to protect the human race. New twists were being constantly added and eventually the robots appeared on a TV show that aired 16 episodes. Soon after “The Transformers: The Movie”, an animated film, came out. Then less than 2 years ago Michael Bay debuted a live-action version of the robots fighting each other on Earth. The main plot (SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!) was that years ago one Archibald Witwicky in the 19th century was attempting to reach the Arctic Circle. He stumbled upon the frozen leader of the “Decepticons”, “Megatron”. “Megatron” had traveled to Earth looking for “The Cube” aka “The All Spark” an energy source that had created him and his species which had lived on the planet “Cybertron” until a civil war between the “Autobots” and the “Decepticons” destroyed the planet. Jump forward to the year 2007 and we find Sam Witwicky, played by Shia Lebouf, the descendant of Archibald. Sam posses his great-great grandfather’s glasses which the coordinates of “The Cube” are engraved on the lenses. To make an over two hour long story short both the “Autobots” and the “Decepticons” race to find Sam and his glasses and the story ends with Sam killing the now thawed Megatron by shoving “The Cube” into his “spark”, aka heart, and “The Cube” being raw power kills “Megatron”. “Optimus Prime” and the remaining “Autobots” vow to remain on Earth to protect the humans and Sam gets the girl, Mikaela Banes, played by the very attractive Megan Fox. Though I am leaving out many important characters I wish not to ramble when you can easily see the film yourself and I am not reviewing that film right now but perhaps later.

Now onto the sequel, the main premise of the movie which I will not spoil is basically the “Decepticons” getting back at the “Autobots”(and they get big-time payback) and the revenge of the original “Decepticon” name “The Fallen”. Yes you read that right it isn’t “Megatron” it is one ‘Decepticon” named “The Fallen” who was once on Earth in 17,000 B.C. and has a history with “The Primes”, “Optimus’” ancestors. The first half of the movie is about, more “Transformer” history, revenge, suffering, and unveiling, and I will say nothing more. The other half is yet another search for an ancient object of power, which can be seen in one of the trailers.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Final Official Trailer

Yeah, you know that's a badass picture.

In general the film was a mash of somewhat repetitive battles and explosions, and two-thirds of the plot being correlative to the first film.

 KABOOM!!! I’m guessing this was one of the more expensive scenes.

Yet Bay tried to bring in many new characters to capture the audience that we get to know slightly but they sadly take away from the characters that audiences got to know and love from the first film. One character that Bay did introduce this film had audiences laughing and people nearly immediately liked him, then POOF! He disappears at one point and is never to be seen again the rest of the film with no explanation. So at this point I must summarize what i think and say number one Bay was feeling cocky and severly blew it in way too many scenes. He did very well with the couple scenes with Mikaela and Sam to calm down the audience between action sequences and several scenes that had half the audiences balwing their eyes out, even some guys! Number two, they gave Bay way to big of budget that he didn’t need, 190 million dollars, which I think took away from what could had been a genuinely excellent sequel. Finally if Michael Bay ever reads this, dude get the next one rated R because you had a lot of language in the first half of the movie for a PG-13 rating and get Megan Fox naked in it cause she will do it, 90% sure.

Thanks for reading!!!

The trailer for the new TV movie - ‘Battlestar Galactica: The Plan’ chronicling the battle between the Humans and the Cylons, this time from the viewpoint of the Cylons. I assume it would be summarised seeing as the human side was told across five seasons and this new movie is only two hours long. But check out the Trailer below… it looks AWESOME.

Technorati Tags: Battlestar Galactica, Movie

Can’t wait for this one to come out!  Tarantino is back in the habit with this long-awaited World War II flick about a group of soldiers who’s only business is “Killin’ Nazi’s”.  The trailer already makes it look pretty damn cool.

“We’re in the Bid’ness of Killin’ Nazi’s, and baby… Bid’ness izza Boomin’!” - Brad Pitt

Here’s more insight from Amanda Palmer from “The Fabulous Picture Show” on Al Jazeera talking live from Cannes.

and the original trailer…

Technorati Tags: Movie, Inglorious Basterds, Tarantino

[Rating=6.3 of 10]

So, Land of the Lost (2009), I would have to say I actually expected worst things out of this film. The trailer actually fouled up the movie and I almost didn’t go to it, and I can watch movies for free! Another factor that nearly made me turn away from Will Ferrel’s newest movie was when I heard the movie is based off anold 70’s TV show. But I took a deep breath and dove into the theater and sat all the way through. The beginning we find an astronaut walking through a jungle in his space suit calling his base for help and a loud roaring sound getting closer and closer to him. From there I would say you could guess what happened if you have seen a trailer or poster for this movie. After seeing the whole ball of wax that creates this mediocrely amusing film even the common numbskull could think back to the beginning and say what the heck was the astronaut for? After reading up on Brad Sieberling I knew that I could not expect a great piece of film from him espicially noting that this is only his third film to direct and all his past work he worked as a producer (otherwise know as the nobody of film, or the guy to get the director coffee). Anyways I’m not writing to bash certian directors or positions in film. Throughout the film very few lines are rescued from the brink of pointless by Ferrell and McBride.

Don’t worry 30 lizard things aren’t sneaking up on you.

Perhaps througout the entire film only one scene, the scene where Ferrell, McBride, and Jorma Taccone have a witty drug sequence suggesting several drugs crammed into one seeing that they are in a virtual Land of the Lost. Throughout the mildly funny film the special effects save the film from a horrible rating with great creature effects ranging from T-Rex evil grins to Sleestak opening wide to show several rows of sharp teeth.

But in the end one must wonder if well done sets, great creature CGI and an almost all star cast make a great movie and I say no but it still makes an OK movie.

Miss March

Rating:

Imagine an online video. Two minutes long, there are some pretty funny jokes. You don’t mind that it is poorly shot, because it is…well an online video. Now stretch that into an hour and twenty five minutes (sadly it doesn’t feel anywhere near that short). Don’t add any jokes, keep the bad filming, and release it in theaters nationwide. The result is Miss March. The experience is so excruciating, even a thirteen year old, still suffering from the jitters of sneaking into an R-rated movie will contemplate walking out at some point in the film. I wish I had. The story surrounds Tucker and Eugene, played by Trevor Moore and Zach Creeger respectively (the duo wrote and directed as well). A staunch advocate for abstinence, Eugene promises his girlfriend that they will have sex on the night of their prom. Nervous, and perhaps second guessing himself about the whole idea, Eugene follows Tucker’s advice, and does a few rounds to calm his nerves. Now ready, he leaves to go to his waiting girlfriend but accidentally falls into the basement and subsequently into a coma. Cut to four years in the future, Tucker hits Eugene in the face with a baseball bat, bringing him out of his coma. Eugene finds out that his girlfriend is now a Playboy Playmate (specifically Miss March), and they set off to reunite Eugene with Cindi, and to fulfill Tucker’s lifelong dream of going to the Playboy mansion.

Like a typical road movie, they run into many obstacles along the way, from an epileptic girlfriend to crazed firemen. They are helped through their problems from such unlikely help as Horsedick.mpeg an MC they knew from high school whose song “I’ma love a white girl” (Radio Edit) is topping the charts. As well as two Russian lesbians who are so madly in love with each other they can’t stop having sex. If any of this sounds cliche or gimicky that’s because it is. The high point of the movie is when Eugene and Horsedick.mpeg are sharing a cigar sized joint on the “party bus”. That’s where the humor and the quality end. There are attempts at outrageous moments which fall flat on their face (a scene where Tucker stabs his girlfriend in the face while she is “going downtown” specifically comes to mind). But they never seem to realize it and keep trying the same jokes again and again for the entire length of this horror.

Miss March is the debut film of both Creeger and Moore, and it shows. It would be nice to know what the budget was, but by the poor quality of the filming, the lack of consistent lighting, and the consumer grade look of the footage, I would be tempted to guess $100,000 even though the reality is probably more like 50-75 times that number (at least). I hope this teaches film executives that success as a comedy troupe doesn’t necessarily translate into aptitude behind the camera, or even writing a screenplay. At the very least please let this give you pause before greenlighting similar projects (I’m looking at you Mr. Rice). Some of films greatest directors haven’t attended film school, and have turned out well, churning out some of the greatest achievements in film history. Mr. Creeger, and Mr. Moore, you aren’t Kubricks, and you aren’t Andersons. Please stick with your comedy skits, the world would be a better place without Miss March, but it’s too late for that. All we can hope for is to stop a similar film from getting made.

If you take anything out of this review let it be this; Miss March is utter garbage that does not deserve anyone’s time or money. Don’t ignore these words because maybe “he’s just a critic, he has no sense of humor” or “well I like mindless movies”. You will never forgive yourself for watching this movie. I promise you.

My top 10 favorite movies differ greatly from the greatest films of the year (with the strange exception of this year where two films make my top 10 of all time list), but I feel that instead, each year deserves its own top 10 list, so without further adieu, here is my list of the top ten films of the year, listed alphabetically (ordering them my quality would be hard if not 100% impossible)(Keep in mind that this list is limited to the movies that I have had the privilege of seeing this year):

1. Ballast
2. Che
3. The Dark Knight
4. Frost/Nixon
5. In Bruges
6. Milk
7. Revolutionary Road
8. Slumdog Millionaire
9. WALL-E
10. The Wrestler

Slumdog Millionaire

Dir. Danny Boyle

Rating:

     Coming back from directing the less then enjoyable Sunshine, versatile director Danny Boyle directs what is one of, if not the best film this year. Slumdog tells the story of Jamal Malik who goes on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in order to reconnect with the love of his life, and is arrested and accused of cheating when he is one question away from winning it all. He has to go back in his life, and tell the police how he could have possibly known the answer to the questions that he was asked. If left in less experienced hands, this could have turned into a campy love story. Instead, it turned into a touching story of how love matters above all else, even 20,000,000 rupees (about $408,250).

     Dev Patel stars as the oldest Jamal. He is arguably the weakest link of this film (no, no pun intended…obscure game show…no?). His stoic expression works well for him for most of the film, but I just can’t buy the stoicism during the tender scenes. It is almost depressing to see his lack of emotion during scenes that should affect him. Something as little as a smile would have sufficed, but alas, it was not delivered. The younger actors do a fairly solid job in general, but the standout was Tanday Hemat Chheda, whose performance as middle Jamal was emotionally charged and full of a passion unseen in the other cast members. His role required him to be sad, angry, happy, and loving. All of which he portrayed with great confidence and ability.

     The filming was gritty, and occasionally grainy, which rather then detracting from the film added to the feeling of poverty and grime. The stark contrast of scenes full of vibrant color and those devoid of it helped to accentuate the emotion of the film, and how various parts of Jamal’s life played off of the others. This is just one example of the small additions to the film that helped to deepen the audience’s  identification with the characters and their plight. Danny Boyle has set himself into many good habits, most of all the tradition of creating great films (with a few exceptions) but in his career he has also entered into the bad habit of constantly creating shots with a cockeyed camera. It worked well in 28 Days Later due to its nature as a fast paced, almost angry film, but the shots don’t find their place in Slumdog, and instead only serve to remove the viewer from the world so meticulously created by the filmmakers. Occasionally placed strange shots do assist the filmmaker in helping to make the viewer feel uncomfortable at the necessary moments. Its attempt to push the Brechtian idea that occasionally the viewer needs to be reminded that they are watching something fake rather then an account of real life is legitimate but not when it is at cross purposes with the events of the story.

     At its heart, Slumdog is a romance. It is a tale of how love will survive no matter what the odds. Despite its occassionally dark scenes and less then happy events, it provides a story that anyone can identify with, and use to institute changes in their own life and relationships. It’s not often one can call a movie with a happy ending a “masterpiece” (the reason why escapes me), but I can with confidence tell you that Slumdog Millionaire is a masterpiece. It’s the type of film that should be cherished due to its once-in-a-generation status of the kind of film that will not only make you feel great, make you cry, and make you a better person all at the same time. So open your heart, and let Jamal and Latika in. You won’t be sorry.

I doubt a better cast could have been chosen for the film, “Doubt”, starring Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. I may have mentioned beforehand that Meryl Streep is capable of absolutely anything. I might add Hoffman and Adams to that short list as well.

The screenplay is adapted from the play Doubt: A Parable, by John Patrick Shanley (the film’s director). While the trailers might lead one to believe Doubt is suspenseful crime story unraveled by strategically placed plot points, the film is in fact more complex. Since the original manuscript was not written for Hollywood, we are spared the hand-holding for audiences that usually goes along with screenplays. Instead, Doubt ends unresolved, forcing the audience to decide for themselves whom to believe and why. While the story leans in one direction much of the time, there is no wrap-up that allows the viewer to walk away satisfied.

I applaud Shanley for maintaining the essence of a stage play on the big screen. He took advantage of camera angles and opportunities not afforded on stage, but I can envision how well the original script would work on stage. To me, that is an indication of a well-made film.

Please don’t waste your time with this movie… to be nice to it would say it’s “fuckin’ retarded.” Which is a quote from the movie itself by the way. With the advent of the 3D Cinema, some really good movies have been made which fit the new technology brilliantly… this movie is not one of them.

It is one of those really bad horror movies you know is bad when you see the movie poster, but are somehow intrigued to go and watch it anyway because of the “3D” tag to the whole thing. Please do not be fooled by this. After going through the whole schpiel and having some gory scenes displayed, in all their 3D glory, by the time you get to the climax of the movie, the 3D doesn’t factor into anything conciously… you’re mostly being gored out of your mind.

The most irritating of all though, is the extremely bad screenplay, predictable story-line and absolutely atrocious acting.

From a 3D Cinema perspective… I learnt something. I think the technology is just a tool and another cool way to bring the entertainment to life. The core still matters though, so if the story-line is shit, the rest will not make up for it. It’s sugar coated excrement.
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