Helloooo, Nurse! Silent Hill Goes The Horror House Route At Universal Studios

Posted on July 17, 2012 by geelw

“This is not a game. This is not a movie. This is real. And guests will be tormented by horrifying creatures from an alternate dimension, including the iconic deformed nurses and the executioner. “

So, Universal Studios is adding a Silent Hill theme to its hugely popular Halloween Horror Nights attraction at its Universal Studios Florida and Hollywood locations. That’s a good thing or a bad one, depending on how much you like being scared silly by things that go bump in the night. Personally, I’ve never really been scared at any horror house I’ve been to most likely because I have a pretty morbid sense of humor to begin with and tend to elbow anyone who tries to do a “jump out’ scare on me in the eye. I also know that at the end of the day everyone going in will come out alive (soiled shorts optional) and all those mask and makeup wearing guys and gals putting the fear of fear into the heads of those who show up are making an honest buck.

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The Dark Knight Rises TV Spots 14 & 15: You’re In Line Already, Right?

Posted on July 16, 2012 by geelw

Unless, of course you already bought your tickets and are going to step out to the theater and skip the long lines (provided there’s aren’t longer lines for those picking up tickets thanks to some sort of computer glitch). I’ve purposely been avoiding as much info as possible on the story and have even NOT watched all of the TV commercials when they suddenly popped onto my TV, but I finally gave in over the weekend and yeah, this looks like it’s going to be bigger than I thought. Nolan is throwing in everything and the kitchen sink here and I sort of feel bad for any director who wants to take over the series after he’s gone. At this point, unless the movie goes into a comedy/tap dance routine in the middle and has the ending chopped off, there’s no way it’s going to be a bust at the box office.

Too Much Bondage Leaves My Head Spinning. A Little Skyfall Makes Me Happier

Posted on July 15, 2012 by geelw

So, I’m thirteen films into my 19-flick James Bond 007 marathon (and again, thanks, Encore, but no thanks for running the SAP versions and not the original theatrical formatted flicks, grrrrr) and I’m a bit more disappointed with the middle run of the series than I thought I would be. Nostalgia value aside, seeing all of these films one after another is like getting stabbed to death by an army of ants with really tiny knives. For me, once you get past On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (and realize how good it is), most of the films after it (mostly the Roger Moore era ones) haven’t stood up so well. Sure, Diamonds Are Forever is amusing (to a fault), Live And Let Die makes for a great 9albeit controversial) intro to the Roger Moore era and The Spy Who Loved Me at least tries hard to be ten years younger than it really is. A few of the other Moore films have interesting performances and plot points, but clearly, the series was devolving into campy, self-referential humor at the expense of whatever sensible elements remained.

Yes, I know the four Pierce Brosnan films (which I haven’t seen in a few years, but will get to this week) have great key moments that helped usher in today’s more serious Bond films, so I’m looking forward to seeing them at least once more. That said, the 70’s to 80’s Bond films range from adequate to flat out dumb to trying too hard to be serious before degenerating to the usual plot point of Bind dropping his pants and bedding anything he can before getting conked on the head and delivered to the bad guy’s hideout or some other location where he’ll escape before popping up to surprise the potential world dominating fool and set into motion his usually sightly to highly comical (explosion, falling, impalement, etc.) demise.

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Pacific Rim and Godzilla Bring Giant Monsters Back, Big(ger) Time!

Posted on July 15, 2012 by geelw

Well, well, well… Not only are we getting a new Godzilla film (that, based on fan reaction to a brief clip shown at SDCC, is going to be a must-see), Guillermo Del Toro’s next film is looking like the ultimate kaiju-style action flick that will be talked about long after its theatrical run. In poring over some stills and the teaser poser above, I really think Del Toro is the perfect candidate to do an Earth Defense Force film if some studio ever decides to take that challenge, but then again, Sandlot’s EDF games are practically epic films of their own in terms of the all out chaos they provide. Anyway, next year will be a pretty amazing one for genre fans if both flicks are worth all the time and money spent on making them. I’ll be keeping an eyeball peeled for the plethora of upcoming trailers that will no doubt be rolling out as each film gets closer to its release.

Wait, What? They’re Making A Lego Movie? Argh, But Go Enter The Vehicle Design Contest (With A Caveat)…

Posted on July 15, 2012 by geelw

Yeesh. OK, that’s it, my childhood gets another kick to the groin. Can we kind of put a halt to some of the more obviously stupid film ideas coming out of Hollywood these days? Look, I liked LEGOs as a kid and as an adult, I can still really enjoy some of the more creative uses for them (I’m talking about art-wise, silly!) as well as a bunch of the better LEGO video games. But really? A movie? Why? Because someone thought since the games are so hip and fresh and whatever and make millions and LEGO still sells well across all ages that somehow, taking the interactivity away from them and forcing people to sit on their asses for two hours and watch whatever the sixteen or so screenwriters (which is probably a low estimate on my part) come up with to make millions want that time and ticket fee back? Ugh. Count me out, but I’ll catch it on cable if I’m sick and can’t get out of bed.

Anyway, go enter the vehicle contest if you like, but If you DO win, remember this nugget of truth: a mere thousand bucks and signing your rights away for eternity is a shitty deal no matter how you slice it. If I’m dead wrong and this flick manages to rake in the bazillions, that one grand winner will be losing out on a nice chunk of change for not getting a better cut of the film’s profits. Oh, and if there’s a LEGO: The Movie: The Video Game, I’m going to be making fun of it daily until WB sends Bane and The Joker after me. Travelers Tales has MUCH better things to be doing with their time, I say…

Oz The Great And Powerful Trailer: Every Great Tale Needs A Beginning…

Posted on July 14, 2012 by geelw

I’d been on the fence about this Sam Raimi film until I saw the trailer and picked out a few fun bits that pay homage to the 1939 film (which, classic status aside, was vastly different from the book it was based on, by the way) as well as a few of L. Frank Baum’s fourteen Oz books. SO, yup… it’s on my list of stuff to see at some point. Man, is James Franco in every other film and TV show these days or what? Of course, he’s great at what he does, so I have zero complaints about his acting skills. March 2013 is when it’s coming out, so I have time to maybe catch up on some reading. Maybe I’ll watch Return to Oz again at some point if it pops up on cable. I never really liked it much when I first saw it during its original theatrical release, but perhaps it’s aged better since then. We shall see…

A Minute Of Dredd Makes For A Good Impression…

Posted on July 14, 2012 by geelw

It’s so very nice to see that the upcoming film is quite close to the old 2000 A.D. comics in tone and spirit (no Rob Schneider mucking up the works), so that’s a big thumbs up from me. I see from poking around a few other sites that the San Diego Comic-Con screening went well, so good for Lionsgate and all involved. Granted, I’m betting the film won’t touch the box office tallies The Dark Knight Rises will rake in, but it’s great to see Dredd finally getting a film that’s worthy of the name.

Advance Screening Alert: See DREDD 3D For Free At San Diego Comic-Con!

Posted on July 4, 2012 by geelw

Hey! Are you going to San Diego Comic-Con this year? Good! Want to see DREDD 3D for FREE months before everyone else? Well, OK, then! Here’s info direct from Lionsgate on how to get in on this:

We’re excited to announce that Lionsgate is kicking off San Diego Comic Con 2012 with an Advance Screening of Dredd 3D!!

**SCREENING:

When: Wednesday, July 11th, 10:00PM

Where: Reading Cinemas Gaslamp. 701 5th Ave., San Diego

Note: Star Karl Urban will introduce the screening!

To learn more about the above, and register for the exclusive screening, visit www.JudgementIsComing.com and retweet DREDD 3D’s tweet! #JudgementIsComing

**MASTERS OF THE WEB PANEL:

When: Thursday, July 12th, 4:30PM – 5:30PM

Where: Room 24ABC

What: Masters of the Web – The annual gathering of some of the most prominent and influential film pundits on the web discuss the film industry, writing for film online, film fandom, and a whole lot more. Moderated by star of the new Lionsgate film Dredd, Karl Urban (Star Trek, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King), with special surprise cast members from the film. Panelists include Mike Sampson (ScreenCrush.com), Jen Yamato (MovieLine.com), Mali Elfman (ScreenCrave.com), Erik Davis (Movies.com), Steve “Frosty” Weintraub (Colider.com), Grae Drake (Fandango.com), Jenna Busch (Cocktails with Stan Lee), and Edward Douglas (ComingSoon.net), and hosted by John Campea (AMC Theatres). AMC is generously providing free movies passes to all attendees of the panel this year! Room 24ABC

http://www.facebook.com/dreddthemovie

Tweets by LionsgateMovies

#Dredd3D

It’s Nice To See Cable Getting Wiser About The Movies They Run. Keep it Up.

Posted on July 3, 2012 by geelw

I’ve started to notice that a lot of cable movie channels are FINALLY starting to present most or all of their movies in their original screen formats. This is a damn good thing, as TV edit “pan & scan” versions or VHS-era full screen cuts are pretty lame and hell, just don’t cut it in an age where download services get it right by preserving the true aspect ratio of the films they show. For those out there who still don’t get it, Turner Classic Movies did a wonderful video explanation of “letterboxing” a few years ago featuring some top Hollywood directors that’s required viewing for those confused about those black bars on the top and bottom of their TV screens. If you don’t have or watch TCM (shame on you!), well… courtesy of Guillotinepost.com (and of course, TCM) here you go – and you’re welcome.

New Total Recall Trailer: Arnold Who? Seriously, Is Hollywood Trying To Make Us Forget Him?

Posted on June 30, 2012 by geelw

For the three boobs out there who wanted to see that three-boobed lady of the evening in the new film: here you go. Actually, I like Colin Farrell’s reaction and the way the scene is played in the trailer, so hopefully it’ll be as brief in the final cut. The one thing I’m concerned about is I can pretty clearly see who the bad guys are in this remake because the trailer gives them away or hell, the casting is just too obvious. Then again, I’ll prepare to be surprised if I’m wrong. Maybe.

Hmmm… Let’s see now… Swarzenegger Negation Remake Project tally: Conan, Total Recall, (some would say) Predators. At this point, all we need are reboots of The Running Man, The Terminator and maybe one or two of his better action films. Commando and Raw Deal are high comedies with gunplay to me, it’s too early to remake True Lies (which is too much fun to remake anyway) and no, Twins, Kindergarten Cop, Eraser or Collateral Damage reboots I’d not even want to see no matter who made them. Of course, I’m kidding (but then again, maybe Hollywood isn’t)…