Thor: The Dark World Clip: Loki Pulls Joker Mode Off Fairly Well…

Posted on October 6, 2013 by geelw

Alright, for some reason I got a Dark Knight vibe from this clip, but that doesn’t mean this Thor sequel will rise to those heights at all. Granted, I’m also not too thrilled that all we seem to be getting out of Hollywood are more sequels, comic book movies, the same romantic comedies and dramas with different casts and overblown “based on/inspired by a true story” films that in most cases pale in comparison to classics and some foreign films. On one hand, I can just say “oh well, that’s showbiz!” as I stay home and wait for the home video and/or cable TV premiere dates to roll in (which are all sooner than later these days). On the other hand, given that people aren’t going to the movies as much in some spots, Hollywood seems to feel that the best way to get people lining up is to overheat that Xerox machine. Oh well, we almost all love beautiful-looking things (or so the suits who run things hope)…

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Trailer: Like It or Else, Life Goes On In the Clancyverse…

Posted on October 4, 2013 by geelw

Quite a number of years ago I was leaving a press event at a hotel here in NYC and on the elevator ride down there was a guy in the back of the car who looked like an older Patton Oswalt. That got me grinning and thinking comical thoughts to myself until the elevator stopped a few floors down, a man gets on and says a cheery “Hello Mr. Clancy!” before proceeding to discuss one of his books that had recently been turned into a film. Of course, I turned a few shades of red when I realized it was THAT Tom Clancy and fortunately I didn’t embarrass myself any further. Anyway, some people think Paramount Pictures is running this new Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit trailer in bad taste since Tom Clancy died earlier this week, but I’d have to say it’s business as usual on the entertainment scene front. Of course, if this was rolled out early as a result of Mr. Clancy’s sudden death in order to generate interest in the upcoming film… yeah, then it’s quite despicable from a few viewpoints.

New(ish) Thor: The Dark World Posters Are Not Keeping Things Loki…

Posted on August 26, 2013 by geelw

Oh my, it’s the flying pun (heh). OK, OK… I’ve been lax in posting stuff about Thor: The Dark World. Sue me later, but at least suffer like a man (or woman, although they’ve suffered enough because of us men) through this post about these posters. The one up top was released earlier this month and is pulling off a nice Star Wars variant pretty well (although it’s a wee bit too crowded for my tastes), while these latter two dropped today and are nice looks at Thor and Loki good for covering up a closet door or something similarly sized. Hmmm… nice, but I know some of you want to see the ladies get their own posters. In other words, it’s your move, Marvel…

Thor: The Dark World Trailer: Ragnarok and Roll All Night…

Posted on August 7, 2013 by geelw

Although I’ve been ignoring it (and a bunch of other blockbusters this year, thanks to the window from theatrical to home video release getting shorter and shorter to the point of insanity) this sequel actually looks pretty decent (OK, it looks really decent). The again, the first film wasn’t bad at all and made for a nicer change of pace in how it handled the characters and blended humor into the mix so well. Kenneth Branagh isn’t on as director this time, but you can’t go wrong with Andy Taylor’s expertise at lensing a few episodes of Game of Thrones. That alone should propel this film into box office heaven… er Valhalla? Asgard? Whatever? Anyone? Bueller?… Bueller?

Saturday Night Fever: The Cure For Monday Night Blahs…

Posted on July 29, 2013 by geelw

(thanks, Alexandre Ribeiro!)

I was going to do Saturday Night Fever as a longer Random Film of the Week post, but my brain is still in the freezer after last week. Still, it’s on MSG later this evening and even with stupid commercials breaking up the action every few minutes I’m still going to watch it once again for my favorite scene.

Yeah, it’s yours, too – go on, admit it.

Watching that dance sequence above always cracks me up to no end while I’m blown away by Travolta basically turning himself into a human special effect and stuntman in a really surprising film that’s well worth seeing in its entirety if you’ve never done so. You’ll want to go with the R-rated version, as it’s more raw and effective that the later PG edit whipped out later by the studio to draw in even larger crowds. Granted, it still has a bunch of loose ends that never get resolved (I’d like to think that Tony’s brother left the priesthood then got called back to do an exorcism in a later film or something), but as a capsule of 1970’s era Brooklyn and the disco age, it’s a pretty outstanding movie that still holds up as a classic.

World War Z “Aggressive”/”Enigma” Trailers: Yeah, That About Describes It…

Posted on June 9, 2013 by geelw

I’m not QUITE all aboard the Z train just yet, but as with any other movie I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt and sit through it not based on any reviews or automatic hate coming from those who read the book and are cranky because the film swings so wildly away from the source material. Hey, it works for Game of Thrones, but you’re getting a series that’s going to run for a while as opposed to what’s crammed into two hours or so. Minus the home video version that will no doubt taunt those who paid to see this in theaters with words like UNRATED and Director’s Cut or maybe even the more tempting “Collector’s Edition” or (hold me!) “Z Edition”…

Yeah, I know you want at least ONE of those, right? Gotcha.

Random Film of the Week(end): The Conversation

Posted on June 8, 2013 by geelw

It’s not surprising at all to me that everything we do on the internet or on the phone is monitored and for the most part, the average Joe and Jane is too caught up in not paying attention to this as an important issue and continues yakking or clicking away because they don’t see sanctioned invisible nosiness as a problem until it stomps on their big toe while chasing someone else.

That or there’s an “Oh well, what can you do?” attitude that’s only changed when they find out how bad things really are before case of mild online petition signing and outrage slides back into apathy as soon as that new Kardashian photo or cute cat video pops up in your inbox. Yeah, you know that’s you in there somewhere… I’ve got the transcripts if you want to come check them out sometime…

Anyway, The Conversation may (and should) make you even more paranoid as you’re watching it, but feel free to feel delighted as well as its eavesdropping surveillance whiz (Gene Hackman in one of his best performances) has his world fall apart around him while he plays catch-up with his conscience. For me, this is my favorite Francis Ford Coppola film because it’s still as timely, smart and ultimately depressing as it was when it was released almost 40 years (!) ago.

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Random Film of the Week (Too): Let’s Scare Jessica to Death

Posted on May 16, 2013 by geelw

Let's Scare Jessica to Death Poster While I was too young to see this one in a theater during its initial run, I do recall the poster giving me the creeps whenever I saw it in a subway station back then. When it turned up on TV a few years later as an ABC Sunday Night Movie, I can recall watching it and being to scared to stick around for the ending, but not being able to move from my spot in front of the TV. I don’t recall whether or not I slept that night, but I think I was not good for much for a few days afterward.

Anyway, this severely underrated 1971 horror flick is worth tracking down for anyone who has a thing for slow burners with a tense psychological edge and two actresses that give excellent performances in a taught genre sleeper that absolutely deserves a great deal more respect these days…
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Star Trek: Into Darkness “Vendetta” Trailer: 1 of 8 Is Better Than 7 of 9 (At Least Today)…

Posted on May 9, 2013 by geelw

Yikes. I decide to dive into some games this week and *BOOM!* all sorts of trailers and stuff get dumped on the Internet! Hell, Paramount alone posted something like seven or eight new trailers for J.J. Abrams’ upcoming Trek sequel (yikes!), but I won’t go and post them all. At least not today. Here’s one for now and I’ll get the rest up tomorrow at some point when I’m up for air. Well, I am a few posts behind in my new schedule, so I could cheat and do eight more Trek posts… but that would be really cheesy, so I won’t. Besides, I’ve got better ways of keeping your attention… hmm… this eyelash batting stuff is HARD. It looks like I’m having a seizure when I look in the mirror…

Oh, alright – here’s another teaser for you since my eyeballs are tired from all that flapping…

More Iron Man 3 Commercials Than You Can Shake A Stick At? Sure, Why Not?

Posted on May 1, 2013 by geelw

Yeah, yeah – I’ve been a bit behind in getting these TV spots up. You can blame too many games and not enough sleep for that. I blame The Mandarin because it’s a much better excuse at the end of the day (well, at least I think so). Hey, maybe you should try that out the next time you need to get out of trouble. I’ll bet you a penny that it works much better than you’d expect… Continue reading →