Inglourious Basterds Release Date Set!

Yeah, I know it's a couple hours til New Years and me and the Mrs. are on our way out the door, but I had to stop and drop this dime first! Reuters is reporting that an August 2009 release date has finally been set for Quentin Tarantino's long awaited WWII flick, Inglorious Basterds! The film stars Brad Pitt(and a cast of thousands) as the leader of a specialized group of Jewish soldiers sent to destroy the Nazis.

Awesome news! I expected the film to hit sometime in 2010, so this is great news to start the new year with!

JOHNS EDIT: Looks like it just came out that we have a date of August 21st 2009.

Doubt

The power of a person's words has been a common theme in movies recently. Last year, Atonement dealt with the way a few words from a misunderstanding individual could alter the course of multiple lives. In Doubt, the big screen adaptation of John Patrick Shanley's play of the same name, we see the way words can be used to deceive and conceal, and ultimately destroy one's reputation. Ultimately, the typical problems that arise when converting a stage play to the big screen keep what is a very good film from being a great one.

Meryl Streep plays Sister Aloysius, the overly strict headmistress at a Catholic school. Aloysius is the type who sees the downfall of humanity in the most trivial of things. The use of a ballpoint pen means penmanship throughout the world is faltering. She would fit in quite nicely at one of the Magdalene Laundries of Ireland(check out the amazing film, The Magdalene Sisters for more info on that). Aloysius is at odds with Father Flynn, played with usual brilliance by Philip Seymour Hoffman, who is a little too progressive for her taste. Sister James, played by Amy Adams, notices Flynn's unusual closeness with one of the boys, the only African-American student at the school. Aloysius uses Sister James's information to spark a mini-crusade to oust the Father from the school.

For his part, Father Flynn fights against Aloysius's unshakeable certainty tooth and nail, but he also shows signs of weakness and, well, doubt, about his own innocence. It's clear that there is something lurking beneath the surface of his caring, embracing demeanor. Aloysius latches on to this and uses it as fuel to feed her attacks. Even after Flynn convinces Sister James of his innocence, Aloysius somehow uses it to bolster her certainty on the matter. There is no doubt in her mind, or atleast not in her actions.

Any film that boasts the acting chops of Streep and Hoffman is going to be an enjoyable watch. Streep is so far beyond anybody else in her field that it's rare that she meets her equal, but I think Hoffman more than lived up to the challenge. He had by far the most difficult role in the film, and I'd be curious to know whether he came at it from a position of innocence or guilt. Streep's Aloysius is a stone-faced Cruella de Ville of the religious sect. She's so cold, even her stiff attempts at kindness are covered in snowdrift. Amy Adams, who has come a LONG way from Drop Dead Gorgeous(one of my faves) and Psycho Beach Party is a bit too mousy for me here. It's a reucurring problem for her ever since she nailed the type so perfectly in Junebug. Everything seems like a variation on her character from that film. The scene stealer, and unfortunately she only has one scene, is Viola Davis who plays the mother of Flynn's alledged victim. Whereas the majority of the film is basically people talking back and forth at eachother, she has the one great monologue of the film. The only person to throw a real crack in Aloysius's moral certainty. It's the most enjoyable part of the film for me.

It must be difficult porting plays to film. The two just aren't a natural pair. Dialogue that would work on stage doesn't always fly on screen. Often times the characters speak in absolutes that would sound unnatural if said by any other performers. Also, the director seems to feel as if there is a need to add melodramatic flair when it's not really necessary: an blaring phone ringing constantly in the middle of an intense conversation; blinding cracks of thunder and heavy rains pounding against the windows signifying the coming storm. It's just not necessary. And then there's the ending, which to me left a lot to be desired and too much answered. Maybe that's the subtle genius of it, because I wanted more than what I received.

None of this is enough to derail what is legitimately one of the best thrillers of the year, with three of the best performances. I definitely recommend it based on the fact that it will have you asking questions and pondering the fate of it's characters for some time after the film's conclusion.

7/10

Crank 2: High Voltage redband trailer

Crank 2. High Voltage. Jason Statham. Amy Smart. "Is Doc Miles gonna haveta choke a bitch?" Yeah, I can't wait for this. The trailer for this ultra obsurd high octane flick is so wildly offensive that I already love the sequel more than the original, which I liked a lot. This looks absolutely ridiculous in the most awesome way possible.

Do yourself a favor and don't watch it with the sound up, especially if you're at work. No point losing your job over Jason Statham!

Fox to Delay Watchmen?

For anyone who doesn't know, there has been a legal battle as to the copyright for the Watchmen film between 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. A judge has just ruled that Fox does indeed have some rights to the film, and Fox is seeking an injuction to delay the release of the movie. This is so they can sort any legal matters out before the film makes a dime. This sucks but I do understand from Fox's side, this film stands to make some serious coin so why would you just let that slip. More on this to come....

Lesbian Vampire Killers trailer!

Most people who know me know I'm big into vampire flicks. I also dig hot chicks. For some reason I also dig hot chicks who dig hot chicks. I didn't watch the L Word on Showtime for a couple seasons because of it's intricate plots. So to say that I'm ALL IN for this movie, is to put it bluntly: an understatment. And check it, one of the dudes in this film is named Fletch! Ode to an underappreciated classic!

Judge Dredd Coming back to the Big Screen

British comic book publisher 2000 AD has confirmed that it's biggest star, Judge Dredd, will be making his long awaited return to the big screen in the near future. The first film, released in 1995 I believe, was a disaster both critically and financially. No thanks to the awful performance by mush-mouthed Sly Stallone in the title role. The new film will be a collabo with DNA Films, who produced both Sunshine and 28 Weeks Later.

Ok, I was never a big Dredd fan, so it came as no surprise that I disliked the first one. Sly was never the right guy for the role, plus he kept taking the damn helmet off! Everyone knows Judge Dredd never takes his helmet off! So I'm thinking this time around they cast somebody who doesn't demand total face time. Maybe Jason Statham? He'd be perfect. Or Gerard Butler?

New Transformers 2 Pics

Well here are some new pics from Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen and they are, well...underwhelming. No new autobots...no autobots at all actually, just Shia LeBouf doing his thing. I'll bet he's yelling "NO NO NO NONONONONO" in these scenes. Megan Fox looks hot but nothing new or notable there. Ah well, media on this should start amping up soon. So until then here ya go:

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li Trailer!!

Ok, it's in Japanese but we still get the visual. I gotta say that after seeing some pics, and the bad aftertaste left from the last SF film that I had LOW hopes for this flick. That being said it looks pretty good for an action flick. The visuals really remind me of old John Woo flicks like Hard Boiled, this is a chance for a real female action hero and I hope it succeeds. Really wipe the last one from your memory and the thought that a Street Fighter flick has to be bad..now how does it look? English language trailer should hit soon so keep an eye out.

Seven Pounds

Seven Pounds, eh? How about Seven Adjectives?

Pretentious.

Dreadful.

Plebeian.

Uncomfortable.

Abhorrent.

Insincere.

Weak.

If Seven Pounds were a man, I'd spit in his face. The film is so full of itself that it forgets it's trying to tell a story. So enraptured with it's own supposed "mystery" that it forgets to do anything to make the mystery worth sticking around for. The biggest mystery to me was how much more money Marley & Me would make than this pile of crap($12 million more so far). This is the type of movie I rail against more than most others. A film so full of self importance that any decent performances within are rendered null and void.

The almost always likeable Will Smith plays Ben Thomas. Ben is a man with a mystery. How do we know he's got a mystery? Because he never answers questions. He stares long into the distance for no reason and stays in seedy motels all by himself. For some "mysterious" reason, Ben has decided to help seven people. But only seven deserving people. Ben makes initial contact with these people, and basically after knowing them for thirty seconds he's qualified to make a judgement call on them. That sounds fair. Be good to me for this minute or I won't save your life.

Ben presents himself as an IRS agent, worming his way into the lives of his subjects. He's basically a stalker, and by all rights he should've been tossed in jail, but I guess since that would end the movie pretty damn quick, natural courses of logic take a back seat to the necessities of plot. Ben begins to form a relationship with one of his subjects, Emily Posa, played wonderfully by Rosario Dawson. Emily suffers from congenital heart failure, and Ben plays himself as just a guy who's both interested in easing her burden but also as a man interested in her. In truth, Ben is only interested in the former, a deceit I find utterly comtemptible.

As the two grow closer, Ben becomes less and less willing to share the truth about who he is and why he's doing what he's doing. In fact, this is the aspect of the film I find most annoying. Ben has a secret, I get that. He did something horrible in his past that has forced him to seek penance by helping people. That's fine, and a good starting point for the story. But Ben's inability to share his ultimate method for helping them, or the WHY of it all makes no sense to me. He refuses to answer simple questions, choosing instead to tense up with apparent grief or run away like a girl with a skinned knee. Or worse, just smile that sheepish Will Smith grin and assume that makes everything okay. No, it doesn't. What it feels like to me is that he's keeping the secret from US, but not the people in the film. That shouldn't happen. In the context of the film, there's no reason why he can't divulge some of his secrets. The only reason to do so is to keep the audience from knowing.

We never get a chance to really see why Ben chose the people he chose, as the movie focuses almost completely on Emily and Ben's relationship. The time they spend is the most natural of all, as Dawson and Smith are both accomplished dramatic actors with a natural chemistry. If this had just been about the two of them and left all this "mystery" nonsense behind, I'd be giving thumbs up all over the place. Instead it's buried under the weight of a plot that tries to be so much more than it actually is. A plot that, literally for the first hour of the film, does absolutely nothing. It just sits there, wringing it's hands.

And the ending. Oh, that ending. That controversial finale. I wanted to slap everyone involved in the making of this junk. I wanted to phone everyone on my contacts list and warn them to stay away from this dreck, lest they waste two hours of their lives the way I did. But I didn't. And some of my friends have now seen this crap, and I feel guilty. Maybe, in true Ben Thomas fashion, I'll take those friends to a real movie as an act of penance. I might even pay for it.

4/10

Gilligans Island remake? Thought we were done with these?

I thought after the rash of TV shows to Movies over the last couple of years that maybe we were done with the genre at least for another decade. I'm afraid thats not the case as we get news today that Gilligan's Island is getting the movie treatment and none other than Micheal Cera is rumored as Gilligan. Now take that with a grain of salt, I'd like to think that Cera has better options and honestly better taste in what he does. In a more belivable rumor it is also saying that Beyonce is going to play Ginger. Now don't get me wrong, I think that some of the TV to silver screen adapts were enjoyable I've said in the podcast more than once that I liked Starskey and Hutch, but I just don't see how this will work. I mean one of the funniest things about the show was how week after week they weren't able to get off the island....how do you convey this in an hour 45? Given at least 20 min for setup before the three hour tour and 20 min for conclusion you have an hour give or take to show their repeated attempts to get off the island and that doesn't seem enough. I dont know, I have little to no hope for this but I'm sure it will make 50+ mil if it does hit the box office.

PS. Cera would certainly look the part though, wouldn't he?

Marley and Me.....I was only kidding, really??

The other day when I posted about Christmas movies and made a crack about Marley and Me the Jennifer Anniston, Owen Wilson and some dog comedy, being number 1 on Christmas day...I was joking, hopefully joking. Now I realize maybe I shouldn't have been, since the movie broke the all time record for a Christmas opening. Now this is not a prestigious list, Alien Vs. Predator: Requiem is on said list at number 6, still how can we expect Hollywood to make good entertaining, thought provoking movies when the rom com version of Turner and Hooch is number 1 over something like Benjamin Button? I dunno....maybe that's what the people want to see, and I'm sure it's enjoyable enough I just thought there were some other great options in the theater yesterday. It was still a good day all around for theaters as three of the movies released have landed on the top 10 all time Christmas openings according to /Film. Marley and Me, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Bedtime Stories all landed firmly in the list. Not quite supriseingly the new Frank Miller directed The Spirit did not make it to the list and came in at #6 for the day with 3.15mil.

Merry Christmas from the Punch Drunk Critics!

Just wanted to put up a quick post saying that Travis and I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, or whatever holiday happens to be yours this time of year. Be safe have fun and the best of everything in the year to come. Thanks for reading!

More on Chow NOT directing The Green Hornet

Thanks to comingsoon.net for this quote from Stephen Chow concerning his departure as director from The Green Hornet.

“If I direct ‘The Green Hornet,’ the superhero comedy will have to be delayed for two years,” Chow said. “The timing might not be right for a superhero comedy in two years. And I want to make a movie based on an original idea.”

Apparently he is going off to direct a project involving Jack Black, and would have to delay Hornet if he stayed on as director. I'm glad to hear that it's this and not "creative differences", but at the same time I wonder how he will have time to act in this and direct the other film. Possibly because of all the Pre and Post work that has to be done as director. At the same time I do sense a little...I don't know...contempt for the movie do to the original idea part of his quote. I hope he's not just doing this for a paycheck.

Narnia...no more?

Looks like the Narnia series is officially homeless and broke. The Hollywood Reporter is saying the Disney has dropped funding for the next installment citing, 'Budgetary and logistical', reasons. Sounds like the under performing Prince Caspian, which I actually thought was a good fun movie, has killed the series. For know, that is the property could still be picked up by another studio but really who's gonna buy it after Caspian? There's no guarantee of a b.o. smash and we know that's all that the studio heads look for in a new property. So what do you think, should this have just been a one time movie, or were you looking forward to the next installment?

The Queue: After the Wedding

Happy Holidays, everybody! It's Christmas Eve, and as my own special gift to you(Don't say I never did anything for ya!) I'm beginning yet another column. As you can probably tell from the title, I'll be reviewing films that I've just finished watching from my over burdened Netflix queue. These will be short reviews for the most part, just enough to let you know whether or not to add the film to your own queues.

And yes, there are some films on the list that I'm embarrassed to admit I haven't seen.

Last night I finally got a chance to catch up with Susanne Bier's After the Wedding. It stars Mads Mikkelsen(the bloody eyed villain from Casino Royale) as Jacob,the manager of a poor orphanage in India. He is invited to Denmark by a business named Jorgen to see about perhaps financing the orphanage, as it is nearly out of money. What Jacob doesn't realize is that Jorgen has an agenda of his own. Jacob is the former love of Jorgen's current wife, Helene, and the true father of their daughter. What Jorgen's plan for Jacob truly is, turns out to be the mystery. This leads into a frank examination of responsibility and identifying one's true place in the world, as Jacob must decide between a life with the family he should've had all along or the life he's made for himself back in India.

I've been hearing so many great things about this film, and now I see why. Mads Mikkelsen is simply amazing here, showing so much more than I thought possible after his somewhat questionable performance in Casino Royale. After a slow start, the film really takes hold of you as the many intricate relationships weave together and you wonder how it could possibly end happily. I'd say about 70% of the film is subtitled, so if you're averse to that sort of thing this might not be your cup o' tea, but otherwise I'd say throw this near the top of your list immediately. You will not be disappointed.

8/10

Theatrical Trailer: Tim Burton's "9"

9 is the story of a small band of sentient dolls living in a post-apocolyptic world. Their leader is tasked with battling a monster that has stolen the souls of his people.

I don't know what it is about Tim Burton, but I get excited for literally everything he does, and this is no different. Burton is merely producing here, but the look of the film closely resembles the nature of his own films. At first I was a bit skeptical about the concept, I mean who cares about rag dolls? But the trailer has got me completely jazzed. Looks like it'll be full of big adventure and tons of action. Right up my alley.

Land of the Lost Theatrical Poster

Here's the new theatrical poster for the Will Ferrell vehicle/remake Land of the Lost. When I look at this all I can think of is his character in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back wildlife marshall Willenholly. If he plays it the same way (which I doubt), I'm in, Willenholly is in my top 3 all time Will Ferrell side characters right next to Mugato of Zoolander and Mustapha of the Ausin Powers series.

What will you see Christmas night?

So up comes one of the busiest days for theaters nationwide...Christmas night. I guess after all the family bonding most families, present company included, head out to enjoy a film in dark quiet. So with a very busy Christmas day release list what will you and yours go to see? Here are the choices

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Marley and Me
The Spirit
Valkyrie
Bedtime Stories

Now that's quite a list. My guess....Marley and Me will top the list, mainly because it comes off as the kind of sugary sweet romantic comedy that does so well in family viewing situations. A shame if you ask me.

Theatrical Trailer: Gomorrah

I've been hearing amazing reviews about the film, Gomorrah, which is the story of th Camorra crime family in Naples, Italy. The book of which the film is based, has been called the "modern Godfather" by some, and others even think it might be superior to that classic. In fact, the book hit so close to home with the actual Camorra syndicate that it's author, Roberto Saviano, has been granted permanent police escort by the Italian Minister of the Interior. Pretty wild shit. Anyway, here's the trailer for the film. Looks awesome.

New 'Push' poster

Here's a new poster for the X-menish movie Push. Have you seen the trailer? What do you think? I was a little backed off at first because the premise seemed like a gobot type of knock off, however after seeing the trailer a few times I'm begining to think this movie may be alright. I'm a big fan of Chris Evans, and Djimon Honsou but I'm a little leary of Dakota Fanning's role. Given the right visuals and a halfway decent story this has a chance to be everything that last years Jumper wasn't.

Thundercats movie fan trailer

This has been out for a couple of days apparently but I've just come across it. Hate to say it but it looks pretty cool. I don't think a real Thundercats movie would work, given that it would be like a testosterone injected rendition of 'Cats' the musical, but still I like this trailer. The work done by the fan is just short of amazing, I'm wondering when big Hollywood is going to pull it's first oscar winning editor out of the youtube pits. Not saying this is oscar worthy by any means, just that there seems to be a plethora of raw editing talent in the youtube ranks. Anyway here's you Thundercats movie trailer.....HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Video Review: The Day the Earth Stood Still

Still working on the sound issue, but got the lighting better for you this time. Here's your video review for The Day the Earth Stood Still

Murphy as the Riddler NOT a Hoax!?

Oy Vey...

So all of my friends have been pleading with me to confirm that the rumors that Eddie Murphy has been tapped to play The Riddler in the third installment of the Batman franchise are false. Well, I tried, but it looks like I might've been a bit premature.

According to the Guardian's UK site, the reporter who broke the fanboy enraging rumor is standing by his word. Gordon Smart, the Sun reporter who broke the story, reveals that his source is the same that broke the Daniel Craig as James Bond information, and we all know how that turned out.

So what does this mean? It means be prepared for Norbit playing the role of The Riddler, arguably my favorite Bat-villain. I'm hesitant to go full on against this, because Murphy has shown that he's a capable actor despite his ventures into the obscenely awful(Norbit, Pluto Nash, Meet Dave). I didn't expect Heath Ledger to be nearly as good as he was. Few did. So while this is still strictly in the rumor stage, I'm cautiously optimistic that Nolan(who isn't even signed on to the third film yet!) knows what he's doing.

Review: Gran Torino

Walt Kowalski is a cranky old man of the "Get off my lawn" variety. We've all seen 'em. Crotchety and ready to denigrate the young whippersnappers who wear their pants too low or have one too many tattoos. A Korean War veteran of a different age, Walt speaks in a...shall we say...colorfully descriptive tone. To put it frankly, he comes off a bit racist. But in Walt's mind, that's just how people talk. And maybe that's why it's hard to hate the guy or get offended. Maybe that's why nobody around him seems to be offended by it.

Walt's wife just passed away, and he's left alone. He doesn't get along with his spoiled adult kids, nor does he understand his even more spoiled grandkids. Walt's neighborhood, which probably was once a bastion of caucasian purity, has been overrun by people Walt has limited experience with: minorities. In particular a large population of Hmong have flooded the area, to Walt's dismay. When Tao, a Hmong boy who lives next door, attempts to steal Walt's prized 1972 Gran Torino as part of a gang initiation, Walt finds himself pulled into the lives and culture of his Hmong neighbors.

Clint Eastwood is at the top of his game both behind the camera and in front. His no frills approach to directing has been lauded many times before, and it fits perfectly here as well. He provides every enough breadth and space to do the work, and his natural style creates an aura of realism behind every shot. His Walt is a man burdened with a layer of hatred just beneath the surface. Not hatred of any particular people, but of life itself and how meaningless it's become. It's clear by the way he keeps his weapons always loaded and at the ready, by the way he keeps people at arms' length, that he feels his most useful time is already past him. Maybe that's why he takes such an intersting in toughening up Tao, who is in desperate need of a man to show him the ropes. The interplay between the two is some of the best of the film, although I found the relationship between Walt and Sue to be most interesting. Sue, Tao's somewhat bossy but protective older sister, serves as Walt's entry into Hmong culture. She sees Walt as someone who needs protecting, maybe because he's been so sheltered from experiencing the outside world much the same way as her younger brother has.

Comparisons have been made to Walt and Eastwood's iconic vigilante Dirty Harry, and there is some merit to it. When a Hmong gang begins harassing Tao's family, it's Walt who steps in with a loaded rifle and a warning as cold as Harry ever could. Thankfully the film doesn't go the full vengeance route when it so easily could. I was afraid this would turn into Death Sentence, but it didn't. Instead, we're treated to a brilliant film about a man experiencing an awakening of sorts in his AARP years. Clint Eastwood has gone on to say that this will be his swan song in front of the camera, and if that's true it's sad because clearly he's still got it in him. However I'm happy that he went out on such a high note, with one of the best performances of his career.

A Night at the Museum 2 trailer

This trailer for A Night at the Museum 2 just hit the web and well....it looks funny but God I hope that CGI isn't final. They did such a great job in the first one bringing all of the museum's inhabitants to life that I really hope they don't screw it up in this one by trying to overdo it. Abe Lincoln looks like something out of Robot Chicken and the statues looked horrible. Let's chalk this up to not being completely finished and hope they fix it before final release.

Stephen Chow Off Green Hornet!

This could be a problem. Variety is reporting that Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer director, Stephen Chow, is no longer handling the directing duties on the highly anticipated Green Hornet film. The reason stated is "creative differences". Chow will still star as Kato.

Ok, any empty suit who's got creative differences with Stephen Chow probably isn't somebody I want handling any part of the making of this film. Period. My interest in this just took a major nosedive. Hopefully somebody credible can come aboard, but now I'm starting to wonder if this is a doomed project afterall.

Star Wars: Holiday Special in full

And now for your shock and amusement (NOTE: Not entertainment, amusement), The Star Wars Holiday Special. This galactic piece of garbage is known throughout the geek world as possibly the worst spin off in history, not even trumped by the dreadful Clone Wars movie earlier this year. The only highlights are the first appearance (pre-special edition episode IV), of Boba Fett and a completely coked out Carrie Fisher. Anyone who is able to watch this in it's entirety should be given an award similar to that given to John Candy in The Great Outdoors after eating the Ole 96'er. So without further ado I give you the low point of a galaxy not far enough away.

The Slate: 12/18/09

Yeah, I changed the title. Nobody cares what's on my plate. Chances are nobody cares what movies I'm planning to see, either, but I like writing about 'em so hear goes. Oh, and I'm a day late. So sue me. I had a party to attend!

Another week without a Kidman or a Jackman sighting. Australia gets closer and closer to losing it's place in my already full mental schedule. When it comes to movies I'm often like Kelly Bundy on Married with Children. When new information is learned, a piece of old information utterly disappears. Soon I won't even remember what an Australia is, and according to the box office receipts, most people don't know what an Australia is anyway.

This is actually a slow week for movies, so if there's going to be a week for me to see Australia this would be it. The major film to check out is Will Smith's Seven Pounds, which I'm told has no connection to 21 Grams. Although I wish it did. I loved 21 Grams. Seven Pounds appears to be the story of a man making penance for a horrible deed by helping seven people. Looks confusing, and frankly I'm not so much a fan of Will Smith the dramatic actor. He's much cooler running away from robots and mutants in dystopic futures.

The only other film playing around here worth noting is the Meryl Streep drama, Doubt, about a harsh, fundamentalist nun who's at odds with a progressive pastor whom she believes has committed pedophilia. Sounds cheery, eh? With Streep, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams the primary cast I know the acting will be good. It's only playing at E Street right now but should be expanding wide(that sounds dirty) in the next couple weeks. Maybe after all the Christmas nonsense is over I can sneak out to a late night film.

Oh, and one more thing! Landmark E Street Cinema is having a midnight screening of The Big Lebowski tonight! So everybody bring your bowling ball, your carton of milk, and your urine soaked persian rug. It wouldn't be very dude like of you not to show up!

Uh oh, GI: Joe....

Nukethefridge.com has a review of the teaser trailer for the upcoming GI JOe: Rise of Cobra film, and it ain't good. Obviously it's just a trailer, and that by no means says that the film will suck. But it's interesting nonetheless. What's even more interesting is the complaint being lodged by Paramount against the site for the review.

Check out the full story right......here.

Frank Miller Set to Direct "Buck Rogers"

Reuters is reporting Comics legend and the director behind The Spirit and Sin City is gearing up to bring cult favorite sci-fi series Buck Rogers to the big screen. Buck Rogers is the story of Anthony Rogers, who somehow ends up in suspended animation and wakes up in the 25th century. Rogers has been recreated in practically every format, starting life as a comic strip, then a radio show, a TV series and even a couple of feature films.

My hope is that this will stick to the more pulpy original comic strip version, but being that this is Frank Miller I imagine it'll be much darker. That's fine with me, as my faith in Miller has almost always been justified. Sci-Fi films are really seeing a resurgence as of late and I think this is the perfect time to revisit a property like Buck Rogers. I just hope he doesn't make the film with one his trademark unique color palettes. No black and whites or extreme yellows, please. And be sure to bring back Twinkie. Everybody likes Twinkies.

Time for some reader input!

First off, Travis and I would like to thank each and everyone of you for coming by and checking out our posts, reviews, and podcasts. It really means the world, we love movies and even more we love sharing it with you guys. So what do you think so far? Is there anything we don't, or haven't been covering that you'd like to see? Any and all comments and suggestions are welcome and as always thanks for stopping by the Punch Drunk Critics!

Green Lantern Movie Next for WB?

Collider recently had an exclusive interview with WB Chairman Alan Horn in which he let this little tidbit go

I then say Green Lantern? “Also on the board. On the runway. Hasn’t taken off yet, but we’re close.”



I finally ask what he thinks the next Superhero property might be from Warner Bros. He says “I think Green Lantern is probably the best guess but I can’t promise it at this moment.”



And Justice League? “Not yet.”

I'm equal parts excited and nervous for this. If the movie does get made I'm afraid that ole GL wont be one of those superheros that is easily adaptable to the screen, his origin story is sound and really the things that great movies are made of I'm more worried about seeing him in action. Green Lantern is my faviorite of the JLA, but I just dont know how you can bring his action scenes out in today's hyper real superhero world without looking cheesey. Superman's laser vision and freeze breath were made for the silver screen, but GL uses his ring to make all manner of objects, like how the T1000 used himself in Terminator 2. So how are people going to react when the villian...whoever they use...is grabbed by a giant glowing green hand, or hit with a green glowing sledge hammer? Maybe I'm missing some stuff but I just think GL is more of a comic book only type entry. Also the question arises of which Lantern to use, Hal Jordan is the obvious choice, but Kyle Ranner has a pretty cool story as well in my opinon. What are your thoughts?

Tron 2 Does the Wilde Thang

Honestly, I could care less that Tron 2 is coming out. I was never a big fan of the original. I'm not even that intrigued that it's being shot entirely in 3-D. However, I DO care that Olivia Wilde, who is probably best known for her role as Number 13 on House, has been cast in one of the featured roles. For those wondering why I care, here's why:

The Day the Earth Stood Still

I want to hate this film. I really really do. You probably already do. You, like me, probably realized pretty early on that this was a brainless mannequin of a film with absolutely zero of the intelligence of the original. You, like me, probably felt that Keanu Reeves performance as an alien attempting to mimic human emotions looked a lot like his other performances as actual human beings. You, like me, probably got irritated by the prococious Fresher Prince and his forced emotional state based solely on whatever was needed to move the plot forward. You, like me, probably fell for Jennifer Connelly and her every-woman aura that conflicts so harshly with her rare beauty. You also probably realized that she was given absolutely nothing to do here but hold the Prince by the hand.

But I, unlike you, went into this realizing it wasn't going to be a direct riff on the original and far superior film. I've come to expect lower quality from remakes of classic films, and as usual that's exactly what I got. My expectations were lowered, and as such they ended up exceeded. Not because this story about an alien sent to Earth to help us save the planet but ends up with a hollowpoint to the breastplate was good, but because it was fun. That's all. Just...fun. As a sci-fi nerd, I squealed with joy when the massive GORT made his first appearance to protect Klatu. I nearly clapped when he vaporized a squadron of fighter jets, putting our arrogant military to shame. And you know what, even Keanu got in the act a little bit by squeezing out the only real bit of tension in this film during his interrogation. So what if the "moral" of the film, that we should conserve our planet before we lose it, is piledriven home so forcefully Paul Orndorff should get a writing credit. That wasn't the point.

The point was to make geeks like me giddy with delight, even if just for a few minutes out of a two hour film. And while I certainly won't recommend it, I can't in good conscience be one of the people who trashes it completely. I'll leave that to everybody else.

5/10, yeah I know I gave it a 6 on the podcast. But with more thought, this is what it gets from me now.

Meooowwww Weisz in play for Catwoman?

E! Entertainment is reporting that their sources inside the WB studios say Rachel Weisz is in consideration for Catwoman in the third part of the Nolan Batman franchise. I have no doubt that Selina Kyle will be a part of the third movie..anyone else catch what Lucius said to Bruce about his new suit?

Bruce: Will it stop a dog
Lucius: It'll definatly stop a cat

or something to that effect. I think Weisz has just the exotic look needed for the role however shes got more of a voluptous look to her...I always see Catwoman as lean and mean but sexy at the same time...hate to say it but Angelina Jolie would be purrrfffecctt (sorry couldn't resist). I know Travis will love this story, but what do you guys think?

GI Joe Character Posters

I know, I know alot of people hate this allready, and I'm sure you're probably right. That's not gonna stop me from getting a little bit giddy about it. The thing about this flick is it will probably be as good as Punisher was...however it will take itself far too seriously and will suffer for it. That being said I think there's promise if only for Snake Eyes awesome costume. Thoughts?

Punch Drunk Podcast Episode #9

The Holiday season is in full effect here at Punch Drunk Critics International™, so what better time to take a look at our Top 5 Holiday Films? Also...

--Only Keanu Reeves can save the planet Earth, and apparently only our Dynamic Duo enjoyed The Day the Earth Stood Still. What? No love for GORT?

--The guys marvel at the amazing The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

--Trav reveals his inner bluesman in his review of Cadillac Records.

--The guys get a little TOO excited at the X-men Origin: Wolverine trailer.

--What do Playboy centerfolds, ABBA, and Al Qaeda have in common? They're all represented this week as a massive amount of DVDs hit store shelves. We got reviews right here!

We hope you'll take the time to join us by clicking right......here!

HQ Wolverine Trailer

Here's the higher quality version of the X-Men Origins: Wolverine trailer that came out this weekend. It looks simply awesome, I love Gambit in it, and allthough we don't get to see Deadpool in costume he still looks pretty BA. What do you guys think?

EDIT: Is that a young Storm at 1:52?

The Crow reboot?

Looks like Stephen Norrington, the genius behind The League of Extraordinary Gentleman may be writing a reboot for The Crow franchise. To his credit he did the adaptation for the original Blade, but I really think this is another instance of unoriginality poising Hollywood. Yeah, redo the Fantastic Four, and Punisher, and countless other flicks that didn't get it right the first time around, but The Crow? I thought that was the first time they really got a comic adapt right, and a good movie at that. Sure they sequels sucked but the original is a classic, and what a soundtrack! So who thinks this is crossing the line with the reboot?

Randy Couture Added to Cast of The Expendables!

According to Aint It Cool News, UFC Heavyweight Champ Randy Couture has been added to the cast. Also, Forrest Whittaker has been signed on to the film as well.

This is damn good news on both fronts. Couture adds some more tough guy credibility to an already muscle bound cast of Stallone, Statham, Jet Li, and Dolph Lundgren. Plus, Couture was surprisingly good in David Mamet's Redbelt earlier this year. Whittaker's value to the film goes without saying. He's one of the best actors out there and adds some much needed acting chops to the project.

I'm getting more excited for this the more I hear about it!

Punisher: War Zone Video review

Hey guys, it's our inaugural video review. As with most firsts this one is sloppy and could use some improvement :), please excuse the lighting and sound they are being worked on. Thanks for watching!

The Brothers Bloom Pushed Back FIVE Months!?

One of the movies I was most looking forward to seeing this month, the crime caper The Brothers Bloom has been pushed back a whopping five months all the way into May. And what's worse, it's only opening on a limited basis whereas before it had a much wider anticipated opening. According to Summit Entertainment, the delay is due to the glut of "specialized" films during the holiday season. There's been some speculation that Summit, who are the ones behind the hit film Twilight, have decided to focus on their successful vampire franchise rather than quirky film with a potentially low box office.

I hope that's not true, but I gotta point out that there aren't any other crime comedies coming out during the Christmas season, so this idea that there are too many similar films to Bloom is b.s. What Summit has essentially done is kneecap any chance this movie had to be successful. To casual filmgoers, the movie now has the stink of failure all over it. To hardcore filmgoers like me who've been waiting for this film, I might not have the opportunity to see it at all thanks to it's limited availability.

Good work, Summit. You can go along and continue the ruination of your vampire franchise now.

Review: Cadillac Records

Cadillac Records should be a better film. The story of the rise and fall of Chess Records is the stuff of music legend. The label, own by Leonard and Phil Chess, once held the greatest collection of blues talent ever assembled. At one point Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Etta James, Howlin' Wolf, and Chuck Barry were all counted amongst it's roster. For a die hard like me, Cadillac Records is a helluva lot of fun. But a subpar script combined with a lack of narrative focus derail what could've been a great film about one of the most interesting times in music history.

Adrien Brody and his nose plays Leonard Chess, a Jewish born club owner in the southside of Chicago. In the 1940s, it was rare to see a Jewish guy pushing an all-black nightclub, but Leonard was a guy who saw opportunity more than he saw race. Or atleast he didn't care about race as long as it came with a dollar value. Leonard, as fate would have it, would meet up with legendary guitarist and bluesman Muddy Waters in his nightclub. Muddy, a former sharecropper with a unique voice and a penchant for the ladies, reluctantly signs on to Leonard's Chess Records label along with troubled harmonica player, Little Walter.

Cadillac mainly focuses on the troubles of these three men, and that might be where the film goes wrong. It does a great job of capturing the sleazy cool feel of the 1940s and '50s. It was a time of gangsters, fast women, sweaty brows and everybody with a gun in their waistband. However, the tales of Chess, Waters, and Walter are more than enough to fill their own movies. Trying to cram the lives of these three legends into one film just leaves too much left unexplored. And let's not forget the sordid lives of Chucky Berry and Etta James, too. There simply isn't enough time to work everything out, and the film suffers for it.

Leonard probably gets the most thorough examination of them all. Brody plays him as a guy who is loyal almost to a fault to the people who helped build his enterprise, to the point of risking his own family's welfare. His relationship with Muddy is unique as it's more brotherly than employer/employee, although it's telling that in the early stages it was Muddy who always drove Chess around. That could've been due more to the race relations inherent in the southern cities they traveled through, especially in Mississippi, but I could've done with a more complete look at how these two dealt with such open racial hostility. It falls upon Leonard to manage this increasingly large stable of larger than life figures in a world that is more than eager to see them laid low. Threats loom around every corner it seems, from the fundamentalists who believed blues music and by extension rock 'n roll was the devil's music, to the racist cops on the street busting heads for minor offenses. But the biggest threat to Chess Records' success remained their own personal demons within.

Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters does his usual amazing job portraying Muddy as a flawed man, both fully embracing the perks of his celebrity(perhaps too much) while also seeming a bit uncomfortable with his newly created image. Mos Def does a decent job as Chuck Berry, but I'm starting to get the feeling that Mos is still learning to play people with unique characteristics. It's like he's trying too hard to mimick, rather than making the character his own. He was almost comically bad in 16 Blocks, and his performance in Be Kind Rewind while decent, was skeptical at points. The surprise for me, though, was Beyonce as Etta James. It goes without saying that the powerful Knowles held up her end during the musical number("At Last" is particularly moving), but she also showed surprising depth playing the feisty performer. I still have my doubts about her ability to carry the lead in a film, but she showed me that she does have more talent than I was willing to admit before.

I gotta admit to being disappointed, but my expectations were unusally high for this. In fairness, if you are a fan of this time like I am you will probably be able to look beyond all the script problems and have fun with it. You'll nitpick the stretching of facts and bemoan the fact that this material deserves a true accounting on the big screen, but you'll forgive it because everybody is so authentic and the music so hot. I'm not sure it's for everybody, but it's definitely for people who have an appreciation of the blues and origins of rock 'n roll.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button--John's Take

Just wanted to throw up my take on Brad Pitt's latest The Curious Case of Benjamin Button a good movie, worth of it's Oscar buzz. Make sure to check out Trav's review here http://punchdrunkcritics.blogspot.com/2008/12/curious-case-of-benjamin-button.html .

The movie starts out with the story of a blind clock maker who’s son was killed in WWI. He’s commissioned to make a clock that, unbeknownst to anyone at the time, he makes to run backwards. Reason being that if time runs backwards all the boys killed in the war including his son can come home. The story then transitions to a modern day hospital where an old woman is on her death bed. Her daughter is there with her and begins to read her a diary that is in with her belongings, the diary belongs to Benjamin Button and it is the story of his life. Basically Benjamin was born old and ages backwards to birth, his mother dies in childbirth and his father is so horrified that he leaves Benjamin on the stairs of a convalescent home down the street. The story then follows Benjamin’s life, loves, trials and tribulations all shown through the narration of the daughter reading to her dying mother in a New Orleans hospital. That’s all the story and spoilers I’m gonna give you.

First things first, this movie is long…damn long. That’s not to say it’s not a great movie because it is for the most part but you feel every bit of its two hours and forty minutes. Really though it doesn’t seem like there is much they could’ve have cut, all of the scenes seem necessary and add to the enjoyment and understanding of this unique life. The only segment of film that I really thought dragged and could have done without was the twenty minutes or so that they spent on his love affair with Tilda Swinton’s character. It just felt really boring and didn’t really serve much other purpose than to show that he had more than one love in his life. The only other real downside to the flick was the super creep factor that falls in during the early part of the love story. Given the gimmick of the movie, that Benjamin is old growing young, he at one point looks 87 but is only 7. It is at this point that he meets Daisy the girl that will become the love of his life. The scenes between the two until about halfway through the movie or even a little farther are just really pedo-creppy.

On the upside of things, I would be stunned if this isn’t at least nominated for as many makeup and sfx Oscars as are available. The scenes with Pitt as an old man are amazing; while I’m sure they used some kind of CGI replacement ala X-Men 3 the facial makeup is just short of stunning. Just as amazing, if not even more so is the younger, (or I guess older), version of Pitt late in the movie at visual age 17 or 18. His neck is a little thinner and shoulders slightly narrower, they truly paid attention to all of the little details and deserve recognition for that. Past the make-up, Pitt re-establishes himself as one of the last true movie stars. He plays the role with such an ease and charisma that it is impossible to not like and feel for the character. Though he does not go through the trials and tribulations that you think a movie like this will put him through, Pitt manages to make his rather routine (except for the whole backward aging thing), life captivating and engaging. Cate Blanchette’s Daisy, while a bit annoying at times turns into an endearing almost tragic figure. Blanchette manages to play her with just the right bit of emotion and goes from sweet girl to street whore and back to loveable woman all in a believable and quite enjoyable way. Rounding out the supporting cast, Jared Harris was great and quite funny as Captain Mike, Taraji Henson is warm and really captures that loving mom feeling as Queenie, Benjamin’s adoptive mother. These two really managed to bring quite a bit of humor into the film, which I wasn’t excepting but was pleasantly surprised to find. The scene in the brothel and the recurring “Did I tell you I was struck by lighting 7 times?” joke hit well and definitely had me laughing. The only thing I didn’t quite get was that it is set against the backdrop of New Orleans during hurricane Katrina (the narration not the story of Benjamin), there really didn’t seem to be a reason for it but I suppose that was Brad Pitt’s input since he was down there helping after the tragedy. Although strangely enough there was no dedication at the end of the film.

All in all I would say that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is worth seeing, not quite a must see but if it was on your list or you thought it looked interesting than it’ll definitely not disappoint. Just be prepared, for a marathon session, you really feel the close to 3 hour run time.
8/10

On Trav's Plate 12/11/08

I'm beginning to think I might not ever make it to Australia. Not the continent, but the film that's length is roughly the same as a flight to Sydney. After catching Cadillac Records and Nothing Like the Holidays in successive days, both me and my girl are due a break. She's been a trooper through all this. Being my girlfriend must be a tough gig, having to go to so many movies! I hope she knows I appreciate it. :-) Besides, Australia is getting savaged by critics right now. Maybe a dingo ate the script.

But the day off means Australia might get short shrift again. Fortunately, Hollywood is helping out by making the vast majority of this week's releases limited. Most probably won't make it here to DC. The one that's already here that I'm desperate to check out is Milk, with Sean Penn as the titular politician. That's been showing at Landmark E Street since last week and eventually we're gonna have to just make the trip. I can't hold out much longer!

John and I will be catching a screening of Clint Eastwood's Gran Tarino out in Georgetown. Not sure what to make of it, but I trust in Eastwood's judgement. Then again, he did do Blood Work....

The big film of the week is The Day the Earth Stood Still, featuring Keanu "Whoa" Reeves, Jennifer "WHOA!!" Connelly, and the hated son of the Fresh Prince. I guess that makes him the Fresher Prince or something. Whatever, the movie looks both interesting and awful. I have a funny feeling this will be a special effects laden disaster, but I hope I'm wrong.

Next week looks rough. Oscar season is a tough time as Hollywood floods us with great films. An idea: Hoffman Center typically has a day where they show all of the Best Movie oscar nominees all in a row on a Saturday. I'm sure I will have seen them all anyway, but that could be a great idea for a future episode of the Punch Drunk Podcast. Maybe do some audio from there in the theater between films? Hmmmm...

Movies You Can't Help But Love Vol. 1

Time for a new weekly segment here at PunchDrunkCritics. Every week I'm going to write about a movie that is not quite what you would call critically acclaimed, but still you love it. Guilty pleasures, whatever you want to call them we all have them and I really think they define what movies were originally meant for...Pure entertainment. Anyone who's listened to the podcast may have noticed that I'm not really you're typical critic. I find my movie time better spent with ridiculous fun that with introspective drama, not that I don't also enjoy the latter it's just that I like having fun alot more. This weeks edition....

Big Trouble in Little China

Ahh, the story of Jack Burton's trip to Chinatown. Here's a brief rundown of the plot. Jack Burton is a truck driver visiting his friend Wang in San Francisco's Chinatown. He goes with Wang to pick up Wang's girlfriend from the airport, there she is abducted by thugs who work for the underworld kingpin/sorcerer Lo Pan. She's abducted because she has green eyes which is very rare and Lo Pan needs a green eyed sacrafice to break a curse on him and become human again.

Man is this a fun movie, it's got everything you could want, awesome martial arts, sorcery, gunplay, pretty girls, monsters, rapid fire witty dialouge, the list goes on and on. Kurt Russell plays really for me one of his most memorable roles this side of Snake Plisken in Jack Burton, and the wonderful Victor Wong plays Egg Shen the good sorcerer/oldman/teacher type. The best part of the movie for me however were the elemental warriors and protectors of Lo Pan, Thunder, Rain, and Lighting. Apparently the makers of Mortal Kombat liked this flick too because Raiden from the MK series is basically an exact copy of the Lightning character. These guys were just bad ass showing up from no where and kicking ass with that cold cool look that only the Terminator himself had pulled off previously. From that trio also results one of the coolest deaths in any action movie I've seen, when Jack is facing off against Thunder and causes his head to inflate and explode. Whew, I could write about his movie for hours but I'll cut it off here before I start to ramble, long story short if you haven't seen this flick yet and you're looking for some mindless fun...throw this one in your Netflix queue, and remember what ole Jack Burton always says,

"When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, looks you crooked in the eye and asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that: "Have ya paid your dues, Jack?" "Yessir, the check is in the mail."

Golden Globe nominations released

The Golden Globe nominations were released this morning, pretty standard without many suprises really. I am suprised that Tropic Thunder got a few nods, and am pleasently suprised that In Bruges on of the best films of the year, is finally getting some recognition. Also looks like The Dark Knight only got one nom and that went to Heath Ledger, and deservedly so. Upon watching the DVD of TDK I finally realized just how awesome Ledger was in that movie, it was the seventh time I've seen it and the only scenes I was still truly looking forward to were Ledger's.

Best Motion Picture (Drama)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Burn After Reading
In Bruges
Happy-Go-Lucky
Mamma Mia
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Supporting Actor
Tom Cruise - Tropic Thunder
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Ralph Fiennes - The Duchess
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Best Director
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Steven Daldry - The Reader
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
Sam Mendes - Revolutionary Road

Best Actor (Drama)
Leonardo DiCaprio - Revolutionary Road
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Best Actress (Drama)
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kristin Scott Thomas - I've Loved You So Long
Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road

Best Original Song
"Down to Earth" -- WALL-E
"Gran Torino" - Gran Torino
"I Thought I Lost You" -- Bolt
"Once in a Lifetime" -- Cadillac Records
"The Wrestler" -- The Wrestler

Best Original Score
Defiance
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Slumdog Millionaire
Frost/Nixon
Changeling

Best Animated Film
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E

Best Foreign Language Film
The Baader Meinhof Complex
Gomorrah
I've Loved You So Long
Waltz with Bashir


Best Actor - Musical or Comedy
Javier Bardem -- Vicki Cristina Barcelona
Colin Farrell - In Bruges
James Franco -- Pineapple Express
Brendan Gleeson - In Bruges
Dustin Hoffman - Last Chance Harvey

Best Actress - Musical or Comedy
Rebecca Hall - Vicki Cristina Barcelona
Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky
Frances McDormand - Burn After Reading
Meryl Streep - Mamma Mia
Emma Thompson - Last Chance Harvey


Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler
Kate Winslet - The Reader


Best Screenplay
Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire
David Hare - The Reader
Peter Morgan - Frost/Nixon
Eric Roth - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Patrick Shanley - Doubt

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Benjamin Button is a curious film indeed. Ok, that's a pretty obvious and easy statement to make, but it's true. A fairy tale, a fable, and a tall tale all wrapped in a quirky romance featuring two of Hollywood's brightest stars. Very loosely adapted from the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story, the film seems to have stripped away the most enticing parts of the story in favor of something that leaves itself more amenable to it's big name casting. This is a quirky romance at it's heart, a story of true love under the oddest of circumstances, and it works for the most part.

Benjamin Button was born old. No, he's not an "old soul" like some people, he's literally born old, wrinkly and no doubt smelling of Neosporin. Appalled, his father hurriedly wisks the baby away from the hospital and leave him on the doorstep of a nursing home for old folks. There Benjamin is taken care of by Queenie(played by Taraji P. Henson in her best role to date), an African-American woman basically running the place. Considering that the film takes place primarily in New Orleans from the 1920s on forward it glosses over the entire issue of race for the most part. With the possible exception of a few subtile lines by Queenie and her mate, Tizzy, it's pretty much a non-issue. That fits with the fantastical tone of the story. New Orleans in this film feels like it's from another world not our own, where people age backwards and people are struck by lightning multiple times like a rod. The film's orchestral score is fits each scene note perfect, never overbearing or steering the viewer into feeling a certain emotion. That is left up to the actors, as it should be.

It's these early years in the life of Benjamin Button that were the most interesting by far. Button, with the mental capacity of young boy living amongst a group who, atleast on the surface, ought to be his peers. He is an outcast in every imaginable way. He barely associates with the older folks except for a willing few; nor can he play with the kids his own age due to his advanced physical condition which requires him to walk with braces. Not to mention he's a white guy being cared for by a black family. Benjamin soon becomes friends with the scarlett haired Daisy, a young girl with aspirations of becoming a ballerina.

As Benjamin grows younger and stronger, he gets more curious about the world beyond his front porch. He joins a fishing crew, fights in WWII, and eventually meets the man who abandoned him as a child. The film takes on a decidely Gump-ish tone during as Benjamin makes his way around the world. Much like Gump's love for Jenny, Benjamin remains grounded by his love for Daisy. But no matter where they meet in their lives the specter of Button's condition remains front and center. Daisy's fear of getting old is compounded by the ever youthful Benjamin. There's simply no getting around it, and the question becomes whether or not these two who are so obviously meant for eachother can truly withstand the trappings of time.

What David Fincher has done here is to produce one of the most strikingly beautiful films I've seen this year. In the same way that Fincher's Zodiac was so perfectly moody and gloomy, this film is pristine and almost glowing. There is a sheen to almost every shot, and helps contribute to the dreamlike nature of it. Brad Pitt, who plays Benjamin from his teen years on up, and Cate Blanchett who plays Daisy, literally glow on screen. That's not even figuring in their obvious on screen chemistry. These are two beautiful people playing beautiful, flawed characters. In a sense, its those very flaws that make these characters so attractive. Blanchett's performance seems to crank up a notch after Daisy hits her inevitable stumbling block later in life, and she becomes instantly more appealing.

For his part, Pitt does a decent job portraying Button, but my usual problems with Pitt rear their ugly heads. I've always held that Pitt is a very convincing actor who lacks the on screen charisma that he carries off screen. Take for instance, The Assassination of Jesse James in which he plays the outlaw who is revered by so many and can convince men to fight for him just off his charisma alone. Pitt flounders the role badly, lacking the depth to make James more interesting than Casey Affleck's character or even more interesting than James's sidekicks. Here, he plays another charismatic figure, who people instantly seem to take a liking to for his amiable wit and charm. Pitt does much better here than in Assassination, but I can pinpoint the moment where the film starts to drag for me, and that's the first time we see Brad Pitt in all his glory. No age makeup. Just Brad Pitt. Those parts of the film aren't bad. Like I said, he and Blanchett have some great chemistry, but they lack the energy of the earlier stuff with Button as a child and basically an adolescent. Perhaps the most fun part of the film was Button serving on the ship, looking like an old man but performing work of a 20 year old and serving with a motley crew of seamen and soldiers.

From the moment Daisy, seeming like she was emerging fresh from the ether, introduces herself to Benjamin, I wanted them to end up together. The film does an amazing job tracking their relationship and making you genuinely care how these two will end up given the incredible circumstances. Surely no couple has had bigger hurdles to overcome than these two? Well, except for Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Pressley, that is. I found myself completely captivated by the fate of these two ill-fated lovers. That's a credit to both Pitt and Blanchett that they were able to keep it interesting despite the film's bloated running time. Clocking in at nearly three hours, certain parts feel unecessarily lengthy. Nothing outright hurts the final product, but not all of it helps either.

The result ends up much like the title character, a curiosity. A sparkling, beautiful, imperfect, engrossing film if there ever was one. There's been a lot of potential Oscar buzz surrounding this, and I wouldn't be surprised if it got nominated. For me, it probably falls just shy of my short list, but I recommend it highly if for nothing else than the performances within and the most unique love story you'll probably ever see.

7/10

Piccolo San!! Dragon Ball Z Trailer Revealed!

Maybe it's just me, but it feels like the makers of this film are about five years too late for it to be a hit. The Dragonball wave has declined sharply from it's heyday.

Now, my first impressons? Why is the cast almost exclusively American? Especially with KNOWN commodities like Justin Chatwin, Emmy Rossum, and James Marsters? Say it ain't so, Spike!!! The American cast gives this the look of 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain! The special effects look like something straight out of Power Rangers Neo. To put it bluntly: This looks awful.

The Salvation Shuffle?

Looks like Terminator: Salvation will be following in the glorious footsteps of Ghostbusters 2 and Adams Family Values not to mention countless other early 90's movies, and will have common write and perform a song inspired by the movie for the soundtrack. I know Trav's gonna like this news as much as I do. This is just dumb, plain dumb. What a horrible way to cheese up what could be a seriously cool flick. I know it seems trivial but really if it closes with Common rapping about Terminators bustin' caps then I'm gonna be pissed.

It's a bird, It's a Plane, It's......McLovin?

Thanks to AICN.com for this first look at Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Red Mist in the new graphic novel adapt Kick-Ass. I know Travis is really looking forward to this one, and after hearing the synopsis and seeing the first couple pics I'm anticipating this as well. I'm really interested to see how this plays out since it's supposed to be more on the ultra violent side and less on the funny. The story is about a nerdy kid who tries, somewhat unsuccesfully at first, to go out and fight crime as a superhero.

Wolfman goes to the vet?

Looks like the suprisingly not so anticipated remake of Wolfman is going to get pushed from its April release date all the way back to November. Not to worry though if you were waiting for this one, it's for no reason to think the movies in trouble apparently they are just behind on the complex FX shots for the movie, and rather than rush they are going to push it back. Not a bad idea if you ask me. In it's place Universal is moving Fast and Furious up a few weeks, call me crazy but that one looks pretty entertaining.

There really hasn't been a whole lot said about Wolfie till now, are you guys looking forward to this one or is it just a "I'll probably see it" kind of movie?

New Friday the 13th pics

Some new stills from Friday the 13th have popped up online today. I really love the fact that they are incorporating all three Jasons in this flick, maskless, baghead, and hockey mask, I just hope it's not to much of a plot point and they make it somewhat organic. As for the cast photo....could it be more generic? I can't tell if I like it more or less because of it's dead on impression of an 80's slasher cast. I mean I can almost see name tags saying 'Stacey' and 'Trent' on a couple of these folks.

Terminator: Salvation American Theatrical Trailer

Somehow it's even better than the Japanese one. Diggin' it. And is it me or does one of those soldiers look like Common?

Holy crap! It IS him! Thumbs way down!!!! My only hope is that one of those treaded on skulls belongs to his character. In fact, they should make it obvious which of those skulls is his by putting an earth-toned Kangol hat on it's head.

Anyway, here's the trailer:

Green Hornet at SDCC? We3 Finds a Director

Scifi.com has a story in which Seth Rogen says he'd like to have footage of his upcoming Green Hornet film at next year's San Diego Comic-Con. "It's more fun to me than the movie premieres, than anything. I love Comic-Con. All of our friends come down for it, and we just have a really good time, and it's always a lot of fun. I would love nothing more than to be able to show something at Comic-Con."

This is even more reason or us to go to Comic-Con, John. That and the ladies dressed up like Sailor Moon. I've got a really good feeling about this film for some reason. Stephen Chow. Seth Rogen. I can hardly think of a combination with more potential for comic genius than these two right now.

Also, We3 has finally found a director in Kung Fu Panda's John Stevenson. Frankly, I could care less who directs this, I'm just hyped as hell that it's even being made into a film. We3 was a comic written by Warren Ellis about three prototype animal weapons(a rabbit, a dog, and a cat) fleeing from their masters. The three animals are pursued by a variety of different animal weapons sent by their creators. The series was kinetic and violent as all hell, but filled with tons of heart, also. The animals(particularly the friendly dog) were very sympathetic despite their robotic encasing. I can't wait for this.

Terminator: Salvation Full Trailer!!!

Sorry for the Japanese subtitles but that's what happens when you get an early look. I actually like the motorcycle bots now that I see them, and the classic tank treads over skulls shot still gives me chills. What are your thoughts on this flick? Will it live up to the hype or will Bale finally deliver a dud?

Fast and Furious: Roman Holiday?

Ok, stupid title, but apparently Tyrese Gibson has been added to the cast of the upcoming fourquel(is that even a word?) Fast & Furious. More than likely he'll be reprising his role as Roman Pearce, the character he so deftly played (read: hammed it up) in 2 Fast 2 Furious.

I'm still holding out hope that Lucas Black makes his inevitable, TRIUMPHANT return to the franchise he helped save(that's right, he saved it!!) in Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. No word on whether or not this film can be transferred to Japan so that I will like it. No word on the whereabouts of Bow Wow's Incredible Hulk car.

Ain't it Cool News has the full story here along with other Tyrese goodness.

Hardwicke Regains Sanity, Won't Direct Twilight Sequel

Variety is reporting that Twilight director, Catherine Hardwicke, will not be returning to direct the film's sequel, New Moon. The stated reason given is "scheduling conflicts".

Yeah right. Let's face it, the film has appealed to it's audience and made money. BUT the critical reviews of the film are spotty at best, and a lot of that criticism has fallen upon her. I wouldn't be surprised if she decided to hightail it now while the gettin' was good. Also, let's not forget that a large part of the success of Twilight was centered around Robert Patterson or whatever his name is, and his character is scarcely in the follow up film. Will it be the financial success that the first film turned out to be? Probably not, especially since the casual viewers who saw Twilight for the most part did not take a liking to it.

Punch Drunk Podcast: Episode #8

This week on the Punch Drunk Podcast Numero Ocho:

1. The guys revel in the bloody, campy goodness that is Punisher: War Zone!

2. Final answer? Trav thinks Slumdog Millionaire might be Danny Boyle's best yet!

3. John spreads a little Christmas cheer as he reviews Four Christmases!

4. The Day the Earth Stood Trailer:



5. Plenty o' DVDs to discuss including a certain Dark Knight. Plus, the guys discuss the Justice League movie; why Hancock 2 is an awful idea; and John's chances of dating Amanda Bynes just skyrocketed.

6. Holiday movies are often a dime a dozen, but Nothing Like the Holidays looks pretty damn funny:



7. In honor of the recent Thanksgiving holiday, the guys present their Top 5 Turkeys of 2008.

We hope you'll join us for another fun hour(ok, 80 minutes or so) of movies, movies, and more movies by clicking right.......HERE!!

Review: Punisher: War Zone

Punisher: War Zone is going to be the subject of the Punch Drunk Critics first video review! That being said I just wanted to drop a really quick review for anyone making their way out to the theater tonight.

This flick is not gonna win an oscar...I think we all knew that going in, that being said I was completely satisfied leaving the theater. I started to get down on this flick after reading some of the reviews out there but I'll be honest they were way off. There are bad performances and there are some silly moments but this is a hardcore action flick, it's to be expected. What this movie does deliver is the real Punisher, the one we haven't seen in the theater until now. Balls to the wall action, exploding heads, merciless justice, and everything else that we came to know action movies for thanks to names like Seagal, Stallone, and Van Damme. I hope this flick makes enough to warrant a sequel because I think other than the villian Jigsaw being a little (ok alot in some parts), over the top this was an amazing action movie that any fan of the genre should see in the theater.

8/10 on the Action movie scale
5/10 on the Snooty Cinematic Scale

Hancock Strikes Back!

Well Travis, you asked and now you receive. Will Smith has been quoted at the premier of his latest movie Seven Pounds saying that a Hancock sequel is definite. Really? If you follow Hancock after the end of the movie all you have is another vanilla superhero in tight leather. Which, by the way, when did leather become the new spandex? Guess we can thank Blade for that one. As you've heard us say in the podcast more than once the best part, and perhaps only watchable aspect of Hancock is when he's the degenerate superhero at the begining. Now, if they wanna go back to that and have 5 movies of a superhero like that, I'm sold! So what do you guys say? More Hancock, or back to Bel Air with this idea Mr. Prince?

The Dark Knight Returns

Sorry, no third movie news here. The latest press release from the WB is saying the January 23rd, 2009 The Dark Knight will once again hit theaters. There is little doubt that this serves two purposes; First, to hype up for the Oscar contention, and second to knock that pesky little boat called Titanic from the number one all time B.O. spot. Now, I ask you this, would you count this as a true record? Or is this a Barry Bonds * type of situation? I mean, it didn't really make all of the money on it's initial theatrical run. It's 77 million dollars shy of the record right now which it will probably make up, maybe not, but probably so does this count as the number 1 all time or does it count as a cheap trick?

Friday the 13th Theatrical Trailer

The new trailer for Michael Bay's remake of Friday the 13th looks pretty damn impressive. The franchise needed a kick in the ass and a return to it's roots, presenting Jason as the stalker-killer he was always intended to be, and not the comedic focal point he turned into.

Is Jared Padalecki in every horror movie that comes out nowadays? And since when did Michael Bay become the new King of Horror?

Terminator Salvation Theatrical Trailer preview!!!!

Here's ET's preview of the theatrical trailer for Terminator Salvation!! The terminator at the end looks a little transformerey but other than that..pretty sick

Romancing the Stone Remake? Seriously?

Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Fox has decided that the rime is right to remake the 1984 film, Romancing the Stone, about a novelist and a soldier and V.I. Warshawsky looking for something or other. I can't be bothered to remember it. Apparently Dan McDermott, who co-wrote Eagle Eye will be handling the script, such as it is. All I know is that the lack of creaitivity and imagination in Hollywood knows no bounds. EVERYTHING that ever earned a positive dollar at the box office during the 80's is being remade. We're about five minutes away from a Revenge of the Nerds remake, a Porky's remake, a WarGames remake, and probably a Chariots of Fire remake.

I assume they'll be bringing back Billy Ocean to do the soundtrack. When the goin' gets tough....

Ghostbusters game trailer

I know we aren't a video game site, but seeing as how this is as close as we are going to get to an actual Ghostbusters 3 I thought I'd post this. In all honesty it looks pretty bad ass, all the original voice actors are back, and from the trailer it appears to have a cohesive storyline of some sort. I'm actually really excited. What do you guys think?

On Trav's Plate 12/4/08

Yeah, so this is the first of what I intend to be a weekly post basically chronicling my basic plans for what movies I intend to see the upcoming week. Being the movie whore that I am( I see roughly 200 films a year), I want to see everything. Being in a relationship, however, has the side effect of derailing my plans in amazing ways. There's the likely chance my intentions to see Punisher War Zone will somehow end up with me seeing Four Christmases or something equally saccharine.

After what's been a pretty quiet couple of weeks, Hollywood has done what they typically do and backloaded all the heavy hitter films to the final weeks of the year. So now my schedule is looking pretty damned full up:

Tonight John and I(along with our two ladyfriends I assume) will be catching a screening of Brad Pitt's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. This is one of the movies I've been waiting for most this year so getting a chance to see it early had to be leapt upon. We'll be talking about it on an upcoming edition of the Punch Drunk Podcast.

I never saw Australia last week, being that it's a three hour long Pearl Harbor look-a-like. But I really do want to see it, so later today I'll begin the process of convincing Rebecca to see it Friday night. It might have to include taking her out to dinner or something equally unfair like that.

Depending on how things go Friday(if I've stayed out of trouble, that is) I might be able to catch Punisher War Zone on Saturday morning. This, along with Cadillac Records are the two films droppin' this week that I desperately want to see. Ray Stevenon looks the part of Frank Castle and thank God it's not set in Florida anymore! Cadillac Records will have to wait until sometime early next week, that is if we don't hit up the Nothing Like the Holidays screening on Wednesday.

Bring on the busy season! This is the best time of year to be a movie fanatic!

Neil Gaiman: Sandman Movie an "Inevitabiity"! Whoo whoo!!

In the third part of what has been a fantastic interview by Hero Complex with comics legend, novelist, screenwriter, and my favorite contemporary creator Neil Gaiman he reveals that he believes a feature film based on his Sandman stories is "an inevitability". The stories of Morpheus, the god of dreams, have been fascinating audiences for twenty years, primarily in DC Comics Vertigo series The Sandman which ran from 1989 through 1996.

In my mind there is no better writer out there today than Neil Gaiman. I wasn't the biggest fan of The Sandman while it was out but I've come to like it reading it in trade format over the last few years. It's Gaiman's other work that has fascinated me most: American Gods, Ananasi Boys, and my favorite book of all-time Neverwhere. While I'd prefer to see a big screen adapatation of Neverwhere, the fact that Gaiman is gaining such a strong foothold in the movie business has me psyched. Perhaps, if it ever comes to pass, they will do a better job with Sandman than they did with Gaiman's Stardust, which was disappointing to say the least.

New 'CHE' trailer

Politics aside, I think this movie looks amazing and I think that oscar talk is a no brainer. Allthough I'll be honest that I can't help but to think of Entourage's Medellian when I see this, hopefully thats not the case.

As Heard on the Punch Drunk Podcast Vol. 2!!!

Fantastic Four!! The 1994 Roger Corman Original Movie Trailer!

Revel in the cheesey goodness!

As heard on the Punch Drunk Podcast!!!

Here's the first ten minutes of the live action Justice League pilot. Watch at your own risk, marvel at the amazing acting costumes and makeup, serious props for using the Martian Manhunter!

Memo to DC: Kill the Justice League Movie Now!

Despite recent reports, George Miller(Mad Max, Happy Feet) is still on board to direct the much troubled Justice League film set to release sometime in 2011. Reports were that he had gone on some Australian talk show and confirmed that he was no longer attatched to the film nor a Mad Max film. However, a representative from Kennedy Miller Mitchell has come out and said the reports are actually the "complete opposite".

The fanboy in me so desperately wants to see a big screen JL movie. The idea of DC's Big 7 teaming up on screen, especially considering how amazing superhero movies have been lately, is one that really gets my blood pumping. How cool would it be to see Green Lantern fighting alongside Ollie Queen?

The realist in my thinks this movie is headed for disaster. Warner Bros. can't seem to get a handle on how they want their movie franchises to go. This is one time where Marvel has so completely trumped them that's it's almost embarrassing. The Dark Knight film aside, DC blew it big time with the Superman Returns film and may have killed that franchise for awhile. They have no other tentpole films for their lower tier characters, while Marvel is building something with The Punisher of all people and the X-men as well. And let's not forget the Hulk and the other Avengers films(Thor, Captain America, even Ant-Man have stuff in the pipeline). Need I even mention the phenomenal successes of Spider-Man and Blade? Blade!!??

Another problem is fan expectation. After the Batman films you simply cannot do a JL film without Christian Bale. Period. And you can't do a JL film without Batman. Not a good one, anyway. But there's been no mention or movement on the idea of Bale reprising the role outside the franchise. With the Superman franchise in flux, would it even be to their benefit to add Brandon Routh to the cast? Do you restart the Superman franchise altogether? And lets not forget the abominable idea of McG doing Wonder Woman.

I think what's best for DC and Warner Bros. is to put the entire idea on hold for awhile. Table it until the surrounding characters have cemented their place in the minds of filmgoers. Get Superman back on his feet. Settle on the way forward for him and the rest should fall into place fairly quickly. Batman is on solid ground right now. Establish a cohesive film universe for your characters much the same way Marvel Studios has done. Bring in your top comic writing talent(particularly Geoff Johns) to lend a helping hand. He's been angling to do a Superman film for weeks now, just let him do it!

Whether Marvel zombies want to admit it or not, DC Comics has the most iconic superheroes in the biz. Everyone knows Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Well done films featuring these characters will almost always outdraw any of Marvel's. In wrestling, they have a term for blowing a potentially hot, money making storyline by giving it away too soon or not properly building it up in hopes of making a quick buck: it's called "hot shotting". DC and WB don't need to "hot shot" a Justice League movie. Slowly build up the anticipation and harness the creative minds needed to make it a success. Do that, and success will surely follow.

Street Fighter: Legend of Chun Li pics

So what do you guys think of this new Kristen Kreuk starring Street Fighter flick? Personally I always thought of her as little more than pretty decoration on Smallville, and she just got annoying when they gave her more screentime. Ehh, I'm not gonna totally write it off before I see it but let's just say I dont have the highest of hopes for this one. Allthough it would be cool for the ladies to have a real female action hero.

New Wolverine Pics

Some new stills from the new X-Men Origins-Wolverine. I'll tell you I was voicing complaints about the abscence of marketing and my voice has apparently been heard. How bad ass are the D Day and Weapon X pics???

Punch Drunk Podcast Episode #7

On this week's edition of the Punch Drunk Podcast:

1. The Dynamic Duo trade chairshots over Mickey Rourke and Darren Aronofsky's amazing The Wrestler!

2. John gushes over Transporter 3! That's if gushes means "totally trashes".

3. Trav takes a bite out of Twilight, then spits it out.

4. Fred Claus is barely remembered in the DVD Reviews segment.

5. Have the X-men become Westchester County, 90210?

We hope you'll join us for another great episode by clicking here!

Star Wars Vs. Star Trek

Pure Genius is the only way to accuratly describe this youtube mashup. Even though the creator was obviously a bigger fan of the trek I will give him a pass. Sit back relax and prepare to laugh and be amazed at how well done this is.

Iron Man II villians revealed??

The guys over at comicbookmovie.com seem to think that a recent casting call posted by spoilertv.com points to the Crimson Dynamo and Black Widow being the two side baddies in IM2, and I have to agree. Here's the casting call

Producers: Marvel, Kevin Feige
Executive Producer: Louis D'Esposito
Executive Producers: David Maisel, Denis Stewart, Stan Lee
Co-Producers: Jeremy Latcham, Victoria Alonso
Associate Producer: Karen Johnson
Director: Jon Favreau
Start Date: April 2009

[MALE LEAD]
30s, Eastern European, brilliant, gritty...

[FEMALE LEAD]
20s, beautiful, speaks several languages fluently and is equally proficient in martial arts...

[BRUISER]
Russian, 20s or 30s, at least 6'2", able to perform own stunts, has the build of a MMA fighter...

and as a visual reference here's Crimson Dynamo...


and Black Widow...possibly the love intrest/villian ala Catwoman for the movie....

Slumdog Millionaire

Readers of this site know that I've been anxiously anticipating Danny Boyle's latest film, Slumdog Millionaire. To my mind, Boyle is probably one of the top 3 directors in the business right now. What other director working today has as varied as resume as his? The guy went from 28 Days Later to crafting one of the most heartfelt holidays films of recent memory, Millions. Then in 2007 he gave us Sunshine, a brilliant sci-fi epic that was criminally under appreciated by critics and moviegoers. Now he turns his attention to something a bit more down to earth.

Slumdog Millionaire is the story of Jamal, a street urchin living on the ragged streets of Mumbai. Jamal, as an adult, has just reached the final question on India's version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. But accused of being a cheater due to his impoverished background, he is whisked away by the police and interrogated Dick Cheney-style to find out how he was able to answer all these questions when nobody else gets very far.

The genius of this film is all in the framing, as each question posed to Jamal takes us to a flashback of a time in his life in which the answer to the question was relevant. At it's core, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is not a game of trivia. It's really a game of luck and happenstance I guess is the right word. It's all about whether or not you have a connection with these selected questions, and not necessarily about how smart you are. Slumdog gets that idea perfectly. Some vignettes are more effective than others, but all provide a unique look into Jamal's troubled but fateful life.

Throughout his life, Jamal is the counter balance to his conniving and scheming brother Salim. As children, the two imagined themselves as two of the Three Musketeers. Eventually they would find their third when during a Muslim massacre they pick up another stray in the form of Latika, a quiet little girl whom Jamal instantly takes a liking to. Latika would be the catalyst for practically every action Jamal takes during the course of his life, but she also serves to be a divisive figure between he and Salim. One of the things the film does well is that Jamal, altruistic as he clearly is, has a bit of a scoundrel in him too. There's a little bit of a player buried deep inside, but he's grounded by a fierce desire to help others ahead of himself. Salim on the other hand, is selfish and soon gets mixed up with some of the seedier elements in town.

The film jumps around to various points in their lives, as the two brothers grow further apart, interspersed with scenes of Salim being interrogated by a police chief played reasonably well by the great Irrfan Khan. I gotta admit to being slightly disappointed in Khan's performance. He's been so good in everything from The Warrior to The Namesake that I always expect brilliance. Here his scenes kinda fall flat, and in particular his final scene with Jamal I don't think was ever truly earned in any way. But that's not a reflection on Khan's acting than it is the script. Changes of heart for characters like his require a lot of work to be believed, and I don't think the movie does quite enough to justify it here.

The film's authentic look and feel can be attributed to Boyle and crew filming in the actual megaslums and shantytowns of Mumbai, a dangerous practice under the best of circumstances. Filming in those areas has all but disappeared as reports of violence and theft against filmmakers have become more common. Every moment feels real and genuine, whether it be on the dusty, dirty streets or on the set of Millionaire. I've never heard of the guy who played the host of the show, but he was great here. Reminded me of Regis Philbin in the way he could simultaneously be appealing and condescending in the same breath. His arc in this film wasn't totally unexpected but I didn't care. Following Jamal's fateful path to his life's one true purpose, with all the death and heartache he had to endure, made me hate all of those who stood in his way. This is very much a film about destiny, and it's hard not to get wrapped up in Jamal's story thanks to the performances by all of the actors who played him as a child, a teenager, and as an adult.

Forgetting for a second that it's hard for me to admit when Danny Boyle has made a bad film(The Beach...was....okay....aargh!!), I have to say that Slumdog Millionaire might just be his crowning achievement up to this point in an already stellar career. Slumdog is totally unique, brutal to watch at times but so full of hope at it's core. Run right out and see it right now, that is my final answer!

8/10

Gambit from X-Men Origins: Wolverine

He definitely looks the part, and I'm a hard man to please when it comes to the bayou born card player. Gambit was always my favorite X Man...the Boba Fett of the Marvel universe he some how was always in the background and the foreground at the same time. I know ALOT of fans were hurt and stunned, myself included, when he never showed up in the original XMen trilogy. At last we have been apeased my friends at last, Gambit makes his cinematic debut in the new X-Men Origins: Wolverine due out next year. Played by Taylor Kitsch we got to see a brief glimps of the cajun in the bootleg trailer over the summer but this is the first solid view we've had. What are your thoughts?

Planet of the Apes Sequel Project in the Works?

CHUD is reporting that a prequel to Planet of the Apes is close to a "go" over at Fox Studios. The project, which would be a virtual remake of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes titled Genesis: Apes(>snicker) was thought to be dead until the past week when Fox's studio head reported that the script was close to complete.

My question is: Who really cares about dem damn dirty apes?? Didn't the Mark Wahlberg movie prove that the concept is dated and not all that rife with potential anymore? And what kind of name is Genesis: Apes? Sounds like a chapter in my science book, or a documentary on the Discovery Channel, or an insult to Phil Collins fans worldwide, not a title for a feature film.