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2012: Apocalyptic Good Times

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:30:00 -0800

In terms of end-of-the-world movies, 2012 packs it all - a love story, teary family moments, action-packed adventure, over-the-top-CGI, and a ton of recycled film cliches - in a two and a half hour package. That's lengthy by today's standards, but I wasn't bored for a minute. This is pure escapist entertainment.

The film opens in 2009 as a scientist in India and his American associate Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) discover that the Earth's core is overheating. His forecast: Tectonic plates will shift, thereby causing a worldwide catastrophe that will wipe out the human race.

Dun, dun, dun! (Doesn't take long to pull you in, does it?) To hear my full assessment, read more.

The real action goes down three years later in 2012 when, according to the Mayan calendar, the Earth will reach its end. The entire So-Cal coast starts crumbling, so our hero Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) and his family begin a journey to China where the governments around the world have supposedly assembled spaceships to carry select humans to safety.

What? You expected this to be plausible?

Of course not, but the film does include tons of cool CGI - volcanos, snow storms, giant tsunamis. It's like every disaster movie you've ever watched combined. (That should come as no surprise seeing as how the director is Roland Emmerich who created The Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day, and Godzilla.)

As for the characters, we've seen them all stereotyped in other films before, but they're still enjoyable here. (Even though I admittedly winced over a Russian family complete with a fur coat, tiny dog, and an employee named Sasha.) This is thanks to the actors who play their parts with believability, even when the scenes feel ridiculous. Ejiofor portrays a great bleeding heart swept up in a governmental plan that's looking out for No. 1, and Cusack pulls off his father role without being over-the-top or sappy. Also, watch for Woody Harrelson as a nutty conspiracy theorist living in Yellowstone National Park.

2012 is purely meant to be fun, and it succeeds. There's a constant barrage of cliff-hanger moments that never let up, and though you pretty much know where things are headed, it's easy to get sucked in.

(Don't forget that if you see a movie that you'd like to review, you can post your write-up in the Movie Review Group in Community - I may even post it here on the site!)

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Disney's A Christmas Carol: A Fun New Spin on an Old Favorite

BuzzSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:00:00 -0800

Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol is, quite literally, a tale as old as time. Hollywood has already turned the novel into countless films, so how do you keep it fresh to entertain old and young audiences alike? You give them a pair of 3-D glasses.

I was a bit skeptical about Disney's newest remake of the flick, even with the super stylized animation and all-star cast behind the voices. But once you put on those glasses, you'll be oohing and aahing right along with the kids, making the film a fun ride. It doesn't tug on the heartstrings the way other versions can, but it's not devoid of emotion either. To see what I mean, just read more.

Robert Zemeckis brings the story we already know and love; old Ebenezer Scrooge (voiced by Jim Carrey) defines miserly and crotchety, spending his days counting his pennies and bitterly snapping at those around him. On one particularly Christmas Eve, he his haunted by the ghost of his former partner, Jacob Marley. Sporting chains and a ghastly demeanor, Marley warns Scrooge that he will suffer the same miserable fate if he doesn't take heed of three spirits who will visit him over the course of the night.

The film stays very true to Dickens's short novel, borrowing much of the text straight from the book and incorporating some of the darker elements that I hadn't seen before in versions designed for kids. That said, I still feel like some of the scenes waver on the side of being too scary. Marley's introduction with the chains is frightening but funny, whereas the progression of the ghost of Christmas present to the ghost of Christmas future (complete with full decay from giant to skeleton) probably would have given me nightmares when I was younger.

The special effects are all you could want and more; the 3-D pulls you right in, carrying you along with Scrooge as he flies overhead in his nightgown (and later spits in your face). You're in the midst of Victorian England at Christmas time, from the snowstorms to the festive music. It's dazzling - until you hit the emotional stuff.

The tale is one with a great big heart, but the actors can only go so far using their voices alone. In the most sentimental scenes, I found myself just wishing I could see the big name actors (which includes Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, and Robin Wright Penn) gazing into each other's eyes pointedly. Instead, it feels a bit like watching two mannequins standing face to face. Still, you're never bored for long, and there's always another thrill waiting at every turn.

In the end, Disney accomplishes its goal, producing a film that looks amazing and will entertain kids and adults alike. It may not be the best version of the tale to date, but it will leave you feeling plenty merry on your way out of the theater.

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Owen Wilson to Bring Marmaduke to the Big Screen

BuzzSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:30:18 -0800

Marmaduke, the comic strip about a giant-sized Great Dane and his owners, finally has a voice. Owen Wilson - who's no stranger to working with dogs, given Marley and Me - has just signed on to lend his voice to the trouble-making pooch in the half CGI, half live-action film set to hit theaters next Summer.

Generally speaking, I'm not a huge fan of the animated and live-person combo. It rarely works when actors are talking to cartoons (one exception being Who Framed Roger Rabbit?), but obviously I'm not the target audience here. Plus, Marmaduke does have some of my favorite people in it, including Judy Greer and Lee Pace who both play humans in the film, and hopefully the movie will offer us adults a dose of humor, too.

Do you think Wilson is a good choice to voice Marmaduke? Anyone you would've rather seen in the role?

Movie Preview: Matt Damon in Green Zone

BuzzSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:30:59 -0700

Matt Damon is officially a Hollywood juggernaut. Not only does he have a ton of movies in the works (a Liberace biopic, an Eastwood film, and as of today a new project with the Coen brothers), and here's a peek at his upcoming thriller Green Zone. Even though I've been anxiously awaiting a fourth Bourne installment, Green Zone looks like a worthy substitute for the time being. (No doubt because it's directed by Paul Greengrass, who worked on the Bourne franchise.)

Damon is back to kicking butt and taking names as Roy Miller, an Army officer on the search for weapons of mass destruction. During his journey, Miller seeks the help of a journalist (Amy Ryan) and gets tangled up with an underhanded higher-up (Greg Kinnear). As a result of his sniffing around where he's not supposed to, Miller soon ends up with a giant bull's-eye on his head. Dun, dun, dun!

While the storyline doesn't sound entirely fresh, you can still count me in for this one. The trailer has that edge-of-your-seat suspense vibe, and with Damon and Greengrass working together, I know I'm sure to be entertained. It doesn't hit theaters until March 12, 2010, but you can watch the preview when you read more.

What to TiVo: Sunday

BuzzSugar — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 23:50:41 -0700

ABC is new with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers and Sisters
CBS is new with The Amazing Race, Three Rivers, and Cold Case
FOX has repeats of The Simpsons, Family Guy, and American Dad
NBC has Sunday Night Football: Cardinals at Giants
ABC Family has Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice
AMC has The Shining and is new with Mad Men
The Food Network is new with Next Iron Chef and Iron Chef America
HBO is new with Curb Your Enthusiasm and Bored to Death
Showtime is new with Dexter and Californication
VH1 is new with Tool Academy 2 and My Antonio
MTV is new with P. Diddy's StarMarker
E! is new with The Girls Next Door and Leave It to Lamas

Law Abiding Citizen: Deserves a Death Sentence

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:30:13 -0700

Oh, Gerard Butler, what were you thinking? You might be able to forgive the 300 actor for starring in this horror flick disguised as a meaningful thriller, but he also served as producer to help finance the train wreck. Did he not even read the script?

Law Abiding Citizen opens with Butler as Clyde Shelton, a devoted father and husband who witnesses the murder of his family by two psychopaths after a break-in. When his lawyer, Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), strikes a deal in the case that lets one of them free, Shelton begs Rice to reconsider. And that’s where Shelton's deadly resentment - and the slasher flick stuff- begins.

To hear more about what I mean, read more.

Ten years later, Shelton returns to seek vengeance against Rice and the entire Philadelphia legal system through a series of mass killings and car bombs. The man is understandably still distraught over his family’s deaths, but he’s clearly gone cuckoo.

This is when the movie becomes less of a drama and starts resembling the Saw franchise instead. While Shelton starts off as the good guy, he's later partaking in gruesome torture scenes that leave him completely in covered in blood like the prom scene in Carrie. To make matters worse, Shelton throws out bad jokes as he's wreaking havoc for a few cheap laughs. It negates any possibility for the audience to feel sympathy for Shelton, and the attempted shock value also completely ruins the movie's credibility.

The film wants to make us question the inner-workings of law - when dealing with a killer, is it better to leave things to the justice system or take matters into your own hands? Really though, it would’ve worked better as a cheesy horror movie. It has all of the requirements: splattered body parts, a giant chain saw, abandoned warehouses, goofy wigs and costumes, creepy music, the obligatory muffled voice on the end of the phone - and loads of plot holes. Like, why is Shelton rich enough to buy all of his assassin-style supplies and how does he know how to use them all? The film attempts to answer the question for us later in the film, but it feels tacked on and much too late.

In other words, if you do go see this film, don't try to think too much about it. Foxx and Butler do their best with what they're given, but the film is only good for a couple of thrills that make you jump in your seat. As for me, I just wanted to walk out.

P.S. Don't forget to check out the Movie Reviews community group if you want to weigh in about your own weekend film picks.

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:30:24 -0700

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue. In addition to the movies below, there's also Steven Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience and Madonna's directorial debut Filth and Wisdom. Check out this week's picks!

Away We Go

John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph star as an expecting, road-tripping couple in this indie comedy drama directed by Sam Mendes. I loved the quirky humor that came from not only the leads, but a star-studded cast of supporting characters played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeff Daniels, Alison Janney, and Catherine O'Hara. It may not be as laugh-out-loud as the two leads' usual work, but if you're looking for a sweetly funny flick you may like Away We Go. The DVD and Blu-ray have a making-of featurette, a commentary track, and a behind-the-scenes feature about how the filmmakers tried to make the production more environmentally friendly.

66%

See two more new releases when you read more.

Management

Jennifer Aniston stars as an everyday gal in the comedy Management. Steve Zahn is the shy hotel manager who meets and falls in love with her immediately, and Woody Harrelson is the has-been boyfriend he's trying to woo her away from. It's not the straightforward romantic comedy you'd expect from Aniston, which I don't mind at all, and Zahn's so adorable he can make stalker-like behavior seem OK. On the DVD are a commentary track, a gag reel, and deleted scenes.

44%

Monsters vs. Aliens

Monsters vs. Aliens boasts the vocal stylings of Reese Witherspoon as Susan Murphy, a woman who's hit by a meteor and turns into a giant as a result. The 3D movie from Dreamworks is definitely kid-friendly fare, but I tend to enjoy modern animated movies like this, especially when they also have the voices of Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Will Arnett, Rainn Wilson, Hugh Laurie, and Stephen Colbert. The DVD and Blu-ray discs have tons of special features, like music videos, deleted scenes, and the technology behind the movie.

72%

Link Time!

BuzzSugar — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:30:44 -0700

Awww, I'm swooning so hard for Jim and Pam's wedding magazine cover - PopWatch
'70s horror film The Fly is going to be reborn as a TV show - Cinematical
MTV is going to air DJ AM's reality show - Vulture
TV's top 10 depressive doctors - TV.com
The CW has ordered more episodes for The Vampire Diaries and Melrose Place, but not The Beautiful Life - Zap2It
The 14 sexiest movie androids - Moviefone
Anna Heche addresses her comments about her ex on Letterman and her role on Hung - Movieline
Have a look at Ryan Adams's paintings - Pop Candy
Believe it! From the makers of Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus comes the trailer for Megafault! - MTV Movies Blog
Flight of the Conchords might be coming to Rock Band! - GeekSugar