Mike & Mitch's Magical Movie Madness (and some TV shows)

[Fire Marshall Bill]

While the aliens look different than in Pitch Black, doesn't it sound too much like the same planet? I know they try to play up his advantage in night vision, but seriously, nothing new? Of course, I'm basing this off the theory that it gets dark at some point, because a lot of that clip is not in sunlight at all. Of course, out of context, it's hard to say.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

Thoughts on Les Mis:

Hugh Jackman is vastly overrated as a singer. I will give him that it must be difficult to disguise an accent while singing, but he's the same every time I hear him. Short phrases, lack of breath, same style with everything. Don't get me wrong, I love Hugh Jackman, but he wasn't my favorite as Jean Valjean.

I keep hearing people complain about Russell Crowe and not being a singer, but he did remarkably well for not being as "classically trained" as some one like, say, Hugh Jackman.

Anne Hathaway was great...while she was around. HBC and Sacha Baron Cohen need to do more things together. Also, that woman pulls off creepy better than any actress ever. Cohen is just great. I'm so happy he got out of the Borat/Dictator/Bruno typecast. He's so much better than that. Hugo proved that first. This just confirms it. So excited to see him as Freddie Mercury!

Also, almost all the younger people were better than the older people in this movie. Maybe that's because they could afford to go outside the realm of popularity to get some one like Samantha Barks.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

While the aliens look different than in Pitch Black, doesn't it sound too much like the same planet?

Too much, definitely yes. It's hard to not notice some of the similarities in the synopsis.

I know they try to play up his advantage in night vision, but seriously, nothing new?

Sounds (and looks) like the same old Riddick film with nothing new. Even with the brief glimpses in a twenty-three second teaser, it looks like the same film all over again. Besides the obvious goal to make more money, I honestly can't think of a need for another Riddick film. And I'm more irritated after reading the cast list on IMDB. Fucking Batista has a part in this film. He's tolerable as the angry brute, who smashes and destroys everything in his path. Hopefully, his character won't have any spoken dialogue.

Waited too long for Olympus, so I'll try to squeeze it in this week with Spring Breakers. I can understand the need for Oz taking up so many screens, but we're in March now, and they still need to have five or six fucking showings for Silver Linings Playbook everyday.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Well Riddick can be cool if done right, aka, not the same damn thing as the first movie. I'm sure Batista is playing a bounty hunter. If not, I'd be very surprised.

And I enjoyed Olympus. Could've been better, but still good enough.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

Sorry, it's been a busy couple of weeks. I've been almost completely absent from the forums. Finally got around to watching Argo. It was a decent movie, but not (in my opinion) the best of the year. Didn't even touch Django. But that's what happens when you slap George Clooney's name on the credits and write a script about Hollywood producers being American heroes - jerk me off for two hours and I'll give you an award too...

Oblivion is coming out in a few weeks. I'm stoked. It's not even about Tom Cruise - who I find entertaining, but not scene-stealing by any stretch - but more that I've read the script and I think it has promise to translate well onto the big screen. Also...Morgan Freeman. I'm also a mark for post-apocalyptic films, and this one looks really cool.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Would be excited for Oblivion....if it didn't look so eerily similar to Will Smith's After Earth. Going to watch it in theaters, but still. Then again, I haven't truly enjoyed a non-Mission Impossible Tom Cruise film since Vanilla Sky (yes, I actually liked it). I dunno. I guess I need to watch Jack Reacher.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

Would be excited for Oblivion....if it didn't look so eerily similar to Will Smith's After Earth. Going to watch it in theaters, but still. Then again, I haven't truly enjoyed a non-Mission Impossible Tom Cruise film since Vanilla Sky (yes, I actually liked it). I dunno. I guess I need to watch Jack Reacher.

I used to think After Earth looked really good. But then I realized it's mostly Jaden Smith, with Will Smith chilling out in a space ship. And I have seen nothing to prove to me that Jaden can carry a 2-man space epic. Also...M. Night...

Oblivion has Morgan Freeman, Tom Cruise, and a great budget for special effects. Also, like I said, I read the script and I liked it.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I used to think After Earth looked really good. But then I realized it's mostly Jaden Smith, with Will Smith chilling out in a space ship. And I have seen nothing to prove to me that Jaden can carry a 2-man space epic.

THIS annoys me every time I watch the trailer. I'm critical of Will every now and then, but he's the type of guy, who could carry such a film, not his son.

Also...M. Night...

Ugh, don't remind me. And to make things worse, he's not just directing After Earth, he co-wrote the screenplay. M. Night has some talent behind the camera, but The Happening and Lady In The Water were complete travesties with terrible endings. And yeah, you can throw The Village in there.

Oblivion has Morgan Freeman, Tom Cruise, and a great budget for special effects. Also, like I said, I read the script and I liked it.

Trying to stay positive about it, HGR. I'm trying.

RT released the consensus for the Evil Dead remake today, it's currently holding an 81% overall rating:

It may lack the absurd humor that underlined the original, but the new-look Evil Dead compensates with brutal terror, gory scares, and gleefully bloody violence.

Funny. It's the exact feeling I get, when I look at the trailers. Friday needs to get here. Fast.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Would be excited for Oblivion....if it didn't look so eerily similar to Will Smith's After Earth. Going to watch it in theaters, but still. Then again, I haven't truly enjoyed a non-Mission Impossible Tom Cruise film since Vanilla Sky (yes, I actually liked it). I dunno. I guess I need to watch Jack Reacher.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Well I should throw Minority Report in there, but outside of non-Mission Impossible stuff, that's about it. The Last Samurai did absolutely nothing for me, and the War Of The Worlds remake wasn't bad, but the original is still the superior film. And although he didn't deliver the best performance, Jamie Foxx was the lead man in Collateral. And Knight and Day happened somewhere in there, so yeah.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Minority Report has grown on me, but really, it's nothing more than a series of elaborate escape scenes by Cruise. Plus I find Colin Farrell's character too cliche. It's fun to watch in that bad movie sort of way.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

I watched Cruises War of the World the other day for the first time in a while. Cruise was alright but I wanted his kids to just fuck off and die. Grumpy wee *****.

"Hey Dad, just because you're trying to help us survive a fucking INVASION, doesn't mean I won't give you shit about finding us food because I'm either being a moody scrote-bag, or my sister is alternating between bouts of screaming and po-faced douchery."

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Minority Report has grown on me, but really, it's nothing more than a series of elaborate escape scenes by Cruise. Plus I find Colin Farrell's character too cliche. It's fun to watch in that bad movie sort of way.

I didn't care for it, when I first watched in theaters, but I couldn't get enough of Minority Report, after buying it on DVD a few years ago. One of Spielberg's better films as a director over the past ten or fifteen years.

I watched Cruises War of the World the other day for the first time in a while. Cruise was alright but I wanted his kids to just fuck off and die. Grumpy wee *****.

"Hey Dad, just because you're trying to help us survive a fucking INVASION, doesn't mean I won't give you shit about finding us food because I'm either being a moody scrote-bag, or my sister is alternating between bouts of screaming and po-faced douchery."

Agreed 100%. The son was such an annoying and whiny bitch, and I was seriously rooting for him to die the first time I watched this in theaters. One of the few characters in the history of cinema, who seriously annoyed me. And let's not forget about the HUGE gaping plot hole of Cruise's son miraculously reuniting with his family at the end with no real injuries.

War Of The Worlds also reminds of how Dakota Fanning was at one time one of the young actresses in Hollywood with a bright future. And then she started taking parts in those fucking Twilight movies.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

Alright guys...it's happening.

Later today...I'm going to watch Game of Thrones for the first time.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

You're going to have the theme tune stuck in your head for weeks. Unless you skip the titles.

There will come a time when you watch a lot of Thrones, go back to the first episode and then part of you won't want to carry on because of the unrelenting shit that goes down.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I watched Cruises War of the World the other day for the first time in a while.

What a knockout seeing Gene Barry and Ann Robinson make an appearance at the end of the movie. They starred in the 1953 version of this film.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

So I guess the plans for a Zombieland sequel are officially dead. After a lot of mix-ups and delays, they're finally going with the series of shows.....on Amazon prime. Two underwhelming picks from production so far:

Spoiler

Spoiler

And the story:

Amazon Studios, the original movie and series production arm of Amazon.com, today announced it will add cult classic “Zombieland” to the line-up of pilots already in production for Prime Instant Video. “Zombieland,” which is the seventh comedy pilot added to Amazon’s pilot line-up, will be made available (along with the other six comedy pilots and six children’s pilots) for free on Amazon Instant Video and LOVEFiLM UK. Customers are invited to view the pilots and then review them on the site; customer feedback will help determine which of the 13 pilots Amazon Studios will make into full-season productions, to air on Prime Instant Video.

This is an absolute joke if you ask me. You can’t judge a show after the first episode. If we did, “American Horror Story” would already be canceled. This is a huge mistake that allows Amazon to hide behind their customers instead of making the tough decisions. At least their streaming service works better than Netfix’s.

Anyways, “Zombieland” is based on the hit Columbia Pictures movie of the same name, and finds four survivors outwitting zombies and searching for a place to call home. The Zombieland pilot comes from the feature film’s original creative team, writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, The Joe Schmo Show), and producer Gavin Polone (Gilmore Girls, Curb Your Enthusiasm). Eli Craig (Tucker and Dale vs. Evil) is directing the pilot.

The part of Tallahassee will be played by Kirk Ward (The Island), Maiara Walsh (Desperate Housewives, Switched at Birth,) is cast as Wichita, Tyler Ross (Milkshake) will play Columbus, and Izabela Vidovic has the role of Little Rock.

Eh, that's kind of stupid. One episode to judge the fate of an entire series? As the article points out, AHSA (I'm sure it would happen to other shows, but I can see why he used AHSA as an example) would've received the axe after one episode to prove itself. Anyway, I might give it a chance. The movie is horribly overrated, IMO, but I'm glad they're not going with another film.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

There has been far too much hype surrounding this Zombieland show. Yes, the film is entertaining and has some funny moments, but at no point when I was watching it did I think, "There really is not enough media about zombies just now, they should turn a 3/5* film into a series!"

What's funny is that House of Cards is an online only show that was commissioned for a whole series (plus at least 1 more I believe) largely off of the talent assembled with very little being leaked to the masses before its release. Zombielands production staff do not seem so confident if they are seemingly dependent on a test audience to tell them how to amend it. Not a great sign.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

There has been far too much hype surrounding this Zombieland show.

A small part of it started on here with yours truly

Yes, the film is entertaining and has some funny moments, but at no point when I was watching it did I think, "There really is not enough media about zombies just now, they should turn a 3/5* film into a series!"

I enjoyed the movie, when I first saw it in theaters, but I really had a hard time getting into it after that. It feels like Woody Harrleson and Eisenberg are carrying the entire movie at times, and I do not understand the obsession/drool fest for the Bill Murray cameo. It did absolutely nothing for me.

Don't know how they plan on stretching the material in the film for a series. The "run around and kill/hide from zombies, while possibly trying to find a cure or safe-zone" formula will wear thin after three or four episodes.

What's funny is that House of Cards is an online only show that was commissioned for a whole series (plus at least 1 more I believe) largely off of the talent assembled with very little being leaked to the masses before its release.

Is House Of Cards any good? Asking because I don't have Netflix.

Zombielands production staff do not seem so confident if they are seemingly dependent on a test audience to tell them how to amend it. Not a great sign.

Agreed. I'm sure the Amazoners will give enough positive reviews (they don't have high standards of any kind as a whole. I've seen LENGTHY five star reviews for Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen, calling it one of the greatest sci-fi action flicks ever. And some people using Megan Fox's hotness as an excuse for a five star rating. And four star reviews for the Ghost Rider films), so it might last for a while. But yeah, it's a really bad sign all around.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

Agreed on the Bill Murray issue, I just can't stand him. It did make me smile a bit when he got got though.

House of Cards is excellent. David Fincher sets an amazing tone and standard with the first 2 episodes that the subsequent directors keep up well with too. Kevin Spacey is perfect as Frank Underwood ( his initials spelling FU could be a happy coincidence) but the rest of the cast are fantastic too; Robin Wright is set for an improved role in the second season, Michael Kelly is chilling at times as Underwoods assistant and the other Mara, Kate, is exceptional.

Netflix is £5.99 a month here, which is totally worth it. Films wise it's not that strong but the UK one has a lot of great shows.

 

[TLC]

I have loved what I've seen so far from HOC, I still need to finish the series though.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Agreed on the Bill Murray issue, I just can't stand him. It did make me smile a bit when he got got though.

House of Cards is excellent. David Fincher sets an amazing tone and standard with the first 2 episodes that the subsequent directors keep up well with too. Kevin Spacey is perfect as Frank Underwood ( his initials spelling FU could be a happy coincidence) but the rest of the cast are fantastic too; Robin Wright is set for an improved role in the second season, Michael Kelly is chilling at times as Underwoods assistant and the other Mara, Kate, is exceptional.

Netflix is £5.99 a month here, which is totally worth it. Films wise it's not that strong but the UK one has a lot of great shows.

Have to add House Of Cards to my list, and will get to it soon enough, hopefully. And I didn't know Fincher had a hand directing, really looking forward to watching this somewhere down the line.

Never had a real urge to get Netflix. Almost did a few times, but decided against it.

This new sci-fi flick starring Matt Damon sounds pretty good so far:

Flicks and Bits has landed a few more looks at District 9 director Neill Blomkamp’s upcoming dystopian epic Elysium, starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster. In them we get a look at Damon getting his head – well, something‘s going on there – along with a glimpse at Alice Braga’s character.

In theaters August 9, “In the year 2159, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. Secretary Delacourt (Jodie Foster) will stop at nothing to preserve the luxurious lifestyle of the citizens of Elysium – but that doesn’t stop the people of Earth from trying to get in by any means they can. Max (Matt Damon) agrees to take on a life-threatening mission, one that could bring equality to these polarized worlds.”

Sharlto Copley, Wagner Moura, William Fichtner, Alice Braga and Diego Luna also star. Head inside for a better look.

Every time I see William Fichtner's name, I'm reminded of how he almost saved Drive Angry by himself. Such an an abysmal film, and Cage wasn't bad, but Fichtner's Accountant character is so smooth. Still pissed they had to kill him off in The Dark Knight so soon.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

I have loved what I've seen so far from HOC, I still need to finish the series though.

How far through it have you got? The last 4 episodes were brilliant in a constant kind of, "Ooh surely that characters not going to... they bloody have as well!" Way.

I want Matt Damon to quit fannying around with the action genre personally, unless he appears in Bens next Boston crime piece, whatever it may be.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I want Matt Damon to quit fannying around with the action genre personally,

I've never seen a Bourne film, not one. Hope I'm not missing anything. Heard the latest one with Jeremy Renner was pretty bad.

unless he appears in Bens next Boston crime piece, whatever it may be.

Well, Ben has a crime drama coming up, no Damon:

Runner, Runner is an upcoming crime drama thriller film directed by Brad Furman, produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Davisson Killoran, Brian Koppelman, David Levien, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher and Scott Steindorff. It stars Gemma Arterton, Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake. It is set to release in theaters on September 27, 2013.

Richie Furst (Timberlake), is a Princeton student when he is cheated out of his tuition money by playing online poker. When he learns that the site is hosted from a remote island location, he goes to confront the site's corrupt owner, Ivan Block (Affleck), but is lured into becoming Ivan's protégé and right-hand man. Their relationship starts to reach a boiling point all while an FBI agent (Mackie), tries to use Richie to bring Ivan down.

Unfortunately, we get Justin Timberlake instead.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

The Bourne films with Damon were great. What seemed to work really well was Damon veering away from solely dramatic or light hearted stuff and moving into a series about a killer who can just blend in and disappear, until his handlers want him back or dead. His action stuff aside from Bourne, not for me.