May 31, 2012

Trailer Trash: Les Miserables

It's time to root through some trailers. What sorts of wonderful things will be alluded to today?

IT'S HERE!!!

Being that I'm kind of a musical theater nut, this particular project has been of great interest to me over the last few months, and this trailer pretty much alleviates whatever doubts I had.

First off, Anne Hathaway crooning out "I Dreamed a Dream" is damn good. Sure, she doesn't have the world's best voice, but she is doing it with such emotion that I really could care less.

And the fact that such a musical talent as Hugh Jackman is playing Jean Valjean makes it almost guaranteed that the songs in this will sting as much as they did on the stage.

It's a great trailer, showing off plenty of the epicness that the story is known for, while also showing plenty of the quieter, human moments, which look great. Tom Hooper no doubt has a lot to do with that.

Can't wait. Can't wait. Can it be December already?

May 28, 2012

Sink It!

God damn you Transformers! Look what you've done! Since the first BIG movie of the summer has now come and gone, we are now forced to sit through the smaller, though still loud and garish, feats of escapism. Loud and garish are certainly words that come to mind when describing the first of those said movies, Battleship. Other words that come to mind are brainless, pointless, derivative, overly long, and generally awful. Of all the movies to be coming out this summer, this one, above all others, has no reason to exist, nor does it deserve to.

We are so fucked!

May 27, 2012

Play Resumes...

... tomorrow.

I do apologize. But you try finding time to write posts when you have to review over 300 years of theater history, and then write a 10+ page paper on Nietzsche, Steiner, tragedy, the Greek Chorus, and so on.

I've also been busy rolling in #goldswagger, butting heads with a few tornadoes, and suffering from a severe withdrawal of irony while driving across the country with my dad. Gotta get my car registered in California. Fun times!



May 11, 2012

Trailer Trash: Gangster Squad

It's time to root through some trailers. What sorts of wonderful things will be alluded to today?

One of my most anticipated of the year has finally beached, and is ready to be analyzed.

And, yeah, it seems a lot of my fears came to fruition.

First off, it seems director Reuben Fleischer is bringing in that slo-mo thing with the action that he used to decent effect on Zombieland and 30 Seconds or Less. Personally, I think said slo-mo will not work at all here. It's completely wrong for the subject matter and tone that this movie is going for. This trailer really sells this thing as a full bore action movie, which is not what I was hoping for.

Also, the lines of dialogue they choose to highlight here are AWFUL!!! Absolutely terrible.

"No ma'am. I was just hoping to take you to bed."

Are you kidding me? The fact that a tomcat like Ryan Gosling is the one uttering that line makes it only marginally better.

Like, what is being done to differentiate this movie from The Untouchables? It seems like the exact same movie. Granted, I still have hopes. The cast is way too good for a rote clone of that particular slice of gangster paradise. But I am far more wary now.

May 10, 2012

Shameless: 2012 Lammy FYC

It is that time of year. The Lammys have begun!

I know I haven't been writing as much since last year's awards, and for that, I have no real excuse. Work really piled up for this year, and I had some trouble motivating myself to write things when I did find some free time.

That being said, I do believe that what I wrote was universally excellent, and award worthy.

So, with that, I'd like to offer my two cents on some things I think y'all should be aware of.


Best Blog: I have no expectations when it comes to this award. Just to be nominated would be a victory in my eyes.

Best Blog Name: Well, this award doesn't exist anymore, but I just like to point it out. It has a nice ring to it, yes?

Best Reviewer: I'll let the reviews speak for themselves. The Avengers, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Sucker Punch

Funniest Writer: I mean, I think I'm funny.

Best Ratings System: See that sexy sidebar over there.

Best Festival Coverage: This is the big one. It's the only award in which I have any hope of winning. I'm am extremely proud of the Sundance coverage I provided this year. It was a fantastic experience, I saw a crap ton of eclectic movies, and I really hope I can go back. And like a certain, far more talented LAMB, I had a surreal moment with a certain actor that I really dig.

Best Blog-A-Thon: It's not really a Blog-A-Thon, but I'm still pretty proud of my 10 day retrospect of all things 2011.

What I'm saying here is not meant to sway you in any way. More than anything, I want you to vote for the sites you think are most deserving. There are so many blogs out there, that, like I said, even to be nominated is a victory for me. I hope you consider me when you cast your nominations. Cheers all. Happy Lammys.

May 8, 2012

Beautifully Assembled

As you are no doubt aware, I make my judgement of how any particular summer at the movies will be, quality wise, based on how well the first BIG movie is. Last year, the Marvel train was in full force, kicking things off with Thor, which I loved. And luckily, my prediction was right on the money. Summer 2011 was a great season, but if my prediction now is accurate, then it will in no way touch this summer. Let me just get it out of the way right now. I am expecting great things from Prometheus, cannot wait for Brave, am stoked for Ted and for GI Joe, and, of course, am anticipating the hell out of The Dark Knight Rises. But if any of those films can beat The Avengers for my number 1, then I will be floored. What Marvel studios, along with writer/director Joss Whedon have done is truly marvelous, a triumph of character mixed with spectacle mixed with humor mixed with emotion mixed with action. After five films and tons and tons of teases and build up, the wait is over. The Avengers have assembled, and they defy every expectation there was or could have been.

May 7, 2012

In Other News: Unprecedented Amounts of Bank

Marvel is gonna be partying it up tonight!!!

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!!

The Avengers has claimed to prize of biggest opening weekend ever. And not by any small margin either. You know how Deathly Hallows: Part 2 barely squeezed past The Dark Knight by a measly 11 million? Yeah, The Avengers soared past that by about 30 million, taking in a staggering 200 million over the weekend.

Whatever voodoo magic dark energy tesseract fueled machine Marvel is running over there is one to be very wary of. I'm not going to speak on the quality of the film right now. (In short: a triumph of character, effects, action, humor, and emotion.) But God Damn, I don't think anyone saw this one coming.

The marketing has really been clever on this one, hasn't it. I mean, no one else has employed the tactics Marvel has used to take over the world, but I'm getting the feeling that we're going to see a lot more of it. Methinks a Justice League franchise is now being feverishly green lit over at DC.

A lot of people were no doubt betting that The Dark Knight Rises would be the champion of this summer. And I bet all of those people are just as stunned as I am. If TDKR can top this haul in its opening weekend, then... I don't know. Guess the world really will end after all.

Well played Marvel. Well played indeed!

May 1, 2012

Trailer Trash: The Dark Knight Rises

It's time to root through some trailers. What's sorts of wonderful things will be alluded to today?

It's rare that I do Trailer Trash two days in a row, but this is a special occasion.

Basically, it all makes sense. It all just clicked for me, what Christopher Nolan is trying to accomplish, what he is trying to say, why he chose that title. And, believe me when I say, he has already succeeded with this trailer alone. What we have here in these 2 minutes is one of the most intimate portrayals of a man, tired and at the end of his line, doing everything he can to be the hero the people deserve.

Bear in mind, that I'm talking about a trailer here, not the actual movie. If this is what the trailer provides us, then I can't wait to see what the full thing has in store.

Couple that with some jaw dropping imagery (the bridge explosion, anyone?), the fact that our perceptions of JoGo as a minor character seem completely off the mark, and some juicy shots of that quintessential, gritty, Nolan violence?

I didn't think I could anticipate this movie anymore, but I can. I can.