Apparently I am the last one to even know about this, though in all fairness TLM's brother mentioned it in passing last summer when have about Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, etc. He said pretty specifically "The Watchmen is going to be better", and seemed pretty excited about it. From the few conversations I've had with him about comics I can see he's knowledgeable, so I perhaps should have pressed a bit more to find out why.
Well, a trailer came out this week for the upcoming "Watchmen" movie, and it got me excited enough to go out and buy the actual graphic novel (my first ever, if you can believe it). After having read maybe .1 of it and watching the trailer, I can now see why he said what he said.
[Geek alert] As if I weren't excited enough by the fact that the new Star Trek movie was being directed by J.J. Abrams, virtually guaranteeing a blockbuster success, the new trailer came out. Now I officially feel more excited about this Star Trek incarnation than I was about all the others combined.
Heath Ledger, who almost won an Oscar for his performance in "Brokeback Mountain", was found dead in his apartment today. So far all that's being said is that it's possibly a drug related death.
For many, Ledger's introduction came in the teen flick "10 Things I Hate About You", though personally I saw him in the movies "The Patriot" and "The Four Feathers" first. He plays the Joker in the new Batman movie coming out this summer, "The Dark Knight", one of the most highly anticipated movies of 2008.
I've been a member of the Blockbuster Total Access movies-by-mail program ever since its inception. The deal seemed too good to be true - at prices comparable to those of Netflix you get movies by mail and then get to return them to a store and swap for other movies while you're waiting for the next ones to come in. They even gave you a bonus movie or game rental each month.
It turns out the deal was too good to be true, I found out after a short time. Blockbuster has upped its prices for the program for the second time (what used to be $18.89 is now $34.99, minus some perks), and it's a service no longer worth paying for at all, particularly in light of Netflix and the new iTunes movie rental service. Maybe Blockbuster was taking too much of a hit with the old prices, maybe they're trying to capitalize on the lack of TV shows thanks to the writers' strike...I don't know.
What I do know is that Blockbuster is a model of extremely poor customer service, and I'm notthe onlyone whothinks so. I received an email informing me that their packages were changing and was brought to a page where I could select which plan I wanted to upgrade to, if any. I went through the process 4 times with 2 different browsers, and yet my plan info still reflected no change. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I sent a nice email "making sure" my plans to continue purchasing their product registered somewhere. I got back no response. I tried a second email, this time mentioning how I hadn't received any DVDs for over half a month. I got a response that told me to make sure my queue had at least 50 selections in it (which it did), and no semblance of a response to the subscription inquiry.
For my third attempt I tried the hardline approach, and pointed out how I felt cheated that I hadn't gotten any movies for almost 3 weeks and that I expected some kind of compensation. I got a coupon for a free rental.
What they're getting is a cancellation of service starting tomorrow and this gleaming review of their service sent out to everyone I know.
UPDATE 1.18.08: This short article at Paris Lemon basically says that Blockbuster's stock is plummeting...and I couldn't be happier.
With no disrespect meant for the made-for-tv classics "Sabertooth" and "Mammoth", it's about time we had a big-budget movie that really showcased these two animals every kid learns about and is fascinated by at an early age...and no, "Ice Age" doesn't count.
We'll see how good the story is, though I'm not getting my hopes up. I've been wrong before, but this looks to be a movie that will garner more praise for it's computer generated scenes (and probably complaints for it's historical inaccuracy) than it will for its character development or plot.
At least it has a title that's easy to remember, I guess.
So I finally got around to watching "Balls of Fury", the 2007 sophomoric flick billed as "a huge comedy with tiny balls"...and you wonder why TLM didn't want to go see this at the theaters with me.
Well, it exceeded my expectations, and I was surprised my a few things. For example, I had no idea that the movie was essentially a spoof of to-the-death martial arts tournament movies like "Enter the Dragon" and "Mortal Kombat", except it's to-the-death ping-pong. Go figure.
[ On a side note, there's at least one actor who was actually in "Mortal Kombat" (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) and one who should have been (James Hong). ]
The main reason I wanted to see the picture, however, was to watch serious actor turned caricature of himself Christopher Walken play the part of Feng, the sillily evil grand master of the tournament. He did what I expected him to do; that is, talk in the oh-so-recognizable Christopher Walken way and steal the show. It didn't matter what getup he was in (this one was pretty out there), he's still that guy dancing around in the Fatboy Slim video for "Weapon of Choice" (is there anything this guy can't do? Oh, right, talk differently).
Walken had some strong competition, though, from relative newcomer Dan Fogler, who won't be receiving any Oscar nominations anytime soon but still gave a great performance with his deadpan, slapstick, Def Leppard shirt wearing character and hero, Randy Daytona.
One thing I've definitely procrastinated (see yesterday's post) is writing about an upcoming movie I am ridiculously excited about: "Cloverfield".
For those who missed the previews when they saw "Transformers" last summer (and for the rest of you who forgot to go altogether), there is a new movie coming out this month by J.J. Abrams, the creator of "Lost". At that time all we saw was a trailer that gave new meaning to the word "teaser" as the only information we got was that Abrams was the creator, it had something to do with the date 1-18-08, and the head of the Statue of Liberty was going to fly down a New York City street.
Now that's a way to start some hype.
New commercials and trailers are out, and the intrigue has only been magnified. As if the vague imagery of buildings falling, bridges collapsing, soldiers launching missiles and people exploding behind curtains wasn't enough, there is also an entirely different kind of promotion machine out there, and it exists entirely on the web as a super-viral marketing campaign.
For starters, you have 1-18-08.com, a frustratingly vague site that features a bunch of pictures, complete with timestamps and all apparently taken on...wait for it...January 18, 2008. Since it's inception users have been able to move the pictures around, and over time newer (and just as vague) abilities have been packed in. For example, if you take certain pictures like the Japanese chef and give them a quick little drag down and up you can flip them over revealing handwritten notes or, in this case, what looks to be a recipe in Japanese. The most recent addition to the site is a monstrous roar that you'll hear exactly 6:00 minutes at the site (or by just clicking the play button below).
There are countless fan/speculation sites out there (like CloverfieldClues), and if you really want to waste some time you should read the boards at the IMDB page. People go to great lengths doing things like analyzing the trailers and commercials and putting mash-ups on YouTube, most of which revolve around glimpses of the monster.
Many of the characters in the upcoming movie have MySpace pages. A fictional beverage named "Slusho" (which may or may not be an integral part of the plot) has its very own site too, as well as a slew of (odd) commercials. I wouldn't be surprised if we see an actual Slusho beverage available for purchase if the movie takes off.
Slusho's also-fictional parent company, the Tagruato Corporation, also has a site full of over-the-top detailed bogus information. There's even a site for the anti-Tagruato T.I.D.O. Wave, part of "a nonprofit, grassroots, environmental activist organization dedicated to saving our planet from the world's most nefarious corporations". Cool. Why not...
I just am really hoping the movie lives up to at least half of its hype. Oh, and please don't be Godzilla, please.
I just finished watching "Futurama: Bender's Big Score", and it was like seeing an old, witty, yet still very adolescent friend.
You read correctly; "Futurama", quite possibly the most underrated of all the modern cartoon series, is back after being canned four years ago ending with a shortened fourth season. Apparently the execs at FOX had only so much time for a sci-fi cartoon with esoteric references, math-based humor, and an alcoholic robot with more one-liners than Rodney Dangerfield in his prime (who I'm pretty sure makes a virtual "head-in-a-jar" cameo in the series).
There will also apparently be a fifth season, interestingly slated to be first released as DVDs and then shown on Comedy Central. FOX's decision to give the go ahead was due in no small part, I'm sure, to the show's massive fan base and it's success while being rerun on AdultSwim (it ate up half the space on my DVR, at least).
Wired has been running some great articles revolving around "Futurama" and video games. Video games, you say? Yes, and the first is a review of the quintessential episode "Raiders of the Lost Arcade", a must-see for anyone who ever played an Atari.
I need some Slurm...
UPDATE 12.23.07 Oh, and as for a movie rating for "Futurama: Bender's Big Score"... 3 and a half starts, so there.
Firstly, Happy Birthday Dan. Get all that BAmBUu stuff lined up and ready to go.
Secondly, in light of a conversation yesterday revolving around the many stellar performances Keanu Reeves has delivered to us on film (I know, I know...), I found this on YouTube. It's an animated clip from larger collection at a site called "How It Should Have Ended".
Unfortunately there's no parody there for "Ocean's 13", but I guess that movie's a parody of itself already.
I'm not sure if it's a consequence of getting older, and it certainly has nothing to do with what the holiday is supposed to represent. It's everything else about it that makes me crazy. The people in the stores, the pressure to plan out tomorrow making sure to be as inclusive of everyone as you can, and of course then there's the actual family members. As far as I can tell, any plans you make with them prior to the day before Thanksgiving should always be disregarded; they always seem to change at the last minute.
Ah, how I miss the days of my childhood, never having to worry about where or when I had to be somewhere for a family event.
TLM and I tried to watch "License to Wed" tonight, and in short, we could not get through this movie. It wasn't long before we started skipping ahead to the next chapter (and that was her idea...mine was to quit watching it altogether). This movie was predictable (except for maybe the robot babies - didn't see that one coming), not that funny, and overly focused on Robin Williams and his creepy kid sidekick. It was a waste of time and I give it half a star, my lowest so far, and that's only because of the cameos by cast members from "The Office".
After the recent price drop a couple of weeks ago, I finally caved (to myself) and bought a PS3. Tonight, on our seemingly weekly trip to Target, I splurged some more and bought my first Blu-Ray movie. In fact, I ended up buying three of them...they had the "Spiderman" trilogy and I just couldn't resist.
Oh, and as if that wasn't enough, TLM noticed a Fantastic Four - Silver Surfer PS3 game on sale for $20, so I threw that in too (though the fact that it was 1/3 the usual price of games should have maybe persuaded me to leave it there).
When I was a kid out shopping with my mother at a store a toy section, I would always ask her for a Transformer. "No", she would always reply, followed by an excuse like "that's too expensive for a toy" or "I just got you a He-Man" or "I am philosophically opposed to toys that can change shape". Ok, I made that last one up, but after a few Christmases and birthdays of Go-Bot pacification, I promised myself that when I was old enough, I would buy all the Transformers I wanted to.
Well, with the super-CGI Transformers movie about to hit screens, Hasbro has released their new series of the popular toys....and I made good on my promise, as showcased below. I even got the Optimus Prime, Mom, and it cost me over $40. Ha.
Wait...is that too expensive for a toy (for a 31 year old man)?
Ah, Flatland...the 19th century essay about life in a 2-dimensional world and the subject of many a middle school math class across the globe (hopefully minus the slightly sexist undertones). Written in 1884 by Edwin A. Abbott (whose middle name also happens to be Abbott!), the essay is an exposition on the notion of extra dimensions as well as a "satire on the social hierarchy of Victorian society", as it describes a world whose inhabitants are squares, triangles, pentagons and other 2-dimensional figures whose place in society is rigidly defined by the number of sides they have and how regular they are (that is, how closely their sides are in length to each other).
Well, now there's going to be a movie (wuhooo!). Due for release in June of this year, the main character, A. Sqaure, will be voiced by Martin Sheen, and the trailer actually looks pretty compelling. The website for the movie is pretty slick, too.
I recently had a few hours to kill between doctors' appointments, and before I knew it I found myself in the lobby of a movie theater scanning accross titles and times looking for something (hopefully good) to watch. Ultimately, I settled on Sylvester Stallone's sixth "Rocky" movie....no, not "Rocky 6", but rather "Rocky Balboa".
Tangentially, there weren't that many options worth even my consideration, worth noting as I'm notorious in my circles for "liking everything". I guess January is a slow month.
Anyway, the tale told is a sad but idetifiable one, and ultimately there is a sense of triumph and completion. Though it's been more than a decade since watching any of the other Rocky films, I feel as though this latest installment might just be the best. A little suspension of disbelief is required, though, as Rocky comes out of retirement at the tender age of 60 to fight the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world...eh, no big deal in Rocky world.
The interrelationships between the characters take center stage for most of the movie, and the storyline was surprisingly interesting, engaging, and one with which I'm sure many can identify. The images of an old and, pardon the phrase, beaten-up Rocky in a generic sport coat spinning stories of days gone by to patrons of his restaurant are striking and a telling ones, as are the scenes of Rocky visiting the burial site of his former wife Adrian. I almost felt sorry for this character who was clinging onto his past so innocently and yet so clearly, and it was his realizing this and moving on that proved to be the actual triumph in the film (even though moving on for him meant stepping back into the ring to take a traditional Rocky beating). In addition, Rocky struggles with his relationship with his son, who struggles because he thinks he lives in his father's shadow, and of course Paulie, his brother-in-law, who reminds Rocky that everyone's got problems and sorrows and to snap out of it already.
As for Sly, what's probably been clear to many others since 1976 is now crystal clear to me: Rocky is the perfect role for Sylvester Stallone. He conveys perfectly Balboa's coming of (old) age, and not through just the thick and now famous Balboian accent (see: Lou the cop on the Simpsons). I've seen Sly in lots of other movies, with his performances ranging from the decent (Cop Land, Tango and Cash) to the self-caricatural (Over the Top, The Specialist), but this is undoubtedly his best I've seen.
So there's another movie coming out in March based on a Frank Miller graphic novel, and much like the last one ("Sin City"), this one looks great, not to mention full of CG. It's called "300" and is the story of the ancient Battle of Thermopylae, the battle in which 300 Spartans led by King Leonidas (and 700 volunteer Thespians) lost their lives against a massive Persian army led by Xerxes I (estimates range between 250,000 and 500,000 troops) in order to slow down the Persian invasion. The trailer looks kicakass and the more I read about this battle, the more interested and amazed I become. It's no wonder there is a movie coming out about it. I love the quote IMDB has on their page about the movie: "Spartans, this is where we fight. This is where they die!" -King Leonidas.
Was this one of those stories I was supposed to read about back in high school? See kids, Greek and Latin are cool.
The trailer is definitely of the teaser variety, and so far it looks good. With a cast consisting of Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson and Anthony Anderson, among others (I think I saw Bernie Mac on the list), I'm extrememly interested to see what kind of storyline they come up with. Although the special effects are going to be badass and probably enough to get most of us to the theaters, we all know that sometimes a bad plot and/or bad acting can make a movie a huge disappointment. IMDB has a lot of information on its pre-production status so far.
There better be a Bumblebee in there somewhere, that's all I'm saying....
Content found on The Neoteric is of no particular genre, topic, or focus, other than it was all at some point, in some way, interesting enough to me to write about.
[Geek alert] As if I weren't excited enough by the fact that 
