Layout Image
Thor
5 / 13 / 12
Sue Millinocket
Categories
movies
0
comments

Superhero Binge

Mother’s Day Avengers

No one could argue that I’m outside your typical superhero movie demographic.  Not male, not particularly young and not at all versed in comic book lore.  Yet in the past week I’ve been on a superhero binge.

Why?  Because I’m going to see The Avengers for Mother’s Day!  This is my choice, mind you, not one of those “let’s give Mom something we actually want” sort of things.  I want to see what all the fuss is about.  Also, I want my Robert Downey, Jr. fix (I’m only human).  So even though it isn’t at all what I would call a Mom Movie, it’s this mom’s movie of choice.

In preparation for the big event, I’ve consumed more superhero celluloid in the past week than I have, probably, in the

Incredible Hulk

The Hulk of my youth

past year.  I heard that The Avengers would be more fun if I knew the back story of the characters.  Now, I’ve already seen Iron Man and Iron Man 2 (thank you, RDJ), and know the basics of the Hulk character (thank you, Bill Bixby).  But I was completely unfamiliar with Captain America and Thor.  Well, not completely on Thor, but the comic book world is different than the one I learned about in college mythology classes.  Go figure.

So I indulged in viewings of both Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor and have to say, enjoyed them both.  Keep in mind, I didn’t go into them expecting all that much.  Just some big dumb fun with explosions and costumes.  And that’s more or less what I got.  Captain America was the weaker of the two, only because I can’t say I really cared for Chris Evans’ performance all that much, whereas I definitely thought Chris Hemsworth looked to be having fun with the role of Thor.  I also thought the visuals in Thor were pretty marvelous – but the story certainly gave the filmmakers more to work with in that respect.

So all things considered I’ve enjoyed my superhero binge so far and am looking forward to its completion later today.  Will The Avengers live up to the super-hype of years of prequels, massive marketing, Samuel L. Jackson’s coolness and record breaking box office numbers?  We shall see, Moms, we shall see.

Bad Blood Cover Art
5 / 4 / 12
Sue Millinocket
Categories
movies
0
comments

Quintessential Family Feud

No, not the game show.

When I think of Christian Slater, the first thing that comes to mind is his deliciously sociopathic character in Heathers, the 1988 dark comedy that pulled him off of soap operas and TV guest roles and onto the big screen.  His young Jack Nicholson voice and mannerisms fit perfectly with the bad boys he would play in 1990′s Pump Up the Volume and the 1993 Quentin Tarantino penned misogynist gangster film, True Romance.   After that he drifted, seeming unable to put together a solid string of hits that would land him securely on the Hollywood A list.

But he’s always working and now you can catch him in a western – I know, it seems like a weird genre for him to me, too.  But he stars in Bad Blood: The Hatfields & McCoys (not to be confused with Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton’s upcoming TV series about the families) , the story of the most legendary family feud in American history.  Honestly, I always thought it was probably myth, but I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?  The DVD comes out on June 5th.  Slater is joined by Jeff Fahey (who I recognize as the pilot from Lost) as Hatfield and Perry King (who has amazing blue eyes and has been in umpteen TV shows and movies) as McCoy.  Slater plays the governor in the film written and directed by Fred Olen Ray.

I’m thinking that this straight-to-DVD release is probably not Slater’s ticket back to the big time, but who knows?  Let’s take a look at the trailer:


HATFIELDS & MCCOYS BAD BLOOD by VideoDetective

Avengers Poster
5 / 2 / 12
Sue Millinocket
Categories
movies
0
comments

The Avengers – Box Office Superheroes!

It’s making money before it even opens!

Earlier this year, all the buzz was about The Hunger Games doing gang-buster advanced ticket sales.  Well, watch out, Katniss, there’s a new blockbuster in town.  We all knew The Avengers was going to be huge.  How could it possibly not?  With Joss Whedon at the Wheel and Robert Downey, Jr. riding shotgun, this superhero action saga was not going to fail.  Okay, maybe RDJ isn’t the biggest draw for every member of the potential viewing audience, but I do get to have my biases…

What is it about superheroes that so fascinates us?  Part of it is most certainly nostalgia – we adults grew up with these characters on TV and in comics and teenagers aren’t that different, though they have more media through which to consume their super powered friends.  I suppose we all love the idea of super powers, the triumph of good over evil and a team of uber-powerful allies using their powers for the benefit of mankind.  It definitely doesn’t hurt that superheroes make for awesome action sequences on film.

Also, we have the cast.  Oh, such a cast.  RDJ, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johannson, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson, Gwyneth Paltrow and on and on.  There’s eye candy here for virtually everyone.  Joss Whedon has star power of his own.  The director who brought us Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly and most recently the well regarded The Cabin in the Woods knows how to do action and knows how to connect with an audience.

At this early date, with the film having opened only overseas so far, it’s running 8.9 at imdb and projected to pull in over $400 million by Sunday.  Well played, Mr. Whedon, well played.  I won’t be seeing the first blockbuster of the summer on its opening weekend (I do that about once a decade and have had my turn with The Hunger Games) but George will, and he’ll definitely be letting you know what he thinks.  I won’t be seeing it until Mother’s Day, when my children are taking me (they took me to Iron Man 2 one year – they’re awesome).

Until then I need to do a little catching up.  I haven’t seen anything but the Iron Man movies – Hulk, Thor and Captain America need a little love.  Methinks I ought to update my Netflix queue.  Then I’ll be added my dollars to the enormous Avengers coffers.  Good for you, Joss, let’s kick off this summer with some superhero box office butt-kicking!




See larger image

Avengers: The Art of Marvel's The Avengers (Hardcover)

By (author) Jason Surrell
List Price: $49.99 USD
New From: $31.49 In Stock
Used from: $90.87 In Stock

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
5 / 1 / 12
Sue Millinocket
Categories
movies
news
0
comments

Once – The Musical

Great movie.  Great play?

Some years back I had the pleasure of seeing a little indie musical romance called Once.  The story of two people from vastly different backgrounds finding common ground through music sounds treacly and unappealing, but it’s exactly theopposite.  The fresh faces of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova gave it a sweet ring of truth and their music was so melancholy and lovely that they won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2007.  I don’t tear up very often during awards shows, but I did that night.  Those two young performers were the most authentic human beings to stand on that stage in decades.

Now Once is back – as a Broadway musical with 11 Tony nominations.  The music is wonderful, assuming it’s the same music from the film.  I’m not sure how I feel about anyone but Hansard and Irglova playing the leads (nominated for the lead roles in the play are Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti).  I’m sure they have lovely voices and loads of talent, but it was the regular people embodied by Hansard and Irglova (and they were exactly that – just regular people trying to make a go of music careers) that added a lot of heart to the film.  I can only trust that director John Tiffany (also nominated) chose his leads wisely and kept them close to their conceptual film models.

It makes me happy to see the music of Hansard and Irglova taking center stage for any reason, even more so to see this story make its way into another venue.  Most of us won’t be able to catch the musical, but the film is really something special.  Do yourself a favor and check it out.  And good luck to the Once nominees at this year’s Tony Awards!




See larger image

Once (DVD)

Director: John Carney
Starring: Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová, Senan Haugh, Leslie Murphy (II), Danuse Ktrestova
Rating: R (Restricted)
List Price: $14.98 USD
New From: $4.49 In Stock
Used from: $2.00 In Stock
Release date December 18, 2007.
200px-Netflix_Logo.svg
4 / 18 / 12
Sue Millinocket
Categories
movies
0
comments

New on Netflix – April 17th & 24th

We’re Back.

Oh, my friends, it’s been far too long!  I know, I know – I missed not one, but TWO entries of New on Netflix.  Of this I am not proud.  But let me explain.  As you may have noticed, we have a brand new look!  So one installment flew by while we were under construction.  The second one?  Well, that’s all on me because I was on vacation.  What did I do on my vacation, you ask?  Well, mostly relaxed on the beach, but I also had the dubious pleasure of watching Terminator 3 one night on one of the two English language channels we got.  It was horrible, but it feels good to paraphrase Arnold in my headline and have a legitimate reason.

So what’s new in the Netflix world for the next couple of weeks?  Lots and lots of movies coming out – the usual mix of good, bad and laughably atrocious.  Let’s take a look and see if we can find a few things to add to our queues.  As always, you can find more release dates (and less pithy commentary) at Everything Netflix.

April 17th

The Sitter (comedy, Jonah Hill, Max Records) – Jonah Hill, back to being the fat funny guy.  I’m okay with that, but I hope he stretches more in the future like he did for Moneyball.

J. Edgar (drama, Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts) – Directed by Clint Eastwood.  I’m not entirely convinced that this will interest me.  But I thought the same thing about Frost/Nixon – another biographical piece about people I don’t care Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol Posterabout – and really liked that one (thanks again, English language channel) so you never know.  maybe if I can see it sometime for free.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (thriller, Gary Oldman, Kathy Burke) – Oh, yes.  I would very much like to see Gary Oldman in his Oscar nominated role in this John Le Carre adaptation.

Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol (action, Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner) – Usually I would guffaw, but I’m going to see this one.  Tom Cruise began his career rehab by lampooning himself in Tropic Thunder and I respect that.  I also love Jeremy Renner and mindless action has a comfortable place in my movie world.

The Divide (action, Lauren German, Michael Biehn) – I hadn’t heard of this one before, but it got added to my queue.  Why?  It’s a post-apocalyptic thriller, that’s why.  I’m in the mood for one of those.

The Man Nobody Knew: In Search of My Father CIA Spymaster William Colby (documentary, Carl Colby) – Winner of longest title of the year.

Paul Goodman Changed My Life (documentary, Jonathan Lee) – I have no idea who Paul Goodman is.  If I have insomnia someday, maybe I’ll watch this and find out.

The Broken Tower (drama, James Franco, Michael Shannon) – I’m tired of you, James Franco.  So your biopic of an angsty poet will be left for others.

Littlerock (drama, Atsuko Okatsuka, Cory Zacharia) – Instant Streaming Available.  We don’t see much about the WWII Japanese internment camps.  We should see more – this one stays on the queue.

High Road (comedy, James Pumphrey, Abby Elliott) – Instant Streaming Available.  Stoner comedies are not really my thing unless I like the actors.  I don’t know these actors, so they can be stoned without moi.

Ayn Rand & The Prophecy of Atlas Shrugged (documentary) – Yeah….no.

April 20th

Hop (comedy, James Marsden, Russell Brand) – Always has to be an outlier, opening on a Friday.  Fortunately for me, I won’t be waiting for it.  It’s animated, thus I have no interest.  I will see Up someday, though, I promise.

April 24th

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked (family comedy, Justin Long, Jesse McCartney) – Oh, please.  I like Justin Long.  At least I used to.  What is he doing in this?  Why did anyone make this?  Is it a torture test for me?  I think it is.

The Last Rites of Joe May (drama, Dennis Farina, Jamie Anne Allman) – Interesting.  A man’s landlord thinks he’s dead and rents out his apartment.  What happens when he shows up alive?

Cinema Verite PosterTomorrow When the War Began (action, Caitlin Stasey, Rachel Hurd-Wood) – Outback guerrilla army.  Okay.  But only if it’s free.

The Innkeepers (horror, Sara Paxton, Pat Healy) – The first of a horror trio, this one is a haunted house tale.

The Fields (horror, Tara Reid, Chloris Leachman) – Horror #2 has Chloris Leachman and Tara Reid starring and is supposedly based on a true story of an evil farm.  Yeah, you read that right.

The Wicker Tree (horror, Graham McTavish, Jacqueline Leonard) – Horror trio completed with a sort of sequel to the 1973 The Wicker Man.  Starring Christians and Pagans.

Dark Tide (thriller, Halle Berry, Oliver Martinez) – Okay, I am totally not kidding you – this thing has Halle Berry playing a shark whisperer.  It has to be so bad it’s good.

Cinema Verite (drama, Diane Lane, Tim Robbins) – Yum!  Love Lane and Robbins.  This HBO film tells the story of a family who agrees to have their lives filmed back in the 70s.  Definitely stays on the queue.

Young Goethe in Love (foreign romance, Alexander Fehling, Miriam Stein) – Yawn.  Period biopic.

11-11-11: The Prophecy (horror, Timothy Gibbs, Michael Landes) – More horror!  Run from your calendar, RUUUUUNNNNNNN!

The Time That Remains (foreign drama, Ali Suliman, Elia Suleiman) – Instant Streaming Available.  The story of a Palestinian family, filmed in Arabic.

Albatross (drama, Felicity Jones, Jessica Brown-Findlay) – This looks like a mopey indie drama about English angst.  i’ll pass.

Crime After Crime (documentary, Deborah Peagler, Joshua Safran) – The story of a woman granted a new trial after spending 20 years in prison for killing her abusive boyfriend.  An examination of bureaucracy, corruption and the very slow wheels of justice.

Return (drama, Linda Cardellini, Michael Shannon) – Cardellini is a woman returning from active military duty and struggling to fit back into her old life.  I’m hoping this will stream soon.

 

And there we have it, folks.  A lot of movies out there as usual, a few even looking interesting enough to leave on my rental queue.  Cinema Verite and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol are the first to get bumped up my queue.  I think I may read Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy before seeing the movie.  I do love to compare.  How about you?  What are you watching this week?

 




See larger image

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: A George Smiley Novel (Paperback)

By (author) John le Carre
List Price: $16.00 USD
New From: $8.84 In Stock
Used from: $4.31 In Stock
Release date October 5, 2011.
Next »

Netflix + Roku = Instant movies on your TV.


Today We’re Talking About

Resources

Watch full length movies online
Research box office totals
Play Hollywood Stock Exchange