The Dark Knight Trailer

The new “The Dark Knight” trailer that was shown here at Comic Con has predictably made its way online. Not much to see… but much to hear as we get our first sounds of Heath Ledger’s voice as Joker. Check it out:

Random Comic Con Pics

Hey there guys. So day #2 didn’t get of to the start that I wanted at all. The Warner Bros. session was at 10:30am today… I called a cab at 9:30am… and the thing took over 30 minutes to get here. By the time I got to the CON, the line up to get into the WB session was already over an hour long. So screw that noise. Instead, I took the opportunity to actually walk around the convention floor and see some stuff. IT WAS AMAZING! I’m so glad I didn’t end up going to the WB session, cause the rest of the weekend is totally booked for me and I’m not sure I would have had another chance to see all the stuff. So here are some quick snaps shoots I took on the floor. The Ark of the Covenant Balls Of Fury Posters All Lego R2D2 and C3PO All Lego Cewbacca Random upcoming movie posters Some DC Heroes A Role Playing Gamers Dream BSG “Frak Off” shirt New Hulk Movie display Giant Optimus Prime Scott of my FAVORITE online comic strip PVP More Transformers stuff Screenwriting software even on display New movie Skinwalkers on display One of many Star Wars displays Vader Heads 15 ft. Tall Voldemort World Of Warcraft I’ll try to get as many more shots as I can later.

*17/701/13*

Doug Nagy at the HA HA CAFE

Hello international friends. I have arranged a show at the HA HA CAFE for next Thursday April 12th. Doors open at 8:30pm, show starts at 9pm. If you are in the Los Angeles area please come to the show and represent. I will have 10 tickets and if you meet me outside the club around 8pm I will give them to you for free, just tap me and let me know that you heard about the show from The Movie Blog. I will be the tall guy with a snake tattoo. Here is the address: Ha Ha Cafe 5010 Lankershim Blvd North Hollywood, CA 91601 (818) 762-0941

Sweet New Bumblebee Pic

Thanks to Javier for sending me this new pic of Bumblebee talking to Spike who appears to the holding the Energon Cube.

Year Of The Dog Review

Year of the Dog is a film about Peggy (Molly Shannon) that is a shut in dog lady. In a short time the stage is set beautifully for us to understand how fucking bananas she is about dogs; and we then follow her life after the cataclysmic event of her dog’s death that begins the character’s descent onto woe. At the screening I was surprised to see how much people were enjoying the very dark nature of the comedy; it was a testament to the ability of Shannon’s comedic timing. The movie sets out fast and strong as a delightful dark comedy. Friends push her to try human interaction which fails miserably. That man that is interested in her – she doesn’t like, the man that she is interested in – doesn’t like her. When she adopts another dog you hope above all hope that her problems will end, but things just get worse with hilarious results. The character keeps trying to fill the gap in her life that the dog left but nothing fits, and you see her delve further and further into dismay as each direction she turns, she is knocked down again and again (all the time causing you to laugh or cry). The closest placebo she finds is becoming enveloped in the cause of animal rights, which in turn spurns a vegan diet and an obsession with pet adoption. The concern of her friends and family increases as this obsession grows to dangerous levels. I am a fan of dark comedy and thought this movie was brilliant most of the way through (we will get to that later). I enjoyed the heavy use of the first person camera work and thought it was appropriate for the film as it made you sit in the seat of the character for this disastrous ride. The climax is a showdown with her neighbor Al (John C. Reilly) who was set up masterfully to become her nemesis. The climax of the movie was perfectly appropriate for someone who had one bad thing after another just beat her down into madness; and a logical turn to the story. and then.. The flaw with the film as far as I am concerned is the ending. I wanted the darkness to follow through and have the movie end with the character in a lunatic asylum, prison or eating dogs on the BBQ. Instead we are given an ending that felt like it did not fit with the rest of the movie. The whole movie seems to set her up for disaster or freedom (from her demons) but we are given neither, instead she is just the crazy dog lady and I left the film feeling that she was just a fucking loser. Perhaps that was the point, perhaps the movie is an attempt to try show the rest of the world that even losers have a story – and it’s usually thanks to a life of woe. Do not let my problem with the ending fool you. This movie is very enjoyable, I thought that for a first outing as a director Mike White did a wonderful job. The acting was second to none and each character was chosen perfectly. The story was focused, entertaining and delightful; It simply did not end in the direction that I would of liked to have seen it go. I give it a GO, or 4 goats out of 5. Here is a trailer for Year of the Dog

Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Carl’s Myspace Page

Just in case you guys have not seen this yet Carl has a MySpace page. I found the link today as I was watching Master Shake’s video. The ad campaign for this movie has been outstanding. Games, videos, fake endings, terror threats – who could ask for more? Carl’s myspace page is horribly designed as if he did it himself. It is so fucking classic/hilarious – I have been on it all day long laughing my ass off. Please treat yourselves.

*2/701/13*

Next James Bond Film A Direct Sequel To Casino Royale

The last James Bond film, Casino Royale was a total triumph on almost every level (notice I said ALMOST). The only real weakness I found in the film was the length. That film just would have felt a lot more tight if they just trimmed like 15 minutes out of the picture.. but now I’m just being nit-picky. The biggest success of Casino Royale was in the new James Bond himself. I’ve already gone on record and stated that I think Daniel Craig is not the best James Bond ever. Take that as you will. Now most of you know that pretty much the whole James Bond franchise has been a number of stand alone films. All completely encapsulated stories that don’t really have anything to do with any of the previous films. Looks like they’re breaking that trend now too. The good folks over at Cinematical give us this: we do now have confirmation on one aspect of the next Bond that should please fans of Daniel Craig’s last outing as the superspy (i.e. pretty much everyone). Previous reports were correct: Bond 22 will be a direct continuation of the events started in Casino Royale. Since most Bond films have been stand-alone adventures, this should be another good way to shake (not stir) the formula. I think this is a good idea. Casino Royale show us Bond’s beginning… and now I think we need to see him begin the process of turning into the Bond more of us remember… the more emotionally detached womanizer we all love so much. The ending of Casino Royale gave us a glimpse of that transition starting… and now it’s time to take it to the next step.

Superman Returns 2 Is Filming In 2008

There has been a lot of whispers and speculating going around the last couple of days regarding the fate of the Superman Returns sequel (which we’ll just call Superman Returns 2 for now). It all got kicked off by word that Bryan Singer has signed on to do another project. This got the windmills going at a breakneck pace. The problem is, Singer always planned on doing another film prior to shooting Superman Returns 2 in 2008. So this isn’t new news at all. But on the internet, one rumor sparks off another and the dominos keep falling. Since people assumed that Singer would be delaying Superman Returns 2 (which he’s not), new speculation arose that Superman would be appearing in the new Justice League film that was reported earlier this month instead of his own sequel. The problem is that every source from the studios and those who work with Singer are all saying the same thing “We have already started work on Superman Returns 2, and we are starting shooting in 2008″. Period.

BLOOD DIAMOND by Edward Zwick

After an attack on his village by the RUF (Revolutionary United Front) Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) is forced to work in the diamond mines of Kono. His wife and daughter can escape, but his son Dia (Kagiso Kuypers) is forced to join the RUF as a child soldier. Just when Solomon finds a huge diamond […]

TMNT – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Featurette

I have had my reservations about the up coming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3d animated feature. I have always been a big fan, but time and time again I see it get washed down for a preteen target audience. Some incarnations have a little more edge, but still aimed at the same demographic. When I saw the first trailer for TMNT, I was all pumped about it. It looked dark and gritty. No surfer turtles. No goofiness. Then one of them falls into a dumpster and skips off a one shot gag. Sigh. Now I caught wind of an extended trailer that is being labeled as a Featurette, and while it gives away a LOT of the plot, we see a lot of stuff that actually makes the movie look like it will be pretty damned cool. There is still some campiness to it, and its still clearly aimed at kids. But it looks to have a lot that someone like me can still enjoy as well. I have to warn you. This falls pretty close to the SPOILER category as it may give away a little TOO much about the plot. Watch it if you dare, but you are warned. Click here to see the featurette. Its pretty cool.

*5/701/13*

Thai Elephant Day 2007

Elephants enjoy a “buffet” of fruit and vegetables at Mae Sa elephant camp to mark Thailand’s National Elephant Day in Chiang Mai province, about 700 km (435 miles) north of Bangkok on March 13, 2007. About 70 elephants took part in the event. REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

Smog, smog smog

Its awful. My family and friends are suffering from respiratory problems, itchy eyes, dizziness and generally irritible. I woke up this morning with a sore throat. Its the smog. My daughter asked if we have a gas leak. Thats how it smells. It looks like fog. Thick fog. Apparently some planes couldn’t land yesterday due […]

Old Patong: Kin Kow

Thai hospitality starts with two words KIN KOW! Literally meaning “eat rice”, you hear these words daily all over the Kingdom! Pee Nai Kin Kow? Where you go, to eat? Chatting with most Thais, these happy phrases quickly tell you that you are with friends. The foods of Thailand make it the richest culinary nation of all South East Asia. From apples in the northern provinces to exceptional seafood from the south, eating in any area of Thailand is a guarantee to delicious food, fixed with loving care, designed exquistely and served with humility. The way a Thai person hands you anyway, with two hands, the left hand under the right wrist, backed by the famed “Thai smile”,inviting you to take your share, their generosity is second to none. If you’re eating in a Thai house, you’ll see that little basket on the table that holds prix nam pla, chopped peanuts, red chili sauce and soi sauce. Additional containers of sliced cucumber, meenow[chopped lime]and various chilis with different veggies are only a hint of what is to come. Having eaten in many Thai friends homes in Old Patong, Patong Patty and I would watch carefully, Patty often taking notes on how certain Thai dishes are really accomplished and helping with things to get the meal out. Often, leaving our little house by the waterfall in Baan Nam Sai Yen, our neighbor across the street, Khun Dak, the local refrigeration/electronics tech, would yell out “Kin Kow”? a big grin on his face as we waved and buzzed by on the Spirit Of Patong. Sometimes, we’d not even make it the short 2 kilometers to the beach before some friend would flag us down, invite us in, and we’d be eating foods we’d never seen before, prepared in ways we’d try to find out about and enjoying an afternoon or evening that was far from planned! Our village was not big and most of the streets were dirt, but the feeling there was unlike any place we’d ever lived, driving by, Mothers would proudly hold up their babies and the children would giggle and clap when they’d see a glimpse of The Spirit Of Patong. We knew it couldn’t get any better and that greener pastures were for the tourists that would visit 4 cities in 4 days. In Old Patong, as in most of Thailand, at the time, for us, a Paradise found.

*6/701/13*

Ratatouille Trailer

Here’s your first peak at the first real Ratatouille trailer. The trailer is in English with (what I think is) Chinese subtitles. It’s no secret around here that I think Pixar is a company that can just do now wrong (at least they haven’t made a mistake yet). Without exception I’ve loved every single one of their films… and I expect that Ratatouille will be no exception. For those of you who may not know much about Ratatouille, here’s a quick synopsis: In the new animated-adventure, RATATOUILLE, a rat named Remy dreams of becoming a great French chef despite his family’s wishes and the obvious problem of being a rat in a decidedly rodent-phobic profession. When fate places Remy in the sewers of Paris, he finds himself ideally situated beneath a restaurant made famous by his culinary hero, Auguste Gusteau. Despite the apparent dangers of being an unlikely – and certainly unwanted – visitor in the kitchen of a fine French restaurant, Remy’s passion for cooking soon sets into motion a hilarious and exciting rat race that turns the culinary world of Paris upside down. Remy finds himself torn between his calling and passion in life or returning forever to his previous existence as a rat. He learns the truth about friendship, family and having no choice but to be who he really is, a rat who wants to be a chef. Directed by Academy Award -winning Brad Bird (“The Incredibles”) and co-directed by Academy Award -winning Jan Pinkava (“Geri’s Game”), RATATOUILLE is slated for release on June 29, 2007. This will be Brad Bird’s first project since the mind blowingly fantastic “The incredibles”, and I’m anxious to see what he can do. To see the Ratatouille trailer you can just go here.

SHAZAM! Gyllenhaal as Captian Marvel?

Right after I posted about the Captain Marvel movie actually getting a writer, we now get news that they are hoping to cast Jake Gyllenhaal ComicBook Movie says:This is New Line’s bid for a franchise on the order of Batman and Superman. “They’re ready to spend up to $200 million to get it started,” one source told the columnists. The columnists also reported that director Peter Segal and his fellow producers want to nab Gyllenhaal before Spider-Man director Sam Raimi does.This is interesting news on two levels. First lets deal with the Captain Marvel side. Jake is one buff kid. Don’t get me wrong. But really as Captain Marvel, shouldn’t there be a bigger beefier guy for this role? I just dont see Jake looking the part with the little cape and lightning bolt. Sure, a lot of people said the same thing about Routh, and I thought he made a perfect Superman. Next, lets look at the backside of this story. They want to sign him to Shazam before Raimi gets him for Spiderman. Stop the presses. Do these guys know something we don’t? Its been rumoured already that Gyllenhaal might replace Tobey Maguire as Spiderman and this adds fuel to that rumour. I am not thrilled with that, but at the same time I have no other ideas for Tobey’s replacement (Jake is too buff and not geeky enough to be Spiderman) So there it is. Too buff to be one, not buff enough to be the other. Which would you think is better? If tJake does get Captain Marvel, I hope we get to see a moment where Captain Marvel goes up to Batman and says “YOU TRIED TO SLEEP WITH MY SISTER???” .. but we know that won’t happen. Maybe a DVD gag reel.

*7/701/13*

Restaurant Guide (East Bay Express)

2102 8th Ave. (at 21st St.) Oakland, CA 94606 Oakland: East 510-238-8819 Tucked away in a residential neighborhood, Champa Garden s menu resembles a set of Russian nesting dolls.

A Bangkok Tour

The Grand Palace Many people who visit thai-blogs.com are looking for ideas for their next holiday to Thailand. For most people, their holidays always start and end in Bangkok. Some people like to get out of the city as quick as they can. However, the city has a lot to offer. What I am going to briefly describe for you today is a basic one day tour that you can easily do yourself. No need to pay for tour guides or rent a driver for the day. My brother is in Bangkok for the weekend. It is his first time in Thailand. This is my summary of a good introduction to Bangkok for day one. We started our tour at Siam Square. It is a good central area with plenty of shopping malls and hotels. When I stay in Bangkok I quite often stay at the Asia Hotel (see thaihotelfinders.com) as it has a direct link to the sky train. It is only one stop away from Siam Square. From here our first destination was the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Traffic was light and we made good progress by taxi. Whenever taking a taxi in Bangkok, always make sure that he turns on the meter. This should start at 35 baht. The Thai word for meter is the same so just say ?bert meter? if he hasn?t turned it on. Our trip only cost 65 baht (present exchange rate is 35 baht for one US dollar). Don?t take a tuk tuk. They will try and cheat you. It was about 10.30 a.m. when we arrived at the Grand Palace. The taxi dropped us off at the main entrance. Make sure you are dressed suitably which means long trousers and shoes with a closed heal. If you are wearing shorts you can borrow a wraparound at the entrance. The entrance fee for the Grand Palace is 250 baht. It is free if you are Thai. We first went into the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew). This place is simply stunning and should be a must if you are visiting Bangkok. As some of you may know, this was my second visit this month. I could easily go again. Next door to the temple is the Grand Palace. The King no longer lives here but you can admire the architecture and watch the changing of the guard. We were just over an hour here though during my previous visit I was there more than two hours. A long-tailed boat on the Thonburi canals We then exited the Grand Palace and turned left walking towards the river and Chang Pier. Our intention was to rent a long-tailed boat for an hour to explore the Thonburi canals on the other side of the river. Even before we reached the pier we were met by touts who wanted to sell their tours. The last time I had done a boat tour must have been four years ago and it cost 400 boat to rent a boat. The first tout wanted 800 baht each! I told him we weren?t interested and kept walking. We eventually found the counter for the tour boats. Unfortunately, even though he was cheaper, he still wanted 900 baht for the two of us. I told him I wasn?t interested as it was way too expensive. As we were walking out, one of the earlier touts came running up to us and said 600 baht for the two of us. Still a bit expensive but this is the price the Bangkok Tourist office had told me that they now charge. Bangkok used to be known as the Venice of the East. Unfortunately most of the canals have been filled in now to create new roads. However, on the opposite side of the river, in Thonburi, there is still an opportunity to see how Bangkok people have lived for generations. The boat we rented was a long-tailed boat much like the one pictured above. We started on the mighty Chao Phraya River and soon entered the much quieter canals on the other side. In less than ten minutes, we had left the city and were literally in a jungle. All of the houses were single stories and either side were banana trees and palm trees. There aren?t any roads here and the postman and other essential services all come by boat. Along the way you will see river life in action as well as some real floating markets. Our tour was about one hour. You can choose to take longer tours. There are a number of places that you can stop at along the way such as the Royal Barges Museum. For myself, one hour is more than enough. The Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho Before we left on our boat tour, I told them that we wanted to finish at Wat Arun (The Temple of Dawn) which is on the opposite side of the river to the Grand Palace and a bit further south. This saved us on fees for transport to our next stop. As this had a private landing, we had to pay a fee of 20 baht for the boat to stop here. I have talked about Wat Arun before. This is a 82 metre high prang which is decorated with broken Chinese porcelain. This was quite common at the time as the Chinese used it as ballast in their trading junks. For their return journey there was no need for the ballast. Other unwanted ballast included the statues which can be found at many of the Bangkok temples. When we arrived at the temple we walked to the far end first where there is a small market. We walked through this for a while until we found a small entrance. Temples are free for Thai people and Buddhist to visit. This one is 20 baht for foreigners or free if you use the same entrance as we did. There are donation boxes if you want to help with the renovation of the temple. I think the last time it was covered in scaffolding was about five years ago. It is badly in need of a face lift again. From the public pier, we used the ferry to cross the river to the opposite bank. This was only 3 baht each. Looking back we had some fine views of Wat Arun so don?t forget to take some pictures. Once we arrived on the other side we walked straight out to the main road. To our left was the boundary wall of the Grand Palace. To our right was the buildings belonging to Wat Pho. We used the nearest entrance and as soon as we were inside the temple we turned right. To our left was the big building which housed the Reclining Buddha. But, I wanted to leave that to last as it is the highlight. I first wanted to explore the other areas. Wat Pho is considered the center of traditional Thai massage. Indeed, the temple is also known as Thailand?s first university. Instruction was given by paintings on the wall and the statues of different yoga positions. In one of the cloisters you will find a large collection of Buddha images. The three large chedis commemorate the first three Chakri kings. This temple is actually much older than them as it predates the founding of Bangkok. The temple dates back more than 300 years. In one of the temples, the ashes of King Rama I are kept under the main Buddha image. I forgot to say before that the ashes of King Rama II are under the principle Buddha image at Wat Arun. The Reclining Buddha is of course the highlight of any visit to this temple. That is why we decided to save it for last. As we were going into this building, I noticed a side entrance where people were charging foreigners 50 baht to enter. Again, we had mistakenly come in through the wrong entrance. Never mind, there are donation boxes where you can help with the upkeep of the temple. The Reclining Buddha is absolutely stunning. You really need a wide angle lens to get it all in your picture. The length is 43 meters and the feet are covered in mother of pearl. Some guidebooks call this the longest Reclining Buddha in Thailand. But, it is the third longest that I have seen. The longest one is in Bang Phli in Samut Prakan. However, I think there will be longer one in the future in Suphan Buri. Before you leave this building, you can make a donation to buy a bowl of pennies. You then drop these into a long row of bowls for good luck. Jim Thompson?s House By this time it was already after two o?clock and we were in need of a break and some lunch. Don?t forget, with the heat in Thailand you not only need to use sun protection, but also drink plenty of water. If you don?t you will regret it later. Bottled water should be about 10 baht but they might charge you more in tourist areas. We decided to catch a taxi back to our starting point and have a late lunch at the MBK shopping mall. The taxi ride was 80 baht this time. The shopping mall is air-conditioned and so it was a welcome relief form the heat. It is a good idea to spend the middle of the day in one of the shopping malls. On the 6th floor of MBK you will find the large food court. You have to buy coupons first. We bought 100 baht of coupons which was just enough. It doesn?t matter if you buy too much as you can get them refunded after the meal. We bought a choice of two curries on rice for 40 baht. Water was 10 baht per bottle. Our next destination was Jim Thompson?s House. This is within easy walking distance of MBK. We took the exit to the National Stadium sky train station and crossed to the other side of the road. Here we turned left and kept waking to the far end of the sky train station. Near here we saw a sign that directed us to turn right down a small lane. The house is at the far end just before a canal. For people who don?t know, Jim Thomposn is largely responsible for the revival of the Thai silk industry and for propelling it onto the international stage. But, we didn?t come here for the silk. Jim lived in a group of Thai traditional houses which today is opened as a museum containing many of his art collections. If you want to see traditional Thai houses then this is a good place for you to come. The cost is only 100 baht per person. You have to join the tours that take you around the garden and through the house. You are allowed to take pictures outside but not inside the house. The Erawan Shrine By this time it was starting to be a long day for us. We were hot and our feet were beginning to ache. But, we had one more stop. We walked back to the main road where we rode an escalator up to the sky train platform above the road. We wanted to do one final stop. This was the Erawan Shrine near Chit Lom station. From the National Stadium we had to go one stop to Siam and then change tracks and then go one more stop to Chit Lom. This is the station for several big shopping malls including Central World. The Erawan Shrine was full of local and foreign merit makers. People come here to wish for good luck. If their wish comes true then they offer the spirit things like wooden elephants and food. They also pay for traditional Thai dancers to perform for the spirits. This is a great place to sit and watch the activity for a while. It is also a great place to enjoy Thai dancing for free! Well, that was the end of our day long tour. I don?t think you would want to do much more than that. Maybe spend the rest of the day in one of the local shopping malls like Central World or Siam Paragon. Maybe even watch a movie. If you are up to it, you could go and watch Muay Thai at one of the boxing stadiums. Over the coming weeks I will give you some more ideas of places you can visit in Bangkok. But, I think today is a good tour of some of the highlights.

*10/701/13*