APOCALYPTO by Mel Gibson

Central America just before the arrival of the Spaniards, the Mayan culture is on the verge of collapsing. A rather peaceful village of hunters is attacked by a war party. Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood), son of the village chief Flint Sky (Morris Birdyellowhead) is one of the survivors of the brutal raid, and he can […]

Wedding Crashers or Harold and Kumar

It’s going to be a bit of a slow news day since I’ll be traveling most of it (I’m heading to LA today). But something came up yesterday that kind of surprised me. In my post about the stupidity of Harold and Kumar, a couple of people actually suggested it was a better movie than Wedding Crashers. So, I thought why not open it up to discussion…. so what do you think? Which is funnier: Wedding Crashers, or Harold and Kumar?

New Barbarella?

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry but like or not folks Barbarella may be showing up in a theater near you, a new Barbarella that is. The nice folks over at cinematical.com give us this on the story: Dino De Laurentiis wants to update the classic story of the lady who nearly dies of pleasure while taking sex to outer space. I’m not sure how, but this new franchise will not be a remake, but “a completely new Barbarella,” according to De Laurentiis Ok, ok this is not the best news of the day but if there was anyone who had to produce this movie at least it is De Laurentiis, the guy has been around. I’m actually surprised that he didn t have a production credit on the first Barbarella because he was certainly making movies similar and around the same time. From Thee Day of the Condor to Flash Gordon and the Conan the Barbarian series this man has done some of the most fun b-movies and a few straight A types since long before many of us were born. So we know that this movie will be funded properly but…how exactly will this go? Thankfully they don’t want to use the original script, or the actors (somehow I do not think Jane Fonda would be on board even if they did want her). If they made a new action comedy that just had the flavor of Barbarella (and the costumes of course) with a sparkling sexy girl who knows how to play comedy then it could be a fun romp, but they really would have to find someone spectacular. If there was a good cast and a fun script it could be a super popcorn flick. I fully approve of a remake of this movie because really, at least with Barbarella we are not treading on anything close to sacred film ground.

*13/701/13*

Harrison Ford Work Out Regiment For Indiana Jones

Even though I still refuse to allow myself to actually believe they’ll finally give us the long awaited Indiana Jones 4 movie that I’ve been dying to see for 17 years now… it appears Harrison Ford has no doubt about it. The man is apparently already engaged in a high intensity work out regiment in order to get himself in the right shape to play Indy once again. The good folks over at M&C give us this: The 64-year-old is making every effort to get in shape to reprise his role as the adventuring archaeologist, 18 years after his last outing. A source close to the actor is quoted as saying: “He’s been furiously working out on the treadmills at a Los Angeles gym for about three hours a day to get in shape. “He’s on a strict high protein diet. He’s eating lots of fish and vegetables. It’s hard but he’s already looking great for it. He wants to make sure Indiana is as tough as he always was.” On a treadmill 3 hours a day??? yikes. I have a very hard time believing that… but if it’s true, then good for him for showing that kind of commitment. Me, I’m still waiting for the day that someone will deliver me my Ice Cream so I don’t have to walk to my car to go get it.

New Fantastic Four 2 Trailer

Yes yes yes… we all know that Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer will suck. I know that… BUT… that doesn’t negate the fact that I actually really like this new little TV spot trailer for it that just came out. So what do you guys think of it?

*14/701/13*

FRACTURE by Gregory Hoblit

Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins) is filthy rich, highly intelligent, a perfectionist, and he shoots his young attractive wife Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz) in the head because she has an affair with police officer Rob Nunally (Billy Burke). Jennifer survives but is in a coma, and it’s the very police officer Rob Nunally who arrests Ted. Assistant […]

% Cheeni Kum

Plot Synopsis For Cannibal Holocost 2 Divulged

We get news of the new Cannibal Holocaust sequel from Bloody-Disgusting via moviesonline: Our friends at Bloody-Disgusting just got word on the synopsis for the Cannibal Holocaust Sequel. The film is about Professor Harold Moore, a New York anthropologist traveling to the wild, inhospitable jungles of South America to find out what happened to a documentary film crew shooting a film about cannibal tribes. So there you have it folks, it is not a lot of news, but it is a synopsis. As a matter of fact if you saw Cannibal Holocaust you may have been able to get this plot synopsis yourself. I am here to announce the news and confirm your suspicions. I will say this as a matter of commentary. Cannibals are creepy as hell. Zombie cannibalism is creepy enough but people making the conscious decision to eat other humans is stranger still. My tattoo artist has a delightful tabletop book on cannibalism and I was reading it before a sitting recently. It was interesting, shocking, and delightfully gruesome. The surface has not yet been scratched when it comes to cannibal films.

The Fountain (Combo HD DVD And Standard DVD)

Reviewed by Ryan Keefer Quote: “Aronofsky has managed to do something that few people have been unable to accomplish. He’s able to weave powerful moments of emotion and drama into a film that has elements of the past and future, and has truly made the first science fiction/romance film with which both men and women can emotionally connect to.”

*15/701/13*

Routh To Play Superman In Justice League?

Exciting Justice League news out today. It seems like Routh is excited to be The Man Of Steel in the ensemble super hero picture! We get the following news via the mouth of Routh from the moviehole: With word that the Justice League script is ready to roll, the question now is a ) when will it kick off (will it kick off before the Superman Returns sequel?) and b) who will be a part of it, cast-wise. The new Man of Steel, Brandon Routh, tells IESB that he d definitely be interested in reprising his role as Superman for the Justice League movie and he d be keen to work with Christian [Bale, who plays Batman] and whoever else was to be a part of it .I think this is huge news. If they are going to make a Justice League at the same time they are making films with Routh and Bale, I consider it mandatory to get them involved in the projects. It would be a fantastic touch to see the heroes played by the same actors and for me it would really sell the “feel” of the Justice League. They do not have budget back up Superman and Batman, they have the real deal. I was not thrilled with the last Superman film, but Routh was great. I thought the decision to have Superman as an absentee baby-daddy was a titanically retarded idea. Superman does not leave earth for a few years to “figure stuff out.” He is a hero, and heroes put others before their emotional breakdowns. To see Routh and Bale side by side as super heroes would just be a fantastic time. If they can get a good story together I can see geeks across the globe crying blood with delight. Now all we need to know is who will play wonder woman.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD?S END by Gore Verbinski

Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Holland) has ordered mass executions of each and every pirate, and everybody who ever helped a pirate, and Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) is forced to help him hunting down pirate ships because Becket is in possession of the chest that contains Davy’s heart. The pirates of the world have to.

*16/701/13*

Learning Lao in Luang Prabang

I have been finding it interesting comparing Thailand and Laos. In many ways their cultures are similar. They share the same religion and also many of the same festivals. However, Laos is more untouched by the outside world and so their way of life is more genuine and hasn’t been diluted so much by Western influences. Before I left home, I did make an effort to learn some Lao. I think it is always important to at least use the every day polite words in any country that you are traveling. For Laos, some of the keywords and phrases you should learn at least are “sabaidee” which is used as both a greeting and farewell. Then for thanking someone, you should say, “khob jai”. I was in a book shop this morning and the owner greeted me with “sabaidee”. I replied with the same phrase. And then he turned to speaking in English to me. His English was good but he had trouble at one point. I then rephrased it in Thai without thinking and he immediately replied back in Thai. We then ended up having a long conversation in Thai which he found much easier. He says a lot of the town people can speak and understand Thai because they watch Thai television and listen to Thai music. However he said he couldn’t write Thai and could only read a little. Which is a bit surprising because there is a lot of Thai products here with all the words written in Thai. I think I found shopping the most difficult when it comes to the language. Partly because the numbers are so large. A meal in Thailand could be about 25 baht. But in Laos you could pay at least 10,000 kip or more. It doesn’t help that words in Lao and Thai are also nearly the same when it comes to numbers. So, I keep getting a shock when they say to me “neung saen” (100,000) for something in the night market. There are a couple of other differences. For example, twenty is “sao” and twenty five is “sao haa”. In Thai, they don’t say “ten thousand”. They say “one unit of ten thousand”. In Laos, they sometimes do like this, though often I hear them say “sib pun”. A final difference is that there are no “r” sounds in Lao any longer, so one hundred is “hoi” instead of “roi” which is said in Thailand. Both the Thai and Lao scripts are related to the same family. However, Lao has been simplified post-Communist takeover and so there are fewer characters. Some letters look very similar to Thai while other letters look like the wrong one! For example, the letter that looks like a “ror” sound is in fact a “hor” sound. Despite this, I think it would be fairly easy for me to learn to read Lao. There are a number of road signs I could work out already as well as menus in restaurants. Talking of restaurants, in Thailand, if you want to order two glasses of beer you would say “bia song gaew”. But here that translates as “two bottles of beer”! I am sure there other linguistic traps like that to be careful about. One of the best things about the night market here, and even the tuk tuk drivers, is that they are not only very polite, but not persistent too. In Thailand, you can easily get bombarded by people wanting to sell you things. They often don’t leave you alone and follow you around until you give in. But, in Luang Prabang, walking through the market I only got greetings of “sabaidee”. If I didn’t make eye contact, then they wouldn’t try and sell me something. If I did looked interested, they would only ask once. If I said “no”, then that would be it. They would allow me to move on. I think it would be really nice to bring some of the Thai vendors here for a training course. The Thai tuk tuk drivers could learn something too. When I walk by their Lao brothers they usually only say “sabaidee”. When they do ask if I want a tuk tuk, I only need to say “no” once. I have often wondered whether I should move to Laos for a more true cultural experience. People have often told me that Laos is Thailand twenty years ago. Which is great in theory, though I do like some of my modern luxuries. Though as long as I have my laptop and a good Internet connection then I will be happy. They have many Internet cafes here around Luang Prabang and both price and the speed are not too bad. I think at the end of the day, I would like to come here on holidays, but I wouldn’t want to live here permanently. The weather is one draw back at least. I tell you it is freezing cold here in the mornings. There is low cloud and the sun doesn’t managed to break through until at least mid morning. I am so glad I brought my thick jacket. I much prefer it to being too hot than too cold. If you are interested in learning Lao, then visit our new website at LearningLao.com and also our discussion forum where you can download some free mp3 recordings. In addition you will find links for buying books and CD courses.

*19/701/13*

No Reservations Trailer

I’m not much one for romantic comedies in general. Don’t get me wrong, there are a couple of them that I think are gold, but aside from Zombie movies you’ll never find a more formulaic genre of film in the business today. Formulas aren’t necessarily a bad thing when they work… but that’s not too often. So here comes the No Reservations trailer. For those of you who haven’t heard of it, here’s a quick synopsis: Abigail Breslin as Zoe stars in a story about Kate Armstrong (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a Master Chef who is unexpectedly named the guardian of her young niece. Her blossoming relationship with sous chef Nick (Aaron Eckhart) helps to put her newfound responsibility into perspective. The Trailer looks like the movie could be charming even if not very original… if handled correctly. I’m interested to see if Catharine Zeta Jones can still be a star (seriously… how fast did she vanish after Chicago?), I’ll see anything Eckhart is in… and pretty much all of us are dying to see Breslin again… so why not? You can see the No Reservations trailer below:

Garfield And Friends: Behind The Scenes

Reviewed by Aaron Bossig Quote: “Why release a good set first, and then throw a compilation disc out after the fact? Yes, it’s cheap, but it’s not like the season sets were that expensive.”

Should Public Tax Dollars Be Used To Fund The Movie Industry?

Get a conversation started about what public tax dollars should or shouldn’t be spent on, and you’ll get a LOT of people joining the conversation. This story that I read over at Yahoo News got me thinking about just that issue again. First… here’s the story in question: Mexican directors Guillermo del Toro, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Alfonso Cuaron, fresh off a raft of awards season accolades, have met with Mexico’s new president to urge more support for the struggling national film industry. The so-called “three amigos” said on a Tuesday news program that they recently met with President Felipe Calderon in a bid to garner more backing for the industry. They added that they plan to meet with lawmakers Wednesday. The three filmmakers, who also produce movies, are pressuring the federal government to create better distribution and exhibition opportunities for local production companies. Of about 60 films produced here in 2006, only half hit theaters. Ok, first let me say that I have NO PROBLEM with these guys looking to get support for their art and their business. They have the right to ask, and I think there’s nothing wrong with the asking. The question is… what should governments and societies do with those requests for public funds to assist a certain industry? According to reports, the movie industry generated almost $30 Billion dollars at the international box office last year… and none of that takes DVD sales into account either. There is no denying that the movies are a BIG business. A-List actors making upwards of $20 million per movie (really stupid) so much glitter and glamour doesn’t really lend itself to being an industry with a poor man’s hat out to the government looking for a hand out does it? On the one hand, take Canada for example. Canada has HUGE tax breaks and benefits for making movies here (one of the reasons so many Hollywood movies are produced up North of the Boarder these days). The benefit is that it increases Canada’s image on the international stage, it generates lots of jobs in the industry for people who live here, and those people pay taxes. There is no denying that there are some tangible benefits to the government helping out with the movie industry. However, on the other hand… when our education system, health system and just over all financial status is precarious to say the least… is giving free money to a $30+ BILLION dollar industry really what tax payers dollars should be used for? They want to shoot a Samuel L. Jackson movie up here? Great! What’s that? Jackson alone is getting $8 million, the movie will probably make $50 million at the box office… and they want ME to pay for it???? Are they going to share the profits by putting money back into the tax coffers? No? That doesn’t seem right, and a LOT of people have a problem with it. This is one of those rare issues that I don’t really have a strong opinion on either way yet. I just thought it was an interesting question and I thought I’d throw it open to you guys to discuss. So what do you think?

*3/701/13*

*4/701/13*

*4/701/13*

CASINO ROYALE by Martin Campbell

Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) is a banker for ‘freedom fighters’ all over the world. He speculates with the terrorist’s assets and offers access to the money anytime, anywhere in exchange. Le Chiffre speculates for a fall of an airline’s stock – more than 100 million dollars are at stake – and the bombing of […]

Spider-Man 3 International Poster

I dig this new Spider-Man 3 Poster. You can see an even larger version of it over here.

*9/701/13*

Matthew O’Callaghan

Synopsis

“Buckle up for this amusing, exciting and hilarious adventure” (Janet Stokes, Film Advisory Board, Inc.) with everyone’s favorite inquisitive little monkey! When The Man in the Yellow Hat befriends Curious George in the jungle, they set off on a non-stop, fun-filled journey through the wonders of the big city toward the warmth of true friendship. Featuring the voice talents of Will Ferrel, Drew Barrymore and an all-star cast, Curious George is a “family classic” (Dean Richards, WGN-TV) that will have the kid inside everyone giggling with delight again and again.

Review

Curious George is a cute, fun loving little monkey, but when he follows the man with the yellow hat to New York, he creates a little trouble. In this funny and sweet movie, Curious George and the man with the yellow hat discover that they not only need eachother, but if they are not together, their lives do not seem complete. This was a wonderful movie to see, and I would recomend it to anybody who loves a good movie. This was one of my favorite movies of all time.

*11/701/13*