Sunday, August 30, 2009

The Men Who Stare at Goats (Movie Watch)

Inspired by a real life story you will hardly believe is actually true, astonishing revelations about a top-secret wing of the U.S. military come to light when a reporter encounters an enigmatic Special Forces operator on a mind-boggling mission. Reporter Bob Wilton is in search of his next big story when he encounters Lyn Cassady, a shadowy figure who claims to be part of an experimental U.S. military unit. According to Cassady, the New Earth Army is changing the way wars are fought. A legion of “Warrior Monks” with unparalleled psychic powers can read the enemy’s thoughts, pass through solid walls, & even kill a goat simply by staring at it. Now, the program’s founder, Bill Django, has gone missing & Cassady’s mission is to find him. Intrigued by his new acquaintance’s far-fetched stories, Bob impulsively decides to accompany him on the search but what will they really find?

Trailer HERE

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Art & Copy (Grade)

A powerful film about advertising & inspiration revealing the work & wisdom of some of the most influential advertising creatives of our time — people who’ve profoundly impacted our culture, yet are virtually unknown outside their industry. Exploding forth from advertising’s “creative revolution” of the 1960s, these artists & writers brought a surprisingly rebellious spirit to their work in a business more often associated with mediocrity or manipulation: George Lois, Mary Wells, Dan Wieden, Lee Clow, Hal Riney & others featured were responsible for “Just Do It,” “I Love NY,” “Where’s the Beef?,” “Got Milk,” “Think Different,” & brilliant campaigns for everything from cars to presidents. They managed to grab the attention of millions & truly move them. Visually interwoven with their stories, TV satellites are launched, billboards are erected, and the social & cultural impact of their ads are brought to light in this dynamic exploration of art, commerce & human emotion.

Grade: A +
Trailer HERE

Avatar (Graded)

In the future, Jake, a paraplegic war veteran, is brought to another planet, Pandora, which is inhabited by the Na'vi, a humanoid race with their own language & culture. Those from Earth find themselves at odds with each other & the local culture for control.

Grade: B
Trailer HERE

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (Movie Watch)

Inspired by the true story of Mark Yarovsky, a San Diego man inspired by Sophocles' Orestes who stabbed & killed his mother with an antique saber. Yarovsky was at the time a graduate student at UCSD who had recently been cast in the lead role of a production of Orestes. Yarovsky was tried & found not guilty by reason of insanity, spending many years at Patton State Hospital before his release.

Trailer HERE

Monday, August 17, 2009

Megamind (Movie Watch)

Supervillain Megamind imagines all his dastardly dreams coming true after defeating good-guy rival Metro Man, only to find life quite boring without an adversary. To fill the void, Megamind creates a new superhero, Titan, who also wants to be bad, forcing Megamind to switch sides.

Trailers HERE

Friday, August 14, 2009

The Fourth Kind (Movie Watch)

A UFO sighting is referred to as an encounter of the first kind…When evidence is collected, it is known as an encounter of the second kind…Contact with extraterrestrials, is an encounter of the third kind…The next level, abduction, is the fourth kind. This encounter has been the most difficult to document... Until now. The 4th Kind is a fact-based thriller involving an ongoing unsolved mystery in Nome, Alaska, where—mysteriously since the 1960s—a disproportionate number of the population has been reported missing every year. Despite multiple FBI investigations of the region, the truth has never been discovered.

Trailer HERE

Still Walking (Movie Watch)

Fifteen years ago, Junpei, the youngest son of the Yokoyama family died while rescuing a boy from drowning. On the anniversary of his death, the remaining siblings visit the quaint home of their parents with their families in tow. Over the course of a beautiful day, new relatives become acquainted telling stories & squabbling over sizzling tempura & an elegant graveside ritual is performed for Junpei.

Trailer HERE

Fear Me Not (Movie Watch)

When Michael hears about a clinical trial for a new anti-depressant, he signs up on a whim. Unfortunately, the pills turn out to have serious side effects and the trial is abandoned. Michael refuses to give up his new-found sense of calm and self control which the pills have provided, so he decides to continue the experiment on his own. Intoxicated by his immediate success, Michael feels an urge to take control of other people's lives as well. Slowly, his psychological games grow more drastic, until Michael makes a discovery which forces him to view his actions in a terrifying new light.

Trailer HERE

The Burning Plain (Trailer 2 Release)

The past & the present have a curious way of effecting one another as several people seperated by time & space are about to discover. Sylvia, a restaurant manager whose cool, professional demeanor masks the storm within. When a stranger from Mexico confronts her with her mysterious past, Sylvia is launched into a journey through space & time that inextricably connects her to disparate characters, all of whom are grappling with their own romantic destinies. In Mexico, a young motherless girl, Maria, lives happily with her father & his best friend until a tragic accident changes it all. In the New Mexico border town of Las Cruces, two teenagers, Mariana & Santiago, find a sinful love in the aftermath of their parents’ sudden deaths. In an abandoned trailer, a housewife, Gina, embarks on a passionate affair that will put Sylvia & the others on a collision course with the explosive power of forbidden love.

Trailer 2 HERE
Trailer 1 HERE

Gentlemen Broncos (Movie Watch)

Benjamin, home-schooled by his eccentric mother, is a loner whose passion for writing leads him on an offbeat & hilarious journey as his story first gets ripped off by the legendary fantasy novelist, Ronald Chevalier & then adapted into a disastrous movie by the small town’s most prolific homespun filmmaker.

Trailer HERE

Law Abiding Citizen (Trailer Release)

A man who, 10 years after his wife & daughter are brutally murdered, returns to exact justice from the assistant district attorney who prosecuted the case against their killers. His vengeance threatens not only the man who allowed mercy to supersede justice, but also the system & the city that made it so.

Trailer HERE

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Agora (Movie Watch)

4th Century A.D. Egypt Under the Roman Empire. Violent Religious Upheaval in the Street of Alexandria Spills Over Into the City's Famous library. Trapped Inside its Walls, the Brilliant Astronomer Hypatia & her Disciples Fight to Save the Wisdom of the Ancient World. Among Them, the Two Men Competing for Her Heart: the Witty, Privileged Orestes & Davus, Hypatia's Young Slave, Who is Torn Between the Secret Love for Her & the Freedom He Knows can be His if He Chooses to Join the Unstoppable Surge of the Christians.

Trailer HERE

Monday, August 10, 2009

RED (Movie Watch)

Frank, Joe, Marvin, and Victoria used to be the CIA's top agents but the secrets they know just made them the Agency's top targets.

Trailer HERE
Grade: B

Where the Wild Things Are (Trailer Release)

The story follows the adventures of Max, a head-strong young boy who leaves home after having a fight with his mother -- only to find himself in a mysterious forest bordering a vast sea. Misunderstood and rebellious, Max sets sail to the land of the Wild Things, where mischief reigns.The adventure film will use a unique process to bring the story to life, incorporating the most dynamic elements of voice performance, live-action puppetry and computer animation.

Grade: A
Trailer HERE
Teasers HERE

New York, I Love You (Trailer Release)

In the city that never sleeps, love is always on the mind. Those passions come to life in NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU - a collaboration of storytelling from some of today's most imaginative filmmakers and featuring an all-star cast. Together they create a kaleidoscope of the spontaneous, surprising, electrifying human connections that pump the city's heartbeat. Sexy, funny, haunting and revealing encounters unfold beneath the Manhattan skyline. From Tribeca to Central Park to Brooklyn, the story weaves a tale of love as diverse as the very fabric of New York itself.

Trailer HERE

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Trailer Release)

This is a fantastical morality tale, set in the present day. It tells the story of Dr Parnassus & his extraordinary 'Imaginarium', a traveling show where members of the audience get an irresistible opportunity to choose between light & joy or darkness & gloom. Blessed with the extraordinary gift of guiding the imaginations of others, Dr Parnassus is cursed with a dark secret. Long ago he made a bet with the devil, Mr Nick, in which he won immortality. Many centuries later, on meeting his one true love, Dr Parnassus made another deal with the devil, trading his immortality for youth, on condition that when his first-born reached its 16th birthday he or she would become the property of Mr Nick. Valentina is now rapidly approaching this 'coming of age' milestone & Dr Parnassus is desperate to protect her from her impending fate. Mr Nick arrives to collect but, always keen to make a bet, renegotiates the wager. Now the winner of Valentina will be determined by whoever seduces the first five souls.

Grade: B +
Trailer HERE

Law Abiding Citizen (Poster Release)

A man who, 10 years after his wife & daughter are brutally murdered, returns to exact justice from the assistant district attorney who prosecuted the case against their killers. His vengeance threatens not only the man who allowed mercy to supersede justice, but also the system & the city that made it so.

Trailer HERE

Whiteout (Poster 4 Release)

U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko, uncovers the first murder ever in the Antarctic just as the sun is about to set for six months. She must catch the killer before he leaves the ice or be stuck there with him in the dark for six months.


Trailers HERE

Thursday, August 6, 2009

2001: A Space Odyssey (Graded)

When the world was ruled by apes, one particular group discovers a mysterious rectangular monolith near their home, which imparts upon them the knowledge & possibly enabling them to evolve into man. In the future, a similar monolith is discovered on the moon, and is determined to have come from an area near Jupiter. Astronaut David Bowman, along with four companions, sets off for Jupiter on a spaceship controlled by HAL 9000, a revolutionary computer system that is every bit mankind's equal, and perhaps his superior & successor.

Grade: A +
Trailer HERE

The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Graded)

Joel is stunned to discover that his girlfriend Clementine has had her memories of their tumultuous relationship erased. Out of desperation, he contracts the inventor of the process, Dr. Howard Mierzwaik, to have Clementine removed from his own memory. But as Joel's memories progressively disappear, he begins to rediscover their earlier passion. From deep within the recesses of his brain, Joel attempts to escape the procedure. As Dr. Mierzwiak and his crew chase him through the maze of his memories, it's clear that Joel just can't get her out of his head but could Clementine get him out of hers?

Grade: A +
Trailer HERE

Zombieland (Graded)

Columbus has made a habit of running from what scares him. Tallahassee doesn’t have fears. If he did, he’d kick their ever-living ass. In a world overrun by zombies, these two are perfectly evolved survivors. But now, they’re about to stare down the most terrifying prospect of all: each other.

Grade: B +
(Red Band) Trailer HERE
Teaser HERE

Vampire's Assistant (Trailer & Poster 2 Release)

A young boy named Darren Shan meets a mysterious man at a freak show who turns out to be a Vampire. After a series of events Darren must leave his normal life and go on the road with the Cirque Du Freak and become a Vampire.

Trailer HERE

Before the Fall [3 Dias] (Movie Watch)

What would you do if the world was going to end in 72 hours? A giant meteorite is about to collide with Earth. The planet is gripped by despair & chaos. The inhabitants of the little town of Laguna listen to the news in terror. Ale, a frustrated young man who lives with his mother & works odd jobs, decides to spend his last days shut away, getting drunk & listening to his favorite music. But his plans change when he is forced to help his mother protect his brother Tomas' four children when an ambiguous disturbing stranger appears.

Teaser HERE
Trailer HERE

Paris (Movie Watch)

While waiting for a heart transplant that could save his life, Pierre grows close again with his sister & her lively children. This rediscovery of his family & observation of the teeming streets outside his window give Pierre a new, hopeful sense of how he might spend the time still left to him. A cinematic love letter to the city that seems to hide a story behind every shop window, small alley, street market or grand apartment building, the film explores the life and love possible only in Paris.

Trailer HERE

The Other Man (Movie Watch)

This is an intimate tale of a man who discovers his wife’s infidelity & sets out to track down his rival. Driven to pursue the mystery surrounding his wife’s adultery, he embarks on a global pursuit with a haunted passion that begins to probe the nature not simply of jealousy, but of loss & forgiveness.


Trailer HERE

Walt & El Grupo (Movie Watch)

Walt & El Grupo chronicles the amazing ten-week trip that Walt Disney & his hand-picked group of artists & filmmaking talent (later known as “El Grupo”) took to South America in 1941 at the behest of the U.S. Government as part of the Good Neighbor Policy. Within just three short years after the phenomenal success of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” the Walt Disney Studios experienced a chain of financial challenges that ultimately led to the infamous animators strike. Also during this time, the Roosevelt administration had growing concerns about Nazi & Fascist influence in Latin America, and the rest of the world was slipping further into war. In stark contrast to these trying times, Disney and his colorful group of artists found themselves on a lively trip full of hope and discovery as they explored various South American cities saddled with an unusual assignment.

Trailer HERE

Bright Star (Poster Release)

London 1818: A Secret Love Affair begins between 23 year old English Poet, John Keats, and Fanny Brawne, an out-Spoken Student of High Fashion. But with mounting resistance from all angles, love is all that remained.

Trailer HERE

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

An Unlikely Weapon (Movie Watch)

1/500th of a second to get the shot… a lifetime to forget it. Eddie Adams photographed 13 wars, 6 American Presidents, and virtually every cultural and historical figure of the last 50 years. History would be changed through his lens. But the photo that made Eddie famous would haunt him for his entire life.

Trailer HERE

I Sell the Dead (Trailer & Poster Release)

19th century justice has finally caught up with two of the craftiest grave robbers in town. With only a few hours to go before his date with the guillotine, body-snatcher Arthur Blake tells his life story to the peculiar Father Francis Duffy. Before long, Arthur spills the beans on how he got started in the grim corpse peddling business with seasoned ghoul Willie Grimes. As the whisky flows Arthur's tales get stranger & stranger. From their graveyard discoveries of vampires & zombies to tales of vicious gang rivalries with the infamous House of Murphy, Arthur's confessions are the stuff of legend. Whether pillaging in fog drenched grave yards or plotting on blood soaked coast lines, Grimes & Blake leave no graves unturned. Their colorful & peculiar history is one filled with adventure, horror & mayhem that threaten to drag all involved down into the very graves they're trying to pilfer.

Teaser HERE
Trailer HERE

The Lovely Bones (Trailer Release)

In 1973, Susie Salmon is molested & murdered by a neighbor, George Harvey, a serial killer of young girls & women. She finds herself in Heaven, observing her family as they grieve for her. She also watches her killer who, having covered his tracks successfully, is preparing to murder again. Susie struggles to balance her desire for vengeance on Harvey & her desire to have her family recover from their loss.

Grade: B -
Trailer HERE

Vampire's Assistant (Poster Release)

A young boy named Darren Shan meets a mysterious man at a freak show who turns out to be a Vampire. After a series of events Darren must leave his normal life and go on the road with the Cirque Du Freak and become a Vampire.

Trailer HERE

Monday, August 3, 2009

The Killing Room (Movie Watch)

Four volunteers sign up for what initially appears to be a typical paid research study, only to discover that they've unwittingly become involved with a classified government program that was said to have been terminated nearly two decades ago. As the study gets underway, the group is presented with a series of questions, & given a finite window of time in which each individual member must submit a unique numerical answer. At first, the participants all assume that the subject who gives the most obviously incorrect answer will be removed from the experiment, though it doesn't take long for the group to realize that the correct answer isn't always the answer that the researchers are looking for.

Trailer HERE

True Blood S2 (TV Watch)

The Sheriff of Area 9 has gone missing & Eric wants him found. Requesting the help of Sookie from Bill is going to be a problem but for Eric getting his way is how it is played & finding Area 9's Sheriff is too personal for him to allow. Despite being his Sheriff, Bill does not care to help Eric but he just might have his hands full if all goes according to someone else's plans. Tara is still trying to find her way after being & disowning her once alcoholic mother, but is marry Ann really the kind free spirit she claims & Tara believes her to be? After losing the one girl he ever loved, Jason is trying to find a new path with the Vampire hating Fellowship of the Sun church group but will his old ways lead him to trouble? Sam Merlotte is dealing with a lot, a colorful staff, his past & himself but will being who he is be good for him or fatal?

Grade A
On: DVD/Blu-ray
Trailer HERE

Sunday, August 2, 2009

True Blood (TV Watch)

Following the creation of synthetic blood, vampires have progressed from legendary monsters to fellow citizens overnight. Sookie Stackhouse is a telepath & waitress at Merlotte's in the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps, owned by Sam Merlotte, with a secret of his own. One night, Sookie meets Bill Compton, a handsome 173-year-old vampire who has returned to Bon Temps following the death of his last remaining relative. As she cannot hear his thoughts, she finds it easy to be in his company & things go down hill from there.

Grade A +
On: DVD/Blu-ray
Trailer HERE

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Fantastic Mr. Fox (Trailer Release)

Mr. Fox, Mrs. Fox & all their fox babies live under a hill under a tree, along with Badger, Rabbit, Weasel, and all of their families. To make ends meet, every night, Mr. Fox steals a meal from one of the three crooked farmers--Boggis, a chicken farmer, Bunce, who has a little bit of everything but only eats duck liver, and Bean, who farms turkeys and apples and subsists solely on apple cider. With his keen sense of smell, and the farmers' distinctive diets, Mr. Fox has no problem evading them but after so much treatment, the greedy farmers band together to end Mr. Fox.

Grade: A +
Trailer HERE