For Mom

Sweet. This looks like it could actually be funny.

It's also my one of my mom's favorite movies - made cartoon.

Movies and LEGO Mashup

Very clever. Cute and badass.




How can you not smile? (You're welcome.)

Written by a 5 Year Old?

Today Now! Interviews The 5-Year-Old Screenwriter Of "Fast Five"

Even if this was true, it's hard to fault the level of enjoyment you get out of FAST FIVE. Totally unbelievable, totally insane.

Little Thor

Hilarious. Especially the end. A great parody.

The Movie Maven's Top 10 Movies

There's some funny stuff here. And good movies. And the beautiful Tara Perry. What's not to love?

Thor Trailer

Doesn't have the same...high quality...feel as say, IRON MAN, or either of the new Batman movies, but it does look entertaining. There's just something about it and GREEN LANTERN - and maybe it's just the trailer itself and some unpolished CGI - that doesn't have me quaking in anticipation.

SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE in 6 Panels

Artist Chris Samnee has condensed SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE to just 6 comic panels.

Finally Had Some Time to Play

Shot with my digital camera. Put together in iMovie. I know I can do better, but at least it got me using the tools. More to come...

Newest (and Best) Trailer for The Green Hornet

At first I had only a passing interest (I'd see it because it'd be the new movie in theaters that week), but I have to say that after this trailer I'm a lot more interested.

Source Code Trailer

For your morning enjoyment, here's the trailer for what appears to be another great movie by the director of Moon.

Enjoy. (I love this kind of movie.)

Cowboys & Aliens Trailer!

Holy. Shit.

Sorry Green Lantern, but THIS is my summer 2011 movie.

Sucker Punch Trailer

Yeah...I'm most definitely seeing this.

Day 14 - The Girl Who Captured My Attention

After a marathon reading session today, I finished Stieg Larsson’s THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST. I actually had to run out and buy this book the instant I finished the second one in the Millennium trilogy, THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE. The series is just that good. (And I’m glad for once that I was late to the series because then I didn’t have the wait between books to deal with.)

The series starts off with THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, which was a captivating mystery. Crusading journalist, Mikael Blomkvist, teams up with a strange and gifted researcher, Lisbeth Salander, to solve the mysterious disappearance of a young girl many years ago.

Picking up a short time later, THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE and THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST, comprise a two-book, 1,300-page-plus, epic story of conspiracy, murder, and government corruption. There was not a day that went by that I could put these two books down. The two books are packed with suspense, action, and intrigue. I’d mention specifics – plot, characters, action – but wouldn’t want to spoil the shock and surprise for any reader.

What? Not a reader? Then by all means check out the movie versions of these stories. The Swedish versions of the films have already been released overseas, but are (slowly) being released over here. I’ve seen the first (out on DVD and Blu-ray Tuesday, July 6th) and am eagerly anticipating the second as soon as it opens wide enough to find a screen around home. American versions of the films are in the process of being made as I write, out in a few years.

So, there are many opportunities available to you to find enjoyment in these fantastic stories. Granted, they are dark, violent, and complex, and they may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you enjoy a good mystery and love experiencing the good guys stomping down hard on the bad guys, then you can’t go wrong with these three thrillers from Sweden. It’s just a shame that the author is no longer alive to provide us with what happens next.

Day 13 - GET LOW

After INCEPTION, the only other movie this summer that I must see is GET LOW.

What? Haven’t heard of it?

That’s probably because there are no giant explosions, beautiful actors, mind-blowing special effects, or any of those other big summer draws. And yet, it looks fascinatingly good. Don’t get me wrong, I love big summer movies for all the reasons I listed above, but it’s an interesting story that will make me love a movie, truly enjoy a movie.

GET LOW looks to have an interesting story, to say the least. Here’s a preview.

Day 12 – Airbending, Hot Tubs, 10’s, and Condors

THE LAST AIRBENDER. Yeah, that’s probably not far from the truth. I don’t think they’ll be making any sequels to that movie. What looked promising turned out to be rather boring.

And that’s a shame because the source material – the Nickelodeon cartoon series – was a wonderfully animated, spirited – fun – cartoon filled with action and excitement. That none of those elements carried over is what made the film truly disappointing.

Not that the day was a total loss. When I returned home from seeing THE LAST AIRBENDER, I watched 3 movies I enjoyed very much. HOT TUB TIME MACHINE and SHE’S OUT OF MY LEAGUE were funny and entertaining. Alice Eve from SHE’S OUT OF MY LEAGUE…a perfect 10, unquestionably.

And CONDORMAN – that childhood classic – was amazing. Even though I remembered not a single part, I can see why I would have enjoyed the film as a kid. It had everything: the everyday man mixed up with spies, car chases, boat chases, superhero costumes, action, explosions…I’m sure my 5 year old mind was blown at the time.

Day 11 - The Movie Maven

Tara Perry is the Movie Maven. She is the host/star of a mostly weekly movie preview show online at Mania. The short program looks at upcoming movie releases, playing clips from the previews in between bits of clever banter. That Tara Perry is attractive, overenthusiastic, and hilarious goes a long way in making the show something I look forward to watching every week.

Over the past few months the show has grown. Episodes are more theme-based. Graphics and special effects much improved. But Tara Perry continues to remain the biggest asset of the show. She’s the kind of pop culture girl a pirate dreams about.

To that end, I’ve decided to embed the episodes here so that all may enjoy The Movie Maven.

Day 10 - Childhood Movies

Yesterday I managed to get my hands on a copy of WESTWORLD, a movie I vaguely remember watching as a kid twenty-five years ago. Written and directed by Michael Crichton, it’s the story of two guys whose vacation at a western-inspired theme park goes horribly wrong. The robots that populate the park, allowing you to truly experience the wild, wild west – gunfights and bar brawls and all – malfunction and then it’s man vs. machine as our heroes are pursued by The Gunslinger, a bald-headed, evil cowboy terminator in black.

I only remembered the general idea of the film, and the look of the relentless Gunslinger – a sliver-eyed Yul Brynner – but I knew I enjoyed watching the movie, even if at the time, I remember being quite scared. (But then, what movie didn’t scare me at that age?) Over the years I’d remember seeing the movie and occasionally would check the shelves at Best Buy, or a video store to see if they had a copy with no such luck. For some reason or another I thought of it again yesterday and was fortunate enough to find it at Borders.

Even though it was made in 1973, even though I absolutely loathe movies made in the 1970’s, WESTWORLD held up pretty well. Just enough of a sci-fi story mixed with the appeal of a western to still be enjoyable. Sure, the effects are lacking when compared to today’s standards, but – and maybe this is the nostalgia speaking – I still really liked it.

I’m holding out hope that the copy of Disney’s CONDORMAN I ordered yesterday (another of my favorite movies to watch as a kid) still has a little of the same magic left in it in as well.

Day 8 - TOY STORY 3

I saw TOY STORY 3 today, and it was wonderful. It was just as good as the original, much better than the second one. It is hard to believe that it’s been so long since the first movie came out. It is not like I was a child when it was originally in theaters, but I was still kid enough to find it special. (Who am I kidding, I’m still kid enough to find most movies amazing.)

In this new movie I especially liked the addition of Ken (voiced by Michael Keaton) and Big Baby. There is nothing creepier/cooler than a giant, giggling, one-eye-busted, baby. There also some monkey action – loved the exploding barrel of monkeys and the security monkey. I also really enjoyed the intro cartoon, NIGHT AND DAY. It was slightly more adult in execution, but to tell the truth, those intro cartoons have always seemed to me a bit more geared to the adults in the audience than the kids.

Seeing it all in XD 3D made it an overall impressive afternoon in theaters.

Day 7 - Not Feeling It

I’m just not feeling it tonight. This is two days in a row that I can’t find a topic or the drive to write.

It’s not that I had a bad day. I actually had a great day spending time with friends, eating great food.

Instead, I’ll leave you with the trailer for HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS.

Day 6 - What I've Been Up To

This week I watched KNIGHT AND DAY, A PERFECT GETAWAY, JUDGE DREDD, and WHEN IN ROME.

I read the comics CLOSER, WITCHBLADE vol. 1, JUSTICE LEAGUE ELITE vol. 1 and vol. 2.

I finished the book THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN. I am still reading RAIN DOGS, THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE, and AWAIT YOUR REPLY.

I read the five most recent issues of ESQUIRE magazine.

I watched a multitude of television episodes, including WIPEOUT, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, THE LATE SHOW WITH JIMMY FALLON, and THE NEXT FOOD NETWORK STAR.

And there may been more than this, but on a night when I couldn’t even come up with something to write about, my mind is grasping at straws.

This week: bankruptcy stuff, biking, biking, THE LAST AIRBENDER, and more biking (hopefully).