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Dec 31
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone!  Here’s a selection of 30 hi-res movie and TV posters I’ve gathered across the past few years. It’s a real pain to find decent ones that are of very good quality but here are a few of them for you guys to enjoy.
I have a ton more of these but I won’t post them all here because it’s going to wipe out my size allotment but if you guys want some posters in particular, feel free to send me a note and if I have it, I can send it straight over to you. Have fun!
Nov 28
 Twilight is probably the biggest and most hyped up book-to-movie release since Harry Potter. But then again, the sudden cult following was still a big question mark in terms of how good it would actually be in the box office charts. Lo and behold, in just it’s first week, it has already grossed $69,637,740 and took over the number one slot from Quantum of Solace. What was more impressive to me is that its production budget was only $37 million while Quantum of Solace was at $200 million and it grossed THREE times more than what Quantum had done in 2 weeks. Wow. So the question is, was it really as good as advertised and worth all the cult following?
Since I have not read any of the books (nor do I plan to), the trailer of the movie had me saying how bad it would already be even before I had watched it. I thought all the hype would not only destroy whatever good would come out of the movie, but believed that it would make it utterly terrible. I was thinking more in the lines of cult fans coming out disappointed with their heads hanging and wondering why the heck they were wearing all their Twilight shirts that said “Team Edward” at the back.
Twilight is a love story between Edward, a vampire played by Robert Pattinson (who also played Cedric in Harry Potter!), who has fallen in love with Bella, a human played by Kristen Stewart. The whole movie actually revolves around their “forbidden” love affair because of what Edward is and what the consequences of losing control with Bella would mean. The other problem is the fact that there is another group of vampires, those who seek human blood, who have taken in the scent of Bella, and are hunting her as they had discovered her. The first part of the movie was rather draggy, but definitely got better when we (those who haven’t read the book, and there were very few of us) finally understood why Edward was so appalled by Bella at the start. The action picked up even more when the other brood came in and started to hunt down Bella while the family came in and protected her.
Did I like the movie? Surprisingly yes. There’s something about the mystery behind what was coming next that really peaked my interest. There was a part while watching the movie that I realized I was involuntarily squeezing my fiancee’s hand beside me when the chase scene was on, which was quite funny, hehe. There were some really disappointing parts though like the scene where James was killed. It was so anti-climactic and I kept saying to myself, “that was it?!“ But there were some really good parts like the baseball game they played in the thunderstorm and when the brood came in and found Bella. That was pretty cool.
As a non-reader of the books, it was pretty entertaining and at least I wasn’t disappointed. But for the die-hard readers, I’m not quite sure how they rated the film. I read quite a few reviews that said how the movie didn’t portray some characters the way they were described in the books. But apparently it isn’t that big of a deal. This is a correction thanks to k who commented on what was written here. Thank you :-) I would suggest that you go watch this movie if not for the sheer curiosity of what all the hype is about. And if I would be interested in what happens in the sequel, I guess it means this first one was good enough for a second serving
Personal Rating (out of 10): 6.8/10
IMDb User Rating (out of 10): 5.8/10
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Ashley Greene
Genre: Thriller, Drama, Fantasy
Duration: 122 minutes
Links: Official Site, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Trailers
Oct 13
 When they started this movie off with 4 fake trailers on each of the main actors, it already gave everyone watching a hint of how hilarious this was going to be. Given an R rating for extreme carnage and rude but witty dialogue, it was a laugh trip from start to finish. And although it was given a pretty bad rating by handicap/gay/black groups because of all the insinuations that were made in the movie, it still came out as a huge success. Talk about being over-sensitive, come on, it’s a MOVIE for crying out loud! Very gutsy and a flick made for people who want a good laugh. A definite must-see as Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise were amazing!
While the cast was indeed star-studded, even in terms of cameo appearances especially in the fake trailers, the three mainstays truly stood out. I was laughing so hard when the trailer for Satan’s Alley showed on-screen though and Tobey Maguire popped out and played a Brokeback priest in love with Robert Downey Jr. (RDJ). That was a pure classic, and you can see that trailer right HERE! Ben Stiller was surprisingly good, though his portrayal of a retard was severely disturbing, while Jack Black was just his usual insane self. The star though was RDJ, as his passionate portrayal of a black man led him to change his own color and his own voice! You really need to see it and hear it, to believe how great he was and how he stole the show on every dialogue he had on-screen!
The movie starts off with the portrayal of a very violent and gory war scene in Vietnam, inspired by the story of John “Four Leaf” Tayback played by Nick Nolte. The studio head in charge is Les Grossman, played by Tom Cruise (who I didn’t even recognize the first time he came on-screen), who was insanely irate that the current team has practically blew all his money away without making any decent line of film. So the director makes a pact with Tayback to throw the five actors into a jungle in the middle of Laos or Cambodia in the hopes of getting the type of action that he wants. Everything that followed after, are very witty and funny scenes and dialogue that are really quite priceless. I’m not sure if an audience who aren’t used to so much profanity and straight out vulgarity would enjoy this as much as I did, but it was a blast!
I’m not going to give away any more scenes, but watch out for RDJ in this movie. Mr. Iron Man himself, is definitely BACK and this movie shows what a great and versatile actor he truly is. Tom Cruise was also really funny in his portrayal of the crazy director, and his dance moves were utterly enjoyable. Jack Black also had a scene where he was tied up in the forest and was going crazy because he was craving for heroine and had a hilarious dialogue with Alpa Chino (played by Brandon Jackson). That scene had me laughing my head off in the theater because it was just so funny! The best thing about this movie was really the witty remarks and dialogue. So you guys need to go out and watch this! I’ll leave you all with a dialogue from the film below, when Kirk Lazarus, played by RDJ (with that amazing voice of his) was talking to Tugg Speedman (Stiller) on when he played the role of a retard in one of his films…
Kirk Lazarus: Everybody knows you never go full retard.
Tugg Speedman: What do you mean?
Kirk Lazarus: Check it out. Dustin Hoffman, ‘Rain Man,’ look retarded, act retarded, not retarded. Counted toothpicks, cheated cards. Autistic, sho’. Not retarded. You know Tom Hanks, ‘Forrest Gump.’ Slow, yes. Retarded, maybe. Braces on his legs. But he charmed the pants off Nixon and won a ping-pong competition. That ain’t retarded. Peter Sellers, “Being There.” Infantile, yes. Retarded, no. You went full retard, man. Never go full retard. You don’t buy that? Ask Sean Penn, 2001, “I Am Sam.” Remember? Went full retard, went home empty handed…
Personal Rating (out of 10): 7.5/10
IMDb User Rating (out of 10): 7.7/10
Starring: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Cruise, Brandon Jackson
Genre: Comedy, Action
Duration: 107 minutes
Links: Official Site, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Wallpapers, Memorable Quotes
Jul 20
 I haven’t lined up to watch a movie in ages. Two days after the premiere of The Dark Knight, the lines were filled up in Rockwell yesterday. I was thinking, this is going to be another one of those ultra-hyped superhero movies that’s going to end up as a huge flop. So I went in the theater with nothing but very high expectations of how it would turn out. I don’t recall ever seeing reviews and ratings for a movie so high from sources like IMDB and especially Rotten Tomatoes, but this one had all the critics bowing down in awe.
Usually, around 90% of the time, when I go into a movie expecting it to be unbelievably excellent, it proves to be a complete failure. The Dark Knight, not only proved me wrong on that count, but also turned out to be hands-down the best movie of 2008 (no movie shown this year is even close), and it might just be one of the best movies EVER made. You don’t have to take my word for it, if you haven’t watched it yet, do yourself a favor and line up, because it is definitely going to be worth every penny, and more. I’ll try to make this review as spoiler free as possible for those who haven’t watched it yet.
First off, this isn’t a superhero movie. Second, this isn’t even Batman’s movie. It can be summed up in the words of one of the critics when she said “the Joker should be charged with the film’s biggest crime: stealing the show.” And that indeed says it all. Sure, this firm was a Batman film, but it was a film about the Joker, and even Harvey Dent, for that matter. Batman played a supporting role in this film, honestly, amidst the new suit and toys, it was all overshadowed by how rich the Joker and Harvey Dent’s characters were put to life. And that’s props to how great the late Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhart were in their respective roles.
The movie starts off with a rather peculiar bank heist, and now that I look back at it I understand the point of starting it that way. The mood and the storyline was riveting, and you wouldn’t realize that you have sat past 2 hours and 42 minutes because it kept you glued to your seat. The anarchy and chaos the Joker created is unmatched by any Batman movie ever made. And he was scary, man, whenever he came on screen you couldn’t wait to see what he was going to do next. The morality angle was portrayed so well, and the kind of corruption the Joker was able to inflict on Gotham (in its entirety) was nothing short of poetic. The twists and turns seemed endless too, and you would catch yourself thinking that was all there is to it, but there was actually still so much more.
The character of Harvey Dent as the “White Knight” of Gotham was awe-inspiring, and also very disheartening, because it proved that in the end, the Joker still won. Dent’s role was played to a tee and also to utter perfection. You would catch yourself cheering for the character as you wanted him to truly succeed in what he was trying to do, and still kept cheering on when you saw Dent’s character inexplicably transforming. That’s what makes this movie eerily great. You are totally engulfed by it and would applaud the characters that played their roles to perfection. I had so many instances in the movie when I kept saying to myself “Damn, that was good.” And this is definitely a movie for the ages, and for those who love seeing good versus evil, with an ending that is up in the air until the final cut of the film.
Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker was unbelievable. No words can do it justice. And the fact that he is gone makes it such a shame, because it would be perfect to see him hold up that Oscar when he receives it. Yes, he will get it, there is no question. I thought that they were nominating him to win because of the sad fact that he passed away, and it would be like a nice goodbye parting gift, but he truly does deserve it. I am sad that such a talent has passed away. No one is going to be able to play the Joker as perfectly as Heath Ledger has, EVER.
Here’s a little trivia from IMDB to add more accolades to Heath’s role in the movie. To prepare for his role as the Joker, Heath Ledger lived alone in a hotel room for a month, formulating the character’s psychology, posture and voice (the last one he found most difficult to do). He started a diary, in which he wrote the Joker’s thoughts and feelings to guide himself during his performance. He was also given Alan Moore’s comic “Batman: The Killing Joke” and “Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth” to read. Ledger also took inspiration from A Clockwork Orange (1971)’s Alex and Sid Vicious. Wow.
What else is there to say without spoiling the movie any more than I already have. It’s hands-down the best movie of 2008, it’s going to be up there on the all-time best EVER movies list, and it’s Heath Ledger’s final masterpiece on film. Christian Bale’s Batman can come back with a bang in the third installment, but Ledger and Eckhart, OWN this one.
Personal Rating (out of 10): 9.8/10
IMDb User Rating (out of 10): 9.6/10
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman
Genre: Action
Duration: 152 minutes
Posters: Batman: The Dark Knight Poster, The Joker Poster, Harvey Dent Poster (500×800), The Dark Knight Poster (620×889), Batman: Facing Gotham, The Joker: Why So Serious (452×629)
Links: IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes
Jul 14
 There’s nothing like another superhero flick, right? Well… I didn’t expect much from this movie honestly, but when it ended, I couldn’t help but nod my head at how good it actually was. IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, and a bunch of other critics gave Will Smith a horribly low score on this one. But how can all three be so wrong?! Unless I’m the one with really bad taste in movies, all I can say is that this one was definitely worth watching.
Hancock is a story about a “superhero” who could care less about being one. The movie starts off with Hancock (Will Smith) dead drunk on a bench with a kid trying to wake him up to help end a police chase. What follows is Hancock’s spree of reckless pursuance of crime and a complete disregard for public property. He destroys the entire block in the midst of apprehending the criminals that he is chasing. Everyone hates him, and says that they would be better off without him. One day he saves the life of Ray (Jason Bateman) from a train that was headed straight at his car. Ray is a PR executive, in lieu of Hancock saving his life, tries to help Hancock fix his image so he can be loved by the people. Ray brings him home to meet his wife and son as thanks, but his wife Mary (Charlize Theron) believes that Hancock cannot be fixed.
If I say anything else after that, then the twists in the movie would be given up, and it would spoil the movie for all the people who haven’t watched it, so I won’t. I went into this movie not expecting a lot, and knowing that there was a twist to it because my sister told me that it did the night before I watched it. So I went in to the theater trying to figure out as early as possible what it was. The only thing I can say is that there are actually 2 twists, with the second being the best one. The greatest thing about the first twist is that it was so unexpected. I thought I knew what it was from the get-go, but I was wrong! The second one, I totally didn’t expect, and it was that twist that made the movie a really good one.
If you haven’t watched this movie, I can guarantee you wouldn’t figure out what the twist is. The movie was very well-done, and any movie that surprises you the way this did, is definitely worth more than what IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes scored it at. There have been a ton of movies over the decades, and practically all the original ideas have already been shown and all the possible twists to similar stories practically done. Hancock is a fresh new idea, of a superhero who has powers but isn’t really one to begin with because of how he is. His journey towards knowing his true nature was very nicely done, and was actually shocking, yet inspiringly sad in the end.
I would strongly suggest you go watch this movie just to see if you could figure out what the twist actually is. As I said, you would never figure it out, and when it gets to the secret being revealed, you would truly feel for Hancock’s character. At least they ended it on a happy note so you won’t leave feeling depressed. But props to the 3 main characters (Will Smith, Charlize Theron, and Jason Bateman), as they have successfully made this movie truly worth watching. Will Smith definitely solidifies his status as one of Hollywood’s best actors. I hope this movie does very well everywhere and proves all those critics wrong.
Personal Rating (out of 10): 8.4/10
IMDb User Rating (out of 10): 6.9/10
Starring: Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman
Genre: Action
Duration: 92 minutes
Links: IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes
Jun 22
Ice Age is definitely one of my favorite animated movies. And one thing that sets it apart from the other animated films out there, is that it has a character that scene shifts in and out of the movie.
That character even has its own short films. The first being “Gone Nutty,” where he is surrounded by a myriad of acorns he has collected up to when he accidentally rams the last one in the middle of it all and caused a continental drift. The second installment called “No Time for Nuts,” finds him still searching for his acorn, but this time also finds a time machine that transports him to different historical events.
Not many people actually know that the name of the character is Scrat. A pesky saber-toothed squirrel in search of the acorn he will forever have for himself. In the second short film, while trying to bury his acorn in the Ice Age, Scrat uncovers a frozen time machine. Accidentally activating the machine, he goes on a hilarious adventure chasing his precious acorn through time.
This short film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Subject, unfortunately it didn’t win. But for a 7 minute plus short, it had had great visual effects in terms of where Scrat ended up and how he kept shifting from era to era. The gags were very clever and funny and Scrat’s character looks as polished as ever. If you want to take a look at a clip of the short, click HERE. For the complete short, it is available in the Ice Age: the Meltdown DVD
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