The Dumb Are Mostly Intrigued By The Drum

The Coen Bros. are cool in my book. Not some filmmakers I would say get me out to the theater when they release new stuff but their craft is unique and their sense of humor is dark. I like that but to say I'm a die hard Coen Bros. fan would be a flat out lie. So after seeing Burn After Reading last night, I have to say my sentiments haven't changed much. The film is filled with some decent laughs here and there but it never really gets of the ground completely for me. The entire cast did a wonderful job here and it's not their fault the film never explodes but rather the script seems like it was a single cool scene fleshed out into a feature. The films running time is about and hour and a half and I say it could of used like about 10 to 15 mins. cut out to make it a tighter ship. Overall, entertaining but not very memorable.

Opening Night • Matinee • Rent It • Ignore it

Aintitcoolnews has posted the first user submitted review of the upcoming blockbuster (make no mistake) The Dark Knight. Although it's listed as SPOILER FREE, I'd rather go fresh into the theater so I have not read it. And according to the site, the review is positive. But if you feel like jumping in there and having some light shined upon the film, head on over here and check it out.

Aintitcoolnews has posted 2 early reviews for the upcoming summer blockbuster, Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull and *surprise, surprise* they aren't very positive. Now, I haven't gone through and read the reviews thoroughly myself (I'm trying to stay spoiler-free here) but the headlines for the posts speak for themselves. Interested in seeing what these guys had to say? Head on over here for the first one and here for the second one but beware: there's bound to be spoilers in there. So will this affect my plans to go see it? Nope, I'll take it as a sign to lower my expectations and that'll probably let me enjoy the film even more....hopefully.

Iron Man - 4 Stars (out of 5)
When I was a kid, Marvel released a book called The Iron Man Manual showcasing some of the technical aspects of building a flying suit or armor (Dave, if you can find this for me...) and I remember the impact it had on me: As soon as I was done going through it, I wanted to build my own suit of armor. Much to my disappointment, I have yet to reach that goal. But my desire to see a live action Iron Man has been fulfilled by director Jon Favreau, flanked by Robert Downey Jr. There were a couple of scene's in this film where I honestly felt like I was going to shed a tear (remember, I'm an sentimental bitch) as I saw what was transpiring before my eyes. To see Stark blasting foes with his repulsor blasts, shooting missiles out of his armor, punching through walls....pure bliss. The ending battle was only okay but the rest of the film made up for it and the S.H.I.E.L.D. setup was awesome. No War Machine armor, no Sam Jackson as Nick Fury, no Incredible Hulk crossover but overall, one bad ass film that will, if your a hardcore Iron Man fan, blast you like Unibeam to the face. SUPERIOR TECH!

This past weekend had me focused. I decided to do start on projects that I had put off a while. And even though I got further than before, I still felt the need to continue pushing and ultimately felt unfulfilled. You know that feeling when you get when you push and at the end you find yourself thinking "I could have done better." But enough about that bullshit, lets talk films cause this weekend was filled with those, too! ALL REVIEWS ARE OUT OF FIVE POSSIBLE STARS!

Citizen Kane — 2.5 Stars



I can sit here and wax philosophical all day (well, maybe 30 mins.) but the film just didn't hit home. I mean, I understand the technical feats of this film as well as the controversy and characters represented in the film (at least who they're supposed to represent) but as characters in this narrative, they are not very well developed and overall very shallow. But look, I have 20 something years of pop culture influence in me. I mean, the first time I ever heard of "Rosebud" was from the cartoon "The Real Ghostbusters" and although I never heard of the film back then, it still resonates with me that it drew from this film. Could that have affected me perception on the film? Possibly. But more so was the hype. "Best Film Of All Time" says the AFI. This is the exact dilemma I went through with "The Godfather" series. Good films, but the greatest of all time? That's something I think I'm gonna have to wait to declare until my death bed, then I'll proclaim my very own "Rosebud." But for now, this'll have to do.

There Will Be Blood — 4 Stars



Here's a film that is already getting earmarked as the greatest film of this generation (critics really need to stop thrown that phrase around. Nary an Oscar season passes without some dumb fuck from Omaha proclaiming that the greatest film of all time was released that year) and although that's kinda of like proclaiming that yesterday's Super Bowl was the greatest of all time, it's not going to stop people from saying it. So to start off on this film, no. It isn't the greatest of all time. Perhaps of last year? Couldn't tell you, I haven't seen every single film released last year. But it was very entertaining and very good and without doubt one of the best I've seen this year. The acting was superb from all participants but above that was the music. I hate to use it but fuck it, I will: Haunting. The music in this film is the epitome of that very term in describing film score. It blends so well and strikes you with an overbearing sense of "the shit's about to hit the fan" through out the film. Although the landscapes in which this film takes place are overtly uninteresting and visually bland, the serve as the perfect blank canvas for these characters to shine undisturbed. And it worked. The cinemotography is esquisite. I'm a fan P.T. Anderson's work and this film I think really allowed him to stretch his legs a little bit and work a little outside his modern realm. And the line I talked about in a previous post.....it was great! It was a build up for me to hear it and it really paid off for me (you can see it on YouTube here but a warning: It contains some spoilers so click at your own risk). Highly recommended you watch this on the big screen if at very least for the score.


A Fistful Of Quarters — The King Of Kong — 3.5 Stars



Billy Mitchell is a bastard. How do I know? Cause I've met guys just like this dude back in the days in local arcades and they're all the same. Talk mad shit about their skills but when it comes down to it, they never bring it. In my times as a video game player, battling others head on was a rush like no other and although the death of the arcade as we knew it means that most people won't be able to experience head to head, face to face competition, it's good to see this documentary try to do it. But Billy "Bitch"ell does just that: Bitch out! Sorry, but dude angered me. Ant that's what made this an excellent feature for me. Everyone hates the bad guy as Mr. Tony Montana told us a long ago and that hasn't changed. The film is very engaging and if you've ever played a game of "Donkey Kong" back in the day, then you'll simply get that much more enjoyment out of it. Running just a tad over 1 hour, the film doesn't drag and is pretty straight forward and does an excellent job in developing the two main protagonists in the film. Rent it today!


Well, on a final note, the Super Bowl has come and gone and the underdog came out on top. Congrats to the Giants on taking it to Bill "Bitch"icheck and his sore loserness. What a joke. He can't wait 1 second for the game to be over, he rather run to his locker room and cry himself to sleep? Get the fuck out of the game if you lack and strand of sportsmanship you cheat! Sorry....just kinda steamed at that guy. ANyways, I'm sure you saw these trailers during the big game but here they are in case you missed them. Oh, a great summer this will be, indeed!


IRON MAN


WANTED


And this little movie called "Taken". No it didn't air during the game but I figured I'd put it up here. The film is from writer/producer Luc Besson (5th Element, Le Femme Nikita, The Professional) but is directed by Pierre Morel (Disctrict 13). Not a noted director but this film looks pretty cool and with Besson involved, it could be good.