The Dumb Are Mostly Intrigued By The Drum

Another trailer from Frank Miller's upcoming film has dropped in to save us from the crap that was the leaked video out of San Diego Comic Con earlier this year. Did it do it's job and clear up that entire mess or just make it worse? Sam jackson has described this film as a real life "Looney Toons" movie. Interesting....Head on over to Moviefone here, check it out and let us know: does this mark the beginning of a long movie career for Miller or the implosion of an artist with too much vision.

Behold the great Soundwave! Aight, I wasn't too excited about the Transformers line when it was announced at Comic Con but that looks pretty bad ass!

And although these have been announced for a while, here is the first pic of the entire next wave. Classic Iron Man FTW! And finally, it has been announced that the Indiana Jones line has been canceled. WTF!? I want my damn Dr. Henry Jones, dammit! I know people that have picked these up but according to Mighty Muggs Lounge (which is where all these pictures & info come from), all Waves (including Wave 2) have been cancelled. Time to start picking them up on eBay, people!

Damn, that was a pretty bad ass trailer. The music, the cuts...yeah, cool as hell. Through all the trouble this production has been through, it's cool to finally see something that really gets me hyped up on the film. Hurry up and check out the trailer over here at Yahoo! and let us know what you think.

Any time you have 4 GREAT comic book films hit the big screen in a year, you know it's going to be an awesome year of film goodness. Seriously, I haven't been this excited about going to the movies in a loooong time. This also marks the first time I watched a movie in a theater around the same time The Fresno Bee gets delivered in my neighborhood. Who does that?? We do it here at The Drum. Anyways, my top 5 of the year so far:




5. Iron Man


Robert Downey Jr. really delivered a stellar performance as Tony Stark. This is really a no-brainer here. You've got a mega-millionaire playboy genius who's got it all...and on top of that, he's got a suit of armor that makes him virtually indestructable. He can fly, deflect gunfire, shoot rockets out of his forearm and go 12 for 12 with Maxim cover girls. Tony Stark is the epitome of Alpha Male-ness. Tony Stark is who I wanted to be when I grew up. I like blogging too.

4. Bigger, Stronger, Faster*


When I think of cool documentaries I think of films like Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine and Morgan Spurlock's Super Size me. Those films are intriguing, have a bit of humor and they somehow manage to keep you entertained without the assistance of huge explosions, CGI, or Megan Fox. Bigger, Stronger, Faster* is a documentary by Chris Bell, a regular guy who, like any kid, just wanted to be like Rambo, Arnold and Hulk Hogan. Bell and his brothers are all powerlifters who have experimented with anabolic steroids and this film gives you a peek into their everyday lives, dreams and issues. BSF* also uncovers the dark truth about steroids and the people that use them. What I like most about this movie is you don't have to be a gym rat meathead with tubs of whey protein in your kitchen to love this film. But if you are, then it's f***ing awesome.

3. The Dark Knight


Number 3? Having an epic film like TDK take the third spot really speaks volumes about the kind of year it's been in film. A ridiculously amazing performance by Heath Ledger, a brilliant screenplay and a big fat IMAX screen at 6:00a.m. For me, this is about as close to movie perfection as it gets and it just happens to be about a comic book super hero. I really want to put this at number one, but these two other films got in the way.

2. The Wackness


Ahh, The Wackness. The best movie of 2008 that you probably didn't even hear of because it didn't show in a theater anywhere in the valley. Classic hip-hop soundtrack, a great script and I really thought Josh Peck pulled off the "Shapiro" role pretty damn well. This film really took me back. It reminded me of hanging out with my cousins as we blazed it up and listened to music that would eventually become classics. There were just so many moments from this movie that I could relate to , moments that were so meaningful that I would still remember them to this day like they happened yesterday. This is a movie that you absolutely have to watch ASAP if you haven't already.

1. Cloverfield


I've said it before, I'm a big, fat sucker for epic , "OMG, we're all gonna DIE!!!" disaster movies. War of the Worlds was my fave in the genre until this mofo came outta nowhere and bitch slapped it. For a whole 85 minutes I sat back and watched 4 people in New York try and survive a Godzilla-style attack on thier home and loved ones, all by way of a hand-held cam. For those 85 minutes I forgot where I was, I forgot what bills I had to pay, and I forgot about the car in my drive way with a blown motor that I had just replaced a few months before. The visuals were amazing, the audio blew my mind and I love how Abrams teased the whole way through, never completely reavealing the giant creature that rips NY a new one until the very end. This is film making at it's finest. This is quite possibly my most favorite movie of all time.

Didn't make the list:
Wall-E
The Fall
Hancock

Biggest Disappointments So Far:
The Happening
Drillbit Taylor
The Love Guru

So we've made it clear into September (OMG, Halloween is right around the corner) and this year has been one of the best as far as the quality of films released so far. And we haven't even started Oscar season which will undoubtedly bring us some more good stuff. So to preempt the barrage of films surging this way, here are my top 5 films released so far this year:

5. Wall-E

I was expecting that this film was gonna be good but I didn't expect what it ended up being: A silent film with so much heart that it leaves you with a good feeling when you leave the theater. You know that age old movie quote "A feel good movie"? Wall-E is the manifestation of that very quote. Pixar has had a track record that rivals any and this one has to rank up there as one of the very best films they've ever done.

4. Iron Man

3. The Dark Knight

Some of you might be shocked that this isn't #1 on my list and I'm right there with you. It's really hard to describe what a "perfect film" is but this one came so close to living up to that title. There were a few kinks in there that kind of bothered me over all but overall The Dark Knight rocked. We'll see what happens with this film come Oscar season as I'd be surprised if Heath Ledger doesn't get some kind of nomination here.

2. The Wackness

I doubt that this film will make it onto most people's top list (especially here in Fresno since the film never opened up here; according to this the film is going to open in Visalia on Oct. 15th) but I was fortunate to see this awesome film and it touched a brother's heart. From the script to the music, it was an awesome experience and know that nostalgia played a big factor in The Wackness' position on my list. 1994 was a tremendous year in music and life in general for me so this flick really took me back. Awesome stuff.

1. The Fall

Like I've said in the past, storytelling is king in my book. And to see this story come to life through a little girl's imagination just exploded my head. Tarsem's surreal visuals really did a wonderful job of projecting this world in the film. Sure the script might not have been perfect but the acting (especially from Catinca Untaru, who deserves at least a nomination for her role of the young girl Alexandria) packaged along with the sheer awesomeness of the music, visuals & the creativity really made this the most enjoyable film I've seen this year. The film was just released on DVD & Blu Ray so I suggest you pick it up and check it out. Or at least throw it on your Netflix Queue.

And that's the list so far. We still have some heavyweights coming between now & January so who knows how this list will look like when I do my Top 10 of the year then. So let me know what you guys think. Did I miss anything? Let me know what your Top 5 films of 2008 are so far.

Well, the W. teaser came out and now here's the first full trailer. Oliver Stone doing George W. Bush. Right there, your either really wanna see this or you really wanna protest it. Either way, you can go over to Yahoo! here to check it out and let us know what you think.

Alright, so I can't embed this particular YouTube video here but just go on over here and check it out for yourself and you'll see exactly why. Pretty cool concept and really surprised no one else has done something like this before. Check it out and let us know what you thought.

These pics were floating around the net yesterday and this morning Slash Film confirmed (via TFW2005) that this is indeed how the leader of the Decepticons will look in the Transformers sequel due next year. So now he's a tank (reminds me of Galvatron) instead of an alien jet. Pretty cool shit cause that's the meanest looking tank I've ever seen. Check out the rest of the pics over here at Latino Review.

Michael Moore's newest film is now available for you to check out over at Blip.tv (or just click up there to check it out right now) or you can go over to the film official site here, sign up and get a link for the download if streaming video ain't your thing. I love free stuff but the buzz on this film is that it ain't no Bowling For Columbine so keep that in mind. Sorry to kill your free stuff buzz. Now go check it out and don't let this little internet voice sway your right to grab free shit!

And here it is. The big screen version of the life of Biggie Smalls (aka Notorious B.I.G.) has dropped a teaser trailer and although it doesn't show too much, some of the actors portraying Lil' Kim, Diddy & Tupac look pretty faithful to the originals. Check out the trailer over here at Yahoo! & let us know what you guys think? Is this gonna just be another crappy Hollywood biopic or is this the real deal?

Yeah, it's kinda hard to really understand but here's the gist: Honda decided, as part of a marketing campaign, to create grooves in this stretch of road outside of Lancaster, CA and every time you drive over it, the sound of your tires going over the grooves create a musical tune. Crazy, huh? Anyways, the locals weren't too happy with the whole thing apparently and have complained enough that Honda is going to repave the road. Could you tell what the song was? Even after I found out, I still couldn't distinguish it. To find out what song it is, check out the full story over here at Autoblog.

If your like me and you've been waiting for the day when you get to see Jack & Rose from Titanic reunited when his body is found frozen solid in the very iceberg that brought the mighty ship down and is reanimated 70 years later only to find that the world has changed, well keep on waiting (Cameron still isn't taking my phone calls for that script, BTW) But for know, you get Leo & Kate playing other roles. Bah! I'm holding out for Titanic 2 but this might be worthy. Directed by Sam Mendes (Winslet's real life husband) the film is in competent hands. What do you guys think?

Planet Asia. No disrespect but for my money, the best emcee to come out of Fresno. And tomorrow brings you an opportunity to see him along with DJ Muggs, the world famous producer of Cypress Hill, performing at The Starline in Tower District at 9pm to promote their new album, Pain Language (good stuff, BTW. Pick it up today). Tickets are $10 presale & $15 at the door. Where can you get presale tickets? Funny you should ask cause you can pick them up over at Sugarhill where the artists themselves will be doing a signing around 5pm tomorrow before the show. So bust out those Asia EP's and head on over there before the show to get up close and personal with dude.

Tower Theater seats got your ass hurtin' over at Reel Pride? Well switch it up a bit and go over to the Fresno Art Museum and sit on some equally uncomfortable chairs to watch some cool Spanish language films at the 2nd Annual Latino Film Festival going on this weekend. Check out the official site here for the lineup plus how to reserve tickets for the screenings. Don't have the cash flow? Don't worry, ALL SCREENING ARE FREE! Free is good. Yeah, I know Spanish language films might not be for everybody but you just never know what gem you'll discover if you don't give them a chance!

Dang.....that's pretty awesome! I know Kevin Smith was initially set to direct this film (until he decided he was to much of a scary cat to handle something this big) but I have to say: Stephen Chow is a much better choice! Plus he's going to be Kato?! AWESOME! Love most of his films (CJ7 just wasn't my cup o' tea) and for him to come along and combine Chow with a star like Seth Rogen in the driver seat.....this is gonna either be real bad or real good, hopefully the latter. Check out all the details over at Slash Film here.

As we reach double digits, come along with myself and Bryan Harley as we welcome Barrazie & Jay From Sanger to sit around and discuss the happenings in our nerdy worlds including the exclusive announcement on the details for the next Fresno Swede Festival. **Language in ALL our podcasts are NSFW so be warned**

• We discuss the plethora of film festivals (Reel Pride & Latino Film Festival) going on in Fresno this week.

• Find out how to get a free beer at tonight's Dumb Drum Gettogether.

• Talk about The Fall, Burn After Reading & Lord Of The Rings Extended Editions.

• Chinatown exists and it has tunnels. We talk about the 2nd Swede Film Festival.

• We discuss Fresno's upcoming Public Access Channel which will birth Dumb Drum TV.

• Why I'm going to buy the Chevy Volt.

• Hackers access the Large Hadron Collider as we creep closer to the end of the world.

All this & so much more! Download now & remember: if you listen to this podcast, you have a chance to score a free beer. DO IT! Thanks to LateUpdate for hosting the podcast.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE DUMB #10

I'm still trying to figure out how to pronounce that first word so don't worry if you are too. So Charlie Kaufman is one crazy mofo. The reclusive writer of such cool films like Being John Malkovich, The Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind & Adaptation comes another one of his trademark quirky (love that word) films and this time, Kaufman is in the drivers seat as director. I wonder how his writing will translate but from the looks of the trailer, so far so good. What do you guys think? Oh you haven't seen the trailer? Well check it out here at Yahoo!

Back To The Future. Yup, this is the week that it all begins to get real good for me. Now I honestly can't remember if I went to go see this film theatrically when it was first released so seeing up on the big screen is gonna be bad ass (unless it's a really crappy print for some reason) and I can't wait! I will be there tonight and so will a some of our fellow Dumb Drummers as we meet up beforehand. What, you haven't heard? Well, here it is once again: Meet up at 8:30pm at the Me & Ed's Coney Island (located just north of the Edwards Theater entrance) and check out the film at 10pm. Not clear? Just head on over here or here for more details or drop us an email. Hope to see some of you out there tonight!

GM vice chairman Bob Lutz came on The Colbert Report last night to talk about the Chevy Volt. Hilarity ensued! I wonder if women are going to get offended by any of the comments Lutz made about the car being for "crunchy" ladies? Hmmmm.......lets watch!