HAPPY NEW YEAR!

...better late than never. Stay tuned, may be a few random posts here until I get the 'new joint' ready.

NO STUFF TODAY...

...way too busy w/ getting our carpet cleaned (amongst other stuff). More later, promise!

To Boldly Go, Where No Trek Flick Has Gone Before...

As I said on Friday, I caught that new 'Star Trek' flick and thought i'd step up w/ a tad meatier review today. I've never been a 'Trekkie' by any means...watched the original series here and there as a kid...caught the first 2-3 films and really only liked 'Wrath of Khan'...caught an occasional episode of 'New Generation'...and then completely lost interest as the whole property became diluted by all the spin-offs. Leave it to J.J. Abrams to not only capture my interest again, but make a total geek over it.

This film successfully captures a lot of the best elements of the original TV series and infuses it w/ a more modern, more action-packed attitude. Don't take that the wrong way...there is plenty of substance here. 'Star Trek' just leans a little more on the fiction than the science and it works. I would have felt dirty watching it had it just been a sexier, younger version of the property and, while it definitely is both sexier and younger looking, felt pretty satisfied they blended it w/ an engaging story as well.

The flick is a fun twist on the origin story of the crew of the Enterprise. Via the plot device of time-traveled altered realities, the film really becomes a true re-boot and a fresh one at that. Abrams dipped into the old Trek mythos where appropriate, but never really panders to it either. As with the original, the relationship between Kirk and Spock is the foundation for the rest of the story and both Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto did a great job in making that happen. Actually, Quinto completely nailed the whole Spock thing and the rest of the casting worked well to boot.

Bottom line, a whole mess of fun and i'm thinking it is going to be pretty hard for any other flick to come close to beating it this Summer. I'm already stoked about the potential for a sequel and the film has only been out for a few weeks. Whether your a sci-fi nerd like myself or not, you'll enjoy this...or may I choke on a Tribble.

Sorry Kids...

A lot of good traction w/ some possible job leads, had some beers w/ a friend yesterday afternoon and went and saw that new 'Star Trek' flick this afternoon. Review forthcoming on the latter, but suffice to say...PHENOMENAL.

Live Long. Prosper. Have a Great Weekend!

Mo' Joe...

Official full-fledged trailer for the upcoming 'G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra'...still looks kind of fun to me.

Needs More Magneto...

In another late review, I actually went and saw 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' last Friday to kick off the Summer-popcorn-movie-palooza (and get out of the house). It was fun enough, but suffered from some of the same foibles the actual 'X-Men' flicks did. The flick started off pretty focused actually, but (like 'X-Men') it ended up feeling overcrowded w/ too many mutants...you couldn't feel invested in any of the characters.

That said, the casting was pretty damn good. Hugh Jackman took another decent turn at Wolverine...Liev Schreiber was actually a pretty awesome Sabertooth...Taylor Kitsch played a great Gambit...but the biggest surprise was how much I liked Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson (AKA Weapon XI/Deadpool). 'The Merc w/ a Mouth' doesn't get that much screen-time, but enough to kick-start a possible spin-off.

Throw in some eye-catching big ole' action sequences and you've got a pretty enjoyable flick for the most part. Not sure if those w/ no X-Men comic experience will do w/ it...they could like it more via lack of preconceived ideas or less than us geeks who revelled in the subtle nods to the Marvel Universe throughout. See it for yourself and decide, bub.

DOM DELUISE 1933 -2009

R.I.P., Captain Chaos.

More 'Halloween'...More Zombie!

Excited! I had no clue that there was even plans for Rob Zombie to helm another 'Halloween' flick until my buddy Gep pinged me about it a few weeks back. Looks as if, much like the last reboot, 'H2' will re-interpret the original sequel following the 'night after' and offer up some more Zombified back story/detail as well.

Check out Sheri Moon Zombie returning as Michael's Mammy, effectively making Norman Bates and Jason Voorhees look like a much wimpier pair of mama's boys...

It's Twistin' My Melon, man...

Seriously. How did I not catch this back when it came out...or, worse yet, finally watch it until ~ 7 years later?! I've caught it three different times on IFC over the past few weeks and, quite frankly, could watch again today.

What a GREAT fooking movie.

MARILYN CHAMBERS 1953-2009

A fond farewell and R.I.P. to the other Marilyn...safe travels Behind the Green Door and beyond.

'I Don't Know, I Can Imagine Quite a Bit.'

Saw this on Electronic Cerebrectomy and couldn't resist posting it up. I felt a disturbance in the force...or maybe that was my pants.

I Think I LOVE You...

Well...this just looks freaking awesome. Spike Jonze's live-action 'Where the Wild Things Are'...love Spike, love the book and I think i'm going to love this flick. I would have loved to see him do 'Harold and the Purple Crayon' as well, but this is more than a suitable alternative.

One That Talks Like Dolittle...

Taking the kids to a puppet show of Dr. Dolittle this morning...hope it's not the crappy Eddie Murphy version. Prepping for a job interview I have tomorrow this afternoon, so no stuff until later. Peace.

For Those of You Getting a 'Break'...

Back in 1983, I could not wrap my head around the concept of this film, but I knew it was something pretty freaking awesome. Many years later, my college Spring Break trip...while a great time...never quite matched up.

'I still can't find my underwear.'

WATCH(ED)MEN!

As stated earlier, finally went to see the Watchmen flick last night and really enjoyed it. I had no problem following along w/ everything that was happening and it was definitely a nice feast for the eyes. The acting was okay as a whole, but Jackie Earle Haley was pretty great as Rorschach. All said and done, completely engaging film for it's almost three-hour length and i'd give it a thumbs up.

That said, we'll see how I feel about it after reading the book. I do think I made the right decision to see the flick first, as I had no preconceived opinions of what it should or shouldn't be...just enjoyed it at face value.

BIG in Japan...

Awesome! I remember reading about/seeing the trailer for this back in 2007, but it looks like it's getting a proper (albeit limited) U.S. release this month! It's a mockumentary/send-up of the Asian 'giant superhero/monster' movie/TV show, which (if you've been reading my blog) is right up my alley.

The just of 'Big Man Japan' (AKA 'Dai-Nipponjin' in it's home country) , a middle-aged slacker living in the slums, is also occasionally shocked by bolts of electricity that transform him into a stocky, stick-wielding giant entrusted with defending Japan from a host of bizarre monsters. Better yet, unlike the gigantic national heroes before him, he is a pariah among the citizens he protects, who are more intent on complaining about the noise and destruction of property he causes than thanking him.

Co-written/directed/starring one of Japan's biggest comedians, Hitoshi Matsumoto, this really looks like a pretty funny flick. Like I said earlier, it's a limited release as part of Magnolia Pictures/Magnet Releasing's Six Shooter series...so you may have to look to your local art house cinema until it hits DVD. Until then, peep the trailer:

Who Watches the Watchmen?

Well, not me...yet. Couldn't get our respective 'doomsday clocks' (AKA schedules) to align, but me and my buddy, Gep, are going to go this Friday. I'm staying away from any reviews, etc. until then.

Really, I just want to get the film out of the way so I can finally sit down w/ the actual book that has been sitting on my shelf forever. I figure there is no way the movie will be better than the comic, so why not try and enjoy the film at face value first. We'll see.

Saturday Bonus Track...

Since we gave Moz some face time yesterday, let us not forget the Smiths were just as much Johnny Marr's guitar as well.

In fact, let's enjoy Mr. Marr trading licks w/ the Cult's Billy Duffy on a cover of 'The Good, The Bad & The Ugly' from the Ruby Trax 40th Anniversary compilation. Great movie, really fun take on it's classic theme.

I'm a Total Sucker...

I really wasn't that much of a fan of the trio of X-Men flicks. The first two weren't horrible, but the third installment was barely entertaining. The whole lot of the films were just a little too over-stylized for my old school tastes and only scratched the surface on some of the main characters w/ more complex (and interesting) backgrounds. Really, like 'Spiderman 3'...they ended up throwing too many good guys/bad guys into the mix and ended up w/ something of little to no depth you could connect with.

So, when I heard they were doing 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine', I wasn't all that excited. Don't get me wrong, I thought Hugh Jackman did a nice job w/ the role...for such a great character, it just wasn't written that well. Well, after seeing a few more trailers and the stills above of the 'Weapon X' team and below of protagonists, Sabertooth and Gambit, i'm officially kind of geeked...

I was even more stoked to learn a similar film is in the works for one of the biggest (and best) baddies in the Marvel Universe...MAGNETO! I thought Ian McKellen did a great job w/ the role and it'll be fun to see him get more time on screen. Until then, watch all three of the most recent trailers for 'Wolverine' HERE and see what you think.

These Are The Damned(est Cool Posters)!

Way cool. 'Friend of the Blog' and fellow music/sci-fi/pop culture geek, 'The Jesus', has decided to share his collection of ORIGINAL vintage British Horror Film Posters w/ the world-wide-web via his Flickr Page. To reiterate, these aren't reproductions, but the real deal...some of which actually hung in movie houses back when they were first released.

I've posted some of my favorites from his collection here ('Red Death' is one my favorite posters EVER), but you should pop over and see the real thing pronto. Nicely done, Chris...and i'm sooo jealous.