Counting backwards from 1000
1000 random and brief movie reviews
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Monday, January 21, 2008
This is the trailer for the American release of Daywatch the second in a series of Russian Sci/Fi adventure films. The first, Nightwatch was fairly lame and predictable but this shows that their budget has gotten bigger and that at the very least they know how to make a trailer.



Ok, the chalk of fate is the lamest power object ever, but some of these visual effects are pretty cool.

Ok, its not really a movie(hence the 1/2) but I did rent the DVD of the Family Guy Star Wars Parody. It comes with a bevy of additional features. If you want to see Family Guy Creator, Seth McFarlane, fawn all over George Lucas or if you are wondering what the Blue Harvest subtitle is all about check these out.

Otherwise, this is a level above what you normally see when a bunch of super fans, no matter how talented, attempt to do a tribute episode to source material for which they have great affection. Not sure what I mean, Check out Howard The Duck, a 1980's super bomb where Mr. Lucus was the superfan most culpable.

Here, however, the jokes are crisp and come quickly. The show that has made it's mark holding a fun house mirror up to pop culture is in its element here. Many celebrity targets take a hit here but none a solidly as Danny Elfman(Let's face it he has been asking for it). All in all, this is definitly worth the time if you didn't check the episode when it originally aired. If you did, have no fear, apparently this was such a hit at Skywalker Ranch that follow up parodies of Empire and Jedi are on the slate.

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Saturday, January 19, 2008
Ok, as per Friday estimates Cloverfield pulled in about 16.75 million in only the first day of the 4 day holiday weekend. That means it will likeley bring in over 40 mllion for the weekend which is about 160% of its budget making it an unqualified smash. That said, can I ask one more time what is interesting about a monster movie without a monster. I didnt get Blair Witch. I don't get Cloverfield. I hate shaky hand point of view flicks. I hate casts of snarky twenty somethings spewing what passes for clever dialouge. But I guess what I think doesnt matter. JJ Abrahams wins this one with a Round One TKO. He continues to grow as a force in Hollywood and his handling of the Star Trek reimagining and Speed Racer later this year could cement him as a permanent fixture in that firmament. But, is that a good thing for movie fans???

Thursday, January 17, 2008
Cloverfield comes out tomorrow to mild anticipation. I know I had talk positively about this film when the online viral marketing and the first trailers hit, but that was contingent upon some payoff to the build up. As far as I can tell from what has come out since this is a monster movie without a monster and frankly I don't get it.
Monday, January 07, 2008
I have to admit to being a huge Cohen brothers fan, so that may have biassed my opinion, but this was hands down my favorite film of 2007. Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem are remarkable in supporting roles and Josh Brolin continues his breakout year in the lead role as Llewellyn Moss, a Viet Nam Vet who stumbles on the aftermath of a major drug deal gone bad. The film is Cohen's first adaption of existing material. It is, in fact, an extremely faithful adaption of Cormac McCarthy's 2005 Novel of the same name.

No Country starts quickly introducing Javier Bardem early as Anton Chigurh(pronounced SHIGURR)a sociopath whose presence in this film can be compared to that of Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs or the shark in Jaws. He becomes the antagonist to virtually every other major character in the film. The pace is steady and unrelenting easing off only at the very end as the Cohens wrap things up in a manner that while atypical of Hollywood and even of the cohens is however perfectly faithful to the novel.

Jones and the Cohen Brothers deliver, Bardem is Badass and even Woody Harrelson is less "Woody". See it.