New Scream 4 Trailer
Yeah, it’ll probably suck…but for my generation “Scream” part one revived the played-out horror genre…that quickly descended back into what it came from…including Scream 3. But the first one was pretty magic and the reuniting of the cast for the fourth one — even more “meta” in its commentary of the state of horror movies than the first could’ve ever dreamed — is worth a passing glance.
With the state of horror movies these days — 3D, total nonsense, gruesomely realistic torture — there’s more than ever to parody even beyond what happened in 80′s slasher films, so here’s to hoping they hit this softball out of the park.
* Note this trailer embedded may get removed by Dimension films, as it has on YouTube, and be inactive.
Movie Review: The Dilemma
The Dilemma (PG-13)
Directed by Ron Howard
Starring Vince Vaughn, Winona Ryder, Kevin James
Runtime: 1 hour 58 minutes
A Ron Howard directed film starring funnymen Vince Vaughn (Old School) and Kevin James (King of Queens)? For fans of any or all of them..I’ll start off by saying it’s not what you expect.
That being said. if you go into it with an open mind (perhaps a very open mind a times) The Dilemma won’t generally disappoint.
The basic premise – a man who looks up to his best friend’s relationship as “his hero” couple finds out his best friend’s wife is cheating on him (with a guy they don’t attempt to explain)…hence “the dilemma.” With the cast, it could’ve been turned into a laugh-out-loud comedy, but you’ll find that is definitely not what ensues. There are a few scenes that will have you slapping your knee, but overall it shifts in and out of light, funny, dark, and very dark, and will leave you unnerved if you’re expecting a Vince Vaugh laugh fest.
If a comedy is what you are looking for, look elsewhere, you won’t enjoy the film. If you’re looking for a serious look at relationships and the complications that go with them (a la The Breakup, also with Vaughn) you’re more along the right track. Unfortunately the film stumbles in this execution with some weak logic and some awkward comedy/drama transitions.
Vince Vaughn bears the comedy burden of the film with most of its humor, while I found Kevin James’ character to be unfunny (not even attempting to be) and a bit on the angry side. At some points you wonder why Vaughn likes him so much.
The film gets into Ben Stiller territory with Vaughn as he is almost in his own film, getting deeper into mishaps over and over while everyone else is oblivious to what’s going on. You’ll also realize that a simple conversation would make the entire movie moot, and at times it’s frustrating how difficult it is for him to tell anyone what is going on at any given point on his mission to tell his best friend of the infidelity. Read more
Movie Review: True Grit (2010)
True Grit – Rated PG-13 (2010)
Run time – 2 hours 8 minutes
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Actors: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin
Well, what a ride.
Having little interest in the original True Grit (starring John Wayne) and an equally small regard for most Coen Brother’s movies, I was impressed by the word of mouth and its slow gallop to the top of the Box Office, beating out the inane looking Little Fockers.
This wasn’t a remake of the original movie, but rather a retelling from the book. The dialogue the drives the movie from the book is one of its greatest assets.
The story is simple..perhaps too simple…as with many Coen brother’s movies one of the weaknesses is that the characters are a bit too blurry and the intent of the story doesn’t always come full circle. A girl’s father is murdered by a vagrant, and she sets her sights on finding someone to take revenge. That someone is the burnt-out, boozed up U.S Marshall “Rooster” Cogburn. Played quite well by Jeff Bridges (The Dude vs. The Duke).
The star and focus of the story turns out to be the 14 year old Mattie Ross, who won’t rest until her father’s death is avenged. The actress who plays her part does an amazing job, and the part is written very well considering I didn’t want to see the film when I heard she played a starring role.
It’s a pretty good western, the dialogue is terrific and never gets boring, and oddly enough the film is extremely funny. You will laugh out loud much more than you expect. The plot breezes through its 2+ hour running time. Each adventure is kept succinct, and their journey moves along quickly…with an interesting cast of characters and locales. Read more
Craigo’s Best Movies to Watch for Halloween V 3.0
This post has been recycled now over 3 Halloween seasons and updated for this year. Some of my favorite horror flicks that fit in perfectly with the chills you’re looking for on Halloween (not necessarily the greatest or scariest moves ever though).
Ready to be scared this Halloween? Here’s a list of some of my favorite Halloween fright flicks.
1) The Exorcist 20th Anniversary Edition * * * * out of four
The scariest and most controversy- provoking movie ever stands the test of time and surpasses all modern day horror movies with its suspense, gore, and story. Not for the faint of heart or stomach.
2) Rosemary’s Baby * * * 1/2 out of four
A purely psychological classic thriller about a woman who may be carrying Satan’s baby. It will keep you awake at night for a few days.
3) Halloween - * * * out of four
The father of all slasher movies, the film’s musical score and suspense keep it atop of the myriad of sequels and copies to come out in years since. Moves slowly sometimes, but has a thrilling final half hour.
4) Friday the 13th – * * * out of four
The series quickly went downhill after the first one, but the tale of Camp Crystal lake will frighten you and make you realize why they made so many copycats. Oddly enough, Jason Vorhees (the hockey masked killer of the series) is sans hockey mask, and only appears in the film for two minutes. Stick with the original, not the remake.
5) Saw * * * out of four
While the now yearly, Halloween tradition of somewhat silly sequels have ruined the brand, the original Saw is a great low-budget gore fest with some clever plot twists. The many torture/horror flicks that this film kicked off have also tarnished the genre, but this one’s a great Halloween watch.
6) Paranormal Activity * * * out of four
Everything the Blair Witch Project tried to be but wasn’t (i.e. scary), this little gem offers no gore, no plot, and no outright scares. But the tension that builds slowly, then quickly, will have you jumping more than any grisly scene or BOO! you can imagine. But don’t worry, they saved a good boo! or two that will have many flying out of their seats as the end unfolds. Watch it in the dark. Don’t watch it alone. And stop grabbing me so tight.
7) Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2 * * 1/2 out of four
From the director of Spider-Man, these films make absolutely no sense and are purely a showcase of outrageous gore for no point. A group of young adults is stuck in a cabin, and then people get posessed by something, and stuff starts getting cut off. Then it’s over.
Leave the lights on.
Happy Halloween from Craigo. Yes this pumpkin is supposed to say Craigo.
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Honorable Mention
Shaun of the Dead * * * out of four
While not in the traditional Halloween sense (hence omission from the main list) one of the finest homage/spoofs of all time. Hysterical at times, and truly jump out of your seat scary at others. If you get tired of all the campy horror stuff and haven’t seen this, do not miss it. An experience unto itself.
Scream * * * out of four
Sometimes we forget how semi-revolutionary this film was, both as an homage to all the great 80′s flicks that overstayed their welcome, and a pretty frightening horror flick on its own. Keeps something of a Halloween spirit, but doesn’t quite fit the bill. Included here as it is a tribute to many of the other top films listed above and does just nicely.
Dishonorable Mention
Trick ‘R Treat – * out of four stars
It has all the trappings of being the new epic standard for Halloween movies. After it was supposed to be released on Halloween but sat in limbo for years, never getting a theater unveiling, it is easy to understand why. A few intertwined stories that make no sense, a few good references to traditional Halloween garb, but overwhelmed by the sheer nonsense and purely disgusting images for no purpose that it throws at you nonstop. If you make it to the end you may never want to celebrate Halloween again. No matter what anyone tells you, this movie is a loser.
Movie Review: The Expendables
Rated R
REVIEW: 3 STARS OUT OF 4
Just got back from the 80′s homage film “The Expendables” directed by Stallone himself featuring a “who’s who” of 80′s action movie stars (and some newer folks as well). Looks like people “got it” as the film took away first place for the weekend. Here’s some quick notes on how I liked the film and if you’ll like it or not.
The good: It’s short and breezy at well under two hours. Aside from a bit of a clunky beginning with a few too many poorly filmed shots, the film gets moving quickly and never bores. The action scenes are everything they promise to be – big, loud, unrealistic, outrageous, logic-defying, and have huge body counts.The grand finale is almost overwhelming..but there’s a good mix of guns, fists, knives, karate, MMA, air combat, you name it.
The cast is great. The cameos by Bruce Willis and Ahhnold are a bit disappointing, but for the most part they got a lot out of the crew. Stallone and Statham are the key players, with Statham taking on a good bit of the hand-to-hand combat roles. Jet Li is solid, and Mickey Rourke is surprisingly useful in his fairly small role with a well-acted part. A few of the other actors seem to be a bit unused, but there’s so many players that’s probably just reality.
The plot doesn’t matter, if you even really understand it (though there are a few nice nuances). It’s all about the action, and a return to the R-rated, bone-crushing action by cigar-smoking, brutish good guys. While it’s good that action films (such as The Dark Knight) have gotten contemplative, we should never lose the art of simple destruction of evil by the good, using large guns.
The not so good: The film has some fairly poor dialogue and it makes some scenes a little choppy and not flow well. A few attempts at humor work, but some are stale. Additionally, the camera work will give you a bit of a dizzy spell and some of the shots are a bit overlong and you just want to get on with it already. Finally, the CGI that’s mixed into the film is pretty bad at times, fortunately there was plenty of the real deal punches and explosions to not be distracting.
Bottom Line: Marking the end of an era, perhaps, this film delivers on both being an homage, and being able to fit in with any other 80′s action movie pretty solidly. If the purpose is to have fun and watch stuff blow up, everyone in the theater got their money’s worth.
Also, ignore the reviews. If you think you’re going to like this movie, you will.
All the guys are getting pretty old, but it’s clear that they would still beat the tar out of today’s beta male movie stars.
Who will like it: Dudes 24-55. Butch girls.
3 STARS OUT OF 4
New Mortal Kombat Trailer – Whoa.
Brilliant viral marketing on many fronts. I’ve rarely played the game Mortal Kombat (though the storyline looks cool I guess) and never seen any of the movies. (Updated – here’s the whole story of what’s going on with the trailer).
I kept seeing this pop up all over the internet in statuses and other sites referenced some Mortal Kombat trailer. No one knew if it was some promo for a game or a movie, so I ignored it.
Glad I changed my mind and watched it, looks awesome. Definitely check it out. Apparently it is, indeed, from an upcoming movie. UPDATED: Status from one of the girls in the trailer, apparently it is a promo from a director hoping to get picked up by the studio. Nice attempt…if so best viral marketing I’ve seen evah.
No embedding here, go to the full HD version as the noir styling is pretty interesting and needs full screen for effect.
Scream 4 Teaser Poster
The Scream series (at least the first two) is one of my favorites in the smarter scary genre. If Scream 3 is an indication, this one won’t be worth paying attention to, but they’ve brought back enough originals (Wes Craven, Kevin Williamson, much of the cast) that it just might be the nice break from the Saw/torture movies that’ve dominated the past few years.
Check out the teaser poster just released.
Movie Review – Date Night
Date Night (2010) Rated PG-13
Starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey
Runtime – 88 minutes
Even if a movie does what it intends to do, certain genres can only be so good. Date Night definitely meets the romantic comedy expectations (though it’s no When Harry Met Sally) and the addition of the action-movie twist makes it a bit better than run of the mill.
The basic premise is that the two main characters are in a rut in their married life and try to do something fun one night. They end up being mistaken for a couple being chased by the mob and the movie gets going.
Fey and Carell are top notch at comedy (see Mean Girls and The Office) but their characters here don’t quite capture their typical humor. They do have good chemistry as a couple, and without the film would fall flat. Not to say there aren’t some funny moments (the car/taxicab crash and chase and the pole dancing scene come to mind) but it isn’t a laugh riot.
Instead, the movie explores the problem of relationships that get stale and what to do about it. Fortunately Carell and Fey are not played like stereotypes, but their lives are pretty real. They actually seem to have a good relationship, so outside of the insane mob/copy scenes, the movie plays pretty down to earth. The film also maintains a very positive outlook on relationships as opposed to more indie fare (or movies like I Love You Man or Forgetting Sarah Marshall).
Another thing the movie has going for it are some good cameos by actors such as James Franco and Mark Wahlberg. They add some nice changes of pace and subplots to the film.
All in all it is as advertised – a good date movie. Briskly paced and a short running time of under an hour and a half, it’s not the greatest movie you’ll see this year, but you won’t have wasted your time if you catch it in the theater. Some language but overall avoids the potty humor and content that sometimes sneaks up on people taking a date to a movie, making for an awkward walk back to the car. Check it out in the theater, or grab it as a new release and relax on the couch. But then again that’d be what you always do for date night.
2.7 out of 4 Stars (new rating system)
Movie Trailer
Movie Review – Up in the Air (2009)
Up in the Air (2009/2010) Rated R
George Clooney
Directed by Jason Reitman (Juno, The Office)
Runtime – 1hr. 48 minutes
Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 44 wins & 52 nominations
The old DVD circuit has been pretty dry the past few months with releases that I had missed in the theater, and was glad I did. Up in the Air was one that I had wanted to see in the theater as well, and after watching it on DVD was wishing I had. Fortunately I did decide to catch it on DVD and was extremely pleased – one of my top films of the past year.
Watching the trailer I was uncertain of what the film was exactly about. This type of movie you couldn’t really capture any of the feeling because it is so dialogue-driven and the dramatic humor doesn’t translate well to 5 second clips. The story synopsis is “Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a corporate downsizing expert whose cherished life on the road is threatened just as he is on the cusp of reaching ten million frequent flyer miles and just after he’s met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams.” That description doesn’t do justice to the layering of topics and reflections that this film delves into.
In one review, the film was described as a Frank Capra-esque movie that captures our anxieties and culture of resilience. The film is very timely, as it takes head-on the economic climate and massive layoffs that are turning lives upside down…and what that all means. There is an extensive cast of great “cameos” by actors who play the parts of those laid off in the film, and the only criteria seemed to be their acting ability. These short scenes are extremely well played.
The film really focuses on two themes – the idea that Bingham (Clooney) lives his entire life in airports with no connections, and separately the people he helps companies fire that find their connections turned on their head. The two sides don’t seem to understand each other’s ability to find happiness in those type of lives.
Clooney (the satisfied disconnected) meets the frequent-flyer woman of his dreams and realizes that having connections – family, kids, settling down, may actually be the answer, though the irony is that he wants it with a woman just like him. In addition, a bad turn of events within his own company forces him to deal with the fact that the lifestyle he’s chosen for his entire adult life may be reaching its end. Much like those he’s paid to help through the end of their careers.
There is much more layer and amazing dialogue (and Clooney is terrific with the supporting cast here) than any review or description can capture. The film doesn’t have a tight plot, but moves the action at all the right times to a new scenario before it ever gets boring. The dialogue was so good that I ended up rewinding multiple times to make sure I caught what they were saying. Normally I don’t care if I miss a few words. I found it awesome in this film that I didn’t want to miss a single one.
Does the film solve the big problems everyone copes with about life, connections, love, and career? I think film reviewer Jake Tomlinson put it best about the film, saying “As a moviegoer, this film provides a satisfying experience where one can take a step back to ponder some of the finer points in our daily lives, but don’t expect to find all the answers here.”
3.5 out of 4 stars
Check out the trailer
Iron Man 2 Trailer Released
Some awards were given last night at the Academy Awards, but when they got back to the interesting part (the commercials) you would’ve been able to catch the rowdy new trailer for Iron Man 2.
I have to say it doesn’t make me want to see it anymore than the last trailer did, but that’s ok since I couldn’t have wanted to see it more than I already did.
What?? It’s superheroes, man.
