Archive for the ‘ Movies ’ Category

“Remember Me”: The Making of a Star

I’m going to put myself out there and risk some judgment right now.  I am a fan of one Robert Pattinson aka RPattz.  You may know him from such gems as “Twilight” and “New Moon” which are, I’ll admit, not the most amazing displays of his acting prowess.  This isn’t about those films though.  As I said, I’m a Robert Pattinson fan and I’ve been waiting awhile for him to be given the kind of role that truly demonstrates his acting talent.  His part as Tyler Hawkins in “Remember Me” is just that role.

I was lucky enough to score a pass for a free screening this past Monday night, March 1st, the same night as the film’s world premiere at the Paris Theatre in Midtown Manhattan.  It was exciting to think I was watching the movie for the first time at the same moment as the stars themselves, even if we weren’t physically sharing the same space.

As “Remember Me” doesn’t hit theaters for another two weeks, all cameras and cell phones had to be checked in with security, to be returned once the screening was over.  One thing I’ll say about Summit Entertainment, who produced the film, is that they get straight to the point.  No trailers, no announcements, no gift bags.  This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing seeing as no one wanted to be placated with those things anyway.  Summit know their audience and cater accordingly.

“Remember Me” centers around the aforementioned Tyler Hawkins, a twenty-something New Yorker who’s confused by his supposed place in the world.  It’s a feeling many can relate to.  The film begins in the Spring of 2001 and follows Tyler as he rebels against authority, questions life, falls in love, and deals with some intense family issues, everything culminating in a finale that most won’t see coming. Continue reading →

2010
03/05
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Movies
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“‘The Wolfman’ cometh”

A "howling" good time? (via intertubes)

I had first seen the trailer for the remake of “The Wolfman” some months ago. Anyone who knows my love of horror films, even the cheesy, can imagine how excited I was for this. Now would be the time to confess, though, that I’ve never actually gotten around to seeing the original. For all intents and purposes, this is actually a good thing as I went into the remake with no expectations other than the ones given to me by the fact that the film had a stellar cast. There’s Sir Anthony Hopkins, Benicio Del Toro, Emily Blunt, and Hugo Weaving who, I’ll say now, kind of stole the show. Continue reading →

2010
02/25
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“Wolverine: Origins” Review

wolv1

Many writers of superhero comics commonly write themselves into corners, and have no idea how to get out. They have their heroes defeated, the villains winning and everything looking hopeless. However, the good guys need to win so there can be an issue next month, so some superheroes are incredibly overpowered just so they can be thrown at problems to fix them.

For DC, it is Superman who is impervious to all types of damage and can punch through planets. Marvel has Wolverine. Wolverine is not as strong as Superman, but he can’t die either, and has a personality that is driven by more than a simple need to do the right thing. The main problem with this type of character is that someone who can’t die lacks a lot basic conflict and has problems carrying on a story of their own. This does not stop Wolverine from being popular, so to cash in on this Marvel has just released a movie about him. Continue reading →

2009
05/11
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Movies
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Repo! The Genetic Opera: The Interactive Experience

Event: Midnight Surgeons Repo! Shadowcast
Venue: Multi Media Arts Center, Bloomfield, NJ
Date: March 21, 2009

taken by Frenchie

The flier with some Zydrate, (by guest photographer, Frenchie)

D42 often sends me random links to things she finds during hours of aimless internet browsing which she calls work. One of those links led me to a trailer for “Repo! The Genetic Opera”. From that first viewing, the wait began for the eventual limited release of this film (I again thanked the gods that my parents chose to immigrate to New York City some fifteen years ago.)

Yeah, I knew it was gonna be fun, I knew it was gonna be great, but I didn’t realize that it would rouse a following akin to Rocky Horror. I didn’t suspect all the fanfic it would generate, nor did I think the show would go on the road! Of course, all these things happened anyway.

One of the results of “Repo!”’s success is the Midnight Surgeon’s Repo! Shadowcast. These guys came all the way from Philadelphia to add to the film their own, often quirky, interpretation. I’ve never seen anything like this before, and if you’re a shadowcast virgin, you should know that the idea is to have the movie playing in the background, while you and a bunch of your friends dash around in costumes and act/sing along with the bits you really liked. I bet it was a lot of fun to do. It was certainly a lot of fun to watch.

You remember the girl being chased by the Repo Man at the beginning of the movie? Here she is, reimagined.

You remember the girl being chased by the Repo Man at the beginning of the movie? Here she is, reimagined.

Continue reading →

2009
04/15
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Movies
Music
Theater
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The Watchmen Lives Up to Expectations

d42 having murderous opinions

d42 having murderous opinions (click it to read them)

Late one unremarkable Thursday eve, I met up with several compatriots on a mission. We first acquired food from a Local Establishment, where, having ordered a ginger ale, I was informed that I could have *only one* small ginger ale, and there would be *no refills.* The waitress was very clear on this. Cherry Coke, however, flowed like the Nile.

After food was safely in our bellies, we moved on to the Cinema, where the line was already forming. In a rare display of foresight, the IMAX theater here developed an assigned seating system, so there was no need for a stampede as long as you bought your ticket early enough. Our seats were good, close to the back and on the right. Continue reading →

2009
03/10
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Movies
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Double Feature: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Doubt

There is a movie theater on the outskirts of New York where they overcharge for tickets, but don’t particularly care if you spend the day post-entry. There d42 and I went and had us a movie night, broke teenager style.

The first movie, and to me, the more powerful, was The Curious Case. The plot is about a strange situation, where, possibly due to the intensity of one clock-maker’s grief, a man’s life ran a temporal opposite of the rest of the world. The story takes place in the roaring 20’s, and is based on a story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It certainly has that Great Gatsby feel to it. Despite the director being David Fincher, it also has many similarities to Forrest Gump within the character interactions, dynamics, and plot line. Continue reading →

2009
01/02
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Movies
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Choke: A Movie Review

As I have stated before, I am a huge fan of Chuck Palahniuk’s earlier books. Like most people, I found out about his work from the movie “Fight Club,” which I loved, and still do to this day. Fans have been waiting nine years for another adaptation, getting their dreams crushed along the way with cancellations for various reasons, such as Survivor not being adapted after September 11th due to the fact the plot involves a plane hijacking. After a long wait, they finally got their wish, with the newly released movie “Choke.”

The plot follows Victor Mancini, a young sex addict who makes himself choke in restaurants in order to get saved by people so he can use the sympathy of a near death experience to get money from them in order to keep his senile mother in a nursing home. His mother never remembers who he is, and Victor is trying to find out about his past before she loses her mind completely. The story only gets stranger from there. Continue reading →

2008
11/04
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Movies
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