Good News from Pixar

Pixar announced today that they are planning on releasing an original film every year; and possibly a sequel every other year or so. I am a huge fan of Pixar movies and I know I am not alone. It's refreshing to hear that they are planning to release more original films than sequels. The sequels for Toy Story were great, but Cars 2 wasn't near the quality of their other films, and the reception for Monsters University has been mixed. I'm sure they will move forward with sequels for most of the movies (you know they will make money) but at least we will get a few more editions of animated greatness.


Source: JoBlo

Trailer of the Week: Hell Baby (2013)

I am not a fan of spoof movies; most of them are absolutely terrible. The Scary Movie series has provided some funny moments, but isn't all that good overall. That being said, the cast of Hell Baby intrigues me; there are a lot of funny people in this movie. Rather than 'spoofing' current horror movies (which are mostly bad as well), this appears to be a spoof on some of the classic horror movies. Hell Baby appeared at Sundance earlier this year and I didn't read great things about it, but this trailer has me somewhat interested. History tells us this will probably be another stupid and pointless movie, but there is potential for a few laughs here.

Source: YouTube

Branch Out: The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997)

A movie you may have missed- less than 25,000 reviews on IMDB.

Believing he is part of an audience participation game, Wallace (Bill Murray) is mistaken as a spy and must stop an assassination attempt on international leaders.

My Rating: 8/10

IMDB Ratings: 17,033

Weekly Recap: June 16- June 22, 2013

I went on a family vacation this past week so no new movies to report. I have some catching up this week. 

Movies watched this week: 0
Movies watched in 2013: 90

Trailer of the Week: The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

I went on a little family vacation last week so I just saw the first trailer of The Wolf of Wall Street- and man does it look great! With names like Scorsese and DiCaprio it was already one of my most anticipated movies for 2013, and now I cannot wait for November. We all know DiCaprio is going to be good, but I am really looking forward to the performances of McConnaughey and Jonah Hill. McConnaughey has put a nice run together lately, and Hill proved he can step out of the raunchy comedy roles with Moneyball.

It certainly looks like Scorsese will deliver another knock out movie. I'm sure there will be a lot of Oscar buzz surrounding this one. 


Source: YouTube

Weekly Recap: June 9- June 15, 2013

I will be out of town this weekend, so here is an early edition of the movies I watched for the first time this week.

Featured:

Dark Skies (2013)- 6/10

A series of disturbing events has the Barret family fearing that something from out of this world is after them. I am a big fan of alien flicks when done right- most alien movies wind up just being cheesy. But Dark Skies did a pretty good job. It wasn't perfect at times, but there was enough eeriness to keep me on edge. We don't have to see the actual aliens to know that they are there.







The Rest:

The Resident (2011)- 3/10- I was intrigued for about 15 minutes, then the movie went crashing down. It is predictable and straight up boring.

Dark Tide (2012)- 3/10- The best acting in the movie came from the sharks. Not even Halle Berry in a bikini could make this movie interesting.


Movies watched this week: 3
Movies watched in 2013: 90


Source: IMDB

Top 5 Golf Movies

In recognition of the U.S. Open kicking off today, I give you my top Golf movies. There aren't many to choose from, so this will just be a top 5 list. 

5. Happy Gilmore (1996)- 6/10

One of Adam Sandler's more memorable roles as a failed hockey player turned golfer. As over-the-top and ridiculous as it is at times, it is still a fun movie; especially the fight scene with Bob Barker.

4. The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)- 7/10

Will Smith helping Matt Damon take down champion golfers Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. There is a little more to the plot than that, but that is essentially what happens. A touching movie with a great cast.

3. The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005)- 7/10

Based on a true story of an amateur player, Francis Ouimet (Shia LaBeouf), that shocked the golfing world by winning the 1913 U.S. Open. Disney really does a good job with their sports movies.

2. Caddyshack (1980)- 7/10

A summer at an exclusive golf club- with overly wealthy members, a poor staff and a dancing gopher. I have always found this movie to be a bit overrated, but it is still a solid comedy flick.

1. Tin Cup (1996)- 9/10

A washed up golf pro (Kevin Costner) seeks to win the U.S. Open and win the heart of his rival's girlfriend. Not only is it the best golf movie (in my opinion), it is one of the best sports movies of all-time. 








Source: IMDB

Trailer of the Week: 300: Rise of an Empire (2014)

The first trailer for 300: Rise of an Empire hit yesterday. I don't think there is really a reason for a sequel to 300, but this one looks like it could be fun. There appears to be a lot of action much in the same style as the first. I get it is necessary for marketing purposes, but the use of 300 in the name throws me off a bit. The story of the '300' ended with the first movie. I guess they did set the stage for the battle we will see between the Persian Empire and the Greeks.

I haven't seen a whole lot of Sullivan Stapelton who will be playing who appears to be the lead character Themistocles- just Animal Kingdom and the recent Gangster Squad- but I wasn't all too familiar with Gerard Butler when 300 came out. A few of the cast members are back, including Lena Headley and Rodrigo Santoro as the rather tall Xerxes- who appears to have an increased role this go round. It is also nice to see Eva Green added to the cast.

There is potential for a flop here, but it is on my early list of anticipated movies for next year.

Source: YouTube

Weekly Recap: June 2- June 8, 2013

A recap of the movies I watched for the first time this past week.

Featured:

Gangster Squad (2013)- 6/10

In 1949, a secret group of Los Angeles police officers work to take down mob king Mickey Cohen. With a great cast this movie had a lot of potential, but it never really hit the mark. Aside from the prosthetic nose, Sean Penn was great as Cohen, but the Gosling and Brolin weren't at their best. A lot of it could be chalked up to the writing.






The Rest:

Leaving Las Vegas (1995)- 5/10- Nicholas Cage played the role of a failed screenwriter turned alcoholic brilliantly, but I found the movie kind of boring.

Treasure Planet (2002)- 4/10- Although an interesting concept, it was not Disney's finest work.


Movies watched this week: 3
Movies watched in 2013: 87

Source: IMDB

Branch Out: Three to Tango (1999)

A movie you may have missed- less than 25,000 reviews on IMDB.

 Oscar (Matthew Perry) and is business partner (Oliver Platt) are hired for a $90 million dollar restoration project by a wealthy businessman (Dylan McDermott). Believing Oscar is gay, the businessman asks Oscar to keep an eye on his mistress, Amy (Neve Campbell). Oscar, however, is not gay and ends up falling for Amy.

My Rating: 8/10

IMDB Ratings: 13,385

Weekly Recap: May 26- June 1, 2013

A recap of the movies I watched for the first time this past week.

Featured: 

Life of Pi (2012)- 8/10

The story of a young man that survives a ship wreck and is stranded alone on a life boat with a Bengal tiger. I wasn't overly excited about this movie when I first saw the trailer, but this was a fantastic story; and the special effects were spectacular. Having finally seen both, I would say Pi deserved the Best Picture nod over Argo.  







The Rest:

Neverland (2011)- 5/10- A made-for-TV prequel to one of my favorite stories of all-time, Peter Pan. Far better than most Syfy originals.

House at the End of the Street (2012)- 3/10- The twist caught me by surprise, but not necessarily in a good way. Jennifer Lawrence is too talented for a movie like this.


Movies watched this week: 3
Movies watched in 2013: 84

Source: IMDB