Tag Archives: movie
Episode 89
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Back for another episode We are.. Yes.. The gang does a shorter then they  normally do but still a great show. We do want to remind you that Saturday the 5th is Free Comic Book day. So be sure to go to your local comic shop for some free comics and comic book sales.
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What’s not to love about zombie sheep?
photo via Amazon.com
Sometimes you run across the most awesome things completely by accident. That’s how I ended up watching “Black Sheepâ€, a New Zealand horror-comedy a few years ago.
It’s hard to describe the movie other than with the phrase “mutant zombie sheep†but think of Evil Dead 2…only with sheep. Yep, it’s that hilarious.
The story starts out with two young boys on farm in New Zealand. One of them is out herding the sheep with his father. The old brother gets jealous and plays a horrible prank on the younger boy when he returns. The combination of that and some devastating news at the same time gives the younger brother a severe phobia of sheep. It then picks up 15 years later when the younger brother, Henry, is returning to the farm to sell his part of it to his older brother, Angus. Angus has become known for his work to breed a new type of sheep that will outshine the others. While this is going on, a pair of folks (who are very hippie-ish) are trying to break into Angus’ lab to steal evidence of what they believe to be dangerous and extremely harmful experiments.
“First sign of madness, talking to your own head” – Thoughts Before Harry Potter
I haven’t seen the new Harry Potter movie yet.
*ducks any flying objects thrown her way*
Don’t worry I do intend to see it. I’m even taking my mom who is also a HP fan. I am, however, extremely nervous about how well the film is done.
You see, I’ve watched the HP films with growing dislike. I’m a huge fan of the books. I’ve attended midnight release parties and waited in lines for ages. I’ve stayed up all night reading the just released book from cover to cover. I’ve devoured fanfictions set in the fandom and even written a few myself. Heck, I even entered (and won) a costume contest dressed up as Ginny Weasley in her seventh year at the last book release party.
And yet I can’t bring myself to like the movies. I’m currently rewatching them in hopes that I’ll be able to look past the bad taste that they put in my mouth and be able to enjoy the newest one. But I don’t think that’s going to happen.
For me, a self-proclaimed snob in regards to many fandoms, the movies simply leave out and change too much from the original source material. Yes, I realize you’re trying to cram larger and larger novels into a single movie not over 2 hours long but there are some things that are being left out that end up kinda crucial to the plot later on. Take the third book and movie “Prisoner of Azkaban†for example. In the book they reveal not only the authors of the Marauder’s Map (Moony, Padfoot, Wormtail and Prongs) but also explain who those nicknames belong to. In the movie you see the author’s names on the map but you never hear who they were. It’s important to realize why each one of the “Marauders†had their particular name. In later movies, Pettigrew is referred to as Wormtail but there was never an explanation in the films about that name. Maybe they expect you to have read the novels. Maybe they expect you to just not remember the map authors or not question at all.
Maybe they just left out the wrong things in the movies.
As the movies continued I was more and more disappointed with the scenes they chose to leave out and the things they changed around. The fourth movie was especially disappointing with the complete lack of Snape’s scenes as he was rather important in the book. Now we’re to the final movie which has been split into two parts. The very fact that they split it into two full length movies gives me hope for it. Of course, I also had hope for the Star Wars prequels and we saw how those turned out.
I have friends that love both for being what they are. I sometimes wish I could share their views but I’m enough of a snob to be unable to separate the two. Instead I often describe the movies as being made by someone who just maybe glanced at the dustjacket of a Harry Potter book in the store.
So I’ll go see the new movie this weekend and that will determine if I’ll decide to see the final part in theaters next year or if I’ll wait for the DVD. (And I’ve done it. I didn’t see Revenge of the Sith until about a year ago.)
For those of you that might have seen it what were your thoughts on it? Did it do the final book justice? Are you looking forward to the final installment next year?
“You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.” – Inception [spoiler alert!]
I finally had the chance to watch “Inception†last week at the theater…long after nearly everyone else I knew had seen it. Luckily now they can all talk about it around me finally. Thanks to a lack of television I’d managed to avoid any hints at what the movie was about so I went into it only knowing the actors involved. If you’ve yet to see it, I’d recommend skipping this particular post of mine. I’d hate to spoil the movie for you. I’m not sure if I’d have enjoyed it as much knowing any of the plot ahead of time.
And now…on to my thoughts on the film.
Let’s start with the actors themselves. I’m not the biggest Leonardo DiCaprio fan but I have to admit that I was rather impressed with him in this movie. His character, Cobb, was an excellent fit for his acting and I’m in the process of revising my opinion of him as an actor. Cillian Murphy was the big draw for me as I’ve been a fan of his for years. He was wonderful in this film as the unknowing victim of the inception attempt.
Two other actors that I’m growing to love more and more are Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. They play a “forger†and “point-man†respectively and the interactions between the two make me understand exactly why there’s so much slash fanfiction involving the two of them. Their characters are wonderfully fleshed out even to the point where the levels that are their own dream match their personalities so well.
The actor that was a surprise to me was Ken Watanabe. I had no idea he was in the movie and as such I had no idea that he would not only be the instigator of the inception job but was a part of the team as well.
From the start of the movie I was hooked into the action, always wondering what would happen next and even agreeing with certain things, such as how time moves much differently in our dreams. One part that still makes me go “wow†is the moment of the first “kick†with the van going over the side of the bridge. From that moment the characters know what has happened and on each level they realize how long they have until the next kicks have to happen. All of the kicks need to happen at the same time in order for them to wake up from each level.
Another scene that is visually amazing is the part where the van is thrown into a roll down an embankment. In the next dream level, Arthur’s dream, the hotel corridor is suddenly thrown into a spin while he is fighting one of the projections in the dream. They literally fight as the corridor spins and it looks like something that Spiderman only wishes he could do. Reading about how that scene was done I have some serious respect for Joseph Gordon-Levitt for actually being in that physically spinning set.
The climax of the movie hits all at once and I found myself holding my breath, wondering if everyone would make it out in time, if Fischer would see the false dream-version of his father and accept the idea that was being planted, if Cobb and Ariadne would make it out of limbo or not and so on. I admit to being somewhat teary during the suspense when Fischer pulled the pinwheel out of the safe. Even though I knew it was false, the emotion on Fischer’s face was heartwrenching.
And the end of the movie…how can I let that pass by? The happiness of seeing Cobb make his way through customs. The amusement at seeing Fischer’s confused face when Cobb walks past him. And then the tense moment when he sets the top to spinning, wanting to know if he’s still dreaming or not. Cobb walks away from it before he knows, unable to resist his children’s calls for their father. We see the top spin, spin, spin, almost wobble and then it cuts to black. In the theater when I saw it nearly everyone in the audience made a loud noise of protest. Apparently that’s the usual reaction.
With the completely ambiguous ending, the tense climax, the twisting dream sequences and so on the movie “Inception†can make you forget how long it really is…at least until you try to stand and walk after it’s over. I’ve only seen it once but I already want to see it again and I plan to pre-order the dvd as soon as I can. The more I sit and think about it, the more I realize I enjoy it.
I’m curious to know what you all thought about it. What was your take on the ending? Is he still in limbo? Is it real? Does it matter? Let me know!
“You remind me of the babe…” – More to Labyrinth than David Bowie’s crotch
My friends and I watched the Jim Henson film “Labyrinth†earlier this week and I have to admit, I was suddenly inspired to blog about it.
If you’re looking for a timeless film, a fantastic example of Jim Henson’s work, a catchy soundtrack and a fun storyline, this is it.
If you’re looking for a film with David Bowie in tight grey pants complete with many gratuitous crotch shots, this is also it.
Even though most people will often state that the one thing that is best remembered from the film is David Bowie’s crotch (myself included) it has to be said that I constantly catch myself and other quoting lines from the movie or singing and dancing whenever we hear a song like “Magic Danceâ€.
The plot is a pretty basic one. A young girl, dissatisfied with her home life ends up in a predicament where she has to venture into a fantasy world with many dangers in order to get back that which she’d wished away. You also can’t forget the love interest, the evil prince/king/sorcerer that is the one who grants her wish, puts her on the path, tries to get her to love him back and yet fails when she defies him and returns to her home. It’s a classic example of the hero’s journey (complete with the hero returning with a better knowledge of the self) but even so it’s easy to fall in love and call this movie a favorite even as an adult.
The puppetry in this movie was brilliant with the detail in the costumes and how lifelike they looked, especially when they moved. The guards at the doors, the knockers, Sir Didymus and so on were so well done that you could forget they weren’t real. In today’s movie world where everything is done as CGI, this movie brings you back to things that you feel you can reach out and touch.
Elf as Jareth with Jessi as The Worm
And the music…oh the music. When I dressed as David Bowie’s character, Jareth, at Dragon*Con and then at GMX this year I can’t tell you how many times I heard people start the call and response before “Magic Dance†and then I’d be unable to resist actually breaking into song. It’s cute, it’s fun to sing and it totally gets stuck in your head.
While the character of Sarah tends to be whiny and not quite to my taste, she does grow during her time in the labyrinth, often with the help of friends that she meets along the way. Jareth, on the other hand, is a pleasure to watch and not just as eye candy. His frustration and sudden realization of sadness during the song “Within You†never fails to have me glued to the screen. The dull white flowing costume, showing his sadness and his animal personal (the white barn owl) at the very end is beautiful and is an excellent reflection of his mood during that scene. Yes, his hair is very 80’s and yes he looks like he rolled in glitter during many of the scenes but for some reason he’s able to make that appearance fit the character perfectly.
If you’ve never seen the movie, you’re missing out and I suggest you go and get it now. If you’ve seen it before, go ahead and rewatch it this weekend.
And if you’re like me and own 3 different copies of the dvd….grab a drink, settle down tonight and count the number of times David Bowie’s crotch seems to be the focus of a camera shot.
“Men should be like Kleenex: soft, strong, and disposable.” – Time to break out “Clue”
It’s getting closer to Halloween and that means it’s time to break out the horror flicks and murder mysteries. Now I tend to watch several of those types of films on a regular basis (I’m a huge Freddy Krueger fan) but is one that I try to watch around Halloween even if I’ve just watched it the week before. Yes, it’s that good.
Like many kids I grew up loving the board game, Clue. This was back when there was only one version of the game and not all the movie and television versions they have now. The pieces were basic and it was all about getting enough information to be the first one to try to guess “Who Done It?†I dragged that game everywhere and played it often. When the movie adaptation of the game came out on video I remember my mom watching it first and then deciding that it was light-hearted enough for me to watch as well.
The movie, “Clue†has many well known actors and actresses in it (it’s the first movie I saw and took note of Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn and Christopher Lloyd) and while it is a murder mystery, the setting is one that keeps you interested and often laughing. The movie itself has three different endings. I never saw it in the theater so I never had the fun/frustration of only seeing one ending that might be different if I saw it at another movie theater. The only way I knew the movie was to see all three endings in sequence and each one was better than the last.
Every character that you knew from the game is given a quick back story (that you learn more of through the movie) and is fleshed out enough that you find yourself loving all of them. The setting of a dinner party with guests (all given pseudonyms from the board game) who have one thing in common (being blackmailed) is a perfect setup for the rest of the film. When playing the game I never wondered why we were all searching a mansion for clues to a killer but the movie’s plot is the perfect setting.
Continuing to watch the movie from then until now I’ve caught bits of humor that went completely over my head as a kid. I do still want a mansion of my own where I can have secret passages like the movie. That hasn’t changed in 25 years. I also want most of the costumes that the characters wore in the movie, especially Miss Scarlet’s dress. I can’t hear “Life Could be a Dream†and “Shake, Rattle & Roll†without suddenly having the urge to run home and pop that movie in the dvd player.
Who doesn’t love Tim Curry as Wadsworth, the butler and his recap of the evening, running through the mansion with the guests frantically trying to keep up? How about Professor Plum’s attempts at flirting with the women at the dinner part? Or Mr. Green’s constant clumsiness and general awkwardness?
If you’ve never seen “Clue†(yes, I’ve run across many folks who haven’t), go and rent it or put it on your Netflix queue. Even if you’ve never played the game before the movie is hilarious.
And if you have seen it before, watch it again, just for me. I’ll be watching it sometime this week, probably while knitting Jayne hats, and I’ll probably marvel again at how a movie that I’ve watched since I was a kid only gets better with every viewing.
“‘I dwell in darkness without you’ and it *went away*?” – Rediscovering Willow
Last night while we were waiting for the rest of our RPG group to arrive, three of us decided to relax and watch “Willowâ€. I’m not sure why I had the sudden urge to watch this movie but I’m now glad that I carted it along with my Mage books and character sheet.
It’s been a few years since I actually sat down and watched the movie through from start to finish. Last night reminded me of why I fell in love with this movie when I was little. There are so many moments that still have me laughing, captivated or even drooling.
The basic synopsis is similar to many fantasy tales. A child is born that is prophesied to bring down the evil Queen. As she searches for the baby in order to kill it and save herself the child is hidden. She’s found by Willow, a farmer and apprentice sorcerer. The movie follows his quest to try to first pass the child to one of the “taller folk” since she’s one of theirs and then as he tries to bring the child to safety. Along the way he gains the help of two sarcastic Brownies and “the greatest swordsman that ever lived”, Madmartigan.
Now, on to the things that I love!
First, how could I have forgotten the Brownies? The pair that travel with Willow seriously had me with tears in my eyes from laughter. They are some of the most amusing characters in the movie. I’d love to see someone at a convention dress as them and claim that Willow screwed up a spell and made them large. These guys are not only comic relief but they also get to bring the cavalry at the essential moment in the film.
I also can’t forget to mention the snow ball. Such a perfect cartoon-ish moment!
The whole plot of the movie, the names of characters and places, and the trials that it takes to get through the journey are amazing. I will never fail to be amazed by the world that was created for this film. Last night I learned that several novels were written that helped expand the universe. I must now find and read them!
The score is done by James Horner (the man behind the music of Star Trek) and is appropriately epic. I actually had to comment several times on it while re-watching the movie and my sentiments were echoed by my friends. As we have to note, James Horner does love his strings!
And of course, who can resist Val Kilmer as the long haired Madmartigan? I might have to agree with my friend, Amanda, who expressed the sentiment that Val Kilmer in that role may have started her love of men with long hair. Seriously, the entire movie that man is not only one of my favorite characters with his sarcasm and wit but he’s somewhat of a badass as well, and extremely easy on the eyes. His encounter with Sorsha in her tent where he raves about love leads to some of the best moments later in the film (such as the line that is the subject of this post).
I guess my greatest joy about re-discovering this movie is that I love it even more now than I did when I was younger. Though the magic may be gone from the newer George Lucas films, it’s still alive and well in “Willowâ€.
Thoughts? Loved it? Hated it? Agree with Amanda and I that Val Kilmer is extremely drool-worthy? Drop me a line!
“My reunion…that you’re dying to see…” – Thoughts on Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
In the realm of amazing CGI movies to watch, I have to beg that you check out Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.
Most folks have either played or at least watched someone play Final Fantasy VII but if you haven’t you may want to go borrow a copy and spend a day or two playing it through. Advent Children, while brilliant, has the major flaw of being very confusing to anyone who isn’t familiar with that well known game from the series. If you are familiar with the game then you’ll probably be quite happy with the storyline as presented in the film.
Advent Children is set 2 years after the events of the game. It opens with a recap of the events of the game, told from Marlene’s (Barrett’s daughter) point of view. She mentions a new disease that has started to spread with no rhyme or reason called Geostigma. It weakens its victims and causes them great pain as it spreads over their bodies. As far as they can tell it’s not contagious but they think it might be the planet’s way of expressing its own pain.
Tifa still runs a bar and looks after Marlene and another orphan named Denzel. She also handles the incoming jobs for Cloud’s messenger service. He doesn’t return to Midgar as often and we finally see him after Tifa accepts a job from the remaining Turks, Reno and Rude, and leaves Cloud a voicemail with a meeting place.
And that’s how the story begins.
Throughout the film we do get to see Cloud meet back up with and join forces with his old team, even having a bit of a thought provoking discussion with Vincent after a battle at the Temple of Ancients. Cloud is still consumed by guilt over the death of Aerith and even Zack and even when he finds himself confronted with Aerith’s spirit he cannot let go of the guilt and says that he wants to be forgiven. Aerith laughs and asks him “By who?†showing that she does not find him to blame for any of the events that occurred.
The antagonists of this movie are three “Remnantsâ€, also called the Silver Haired Men. Led by Kadaj they are on the search for “Mother†(Jenova). Kadaj is aware that some physical piece of Jenova still exists in the world and while he doesn’t seem sure what they’ll do with it when they find “herâ€, the compulsion to find it is strong. He also mentions Sephiroth in both a respectful and jealous way. (Who and what these men are is explained in a later animated tie-in.)
Aside from the plot, which I was sucked into from the beginning, the animation in this movie is mind-blowing. The attention to detail is so wonderful that you almost forget you are watching a CG animated movie. The action sequences are breathtaking and I’m glad that I own the movie as every time I re-watch it I see something else that I’ve missed in the past. Even if I watched it dubbed (which I haven’t and I’m terrified to) I would have to re-watch it to catch everything.
And the music. Oh the music. Fully orchestrated tracks that echo the themes from the original game with new twists. I ended up buying the two disc soundtrack because I couldn’t get it out of my head.
The interaction between Reno and Rude is hilarious and while I liked them in the game, I absolutely LOVE them after watching them in this movie. I have to break down and even say that I no longer thought Tifa was a whiny brat after watching her in this.
And I haven’t even gotten to Sephiroth. I don’t want to spoil things but let me say that if you liked his character even a little bit in the game you will be thrilled him in the movie. I go into a happy fangirl swoon every time I see him in Advent Children.
Ahhh.
Now I am aware that there are folks who didn’t really like this movie and if you’re one of them I’d love to hear why. If you haven’t seen it and you are a fan of the game, go watch it now and let me know what you think. Or if you love it like I do, what’s your favorite part?
Addicted to the knife… (or “why I love Repo! The Genetic Opera”)
I’m surprised I haven’t really written about one of my favorite geeky things yet in the past two weeks I’ve been a proud writer here at The GeeksFTW.
Repo! The Genetic Opera
Never heard of it? Let me give you a few reasons why you should go out and pick this up:
1. Much of the movie involves ripping out people’s organs and singing maniacally while doing so.
2. Anthony Stewart Head (yes, Giles!) sings the lead role.
3. Where else can you see Bill Moseley and Nivek Ogre (from Skinny Puppy) play homicidal brothers?
4. Terrance Zdunich as the Graverobber is definitely a hot goth boy.
And the reason that actually gets most people to watch it:
5. Haven’t you always wanted to see Paris Hilton’s face fall off?
Now that you have those reasons, I can give you a quick summary:
It’s in the “not too distant future†and the human race got a little ahead of itself with technology. The population fell victim to a disease called Neural Overstimulation Syndome which cause massive orgran failures. Billions died because of this until a company called GeneCo, headed by the Largo family, came up with a way to create and patent replacement organs. People who couldn’t afford transplants could finance them instead. With this new lease on life “upgrading†your body with surgery became fashionable and very popular. A new anesthetic was developed by GeneCo called Zydrate. This drug was highly addictive and blackmarket (and dangerous) versions of it extracted from dead bodies started being sold as well (with the dealers often being Graverobbers).
The downside to this came if you defaulted on your payments. When that happened GeneCo sent out special enforcers called Repo Men to get back their property…without anesthesia.
It’s in this setting that we find one man, his daughter, a corrupt family and the ties that bind them all in a complex web as one young girl tries to break free of her genetic destiny.
Tell me that didn’t intrigue you a least a little bit.
As you probably guessed by now, this is a rock opera. Yes, that means there is singing. However, with people like Bill Moseley and Ogre singing a couple of lead roles, this isn’t your typical musical. Even my friends who can’t stand musicals seem to love this movie. The gore is the type that is so over the top that it’s funny. (wait till you get to the “puppet†moment….trust me) The comic art sequences that are inserted to give the backstories are amazing and drawn by one of the creators of the movie, Terrance Zdunich. The music is catchy. I promise that “Zydrate Anatomy†will get stuck in your head in a good way.
And finally, the story is well written. As Shilo (the daughter) explores the world outside that she’s been locked away from during her life you find yourself caught up in her discoveries and how she reacts to the strange people that she encounters. I also love the interactions between the head of GeneCo, Rotti Largo, and his three children.
The movie itself has already attained a solid cult status among fans and has followed in the tradition of Rocky Horror Picture Show of being a film that has “official†shadowcasts around the world. Many cities boast a Repo! shadowcast that is well rehearsed with costumes, props, sets, special fx and even their own home venues. I’m the creator and co-director (and Graverobber) of the shadowcast here in Nashville, Testify! And I gotta say, we’re about to have our third performance and even after watching/listening to this movie hundreds of times (I’ve lost count….I lost count about 2 months into creating the shadowcast) I still love this film. It’s one that I just can’t seem to get tired of.
Terrance often describes the movie as one that you either love or hate. I have to agree, though I was originally “meh†about it untill a sudden obsession with it hit me three months after the first watching. Even knowing that, give it a try. Watch it through to the end. Then drop me a line and let me know what you thought.
Testify!
Session 9: Who doesn’t love haunted mental hospitals?
Looking for a suspenseful horror flick that is heavy on the creepy and light on the gore? Want something with an ending that will make you shiver? “Session 9†may be just the thing you need.
I found this movie through a roommate back when I lived in California during one of our weekly movie nights. Since the first watching of this particular film I’ve recommended it many friends. About half of them love it and half of them are more of the “meh†reaction. I admit, if you want a movie that does all the thinking for you, this one isn’t it. There were twists that had me re-watching to make sure that I caught something properly and the whole movie can make you sit there for bit after it’s over just lost in thought.
Here’s a quick summary:
A small asbestos removal crew wins a bid to clean out an old mental hospital in an extremely short amount of time. The crew itself has its own issues: one member who is angry at another who stole a girlfriend, one who is new to the job and has a severe phobia of the dark, one who has problems at home and so on. They each react to the job and the atmosphere of the hospital in a different way. One of the workers finds a box marked “Evidence†while cleaning and begins to listen to the nine session tapes of a patient called Mary who has multiple personality disorder. Through the movie we get to listen to excerpts of these sessions played over the action of the movie. The personalities all refer to an incident that happened early in Mary’s life and another personality called “Simon†that they fear.
I can’t really explain more without giving away spoilers and trust me, you need to watch this movie and be surprised. I will say that the very last line of the movie is my favorite and I often quote it when I’m in full creepy mood.
Overall the movie is a wonderfully creepy look into the minds of several folks, letting us see a fraction of the broken personalities and paranoia that grows through the film. Let’s just add to that mix with the setting of a recently shut down mental hospital. When are mental hospitals NOT creepy? The tapes of Mary’s sessions that we hear played throughout (as there’s not as much dialogue as you might expect between the workers) heighten the sense of anticipation and suspense, all leading to the final line of the movie.
Ha! After writing about it I now want to watch it as soon as I get home. Have you seen it or are you curious to see it? Let me know what you think!
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