The Savage Land of Oz

TV: In Memorium - 08-09 - ABC

2009-05-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

What I think ABC is guilty of, is trying to go out on a limb with a quirky show and then it just doesn't get the ratings they need to appease the advertisiers. So ultimately a potentially great show dies before it's time. Just look at previous years, shows like The Nine and Invasion, both pretty ambitious, but both needed avid watchers to follow the twists and turns. And now they are set to try again to appease the LOST fanbase with Flash Forward, a show about the whole planet blacking out for 2 minutes and having visions of their futures.

Keep it up ABC, eventually one will stick, like LOST.

Anyway on what we did lose this year...

PUSHING DAISES: I guess we should count ourselves lucky that due to a writer's strike we even got a second season of this brilliant show. By far the most creative and original hour on television, consistantly greta every week. Lee Pace and Anna Friel both had great chemistry and played their parts stongly but at the end of the day they were always outshined by the dour Chi McBride and upbeat Kristen Chenoweth.

This is definately the show I will miss the most out of all that got cancelled this year, due to the fact it was a pure joy to watch every week.

ELI STONE: Like Pushing Daises, this benefited from the writer's strike. The lack of any pilots to use this, despite its low ratings, was brought back. Again this was a show that wasn't afraid to go out on a limb and try something different every week. Featuring cameos from George Michael and Seal, and a myriad of muscial numbers concealed as Eli's visions. This show was blessed with a feel good charm that you just couldn't escape.

It is to be noted that the final 3 episodes of this and Pushing Daises will be broadcast on Saturdays during the Summer. Thank you ABC.

LIFE ON MARS: Based off a UK show of the same name, but retold in a slightly different and longer way. I'm glad they managed to finish out the whole season for this, and for the most part it was enjoyable, especially the whole 70s cop show aspect. Except the ending left a bad taste in my mouth, as it sullied the UK version. Like Prison Break though this is a show that would have had trouble lengthen itself out for 2 or 3 seasons, before the idea became tired.

THE UNUSUALS: A late season arrival, jumping in after LOST. It's oddball enough to be enjoyable, but there are better procedurals out there. It's only a shame because that means Amber Tamblyn is off our screens again.

NEXT: NBC & CBS - I don't think there is much on those two networks.. we'll see.

TV: In Memorium - Shows 08-09 - FOX

2009-05-18T09:47:00.000-07:00

Taking a lock back at this past season of TV, I deceided to start with the shows that I watched that have been cancelled.

PRISON BREAK (FOX): Of all the shows I watch that got cancelled this was the longest running, I have yet to watch the Series Finale, but after a long mid-season hiatus and a move from the prime slot Monday nights to being a lead-in to Dollhouse on Fridays, rating plummeted. As did the quality.

When the show started four years ago, it all hinged on a gimmick which would make a great mini-series or movie, but was protracted out for this long. For the most part it worked well, great twists and cliffhangers each week. But once they broke out of prison a second time in the third season, suspension of disbelief became a little harder. The fourth season has begun to feel like an after thought with the writes trying to tie up any loose ends they have presented to us in the big Company conspiracy.

Hopefully members of the cast like Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell will get picked up for other shows, as it is them that have made the show all the more enjoyable. And come on who doesn't love to hate Bagwell, one hand and all.

TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES (FOX): After a strong second season, that would give cause for this show to be nominated as the best sci-fi on TV, it was announced today that it wouldn't be returning.

Lena Headey gave us a look past the harden surface of the Sarah Connor previously portrayed by Linda Hamilton, we were give a psycholoical scarred and troubled woman at times. Driven to protect her son in the hope of saving the whole of mankind. Thomas Dekker's John Connor started out not far from what we saw with Edward Furlong, but over the course of it's 2 seasons he matured and began to look like the leader he was expected to be.

The bigger shocks of the second season was the great acting turns given to us by Brian Austin Green and Shirley Manson. Green had some great moments as Derek Reese (brother of John's father, Kyle), including an "I'm not John Connor" line that will be forever remembered in fandom. Shirley Manson, famous for being the lead singer of rock group Garbage, gave a surprisingly great and chilling turn as the seemingly emotion-less Catherine Weaver/T-1000.

NEXT: ABC - guilty of ending too many good shows - Pushing Daises, Eli Stone, Life on Mars & The Unusuals

Return to Oz

2009-05-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I am going to try and resurrect my blog. Not that anyone really cares, it'll at least keep my occupied whilst bored through the summer, hopefully. I aim to make a big post early next week regarding my thoughts on the past seasons of TV. With the finales of Grey's, Bones, Hell's Kitchen, Housewives and Survivor to get through this week. I'll gather my thoughts on ALL the shows I have been watching this year. Trust me that is alot.

Other than TV watching and video game playing I have discovered twitter. I was little unsure of it at first but once I started following peeps my twitter feed is full of useless, yet sometimes interesting junk. The thing with twitter is that if you don't follow anyone and no one is following you it seems like you are living in a void. One of the highlights of my twitter is the great MajorNelson who offers free codes for DLC on XBL every now and then, if you are quick enough you might get something out of it. Also every one should follow the quite literally HIGH-larious Doug Benson or alternatively you could just follow me.

So with any luck I will follow this blog up with some more stuff, as fitting thoughts and reviews into a 140 character limit is hard.

JOHN RAMBO

2007-05-25T19:54:00.001-07:00

WARNING: some violent scenes

TRAILER OF THE WEEK

2007-05-24T16:43:00.000-07:00

THE GOLDEN COMPASS

James Bond and dueling Polar bears.. I'm there.

LOST - FINALE finally.

2007-05-24T09:11:00.000-07:00

If you have yet to see this one stop reading and go watch. I mean it. Go NOW!!

‘Through the Looking Glass’ is the best episode of this season and one of the best over all 3 seasons. It answered a couple more questions, confirmed a suspicion and threw a whole bunch more in our face. And a end twist that now leaves us with a painful wait until 2008.

Here are the highlights and questions (BEWARE SPOILERS):

1. DEATHS:
Oh my god!! A big body count for these two hours. 7 nameless Others were killed in the Losties surprise attack. Then Ryan, Tom and another other killed by Hurley, Sawyer and Sayid respectively. The two women Others that held Charlie captive in ‘The Looking Glass’ are killed by Mikhael on the orders of Ben. Then, as predicted by Desmond, Charlie drowns after turning off the signal blocker when Mikhael sets off a grenade outside the viewing window, apparently killing himself in the process. Finally new girl Naomi is killed by Locke as he tries to prevent her from contacting her ship.
2. WHERE’S WALT?:
A great brief appearance from Walt. Is he really off the island contacting Locke?
3. TRUTH ABOUT NAOMI:
Ben tries to convince Jack that contacting Naomi’s ship is a mistake and she isn’t who she claims to be. That the arrival of her so called rescue team could mean the end of the island. Jack doesn’t believe him, but unbeknownst to him on board TLG station as Charlie turns off the system he makes contact with Penelope and she says she doesn’t know Naomi. So is Ben telling the truth?
4. AWWWWW:
I love you – Jack to Kate.
This is your mother – Ben to Alex about Danielle.
Do you want to get us killed? - Sawyer to Hurley
5. FLASH FORWARD??:
The flash backs are not what they seem. The final scene of the episode opens up questions and a need to rewatch what has gone before. We see a Jack who is a suicidal drunk and addict. It turns out the flashbacks are really flash forwards, we are seeing a Jack who was rescued from the island, a man who needs to go back. If this is the future of Jack, is his father alive, he mentions him a couple of times during the episode as if he were there, but is Jack just dillusional. Who was in the casket? Whoever it is they were mentioned in the newspaper and a seeming catalyst in Jack’s interuppted sucide attempt. Who does Kate have to get back too? Sawyer?
6. WHERE NOW?:
Where is Season 4 going to begin? Back on the island as they are rescued or not. Is the whole Jack flashforward a red herring, the show will return to the island and they will do battle with whoever is coming. Will that only be step forward toward the real rescue team coming later. Actually after all that do we want to see them get saved if that is what it is going to do to Jack. It pains me to see our hero the way he is after time on the island.

Did I miss anything? Probably. But isn’t that what rewatching the episode is for.

Blog Resurrected: The Death of Mars

2007-05-20T14:17:00.001-07:00

Phew.. okay it's been over 6 months since I posted last on here. And now as I can't get on my Flixster pages at work, blocked by websense, whatever. Maybe i'll go back to posting movie reviews on here first.

It seems it is official Veronica Mars has been killed by the CW. And they didn't make it quick and painless did they? Now this was a long drawn out death rattle. The network has succeded in destroying one of the best shows on TV by mis-representing it. The only reason it did as well as it did was through word of mouth. Even I was skeptical at first, but hearing good things from friends me and the wife rented the first season and got hooked.

Based on commercials during the show and promos that run for episodes the CW was aiming the show at a younger audience, these tweens are the ones who aren't going to the get the hilarious pop culture references that litter Veronica's mythos, especially the Big Lebowksi. A movie, that like Veronica Mars is a homage to the great noir works by writers Chandler.

We can only hope enough of a fuss is raised that like Family Guy on FOX someone will realise the error of their ways and bring back this great show.

VIDEO GAMES: PS3 launches and insanity reigns

2006-11-20T08:48:00.000-08:00

I don't see why Sony couldn't have priced their system at $1000 to begin with, at the current $600 price tage they are losing over $200 per unit. The only people making money are the asses who are selling thwe systems on ebay, currently getting twice the price of what they paid. But that doesn't say much for the idiots who are willing to fork out the extra dough to pay for them.

It has been reported that alot more people were just buying the PS3 so that they could make money reselling it. Where as it looks as though the Wii, which didn't completely sell out at all locations until late Sunday, is going to gamers. Well it is less profitable currently only making $200 over it's shelf price.

Just wait until the storm dies down. It is going to be near impossible to get hold of a PS3 before Xmas. Sony just aren't releasing enough systems, they've pushed out only 400,000 compared to 1 million Wiis in the marketplace. And Nintendo hope to make a push upto the holiday with another million or so reaching users.

Or you could just wait five years, when the Ps3, like the PS2 now, will be just getting into it's stride and that is when they will release the next-next-gen systems.

TV: What I am watching... PART 2

2006-11-16T07:48:00.000-08:00

WEDNESDAY NIGHTS
Lost (ABC) Season 3 - Well I guess I won't really be watching this until next year but the island left us with a suitable enough cliffhanger. As Jack holds Ben hostage on the operating table to secure the release of Kate and Sawyer, but unbeknownest to him that they are all stranded on a seperate isle.

Bones (FOX) Season 2 - Although not a show on the same level as Lost, Heroes, Veronica Mars and Desperate Housewives what this show succeeds in is the enjoyment of watching it's characters interact. The writing is always top notch, it'll never blow you away but also you'll never be disappointed.

Jericho (CBS) NEW SHOW - Along with Heroes here is another show providing a hugh concept serialised drama as the population of a small mid-west are isolated in the midst or a possible nuclear war.
It's good to see Skeet Ulrich getting work and he is a more than capable lead in a story that has plenty of ongoing mystery and drama.

Medium (NBC) Season 3 - Returning just last night after a extended hiatus to allow the broadcast of other new, but generally alot worse, shows. It was a typically strong episode and a great premiere. I liked the way it was giving more screen time to the other supporting characters giving them more depth.

The Nine (ABC) NEW SHOW - The hostages from a botched bank robbery find that they lives are forever changed as they have to deal with what happened to them. A clever use of revealing flashbacks, a little piece of the ordeal is revealed at a time as a driving force for events in each episode. I just think ABC maybe asking too much of their audience by putting right after Lost, as both shows require alot of attention and emmotion. I hope this show can stick around.

NOTE: I would have also been watching Day Break on ABC but my DVR screwed up and never recorded it.

TV: What I am watching... PART 1

2006-11-15T10:43:00.000-08:00

Well here we are running into the November sweeps and all the new shows are falling in to line. But what am I watching this year?

MONDAY NIGHTS
Prison Break (FOX) Season 2 - Last year this was a show that had me wondering where they could go with it once they get past the actual breaking out of prison. Well after the disappointing finale which left me with a bad taste in my mouth the second season has picked up alot of the slack, offering the gutwrenching cliffhangers which the first season lived on. Introducing new characters whilst finishing off some familiar faces.
Now we are a couple of weeks away from the forced Fall finale (show returns next March), the Burrows brothers are without their money that they planned to have and are know being tracked by a drug taking Marshall (William Fitchner). It is still hard to see how FOX are going to keep the twists coming, but they have managed it for over 5 years on 24. So let us enjoy the ride for now.

Heroes (NBC) NEW SHOW - A show that is quickly closing in on Lost for the amount of weekly anticipation that it causes in me. My inner, and outer, geek are loving every minute of this great new serialised drama. My initial fears that the theme of the show would lose alot of the audience have been allayed as the show is getting the best ratings of any new show on TV this year.
But even if you aren't a comic book reader this show has enough drama and character to involve you.

Also on Mondays: How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - In it's second season and still very funny.

TUESDAY NIGHTS
Veronica Mars (CW) 3rd season - Gotta love me some Veronica. Now that I've kind of gotten over the horrific changes to the title music and credits this new season has picked up well. The move away from the location of Neptune High to the college reminds me of Buffy's move over. It gives the show a slightly different which at first was unnerving but it has grown on me.
The shame of the whole thing is that in ratings so far this year VM is only beating one or two shows on it's own network. Which could spell trouble come the next season when they'll want to run a few new shows. I just can't understand with the talent and writing behind this show as why it remains largely unwatched. It is just a travesty.

VIDEO GAMES: Rock returns and the gaming of tomorrow now.

2006-11-12T07:44:00.000-08:00

The pinnacle of rhythm games has returned this past week. Guitar Hero 2 is in my hands and it is totally rockin'. Red Octane have up the ante this time round with a massive 40 licensed songs and another 15 independent tracks to strum through. And for those people who managed to master the game on the Hard and Expert levels it seems they have upped the difficulty too.

Unfortunately I am not in the number who can play on Hard or even come close to expert. I shredded through the game on Medium, now I am looking for those elusive 100% notes hit. I really have to practice my hammer-ons and pull-offs to master those quicker sections.

Now looking forward to the future and the next-gen consoles. It looks like I am leaning in the direction of getting a Wii, with a price tag 50% of the one on the PS3, it may be the way to go in the meantime until the price drops on the other. Where as the PS3 is about adult gaming the Wii is going to emphasis family gaming.

If the potential is properly harnessed by video games makers Nintendo, with a less powerful system, could be showing the way to go. Getting the player to immerse themself in the game using body movements, you swing the control like a sword your character in the game could be swinging their sword. The possibilities are endless.

One game that has me excited is Trauma Center: Second Opinion, think operation without the buzzer and using the Wii-mote to control the doctor's hands are you operate on patients in a hospital ER.

But then I do see those gorguous screenshots of the PS3 in action and I can help but think what would I be missing.... We'll see what 2007 brings.

VIDEO GAMES: Is that you or is someone strangling the cat?

2006-11-03T11:21:00.000-08:00

In a couple of weeks a PS2 game will hit stateside that on the other side of the Atlantic has spawned five sequels. It is game that doesn't require that you be a gaming wiz, all you need is a sense of fun and a set of vocal chords.

SingStar Rocks! is it's name, and it plays much like the Karaoke Revolution series from Konami in that you have to sing in key to rack up the points.

What SingStar excels at is the fact it has fully licensed tracks, which no more second rate re-recordings of the classics. Not that KR's backups were bad, just for some you could tell the difference. Also it has the addition of each song playing it's original video in the background as you play. Plus the fact that for the same price as a KR game you will get Singstar with not one but two microphones.

What has me most exicted about this game is the song selection. More my style than the KR games have been as of yet. Here is the song list, I have bolded my personal picks to sing:

Girls & Boys - Good Charlotte
Take Your Mama - Scissor Sisters
Every Breath You Take - The Police
Banquet - Bloc Party
Song 2 - Blur
Speed Of Sound - Coldplay
Celebrity Skin - Hole
Are You Gonna Be My Girl? - Jet
Everything's Changing - Keane
Black Horse And The Cherry Tree - KT Tunstall
Wind Of Change - Scorpions
Hate To Say I Told You So - The Hives
Somebody Told Me - The Killers
Self-Esteem - The Offspring
Paint It Black - The Rolling Stones
The Boys Are Back in Town - Thin Lizzy
I Will Survive - I Will Survive
Respect - Aretha Franklin
Love Shack - B52s
Summertime - DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
Son Of A Preacher Man - Dusty Springfield
Rocket Man - Elton John
Dance, Dance - Fall Out Boy
Cool - Gwen Stefani
Super Duper Love (Are You Diggin On Me?) - Joss Stone
Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
(There's) Always Something There To Remind Me - Naked Eyes
Friday I'm in Love - The Cure
Blue Orchid - The White Stripes

Sony are making the PS2 release of SingStar a test run for the full blown PS3 version. Which they claim will have a downloaded able song market, making song choice possibly unlimited.

It seems this year and for the Xmas rush SingStar will be getting the jump on the delayed Karaoke Revolution: American Idol. Even though it has a longer song list it just seems to lacking that rocking punch that SingStar looks to deliver.
Check out the song list:

All My Life - K-Ci and JoJo
Alone - Heart
Always Something There To Remind Me - Naked Eyes
Be Without You - Mary J. Blige
Breakaway - Kelly Clarkson
Build Me Up Buttercup - The Foundations
Can't Help Falling In Love - Elvis Presley
Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen
Dilemma - Nelly & Kelly Rowland
Do I Make You Proud - Taylor Hicks
Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me - Elton John
Don't You Want Me - The Human League
Easy - Commodores
Every Rose Has It's Thorn - Poison
Flying Without Wings - Ruben Studdard
Heartbreaker - Pat Benatar
Heaven - Bryan Adams
Hungry Like The Wolf - Duran Duran
If You Don't Know Me By Now - Simply Red
It's Not Unusual - Tom Jones
Just The Way You Are - Billy Joel
Let's Stay Together - Al Green
Love Will Keep Us Together - Captain & Tennille
More Than Words - Extreme
Photograph - Nickelback
Piano Man - Billy Joel
Proud Mary - Tina Turner
Rock With You - Michael Jackson
Saving All My Love For You - Whitney Houston
She Bangs - Ricky Martin
Stand By Me - Ben E. King
Stickwitu - The Pussycat Dolls
Straight Up - Paula Abdul
Sugar We're Going Down - Fall Out Boy
The Real Thing - Bo Bice
Total Eclipse Of The Heart - Bonnie Tyler
Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield
What A Girl Wants - Christina Aguilera
You And Me - Lifehouse
You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling - The Righteous Brothers

So instead of seeing you in that club you'll have to find me rocking out in my living room. Now only if I could hook my Guitar Hero up at the same time.

NEW TV SEASON 06/07: LOST

2006-11-02T10:23:00.000-08:00

So here we are now 7 episodes in, and with one more left before the big break. And where exactly do we stand?

Well Jack has a decision to make, and whatever choice he makes could seem to be the right one. Does he trust Juliet? Is she lying about wanting to revolt against Ben. Well look at this way, there will be flashbacks involving Others this year. So it would stand to reason she is telling the truth and will end up on Jack's side.. but does that mean he has to kill off the show's villain.

Sawyer and Kate are still caged, with Sawyer being the only one who knows that they are not their island anymore, or are they?

Sayid returned to camp after having their boat stolen, no sign of Jin or Sun in episode 7, and he doesn't really mention anything other than saying he just got back. I suppose we are just meant to assume he told Locke and the rest what happened on the trek through the jungle.

Eko has sadly been lost to the island. Another sacrifice. Also another one proceeded by visions. Note how Dave tried to get Hurley to kill himself and when Jack saw his father in the first season he almost fell off a cliff too. It seems that the monster can take forms to play mind games on people. Jack's father, Dave, Eko's brother and even Kate's horse.

Do you think critics even watch the show anymore? As this morning in the USA today William Keck writes an small sidebar on the loss of Eko and mentions that he is the last of the tailes to die. Wrong. What happened to Bernard and Rose?

Now we have the new mysterious one-eyed man hiding in possibly the unseen Flame station. The buzz is that he is played by Andrew Divoff (Wishmaster), who also had a couple of guest stars on Alias.

We only found out about him thanks to the quick thinking of new lostie Nikki. Her and Paulo right now only seem to function as a form of narrative, they haven't done much so they have to keep asking questions thus keeping new audiences clued in on what is happening. The writers better think fast about doing something interesting with them or fans are gonna hope they come to a nasty end before the end of the year. Maybe Michael can come back and just shoot them on principle, now that would redeem him.

LOST - More questions asked then answered

2006-10-26T09:24:00.000-07:00

Are The Others naieve (sp?) or just child like? Ben/Henry said to Jack that he spent his whole life on the island, could this be true for some of the other Others. As I was surprised at Pickett's reaction to his wife's death at the hands of Sun. Honestly, what do you expect will happen when you get on their boat with guns and kidnap Losties?

Is there really another island? Or could it be the biggest con Sawyer has ever seen. Just one more thing to keep him compliant. Hopefully we'll find out before the end of the year.

Next week will mark another turning point as we are due to lose another character.

The remaining 2 episodes before the break are going to be first an Eko-centric followed by a Kate-centric. When it comes back next year on 7th Febuary we'll be treated to the first Other flashback as Juliet gets her time.

MOVIE REVIEW - A Bittersweet Life (2005 / S Korea)

2006-08-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

aka Dalkomhan insaeng (Korean title)

Director: Ji-woon Kim
Starring: Byung-hun Lee, Min-a Shin, Jeong-min Hwang, Kim Young-Chul

Revenge tales are nothing new to Korean cinema so with every new one the creators have to look to ways of injecting something fresh into a genre that could go stale very fast. With A Bittersweet Life it can be safely said that Ji-woon Kim is more than capable of doing that.

The source of the film's vengeance is Sun-woo (Byung-hun), he by outward appearance is neatly presented hotel manager but as we find out in the opening few minutes he is a deadly and seemingly emmotionless enforcer. When his boss, President Kang (Young-chul), asks him to keep a eye on his girlfriend Hee-soo (Min-a) to see if she is being faithful to him alos telling him if she is cheating that he must kill her and her lover. But all this does not go to plan as Sun-woo's feelings get in the way of his job and his loyalty to his boss, now he has to deal with the repercussions of his actions.

Firstly let it be said that on screen the city of Seoul is striking in it's outward cleanliness and beauty whilst under the surface seems to be a vicious underworld. It works as a match to the character of Sun-woo who is clean cut and smart in his business but underneath the sharp veneer is a potential for violence which when unleashed becomes an unstoppable machine.

I loved how the story didn't try to pretend to be anything more than a revenge tale, the plots moves along in a linear fashion, thankfully avoiding alot of the cliches or potential twists. It is enjoyable in it's simplicity. Yes you can tell where the story is going and to what ends it may bring, but in the case of this film is completely satisfying. I suppose it could be equated with going to a restaurant, ordering great food, getting what you wanted and it tasting just as you expected.

Although having said that the final shot of the film does suggest something but you can take it as you want. As with most Korean or other eastern movies it sows seeds for discussion and gives the viewer more of a choice in deceiding what they have just seen.

Visually, like the story, it is simple, stark yet rich and easy on the eye. When the blood does flow, and it flows alot, it is bold and in your face. The fight scenes are fantastic especially the final shoot out in the hotel restaurant. The acting is equally good Byung-hun Lee makes Sun-woo a believeable, likable guy through all his violent outbursts and his chemistry with his unrequited love Hee-soo is great.

Overall: Another winner for Korean cinema. 9/10

MOVIE REVIEW - Tom Yum Goong (2005 / Thailand)

2006-08-25T09:35:00.000-07:00

aka The Protector (US Title)

Director: Prachya Pinkaew
Starring: Tony Jaa, Petchtai Wongkamlao, Bongkoj Khongmalai, Xing Jing, Nathan Jones

First off let's get the paper thin plot out of the way. Although it opens well with a beautiful, lucious green Thai jungle backdrop it is here we find Kham (Jaa) and his father, they act as protectors/guardians to the herds of elephants. It is the bond between them and their animals that is the driving force behind the plot as poachers come to their land. In the process they take a young elephant and it's father to Australia. We have had all the heart and emotion now comes the action as Kham goes on a crusade to bring back the elephants.

What a crusade it is too. From boat chases along a Thai river to brawls in a burning temple this has all the action fans of Ong Bak are waiting for, and they won't be disappointed. Tony Jaa breaks, bashes, twists and bends bad guys bones without much thought. Of course it is these stunning fight scenes that stand out, making it all the more watchable.

Previously with Ong Bak Jaa had shown the world what Muay Thai is and what it can do, with this he is now showing what he can do as he has developed his style to something even more eye pleasing.

Okay so the acting is not great, the plot is non-existant and there are gapping holes in any reasoning behind the characters actions. Also the film liberally borrows from other movies, for example the bone-breaking extravaganza toward the end reminds me of the rooftop ending to Jet Li's The Master. But Jaa's presence saves this from being yet another mindless actioner.

Overall: It scares me to think what Jaa and Pinkaew could do with a great script. 8/10

John Doe is The Incredible Hulk?

2006-08-17T18:13:00.000-07:00

Dominic Purcell was recently interview on a New York radio station when the hosts of the show asked if he was up for the role of Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk, the sequel to Marvel Studio's Hulk. If he is up for the role he obviously cannot talk about, check out the link below and see what you think.

http://downloads.comingsoon.net/purcell2.mp3

He would replace fellow Aussie Eric Bana, a fan favorite as the Doctor with anger management issues. The film is set for a 2008 and will be directed by Louis Leterrier (Transporter, Unleashed).

Also annouced this week was a title change for the Fantastic Four sequel, previously known as Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer it'll now go be the title Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Looking at a June 15th, 2007 release.

MOVIE REVIEW - Inside Man (2006)

2006-08-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

Director: Spike Lee
Starring: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe

A bank heist led by Dalton Russell (Owen) seems to be going out of control as they take hostages. Detective Frazier (Washington), a cop under investigation, is brought in as negotiator. As there cat and mouse game unfolds a woman (Foster) with a hidden agenda forces herself into the mix.

Avoiding most of the trappings that are usually associated with 'a Spike Lee joint' this taut heist thriller comes across as Lee most mainstream movie to date and also one of his best. Sure that is a biting social commentary at the heart of the film but it is more subtle than his past efforts, the only out of place moment throughout it when Clive Owen sits down and talks to a child hostage about his violent and stereotyped video game.

Everything about this film oozes quality. Lee's tight and intelligent script shows New York in all its ethnic diversity from Albanians to Seikhs. The performances are all top notch, again Washingston fails to disappoint and is strong in the lead escpecially in the moments when he is matching wits with Clive Owen. Owen himself is great and agains proves himself as one of the finest actors working today. Plummer is superb as the bank owner with something to hide and Foster aquites herself well as the bitch in a predominately male cast.

Overall: Right up there with Heat and Dog Day Afternoon as one of the best and smartest heist movies of all time. 9.5/10

MOVIE NEWS - Holy Sequels Batman!!!!

2006-08-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

Yes Bat-fans it was confirmed today....

The title of the Batman Begins sequel is going to be The Dark Knight and Heath Ledger has been cast as the Joker. Of course Christian Bale is returning in the cape n cowl with Christopher Nolan taking the director's chair once again.

In other movie news...

It has been confirmed that George Clooney will star as Doc Cage in a remake of Stephen King's Pet Sematary.
Unfortunately Stallone has said they will start shooting Rambo IV this October.

MOVIE REVIEW - Legend of the Wolf (1997)

2006-07-23T12:21:00.000-07:00

Aka The New Big Boss, Zhan lang chuan shuo

Director: Donnie Yen
Starring: Donnie Yen, Chi Wah Wong, Carmen Lee

With his directorial debut Donnie Yen wanted to do something different and on most levels he did succeed admirably. It is a movie that has been hailed by many as a masterpiece, unfortunately it seems just as many have denounced it as a mess sparking debate in the martial arts movie making community.

The story is relatively simple, but it received flak for being confusing in it’s use of flashbacks within flashbacks. I don’t see it myself. I understood the use of them as exposition especially for Yen’s character’s emotions. He is the Wolf of the title, a man who has lost his memory and arrives in a village threatened by bandits, local boy Wai (Wong), who offers to lead him to a temple for a small fee, assists him. After a run in with bandits in the jungle, showing the Wolf’s kung fu talents, the story is set in motion. Wai and Wolf tell all of this in flashback to a young man who is asking them to kill someone for him. They are telling the tale to set an example for him and show that his actions are not the right way.

Yen is a man at the peak of his psychical prowess and he loves to show this off. The fight scenes can be considered an ego trip of sorts. He is a one man killing machine, when the whole village is being beaten to death he seems to be the only one, other than Wai, able to defeat any of the bandits. Comparisons can be made to Bruce Lee with his use of sidekicks, in fact the UK title is New Big Boss referencing the Lee movie. What loses him points during some of his action sequences is that he likes to bring the camera in tight and you just see a blur of hands and feet in front of people’s faces. Although this does add a visceral feel to the proceedings, I prefer being able to see the punches and blocks connecting.

The acting is okay. Yen doesn’t emote that much, he is stoic and vacant. He speaks with his fighting. The other cast members are just there to help support the emotional impact of the fights. You feel for the villages just because you see them getting massacred not because you have connected with them.

This is a bold attempt at an artistic action film and a good choice if you are looking for something different than the average chop-socky kung fu. Kudos to Yen and this a great comparison piece is his latest work on SPL.

Overall: A dragon punch or two away from a masterpiece. 8/10

MOVIE REVIEW - In the Line of Duty IV (1989)

2006-07-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

Aka - Huang jia shi jie zhi IV: Zhi ji zheng ren

Director: Yuen Woo Ping
Starring: Cynthia Khan, Donnie Yen, Michael Wong, Michael Woods

This was Donnie Yen’s breakthrough movie. He was supposed to be in a supporting role to Cythia Khan’s hero cop but he ends up saving her ass several times. With action in the able hands of master Yuen Woo Ping this is one movie that couldn’t go wrong. Released during a time when the market was flooded with similar styled action flicks, the story is average, the script is sloppy and the acting doesn’t help at all. It is the fights that hold this whole mess together.

The plot involving a witness of CIA corruption that Yen and Khan must protect at all costs as he runs from Seattle and hides out in his homeland of Hong Kong. They are sent to bring him back to the US to face prosecution for the crime he witnessed. Of course the hitmen come out of the woodwork trying to kill the trio.

The fight scenes are fantastic, especially Yen versus a beefed up Michael Woods on a building roof top toward the end. But the problem is some of them go on way too long as kick after kick is landed the person on the receiving end invariably seems affected by the damage they sustain.

Overall: A must for any martial arts fan. 7/10

MOVIE REVIEW - Election (2005)

2006-07-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

aka – Hak se wui

Director: Johnnie To
Starring: Simon Yam, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Louis Koo, Nick Cheung

This is definitely not to be confused with Alexander Payne’s 1999 black comedy that dealt with a high school president election and the conflicts that come from running for election. Surprisingly this film does actually cover some of the same themes but in the setting of a triad council election. And this is a lot less funny.

Lok (Yam) and Big D (Leung) are the two gangsters seeking the position of chairman but they go about it in different ways. Big D likes to let his money doing the talking, trying to buy his votes from the council elders, where as Lok is a man of the people, garnering respect and admiration from the locals. When the vote doesn’t go the way one man wants all hell threatens to break loose within their triad society.

The subject matter of this delves into the inner workings of a triad society, showing that a lot of the time it isn’t about the muscle of being a gangster. Like in a early scene the elders are discussing their votes around cups of tea. The actual process of election, even within a crime syndicate is ordered and essentially civilized. The society believes in tradition, hence the chairman who is stepping down must back the new one as well as handing over a baton, this item becomes central to the plot.

We are also shown how the police and the triad interact. Triad members are constantly being arrested and held in suspicion, but never charged, in order to keep balance. It seems everything as in all life comes down to the balance of power, the ying and yang. You can’t have it weighed too much one direction or you lose control.

Johnnie To’s low key direction is important to keeping the viewer hooked to the screen, at times not much is happening but you don’t feel that. With the help of great performances from all the actors involved the experience becomes intense building up to a shocking climax that reminds you who these people really are. They are just gangsters and this is life for them.

Overall: Another Hong Kong film worthy of respect. 9/10

Six Degrees of Apple Movie Trailers.

2006-07-21T22:41:00.000-07:00

Let's start with the new Darren Aronofsky movie...

The Fountain

now this stars Hugh Jackman who is also in the upcoming film from Christopher Nolan...

The Prestige

which is a movie about magicians much like the Edward Norton starrer...

The Illusionist

co-star fellow Academy Award nominee Paul Giamatti whose voice can be heard in...

The Ant Bully

Alongside the always fantastic Nicolas Cage who will be appearing in...

The Wicker Man

Which also features Ellen Burstyn who is in....

The Fountain

MOVIE REVIEW - Ultraviolet (2006)

2006-07-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

Director: Kurt Wimmer
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Cameron Bright, Nick Chinlund, William Fichtner

With Equilibrium Kurt Wimmer gave us a fantastic vision of a fascist future where the government called all the emotional shots. With it he combined gunplay with martial arts creating a smooth flowing style of what can only be called GUNg-fu. Now four years later and seems to be trying to recreate his past success. Unfortunately for the majority he fails.

Gone is the cold hard concrete future of the clerics and it is replaced with a bright anime style. That is about the only part that wins through on this movie. It is beautiful to behold the cool CGI slips and turns through a sprawling metropolis, the residents of the city tend to wear bright primary colors in contrast to the government officials clad in black. A small nod must also goto the action, but some it does seem to have been transplanted directly over from Equilibrium.

Now we look beyond the visuals into the heart of the story and that’s where it loses the audience. There barely is one and of course what there is about a war between humans and the last Hemophages, vampire-like humans infected with a silly super-soldier virus and now there could be a cure for them, is just used to string together the action sequences. Shame.

Another thing I couldn’t get away from was how much Jovovich’s character just reminded me of The Bride (Uma Thurman) from Kill Bill. A motorcycle riding, tight fitting leather outfit wearing, kung-fu kicking and sword swinging bad ass bitch. At time it looked like Milla mist have watched Kill Bill repeatedly for inspiration. So instead of making the character here own it seemed like she was lifted from another movie. Shame.

The biggest shame is that this movie was made in Hollywood, if it had been made be the Japanese as the opening credits suggest, it would have probably been praised for it’s vision and style.

Overall: Like Jovovich herself, gorgeous visually but beyond that pretty much nothing. 3/10

MOVIE REVIEW - Infernal Affairs (2002)

2006-07-18T09:03:00.000-07:00

aka Mou gaan dou

Directors: Andrew Lau, Alen Mak
Starring: Andy Lau, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang

Two dedicated men are working undercover on opposite sides of the law. The first is Inspector Lau (Andy Lau) a hard working police officer who is really a triad mole within the OCTB and then on the flipside there is Yan (Tony Leung) who is an undercover police officer working inside a triad gang. As their lives intersect they both begin their own investigations each trying to find on the other is.

Similar in ideals to Woo's Hard Boiled in how it looks into the dedication of men made to work undercover. How these two handle every day life whilst lying to everyone they know and the friendships they can develop with the people they are essentially spying on. But it is a thousand miles away from Hard Boiled when it comes to action. IA provides action through it's raw tension, it pulls you to edge of your seat as they come closer to finding out who is who. By the time a few bullets do start to fly it is short and all the more realistic in tone.

Andrew Lau's direction style is fantastic and is a perfect example of a stylised director who doesn't overload the screen with little flairs. It is subtle and brings you in closer to the characters. The acting is superb especially Tony Leung's wrought portayal of an almost burnt out undercover cop and Andy Lau is great as always.

I also what to give praise to the fact that Hong Kong filmmakers can let the film tell the story rather than lengthy exposistion. Making these movies a more cerebral experience then the majority of thrillers coming out of other countries.

Overall: A marvellous new addition to my top 100. 10/10

MOVIE REVIEW - The Descent (2005)

2006-07-14T08:52:00.000-07:00

Director: Neil Marshall
Starring: Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, MyAnna Buring, Nore-Jane Noone

Sarah (MacDonald) still coming to terms with a great loss in her life deceides to go a on cave expedition in the Appalachian Mountains with 5 friends. They are led down into the dark caverns be Sarah's best friend Juno (Mendoza) who ends getting them lost and trapped two miles underground. With no obviuos way of escape they are cut off and alone, or are they?

Anyone out there who want to make horror movies should watch this and take note. This means you Hollywood. You don't need big huge budgets and big concepts to really scare people. All you need is the dark and confined spaces. The use of close camera work during the sections where the girls are crawling through tight spaces gives an unbelieveable sense of claustrophobia that it can make the viewer uneasy for them. Sound is equally good from the tight breathing of the characters to the echoes throughout the caves. All this creates a pervasive tension that can leave a viewer breathless.

This is definately not for the squeemish because once the action kicks in the final third the blood really starts to pump, fly and run all over. But even though it is grisly it feels like a nessecity to understand the horror the characters are having to go through in an attempt to survive. In fact one of the girls becomes almost feral and animal herself toward the end that she becomes part of the true horror of the events.

As this is a horror flick I am willing to overlook the bad acting as overall the script and plot manages to avoid all the cliches that are associated with the genre, making it all the more fresh.

Overall: A definate high point for UK horror films in recent years and a shining example for the whole movie industry. 8.5/10

NEW LINKS

2006-07-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

Just added new links to the list on the right... everyone should check them out

www.askaninja.com - The ultimate in ninja hilarity. All the answers right from the horses mouth. Just remember that if you watch he will have to kill you.

www.hopeisemo.com - From the creators of ask a ninja and MADtv star Christa Flanigan comes this tongue in cheek look at the world of emos and video blogging.

MOVIE REVIEW - Kairo (2001)

2006-07-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

aka Pulse

Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Disturbing images begin to appear on computers over the internet. The film follows the effects of these events on two groups of people, in the first group a young girl witnesses a suicide and how this effects her and the people around as they investigate the strange event. Whilst the second story line is about an ecnomincs student and his first attempt to get on the internet leading to the appearance of a strange website.

I can see how people may be disappointed with this one, in fact I was to a certain extent. Movies like The Ring, The Grudge and Dark Water have spoiled us with the usual "THIS IS A SCARY MOMENT!!' parts of the film. After seeing the trailer I was expecting something similar to those others but I was wrong. This movie isn't really scary, it does have its moments but nothing that will keep you checking those dark corners at night. What this film does succeed in is pure tension. For it's slightly overlong runtime it does manage to keep you hooked in. It is genuinely eerie. One moment towards the end will have you looking away from the screen as the shivers run up your spine.

It is a tale of loneliness, of trying to reach out to people. The apparitions on the computers are always by themselves and now they are moving into our world flooding those who see them with unbearable dispair, that for the most part they just give up on living and cease to exist. It really does raise some interesting questions and thoughts or what there is after we die. Where we all go? And if everyone does go there what happens when it gets full.

I'm looking forward to seeing the Hollywood remake and wondering if they will manage to do for this what they did for The Ring. I can see them tighten the story up a little, cutting back the run time and upping the scares. Which all may not be such a bad thing, I just hope they don't mess with the heart of this tale.

Overall: A slightly drawnout and okay example of J-Horror. 6.5/10

CAPSULE REVIEWS - Not missing much

2006-07-11T08:24:00.000-07:00

THE LEGEND OF ZORRO (2005)
Martin Cambell back in the directing chair, Banderas back in the saddle and Zeta Jones back in that oh-so tight fitting dress. We are introduced to new band of cardboard cut out bad guy and a new mini me Zorro in the form of Zorro's son. Some great sword fighting moments and other action sequences where you must suspend all belief and one part in particular has you asking "Why not just kill whilst you have your sword at his throat Zorro?".
Overall: Just harmless, if a little overlong, fun. 5.5/10

THE PINK PANTHER (2005)
At first my thoughts on this remake with Steve Martin in the role of Clouseau was another Hollywood bad idea. An offences to the Sellars classics. But for what it's worth this is amiable enough, Martin hams his way though most of the scenes, especially the airport security one. Jean Reno is okay but the real standout star is Kevin Kline as the brunt of all Closeau's mishaps, the scheming Chief of Police Dreyfus.
Overall: Passable but forgettable. 4.5/10

DATE MOVIE (2006)
My poor Alyson what deal did you have to make with Satan to end up working in this crap. This is the first movie I have watched in about 10 years that I turned off before the end. I think I lasted about an hour and a bit, right upto the huge puss-filled zit.
Overall: The shit stops here. 1/10

TV - Psych

2006-07-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

It really seems USA can't go wrong. Yet another great character driven crime show.

The first episode was brilliant. All the jokes hit there marks. James Roday is fantastic as the fake psychic sleuth Shawn Spencer and his comic moments of fake psychic readings were spot on. Dule Hill is excellent as his straight man and the two play off each other very well.

Here's hoping they can keep it up.

Also more kudos to USA for their advertisements during the shows which have the characters from Psych, Monk and The Dead Zone interacting. Very funny.

MOVIE REVIEW - The Matador (2005)

2006-07-10T09:43:00.000-07:00

Director: Richard Shepard
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Pierce Brosnan, Hope Davis, Philip Baker Hall

Julian Noble (Brosnan) is a lonely hitman on the brink of burning out when he runs into Danny Wright (Kinnear), a downtrodden businessman, in Mexico City bar. Julian reaches out to Danny in the vain hopes of forming a friendship, something that he has never had.

One standout scene in the movie takes place at a bullfight, Danny at first scoffs at Julian when he tells him his occupation and asks him to prove it. Julian proceeds to show him the setup for a hit. This becomes the moment at which Brosnan really becomes the character and makes you forget that for a while he was 007.

Unlike past hitman-drama-comdies like Grosse Pointe Blank this one doesn't waste time on action or tension. In fact besides from the opening hit you don't see anyone getting killed. This leaves room for the real story, which is of friendship and having people in your life who care about you no matter what you do or who you kill.

Sometimes when you get a film that you weren't expecting it can be a let down but in The Matador's case you can make an exception. What you get is an original, clever, witty well-written tale with great performances from all the cast and an espcially memorable Brosnan.

Put this one on your hit-list. 8/10

MOVIE REVIEW - Seven Swords (2005)

2006-07-09T18:26:00.000-07:00

aka Chat Gim (cantonese title)

Director: Tsui Hark
Starring: Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, Charlie Yeung, Chia-Leung Liu

It is the early 17th century and the Ming Dynasty has been overthrown by the Machurians thus creating the Ching Dynasty. In an attempt to prevent any rebellions the new emperor declares an edict outlawing martial arts and anyone practising them must surrendered their weapons or face death. But soon they face death regardless as the ruthless military commander Fire-wind (Honglei sun) and his small army of mercenaries sweep across the land massacering villages regardless of surrenders to claim bounties on the heads of men, women and children. Then he sets his sights on on one final target, Martial village. Standing in his way is Fu (old school star Chia-Leung Liu), a man who served under him during the last dynasty. He leads two of the villagers to Mount Heaven to request the help of the warriors that reside there. Together with the five swords that join them there they become the Seven who will stand in the way of the tyrany of Fire-wind.

Marvellous flowing sword fighting sequences, in amongst sweeping mountain vistas and some great performances from the varied cast. The love stories of the subplot bring out the heart of the movie and the overall ideal of heroism against great odds is always touching.

This is definately a return to form for Hark. This could be his Once Upon a Time in China for a new decade, the end leaves it open for a continuation of the story.

8/10

MOVIE REVIEW - SPL: Sha Po Long (2005)

2006-07-08T23:57:00.000-07:00

Director: Wilson Yip
Starring: Simon Yam, Sammo Hung, Donnie Yen, Wu Jing

SPL is about a squad of Hong Kong police officers heade up by Chan (Simon Yam) who are attempting to bring down crime boss Wing Po (Sammo Hung). Chen is a couple days away from retiring and has to bring his replacement, Ma (Donnie Yen), upto speed on what he has to do once he is gone. But before this can take place they come across some evidence that could potential frame Po and bring him down.

What takes place onscreen in the brisk 90 minute run time is quite possibly one of the best HK action movies in a long time. From the opening sequence which sets the emmotional tone for the film. Yip's direction style is gripping, clever and very watchable. The use of music is just right and the sound is excellent. The performances are uniformally excellent, especially Sammo Hung.

What really brings the bar even higher is the Donnie Yen choereographed fight sequences. Yes they are are violent and harsh but all the more realistic. Yen's two main fight scenes, the first an alley fight against Wu Jing and the second a UFC-style takedown brawl with Sammo, are breathtaking.

This all leads upto to an ending that Hollywood just couldn't and wouldn't touch. Ever. Just to say watching this film reminded me of see Woo's The Killer for the first time almost ten years ago. Although not quite as good as the glory days, it has been so long that is well worth the wait. This all reminds me of what made me fall in love with HK cinema in the first place.

9/10

CAPSULE REVIEWS - Just a couple for now.

2006-07-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

16 BLOCKS
In a break from his normal heroic cops Bruce Willis plays a burnt out, alcohlic wreak of a cop. A man who seems to no longer care for the job that is until he has to escort a witness (Mos Def) a total of 16 blocks to his court date. But of course it doesn't go smoothly as somebody doesn't want this witness testifying. What could have come across as familiar and formulaic is pushed beyond by the terrific performances of the leads and the usual excellent directing of Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon). 7.5/10

RUNNING SCARED
A gun used in the killing of cop goes missing and in the course of one night it is the source of much stress for a petty-criminal (Paul Walker) as his life is on the line if he doesn't find it before the cops do. This a gritty, twisting, violent comic book noir with deep fairy tales undertones and it reeks of over the top style. Also the underrated Paul Walker is absolutely stellar. 8/10

TRANSPORTER 2
Being a lover of the original movie I was really looking forward to the sequel and more adventures of the erstwhile Transporter (Jason Statham). Well I guess that set me up for more of a disappointment as I feel the director, writers and Statham himself had the need to out do the first movie. And in an attempt to set the they pushed the bar way too far and out into the next room. As there is a fine line between over-the-top plausible and over-the-top ridiculous and unfortunately this movie falls mainly in the latter category. 5/10

LOST - The Movie??

2006-07-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

Damon Lindelof has been recently said that he is worried that the producers and studio execs will drag the show out and he is making his feelings pretty clear on the matter now.

He said "We'd love to end the show after four year, five years tops and do a movie."

I'm very glad that he is willing to battle the studio over how long the show can run. I'm hoping he'll stick to his guns and we won't see an X-files-esque burn out on writing, overcomplicated plot and ridiculous conclussions.

LOST - Girl on girl action?

2006-05-29T11:02:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or my wishful thinking but is Alex copping a feel?

LOST - Season 3 news...

2006-05-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

It was annouced that Michael Emerson, the actor who plays Henry Gale, will become a series regular next season. What that exactly means remains unclear...

CAPSULE REVIEWS - Horror

2006-05-19T12:02:00.002-07:00

DOOM - Let's start at the bottom with this movie based off the genre defining videogame. Coming fully in the category of action-horror it starts off badly with the usual team of cliched characters who are going to be used a monster-fodder. The direction is lively enough and the acting strays from over the top to just plain awful. The Rock and Karl Urban in the leads are likeable enough and their performances are enough to pull you through to the end, which in turn is the highlight of the film.
If you are a fan of the game or action-horror flicks my advise is to borrow this off someone who was stupid enough to purchase it and then skip to the last 15 minutes or so and you may escape being completely disappointed. 3/10.

CREEP - A low budget British film starring Franke Potente (Run Lola Run). Set amongst the labrynith like tunnels of the London Underground she is a girl stalked by an unseen killer. The first half is particularly tense and scary but then you see what has been chasing her and you begin to feel let down. Could have been alot better. 4/10.

WOLF CREEK - Another low budget horror this time Australian and based on true events. It may take almost an hour before the main characters are in any danger but in this films case it is a good thing. It spends time establishing the people we are watching allowing us to fear more for them when they are in danger later. 7/10.

HOSTEL - Released on DVD around the same time as Wolf Creek this is beast of a different sort. In this films case the trailers were misleading and I think it has lot more to offer than I originally thought. First off when the violence does start it is very strong and graphic but Eli Roth doesn't push it too far. It will scare the audience but won't scare them off. Also in a remarkable turn of events the acting is excellent, especially for a horror movie. Jay Hernandez is off particular interest and I will be watching out for him in future movies. 8/10.

SILENT HILL - Finally today I would like to address the best video game to screen movie yet. Christophe Gans has done masterful job in translating a confusing and scary story into something a might more pallatable for mass audiences. He has created a universe deep in nuances and brings horror to almost an art-house level, and as with the games it can be taken in so many different ways. Much like the town itself it effects individuals in unique ways. But it does lose some points for the use of Sean Bean's character who really is just used in advancing the plot. 8/10

ANOTHER YOUTUBE PICK

2006-05-16T10:06:00.000-07:00

Office Conflict

YOUTUBE PICK OF THE WEEK

2006-05-14T10:37:00.000-07:00

The World's Biggest Geek Interviewed

LOST - Did they ever really answer anything?

2006-05-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

So Locke and Eko discovered the Pearl, apparently discovering that the push the button order is really just a test as someone had been watching the pushers. But now the questions turn to...

Who is watching the watchers?
Eko and Locke clearly saw a camera above the TV bank. Is the Pearl just another experiment like the Swan, where the subjects are just given a basic order and see if they follow it.

Who is the guy on the videotape?
On the original orientation tape he is Marvin Candle and only had one arm. Now he is Mark Waxman(?) and clearly has use of both hands. Did he lose one in the 'incident', is the Swan's orientation tape newer than the other one. Or did he gain a new arm through one of the many programs Dharma is running.

Why is the Orientation tape a different format?
Could be important, might not be. One film is on a chunky old style tape whilst the other is on classic reel.

Did he mention a 'ferry' on the tape?
At one part during the tape it went fuzzy and the screwed up as he was talking about after they have finished there observation that they should get on the ferry to go back.

Well two more weeks left. Then summer of re-runs.

Hearing rummors that the next season may start a little later to ease up on re-run weeks. Just wish they would show it like 24, uninterrupted.

Next question: What will be the end of season cliffhanger?

OZARK'S TOP 250 MOVIES: #30-#21

2006-05-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

#30 - Taxi Driver (1976)
De Niro in one of his greatest performances as the psycho Travis Bickle. A man on the edge waiting for a rain to come to purge the streets of New York of it's sins. A deeply twisted vigilante who is at one time on the verge of assasinating a politician. Scorsese shows his love of NY in the brilliant direction and the way he shows the taxi that Travis drives as a force unto itself, a giant yellow predator prowling the streets at night.

#29 - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Ang Lee's martial arts opus has some of the best and most beautifully handled martial arts choreography ever. Couple this with a great story and interesting characters this becomes more than just your average Hong Kong epic.

#28, #27 - The Godfather (1972), The Godfather, Part II (1974)
It is hard to tear these two apart as you can't really watch one without the other. The open two parts in the trilogy far surpass the belated final part. Part 1 has the rise of Michael Corleone and marvellous performance from Brando and Part 2 shows the rises of Don Corleone and how it compares to the life Michael is now living as head of the family.

#26 - Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
Quite possible THE genre defining sci-fi. Lucas' vision has been often recreated and copied but never matched this opening episode of the original trilogy. This epic space opera opens in grandiose style and never lets up as we journey with Luke, Leia and Han on all their adventures.
#25 - Leon [AKA: The Professional] (1994)
Luc Besson's masterpiece. Natalie Portman in her debut is excellent as the innocent yet wise beyond her years Matilda who is the perfect foil for the child-like hitman Leon (Jean Reno). A subtle hinted at relastionship between the two is almost disturbing but yet sweet. Whilst they have to hide out from the over the top bent cop Stansfield (Gary Oldman).

#24 - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966)
A western epic of grand proportions. Eastwood returns for the third time a Sergio Leone's Man with no name, this time he is being chased by mercenary Lee Van Cleef with the hinderance of bumbling criminal Eli Wallach. Gunfights, double crosses and the back drop of the American Civil War make up this bench mark in spaghetti westerns.

#23 - Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Al Pacino is at his best as the bank robber who is just stealing to get money for his lovers sex change operation. His Godfather co-star John Cazale is his jittery partner in crime. Based loosely on true events the story goes alot deeper into how media handles events like this, showing how even a criminal can become a hero.

#22 - For a Few Dollars More (1965)
For me the second of the Man with no name trilogy sneaks in as the best. Eastwood and Van Cleef square off again in an end stand off that is haunting.

#21 - The Big Lebowski (1998)
"Not on the rug, man."
Jeff Bridges is a modern day bowling hippy, he is The Dude. This Coen brothers comedy is another standout from them, with many instantly quotable lines and memorable characters. Co-starring Coen alumni John Goodman, Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare.

Who is Gary Troup?

2006-05-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

www.garytroup.net - check out the latest book from this missing writer.

you know that Gary Troup is an anagram or purgatory

LOST - Another twist it must be Wednesday

2006-05-04T08:56:00.000-07:00

Michael comes blundering out of the jungle and proceeds to turn the whole island upside down...

Not one to stray away from shocking moments, last night LOST didn't fail to deliver the latest sucker punch. Alot of people want to say that Michael has been brain-washed by the Others whilst he has been gone but judging by the way he apologised to Ana-Lucia before shooting her suggests he was acting of his own volition. Which makes it seem like he has made a deal with the Others to get his son back. Like he has said in the past he will do anything to get Walt.

In the island's eyes I think Michael is good. As Henry was saying about them coming for Locke. There is some sort of selection process for who gets taken by the Others. And judging from flashbacks of Michael so far he has nothing to feel guilty or been punished for. His son was taken from him originally by his wife. Yes he could have done more to prevent her from taking him, and that is why he is so kamikaze about his approach to get Walt back now. Then in his journey into the jungle he has reached some sort of reconciliation with his own guilt and in the process made a deal with the Others for same return of his son in the act of a revenge killing of Ana-Lucia and the return of Henry.

But what the show really achieved with the shocking twist was pulling you away from the other questions raised in the show. In particular Jack's possible half-sister. There is a good chance it is Claire (Her mother has been mentioned, and Thomas said 'Daddy abandonment issues'). And why did Christian deceide to call Ana-Lucia 'Sarah', which is Jack's wife's name. Sarah left Jack because she was seeing someone else, at a stretch could this someone else have been Jack's father. And at one point Sarah thought she was pregnant and then told Jack no only to leave him later.

The show never really displays a time frame so you don't really know what time has passed between certain events. Christian also said something to the woman in the rain about paying for the mortgage on the house. It could be possible that he paid for someone to move from America to Australia. Set them up with a new life. Is it possible Sara had family in Australia that she is living with and then had a child by Jack's father.

Also an added note to people on the island. DO NOT HAVE SEX. You have sex you could possibly be dead a few minutes later. Shannon and Ana-Lucia have fallen foul of this curse already.

Where is the show going from here? First off judging from the preview for next week there is a possibility one of the two shot women may not be dead just yet. As Kate asks 'Is she dead?' only mentioning one dead person.

Now some words from Damon Lindeloff & Carlton Cuse in TV guide about the last few episodes and Season 3:

***POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD***

Lindeloff and Cuse talk about the next episode '?' being a great chance to bring Eko and Locke back together into the battle of faith that they have been hinting at all season. And this was originally going to be the episode directed by Darren Aronofsky before Rachael Weisz's pregnacy.

They go on to say that we'll see a resolution to the Michael-Walt story. The growth of Malcolm David Kelly (Walt) will be addressed in Season 3. We are going to learn more about Dharma, as well as having Desmond returning to shed more light on what happened to him in the 3 years prior to Locke coming down the hatch. There is going to be more Jack/Kate/Sawyer stuff but the focus won't be on romance. There are bigger fish to fry. The perception that they may have dropped the idea of forming an army because of bigger things, the need will resurface in the finale.

Next year. More Rousseau but not the story of her wrecked research vessel, it'll come at some point but they can't guarentee Season 3. More new characters will be introduced in Season 3, so some fresh flashbacks. You'll probably see fewer flashbacks of our original characters as we more toward cetain inevitabilities. You will learn more about some of the other survivors next year. Also where the new characters come from in Season 3 is going top be part of the fun and anticipation over the summer, and hopefully by the end of the finale you'll be getting a sense of who those characters might be.

*** SPOILERS END ***

NEWS - Immigration or Invasion?

2006-04-10T13:58:00.000-07:00

So today as many as 1 million people are going to march in more than 100 cities across the USA in an attempt to pressure Congress into approving legislation that would offer citizenship to millions of ILLEGAL immigrants.

Honestly can you believe this shit. Speaking as a LEGAL immigrant I think this is completely unfair and insane.

This is the free speech equivalant of holding a gun to someone head and making them sign something. And you say no to all the illegals and they say who will work the jobs. You know what we'll figure it out.

Here in Phoenix, I work at a hotel and of course we employee a completely Mexican staff for housekeeping who are all going to join the march today Downtown. Anyway at first they weren't going to come to work today, to which the boss says and then you won't have jobs when you come back. So they came in, and oh my God give them a reason to get out of work and they got all there jobs done in half the time leaving at 12.45 rather than 3 or 4pm.

I understand the need for immigrant workers and how it kind of helps the economy but how can we be giving this much free speech to people who can't even vote anyhow.

Personally I think INS should wait along the march line with buses offering rides to the tired people as they walk, only to find out the destination of the bus is the border.

In closing on my little rant I just want to say one last thing that if you want to be made a legal immigrant and citizen that you have to learn English first.

TV - Finger lickin good...

2006-04-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

This morning before I left for work and whilst eating my breakfast I watched my first ever episode of Robot Chicken and I can't believe I haven't watched it before. What I saw is quite possible one the most irreverant and funniest shows on television. A pop culture jab from the mind of a comic genius, I never knew Seth Green had this inside him.

Stand out moments: 'Dicks with Time Machines' and 'Adopting Lion-O'.

It only last 10 minutes and I just wanted more.. more.. can't wait until next week.

TV - Jack gets another 72 hours.

2006-04-10T07:32:00.000-07:00

Keifer Sutherland has signed a deal with the Fox show '24' to stay with it until at least May 2009. That's another three seasons. This deal will make him one of the highest paid drama actors on television.

Seperate of the TV deal, Sutherland has said he and the producers still believe in making a 24 motion picture sometime. He added that the earliest possible time to start shooting it would be late spring 2007 and the idea will be to condense a whole day down into 2 hours rather than doing the real time.

LOST - possible spoilers.

2006-04-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

Possible Spoliers contained.. High light to read sections marked with ***

Just a few notes on who will feature in future flashbacks...

Episode #2.19 - Broadcast Apr 12th.
Titled 'SOS' - Episode centric - *** ROSE & BERNARD ***
EPISODE OUTLINE: *** Rose is surprisingly and vehemently opposed to Bernard's plan to create an S.O.S. signal; romantic sparks are rekindled between Jack and Kate when they trek into the jungle to propose a "trade" with "The Others"; and Locke begins to question his faith in the island. ***

Then it is taking a two week break and will return in May with:

Episode #2.20 - May 3rd
Titled 'Two for the Road' - Episode centric - *** ANA-LUCIA ***
EPISODE SPOILERS - *** Ana-lucia will have a connection with at least one more lost character and who it is will surprise the living heck out of you! ***

Episode #2.21 - May 10th
Titled '?' - Episode centric *** EKO ***
EPISODE SPOILERS - *** Turns out that supercool black-light reveal is a major plot point that carries on through the rest of the season. "Oh yeah, big time," Damon said. "I mean, it plays huge in the finale, and even in episodes 21 through 24. Twenty-one is an episode that is very much on the sort of fundamental axis of that map, and it's a Locke and Eko story, which is going to be awesome. [Executive Producer] Carlton [Cuse] and I wrote it. That episode is just called '?' because that is the symbol Locke remembers from the map." ***

Episode #2.22 - May 16th
Titled 'Three Minutes' - Episode centric *** MICHAEL ***
EPISODE SPOLIERS - *** The Episode title "Three Minutes" is NOT a countdown but a duration ***

Episode #2.23 - May 23rd
Titled UNKNOWN -
This will be the two hour finale.

TV - American Idol

2006-04-05T08:48:00.000-07:00

So last night's theme was country on American Idol and as expected Simon had issues with the genre and being English I do kind of get where he is coming from. It is just not a style of music that we are used to but having said that he does seem to set himself into a mind set of prejudging the song rather than the performance.

Although last night overall was another pretty mediocre batch with a couple of standouts and the rest just blending together. As we see Kelly and Bucky in their element and both performing as well as you would expect. Chris Daughtry showed a softer side with a Keith Urban ballad, which is the direction Ace Young also took although to lesser effect even though he did benefit from it. Kathryn was sexy. Mandisa performed well and Elliot Yamin pulled off Garth Brooks well.

Unfortunately my picks for worst performances, of certainly people who should have done much better I have to look in the direction of Taylor Hicks and Paris Bennett, I just feel that they weren't as strong as we have seen them.

Bottom 3 should be (Remember based on performances alone): Taylor Hicks, Paris and Ace Young
America's Bottom 3 will be: Ace, Bucky and Paris.

LOST - Blast Door Map Decoded

2006-04-02T13:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some enhanced decodings of what Locke saw on the back of the blast door.

TUESDAY'S TV FLASHBACK - The Crystal Maze

2006-03-28T07:43:00.000-08:00

If you haven't heard of it you weren't living in the UK in the early-ninties.

My first memory of this show was the preview commercials on Channel 4, they didn't really show much of what the actual show contained except it got me excited about contestants chasing a bald man through tunnels.

Well that bald man turned out to be none other than the great Richard O'Brien, he was the host for the first four years before Ed Tudor-Pole took over. Their jobs were to lead the group of contestants, who didn't know each other, through four different zones (Medievil, Futuristic, Aztec and Industrial/Ocean). In each zone they had a choice of challenges Mental, Physical, Mystery and Skill, for which they had to pick one of the team to do.

If they won a challenge they would get a crystal, a crystal are each worth 5 seconds in the Crystal Dome which is basically a plastic bubble with air jets at the bottom. At the end of the show they would have to get inside the Dome and attempt to collect tokens being blown about the inside. There were gold and silver ones, you had to collect as many gold ones as possible to win, but for every silver one they did get they would lose a gold token.

Anyway another problem that could arise if one of the contestant failed a challenge or didn't get out of the challenge room within a set time limit they could get locked in and it woul cost the team a crystal to free them.

I remember the evenings spent watching this show yelling at the moronic actions of some of the contestants, alot of the challenges were straight forward and it was hilarious watching as their teammates yelled advise through the doors at them, which in turn confused the ones trying to solve a puzzle even more. Couple that with O'Brien's funny remarks whilst the contestants are working in the rooms this made for excellent TV and is sorely missed.

AROUND THE WEB

2006-03-25T17:12:00.000-08:00

Nothing is what it seems at www.daltonrussell.com

THE BIZARRE - Forget Cat-Dog. Here is Cat-Mouse?

2006-03-25T17:03:00.000-08:00

The strangest thing..

http://uk.rd.yahoo.com/oa/SIG=122pggqlm/**http%3A%2F%2Fcbs4.com%2Ftopstories%2Flocal_story_072154828.html

You think maybe the cat has been messing around with the wrong species???

MOVIE PICTURES - Secret Agent man

2006-03-24T08:46:00.000-08:00

Producers of the new Bond movie are so happy with the way Casino Royale is working out with Daniel Craig in the lead role that they have already started work on the sequel to it. It will be an original story following on from the events in Royale.

I am ecstatic that it is Craig in the role and I think these photos speak volumes... and it'll all come together on the release date of November 17.

TV NEWS - Fox is diggin' Bones

2006-03-24T08:38:00.000-08:00

Fox has greenlit Bones for a full 22 episode second season after it's good showing on Wednesday nights after Idol.

So yay for the off-beat procedural crime drama, that is a bit more interesting than the load of other CSI clones out there.

MOVIE NEWS - Snakes don't hiss they buzz

2006-03-24T08:29:00.000-08:00

The release of the trailer for the Samuel L Jackson movie Snakes on a Plane has created such a huge buzz on the internet that the producers commited to having 5 days of reshoots to increase the rating on the movie. Instead of the PG-13 it is now getting a R rating, the new edit of the movie will now feature more gore, more deaths, more nudity and more swearing including a line that could go down in movie history as Jackson gets to utter the line:

"I want these mother fucking snakes off this mother fucking plane!!"

Class.

VIDEO GAMES - Shadow of the Colossus

2006-03-22T06:51:00.000-08:00

From the same creators as the marvellous 'Ico' comes it's spiritual succesor. Colossus is a game of granduer and beauty the likes of which have never been seem before. The plot of the game is set deep in Japanese legend and mythology as you play as the hero. Your character is on a journey into a vast deserted world the purpose of which is to revive your dying girl. So you come to a giant temple at which you pray to an unknown God who says he will help you if you destroy 16 other creatures, the colossus of the title.

So now with the help of your trusty steed Argo you must travel great distances across the seamless world to each of these giant creations. Each one of these colossus have a weak spot, a spot you must find by climbing all over them, grabbing on hair and pulling yourself up there bodies whilst they try to shake you free. Basically what the game gives you is 16 boss battles where the only level before you reach them is riding across the vast wilderness. Every one of these monsters has a different style of attack to which have to puzzle your way around.

The game is built around a beautifully simple game mechanic. Find a monster. Work out how to climb it. Stab it.

This is how all games should be. It doesn't presume you are genius and you don't need to be to puzzle out the problems before you in each battle. So instead it just draws you in and this is where it gets you. Playing this game you become emmotional involved in your characters adventures it is as much your journey as it is his. Play it and you'll be surprised by the impact the end of the game has on you.

If you loved Japanese mythology.
If you loved Ico.
Hell if you own a PS2 you have to play this game.
If you don't play video games get it for your kids and watch them play it.

This is so much more than just another video game, it is an experience. It is art.

TV - American Idol

2006-03-22T06:37:00.000-08:00

Tuesday night and we are exploring the music of the 1950s with your idols. Of course the show is overlong with the extra padding of fluff and commercials to warrant a 2 hour spot, but thanks to the wonders of DVR I started watching the show late and could fast-forward through all of Seacrest's mugging and the hundreth Ford ad and just get to the performances.

The performances are what it is all about..

The stand outs for me were:
Mandisa had another standout slot with her version of a little known Dinah Wasington song.
Chris Daughtry reworked Cash's I Walk The Line into a modern rock ballad to great effect.
Kellie Pickler was in her element singing Patsy Cline.
Katherine MacPhee lit up the stage with her interpretation of Ella Fitzgerald.
Paris Bennett again showed an age beyond her years with a hot version of Fever.

The also rans:
Taylor Hicks' performance on stage was a usual highlight although the choice of song was tired.
Ace Young smoldered his way through and the judges unbelievably sung his praises.

My bottom 3 picks:
Lisa Tucker, although Ace should be here, I feel she just didn't enough to break out of the bottom.
Kevin Covais even though he was better this week than I've ever heard him I just don't think he is versatile enough to be there.
Bucky Covington, I'm sorry Bucky, of all the performances last night he was the worst, for him he was pretty good but for the competition he was no where near.

My heart says Bucky should be given another shot and Kevin should go home. But the American public are notoriously unreliable in this regard and I fear Bucky is going home this week.

MOVIE NEWS - Of God and Monsters....

2006-03-20T12:53:00.000-08:00

CARRELL IS GOD... kinda
Now 'Bruce Almighty' was a funny film, and even if don't enjoy Carrey's mugging everyone had to admit he was outshone by, at that time another little know comedian, Mr Steve Carrell in the role of Evan Baxter, newscaster.

Well the good news is Baxter is back. Carrell is returning in the sequel 'Evan Almighty' and principal photography has begun with tom Shadyac back behind the camera and with Steve Oedekerk co-writing the script. With the plot following Baxter as he been newly elected to congress and then God appears to him directing him to build an ark. Carrell couldn't be any hotter right now and with the comedic team of Shadyac and Oedekerk behind him this one has box office smash written all over it.

All Browncoats rejoice...
Already heading up this month's B-movie horror 'Slither' Nathan Fillion has also started filming on the set of 'White Noise 2: The Light'. The sequel to the Michael Keaton horror flick. This time Fillion is the husband and father who loses those close to him and he himself becomes the tuner as he can see the white noise everywhere.

TV - BBC's Doctor Who on Sci-Fi

2006-03-19T07:38:00.000-08:00

I actually was given this a Xmas gift from my dad and was upset when the I couldn't get the my region code hack to make my Region 1 player play the UK DVD. It must have had so new coding that can't be hacked. Oh well..

Well finally Sci-Fi is now broadcasting this show on Friday nights and may I say that I throughly enjoyed the two part premiere this past week. I can't which number incarnation we have of the Doctor is but let me begin by saying that from these first two shows Christopher Eccleston is definately up there as one of my favs. And it is great that this classic show is being given the attention it deserves especially after the half-heatred TV movie starring Paul McGann as the Doctor which was broadcast in 1996.

The beginning of the show is my only gripe being a fan of Doctor Who in the past it is a shame they didn't get Paul McGann in for the transformation scene, whenever the Doctor changes faces in previous shows the last doctoe will turn into the new one. In this show we are introduced to the Doctor when he appears to save Rose (Billie Piper) from the plastic men. Back to Eccleston's portrayal of the Doctor, he displays all the great eccentricities that come along with the role, the sense of aloofness as he never seems completely paniced by otherwise dangerous situations and his wry sense of humor highligthed in part with an exchange he has with Rose's mother. But also Eccleston's Doctor shows a man who is almost burnt out, he is trying to save Earth because he failed to save other planets including his own. He is using his guilt to fuel his crusade.

The show brings the required cheesiness to the proceedings including on character being eaten by a wheelie bin. The writer's tongues have been firmly placed in their cheeks and it brings real fun to a great sci-fi show.

Yet again another show has been added to my must watch list.. dammit.

MOVIES - 2006 Award for Most Obviously Titled Movie

2006-03-17T10:49:00.000-08:00

Goes to....

The title is self-explanitory.. Samuel L Jackson is an FBI agent assigned with protecting a witness on an airplane flight when an assassin releases hundreds of snakes aboard the plane and the excitment ensues. check out the trailer for yourself...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=8aAkHGCuQT4

Also features the quote of the year "Enough is enough. I've had it with these snakes."

Couldn't just imagine that Hollywood producers meeting... it's 3.30AM... and they just past round the spliff one of the found in his inside pocket...

"Yeah man.. It's fuckin Mace Windu on a plane with snakes"

"He could shoot the snakes... yeah and let him say bad assss with a lisp just like a freakin snake."

"What shall we call the movie???"

"I dont care man... whatever.. I got the munchies.. let's go to Circle K."

TV - ABC's American Inventor

2006-03-17T07:51:00.000-08:00

Last night was the premiere of yet another competitive reality show and ABC's American Inventor does follow the usual formula. You have a panel of judges who say yes or no to putting people through to the next round and you have a bunch of auditions. And like a train wreck you can't pull your eyes away. As you watch peoples dreams, which unlike Idol potentials, some have spent thousand of dollars on get crushed on national television, but you also get to see the one's whose dreams are final realised.

From the opening invention of basically a suit cover with a baggie inside in which you can pee without being seen 'The Bladder Buddy' is the invention of a madman. To the later inventions that got sent through in which you can see the passion and devotion in the creators. I really feel the concept behind this is much better than American Idol. I mean the end product of this could not just benefit the winner but also people watching the show.

I know it is potentially another cash cow for advertisers and others involved in the project, but you know what I like the heart behind it. And I am for one interested in where the show will go, I mean you can't just have a weekly vote like Idol as these guys won't being doing a new invention each week. This show is going to show the development of the eventual finalists ideas and creations.

Yet another show gets added to my must watch list.

Another premiere tonight as BBC's all new Doctor Who comes to Sci-Fi.

MOVIE REVIEW - Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

2006-03-16T13:00:00.000-08:00

Director: Hayao Miyazaki
US Voices: Christian Bale, Jean Simmons, Billy Crystal, Blythe Danner, Emily Mortimer, Lauren Bacall

Yet another head trip and visual feast from the mind of Japanese animation artist Miyazaki. He takes us on an adventurous tale of war, magic and true love. The story follows quiet young shop girl Sophi (Emily Mortimer), who has a curse placed on by the Witch of the Waste that turns her into a withered bent old lady. Now she must run away into the wastes to find someone who can help reverse the curse upon her. It is there that she comes across the eponymous moving castle of the great and literally heartless wizard Howl (Christian Bale).

First off I want to mention my only real gripe with the story and that is the war that is going on partly as background to the central love and redemption story. I just didn’t feel that side of the film was conveyed as well as the rest and as a result it seems out of place at time. It seems more of an added anti-war statement inside what it really is a beautifully told story.

What lifts this above so many other animated features is Miyazaki’s ability to enchant an audience with a style that is an art form unto itself. This can create some of the most emotive and wonderful characters in animation today. And he places these creations against detailed and beautiful vistas. One example of his work is the castle itself, it is wonderful amalgamation of parts of houses, chimneys and machinery that has it’s our personality, you could watch the movie a second time just to catch the intricacies you may have missed the first time through.

Miyazaki had a hard act to follow in creating an another film after the critical success of "Spirited Away". Although he doesn’t quite match what he did with that one when he undershoots he still manages to best everyone else. He is to our time what Walt Disney was to the 40s and 50s.

Spellbinding. 9/10.

ORDER OF THE PHOENIX - Opening casting call...

2006-01-11T07:30:00.000-08:00

Warner Brothers has sent out this casting call....

*****WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE IN A MOVIE ?*****

FIONA WEIR, CASTING DIRECTOR OF 'HARRY POTTER & THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX'

INVITES GIRLS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 13-16yrs
WHO ARE RESIDENT IN THE UK OR IRELAND TO MAKE AN APPLICATION
TO AUDITION FOR THE ROLE OF LUNA LOVEGOOD

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO APPLY COME ALONG ON SATURDAY 14TH JANUARY 2006

TO THE CENTRAL HALL WESTMINSTER
STOREY'S GATE, WESTMINSTER, LONDON SW1
(Nearest underground stations: St James Park & Westminster)

WE WILL TAKE APPLICATIONS FROM 10AM, NO QUEUEING BEFORE 8AM AND THE QUEUE WILL CLOSE AT 2PM. YOU WILL BE ASKED TO SHOW A COPY OF YOUR PASSPORT AS PROOF OF AGE AND NATIONALITY

YOU WILL FILL IN AN APPLICATION FORM AND WILL BRIEFLY BE SEEN BY THE CASTING TEAM.

IF WE THINK YOU MIGHT BE APPROPRIATE FOR THE ROLE YOUR PHOTO WILL BE TAKEN AND WE WILL GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU.

COME AS YOURSELF – STRICTLY NO MAKE-UP, NO COSTUMES, NO HIGH HEELS.
(Dress warmly as there will be a long wait)

THIS IS THE ONLY ROLE WE ARE LOOKING FOR AND IF YOU ARE NOT BETWEEN THE AGE OF 13 – 16YRS OR YOU ARE NOT RESIDENT IN THE UK OR IRELAND, AND DO NOT HAVE THE NECESSARY PAPERWORK WITH YOU, YOU WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO MAKE AN APPLICATION

PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE VENUE OR PRODUCTION OFFICE AS THERE IS NO FURTHER INFORMATION

MIAMI VICE - This ain't yo daddy's Crockett and Tubbs

2005-12-13T10:59:00.000-08:00

The first teaser trailer is up on the official website via the bacardi website.

www.miamivice.com or goto www.bacardilive.com

The 63rd Golden Globe Nominations announced

2005-12-13T10:16:00.000-08:00

Of course a whole bunch of movies I have yet too see got nominated...

For the full list go here

I think Walk the Line should quite easily walk away with the Comedy or Musical award.

I'm happy that Johnny Depp got recognition for his Willy Wonka, and Matt Dillon getting a supporting actor nom for Crash.

The big thing for me is the golden globes TV awards... Best TV show Drama features 3 of five show that I actually watch and only one HBO nom this year in the form of Rome. Which I'm afraid to say will probably go ahead and beat Lost, Prison Break and Grey's Anatomy.

also note.. Best Actors in TV dramas noms for Patrick Dempsey (Grey's), Matthew Fox (Lost), Wentworth Miller (Prison Break) and Keifer Sutherland (24)... It will be hard to disappoint me with who wins that one.. it is rounded out with Hugh Laurie (House).

The Comedy TV series award has again Desperate Housewives plus the excellent My Name is Earl. And of course the comedy actress category is loaded with the Housewives in fact all four main members are there this year. The actor noms happily have Steve Carrell (Office) and Jason Lee (My Name is Earl) in there.

Finally for supporting actress in a TV show.. Sandra Oh (Grey's) and a supporting actor nod for Naveen Andrews (Lost).

OZARK'S TOP 250 MOVIES: #40-#31

2005-12-12T09:43:00.000-08:00

#40 - Goodfellas (1990)
Scorsese directs a perfect cast of Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci in this excellent adaptation of Nicholas Pileggi's novel. Based of the true story of mob snitch Henry Hill, it follows him as he grows up and becomes a goodfella. It is violent, stylish, profane and a movie of many memorable scenes that become so much more when put together.

#39 - Das Boot: The Director's Cut (1985)
Before he came to America Wolfgang Petersen made this epic German submarine movie, the director's cut runs almost 4 hours and there is never a second where it loses tension. You are with the German crew every second of the way, you can feel every depth-charge, every drip of leaking water. For once in your life you will actually root for the Germans.

#38 - Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
Based on true events concerning a school trip to Hanging Rock at which several students and a teacher disappeared. Peter Weir has created a chilling and sparse atmosphere, adding a almost mystic side to the story. The fact that it all could have happened make it all the more haunting.

#37 - Raising Arizona (1987)
"Son, you got a panty on your head."
A screwball comedy drama about parents who can't have children that deceide to kidnap one of a set of quints based on the fact that they don't need that many kids. Everything about this movie is excellent. Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, John Goodman and William Forsythe are standouts whilst the script from the Coen Brothers keeps on ticking.

#36 - American Beauty (1999)
A winner of 5 oscars this slice of surburban life, the white picket fence, the perfect roses but if only life could be as perfect as those flowers. What lies behind the doors in the life of Lester Burham is a man in a mid-life crisis so severe it may destory his marriage or even his life. The deservedly won the best picture oscar.

#35 - Amelie (2001)
As always Jean-Pierre Jeunet turns out a visually stunning and a love story of pure beauty that you can't fail to fall for it's charms. Only the French can make anything that plays at the heart strings like this one.

#34 - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
The second part of the trilogy is the weak link, but only just as it chronicles Frodo and Sam's journey toward Mordor and the introduction of Gollum as he helps guide them. Whilst everyone else are maing new allies for the march on Isengard. Fantasy story telling the way should always be, epic and thrilling.

#33 - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The movie that started it all. This one begins with the Hobbits being sent by Gandalf on a mission to destory the One Ring. Jackson showed the world how a novel of this epic magnitude should be handled, with care and an effort desevering of it's size.

#32 - True Romance (1993)
The original script by Quentin Tarantino had the story being told in pieces as flashbacks but when it reached the screen at the hands of Tony Scott it had been made sequencially, and the narative makes it work better. A love-story ganster thriller. True Excellence. It also has the best ensemble cast other than Pulp Fiction.

#31 - Fight Club (1999)
Following tightly to the original novel bu Chuck Palahniuk this is Fincher's vision through and through. Brad Pitt and Edward Norton both put in powerhouse performances in this dark comedy with it's scathing social commentary from the hero/villian Tyler Durden.

MOVIE NEWS - M:I 3 Teaser online

2005-12-12T08:11:00.000-08:00

OR How I learned to stop hating and love Tom Cruise.

Yes Ethan Hunt is back.....

The new teaser trailer click here

MOVIE REVIEW - Un Long Dimanche de Fiancailles (2004)

2005-12-09T08:41:00.000-08:00

USA Title: A Very Long Engagement

Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Starring: Audrey Tautou, Gaspard Ulliel, Dominique Pinon, Chantel Neuwirth, Jodie Foster

Jeunet returns with his follow up to his 2001 critical success Amelie with yet another visually stunning and emmotionally strong story. It is the kind of love story that Hollywood would struggle to being to fruition.

Audrey Tautou is Mathilde, a young woman not much unlike her potrayal of Amelie, she is sweet, kind and loving. Mathilde is on a relentless search for her fiancee, Manech (Ulliel), he was a soldier who disappeared from the trenches of the Somme during WWI after being sentenced to death for getting himself shot on purpose, an attempt to be sent home early from the front. This search is the centerpiece to the several plots that unfold dring her investigations.

This is a heart and gut wrenching tale as she digs deeper with her dead-set belief that he is still alive she begins to uncover what really happened the day he vanished. The events leading upto his death and then beyond interwines his life with the lives of four other men who supposedly died that day for the same reason he was put to death.

The multiple stories if at first seem a little daunting to follow slip in easily together even with subtitles it is easy to keep track of what is going on. The WWI battle sequences have a gritty style to them that is reminiscent of Saving Private Ryan. Beyond all this at the core of the is a beautiful story of undying love and the lengths the human heart will go to keep it alive.

As always visually Jeunet exceeds magnificently whilst also getting the best out of his actors which includes a french speaking part for Jodie Foster as the wife of one of the missing men. Overall this is just a great example of filmmaking with substance enough to bend even the hard of heart.

The Good: Almost everything. Visually, acting, script. The score is amazing.
The Bad: It's a shame that the character of Mathilde is a carbon copy of Amelie.
The Ugly: Surprisingly violent war sequences.

Overall: How love stories should be told. 9/10.

MOVIE REVIEW - Kicking & Screaming (2005)

2005-12-09T07:55:00.000-08:00

Director: Jesse Dylan
Starring: Will Ferrell, Robert Duvall, Mike Ditka

Ferrell is Phil Weston, a family man and a lifelong victim of his father's (Duvall) competitive nature, who deceides to take on the coaching responsibilities of a kids' soccer team. But soon he begins to realise he is becoming just like his father.

This is generally a cute, sweet natured movie but it is really unfortunate that it can't really sustain any big laughs. Ferrell's competitive act tends to wear thin about half way through and it doesn't help that comically he is outdone by a bunch of 10 year olds and an ex-football coach. Mike Ditka manages to steal the show by playing himself and in the process stealing some of the funniest moments this film has to offer. He shows a surprisingly good grasp of comedy for a man who coached 'Da Bears' to a Superbowl win.

Basically I think if you like Ferrell you will enjoy this movie. Please just don't expect during the BBQ for him to turn to his kids and yell 'Get off the shed!!!' you could be sorely disappointed.

The Good: Ditka. Cute kids.
The Bad: Ferrell's role is maybe worthy of only a 5 minute SNL skit.
The Ugly: At times just too cute for it's own good.

Overall: Not as funny as it should have been. 5/10.

MOVIE REVIEW - House of Wax (2005)

2005-12-08T12:53:00.000-08:00

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Starring: Elisha Cuthbert, Chad Michael Murray, Brian Van Holt, Paris Hilton, Jared Padalecki

Six friends on their way to see a college football match get stranded near an abandoned town. Now they must get out of town before they become permanent exibits at the town's House of Wax run by psychotic twins.

This is a quite bearable, if a little overlong horror movie. It contains enough freak-out gore and creepy moments to keep quite good in the genre. It helps that the cast is basically, with the exception of Paris Hilton, pretty good and for the most part believable. The stand out performances come in the lead roles of brother and sister, Murray and Cuthbert repsectively. Murray is strong as the rebel turned hero and Cuthbert is great in her scream queen debut. Also Brian Van Holt is suitably scary as the bad guy, comes across part Johnny Cash and part Deliverance backwaters rapist.

It is definatly passable as a horror movie, better than most expectations would allow.

The Good: Scary enough. Good performances.
The Bad: Paris Hilton. Jared Padalecki's character is annoyingly dumb. Long run time.
The Ugly: Just usual horror movie morons who don't run at the first sign of trouble.

Overall: Another okay horror movie. 5/10.

MOVIE NEWS - Pirates and wizards

2005-12-08T10:07:00.000-08:00

RUN AWAY!!!!!

Whilst filming on the set of Pirates of the Carribean 2: Dead Man's Chest has come to a finish they have already started filming on it's sequel Pirates if the Carribean 3:Uncharted Waters which is set to finish filming about 2 months before 2 is released in July, part of a very big summer 2006 schedule.

In a recent red carpet interview at the premiere of Chronicles of Narnia, Julie Walters revealed that Mrs Weasley will be back for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the 5th in the series. Sorely missed from Goblet of Fire it will be great to have her back. Filming starts in March 2006 for a July 2007 release date.

Another returning actress is Sarah Michelle Gellar who will be appearing in The Grudge 2 as her character passes the curse onto a new lead star. Filming starts soon and the producers are hoping for a Oct 20th '06 release just in time for the halloween horror rush.

MOVIE REVIEW - War of the Worlds (2005)

2005-12-06T08:47:00.000-08:00

Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins, Justin Chatwin

Another interpretation of HG Wells' classic sci-fi novel this time worked over by Spielberg and Cruise. The plot follows Cruise, a divorced father who isn't always there for his kids, and his family (Fanning & Chatwin) as the martian start their invasion of Earth.

This is another example of a summer blockbuster that is technically very impressive but lacking in the script department. It is just sheer spectacle from start to finish as only Spielberg can do. A particular moment that comes to mind is when they are escaping from New York in a stolen minivan and the camera rotates around and through the vehicle as it speeds down the highway. It is also a terrifying film, the pure terror of the people when the first tripod attacks with the death ray can be felt literally in the opening burst of it's horn. It will send shivers up your spine.

The acting across the board is just above average for a movie like this where character development comes second to the running and screaming. Tom Cruise is typical strong as the father with something to prove to his kids, and boy can that man run, something he does alot of. Whether it be running away from or running toward the tripods. Dakota Fanning screams and cries her way through the film as the terrified daughter, Justin Chatwin who is the son could be the new is all good looks and rebellion. Whilst a short appearance from Tim Robbins seems over the top and overlong.

There lies another part that brings down this movie. Between the huge action sequences the pace tends to slack off a little and begin to want to hear that hellish siren cry of a tripod attack just so you can see more Cruise running.

Other than that what comes out is a perfectly adequate blockbuster. It was far more enjoyable than I expected, and when it was running in full gear it did have me on the edge of my seat, although I would fall back into the cushion when the talking started.

The Good: Marvellous action sequences.
The Bad: Loses pace to easy.
The Ugly: Scarier than I expected. Definately not for little ones.

Overall: Spielberg in low gear. 7/10.

X-MEN 3 - Teaser trailer online

2005-12-05T18:05:00.000-08:00

All I can say is... wow!!

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/x3/

This and Superman Returns in the same summer...

OZARK'S TOP 250 MOVIES: #50-#41

2005-12-02T09:30:00.000-08:00

#50 - Psycho (1960)
A slasher flick that inspired so many over the years. Anthony Perkins is psycho mother's boy Norman Bates and the film is tauntly directed by the master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock.

#49 - The Machinist (2004)
A dark and deeply chilling psychological thriller. Christian Bale dropped his weight down to 120lbs for the role of Trevor Reznik, an industrial worker who is beggining to question his sanity after not being able to sleep for a year.

#48 - Raging Bull (1980)
Scorsese directs Robert De Niro as boxer Jake La Motta in this excellent biopic. De Niro puts in a powerhouse performance which is almost outshone by Joe Pesci as La Motta's foul mouthed brother.

#47 - Schindler's List (1993)
Shot almost entirely in black and white this is a powerful true story of one man's attempt to save Jews from execution during WWII. Oscar winning and worthy performances from Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes in his darkest role ever as the evil nazi Amon Goeth. Spielberg proving without a doubt he is a master of his craft.

#46 - Ghostbusters (1984)
One of the funniest movies to come out of the 80s. This movie showcases actors at their comedic peaks, Akroyd, Murray and Ramis have never been funnier and most likely never will. A fantastic script and great special effects even compared to what Hollywood turns out today.

#45 - Days of Being Wild (1991)
Wong Kar-Wei's stylistic romantic drama set in 60s tells the tale of a man who discovers the ex-prostitute that raised is not his real mother and how he deals with the truth whilst getting the competiting attentions of two women.

#44 - Memento (2000)
A very clever use of storying telling as the plot unfolds in reverse. Guy Pearce is a man who suffers from short-term memory lost we follow him as his memories fall back together and his investigation into his wife's murder. Christopher Nolan created a new way of telling the story that brilliant and mind-bending.

#43 - Gladiator (2000)
Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe together reivigorate the period epic. Crowe's powerful presence makes for a larger than life character who will now be an iconic piece of modern cinema. And Scott succesfully recreates Rome bringing a real feel to the proceedings.

#42 - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
This movie rightfully swept the five major Academy Awards in it's year. Jack Nicholson produces another unforgettable character in RP MacMurphy, a violent man placed into a mental hospital he doesn't feel he belongs in.

#41 - Dead Man (1995)
Johnny Depp is a man named William Blake in Jim Jarmusch's offbeat western. This is different for any other western you will ever see, beautifully shot, hauntingly scored and incredibly acted by the ensemble cast lead by Depp.

X-MEN 3 - Teaser trailer news

2005-12-02T08:02:00.000-08:00

The first teaser for X-Men 3 will be attached to King Kong in theaters but will also be available online at apple.com on Monday Dec 5th.. I will post the full link when it becomes available. One of the reporters at comingsoon.net managed to get a glimpse of it and says it does contain shots of Beast and Angel.

MOVIE NEWS - See Tom Run and natural progression

2005-11-30T08:28:00.000-08:00

Picture of Tom chasing down Katie as she tries to escape.

Actually it is the first of several new pics from the set of Mission Impossible 3. For more exciting photos of Tom running and looking beat up goto: http://www.sky.com/showbiz/picture_gallery/0,,50004-1204407-1,00.html

I'm am seeing an interesting trend in stars of Lost and their choices of movie projects. It seems to be a natural progression to star in a horror movie remake after appearing on the show.

First we had Maggie Grace in The Fog - remake of the John Carpenter version.

Secondly Emilie De Ravin in The Hills Have Eyes - remake of Wes Craven's cult classic.

Next in line is Ian Somerhalder in Pulse - remake of Korean horror flick Kairo.

What next?? Josh Holloway is Rosemary's Baby....

TV NEWS - Lost, Prison Break, 24

2005-11-29T17:13:00.000-08:00

Yep after this week's episode of Lost will go dark until the new year... I do feel the show has been feeling a little streched the last few episodes even the big concept episode about the tailies really didn't do much for me. We'll see how this week's big Kate episode, who is seriously in need of some screen time after being off for a few episodes, and what kind of big cliffhanger they will leave us with over the Xmas period.

Another show that finished up until next March is Prison Break. It has the a fall finale which was disappointing to say the least, the inmates started their escape and pretty ended stuck halfway through the plan. I was thinking we would see them escape... but no looks like we have to wait. At least it isn't until May. March won't be too far off....

Especially when 24 returns in January... I think it will begin on a Sunday evening again with a 2 hour episode followed by another 2 hour show on Monday night... Returning along with Jack Bauer (Keifer Sutherland) is President Logan (Gregory Itzin), head of CTU Bill Buchanan (James Morrison), and CTU regulars Curtis Manning (Roger Cross), Edgar Stiles (Louis Lombardi) and Chloe O'Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub). Also coming back again Tony Almeda (Carlos Bernard.. yay!!) and Audrey Raines (Kim Raver). On top of this new characters played by Sean Astin, Julian Sands, Peter Weller, JoBeth Williams and Jean Smart.... Weller's character is particularly exciting as he is the man who recuited Jack for counter-terrorism work... The clock is ticking.

UWE BOLL - Who is giving this man money????

2005-11-29T16:21:00.000-08:00

I think Col Kurtz said it best with "The horror, the horror."

Yes Uwe Boll is well at it again. Sorry Dr Uwe Boll. The man seems to be on single handed mission to wipe out any credibility that movies based on video games have left in Hollywood if they had any to begin with.

He was the man who made House of the Dead. Which in the end seemed like a movie that had been made and then he grabbed the license to a game and slapped it on the titles. As the final product bears no resemblence with HOTD game except that it involves zombies and guns.

Then he destroyed Alone in the Dark, originally a creepy little game involving a private detective investigating goings on in a haunted house. Now it has been turned into an action horror with huge monsters. And sucking any talent out of Christian Slater and Stephen Dorff. Why would they work with this insane madman???

Have they also sold their souls to the devil.

In about a months time he will unleash Bloodrayne on the unsuspecting movie going public, sure to be another mess from what early word has escaped from the Austin Film Festival where it premiered.

Whats next??? See for yourself:

http://www.kinopremiery.cz/trailery/245/index.htm

Original just titled Dungeon Siege.. now it is called In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale in a obvious attempt to make it seem LOTR-esque. What the fuck is he thinking... medievil knights and farmers doing kung fu kicks and shit... a side note some how he has managed to hijacked the action director from House of Flying Daggers.. The action looks so out of place it is painful.

Ray Liotta looks like he has shown up for the wrong movie... Burt Reynolds looks hilarious in armor as the King... and Matthew Lilliard has a ridiculous goatee...

Boll plans to make this movie a 4 hour epic with it's release being split into two parts.. ala Tarantino's Kill Bill.

All this and he has four other movies in varying stages of production... Far Cry, Hunter: The Reckoning, Postal and Fear Effect....

God help us!

MOVIE REVIEW - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

2005-11-28T18:11:00.000-08:00

Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, Deep Roy, Helena Bonham Carter, James Fox, Christopher Lee

Based on Roald Dahl's novel comes Tim Burton's vision of the children's tale. The story remains the same with young Charlie Bucket (Highmore), along with other much more revolting children, wins a tour of the world's greatest chocolate factory, along with the chance to meet the maker of the most sublime candy, Mr Willy Wonka (Depp).

What is inside the factory is one of the most adventoutrous world that Burton has ever captivated on screen. The film exudes a feel-good vibe even during the more depressing moments. This is helped immensly by the zany performance from Depp whose Wonka is without the slightest concept of manners or anything to do with human behaviour. He is a recluse with deep need to be loved by a family and Depp shows this in his wonderous turn.

The musical numbers by the Oompa-Loompas are brilliant, much thanks for that goes to the vocal stylings of Deep Roy (in his role as ALL the oompas) and the musical talents of long time Burton cohort Danny Elfman, who also once again turns in a motion picture score which adds more character to the proceedings than most actors can.

Burton no longer broods, it seems with this film and Big Fish he has aged slightly and the world is wearing less on him than it was in the days of Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands. Instead of having a loner who just ends returning to the quiet recluse of not knowing anyone, the loner now wants to reach out and give the whole world a hug. And dammit we just want to hug back.

Willy Wonka we love you.

The Good: Storytelling art.
The Bad: Too much chocolare can make you sick.
The Ugly: Never touch the squirrel's nuts.

Overall: Burton comes of age. 9/10

MOVIE REVIEW - Bewitched (2005)

2005-11-28T17:31:00.000-08:00

Director: Nora Ephron
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine, Jason Scwartzman

Isabel Bigelow (Kidman) is a witch trying to be human. Jack Wyatt (Ferrell) is an egotistical burned out actor trying to revive his lagging career. The idea him and agent (Schwartzman) come up with is to remake the TV show Bewitched but make Darrin the main character and push Samantha to the background. So in his search for the perfect quiet Samantha he finds Isabel. So of course she now has to act as the person she is trying to escape from being whilst she begins to fall for Jack.

It is refreshing that they didn't go the straight rehash route and instead try to inject something different into the proceedings with the douuble life aspect of the story. For the most part the script is okay and no one else can handle the sappy heart-string pulling and comedy quite like Ephron.

Acting across the board is good. Kidman is strong and pretty subdued most of the time especially compared to Ferrell who obviously ad-libs alot of his comedic tirades. Caine and MacLaine are both a delight as always and later in the movie a short appearance from Steve Carell as an imaginary Uncle Arthur comes across as part hilarious and part annoying much like the Arthur from the original show. Almost like Michael Scott from the Office trying to do the impression.

Thinking about it if the movie had been made about 10 years ago it would have probably starred Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Good? Bad? Average. Just don't expect too much from this romantic comedy and you'll find it enjoyable.

The Good: Ferrell and Kidman work well as a screen couple. Surprisingly.
The Bad: Just another romantic comedy.
The Ugly: Steve Carell? It's all a matter of taste.

Overall: Ephron-esque. 6/10

CELEBRITY NEWS - Tom watches baby...

2005-11-26T12:06:00.000-08:00

At $200,000 a sonogram is an expensive item to buy for most people. But as we all know Tom Cruise isn't most people, so he has gone and purchased one so he can watch HIS baby... i mean his and Katie's baby. *manical laughter*

During an upcoming interview with Barbara Walters she asks him what does he see and of course he simply answers "A baby"... *evil chortle* or is it something much more... *big grin*

I'm sure they cut out the part of the interview when Walters starts asking if he can see any kind of markings or strange growths on the fetus... Did Tom get the machine just so they don't have to goto the hospital where any intern or specialist could see what really is growing inside of poor young Katie?

Did I mention there is a new version of the Omen being release next year.... *manical laughter*

OZARK'S NOT QUOTE TOP 250 MOVIES III

2005-11-26T07:51:00.000-08:00

CINEMA OF THE BIZARRE (or WTF!!!!!):

Every once in a while there comes a movie which leaves you with your mouth agape and the feeling of was I not supposed to understand WTF just happened, hold on I'll watch it again. Top 250 case in point would be something like Mulholland Drive. It takes a writer/director like Lynch to suck in the audience into his insanity, there is meaning and plot hidden there in his twisted hints. Movies that missed out on 250 status:

Donnie Darko (2001) - Time-travel and premonitions of impeding doom trouble young Jake Gyllenhaal
eXistenZ (1999) - Cronenberg's virtual reality sci-fi throws it's stars Jude Law and Jennifer Jason Leigh around inside a mind altering video game.
Lost Highway (1997) - Another Lynchian masterpiece which has Bill Pullman questioning what is real or not in his own life as he receives a mysterious blank videotape and becomes the suspect in his wife's murder.

But it isn't just the mind-benders that this category can cover it also takes in films like Six String Samurai. A movie just born out of bizarre notion, an alternate reality, a comic book brought to life. Here are a few films that tend to break the mold and try something different:

Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) - Elvis is alive, and living in an old people's rest home along with a black man who believes he is JFK. Together they must stop an ancient mummy from killing all the residents of the home.
Miracle Mile (1988) - Outside a city cafe around midnight Anthony Edwards receives a call on a pay phone that claims that a nuclear strike will hit the US in less than 90 minutes, does he choose to believe it or not?
Streets of Fire (1984) - Walter Hill's rock and roll fable has a gang kidnapping a rock singer and the only guy who can save her is her ex-boyfriend.

TV - What were they thinking?

2005-11-25T10:07:00.000-08:00

ABC has cancelled Alias.. now I don't watch this show, but I have always wanted to go rent the DVDs and watch from the start.

What really upsets me is that last season Alias had it's biggest audience yet when it followed on from Lost and then the new season came round and ABC in all their wisdom move it to Thursday night up against Survivor (still one of the top 10 shows on TV) which in essence has turned out to be show suicide. It seems ABC have just killed off a perfectly good show... if it had been left in the post-LOST slot I don't see how it could have been cancelled.

Shame. Shame.

Also CBS announced they are cancelling Sci-fi show Threshold.. good thing I didn't end up watching that one and getting into it.

MOVIE NEWS - M Night is Back....

2005-11-24T15:35:00.000-08:00

Check out the teaser trailer on the the official website for 'Lady in the Water'.

http://ladyinthewatermovie.warnerbros.com/

Yet another great movie in the works for the master of the plot twist. Plus having Giamatti in the lead role is incredible.

One of the first must-see movies of 2006

OZARK'S TOP 250 MOVIES: #60-#51

2005-11-19T11:32:00.000-08:00

#60 - Manhunter (1986)
Before Silence of the Lambs brought us Hannibal Lecter the first incarnation was potrayed by Brian Cox in this the screen version of Harris' 'Red Dragon' novel. Michael Mann handles the whole affair with usual style bringing out all the tension up until the finale to the sounds of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly. Hunt this one down.

#59 - Unforgiven (1992)
Clint Eastwood lived upto and beyond all his expectations for this his last western. Academy award performances aside this is the perfect tale for the setting, as Clint is the aging gunslinger for hire trying to go straight who ends trying to make a few last dollars taking down sme bad guys with bounties on their heads.

#58 - Carlito's Way (1993)
"If you can't see the angles no more, you're in trouble."
De Palma and Pacino team up again for another gangster film. This time instead of Pacino character trying to make a name for himself ala Scarface, he is an already established hood trying to go straight. And he learns the hard way there is no way to escape your past.

#57 - Casablanca (1942)
A timeless love story in a the war torn Morrocan city of Casablanca. Bogart and Bacall at the peak of their careers are incredible together. This truly is a film that will stand the test of time.

#56 - Bullet in the Head (1990)
This is John Woo's Deer Hunter. A tale of four friends who get sucked into the war in Vietnam and the reprecussions it has on their friendship after it is all over. All played out with Woo's heroic bloodshed pathos but even more so as this movie delves more into the emmotions than any other Woo film has gone.

#55 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
The conclussion to Lucas' original trilogy is a little weaker than the two parts preceeding it. Yes the ewoks are cute but after seeing Episode III recently you only begin to wish that Lucas had the technology back then to put the finale on the wookie homeworld. Oh well. It is still a marvellous lavish epic.

#54 - Robocop (1987)
"Dead or alive, you're coming with me."
Verhoeven's action movie that contains a Christ effergy and a social commentary on the corruption of corporate America is a much deeper action sci-fi than most. Complemented by great design work from Rob Bottin and Phil Tippet.

#53 - Twelve Monkeys (1995)
Terry Gilliam's best and most mainstream. The time travel throws the viewer around leaving us wondering if Bruce Willis' character is really insane or if it really is happening to him. Just a great, fascinating and very clever sci-fi.

#52 - Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
"This all means something."
Spielberg next movie after his blockbuster breakout with Jaws is a touching sci-fi opus. He is a great advocate for there is life out there somewhere other than Earth. Five key notes have never meant so much.

#51 - The Goonies (1985)
Long before he was a Hobbit, Sean Astin was a kid. Sean Astin was Mikey. A family film which hits all the right marks 20 years on. As The Goonies, a group of friends, go in search of the pirate One-Eyed Willie's lost treasure. A film I plan on making my kids watch repeatedly and then my grandkids too.

OZARK'S NOT QUITE TOP 250 MOVIES: Part Deux

2005-11-19T09:59:00.000-08:00

HOLLYWOOD ACTION MOVIES:

The action genre often tries hard to be something more than what it really is. Face it movies like Con Air and Die Hard 2 aren't going to win oscars but they can try to get some recognition by changing up the usual cliches that go along with the genre. Get in some great writers to work on the dialogue, make the one-liners more snappy, great chemistry between the leads and so on. You can often find a very low budget action movie that works alot better than a movie with a budget ten times as much. So of those DTV movies often star the likes of Jean Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal who even at their own peaks actually turned out very watchable movies I like to to tale time to mention a couple:

Jean Claude Van Damme:
Hard Target (1993) - The first US movie from Hong Kong autuer John Woo included all his trademarks and wasn't a complete disappointment.

Steven Seagal:
Under Siege (1992) - Before Seagal went all eco-warrior on us, he was Casey Ryback a chef who used to be a SEAL. Supported by a excellent bad guy cast of Gary Busey and Tommy Lee Jones this is movie that works. And the sequel wasn't half bad either.

I even live in hope that one day these two could turn in movies of the same quality. Right now Van Damme is the only one who seems to be moving in the right direction.

Anyway... here are some other movies that didn't quite make the top 250:
Bad Boys (1995) - Courtesey of Michael Bay comes his big screen debut included all the little nuances we have now come to expect of him. This is a movie that is just down right fun, turn the sound system, sit back and whacha gonna do?
Last Boy Scout (1991) - From the master producer Joel Silver, the man behind the Matrix and Lethal Weapon series comes this Bruce Willis flick.
Die Hard With a Vengeance (1995) - Bruce is back again. This time the series goes back to the original director and switches it up so it isn't set at Christmas. Adding Samuel L Jackson as the sidekick adds even more pep back into the trilogy.
Speed (1994) - Making an action star out of Keanu is a tough thing, and this blockbuster action film almost slipped under the radar in '94 and was the suprise hit of the summer.
True Lies (1994) - Arnie once again proved he is the goto guy for big time action in this spy movie spin with a little bit of comedy.
Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) - Renny Harlin cemented himself on the action director map with this fun and violent film. Geena Davis is great in the action heroine role.*

I'm sure there are more I have missed... but oh well... I'm going to go watch the opening sequence of Face/Off for the hundredth time.

*Just an added note, a year after this film everyone was going nuts over Demi Moore turn herself into the action hero and saying the line "Suck my dick!!". I just don't think Geena got enough recognition for what she did to herself and also the fact that she says the same line in LKG.

OZARK'S TOP 250 MOVIES: #70-#61

2005-11-19T09:23:00.000-08:00

#70 - Reservoir Dogs (1991)
"Are you cool? I need you cool."
Blasting onto the movie scene with a self-assured coolness and a deft touch for dialogue came Quentin Tarantino's debut crime picture about the heist gone wrong. Mixing pop culture references, profanity and violence this stills holds up as cult classic.

#69 - Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
A hilarious quirky indie-film about a guy who must be the ultimate nerd who sets about to help his friend win the class presidency whilst trying to deal with his family at home. A new star is born in Jon Heder as the title role and boy can he dance.

#68 - Withnail & I (1987)
"I feel like a pig shat in my head."
A couple of would-be actors in 60s London deciede it is time to getting away from it all and try to take a vacation in the Lake District. This british comedy has inspired a thousand drinking games, except for the part where Withnail drinks lighter fluid. This film is not only brilliantly funny but also very intelligent beyond all the drunken swearing.

#67 - Alien (1979)
In space no one can hear you scream. But you can feel the terror nevertheless. Whilst making a star out of Sigourney Weaver, Ridley Scott managed to helm a truly scary horror sci-fi. Also making a cinematic icon out of the creature in the process.

#66 - A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
"My mule don't like you laughing."
After establish himself as a TV star on the show Rawhide Clint Eastwood stepped into the cowboy hat and poncho for the first film in Sergio Leone's fantastic dollars trilogy. The plot is basically a remake of Japanese film Yojimbo but transfered into a Spaghetti western as Clint is the man with no name who walks into a town run by two warring outfits and he sets about stirring it up until he is the last man standing.

#65 - Die Hard (1988)
"Yippie-kay-ay mother fucker."
Bruce Willis as an action star? In the 80s this seemed like a joke question but after this one you couldn't at him without seeing the dirty white vest. Creating it's own genre of the lone gun against impossible odds lead by euro-trash bad guys (Alan Rickman is sublime), Christmas will never be the same.

#64 - Clerks (1994)
"Oooohhh Navy Seals!"
Kevin Smith seemingly created a movie that reached out to the frustrated cashier in all of us. Everytime one of those customers comes up to you with that attitude or dumb question you just wanted to be Randall and just tell them what is really on your mind. You have the power, abuse it.

#63 - The Blues Brothers (1980)
"I hate Illinois nazis."
Quite simply the best thing to come out of a Saturday Night Live skit. The barrage of great music, memorable quotes and funny characters keep this one running. Plus it doesn't hurt to have the destruction of the most police cars in movie history as the end sequence.

#62 - Rear Window (1954)
Or 'What James Stewart Saw'. Hitchcock revs up the suspense as we the audience are dragged in as voyeurs on our neighbors along with Jimmy as he suspects the person across the way in his apartment complex may or may not have murdered his significant other. Forever homaged never equalled.

#61 - Shallow Grave (1994)
This low budget pitch black comedy thriller from Danny Boyle really tries to answer the age old question. If you wake up one morning, your new roommate is dead and there is a bag with a shitload of money under his bed, what do you do? This film is a well concieved and fascinating character study of the effects of greed on friends. Paranoia, betrayal and murder.

WORK - Internalising my anger...

2005-11-18T19:21:00.000-08:00

..is something I really need to stop doing.

Okay these four kids, probably 13/14 year olds come in with their skateboards. One of them had fallen and they wanted a band-aid or two. So nice guy that I am, usually, let them sit down and patch themselves up of course thinking they are going to leave in a couple of minutes...

...next thing I know as I see them about to leave.. my co-worker says something and they come upto the front desk and start talking to her. She doesn't try to encourage them to leave the hotel she evens goes to the point of showing them pictures on her son... So here I am getting pissed and more pissed at the situation that I feel I started by letting them sit down and fix their wounds.

...well then they ask me where I am from? Of course I tell them.. I'm polite.. I'm english for fuck's sake... but anyhow... She all tells me to say "Bloody hell" or "Bloody bastard".... So in the course or telling to leave the hotel and after much heckling.. I say You Bloody bastards get out of my hotel... big mistake.. then they pull out a camcorder and ask me to do it for the camera... I immediately step around the corner... there is no way I am getting caught on camera saying something like in my uniform.. knowing my luck it would end up on the internet being download of the week....

...so from around the corner I am saying turn it off.. get out of the hotel.. and my co-worker isn't helping much as she keeps begging me to do it.... so in the end I just snap say I am calling the police and yell at the top of my lungs... "GET OUT!!!!".. not6 the most professional way of dealing with it... but hey they did leave.

IN THE NEWS - Moment of silence...

2005-11-15T20:28:00.000-08:00

A wrestler was discovered dead in his Minneapolis hotel room on Sunday, just hours before a scheduled performance in a World Wrestling Entertainment show. He was 38. Eduardo Gory Guerrero, best known for participating in WWE Smackdown!, was found by his nephew and hotel security after failing to respond to a wake-up call. Police are investigating the mysterious demise but, as yet, do not suspect foul play. WWE chairman Vince McMahon paid tribute to the heavyweight saying, "This is a huge loss. Eddie was a wonderful, fun-loving human being. Eddie was a consummate performer."

I mention this because I was a fan of WWF/WWE and remember the better days.
The days of Mama Cita Chyna.
Eddie was a great star and he will be missed.

OZARK'S TOP 250 MOVIES: #80-#71

2005-11-15T19:30:00.000-08:00

#80 - Spartacus (1960)
Kirk Douglas is Spartacus. Kubrick as always does a masterful job of directing this epic. The granduer still amazes over 4o years later. A film that is timeless.

#79 - Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Billed as a romantic comedy with zombies here is a satire of zombie films that is better than most of the movies it is having jokes at the expense of. Simon Pegg is fantastic as the Shaun of the title as he battles his way through zombies to save his mum, his girlfriend and his pub.

#78 - The Ladykillers (1955)
The best of the Ealing comedies this again stars regular Alec Guinness, who puts in another fabulous acting turn as the creepy leader of potential robbers planning their big heist whilst hiding out in a sweet old lady's home.

#77 - Back to the Future (1985)
"You made a time machine out of a DeLorean?!"
Michael J Fox's defining role as Marty McFly is still as fantastic and fun as it was twenty years ago, as he travels back through time to the 50s in Doc Brown's time machine. A marvellous family film get the kids in, sit down and enjoy. Again and again.

#76 - Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
One of the definitive WWII movies. Directed by David Lean the story is of a British colonel (Alec Guinness) who after being in a Japanese POW camp for while comes to a truce with the camp commander and offers to help him build a bridge, unaware of the Allied's plan to blow up said bridge.

#75 - The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
Woody Allen's best movies are mainly the ones he doesn't star in himself and this is the perfect example of that theory. As Jeff Daniels stars in dual roles of firstly actor and the character this actor plays in a movie, as that character walks off a movie screen into Mia Farrow's life. A wonderfully touching romantic comedy featuring the best of Woody Allen's writing.

#74 - Blazing Saddles (1974)
It's the old west and in a ploy to ruin a town a corrupt politician hires a black sheriff (Cleavon Little) little does he know that would be his big mistake. Of all Mel Brooks' comedies this is the best. A terrific jab at the old Hollywood westerns and toward the end a marvellous poke at Hollywood itself as the movie spills out into the studio.

#73 - Airplane! (1980)
"Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue."
The daddy of all spoof movies, this is the Zuckers & Abrahams at their funniest. The crew is all falling ill and the only person who can land the plane is an ex-pilot who is terrified of flying. Surely they can't be serious. Yes they are... but don't call me Shirley.

#72 - Spider-Man 2 (2004)
The sequel to a great super-hero film, is the best incarnation of a super-hero ever. Tobey Maguire is most assured in the hero role and Alfred Molina is incredible as the evil Doc Ock. The real star is the huge action sequences.

#71 - Romeo and Juliet (1997)
Baz Luhrmann came out of nowhere with this MTV-esque version of the Shakespearean text. The original dialogue blends in perfectly with the modern vista of Verona Beach and the leads were perfectly cast for DiCaprio and Danes.

OZARK'S TOP 10 TV SHOWS...

2005-11-12T11:29:00.000-08:00

1. Lost
2. 24 (when it returns)
3. Amazing Race
4. My Name is Earl
5. Desperate Housewives
6. Supernatural
7. Medium
8. Survivor
9. Prison Break
10. WSOP/Celebrity Poker on BRAVO

MOVIE REVIEW - The Interpreter (2005)

2005-11-12T09:48:00.000-08:00

Director: Sydney Pollack
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, Catherine Keener

Silvia Broome (Kidman) is an UN translator who overhears a death against an African leader who is coming to speak at the UN. She is placed under the proctection, and comes under the suspicion, of federal agent Tobin Keller (Penn). As he delves deeper into her past it becomes apparent she isn't all she seems to be.

This gripping political thriller is well-handled by veteran director Sydney Pollack, who is no stranger to this genre having previously directed the classic Three Days of the Condor. He, with the help of great performances from the two leads, manages to manipulate the audiences own suspicions throughout. Unfortunatley it does leave us with an ending that is predictable about 15 minutes before hand. This is such a shame and drags down what is otherwise a perfectly good movie.

The Good: Great performances and direction.
The Bad: Ultimately let down by weak and predictable ending.
The Ugly: Cold and hard photography not really my cup of tea.

Overall: A great shame. 6/10

OZARK'S TOP 250 MOVIES: #90-#81

2005-11-11T18:45:00.000-08:00

#90 - Zero Effect (1998)
The worlds greatest private detective Daryl Zero (Bill Pullman) helped by his assistant Steve Arlo (Ben Stiller) are investigate a case of blackmail and missing keys. This very humorous film blends classic detective genre cliche's and brings a great character to the screen in Zero. Pullman puts in a career best performance as he goes through his investgative motions.

#89 - The Princess Bride (1987)
A classic fairy tale. With pirates, giants, swords, monsters and romance. And yes, some kissing. One of the best family adventure films enough scares, thrills and humor to keep all ages happy.

#88 - The Matrix (1999)
"Whoa."
I think the above quote just about sums up seeing this sci-fi for the first time. The Wachowski brothers pulled out all the stops and made an even bigger star out of Keanu Reeves with the first part in the epic trilogy.

#87 - To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
An incredible drama set both in a court room and in the home of Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck). A movie that deals with race relations without being in your face or over the top.

#86 - Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
"The Knights who say NI!!!"
Graham Chapman and company bring us the funniest film involving King Arthur of all time. The Python team made a hit transition to the big screen with their off the wall antics as the knights of the round table.

#85 - Pulp Fiction (1994)
Tarantino pulp noir styled epic pulls no punches and doesn't skip a beat in pacing or dialogue. Responsible for the rebirth of Travolta's career, making him cool again as Vincent Vega.

#84 - The Thing (1982)
John Carpenter with the help of Rob Bottin's special effects team make a chilling and creepy remake of the cult black and white horror flick. Carpenter movie stalwart Kurt Russell is yet again the hero of the tale.

#83 - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
A groundbreaking performance from Jim Carrey tops this trippy romantic comedy. A film about a couple (Carrey and Kate Winslett) undergo a procedure to wipe one another from there memories after their relationship comes upon hard times. Only to discover what they really mean to each other.

#82 - The Incredibles (2004)
Pixar's finest work to date. Possibly one of the best superhero movies of all time. This Incredible family film brings to life a side of being a superhero that not often potrayed on screen, what if you couldn't do it anymore? This works on more levels than most live-action films.

#81 - Sunset Blvd (1950)
"Mr DeMille I am ready for my close up"
Billy Wilder's dark swipe at Hollywood is as close to the bone today than as it was over 50 years ago. The centerpiece in this tale is Norma Desmond, played brilliantly by Gloria Swanson, she is the former silent film who has faded into obscurity after the invention of talkies.

SPIDERMAN 3 - Sandman? SWEET!!!

2005-11-06T17:50:00.000-08:00

A new pic on the official Spiderman 3 website has appeared... it is Thomas Haden Church as Flint Marko.

OZARK'S TOP 250 MOVIES: #100-#91

2005-11-05T09:59:00.000-08:00

#100 - The Last Seduction (1994)
Linda Fiorentino is quite possibly the hottest woman on the planet and in this film noir she pratically burns off the screen. She plays the femme fatale Bridget Gregory a voracious man-eater playing a con. It is such a shame that this film was first shown on TV in the US which made ineligible for an Academy Award nomination that it rightly deserved.

#99 - Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
"It's all in the reflexes!"
Kurt Russell is at his coolest as Jack Burton, the all-american truck driver who is pulled into a mystical battle of the ages in Chinatown. Instantly quoteable and always enjoyable.

#98 - Batman Begins (2005)
Christopher Nolan brings the Batman franchise into the new millenium and with the help of Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne they reinvent the mythology showing the darker side of the Dark Knight. What is more amazing the incredible supporting cast they pulled together, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy and Tom Wilkinson all great actors. This represents a great year for comic book movies and a even better year for Frank Miller.

#97 - Evil Dead II (1987)
"Groovy."
The best of Raimi and Bruce Campbell's Evil Dead movies. This horror blends black comedy and gore into an exciting experience. Campbell's performance as Ash is over the top, outlandish and so completely tongue in cheek you can almost see him winking at the camera.

#96 - Swingers (1996)
"You're so money baby."
Vince Vaughn is the teacher and Jon Favereau is the student in the class of how to pick up chicks. Vaughn leads the way in trying to show his buddy how to get the girl. The script is hilarious and Vaughn is almost too beleiveable as the pick-up artist. This movie is so money.

#95 - Enemy at the Gates (2001)
One of the best WWII movies I have ever seen. It tells the story on the Eastern Front opening with the Battle of Stalingrad it drags you straight into the horror of war as the audience follows the duel between two snipers, Jude Law and Ed Harris.

#94 - Heathers (1989)
This wickedly funny high-school comedy has Winona Ryder trying to get in with the in-crowd whilst hanging out with a rebellious Christian Slater, who has a devious plan to restructure the social groupings at the school.

#93 - Six-String Samurai (1998)
"Float away little butterfly. Just flutter away."
A true guilty pleasure. This excellent campy post-apocalyptic adventure follows Buddy (Jeffrey Falcon) as he makes his way across the desert to 'Lost Vegas', which is now searching for a new king after the death of Elvis. A live action comic book samurai action adventure.

#92 - Swimming with Sharks (1994)
"You are nothing! If you were in my toilet I wouldn't bother flushing it. My bathmat means more to me than you!"
Another stand out performance from Kevin Spacey as the incredibly abusive movie producer Buddy Ackerman who is ends up being held captive and tortured by his trod-upon assistant played by Frank Whaley.

#91 - The Warriors (1979)
"I'll shove that bat up your ass and turn you into a popsicle."
Walter Hill found the novel that this is based on in a bookstore bargin rack. What he made out of it is great tale of a battle against adversity as one gang has to fight there way back home through New York. Each gang has it's own style and there are many including The Boppers, The Hi-Hats, The Riffs and of course the Warriors.

OZARK'S NOT QUITE TOP 250 MOVIES: Part 1

2005-11-04T18:24:00.000-08:00

As I reach the my top 100 this is my first post about some movies that didn't make my Top 250 but that I feel are worthy of a mention as somethings you shouldn't miss or a film that is just underrated.

I think I should start in the 80s.. the ultimate guilty pleasure decade. The decade of the teen drama-comedy as brought to you by John Hughes. Just his movies are enough to fill this post... films like Mr Mom, National Lampoon's Vacation, Weird Science, Pretty in Pink, Some Kind of Wonderful and Planes Trains and Automobiles.

But it's really the movies that could have been John Hughes movies that I want to really acknowledge:

Adventures in Babysitting (1987) - Elizabeth Shue is the babysitter you don't want to fuck with... or do you? And remember you can't leave until you sing the blues.
Real Genius (1985) - Val Kilmer is a college genius, no really he is. Funny stuff as him and his team of genius are trying to make a laser.
Three O'Clock High (1987) - This little known movie stars little known Casey Siemaszko as the loser kid who somehow gets challenged to a fight with the high school bully at 3 o'clock.
Better Off Dead... (1985) - John Cusack is Lane Meyer, he is pretty much a loser. He is trying to kill himself and keeps failing and finally gives up after meeting a exchange student from France. "I WANT MY TWO DOLLARS!!!!"
Licence to Drive (1988) - The best of the two Coreys movies.

There are many more out there... but is all I have for now.

OZARK'S TOP 250 MOVIES: #110-#101

2005-11-04T18:02:00.000-08:00

#110 - Gangs of New York (2002)
With a bit of poetic license this is Martin Scorsese take on the true story of the New York City Draft Riots. Featuring a career best performance from Leonardo DiCaprio.

#109 - Face/Off (1997)
John Woo's best Hollywood action flick to date. Made with his traditional orgy of violence, two-gunned, slow-motion and mexican stand offs. Also has John Travolta and Nicholas Cage firing on all cylinders.

#108 - Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Audrey Hepburn is absolutely gorguous and delightful as Holly Golightly in this Blake Edwards comedy. Brings out the romantic in everyone.

#107 - The Pianist (2002)
A great view of WWII from the eyes of Polish Jewish pianist (Adrien Brody) as he struggles to survive through the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto.

#106 - The Jerk (1979)
This is Steve Martin at the peak of his comedic brilliance. He is Navin R Johnson a simpleton struggling through life until an invention of his makes his wealthy.

#105 - Lethal Weapon (1987)
A defining moment in the action movie genre. The first of the great buddy cop movies, the highstrung suicidal white cop (Mel Gibson) and old retiring black cop (Danny Glover). A formula that will be copied many times.
"I'm getting to old for this shit."

#104 - High Noon (1952)
The classic black and white western. Gary Cooper is the marshall of a small town who finds out the criminal he incarcerated is coming back to town at noon only to find out his own town refuses to help him. One of the early examples of a movie being filmed in real time.

#103 - City of God (2002)
A multilayered ganster film from Brazil. It follows two kids lives in the ghetto as the grow up running on different sides of the law. Amazing in it's execution and style.

#102 - Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
An epic in the true sense of the word. Everything about this Sergio Leone western is huge. From the desert vistas to the extreme closes up of twitching glances.

#101 - Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)
Controversial and deemed both sacrilegious and blasphemous by many people upon it's release it is the story of Brian, a man born at the same time as Christ and is then mistaken for the messiah.

OZARK'S TOP 250 MOVIES: #120-#111

2005-11-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

#120 - ET: The Extra Terrestrial (1982)
This family sci-fi adventure has a place even in the meanest of hearts. Spielberg lays on the sentimentality so think it invests you in this story. It also features one the most ominous bad guy's in Peter Coyote's government agent Mr Keys.

#119 & #118 - Kill Bill Volume 1 (2003), Volume 2 (2004)
Tarantino reinvents the kung-fu samurai epic with much aplomb and style. Uma Thurman is 'The Bride' a bad ass momma who slices and dices with the best of them ending in suitable amounts of arterial spurtage.

#117 - The Untouchables (1987)
"I want to piss on his grave!"
Robert De Niro chews up the screen as Al Capone in Brian De Palma's telling of Elliot Ness and team of Untouchables who went to war with the gangster during prohibtion.

#116 - Harvey (1950)
Years before Roger Rabbit got framed James Stewart was seeing this six foot tall rabbit. Imagenary or not, this is a wonderfully funny and quirky film.

#115 - Sin City (2005)
Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller collaberated to make this on screen comic book. An almost frame to frame adaptation of Miller's noir stlyed comic book series this movie blows the viewer away with it's visionary technique and outlandish violence.

#114 - Battle Royale (2000)
A class of Japanese school kids think they are going on a field trip but they end getting kidnapped and dumped on an island. Each of them is given a weapon and the single mission of killing everyone else until there is only one left.

#113 - The Frighteners (1996)
Michael J Fox is perfectly cast as the psychic private detective/exorcist is Peter Jackson's first Hollywood movie. The script has the right pitch of comedy and scares with some excellent performances from the supporting cast, namely Jeffrey Combs.

#112 - 12 Angry Men (1957)
Henry Fonda stands as the one man against eleven other jurors in this tense drama. The whole film is set in the humid jury room and tempers are soon frayed leading to some of the best performances put on celluloid.

#111 - Bullitt (1968)
McQueen is and always will be Lt Frank Bullitt, he will always drive that car and it will always be on the Streets of San Francisco.

MOVIE REVIEW - Land of the Dead (2005)

2005-10-30T18:25:00.000-08:00

Director: George A. Romero
Starring: Simon Baker, Dennis Hopper, John Leguizamo, Asia Argento

Romero returns with the fourth and possible final installment in his zombie saga. This time we join some of the last surviving humans as they have walled themselves into a city that is surrounded by water. Kaufman (Dennis Hopper) is the man who runs the city and he sends out Riley (Simon Baker) and his crew of militants to search for food in abandoned towns. It is on one of these scavenger trips that Riley discovers something about the zombies that worries him. They are trying to be like humans. They are evolving.

This time around the zombies are characters themselves lead by Big Daddy (Eugene Clark), who is the first one to start realising how to do things and to the point of almost having feelings. It's a funny moment when at the sight of the death of a fellow zombie he yells out in anguish. But the scariest part is when he gets hold of a gun. I mean fighting off hoardes of the undead is hard but when they are armed with M16s it can be a little more difficult.

Now in this day and age some 2o years on from his last episode, 'Day of the Dead', gore plays a big part of horror flicks and this is no exception. In fact Romero has pulled out all the stops he is relentless in showing the sights and allowing us to hear the sounds. There is almost no end to the squishing and squelching sound effects on top of people having large bites taken out of them. One bite in particular is the woman with a belly ring, well you can imagine.

Another plus point is since his older films Romero can now actually get good actors to play the zombie-fodder. Simon Baker is commanding in the lead role and John Leguizamo is suitably cocky as the expert zombie-killer. Then the cream of the crop in this movie is Dennis Hopper, is the very dislikable corrupt boss of the city, he plays the bad guy so well.

The Good: Very well acted for a horror. The master is back in control.
The Bad: It's a zombie-horror not exactly to everyone's tastes
The Ugly: Gore, blood, gore, squelch, scream, slurp, munch, blood.

Overall: A triumphant return. 8/10