THE NEW X-FILES TRAILER

It looks good y'all! Mulder and Scully return on July 25, 2008. Welcome back.

MOVIE TRAILER: CHOKE

The stripper is hysterical! Here's the synopsis and here is the movie's official website:

Actor-turned-director Clark Gregg shows he is as adept behind the camera as he is in front of it with CHOKE, a wickedly colorful dark comedy about mothers and sons, sexual compulsion, and the sordid underbelly of Colonial theme parks. Victor Mancini (Sam Rockwell), a sex-addicted med-school dropout, who keeps his increasingly deranged mother, Ida (Huston), in an expensive private medical hospital by working days as a historical reenactor at a Colonial Williamsburg theme park. At night Victor runs a scam by deliberately choking in upscale restaurants to form parasitic relationships with the wealthy patrons who “save” him. When, in a rare lucid movement, Ida reveals that she has withheld the shocking truth of his father’s identity, Victor enlists the aid of his best friend, Denny (Henke) and his mother’s beautiful attending physician, Dr. Paige Marshall (Macdonald), to solve the mystery before the truth of his possibly divine parentage is lost forever.

MOVIE TRAILER: RELIGULOUS

Here's a new documentary coming out with Bill Maher and directed by Larry Charles, he directed Borat. It looks genius. Watch the video below or go to the official Religulous site and watch it there.

Here's the synopsis:
The documentary RELIGULOUS follows political humorist and author Bill Maher (“Real Time With Bill Maher,” “Politically Incorrect”) as he travels around the globe interviewing people about God and religion. Known for his astute analytical skills, irreverent wit and commitment to never pulling a punch, Maher brings his characteristic honesty to an unusual spiritual journey. Directed by Larry Charles (BORAT: CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”), RELIGULOUS will mark Charles’ first feature project since the critically acclaimed, wildly successful BORAT. Jonah Smith and Palmer West of Thousand Words (A SCANNER DARKLY, REQUIEM FOR A DREAM) and Bill Maher are producing.

SEX AND THE CITY HOTTIE

If you thought the next door neighbor was hot, click here to see a few pics of him. Yes, him. Nice to see equality on the nudity front huh? Obviously, it's not safe for work (NSFW)!

SEX AND THE CITY - MY REVIEW!

OK, I went and saw SATC this afternoon and I loved it. I was shocked at how well the actors and actresses inhabited their roles after 4 years away. You know how some TV shows start back in the fall and it seems to take them a little bit of time to get back into the nuances of their character? Not so much here, it was just like yesterday and isn't that how good friendships really are? I also have to say that if you're a fan, you will LOVE this. If you weren't a fan, you might still really like it - it is a good standalone piece, even if you haven't seen the series. It does help though if you have, definitely. 

Anyway, I won't spoil any major plot points but I can tell you that Charlotte is still very Charlotte but funnier here than I've seen her in quite some time, kudos to Kristin Davis on that point. She nearly stole the whole show with her quirkiness and neuroses, and I loved her for it. 

Miranda is still struggling with life and work, and I have to say, that Cynthia Nixon has never looked better, EVER. Stunning really. She's still the cynic of the group, with a soft core way down inside. She has one scene in particular with one line that just moved me, I could feel it in how she delivered it - it's outside of a dinner.

Samantha has been "neutered' a bit here, which was my only disappointment. What I mean is that she is much more fun when single and on the prowl, and I think most fans would agree with me on this point. Having said that, seeing a more toned down version does show depth of character. Kim Cattrall is just beautiful, well-preserved, and has balls of steel - she tells it like it is and without her in this movie, it wouldn't have been the same. Not even close.

Carrie, ah Carrie, she's such a romantic and I love that about her. She still borders the line of fashion icon and fashion victim, and I wouldn't have it any other way. There are a few scenes in which I saw a different Sarah Jessica Parker in a whole new light, with the emotions being very very raw. One scene in particular, involving flowers, was pretty riveting to me. Oh yeah, I wanted to say to all of those naysayers out there that say she's ugly, she is quite the contrary. And anything she lacks in "traditional" beauty she more than makes up with an inner glow you just can't buy.

So that's about it, I don't want to ruin the experience for anyone, nor do I want to build it up so high that you ultimately can't help but feel disappointed. But like they said on Oprah, it was created with the fans in mind and that truly couldn't be more true. It made me want to visit New York again and like always, it made me sad at the notion of never seeing these ladies again. After approximately $56 million at the box office this weekend, I hardly suspect this is the last time we'll see this wonderful bunch again. Tick tock, I'm counting the days.

SHORT AND SWEET MOVIE REVIEW : SWEENEY TODD

Yesterday I watched Sweeney Todd, I ordered it from Amazon Unbox and it was sent to my Tivo for easy-viewing. I was pretty excited because I (like most people) love Johnny Depp along with the imagery that Tim Burton consistently presents. You know, the underlying menace to a seemingly whimsical situation? 

So, I start watching it and I am kind of digging it, until the first song. Then I get a little worried because I didn't get the "musical gene", but I decide to muster up the energy to overlook the typical Stephen Sondheim music, where the notes jump all over the place but people stand up and cheer it? Anyway, then another song, then another song, and another song. ARGH, I'm a dumb fuck because hello, it's a musical. I thought maybe it was mostly movie with some music thrown in. No, this was a musical. 

In short, I made it through the movie in about 13 minutes. Yes, I saw the ending and everything leading up to it. I hit fast forward and didn't stop. It was the best 13 minute musical I've ever seen and for 30 cents per minute, it wasn't too painful from a cost perspective either. 

MOVIE TRAILER: BURN AFTER READING

Starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton, John Malcovich, Francis McDoormat, and a slew of others. It's a Coen Brothers movie so it's sure to rock.

MOVIE TRAILER: HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU (RELEASE 10/24/08)

A personal philosophy I love to speak of, have a look at this very funny trailer. Below is the synopsis:

Screenwriters Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein team to adapt writing duo Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo's best-selling book concerning the ever-widening gap between genders and the misunderstandings that often arise between couples. In the film, a woman who can't seem to get a grip on the men in her life pursues an advice columnist who never quite knew what he wanted in a relationship. Prolific television director Ken Kwapis (Freaks and Geeks and The Office) helms a romantic comedy produced by and starring Drew Barrymore. The ensemble also includes Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Justin Long, and Ginnifer Goodwin.

EAGLE EYE - MOVIE TRAILER

Check out this awesome trailer for Eagle Eye, starring Shia Labeouf - it comes out in September of this year. I'm intrigued! (I always say that huh?)

SHORT AND SWEET MOVIE REVIEW - 27 DRESSES

Katherine Heigl: Great future in film, I loved her.

James Mardsen: Adorable, very likable in this film.

Story : So-So. Started off fresh with a frenetic pace, then slipped into "romantic-comedy" standard mode, but boringly so.

Recommendation: Watch on a rainy afternoon when depressed, otherwise, skip it.

FAHRENHEIT 9/11 SEQUEL ON THE WAY!

If you saw Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 and were curious to see how things have played out now that much more has come to surface about 9/11 and the aftermath associated with it, you might have your chance to find out. Click here for the CNN article on the sequel coming out next year after President Bush leaves office. Let the fireworks begin!

*In the interest of full-disclosure, I have a great deal of respect for Michael Moore.

WATCH THIS - BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER (RELEASE 5/30/08)

In America, we define ourselves in the superlative: we are the biggest, strongest, fastest country in the world. We reward speed, size and above all else: winning -- at sport, at business and at war. Metaphorically we are a nation on steroids. Is it any wonder that so many of our heroes are on performance enhancing drugs?

From the producers of 'Bowling For Columbine' and 'Fahrenheit 9/11' comes a new film that unflinchingly explores our win-at-all-cost culture through the lens of a personal journey. Blending comedy and pathos, 'Bigger, Stronger, Faster' is a collision of pop culture, animated sequences and first-person narrative, with a diverse cast including US Congressmen, professional athletes, medical experts and everyday gym rats.

At its heart, this is the story of director Christopher Bell and his two brothers, who grew up idolizing muscular giants like Hulk Hogan, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and who went on to become members of the steroid-subculture in an effort to realize their American dream. When you discover that your heroes have all broken the rules, do you follow the rules, or do you follow your heroes?

THE NEW DARK KNIGHT TRAILER 2008

JULY 18!

SON OF RAMBOW - TRAILER

Here's the synopsis:

A nostalgic trip back to the 1980s, 'Son of Rambow' is an inventive valentine to an era where, for the first time in history, young minds had access to technology that allowed them to create their own stories while paying homage to their larger-than-life heroes from the movies that inspired them.

Will, who isn't allowed to watch TV or go to the movies, expresses himself through his drawings and illustrations until he finds himself caught up in the extraordinary world of Lee Carter, the school terror and crafter of bizarre home movies. Carter exposes Will to a pirated copy of the first Rambo film, First Blood, which blows his mind wide open. Against his family's orders, his imaginative little brain begins to flower in the world of filmmaking. Will and Lee become popular at school through their films, but when a French exchange student, Didier Revol, arrives on the scene, their unique friendship and precious film are pushed to the breaking point. 

(For Toby)

MOVIE TRAILER - BLINDNESS, RELEASE 9/19/08

EEK! Everyone's gone blind, or practically everyone in this seemingly top-caliber film. Judging by the studio (Miramax), the cast (Mark Ruffalo, Julianne Moore, Danny Glover, and Gael García Bernal), and the trailer, this one seems quite intriguing to me!

MOVIE REVIEW - MARGOT AT THE WEDDING

Great acting - CHECK. Interesting story - CHECK. Deep subtext - CHECK. Enjoyable - NOT SO MUCH. 

This movie is one of those films that's an actors' performance movie, you know what I mean? It's one of those films you really want to enjoy and when you don't, you feel like you want to force yourself to enjoy it because you're an intellectual damn it! The thought of only enjoying the paper-thin plot movies is really frightening! This film does have a wonderful story, really deep themes of family secrets being exposed, repairing withering relationships, self-redemption, etc. Mostly, there was not a lot to raise you up emotionally, it felt like I was just watching a really complex and deep family rift with little hope of resolve. Granted, that's real life often times, but I don't want that from a film necessarily. Having said that, I would say it taught me to look at my own life and think about the concept of time, of mortality, to look at the walls that prevent us from living. 

Keep an eye on Jack Black, as many reviews have stated, he is a definite surprise in this film. Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh aren't really a surprise, because they were flawless and I come to expect this from them. This is not the Nicole Kidman ice-queen you're used to seeing. I mean, it is but it's so much more. 

If you want to know more about this film, click here. 

WATCH THIS - THE WILD PARROTS OF TELEGRAPH HILL

If you think true relationships only happen between humans or that stories aren't told in other languages by different creatures, I would encourage you to watch this film. 

Here is a synopsis:

This remarkable movie is the true story of a Bohemian St. Francis and his remarkable relationship with a flock of wild red-and-green parrots. Mark Bittner, a dharma bum (a homeless seeker of truth) and former street musician in San Francisco, falls in with the flock as he searches for meaning in his life, unaware that the wild parrots will bring him everything he needs.

Directed by Judy Irving. Starring Mark Bittner and avian stars Mingus, Connor, Picasso, Sophie, Olive, Pushkin and Tupelo. 83 Minutes. Rated G.

OUT OF SIGHT

This is one of my favorite movies of all-time, directed by Steven Soderbergh, and here's one of my favorite clips. She's a Federal Marshall and he's a bank robber that she needs to catch. Talk about chemistry, can you say sexy? For more information on the movie, click here.

You Must Watch This...

I Am Because We Are. 

Airplane! - I Speak Jive