As Halloween approaches, by each passing night, horror films are aired through-out in preparation of one of the most scariest nights. From a classic Frankenstein to a modern re-make of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre – the genre of horror films is an interesting niche within cinema that mirrors and alters life as we know it.
Recently, I reviewed a documentary titled Nightmares in Red, White and Blue: The Evolution of The American Horror Film. The documentary discussed the connection between the mind of social concern in relation to horror films. The director, Andrew Monument, interviewed a variety of writers and directors of a diverse caliber within the genre and dissected individual films from key periods that mimic turning points within the American culture.
Director: Andrew Monumet
Narrator: Lance Henriksen, Larry Cohen and Joe Danet
People have always been attracted to horror films. The question is, why? Perhaps it is the twisted minds of the writers and directors who envisioned these stories, or really, is it a projection of reality?
This past weekend the Twitter waves were buzzing from the 43 character bit that was tweeted from the reality star herself, Kim Kardashian, on the starring role she has just landed in an upcoming film by Tyler Perry titled, The Marriage Counselor.
Big News! I’m co-starring in Tyler Perry’s new movie!
What do you think ~ take my poll ~ would you see this film?
Friday was date night for my husband and I. Unfortunately, due to the fact that my last 3 picks of movies had been disastrous, I was at the mercy of his selection. Which may not seem to be a big deal how-ever our tastes are drastically different. If I could sum up his palette of films it would be; Mall Cop, Coneheads, Super Troopers and Hot Tub Time Machine; not my thing. Ironically, we comprised (the joys of marriage) and decided on The Change Up – a semi-romantic comedy. Ha! Little did I know what this movie would really entail.
The Cast:
Ryan Reynolds > Mitch Planko
Jason Bateman > Dave Lockwood
Leslie Mann > Jamie Lockwood
Olivia Wilde > Sabrina McArdle
The Rundown:
Two best friends (Dave Lockwood and Mitch Planko) meet up for a night of male bonding over beers, football and gossip (who ever said men don’t gossip like women are de-lussional). Lockwood is a married man of 3 beautiful girls and a lawyer by profession. Planko, is an over sized child who refuses to grow up. He’s an, a-hem, actor who lives the bachelor life fully. Hence, the 20 minute gossip fest the two share over beers at a bar while Planko indulges Lockwood about his sex-capades with various women. As if the stories itself aren’t good enough, Planko pulls out his cellphone and proceeds to show Lockwood multiple sexts (sexual text message pictures) of him in complicated sex positions that I’ve never even heard of. Perhaps these ladies never got to see the MTV commercials on the dangers of sexting – if you haven’t, check it out here.
At this point, the movie is “cute” and has its moments of funny until our boy Lockwood turns into the typical i – hate – married – life complainer (insert the roll of my eyes). Here is where the movie lost me. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not biased based on the fact that I’m married – I’m annoyed by the fact that men seem to forget that they are not the only one’s who have to sacrifice in a marriage. Perhaps this may be a shock to some of you, but most little girls do not lie around and day-dream about growing up and cleaning after their husband, cooking dinner every night, running a house-hold, maintaining a career, birthing his children all with a smile. I’m pretty sure when both parties walk down the aisle – they both are making that pledge to one another – so why is it acceptable for men to complain about these little details of life and yet the women are expected to suck it up and deal with it?
Lets face it, no one is ready to deal with the truth that 9/10 women probably feel the exact same way as men do. But, a movie like that would never be made. If a woman is complaining about her marriage, complaining about motherhood and secretly plotting to have sex with her assistant; that all seems uglier than if it were coming from a man. The true ugliness lies in the acceptance that society bestows upon men and over shadows on women. If there is to be a discussion on marriage, even in the genre of comedy, show both sides. No doubt, it was funny when Jamie Lockwood (the wife) sauntered into the couple’s master bathroom in sexy lingerie, the husband instantly prepping himself for a night of dirty deeds, only to have her sit on the toilet with the door wide open as she began to have the worst bowel movement I have ever heard. But, how about depict a time where the husband steps out-of-bounds? I have one > they’re snuggling in bed, she’s getting in the mood…when she looks over and see’s him picking his nose! Ew!
Can some one say fair game?
Over all, the movie was predictable. The only good that came out of this was, the movie was so horrible, it put me and my husband back on equal playing field for picking horrible movies. Next one, we’re flipping a coin. 🙂
Perusing through my Twitter feed yesterday, I came across a tweet from Rosario Dawson, promoting a new documentary titled, Miss Representation. As an actress, Dawson is one of my favorite and I was instantly intrigued and clicked on the attached link within the allotted 140 character message.
The film, which will begin showing at IFC Center this Friday, is an analytical look at how the media portrays women. The director, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, interviewed various women of a diverse caliber; Katie Couric, Dianne Feinstein, Lisa Ling, Rachel Maddow, Rosario Dawson and Jane Fonda to name a few. Each commentator discussed their personal outlook and experiences within the mediums of television and print. In addition, Newsom also interviewed a group of female high school students in San Francisco, California who also expressed their frustrations with the expectations imposed on them from the media.
For show times and tickets – check out IFC Center’s page by clicking the above link and in the mean time, here is their trailer.
Everyone – grab your wands and head over to the Lincoln Center Theatre because today – yes, I said today – is the Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows (part 2) premiere!
More to come!
Fun fact: The title of this post is a spell – anyone know which one? 🙂
Lets play a game of “Where is Waldo” – it’s ninety degrees out, the humidity is at its highest level, hundreds of tourists are squeezed among the sidewalks, dozens of black garbage bags are piled along the bus lanes and the air feels like hell’s fire as you breath it in; ah ha! New York City!
What’s the easiest way to avoid all of the following; well, go to the movies! Of course, you might not want to go to the AMC theater on 42nd street at Times Square unless you’re looking to acquire some room-mates (bed bugs). Ew.
Here are the following films that are scheduled to be released this Friday!
Horrible Bosses
Production Company: New Line Cinema
Director: Seth Gordon
Cast: Jason Bateman, P.J. Byrne, Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, Lindsay Sloane and Reginal Ballard
My Unofficial Synopsis > Have you ever hated your job and simply wished that your boss would just die already!? Well, the following cast attempts to pull off just that! Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had a horrible boss, but rather than attempt a felony (because we all wont get off like Casey Anthony) – I simply walked out of the job and never turned back. Perhaps this movie will avenge my horrendous time spent there with a few giggles.
Check out the trailer.
Zookeeper
Production Company: Broken Road Productions & Columbia Pictures
Director: Frank Coraci
Cast: Rosario Dawson, Kevin James and Leslie Bibb
My Unofficial Synopsis: Once again, Kevin James is playing the same pathetic character who cant seem to get a date. However, instead of Will Smith coming to his aid like in the movie, Hitch, now its the animals in the zoo who conspire to set him up. I personally would love to see James step out of his comfort zone and try out a different role before he type-casts himself. Hysterically funny, I believe he could add more than the dim-witted personalities he’s been playing. Also, can some body say, Match.com for this guy!
Check out the trailer.
The Ledge
Production Company: Modern Video Film
Director: Matthew Chapman
Cast: Terence Howard, Charlie Hunnan and Patrick Wilson
My Unofficial Synopsis: Do you believe in God? This movie is a test of faith between a Christian and an Atheist – surely to provoke some.
Check out the trailer.
Ironclad
Production Company: Mythic International Entertainment
Director: Jonathan English
Cast: Jason Flemyng, Paul Giamatti, Brian Cox, Kate Mara and Derek Jacobi.
My Unofficial Synopsis: If you’re a fan of the old English tales with the Dukes and Duchesses (no, not William and Kate) – this movie depicts the struggles of men vying for their freedom from under King Jon.
Check out the trailer.
The Ward
Production Company: FilmNation Entertainment
Director: John Carpenter
Cast: Amber Heard, Mamie Gummer, Danielle Panabaker and Jarred Harris
Last Friday was date night for my husband and I. Our evening out consisted of multiple racks of BBQ ribs with all the trimmings at Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que(New Brunswick, NJ), super sized Rum drinks with a finish of a late night showing of X-Men: First Class. In my mind, what should have been a perfect night, instead for me, was a major let down with the film. The ribs, a-ma-zing! The film, not so much.
To me, it all seemed to be a major regurgitation of any other super hero flick. The dialogue was typical, the references to the actual comic were far and few and to top the night off; the couple who sat next to us wouldn’t shut up through the whole movie. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not some uptight individual who expects silence during a movie, but the constant “Oh hell naw!” … or the random chatter was almost enough to make me want to walk out on the movie.
Unfortunately, I didn’t walk out. I nodded off from time to time. Or, when I wasn’t falling asleep, I was secretly injecting my own comments to the couple’s chattering, in my head.
Today, aside from the fact that I had to promise my husband that he will get full cooperation from me and allow him to choose the next movie; it dawned on me that the majority of my favorite films all come from the same production company; Universal Pictures.
I would have to say that my first love of movies – specifically a Universal Pictures film – was E.T. Yes, and, if you look in my entertainment center today, you will see it shelved. From there, the list is as follows:
Kindergarten Cop, 1990
The People Under The Stairs, 1991
Jurassic Park, 1993
Waterworld, 1995
Psycho (re-make), 1998
The Mummy, 1999
To name a few. Hopefully this weekend’s movie date will be more enjoyable than last week’s. 🙂 Read the rest of this entry »
It is hard to believe that just 67 years ago, on June 6th 1944, thousands of soldiers rushed the shores of Normandy in the battle of what is now known as “D-Day”.
In honor of their sacrifice ~ I decided to watch a classic film called D-Day, The Sixth of June.
Director: Henry Koster
Production Company: Twentieth Century Fox Films
Cast:
Capt. Brad Parker ~ Robert Taylor
Lt. Col. John Wynter ~ Richard Todd
Valerie Russell ~ Dana Wynter
Overview:
The film takes place during WWII. It opens to a scene of soldiers, lined up, uniforms pressed with identical stoic expressions. Lt. Colonel Wynter (Todd), exuding confidence, is addressing a room of men, laying out a mission that would surely call for courage. At the end of the address, Captain Parker (Taylor) exits the small quarters and descends out onto the deck of a ship. The moon is high above, glimmering down as multiple ships cross the waters, approaching the beach of Normandy.
Deep in reflection, Captain Parker leans across the railing and begins to reminisce of a girl named Valerie Russell, who he had left back in London. Although the Captain is married, away from his wife for years, had recently met an engaged woman who was volunteering to work with the Red Cross during the war and had fallen in love.
Ironically, on a different side of the ship, Lt. Colonel was also reflecting on his dear love as the ship approached the sandy shores of Normandy; surprise, his fiancée’ is none other than Ms. Valerie Russell.
Caught in a love triangle, the film jumps back in time to show each man’s point of view in the experiences of falling for this girl.
The remaining 45 minutes depicts the bravery each soldier exhibited on this day 67 years ago as they stormed the beach against gunfire, cannons and grenades.
Definitely a classic-must-see. If you have Netflix Instant ~ you can check it out tonight like I did 🙂
Growing up, one of my favorite cartoons to watch on a Saturday morning was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I’m sure that probably seems odd but let me explain as to why.
It wasn’t about the cool karate tricks, or the mutant turtles but my interest was gauged by my admiration for Ms. April O’Neil. April, who (as everyone knows) was friendly with the turtles, assisted them with solving mysteries, as well as a successful fearless journalist. My idol. 🙂
Now, what I most respect about what she stood for was the love for her job, she was constantly at the center of it all, no matter what. Hence, my new project (minus being kidnapped by any of “Shredder’s” goons, haha).
June 8th, 2011 (this Wednesday) is the opening night for the Staten Island Film Festival – with free admission to many of their films – I plan to attend as many as possible.
Opening night will be hosted at Staten Island’s St. George Theatre. The film featured for this evening is titled Sing Your Song – A Film About the Life of Harry Belafonte, directed by Susanne Rostock. So, why would or should a person want to see this???? Apparently, Belafonte was a popular calypso singer, who not only experienced and over came the difficulty of fame amongst Caucasian and Black-American fans during the Civil Rights Movement but was also an advocate for equality and worked along-side Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. along with many others.
For a quick synopsis, see the following clip of Rostock (the director) reflect on the film and Harry Belafonte.
Review The Reel 
