• Editorials

    The Gun in Your Hand: Looper's Cycles of Violence

    (Foreword: Looper began its theatrical run last Friday, and at this point I presume most of you have seen it or are going to see it. That said, if you have not seen the film, steer clear of this essay; it is spoiler-heavy by the third paragraph. I also don’t rehash plot points in detail. Read at your own risk if you want to see the film blind.) Like many other films of its kind, Rian Johnson’s Looper is a time travel yarn that isn’t actually at all about time travel. One might argue that Johnson’s just letting himself off the hook by leaving the mechanics of such technology go unexplained, but truthfully the decision…

  • Movies/Entertainment,  Reviews

    G-S-T Review…Looper

    At a glance, Looper almost feels like an outlier in Rian Johnson’s minute body of work. Unlike Johnson’s flawless debut, Brick, or his disappointing sophomore effort, The Brothers Bloom, Looper operates within a grand, wide-spanning scope that reaches across time; the central story here is intimate, just as in his other films, but it’s set against a backdrop of classical science fiction world-building and the machinations of time travel. We’re not in high school, Montenegro, or Prague anymore, but rather a dystopic vision of the future which we experience at two very different points in history, both populated with hover bikes, mafia button men, rampant poverty, and telekinetic mutations. Robbed…

  • The CineMagic 8-Ball

    “The CineMagic 8-Ball” – In Theaters 9/28/12

    When so many movies are released each weekend and trailers often seem better than the movie itself, what should one do? In this precarious situation, we consult the The CineMagic 8-Ball (TM) to help us see through the nebulous marketing haze. Doing so just might save us all a disheartening trip to the cinema and spare us unnecessarily springing for $7 popcorn. See what the 8-Ball says about this week’s releases… ——————————————————————————————————————————————- HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA Welcome to the Hotel Transylvania, Dracula’s lavish five-stake resort, where monsters and their families can live it up, free to be the monsters they are without humans to bother them. On one special weekend, Dracula has…

  • The CineMagic 8-Ball

    “The CineMagic 8-Ball” – In Theaters 9/7/12

    When so many movies are released each weekend and trailers often seem better than the movie itself, what should one do? In this precarious situation, we consult the The CineMagic 8-Ball (TM) to help us see through the nebulous marketing haze. Doing so just might save us all a disheartening trip to the cinema and spare us unnecessarily springing for $7 popcorn. See what the 8-Ball says about this week’s releases… ——————————————————————————————————————————————- BACHELORETTE On the night before an old friend’s wedding, three frisky bridesmaids go searching for a little fun but find much more than they bargained for. With lovely Becky set to marry her handsome sweetheart, Dale, the remaining…

  • Movies/Entertainment

    Ohhh, Look…Superb Viral Trailer 'Looper the Movie the 8-Bit Game'

    With September right around the corner, fans excited for Rian Johnson’s awesome looking sci-fi thriller Looper don’t have to wait too much longer (it hits theaters on Sept 28th btw). But to hold you over until next month comes this clever viral 8-bit video for Looper the Movie the 8-Bit Game. More than just a series of pics from the trailer digitized in classic 8-bit visuals (well 16-bit would be a little more accurate), this inspired creation really calls back to the classic days of the NES (or SNES) replete with music and all. So don’t let me ruin the throwback fun to be had…enjoy this neat video if you…

  • The CineMagic 8-Ball

    “The CineMagic 8-Ball” – In Theaters 8/17/12

    When so many movies are released each weekend and trailers often seem better than the movie itself, what should one do? In this precarious situation, we consult the The CineMagic 8-Ball (TM) to help us see through the nebulous marketing haze. Doing so just might save us all a disheartening trip to the cinema and spare us unnecessarily springing for $7 popcorn. See what the 8-Ball says about this week’s releases… ——————————————————————————————————————————————- THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN Happily married couple, Cindy and Jim Green can’t wait to start a family but can only dream about what their child would be like. When young Timothy shows up on their doorstep…

  • Movies/Entertainment,  Quick 5/Top 10

    G-S-T Top 10 – Movies Off The Beaten Path…Round 2

    Netflix continues to surprise and delight with its film recommendations, despite the lesser known features it often suggests, and many of the films from this list can be found in the instant queue…Sometimes a movie’s obscurity or lack of fan-fare can actually help a movie, as it will be free of hype and allow you to explore the film completely free of preconceptions. While it won’t make every unknown a winner, I must admit it helps. As the next installment in our new series started in July, we give you Round 2 of “Movies Off the Beaten Path“. —————————————————————————————————————————————– The Kid – While I like the action-packed Bruce Willis as much as the…

  • Movies/Entertainment,  Trailers

    Sweet UK Trailer…'Looper'

    The marketing for Looper, the time-travel based action thriller from Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brother’s Bloom), has gone from a very cut and dry tumblr blog, to an intriguing shot of the awesome looking time machine to a full-on action packed trailer. Well, following suit comes this equally charged UK trailer…if you haven’t seen it yet, it’s really worth checking out. Enjoy! In the futuristic action thriller Looper, time travel will be invented – but it will be illegal and only available on the black market. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target 30 years into the past, where a “looper” – a hired gun,…

  • Movies/Entertainment,  Reviews

    G-S-T Review…Moonrise Kingdom

    Wes Anderson films aren’t for everyone as he’s definitley an acquired taste. However, those that get his films, kind of like David Cronenberg (only way more accessible), really dig his work. Regardless of whether you are a fan of Bottle Rocket, Rushmore or The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Anderson, with help from co-writer Roman Coppola, crafts an adorable and endearing film about young lovers who cast off the rules and opinions of others. This story is almost an on-screen representation of  just who Anderson is. As a film maker, he does what he wants, how he wants it and most times the stories are better for it. So too are the young characters who are ultimately the…

  • Movies/Entertainment,  The CineMagic 8-Ball

    “The CineMagic 8-Ball” – In Theaters 5/25/12

    When so many movies are released each weekend and trailers often seem better than the movie itself, what should one do? In this precarious situation, we consult the The CineMagic 8-Ball (TM) to help us see through the nebulous marketing haze. Doing so just might save us all a disheartening trip to the cinema and spare us unnecessarily springing for $7 popcorn. See what the 8-Ball says about this week’s releases… ——————————————————————————————————————————————- CHERNOBYL DIARIES A group of six young tourists who, looking to go off the beaten path, hire an “extreme tour” guide. After a brief exploration of the abandoned city, however, the group soon finds themselves stranded, only to discover that they are not alone.…

  • Movies/Entertainment,  Trailers

    Sweet 2nd Trailer…The Expendables 2

    While we were sorely let down by Sly’s original opus The Expendables the entertainment and America is all about underdogs and second chances right? Case in point. Going for a bigger and badder but still deliciously 80’s era outing, Sly gets the band of bad-asses back together for Lionsgate’s The Expendables 2. This time Sly has given the helm to Simon West (Con Air, The Mechanic) to spend more time in front of the camera which, we hope, this time is a good thing. Anyway, lock and load, The Expendables 2 is going in hot… Sly (as Barney Ross) is again joined by Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Randy…

  • Movies/Entertainment,  Trailers

    Sweet 2nd Trailer…'G.I. Joe: Retaliation'

    Last December we got to see just what Jon M. Chu has in store for us in his follow-up to 2009’s G.I. Joe The Rise of Cobra. That first trailer looked pretty slick and probably had even the most avid naysayer going Yo Joe!. Now we get a simply awesome second trailer that looks even better. As one of the few people who really dug the ridiculousness of Stephen Sommers’ Rise of Cobra, I have to tell you that this gives me chills. Not only are they expanding on the very clever storyline from the first film but now they’re bringing in the big guns to make this look oh so…