I can proudly say that after years of being a “born and raised” Star Wars fan, I am now starting to lean the other way…no, not the Dark Side, but I believe I am becoming a “neo-Trekker”. Weird, but this is the best ‘sci-fi’ film I’ve seen in a while and it really got me considering the other Space Opera property that I had overlooked for so long. Also Star Wars has just become continually disappointing since Episode I, so for me this is a welcomed change of pace. So here we are with J.J. Abrams‘ masterful direction of a Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman screenplay (we’ll forgive them for their Revenge of…
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Off the Netflix Queue…'Babylon A.D.'
Boy it’s been a while since I’ve seen Vin Diesel in anything worth mentioning. To me, Boiler Room was his very best work. Why do you ask?? Because the movie wasn’t centered around him, that’s why. I may be alone in thinking this but he doesn’t have the chops to carry a film all by himself, and so he makes more of an impression when playing a bit part or part of, and I use the phrase loosely, an ensemble…i.e. Saving Private Ryan and Boiler Room. Admittedly I liked Pitch Black but that was a bit of an anomaly. In short, Babylon A.D. was yet another lack luster Vin Diesel vehicle that didn’t play…
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Off the Shelf…’Moon’
When Moon was first released, its awareness and later its success mirrored that old story of “The Little Engine That Could”. Moon slowly but surely made waves in the film circuit and was eagerly awaited and rightfully praised at each proceeding festival. With its popularity strongly brought about by great word of mouth, it quickly became one of the films to see of 2009. In a genre where it is very tough not to do anything cliché, overdone, and achieve something new, Moon felt both refreshing and familiar and, in what I believe can only be described as alchemy, the elements in this film combined to produce a nearly perfect film.
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Off the Shelf…'Hook'
I think it’s fair to say that a great many people overlook this film and it wasn’t really popular when it came out, but over the years I have learned to love Hook. Steven Spielberg can almost do no wrong and while this is a departure from the actioners he is known to helm, this still had its fair share of kid friendly swashbuckling. Talk about an ensemble cast, this film has acting talent in spades…
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Off the Shelf…'Galaxy Quest'
This past weekend I was watching Star Trek on Blu-Ray (which is jaw-dropping btw). While I just love that movie I couldn’t help but think, more than a few times, of how spot on the Galaxy Quest spoof was to the entire Star Trek franchise. After the movie ended, and I swore that I was a confirmed ‘neo’Trekkie’ I put Galaxy Quest in for a spin and laughed my ass off. For starters, this was no spoof in the vein of Airplane! or even those abysmal “Scary”, “Date”, “Disaster” Movies that studios term as spoof either. Not this was almost an outright homage sprinkled with witty humor and fine acting. I have…
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Off the Shelf…’Rocky Balboa’
When it first came out in theaters, I ventured out in the cold Christmas Day to see the 6th and final Rocky. Well, it’s been a few years and piggybacking on my Off the Shelf write up of the first Rocky, I got the urge to watch the rest of the series (omitting part 5 because I refuse to acknowledge it’s existence, let alone purchase it) and finished up with this respectable film that really is better than I expected and I really liked it.
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Off the Shelf…'Rocky'
Dun nun nun nun nun nun nun nun nun nun, dun nun nun nun nun nun nun nun nun nun, nun nun nun nun nun nun nun nuuuun…..dun nun nuuuun, dun nun nuuun…well for those of you thinking a couple of keys got stuck on my keyboard, that was actually my piss poor attempt to convey the Rocky theme music in Onomatopoeia. Doesn’t quite come across as it sounds in my head or do justice to the remarkable film, but hopefully this recommendation/review might. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8DlBN_LLiA
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Off the Shelf…'Road to Perdition'
In the follow up film to Sam Mendes‘ American Beauty, this truly remarkable film wins me over ever single time I view it. Personally, I am a huge fan of all Tom Hanks’ work and this is probably my absolute favorite. Tom Hanks plays his role quite a bit more reserved that what I am used to seeing. In doing so, he does more with looks (as opposed to pages of dialog) to convey emotions that come through so believably this was just a fine performance all around.
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Off the Shelf…’The Treasure of the Sierra Madre’
Just when I wonder if Humphrey Bogart could be any better or cooler than his turn as ‘Rick’ in Casablanca, I give this DVD a spin and find a role which almost takes that hallowed top spot. I’ll say right out that I like the character of ‘Dobbs’ in a way that most people probably love ‘Darth Vader’ or ‘Dr. Jekyll/Mr Hyde’. Now, like those other two, ‘Dobbs’ isn’t all bad and he’s not even a villain but certain events continue to unfold before him and he choses to allow himself to slip so far from the proud man he once was. ‘Dobbs’ is nowhere as slick as the legendary ‘Rick Blaine’…
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Off the Shelf…'The Rocketeer'
For a lot of people out there, the idea of a comic book movie and the reality of one rarely meet in the middle in terms of financial (or fan) success much to the dismay of most audiences. Countless times, studios have tempted us with intriguing premises for film adaptations of beloved comic book stories but they unfortunately lead to absolutely dismal efforts. That said some film adaptations actually do well, other surprisingly beat the odds and, in rare cases, a precious few prove to become some of the finest cinema ever made. Well I wouldn’t put The Rocketeer in that last category, but it is still a damn fun movie and…