Prometheus, industrious and monstrously ambitious, deserves to be seen divorced from hype and hubris. Admittedly, that’s scarcely a small feat. Few films released in 2012 carry with them the massive weight of expectations which Prometheus bears on its shoulders. That’s just how things go for any production intent on serving as the precursor to cinematic iconography; in the case of Prometheus, that’s Alien, Ridley Scott’s 1979 science fiction/horror masterpiece. How does even a master like Scott top one of his best works more than thirty years after the fact? Put simply, he doesn’t have to, pedigree or not. His film only need exist on its individual merits, and happily Prometheus, a beautiful and thoughtful and flawed creation story, very…
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“The CineMagic 8-Ball” – In Theaters 6/08/12
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… ——————————————————————————————————————————————- PROMETHEUS A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a thrilling journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race. Ridley…
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Sweet Teaser Trailer…'Django Unchained'
Yesterday was a big day for trailers as we saw the Disney answer to a Pixar film, a new Robert Zmeckis film, and the latest awesome offering from one Quentin Tarantino. Well after much anticipation and some highs and lows of the casting process comes the first trailer for what looks like another QT classic. It looks GREAT…Enjoy! Starring Oscar-winners Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz and Oscar-nominee Leonardo DiCaprio this follow-up to Inglourious Basterds can be expected to be equally saturated in great writing, superb acting and memorable characters/exchanges. Oh, man we can’t wait for this!! The Weinstien Company and Columbia Pictures have Django Unchained (“the D is silent“) scheduled to hit theaters this Winter on…
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Sweet Trailer…Disney's 'Wreck-It Ralph'
To those of us who grew up in a world filled with arcades and 8-bit games, words cannot express how much of a love-letter this film is. In the vein of other heart-felt animated gems like Monster’s Inc. and The Incredibles, comes this super-sweet looking film about a video game villain, Ralph, who decides he no longer wants to be the “bad guy”, and ventures into other games in hopes of becoming a “hero”. This trailer premiered on MSN so have a look at it as well as an intro from Ralph himself, John C. Reilly… Directing this delightful looking animated throwback film is “Futurama” and “The Simpsons” alum Rich Moore.Yes, Brave looks really good but Wreck-It Ralph is the animated…
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Ohhh, Look…Peter Jackson's 'The Hobbit' Video Blog #7
If there’s one guy who can bring unfilmable stories to the big screen it’s Peter Jackson. To unparalleled success he brought J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy to life and the fans loved him for it (you might recall that he snagged an Oscar or two for his efforts). Now he’s hard at work on the long awaited prequel The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and that’s got fans everywhere clamoring for December. What makes his films so engaging is the insane about of detail he puts into them. Yet it’s not just what’s on the screen that’s fun to behold, it’s what goes on behind the scenes that can sometimes be…
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Ohhh, Look…First Look At 'Wreck-It Ralph' Characters – UPDATED
Last week we got a look at Ralph, from Pixar’s upcoming Wreck-It Ralph. It wasn’t much but it did have that old school, side-of-an-arcade-game look/feel to it. But this morning, USA Today has 4 exclusive images from the feature. In the film about a vintage 8-bit brute, Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) has been bashing buildings for 30 years as the well-mannered hero Fix-It Felix, Jr. (30 Rock’s Jack McBrayer) has constantly repaired all his demolition handiwork. Ralph decides he no longer wants to be the “bad guy”, but in his attempts to change his ways he unleashes a deadly enemy who threatens to destroy every game in the arcade. Behold, some…
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Off the Shelf…'John Carter'
Watching Andrew Stanton’s adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ seminal science fiction pulp novel, A Princess of Mars– here blandly labeled John Carter– is equivalent to a genre-fueled out of body experience. You’ve seen this film before. You’ve seen it in Star Wars (both the original trilogy and the prequel films), you’ve seen it in Avatar, you’ve seen it in Superman. John Carter‘s influences read so blatantly that watching the film feels akin to playing a movie association game in which elements from its plot and narrative are connected to those of other essential sci-fi blockbusters. What we’re really watching, of course, is the big-screen arrival of the story that informed each of those aforementioned properties and more;…
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“What’s New on Blu?” – Week of 06/04/12
Whether you rent or buy movies, Blu-ray offers the ultimate in sight and sound. Streaming is convenient, but if you plan on watching the movie more than once, you need Blu. So, What’s New On Blu? you ask. Well, good, bad or indifferent, Go,See,Talk offers up a trio of titles that are being released each week. Check out what’s hitting the shelves this week… ——————————————————————————————————————————— Matt Weston is a rookie CIA operative frustrated with his lackluster post running a safe house in Cape Town, South Africa. All that changes when his first “guest” is Tobin Frost, a renegade intelligence officer who had been on the run for almost a decade.…
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G-S-T Review…The Intouchables
Without a doubt, The Intouchables proves that humor can be found even in unfortunate situations with the right mindset. A film about a quadriplegic and his caretaker shouldn’t be this fun, yet writer/directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano pull it off with the perfect amount of heart, humor, and adventure. Based on a true story, the film follows a wealthy quadriplegic that hires a young man from the projects to take care of him. Despite everything saying that this is a bad idea, Philippe (François Cluzet) thinks Driss (Omar Sy) holds the key to genuine sympathy and a say-anything attitude that is sorely missing in his life. Throughout their journey they grow…
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G-S-T Review…Snow White and the Huntsman
There’s little ingenious, clever, or new about a dark fairy tale; the grisly and the horrific have been hallmarks of such folkloric narratives since the Brothers Grimm put pen to paper two hundred years ago. In that same respect, there’s nothing overtly offensive about them either, at least not at face value, as a veneer of darkness in contemporary fairy tale fare can just be interpreted as a dedication to tradition. Faithfulness to either tone or detail does not comprise one of Snow White and the Huntsman‘s glaring flaws, however; for just shy of two hours, the film tries gamely to assert itself as worthy sword-and-sorcery filmmaking. At times, it…