Discussion: More Red Band Trailer Controversy

Source: NY Times

I found this article in the NY Times and thought it was interesting. It's regarding the quantity and easy access of red-band trailers online. Basically the article states a Federal Trade Commission report from last December identifying red-band trailers as a "new concern" and that most age-verification "gates" for the trailers are too lax and that they should have stricter verification methods to confirm that the viewer is at least the age of 17. (Side note – I find it funny that once you turn 17 you're allowed to view adult material/rated R movies, and yet they can't fight for our country for another year. Hmmm…)

Personally, it doesn’t bother me if these red-band trailers are out there, but to go along with the NY Times article, I kind of think these trailers are pointless - all that they show is a little more violence, language and/or nudity, not much else. But if the movie is rated R to begin with, it's for one or all those reasons anyway, right? I mean this is exactly why we have a rating system for our movies. I just don’t see why they feel the need to “spice” up their trailers by adding extras, i.e. red-band it. It’s not like by doing this it’s going to somehow bring a ton more people to the theater.

And besides under aged kids are going to figure out ways around minimum age verification methods regardless. Like every other inappropriate website on the Internet, I think most kids can access them if they choose to. Now I'm not saying they should forgo the age verification methods altogether, I'm simply saying they should stop making these R-rated trailers period.

The main objective for a movie trailer is to give the whole viewing community - that’s everyone regardless of age - a little sneak peek into what the movie is about. If you ask me, the real issue is the fact that trailers these days give entirely way too much away already. Sometimes, by the end of a trailer, I feel I've already seen the whole movie. It's ridiculous! I want to be somewhat surprised when I see the entire movie, if I choose to see it at all, especially if I'm paying $11.00+ to do so.

Therefore I think this argument regarding red-band trailers got off on the wrong track. We shouldn’t focus on making minimum age verification methods stricter, we just shouldn’t have red-band trailers period. If it’s rated R, it’s because of those reasons I listed above. We should really focus our attention on shortening the trailers altogether – quit giving away so much of the movie before we actually see it.

What are your thoughts?

Chloe Review

If the one you love was lying to you, how far would you go to find out the truth?

Remaking the French film Natalie, director Atom Egoyan uses an A-list cast to spice up this sleek, sexy and erotic story about how very rich people deal with infidelity and their lack of trust.

A friend of mine told me about this movie and after seeing the trailer I was immediately intrigued. Chloe (Amanda Seyfried) is one of those fantasy call girls who has an odd idealistic philosophy about her job. She brags about how skilled she is. To Chloe it’s a calling - like missionary work in a third world country.

Beautiful, wealthy, intelligent gynecologist Catherine (Julianne Moore) has everything, from a successful career, a beatuful home and a talented teenage son. She has all.... except her husband’s attention. Her professor husband David Stewart (Liam Neeson) is a big flirt. You would think Catherine has long ago accepted David’s flirting and/or talked to him about it. However, it's her constant, silent suffering that's been going on for 20 years instead.

Catherine feels unloved, unattractive and old. Her fabulous house and successful career mean nothing to her. So what does she do when she thinks David is having an affair? She does what any sensible, wealthy woman would do of course. She hires a beautiful, young call girl to meet and tease her husband just to see how far he will go. Chloe likes the idea, sets it in motion and keeps meeting up with Catherine to tell her every little dirty detail. The triangle takes a swift turn when Chloe seduces Catherine. Trying to end this new twist, Catherine ruthlessly dismisses Chloe with a personal check.

I don't want to spoil the ending, so I'll stop there. I didn't expect to love this movie as much as I did. It was dark and intense, thrilling and erotic. It does a great job going into the mind of someone who has very little to no trust. And I love how it touches base on the fact that you can't so simply buy your way out of problems. There's a lot of little underlining messages that come up throughout the movie, which I loved. Moore, Neeson and Seyfried are all amazing in this movie. And the sexual tension between Moore and Seyfried is erotic and bold.

RATING: B+

What did you think?

Men On Film

One of the best parts of growing up in the early 90's were the television shows. I remember watching "In Living Color" with my brothers every Sunday night. This show had me in tears and stitches from laughing so hard! It had some of the most memorable sketches that still have us laughing to this day. One of my favorites is Men On Film. Enjoy!

Keenen Ivory Wayans' hit debuted on FOX in 1990, where it ran for five seasons. It was pretty much the only sketch show to feature mostly African-Americans, and much of the humor was culturally based. Still, a number of recurring sketches - including "Fire Marshall Bill" and the "Men On Film" series - proved that the cast could do impressive character work. Either because it ran on FOX or because it operated outside the mainstream, the show consistently got away with riskier humor than its contemporaries. It also launched the careers of Wayans and several siblings (Damon, Shawn, Marlon), as well as David Alan Grier, Jim Carrey and future Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx. It can still be seen in syndication and is available on DVD.

Maleficent Begins To Take Form

Source: Heat Vision

Disney has stayed on top of the box office three weeks in a row now with Tim Burton's twisted take on Alice in Wonderland. And Burton might not be done with Disney just yet, as we heard the gothic filmmaker was interested in Maleficent - a live-action take on the evil queen in the 1959 animated classic (and my personal favorite), Sleeping Beauty. But with recent announcements of his involvement on Frankenweenie and The Addams Family, it seemed like it was only a flight of fancy. However, Heat Vision reports Burton is still circling the project and Disney has already brought in Wonderland's writer Linda Woolverton to script it.

Apparently Burton's involvement is only potential at this point as Woolverton's hiring is the first real step forward in the project's development. If you're unfamiliar with Malificent, she's a tall green-skinned woman with horns who can morph into several forms, including a terrifying black and purple dragon. That image combined with the darkness of her villainous ways sounds like something right up Burton's alley.

I've always been extremely interested in this story and for many, many years now I've been wanting them to do a live-action Sleeping Beauty. With this project, I can see a ton of potential on a story solely based on the evil queen. We really don’t know that much about her and to be honest she seems very interesting – villains tend to be that way though. I just hope they don't ruin her evil image by making her a "misunderstood" villain, i.e. Wicked / The Wizard of Oz. Anyway, I'm definitely interested in the future of this project. I wonder who will be cast as the villainous Malificent? Emily Blunt, Michelle Pfeiffer, Angelina Jolie, Cate Blanchett... these are just a few actors that come to mind.

Anyone else interested?

Shutter, Crazy, Alice Movie Reviews

In the past I usually get super excited to write about movies I've recently seen. However, over the last few months things have been kind of hectic and I sadly have not been inspired to write about anything let alone the movies I've seen - my writing bug went missing. But thankfully I found it. YAY! So with that being said, here are my thoughts on the last few movies I've seen in theaters.

Shutter Island

When I read this book by Dennis Lehane last fall, I could not put it down. I simply loved it! Martin Scorsese did an outstanding job directing this film. He followed the book very well without suffocating it to death. And his vision of certain scenes in the book translated on film perfectly with my vision. That doesn't happen very often. The movie was dark and gray throughout without giving us this dull, washedout look. My favorite actor, Leonardo DiCaprio did an amazing job portraying the main character, Federal Marshal Teddy Daniels. The movie was thrilling, intense and it pretty much had you guessing how it would end throughout. However, being that I already read the book there were unfortunately no surprises for me, so with that being said, I felt the book was more fun for me than the movie. I had some friends complain it was a bit long, but I felt it was just perfect. I loved this movie! It's definitely a "Must See."

RATING: B+

The Crazies

I wasn't planning on seeing this movie, but a friend of mine and I were already downtown and we had some time to kill. This movie definitely had some appeal. It stars one of my favorite actresses, Danielle Panabaker. I love her and will pretty much see anything she's in. She's a really talented actress. I just wish she was in more movies. Timothy Olyphant played the main character as Sheriff David Dutton and I thought he did a pretty good job in the lead role. He was nice to look at anyway. This movie was dark and pretty gory and it's safe to say it met most of my low expectations. However, I did not think it was scary. The trailer was definitely deceiving in that regard. I was disappointed by that. Anyway, it wasn't necessarily a horrible movie or a complete waste of time, the plot was pretty decent and I was entertained the whole time. It does however, leave you with a lot of unanswered questions and there were a few loop-holes here and there. All in all, it was just an average movie, a renter at best.

RATING: C-

Alice in Wonderland

I had every intention of seeing this movie opening night. I'm a huge Tim Burton and Johnny Depp fan. However, life got in the way which I'm thankful for, because I think I may have been a little let down had I seen it opening night with all my high expectations. Most of my friends saw it before me and were disappointed with it, so after hearing their comments, my expectations shrank lower and lower. When this happens I usually end up loving the movie. Well I didn't end up loving it, but I did find it quite enjoyable. Mia Wasikowska is such a doll. I love her! She did a great job portraying Alice. I loved her character! All the characters were so lovable, especially Tweedledee & Tweedledum. Helena Bonham Carter is so great in these villainous roles. She did a wonderful job portraying the evil Red Queen. The plot however, was pretty lack luster and weak and I wasn't a fan of Johnny Depp's lisp. His make-up was amazing though. The scenery was incredibly beautiful and visually striking. In the end I really loved the underlining message the most - you are in charge of your own life and what path you choose is always up to you. All in all I really liked this movie. It's definitely worth seeing in theaters.

RATING: B

What did you think of these movies?

First Full Trailer for Nimrod Antal's Predators!

Source: IGN

20th Century Fox has debuted the first official trailer for Robert Rodriguez & Nimród Antal's Predators - the reboot of the classic action series that first hit theaters in 1987. I grew up on this movie. My dad and three older brothers were huge fans, so of course I become a huge fan as well. The first film was pretty bad-ass. I loved it! My dad took me to see the second one in theaters and I remember thinking it was really stupid... um, maybe that's because it was. I had my reservations when I first learned they were rebooting this series and there were a lot of concerns that Rodriguez couldn't pull this off, but I definitely think he might have done just that, as this looks awesome. I'm now looking forward to seeing it this summer. I love the characters, I love the jungle setting, and I love Laurence Fishburne and Adrien Brody - so bring it on!

Predators is being directed by Nimród Antal, of Kontroll, Vacancy, and Armored previously. The screenplay was co-written by newcomers Michael Finch and Alex Litvak and is based on early draft written years ago by producer Robert Rodriguez, who also worked with them on the script. This is a reboot of the Predator series created by Jim & John Thomas and directed by John McTiernan in 1987. We're not sure what the actual plot is, but all we need to know is that it's about a bunch of bad-ass elite warriors who fight a bunch of predators out in the jungle. 20th Century Fox is bringing Predators to theaters everywhere on July 7th.

Will you be catching this movie in theaters?

Vampires Suck

Source: YouTube & SlashFilm

Oh great, another vampire movie. That's all we need, right? However, this vampire rock 'n roll musical comedy, titled Suck, looks pretty damn funny and could end up being a cult movie classic. It's already been played at a couple film festivals and has been getting pretty positive reviews. There are feature appearances by Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, Henry Rollins, and Moby, as well as other rockers. That beauty with the killer vampire eyes above is Canadian actress Jessica Paré, also seen in Hot Tub Time Machine. Check it out!

Suck is a rock vampire comedy about a group of musical wannabees in search of immortality and a record deal. Rock band The Winners have sunk so low, they'll do anything to make it big. After meeting a vampire they rocket to stardom only to discover that fame and fortune are not all that they’re cracked up to be.

Suck is both written and directed by Canadian actor-turned-filmmaker Rob Stefaniuk, of only the Canadian film Phil the Alien previously. This first premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year and is also playing at the SXSW Film Festival. Suck still doesn't have a US distributor, so we're not sure when it'll be arriving in theaters. However, we'll keep you in the loop.

Let me know what you think...

What's Up Doc?

Of course I've always loved watching them in the past (Blue Planet, Planet Earth, Shark Week etc.), but for some reason, over the last month or so, I've been extremely interested in them. It seems I've been watching them pretty regularly now. I was channel surfing one day and happened upon this documentary called The History of Plastic. It was really fascinating and quite informative. I realized how much I didn't know and/or took for granted. It was very educational. I loved it! It was from there that spawned the re-birth of my documentary watching phase. Soon after that some friends and I rented Food Inc. which I also LOVED! From there I started checking out more and more films like The History of the Egg, American Teen, Blue Gold: World Water Wars and The History of the Plague - all really good, informative and well done documentaries. I recommend checking them out. Below are just a few, on my long list of documentaries, I'd like to check out. Some have already been released, while others will be later this year. (Click on links to learn more)

Flow: For Love of Water





The September Issue





Waiting for Superman





The Art of the Steal





Océans

What documentaries do you recommend I check out?

Too Intense To Re-Watch

One of the many reasons film is so fascinating is they have the capability to bring out so many different kinds of emotions in us. There are so many excellent films that can easily make us laugh, cry and reflect. They can scare us, make us edgy, disturb us, make us angry, sad and/or happy. Movies can also be entertaining enough that we find ourselves watching the same one again and again. However, there are a few movies that are much too intense to view more than once. This is what I'd like to focus your attention on. These movies usually tend to touch base on sensitive topics. They are definitely worth watching once, however after that the need to re-watch them any time soon, or ever again for that matter, is undesired. And on many occasions these powerful, intense movies win Oscars. To prove my point, I have made a list of the top 5 films I consider to be amazing and extremely well done, yet "Too Intense to Re-Watch."

Sybil (1976)

Monster (2003)

Schindler's List (1993)

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)

Boys Don't Cry (1999)

What are some movies that make your
"Too Intense to Re-Watch" list?

A Total *Eclipse* of the Heart

Bring on the barf bags, because here we go again. (rolls eyes) The only reason I'm posting this trailer is because I loved the book so so much. Eclipse was definitely my favorite in the saga. I just hate, HATE how they ruin the movies. They make me want to vomit! With that being said, I'll most likely see it anyway, just because I'm a huge fan of the love story/books.

This teaser/trailer for "Eclipse," is the third movie in the Twilight Saga, based on the books by Stephenie Meyer. This time Bella must choose between Edward the vampire and Jacob the werewolf. Reprising their roles are Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan, Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen, and Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black. Also starring Anna Kendrick, Ashley Grene, and Peter Facinelli. In theaters June 30, 2010.

What do you think?

Final Full-Length Trailer for Robin Hood!

Source: Yahoo

"Rise and rise again until lambs become lions."

I remember seeing the first teaser/trailer back in December and thinking, this is pretty much Gladiator set in a different time. However after seeing this final full-length trailer it definitely changed my mind. Sure it has kind of the same feel, given that it's a period piece, directed by Ridley Scott and staring Russell Crowe, but it still looks pretty bad-ass. We finally get more of the story from this trailer and we definitely get to see more Robin Hood-specific action, which looks really awesome. I'm excited for this - I love seeing Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe work together.

You can also watch the new trailer for Robin Hood in High Definition on Yahoo.

Follows Robin (Russell Crowe) from his early days in King Richard's army to his return to Nottingham to his creation of a band of mercenaries who challenge the sheriff and eventually try to prevent civil war.

Robin Hood is directed by British Oscar filmmaker Ridley Scott, of many classics like Alien, Blade Runner, Black Rain, G.I. Jane, Gladiator, Hannibal, Black Hawk Down, American Gangster, and many more. The script is written by Oscar winner Brian Helgeland, of L.A. Confidential, Conspiracy Theory, Mystic River, Man on Fire, Green Zone, and more. Universal Studios is bringing Robin Hood to theaters May 14th.

Look any good?

Oscars 2010

I'm not going to lie, I wasn't all that excited about the Academy Awards this year, which of course is a little unusual for me. With that being said, I was going to forgo throwing an Oscar party, however at the last minute I changed my mind. I'm glad I did, because this year my party was so much fun! We all really go into it. We drank, ate and laughed the whole time. It was definitely one of my favorite Oscars parties yet!

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin co-hosted the show and in my opinion, they did a pretty good job. However, over all, it was a little blah. They weren't given enough stage time. I wanted more from them - more jokes, more excitement... I just wanted more. I will say I was a little disappointed Inglourious Basterds didn't win Best Picture. I guess Hollywood isn't ready for that kind of edginess yet. But I am happy we made Oscar history by awarding Best Director to the FIRST female ever - Kathryn Bigelow. And how awesome was it that she was up against her ex-husband, James Cameron. You go girl!

*BEST PICTURE*

**First female win for BEST DIRECTOR**

*BEST ACTOR*

Jeff Bridges & Sandra Bullock


*BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR*

Mo'Nique & Christoph Waltz

Now I knew these four actors were going to win this year, so I wasn't really surprised by their win. Come to think of it there really weren't any surprises at all this year. Like I said, it was just a blah Oscar night. Nothing really stood out or made me laugh really hard, I'm mean difficult, I mean hard. I was sad Fantastic Mr. Fox didn't win for Best Animated Movie. I loved that movie and it definitely deserved an Oscar. I was happy to see Up win for Best Score though. There were a lot of really good ones this year, so it was a toss up for me. But I think they made the right choice by awarding Up. The musical score has a timeless, joyous feel to it. It's beautiful and sweet. It just makes me happy and hopeful.

On to Fashion...

One of the best parts about Oscar Night are the dresses and jewelery, what's hot and what's not. The fashion this night is almost just as important as the movies themselves. Here are my picks for Best and Worst Dressed.

*Best*

Mariska Hargitay

When I saw her step onto the red carpet in this black strapless Vera Wang gown that's anything but basic, I knew this would be my favorite dress of the evening. Check out all the details, especially at the bottom. I really like the bow tied to the side as well. I thought this dress was extremely flattering and absolutely stunning. Her hair was done up beautifully and the gorgeous tiered diamond necklace and diamond bracelet added further luxe to her already dazzling look.

*Worst*

Kate Winslet

This Yves Saint Laurent dress was absolutely boooooriiiiiiing. I can’t understand why it made so many best dressed lists. Don’t get me wrong I love Kate Winslet, she looked stunning from the neck up, but in my opinion she always plays it much too safe with her dress choices. The color of this dress was dull, the texture was even worse and the shape is super unflattering. It was just blah, blah, blah-ful.

There you have it, my take on the Oscars this year. If anything it was my Oscar party that made watching the Oscars so much fun. I hope next year they spice the show up a bit, like they've done in past years. Anyway, I'm excited for what Hollywood has in store for us this year. All good things I hope. See ya at the movies!

Oscar Thank You Speeches Montage Video

Source: Vulture

Ah yes, the infamous thank you speech. A very important part of the Academy Awards legacy, wouldn't you agree? This year the producers of the Oscars are trying to get winners to minimize the length of their speeches so that they can keep the show from getting too long and boring. But if you ask me they've been trying to do that for years and years.haha Good luck. Anyway, before we see this year's thank yous, I've got a fun video to share with you this Oscar weekend. It comes from Vulture (via In Contention) and is a "Hypnotic Montage of Oscar Thank-Yous" that, in 73 seconds, runs through a whole bunch of thank you speeches, but only just the names. This should definitely put you in the Oscar mood!

The Academy Awards ceremony begins Sunday (5PM PT / 8PM ET). I look forward to seeing who will go home with a golden Oscar and who will leave empty handed. I really think/hope Inglourious Basterds will win Best Picture, even though everyone else is saying The Hurt Locker will take it. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.