CLICK FOR TRAILER

What?

From the Egyptian desert to deep below the polar ice caps, the elite G.I. Joe team uses the latest in next-generation spy and military equipment to fight the corrupt arms dealer Destro and the growing threat of the mysterious Cobra organization to prevent them from plunging the world into chaos.

Where?

On the train to and from work.

With?

Commuters.

Why?

Honestly, it was the only film I had on my iPod due to it coming with a digital copy. I remember enjoying it a ton at the cinema though!

Worth It?

God this film is great.

Well, it’s not by any means a good movie at all. The “What?” section up top is awfully short for a reason, GI Joe: Rise of Cobra is hammy, shallow, derivative and ridiculous. It’s also immense amounts of fun.

Remember when you were younger and your idea of an action figure battle was the grab two figures and then slam them into each other until you got bored and declared a winner? That is this movie in a nutshell. Stephen Sommers has crafted a movie out of childhood memories and the refusal of boys putting away childish things and becoming men. Instead, we get even more childish things, only they are bigger and they go BOOM.

It’s a huge step up from the awful Van Helsing, and the acting is scenery-chewing at it’s finest. All of these reasons should mean that this is an awful film, and I would wager that a large portion of people reading will see it that way too. I get that, but for me, it was exactly what I wanted from the property and I had a great time.

I think the guy next to me did too, he kept watching over my shoulder. Why would you do that when you don’t have any sound? But I digress…

7/10

Strikeforce: Evolution – Weigh Ins – Cung Le vs Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith – Josh “The Punk” Thomson vs Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez Also featuring Channing Tatum, Herschel Walker, Javier Mendez, & JV from WILD 94.9

I got to finally watch (and give a chance to) G.I. Joe – The Rise of Cobra. Everything from casting, scripting, screenwriting, CGI and most of all, directing, were extremely disappointing. I’m guessing their target audience is similar to viewers and fans of the Transformers movies, yet they seem like a 99 cent knock-off of their genre. It was an insult of my intelligence to watch this movie. I’m glad I didn’t watch this in theatres. Choosing the same director as The Mummy series, Stephen Sommers, proved to be ill-fated and really set to mood to be cheesy while trying to be too serious.

Of it all, however, I liked Sienna Miller (I almost forgot it was her, but where’s her British accent!) and Rachel Nichols (one hot redhead).

Skip it.. unless you’re 7 years old and can’t tell what’s a good movie or not.

Johnny Depp, unphased that they didn't spring for a convertible, finds another means of open-air driving.

(Universal) Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Giovanni Ribisi, Billy Crudup, Stephen Dorff, Rory Cochrane, Stephen Lang, David Wenham, Stephen Graham, Channing Tatum, Jason Clarke, Branka Katic, Leelee Sobieski, James Russo, Bill Camp. Directed by Michael Mann.

The difference between a hero and a folk hero is often vast. Folk heroes are often regarded as villains in their time, becoming favorites long after their deaths. Sometimes, they are terribly misunderstood by their contemporaries.

John Dillinger (Depp) qualifies as a folk hero more than a traditional hero. He robs banks yes, but he has a certain ethical code; the movie starts out with the jailed Dillinger being broken out of prison by his gang members. When the brutality of one of the men leads to the death of Dillinger’s mentor Walter Dietrich (Russo), an enraged Dillinger kicks the offender out of the escape car.

G-man Melvin Purvis (Bale) receives notoriety by gunning down Pretty Boy Floyd (Tatum). FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover (Crudup) promotes him to a task force with one directive: capture Public Enemy Number One, John Dillinger. The ambitious Purvis immediately heads to Chicago to do just that.

Dillinger, relaxing at a restaurant between train robberies, meets coat check girl Billy Frechette (Cotillard) and immediately falls for her. He woos her by buying fur coats and expensive gifts. Even after he tells her who he is, she decides to stay with him.

A failed ambush at a hotel that leads to the death of an agent at the hands of the brutal Baby Face Nelson (Dorff) leads to Purvis calling in seasoned professional lawmen, Texas Rangers led by the dour Charles Winstead (Lang) despite the objections of Hoover. Shortly afterwards, Dillinger is actually captured after a hotel fire in Tucson and extradited to Indiana. He boldly escapes from the “escape-proof” prison there by ingeniously whittling a fake gun out of wood.

Dillinger returns to Chicago and finds himself unwelcome there. The heat the manhunt for him is bringing down on the city is interfering with the mob’s lucrative bookmaking operation, and Mafioso Frank Nitti (Camp) has hung out the get out of town sign personally. Dillinger is short on funds and reluctantly takes a squirrelly bank job, despite the presence of the twitchy Nelson. Predictably, Nelson opens fire on a cop outside the bank, leading to a shoot-out.

The G-Men capture a wounded gang member who is tortured until he reveals the location of the gang, the Little Bohemia Lodge in Wisconsin. The feds surround the lodge and would seem to have the element of surprise, but trigger happy G-Men open fire on civilians mistaken for gangsters and a gun battle ensues. All of Dillinger’s gang, including Nelson die in the gunfire as does Purvis’ partner Carter Baum (Cochrane). Dillinger barely escapes with his best friend, Red Hamilton (Clarke) who is mortally wounded. Dillinger, alone, buries his friend.

Things are spiraling towards the inevitable for Dillinger. Frechette is captured by the G-Men after Dillinger drops her off at what he thought was a safe location. She refuses to divulge the location of her lover, even after being beaten by a brutal agent, although Purvis and Winstead stop the assault before it gets out of hand.

In the meantime, Purvis is pointed at Madam Anna Sage (Katic) by a crooked cop. He threatens her with deportation unless she co-operates. The stage is set for the denouement that even Dillinger knew was inevitable given his lifestyle.

One has to admire the look of the film. Michael Mann went to great lengths to insure historical accuracy in the set design, costumes and vehicles (going so far to use a car that Dillinger actually drove). Unfortunately, he wasn’t a stickler for it in his script. Glaring inaccuracies – for example, Baby Face Nelson did not die in the Little Bohemia gunfight as depicted here, but several months later and not in the presence of Purvis. In fact, none of Dillinger’s gang perished in the battle.

This is meant to be a vehicle for stars Depp and Bale, but turns out a bit disappointing. Depp is so low-key as to be nearly comatose, and Bale, so good in The Dark Knight, seems unsure of what to do with his character. Mann has successfully directed two stars in the same film before (Collateral) but for some reason their performances fall a little flat here.

The gun battles are impressive and exceptionally LOUD. Throughout, the film looks impressive and I really wanted to like it more than I wound up doing. Maybe I wasn’t in the best of moods at the time, or maybe I missed the point. Whatever the reason, I didn’t really connect with the movie. I found myself feeling like I didn’t know either Dillinger or Purvis any better after the credits ran than before I walked in. I also found the liberties taken with the facts disquieting; especially in light of how hard Mann worked to make the look and sound of the film more authentic (Crudup perfectly catches the Cagney-like staccato of Hoover’s voice). In fact, some of the supporting performances make this worth seeking out.

In the end, it compares unfavorably with other gangster action movies such as The Untouchables. It re-creates the Midwest of the Depression era near-perfectly, but doesn’t really make you want to spend any time there. Now there’s a crime even Dillinger would never have committed.

REASONS TO GO: A near-perfect re-creation of Depression-era Chicago and the Midwest. There are some superb supporting performances, particularly from Crudup, Clarke and Lang.

REASONS TO STAY: Oddly enough, the leads are almost un-interesting. Sticklers for historical accuracy will be dismayed at the sometimes unnecessary gaffes that permeate the film.

FAMILY VALUES: There is a heavy serving of violence and graphic carnage, including scenes of torture and brutality. Definitely not for the squeamish.

TRIVIAL PURSUIT: Much of the movie was shot in locations where the events depicted actually happened, such as the Little Bohemia Lodge in Wisconsin (site of the famous shoot-out) and the Lake County Jail in Indiana, where Dillinger’s daring “wooden gun” escape took place.

NOTABLE DVD FEATURES: The standard DVD edition includes a featurette called “Larger Than Life: Adversaries” which discusses the rivalry between Purvis and Dillinger, featuring newsreel footage, interviews with Purvis’ son as well as the actors from the film. The 2-Disc Special Edition DVD featrues a featurette entitled “Last of the Legendary Outlaws,” a feature on the real-life Dillinger with some wonderful newsreel footage. Finally, the Blu-Ray has an interactive historical timeline as well as a gangster movie trivia game in addition to the featurettes previously mentioned.

FINAL RATING: 7/10

TOMORROW: Sunshine

  I read finished Dear John in less than a day time. Before I’ve even changed the “Reading” section on my blog. That’s how fast I’ve read it. And that shows how much I love that book.

  I’ve been looking for this book for quite a while now. And for the wrong reason. I wanted to read it because they are making it into a film. And also Channing Tatum is in it. Actually, they already made it, it will be shown in February next year, in America, of course. No news yet about the release date in Malaysia. Anyway, I couldn’t find it in major bookstores here, or maybe I wasn’t looking at the right place.

  When I went to the Singapore National Library on Sunday morning, I wasn’t planning on borrowing books, so I was just walking around in awe until my legs were sore. The library was better than I’ve expected. There are seats everywhere. And confy ones, too! Not those usual wooden or plastic chairs which made your butt numb and your back stiff. It was like paradise for a geek like me.

  But when I got tired of walking around like a fool, I went to the computer book catalogue thingy to check for some of the authors I’ve been looking for. And the awesome part is, if the book you want was on loan or was not there, the computer will show you the other libraries in the country which have that book. How cool is that? Where I can only find a single Roberto Bolano book in Malaysia. There were 6 here! So I picked the short story collection one out and started reading. But then my mind wandered, and my feet followed along. It lead me to the fiction section where I stumbbled upon Dear John.

  I wanted to read finish it then and there but it was time to go. My cousin’s lovely wife saw that I had two books in hand and immediately offered to borow the books for me. Apparently, you don’t need a member card to borrow the books. All Singaporeans are automatically members of theNational Library. And to borrow the books, you just have to slot in your identification card and scanned the ISBN of the books. All these were done electronically and I wonder what does the librarian actually do here. It struck me how “out-dated” we Malaysians are because the biggest library in my area still does all this borrowing and returning books ordeal manually. Heck, you even pay your overdue money electronically with this cool machine in Singapore. Anyway, in a nutshell, I borrowed Roberto Bolano’s Last Evenings On Earth and Nicholas Sparks’ Dear John.

  I only started reading Dear John after dinner when I came back to my uncle’s place in Johor Bahru. I savoured every page as if I was having Ferero Roche and I only got distracted when my other cousin, my uncle’s son, who was having a major exam on Tuesday (which is today) by the way, asked me to watch Public Enemies on his laptop. For watching that movie, I got scolded badly by my mom because I was distracting him from his studies. After the movie, which coincidentally starred Channing Tatum as a minor role, it was already 2am. Then only did I open the book and I was so engrossed with it that I didn’t realised time had passed and it as already 4am.

  The next day, which was Monday, I restrained myself from using the computer as to not “distract” my cousin, so I kept reading the book. I even brought the book to read when we were having lunch at Station1 Cafe, where I had this horribly delicious pasta which left my mouth burning. You know a book is good when it made you cry in public. And that was what happened. Although I didn’t sob or anything, thank God, I just had a couple of tears, wich I wiped off before anyone noticed. And later, I finally finished the book just right after dinner and I am still thinking about it while I’m writing this at 3am (again).

 So here comes the review. Nicholas Sparks is a wonderful author. You should have known that when his books like The Notebook, Dear John and The Last Song were turned into movies. But after I’ve read Dear John (the only Sparks book I’ve ever read), I realised that he’s wonderful in the creative plot sense, not in vocab or anything. The sentences are simple and easy to understand, so that’s why everyone loves his books. And that is why I am a Sparks fan now.

  Dear John starts out with a boy meets girl, boy and girl fell in love story. The boy is John Tyree, while the girl is Savannah Curtis. (And here, I copied and pasted the sypnosis) John (Channing Tatum), a young soldier home on leave, and Savannah, (who’s a brunettte in the book ) (Amanda Seyfried), the idealistic college student he falls in love with during her spring vacation. Over the next seven tumultuous years, the couple is separated by Johns increasingly dangerous deployments. While meeting only sporadically, they stay in touch by sending a continuous stream of love letters overseas–correspondence that eventually triggers fateful consequences.

 Actually, based on the “idiom”, a Dear John letter, you should know what happens already. And actually, the other guy isn’t that hard to guess. So this book isn’t about suspense, it’s about the love story. Actually, this story is sorta familliar in a way. The boy and girl sorta fell in love at first sight while the girl’s best friend loved her secretly, too. Predictable, huh? Sounds to me more like a Twilight Saga in the making, just without the myths and legends. Don’t you think so? But let me tell you this. Although you think the plot feels familiar, it’s different somehow. And I think that is called the Sparks Magic, where Nicholas Sparks works his magic and sparks starts to fly among the words.

  There’s another reason why I like this book. Because I’ve thought of this concept while writing a story before. But what I have written ended up in the trash because I suck at it. I was writing about this guy who was fighting in a war and at night he wrote this sweet letter to his wife because he’s heading to a dangeroug zone the next day and he wanted to tell her he loved her in case he couldn’t make it. It was inspired by a song. But I ended up writing another story and handed in to my teacher as a homework and I totally forgot about it until now.

  So, all in all, check the book out because it’s great. And I’ll be sure to check out more Nicholas Sparks books to see whether or not the Sparks Magic could be found in his other works.

  On another totally unrelated note, The Legend of Chun Li sucks. You find a movie critic who loves that movie and I’ll find you a flying pig.

Jon M. Chu tweeted a photo of a majority of the leads of all three Step Up movies! (Sadly, Adam and Robert didn’t attend!)

Hopefully I’ll be able to find more performance videos and photos. I just posted the main red carpet photos. You can find the rest at Getty Images!

one of the quieter moments in the movie...

PG-13

Channing Tatum, Dennis Quaid, Sienna Miller, Marlon Wayans, Rachel Nichols, Christopher Eccleston

Duke: What about you?
Scarlett: He doesn’t speak.
Duke: Why?
Breaker: He doesn’t say.

A group of specially trained soldiers, with high tech weaponry at their disposal, attempt to recover a case of nano-technology warheads from the evil Cobra organization.  Lots of things explode in the process.

I suppose I knew what I was getting into when I sat down to watch this one, but I was hoping it would be more tolerable than it was.   I thought it would at least be fun to see the toys I played with as a kid on display.  Unfortunately, most of the machinery in the movie doesn’t resemble anything I had as a kid, plus it’s all so obviously computer animated that I may as well have been watching a cartoon.

The movie is simultaneously more and less realistic than it needs to be.  More realistic in the sense that they use more real jeeps, tanks, helicopters, and planes than they should – as opposed to the ones featured in the line of toys.  Less realistic in the sense that the other technology is so advanced that it almost seems like you’re watching Star Trek at times.  Plus, as I mentioned, there’s way too much computer animated stuff.  I felt like I had accidentally popped in an X-Men DVD by mistake.  Everybody jumps around like they’re superheros.

That stuff could probably be somewhat overlooked if it weren’t for the fact that the characters are just deadly dull.  Their story lines are unoriginal, the dialogue is stiff, and the acting is uninspired.  Basically, the movie was made so that they could slap the title G.I. JOE on it.

Way to go Hollywood, yet another blown opportunity to make an enjoyable movie out of a nice childhood memory.  Instead we’re stuck with one more hyper-edited, over-loud, heartless display of special effects.  Just what we all needed…

The G.I. Joe soldiers are apparently SO good and unbeatable that they’re only called in when the regular army fails.  ‘Cause, ya know, you wouldn’t want to use them from the get-go and preserve the lives of those other regular soldiers…

10 – 2.1 for boring characters and acting – 1 for not using enough of the toys in the movie – 1.2 for being overlong and over loud – 1 for too much computer animation = 4.7

Nemico pubblico

Date e orari delle proiezioni:

• sabato 28 novembre 2009, ore 21:00
• domenica 29 novembre 2009, ore 16:30 e 21:00

Scheda:

• Paese: Stati Uniti
• Durata: 2h e 23′
• Genere: Azione
• Regia: Michael Mann
• Anno: 2009
• Distributore: Universal Pictures International Italy

Sinossi

Nessuno poteva fermare Dillinger e la sua banda. Non esisteva prigione dalla quale non riuscisse ad evadere. Il suo carisma e le rocambolesche fughe dalle prigioni lo rendevano interessante agli occhi di tutti: da quelli della sua fidanzata Billie Frechette a quelli del pubblico americano che non aveva simpatia per le banche responsabili di aver fatto precipitare il paese nella depressione.

Ma mentre le avventure di Dillinger e della sua banda – che nell’ultimo periodo comprendeva anche due individui sociopatici dal nome Baby Face Nelson e Alvin Karpis – intrigavano i più, Hoover si riproponeva di utilizzare la pubblicità che la cattura del criminale avrebbe potuto generare in suo favore per trasformare il suo Bureau of Investigation nel dipartimento di polizia nazionale che è adesso l’FBI. Fece pertanto di Dillinger il primo Nemico Pubblico Numero Uno degli Stati Uniti d’America, mettendogli alle calcagna Purvis, l’affascinante ‘Clark Gable dell’FBI’.

Sito ufficiale: http://www.cinema.universalpictures.it/online/nemicopubblico/

A Film Review

Copyright Dragan Antulov 2009

Hard economic times have struck today’s world, and even the Hollywood is forced to acknowledge those realities. At least, this is one of the impressions given by the opening scenes of FIGHTING, 2009 drama directed by Dito Montiel.

Young protagonist Shawn MacArthur (played by Channing Tatum), who came to New York in order to pursue American dream, is forced to make ends meet by selling cheap counterfeit merchadise on the street. This kind of activity brings many risks and in one of such incidents MacArthur is forced to display his fighting abilities. This leaves good impression on Harvey Borden (played by Terrence Howard), quiet street hustler who tries to make a name as a street fight promoter. He approaches young man and becomes his manager, trying to use his talents in the sleazy world of professional bare-knuckles street fighting. MacArthur gradually make his name and some money, but soon he has to confront some ghosts of his own pre-New York past.

While the opening scenes of the film suggest something like an honest portrayal of social realities of contemporary New York, FIGHTING soon reveals itself to be nothing more than formulaic and not particularly formulaic sports drama. Dito Montiel, former punk rocker with a troubled street past, was supposed to give this film, which purports to expose “dark underbelly” of New York and its illegal fighting scene, some “street credibility”. His talents, however, couldn’t hide the series of cliches, including the bet scheme subplot and romance that appear to be obligatory for many films of the same genre. Audience also might have some trouble suspending their disbelief, since the protagonist happens to be played by an actor who looks more like a fashion model than tough street fighter.

Ironically, casting appears to be the only thing that makes this film watchable. Terrence Howard, one of the best character actors of contemporary Hollywood, again shows great skill by making his character of soft-spoken, quiet and dignified street hustler much more impressive than the rest of film.  Another hidden gem is Altagracia Guzman who gives great does of humanity to the role of overprotective grandmother of protagonist’s love interest Zulay (played by Colombian actress Zulay Henao). Their efforts, however, can’t compensate for the increasingly annoying defficiens of overcliched and utterly predictable script which makes FIGHTING look much longer than its 93 minutes of running time. Although watchable, this film has already lost its fight against descent into cinema oblivion.

RATING: 3/10

O que esperar de um filme baseado na coleção de figuras de ação da Hasbro, os ‘bonequinhos’ do G. I. Joe? Explosões, gente bonita, e claro, te deixar com aquela vontade de entrar na primeira loja de brinquedos e comprar um bonequinho do Storm Shadow e outro do Snake Eyes assim que a sessão terminar!

Com direção de Stephen Sommers, que é conhecido por seus filmes que entretem sem compromisso, como Van Helsing e a trilogia A Múmia. Stephen brinca com o filme como se estivesse realizando seu sonho de criança. Os atores atiram, levam tiro, saltam, caem, brigam, beijam (beijos ridículos, só pra constar), e tem flashbacks. Vários. Sofridos. Na chuva, porque não tem como fugir do clichê.

O filme começa em um futuro não muito distante. O exército transporta uma nova arma com nanorobôs que destroem tudo o que é aço e só param quando são desativados por um controle remoto. O transporte segue bem até osCobra, um grupo de vilões com armas de tecnologia e treinamento superior ao do exército, atacarem o comboio atrás das tais armas. O capitão Duke, interpretado por Channing Tatum (que já foi stripper mas sem tirar a cueca, só pra deixar claro) e seu braço direito Ripcord, Marlon Wayans, que você provavelmente conhece pelas comédias Todo Mundo em Pânico, são salvos pelos G. I. Joe, uma divisão super secreta do exército internacional de inteligência, armas, tecnologia e treinamento tão avançados quanto os Cobra. É dado o ponta pé para várias reviravoltas, explosões e muita coisa acontecer ao mesmo tempo. Lógico que para haver uma, duas ou três continuações.

Com atores conhecidos, como Arnold Vosloo, interpretando o vilão camaleão Zartan e Brendan Fraser em uma participação muito rápida comoSargento Stone. Pois é, Imhotep e Richard O’Connell em lados opostos de novo! E claro,  Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (quero assistir uma entrevista com alguém dizendo o nome dele completo!) que os fãs de Lost conhecem como Mr Eko, interpretando Heavy Duty. Das gata-garotas temos a lindaSienna Miller, interpretando Ana, a baronesa. Sienna já deu vida a Victoria em Stardust. Rachel Nichols, é Scarlett, a nerd dos Joe. Rachel já atuou no seriado Alias, de J J Abrams. Será que isso pesou na escolha da atriz para a personagem?

G. I. Joe – The Rise of The Cobra (G.I. Joe – A Origem de Cobra) é uma rentável colcha de retalhos. Há diversos personagens que permitem diversas continuações tanto em grupo como histórias fechadas com um ou dos integrantes. Particularmente quero muito que façam um filme solo do Storm Shadow. Byung-hun Lee fez o personagem todo afetado, um verdadeiroElvis assassino from Japan!

White kids, please stay in the suburbs.

Havoc is a motion picture about the lives of wealthy Los Angeles, California, teenagers whose exposure to hip hop culture inspires them to imitate the gangster lifestyle. They run into trouble when they encounter a gang of Latino drug dealers, discovering they are not as street-wise as they had thought.

Now when I watched this film I couldn’t stop thinking about another coming-of-age film myself, Thirteen. They both have the same ideas of little suburban teenagers who want to act wild and be free, when really that’s not who they are.

Personally, Havoc really does connect to me cause there are a lot of people like these ones portrayed I know. The people I know try to act all gangster like they could kick anyone’s ass, when really they aren’t anything compared to the real thing.

This film captures that real well showing from the first encounter how different these two groups really are. The white kids always try to act all tough on their own homecourt, but when they go somewhere else they are a bunch of little chickens who are scared out of their minds.

There are a lot of really good dramatic scenes by the end of the film that really does keep this film going on to powerful. The way these two different cultures are portrayed is just really perfect as you can see the big differences, and the little similarities these two groups have in common.

I liked the movie and everything I just think it wasn’t anything different that I’ve seen before. It seems like the same old message,”keep your daughters inside the house”, and to be truly honest Havoc doesn’t do much to add to this message and make it even more powerful than previous films.

Yes, for all you little pervs out there, Anne Hathaway does get naked for this film. But please do not let that take you away from this film cause her acting is magnificent. I was surprised to see the same chick from The Princess Bride, dropping down(literally), and doing a very serious and complex role, and actually pull it off. Her and Bijou Phillips have great chemistry in this film and you can actually tell that they actually are friends as they do feel like it. The rest of the cast does well with stars such as Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Freddy Rodriguez, but a lot of the good cast is underused and you rarely see them at all during this film.

Also, the ending was not as powerful as it could’ve been. The film doesn’t come full circle and connect at the end like many other films of this nature have. It leaves you with a little message that is powerful, but not powerful enough. I didn’t quite know what was the eventual resolution to these actions and what happened to the these characters at the end of the story.

Consensus: Havoc features a true message, magnificent performances, and some great looks on real life. But the film doesn’t become too powerful as it could’ve been and left me wondering just what was to happen to these characters by the end of the film.

6/10=Rentall!!!!!

As a kid, I was all about G.I. Joe. Being the son of a Marine and a British woman, I didn’t quite buy into the whole  jingoism behind it, but damn did I love the toys, the comics and the cartoon.

It started with the toys, I’m pretty sure. Cheap plastic things with code names like Snake-Eyes, Gung-Ho and Duke. This is a time long before I knew anything about collector’s items, shelf turnover and scalpers. This is back when, as a kid, I just couldn’t wait for the next wave to come out. Even though money was tight, I managed to amass a collection of every single one of the toys — even quite a few of the vehicles, including the 7.5-foot-long aircraft carrier. A friend of mine had most of the Transformers. Another friend, most of the Masters of the Universe. So many days were spent at one another’s house playing with the figures and our imaginations. If the weather was warm, we’d come up with elaborate missions throughout the neighborhood where we’d become our favorite characters (needless to say I was always partial to the silent ninja commando Snake-Eyes, although my favorite figure was the Hawaiian SEAL Torpedo).

Those action figures came with an assortment of weapons, but also came with a well-researched dossier about the character — the character’s specialties, military background, bio information and some sort of psych eval. When I got my first paper route, I remember walking into a K-Mart and being overwhelmed with the idea of being able to buy as many of the figures at one time as I could.

At some point, we started watching the cartoon. Even then we had issues with all the laser fire and what horrible aim the soldiers had. Then there were the strange subplots that balloon up with pseudo-science (Serpentor being cloned from the greatest conquerors in history! Androids! Crazy computer tech! Hidden civilizations! Sgt. Slaughter!). Strangely, I discounted most of the sci-fi crap … save that for super-heroes and Star Wars.

Then there was the comic book. I remember picking up the first issue at a Dillons (a grocery store precursor to Kroger in Hutchinson, Kan.). Yes, a grocery story with an honest-to-god spinner rack full of comic books for less than a dollar. I missed several of the issues for whatever reason, but got hooked on it again in the famous ’silent’ issue. Snake Eyes must rescue Scarlett from Cobra and the new ninja bad guy Storm Shadow. From then on, I was hooked. Later I would learn that the same guy who wrote the comic (Larry Hama) also wrote the file cards and had been in the military. The whole point of the comic and cartoon was to get kids to buy more toys. Yet, strangely, Hama weaved real stories and military experience into his comic stories and file cards that when I recently re-read the first few years of the book, I was surprised at how ‘adult’ the series was. This was the 80s when we were dealing with the waning Cold War and the rise of terrorism. Hama touched upon the Russia-Afghanistan war, Vietnam and other military operations that were in the headlines.

Guess that’s why when the movie was announced, I was wary. As more information came out ahead of the movie, I continued to be wary. The early word when it arrived in theaters was pretty bad. While I was hesitant to see the film, I still wanted to rekindle those fond memories. However, the chorus of voices saying just how bad it was continued to swell. I held off. That’s what a huge HD TV is for.

Well, Netflix delivered the film. I attempted to get into the summer blockbuster mindset. At least, it would have good special effects, right? Maybe some good fight choreography? It had Channing Tatum in it, so there could be at least a little eye candy. (Oh wait, I watched ‘Fighting’ and while that had Channing Tatum and ‘fighting’ right there in the title, it was still a trainwreck of bad storytelling, not enough skin and definitely not enough fighting.)

I knew I was in trouble from the get-go. A nanotech device that can destroy vehicles and non-organics was the primary weapon. A strange military convoy carrying said device gets attacked by super-hero level adversaries. People get killed, which in turn leads to a cry for vengeance by Tatum. However, Tatum and his partner-in-crime get swept up into an international anti-terrorism force with an unlimited budget and totally forget about their dead friends. (Uhm, sidenote, the toys, the cartoon and the comics were all G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, but in our post-9/11 reality, G.I. Joe is an international taskforce.) Training sequence begins and the terror plot lumbers forward with an attack on the Eiffel Tower. At this point, between accelerator suits that were much more Transformers than G.I. Joe and the strange assault on the Eiffel Tower, it dawned on me: I’d seen this plot somewhere. The movie meanders through strange special effects and strange plot devices. Channing Tatum goes shirtless a few times.

But in this era of real terrorist threats and international efforts, I was really shocked at the really bad plot device of the nanotech weapon. I could overlook the popcorn feel of the movie … but, at its root and with all the source material available … why choose such an outlandish weapon.

Throw into the mix, the shadowy Cobra Commander’s rise to power, which was thrown in as an afterthought to set up a sequel. Most of the movie revolves around an arms dealer (Destro) and the Baroness. Tacked on was this ridiculous plot setup for a sequel complete with a strangely cybernetic Cobra Commander (whatever happened to the simple hood look?), forced romantic triangles and conflicted relationships, and G.I. Joe was just a mess.

But remember how I felt like I’d seen the plot before? Well, I broke down and watched a few episodes of the G.I. Joe cartoon the other night. The plot of the movie was lifted and rejiggered from the cartoon — complete with mind control, the destruction of the Eiffel Tower and the strange romantic tension between two characters on opposite sides of the ‘war’. Granted, the lift did give a few Easter egg-level lines to the movie — Knowing is half the battle and Yo! Joe! — but overall, when you are lifting from a cartoon, you’re probably not a movie that’s going to be taken to well.

My suggestion: Ditch the movie. Spend the money looking at IDW’s comic collections of the Marvel’s comic book series. Sure, there’s some soap opera to it, but overall the stories are light years ahead of the crappy movie.

Un film del 2011, regia di , con Channing Tatum / Cam Gigandet / Bruce Willis / Woody Harrelson. Prodotto da ()

Drammatico / Storico

La tragica storia del massacro di My Lai, avvenuto il 16 marzo del ’68 in un villaggio situato a 840 km a nord di Saigon.

Un film del 2009, regia di Michael Mann, con Christian Bale / Johnny Depp / Channing Tatum / Billy Crudup. Prodotto da Universal Pictures (140min)

Drammatico / Poliziesco / Storico / Thriller

La storia di una caccia all’uomo tra le più famose della storia americana: quella portata avanti da Melvin Purvis, leggendario agente del Federal Bureau of Investigation, che, dopo anni di indagini, riuscì a fermare la carriera criminale del celebre nemico pubblico John Dillinger e dei suoi compari.

That’s right. Channing Tatum, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, Robert Hoffman, Briana Evigan, Rick Malambri, Sharni Vinson, along with SYTYCD/DWTS dancers, etc. are attending/ making appearences at the first ever DizzyFeet! (A foundation founded in 2009 which helps underprivileged young people realize their dream of becoming professional dancers and to support, improve, and increase access to dance education in the Unites States.)

According to Channing Tatum Unwrapped:

Jenna Dewan-Tatum tweeted yesterday that she would be both presenting and performing with “So You Think You Can Dance” dancers and more at the upcoming Dizzy Feet Foundation benefit, and today, she announced that Chan would also be presenting with her.

Dizzy Feet Foundation was founded in 2009 by producer Nigel Lythgoe, director Adam Shankman, “Dancing with the Stars” judge Carrie Ann Inaba and actress Katie Holmes to help underprivileged young people realize their dream of becoming professional dancers and to support, improve, and increase access to dance education in the Unites States.

Guided by a board consisting of some of the most illustrious names in the American dance community, the foundation’s mission is threefold: (1) to provide scholarships to talented students studying at accredited dance schools, studios, or institutions; (2) to establish national standards for dance education and an accreditation program for dance schools in all of the major styles of dance; and (3) to develop, provide, and/or support dance education programs for disadvantaged children through and with local community organizations.

Dizzy Feet’s first-ever fundraising gala, CELEBRATION OF DANCE, is taking place at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, California on Sunday, November 29th 2009 at 3PM.

All of the leads from ‘Step Up‘, ‘Step Up 2: The Streets‘, and ‘Step Up 3D‘ will make appearances at the event. As I mentioned earlier, Jenna and Chan will be presenting and Jenna will also perform.

Jenna tweeted…“Buy tix now to support dancing and come say hi to us!”. I also learned that the event will not be televised, so if you want an opportunity to give to a good cause and see Chan and Jenna, please visit Ticketmaster.com to get your tickets TODAY!!!

Source- Channing Tatum Unwrapped

Will you attend? I wonder if Adam will make an appearence as well?

This is a new section.  Instead of putting up each trailer one at a time, I just thought I’d chuck them all in one post.  Unless they’re specifically Changian that is.  None of these are.  Far from it.

Slamming Salmon

Releas Date: December 11 2009

The new flick from Broken Lizard, makers of the genius Supertroopers and the not so genius Clubb Dead and Beerfest.  To be honest, this doesn’t look very good, but here’s hoping.

Despicable Me

Release Date:  July 9 2010

This looks like the usual non-Pixar animated kids flick. Stuffed full of tv comedians like Steve Carrell, Jason Segal, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig and Danny McBride, lots of empty manic action like Monsters vs Aliens and completely forgettable.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: Lightning Thief

Release Date: February 12, 2010

The latest in the long line of Harry Potter wannabe’s, this time directed by the useless twat who nearly sunk the HP franchise in the first place, as well as cinematic abortions Bicentenial Man and Nine Months.  I’ve never heard of this, and this trailer gives no indication as to what it’s about except for some kid that looks straight out of High School Musical riding in a presumably magic elevator to a village in the clouds.  The only saving grace is that it reunites Pierce Brosnan and Sean Bean for the first time since Goldeneye.  Opens the same day as The Wolfman. One guess which one I’ll be seeing.

Dear John

Release Date:  February 5 2010

This one’s for Frankie, who as far as I can tell is Channing Tatum’s biggest fan and awaits his next flick like a kid awaits christmas.  Based on a book by Nicholas Sparks, who also subjected the world to ‘The Notebook’.  If you’ve ever had a girlfriend then you’ve had to watch that schmaltzy shitfest.  If you currently have a girlfriend or wife, I recommend dumping them of Febuary 4th 2010.  It’s the only choice of action if you want to avoid this dreck.

Three queries regarding this flick…  Has Tatum ever appeared in a flick where he isn’t in the military?  Who in their right mind decided Amanda Seyfried was attractive?  And why the bloody hell is Lasse Hallström directing this shit?

Love

Release Date:  February 14 2010

This is to coincide with Angels & Airwaves new album. I like A&A and all, but can someone watch this trailer and explain what the fuck this is?

♥ “Mammoth”

In this indie movie, Gael Garcia Bernal (“Y Tu Mama Tambien”) and Michelle Williams (“Brokeback Mountain”) play a couple whose lives start unraveling when Bernal flirts with infidelity on a business trip in Thailand.

The story also focuses on their live-in Filipino nanny, which is exciting since very few Filipino actors breakthrough in Hollywood. “Mammoth” even features subtitles for the actors speaking the Tagalog language. With more than 1,000 votes on IMDb.com, the film has received a 7 out of 10 rating.

♥ “Salt”

This espionage thriller was originally set to have a male lead, but when Tom Cruise (“Collateral”) dropped out of the project, the role was re-written for Angelina Jolie (“Girl, Interrupted”), naturally. Jolie is Evelyn Salt, a CIA agent, who is framed for a plot to murder the president. She must prove her innocence while on the run from authorities. Leaps unto buses ensue.

♥ “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”

Jake Gyllenhaal (“Jarhead”) stars in this adaptation of a video game where he, along with a princess (Gemma Arterton from “Quantum of Solace”), must stop a villain from unleashing a sandstorm that could destroy the world.

It sounds lame when you put it like that, but from the trailers, it looks like the film has a good dose of comedy. It’s even produced by powerhouse Jerry Bruckheimer (“Pirates of the Carribean”). Sir Ben Kingsley (“Gandhi”) and Alfred Molina (“Spider-man 2″) also star. Catch the domestic and international trailers after the jump:

♥ “Brothers”

Lionsgate and Relativity Media previously released a trailer for “Brothers,” which I posted here. This is the second trailer of the drama, which stars Tobey Maguire (“Spider-man”), Natalie Portman (“Closer”) and Gyllenhaal.  It’s better if you view it without reading a synopsis first, so take a look:

♥ “The Road”

It’s based on Cormac McCarthy’s novel which tells of the end of the world. Hardly anyone is left but Viggo Mortensen (“A History of Violence”), Charlize Theron (“North Country”) and their son, newcomer Kodi Smit-McPhee. Guy Pearce (“Memento”) and Robert Duvall co-star. Dimension Films has also released two trailers for this Oscar contender. They are distinctly different as one is more dreary than the other. See for yourself:

♥ “The Princess and the Frog”

Disney is going back to its roots with this animated movie. Beating the likes of singers Jennifer Hudson and Alicia Keys, Anika Rose (“Dreamgirls”) as well as Terrence Howard (“Hustle and Flow”) and John Goodman (“Coyote Ugly”) voice the characters. A teaser trailer and full trailer below:

♥ ”The Wolfman”

Check out a horror film that boasts of Emily Blunt (“The Devil Wears Prada”), Benicio del Toro (“Traffic”), Anthony Hopkins (“Silence of the Lambs”) and Hugo Weaving (“Lord of the Rings”):

♥ “Inception”

Here’s a film that’s been kept under wraps so much so that all IMDb.com states is this: “Corporations have developed a technology to enter dreams to extract information from certain people’s heads. A CEO (Leonardo DiCaprio) enters dreams and things begin to escalate, taking a turn for the worst.”

The buzz surrounding “Inception” is mostly due to its director, Christopher Nolan, who also did “The Dark Knight” and “Memento.” However, I’m watching it for one of my favorite actresses, Ellen Page (“Juno”). Marion Cotillard (“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”), Michael Caine (Miss Congeniality”), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“Brick”) and Cillian Murphy (“Batman Begins”) are in it as well.

♥ “Green Zone”

Although it’s by the same people who brought us “The Bourne” movies, I think some would hesitate to watch it since it’s another war movie. Still, Matt Damon gives it some star power.

♥ “Invictus”

Damon is one hot commodity as he also stars in this Clint Eastwood film, otherwise known as an Oscar contender. Based on a true story, Damon plays the captain of a rugby team who is enlisted by Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) to win, thus, uniting the country. Prepare to hear Damon speak with a South African accent …

♥ “Gentlemen Broncos”

Some have have predicted that “Broncos” will be a cult hit, perhaps in the same vein as “Napoleon Dynamite.” (They have the same director.) “Broncos” is a comedy about a science fiction author who steals the idea of a student (Michael Angarano from “Will and Grace”) for his next book. Jennifer Coolidge (“Legally Blonde”) is also in the movie, playing Angarano’s mom.

♥ “A Single Man”

Colin Firth (“Bridget Jones’s Diary”) plays a gay man who tries to carry on after the death of his partner. Julianne Moore (“Children of Men”) joins Firth, who is a potential Oscar nominee. Based on Christopher Isherwood’s novel, I must say the trailer is pretty original. It eerily plays on with no words the entire time. The film itself received an 8.6 rating on IMDb.com.

♥ “New Moon”

As the second part in the “Twilight” saga, we find  Bella (Kristen Stewart) left to gather the pieces with Jacob (Taylor Lautner) since the vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson) left her. This time around, Stewart finds herself among werewolves and vampire royalty, the Volturi.

♥ “The Book of Eli”

Denzel Washington (“Man on Fire”) stars in this action movie set in yet another future depicting the end of the world. To salvage what’s left, Washington has to protect a sacred book. Mila Kunis (“That ’70s Show”) co-stars.

♥ “Nowhere Boy”

I don’t know why, but this feels like the most refreshing trailer out of the bunch. ”Nowhere Boy” is John Lennon (newcomer Aaron Johnson) of The Beatles. It chronicles the band’s beginnings and Lennon’s life. Kristin Scott Thomas (“Life as a House”) is part of the supporting cast.

♥ “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus”

Perhaps better known as Heath Ledger’s (“The Dark Knight”) last film, Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) strikes a deal with the devil, trading in his daughter at the age of 16. Parnassus tries to rectify his mistake by offering his daughter’s hand in marriage to whoever can help him. Jude Law (“Closer”), Colin Farrell (“Minority Report”) and Johnny Depp (“Blow”) all stepped in to finish Ledger’s role.

♥ “When in Rome”

In this romantic comedy, Kristen Bell (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall”) takes some coins out of a fountain only to have the men who threw them in fall for her. The lovesick puppies include Josh Duhamel (“Transformers”), Will Arnett (“Blades of Glory”), Jon Heder (“Napoleon Dynamite”) and Bell’s real-life beau, Dax Shepard (“Baby Mama”).

♥ “Dear John”

Another Nicholas Sparks’s book, another movie adaptation. By now, I should know better than to fall for Sparks’s sap, but the trailer was enchanting. Channing Tatum (“Stop Loss”) and Amanda Seyfried (“Nine Lives”) fall in love, but Tatum, a soldier, has to return to war. *Tear*

♥ “Pirate Radio” (aka “The Boat that Rocked”)

Richard Curtis, the man behind the darling “Love Actually,” brings a new movie to the big screen. The film already has more than 11,000 voters rating it 7.6 out of 10 stars. “Radio” is a comedy about DJs who air their show on the high seas. Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Doubt”) joins the ensemble cast.

♥ “The Messenger”

IMDb users give this movie 8.6 stars. “Messenger” centers on the soldiers, Woody Harrelson (“Zombieland”) and Ben Foster (“Alpha Dog”), who are tasked with notifying the loved ones of their fallen comrades. Things are complicated when Foster gets involved with a soldier’s widow. Acclaimed actresses, Samantha Morton (“Minority Report”) and Jena Malone (“Stepmom”), round out the cast.

♥ “Alice in Wonderland”

This Tim Burton film hasn’t been released yet, but it’s already won an award. “Alice” was proclaimed the Most Anticipated Fantasy Film at the 2009 Scream Awards. If that still doesn’t convince you to see it, Oscar nominees Anne Hathaway (“Rachel Getting Married”) and Depp are in the movie.

(Michael Mann, USA 2009)

Primi anni ‘30: il fascinoso John Dillinger, maestro delle rapine in banca, viene identificato dal fresco direttore dell’FBI John Edgar Hoover  come “nemico pubblico numero 1“. Sono gli anni della famosa guerra al crimine e ai gangster come Dillinger, “Baby Face” Nelson e Pretty Boy Floyd: a dar loro la caccia uno stuolo di agenti guidati dall’ambizioso e caparbio Melvin Purvis. Sulle scorribande di Dillinger (Johnny Depp) e la caccia all’uomo di Purvis (Christian Bale) si concentra Nemico Pubblico, ultima fatica di Michael Mann. Cineasta eccellente, Mann realizza un gangster movie  secondo i propri canoni, con una fotografia fredda, gran dispiego di maestria tecnica e un ritmo incalzante che ben rispecchia il vivere senza tregua dei protagonisti.  Ciò che manca, purtroppo, e che rende il film di Mann un’occasione mancata, è una scrittura adeguata che caratterizzi in profondità i personaggi e l’epoca in cui sono ambientate le vicende; a risentirne più di tutti il Purvis di Bale,  nemesi anonima e senza mordente, ma anche diversi aspetti della personalità di Dillinger vengono tralasciati: su tutti quello forse più interessante, ovvero la grande considerazione di cui il gangster godeva presso l’opinione pubblica (elemento solo accennato). Nemmeno la performance di Depp, il volto perennemente solcato da un ghigno sarcastico che pare essere divenuto il suo marchio di fabbrica, riesce a far decollare il film; mentre risplende la bellissima Marion Cotillard, nel ruolo della fiamma di Dillinger.

Trailer

Efter att under två perioder ha stridit i Irak, kommer den dekorerade sergeanten Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe) hem till den lilla sömniga hemstaden i Texas. Plågad av minnena från striderna och kamraters bortgångar försöker han börja ett nytt liv där hemma. Hans vänner Steve (Channing Tatum) och Tommy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) har också varit med i Irak och även de lider på olika sätt av sviterna efter kriget. Allt rasar samman då King blir beordrad att på nytt bege sig till Mellanöstern (Stop-Loss är en amerikansk militär term som innebär en icke frivillig förlängning av en soldats militärtjänstgöring). King vill på inga villkor tillbaka till den plats där han upplevt så mycket död och olycka. Det blir en kamp med pliktkänsla och övertygelse samtidigt som hans val kan komma att påverka resterande del av hans liv – oavsett vad han väljer.

Det är idag inte så ofta man ser amerikanska filmer ur krigsveteraners perspektiv och frågan är hur dessa sargade människor uppmärksammas på hemmaplan efter att ha offrat så mycket för sitt land… eller i alla fall för dess ledare. Filmen beskriver hur även den starkaste kommer hem och lider av svår posttraumatisk stress och hur de på några månader genomgår stora personlighetsförändringar. Regissören Kimberly Pierce som tidigare gjort den otroligt gripande Boys Don’t Cry, lyckas inte fullt lika bra här, men det är onekligen en oerhört stark och gripande film. Till och med den annars rätt mediokra Tatum presterar bra även om duktige Phillippe så klart är strået vassare. Den som stjäl alla scener han är med i är dock Gordon-Levitt vars sorgliga gestalt dröjer sig kvar långt efter filmen tagit slut.

Betyg: 4

“What does it mean to truly love another?”

Coming out…Feb 5

One more movie inspired by Nicholas Sparks…ahhhhh

An angry rebel, John dropped out of school and enlisted in the Army, not knowing what else to do with his life–until he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Their mutual attraction quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting for John to finish his tour of duty, and John wanting to settle down with the woman who has captured his heart. But 9/11 changes everything. John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else. “Dear John,” the letter read…and with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives were changed forever. Returning home, John must come to grips with the fact that Savannah, now married, is still his true love—and face the hardest decision of his life. -Nicholas Sparks

I haven’t read the novel yet. Lucky Me! I love to see the characters in the trailer then read the book, better than reading the back jacket….? Yes! Gonna get on this pronto! Kinda have a bad feeling that it may not be the peachiest ending ever, but I want it to be!!!

GI Joe Theatrical Poster

I will be up front with this movie. I did not grow up with G.I. Joe nor do I know any of the characters. Although, over time I have figured out their names, their ideals and come to my own conclusions. Also, I had no expectations when watching this movie. I went in believing that it was a stinker which is the reason I never saw it in theaters. Now, I bring you my full review of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

The movie starts out in 15th century France where they punish one of the clan members of the Scottish McCullen clan. He is punished for selling weapons to France’s enemy and he must wear an iron mask straight from the casting fire for the remainder of his life. He is now known to the people as Destro, destroyers of kingdoms. This is important information because in the not too distant future on of his ascendents, James McCullen(played by Christopher Eccleston), is now a weapons manufacturer selling weapons to the United States. When the Army is transporting the newest weapon from the manufacturer they are attacked by an unknown aircraft and soldiers that cannot be destroyed. After a somewhat Hollywood action segment The Joes, as they call themselves, intervene and help out our main characters that learn about the new covert operations regime.

Now, before I start berating this absolutely unbearabable piece of trash I want to showcase my initial thoughts of the film. If the characters weren’t live, but drawn like cartoons and this was a 20 minute television show then this would be a great movie. Otherwise, this movie isn’t terrible until someone starts talking. It was very funny to see how a lot of these great actors were able to portray such flamboyant cartoon characters so well. Let’s start with Channing Tatum who plays Duke. His acting was more robotic than Hayden Christiansen’s Anakin Skywalker. Everytime he either had a smart ass remark or sly one-liner I thought I was going to puke. Why doesn’t this man just go back to his tweeny bopper dance movies and leave action to people that can act better than he can. Now, Marlon Wayans is my least favorite of the Wayans family because he is just….not funny. I guess he was supposed to be the comic relief in this movie? His comedy and sly remarks towards Scarlet were so forced that it was funny because it was so stupid. Everyone acted decent except for the two main characters that we are made to believe are decorated war heroes which after 20 minutes I highly doubt. All they have are egos and what seems like basic boot camp training.

All in all I did not like this movie. It was such garbage with the stupid over the top action and poor acting. There is one thing, though, I believe that a sequel may be better than this one. Although G.I. Joe was utter trash of cinema, I think that a sequel might save it now that we understand where the characters come from and the cobra commander has been brought to light. Rent this or just wait for it to be shown in perpetuity on HBO soon. Do not buy this movie unless you have children under the age of six and can enjoy the crap that is filmed.