Jahapp, då har även jag tagit ett steg in i framtiden och investerat i en BluRay spelare. Jag har letat länge efter ett billigt alternativ och det slutade med att införskaffa denna spelaren.

Sony BDP-S360

Absolut allt annat än en värstingspelare, men den har BD-Live och stödjer alla nödvändiga ljudformat som jag är ute efter. Dessutom var den under 2000kr och det var min maxbudget nu. Det är ju julafton runt hörnet och det är lika bra att köpa den nu så kan jag önska mig film i julklapp….nej, alltså jag menade ju såklart lika bra att köpa den nu innan jul eftersom man skall köpa julklappar, hehe.

Specifikation

- BD-ROM (BonusView, profil 1.1)
- BD-ROM (BD-Live, profil 2.0)
- 1080p-utgång (via HDMI)
- HD-uppskalning med Precision Cinema (DVD-uppskalning till 1080p)
- D/A-omvandlare för video: 12 bitar/148,5 MHz
- 24p True Cinema
- x.v. Colour
- Utgång för progressiv avsökning
- Precision Drive HD
- Deep Colour
- 8-kanals linjär PCM Bitstream-utgång
- Dolby TrueHD-avkodning
- Dolby TrueHD Bitstream-utgång
- DTS-HD Master Audio-avkodning
- DTS-HD Master Audio Bitstream-utgång
- D/A-omvandlare för ljud: 192 kHz/24 bitars

Utgångar

• 1x HDMI
• 1x Komponentvideoutgång
• 1x Composite-videoutgång
• 1x Digital koaxial ljudutgång
• 1x Digital Optisk ljudutgång
• 1x Analog stereoutgång
• 1x Ethernet

- Snabbstart: 6 sekunder
- XrossMediaBar^TM (GUI)
- BRAVIA Sync
- Uppdateringar av inbyggd programvara via Ethernet
- Skärmsläckare
- Strömförbrukning: 220-240 V
- Strömförbrukning (under drift): 22 W
- Strömförbrukning (i viloläge): 0,19 W (i normalt viloläge)
- Automatisk avstängning: 30 minuter
- Mått (BxHxD): 430 x 56 x 216 mm
- Vikt (kg): 2,1

+ andra onödiga spec´s som tex display på fronten, fjärrkontroll och massa annat självklart tjafs.

Pris: 1979.- inklusive frakt

Jag passade självklart även på att köpa på mig lite film så jag kan njuta av vår nya leksak direkt. Vi har iof 2st BD filmer sedan innan , Click & Terminator 2, men ändå, man vill ju ändå ha lite nytt när man ändå investerar eller hur?

Här är lilla listan på nyinköpta filmer, klicka på bilderna för att komma till beskrivningen av filmen om ni inte känner igen dem.

Transformers 1 & 2 – Mega Edition (4 disc), Rec, Cloverfield, Hellboy 2, Stargate, Inglourious Basterds

Tyvärr är det fortfarande för dyrt att köpa BluRay (BD) filmer till fullpris, speciellt boxar så som det ser ut nu får det bli att rota runt i billiglådorna och kika efter kampanjer ett tag till. Boxar får köpas på DVD så länge tills priserna sjunker. I stort sett alla filmer som jag köpte nu är på kampanj på cdon, men Inglourious Basterds vill jag ha direkt den kommer så den fick det snällt bli till fullpris. Transformers filmerna är dock ett måste så även den fick det bli köp på direkt, dock till ett lockande specialpris på 399.- Så från och med nu kommer jag inte bara tipsa om köpfilm på DVD utan även på BluRay.

Inca din clasa a 8-a intre mine si televizor s-a produs o ruptura ireparabila. De mult timp n-am mai vazut ceva interesant la tv, ceva care sa ma captureze. In general nu am prea multa rabdare, deci am taiat emisiunea Dansez pentru tine de pe lista (candva imi placea) pentru ca are prea multe pauze.

In primavara, in fiecare saptamana vedeam la tineret cate-un film. La vita e bella, Facing the giants si Mizerabilii, sunt doar cateva din filmele pe care am vrut sa le revad. De cand am reluat intalnirile de tineret nu am mai vizionat filme si imi pare rau. Florin alegea mereu filme bune (cu exceptia Hellboy 2 care m-a plictisit rau – e un film pentru baieti :p ) Ultimul film pe care l-am vazut a fost Harry Potter si pocalul de foc. Prea ma batea Emma la cap si eram curioasa sa-l vad pe Robert Pattinson (= Cedric Diggory) inainte de Twilight. Mi-am propus ca in fiecare saptamana sa-mi fac timp pentru un film. Am scris postul asta ca sa nu uit Am facut chiar si o lista cu must see. Daca aveti sfaturi sau completari sunteti bineveniti

1. Piratii din Caraibe – spre rusinea mea, nu am vazut nici macar un trailer, dar  Catalina il ridica in slavi asa ca vreau sa-l vad.

2. Interviu cu un vampir – Antonio Banderas! Am vazut Desperado de 10 ori

3. New moon – vreau sa vad daca respecta actiunea din carte…

4. The notebook – am auzit numai lucruri bune despre el

5. Harry Potter 2,3,5,6 – atunci cand eram mica, era la moda si nu am vrut sa-l vad numai din ambitia de a nu fi ca ceilalti )

6. Cronicile din Narnia – as fi vrut sa citesc cartile mai intai…mi-a promis Ruben ca mi le aduce……

7. Dorian Gray – pur si simplu mi se pare interesant

8. Inglorious Bastards – a tot zis profa de engleza de el…poate am sa-l vad..trebuie sa citesc o recenzie

Guillermo del Toro posted a message over on deltorofilms regarding the Cronos Criterion DVD and the Mimic Director’s Cut DVD.

CRONOS is evolving nicely. We are including a NEVER-SEEN-BEFORE version of GEOMETRIA (1987) the short that I made for 1 thousand bucks and that I was never able to finish the way I wanted it. NOW I re-finsihed it for this disc (dont worry, no CGI or fancy stuff) and I like it- I never did before- but now I do.

CRONOS has never looked so beautiful and we found dozens of photographs of the making of the device, etc

MIMIC is looking fabulous. Some of the negative had been lost but we found alternatives and are finishing the Director’s Cut. VERY HAPPY!!

This is very exciting news as Cronos is a simply brilliant film and I can’t wait to get a nice clean version of the film. Mimic was flawed but did have a good concept and some spooky imagery. It will be interesting to see what changes are made to it in the Director’s Cut.

Mezco’s beloved Mez-Itz return in a larger six inch form. These newly resized creations are the hot new item in the world of designer vinyl for 2009. Based on the artwork of Mike Mignola, this limited edition Hellboy Mez-Itz captures the essence of the comic book Hellboy from his sawed-off horns to his posable tail. Standing six inches tall, with six points of articulation, this limited edition variant figures comes complete with Hellboy’s legendary gun, the Samaritan, and features the famous BPRD (Bureau Of Paranormal Research And Defense) logo on his shirt. Now available at: http://www.MezcoToyz.com/

Let’s say Michael Bay has already made the first Transformers. It was the colossal hit that it was, and a sequel was greenlit immediately. Instead of beginning to storyboard action sequences without any regard for the parts in between, let’s hypothesize Michael Bay pulled some creative writers into a room to bat some ideas around. Here are five ways in which an alien robot movie could have been made inventive, thoughtful, and simply better.

1. Don’t treat the existence of an alien robot race so flippantly. If we’re already at the point as a cynical society where all military men accept the fact that their co-soldiers are robots the size of buildings without the blink of an eye, then why even make a movie about something so ordinary? The mere existence of this race of aliens is astounding, much less fighting alongside them. Don’t you think they would ask far, far more questions to these aliens?

2. Explore the positive effects the Transformers are having on our society from behind the scenes. One of the most interesting lines in the sequel is when the government man enters and chews out Optimus Prime for only sharing their positive technologies with the government and not their weapons. Several months have passed since the first Transformers, yes? What type of technological advances has the human race made since the first film with the help of these robot aliens? The fight scenes are important in a movie like this, but so are the scenes where we discover how those who aren’t in the middle of the war might be impacted by the arrival of these aliens, even those who are completely unaware of their existence.

3. Don’t ignore the Youtube factor. Remember the movie Cloverfield? When that first trailer hit the Internet, everyone would pause the trailer, go through it frame-by-frame, and insist they see the leg, claw, or face of a monster in the most imperceptible places? Now take a look at those Youtube videos in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, where the conspirators have footage from Shanghai. First of all, there is no chance that there is only one fuzzy video when an entire city is nearly demolished in robot combat, certainly not in today’s society. Furthermore, if an entire country loses their minds over trying to find a monster in a movie trailer, there would be a nearly unquenchable thirst for the truth from the government about these alien robots from a large number of the public. How would the government deal with this? Simply saying “It’s not true” when there have been countless Transformers missions since the first film, and thus countless opportunities for anyone to whip out their cell phone and document irrefutable evidence of their existence.

4. Give the robots character development. This is really the jewel in the crown of how Michael Bay dropped the ball. One of the biggest problems with the film is that most of the robots are indistinguishable from one another, and the few Transformers who do have a unique visual style are fairly one-note. It seems that the writers forget that these are not robots– these are aliens. They have personalities, friendships, desires, fears, and histories, which we know very little about. Even pushing personalities aside for a moment, how about weaponry? In most action films, when there is a posse of fighters, each have their own unique weapon specialty, training, and capacity. Aside from Optimus Prime’s sword, which we’ve only seen but we know very little about, the robots seem to all have a variety of guns, swords, and fist-fighting training. Some of this was lightly touched upon—there is a doctor transformer, for example. But how does he know how to fix the Transformers more than the others? Is there a Transformers medical school? Did these Transformers have families back on Cybertron? Were there ever any female or child Transformers, or was it always simply a race of all men created by a cube? Why spend all the time showing the human characters when you have a brand-new race with personalities and histories that could be explored? Aliens are capable of being 3-dimensional characters as well.

5. Make humanity smarter. If there is a special type of gun that can take out a Decepticon that the government is in possession of, why in the world didn’t they put that type of gun surrounding Megatron? If humanity knows from the first film that the Decepticons are expert hackers, why would a government worker explain in detail where Megatron and the Allspark chunk are located? If new small Transformers were created by the sliver of the Allspark, why wouldn’t Shia have called the government and asked them to hide it, or better yet, why didn’t the government find out why Bumblebee blasted the Witwicky house to smithereens? If entire cities have been devastated by these alien robots, an entire Middle Eastern village from the last film had them fighting in plain sight, a college campus is run through by several of them, and they climb on top of the pyramids in the middle of the day, how in the world is the government still covering up their existence? Do the filmmakers think no one owns cameras in the Middle East? Did they think there are no tourists with big cameras visiting the pyramid? This film is a classic case of where humanity acts as simpleminded as possible in order to propel the plot forward without any complications. Sometimes, a less complicated plot that is more fully explored through the inherent complications within can make for a smarter, more engaging movie without sacrificing any of the action.

Some will respond to this article thinking, “Why over-think a film like this? It’s just Transformers, we just want to see alien robots fighting one another.” Others still will think about smart films packed with special effects and action sequences, like last year’s Iron Man, Hellboy 2, and The Dark Knight. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen still was diverting entertainment in its own way—but last year pushed Hollywood towards a smarter, more developed action extravaganza, and here’s hoping this film is merely a roadbump in society’s path towards higher expectations. Better yet, here’s hoping Michael Bay decides to make the inevitable Transformers 3 action-packed and intelligent—after all, smart action flicks make box office bank too.

Read this article and others like it here.

Tanim Ahmed | Creative Director

Tanim Ahmed is a Talented Communication Designer, based in Toronto,  Canada. His work surrounds us all, notably the his work on Movie Posters for Major Hollywood Blockbusters. Long time collaborator and our creative visionary, and a good friend.

Awards/Achievements:
2009 Computer Arts “Top 25 Under 25″
2008 Rockport Award Winning Designer
2007 Communication Arts Award Winning Designer
2006 IDN Magazine “Designer To Watch”

Creative Director | Universal Studios

Graphic Designer | Luminato

Creative Director | VIVE

Tanim Ahmed PDF Portfolio

Oh no! JP Cooper couldn’t make it back to complete the quadrilogy, but no problems, we have another (superior?) John in stock. The gents sit down this week to talk about The Hangover, the trailer for Shutter Island, casting Jeff Buckley and the remuneration scheme for movie stars. They go on to talk at length about execreble/hilarious Vampire’s Kiss, getting on a Kurosawa kick and the Hellboy series, before delving into the predictions jar to forecast who the defining talents of our generation really are.

Download The Movie Overdose: Episode 22

Remember to check out all the links on the side of the page to follow us on Twitter, email us, become our fans on Facebook and subscribe to the podcast through iTunes.

Against all odds (and by all, I mean the previously-mentioned 28% chance that this wouldn’t happen), Weekly Shenanigans is back for its second installment. I’ve got plenty of juicy, nerdy tid-bits for all you good little boys and girls, so let’s dive in.

• 

  Score: Three Mile Island

  I had an irresistible urge this week to watch a movie absolutely devoid of meaning or any emotional significance. Pure visual and auditory stimulus without the need for any of that messy thinking nonsense that other movies demand – that’s what I was looking for. After much hemming and hawing, I ended up going home with a copy of Hellboy II. Believe it or not, I was pleasantly surprised to find the movie  was moderately enjoyable – maybe even good. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing but respect for Guillermo del Toro, but the original Hellboy was such a lackluster film that I didn’t have very high expectations for this one. Instead, I found a superhero movie that didn’t take itself too seriously (thank God), poked fun at all manner of stereotypes, and actually had a bit of character development. Unfortunately, the film faltered a bit near the end, but it was overall a very enjoyable work. I give it a rating of Three Mile Island. That might not sound like a good score, but it is. I think.

• There was quite a lot of chatter on the interweb this week about ionic fanless cooling. Tessera, the company developing this technology, is claiming they can use ions to move air over a heatsink, yielding silent cooling that is also 30% more effective than traditional air cooling with fans. It remains to be seen whether or not this lives up to the hype, but we shouldn’t have to wait long – Tessera has plans to commercialize the product next year. You can bet that if this is even remotely affordable, scaleable, and cheap to manufacture, we’ll see it showing up in all sorts of systems, from HTPCs to laptops. Assuming this doesn’t mysteriously turn into vaporware, I’ll definitely be looking to try it out in my own rig.

• 

  This has absolutely nothing to do with Team Fortress 2.

  Valve has been pretty busy this week, dropping announcement after announcement and causing quite a bit of hilarity in the process. We’ve got new weapons for the Sniper and Spy, found out jarate is real, watched the Meet the Spy video, and saw achievements announced for both classes. I’ve been making plans for how to counter-act the Spy’s new abilities when I return to the US; until then, I’ll have to be satisfied with this. It’s an 8-bit re-imagining of Team Fortress 2, that game that some gamers love to hate and others hate to love (how would that work, exactly? like an addiction?). Me? I love to love it, and seeing it in 8-bit glory is just awesome. Matt, this should be the next game you cover on The Last Level, for two reasons: 1) I know you’ve got a weakness for retro and/or indie gaming, and 2) I said so. Also, your face. Burn!

• Speaking of TF2, I’m trying my hand at a bit of TF2 fan-fic slash parody slash sketch slash I’ve got absolutely no idea what it is exactly. I’ll give you a hint, though – it’s about the Demoman, and there are explosions. Got you on the edge of your seats, rights? No? Give it a few days.

• PC Mag had an absolutely amazing op-ed piece this week by Sascha Segan that called for a tv channel devoted to 4chan. Really, it was about the various merits of digital TV and how to best use the available bandwidth, but I’d prefer to think that Sagan just wants to watch a tv show about 4chan. Of course, it goes without saying taht we would all need therapy if something that meme-tastic ever happened.

Another week, another Weekly Shenanigans. I would say that I’ve defied the odds, but that’s not actually the case. Given that 28% (which I totally pulled out of the air, by the way. I have never, nor will I ever, actually do any sort of mathematical calculation for this blog), I’ve been told that I should at least make it through one more installment of WS without wimping out on all of you. Notice that I didn’t do any calculating there. I had someone else do it for me.

Until next time, gang. Try not to die this week.

Makeup artist Eryn Krueger Mekash took some time out of her hectic film and television schedule to graciously answer some questions for GoreMaster. Some of Eryn’s impressive list of credits include: Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996-2003), Letters From Iwo Jima (2006), Alpha dog (2006), Nip/Tuck TV series, and Prom Night (2008). She shares her story and how much the”old school” makeup effects influenced her decision to become a “killer” makeup artist.

Read the interview here  Eryn Krueger Mekash Interview

Hellboy is back in action as he tries to prevent an ancient prince from releasing an unstoppable golden army.

Directed by – Guillermo del Toro

Written by – Guillermo del Toro, Mike Mignola

Starring – Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, James Dodd, Jeffrey Tambor, John Alexander, Luke Goss, Anna Walton, Seth MacFarlane, John Hurt, Brian Steele

This was a great movie to watch and for so many reasons. The scenery and character design is incredible. Guillermo del Toro really makes some amazing looking creatures come to life and the story is quite the roller coaster ride. It’s entertaining and humorous and I love the smartass attitude of Hellboy.

The basic premise of the story is pretty simple but this movie isn’t for thinking really. Everyone has their moment of hilarity and I really enjoyed the scene of Abe Sapien and Hellboy getting drunk and listening to Barry Manilow. Pure awesome!

You couldn’t really ask much more from this one. Great effects and action, some good comedy and memorable characters. If you haven’t seen this one than what are you waiting for.

Under the marquee – Will

Dopo la rottura di un’antica tregua fra la razza umana e l’invisibile regno fantastico, l’Inferno sta per scatenarsi ancora una volta sulla Terra. Un leader spietato che calpesta i due mondi, sfida la sua stirpe, e risveglia un indomito esercito di creature. Toccherà quindi al supereroe più forte del pianeta combattere contro il sanguinario dittatore e i suoi predoni. Che sia rosso, che abbia le corna, che sia in fondo un incompreso, solo Hellboy (Ron Perlman) può toglierlo di mezzo. La squadra del Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (Dipartimento per la Ricerca Paranormale e la Difesa) , composta dalla pirocinetica fidanzata Liz (Selma Blair), dal mutante acquatico Abe (Doug Jones) e dal mistico protoplasmatico Johann, si muoverà fra la superfice terrestre e la magica area invisibile dove le creature fantastiche acquistano un corpo. Hellboy, una creatura di due mondi che non è accettato da nessuno di essi, deve scegliere fra la vita che conosce e l’ignoto destino che lo attende.

- – - – - – - – - -

1. http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GQSY3N80
2. http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HGJ0E7U2

Went to cinema for the first time in months this afteroon to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I’m not entirely certain when I last went to the cinema, which gives you an idea of how long ago it was, but I believe it may have been to watch Hellboy 2.

CCBB is by David Fincher, which was my main reason for wanting to see it. In the end, it’s the least Finchery film I’ve seen of his, but still has all his usual technical sleight of hand and darkly effective visuals. It was a long, winding, whimsical story which kept me entranced throughout, although rarely did it move me quite as much as I expected. Performances from the giant cast were great all round, though. While Brad Pitt is getting all the attention, and he is superb, it was Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton that stole the show for me.

The closest thing to an action sequence was also marvellous…a tugboat ramming a Nazi u-boat. Brilliant! I really hope Fincher has a go at science fiction one of these days, he’d doubtless come up with something remarkable.

Premise: Hellboy is back for a second installment. Heir to an ancient Elven kingdom, Prince Nuada returns from years of exile to claim the throne and break the ancient treaties spelling out peace between their kind and the human race after the use of the “Golden Army”, a battalion of mechanical monsters that could wipe out all of humanity. Wishing to awaken the fabled Golden Army with the 3 pieces of the master crown, Prince Nuada must pursue his twin sister Princess Nuala who has stolen the 3rd and crucial crown piece.

In despair, Princess Nuala must rely on the help of our unlikely heros of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, including Hellboy, who continues to chafe against the restraints placed upon him to hide him from an society that could never understand him. Placed on a collision course with Prince Nuada to disable the Golden Army and assure peace to the world, Hellboy must come to terms with both his troubled relationship with his pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz and <spoiler = his new role of fatherhood>.

Analysis: I will be honest… I didn’t really care for the first Hellboy. My wife seems to be a big fan, so I gave the second one a go and came to the same results… its full of flashing action, but is light on meaningful plot of any kind, (not obviously a part of this type of movie genre by definition, but it tends to be the norm).

The whole relationship thing between the characters seemed so contrived… especially between the Liz and Hellboy characters… alot more could have been done with this imho.

Some of the effects were pretty cool, (the toothfaries scene was both creepy and well-done), and the fight scenes with Prince Nuada were very impressive. The movie below is the ONLY movie I could find on Youtube that portrayed the fight scenes… sorry for the kinda sappy music.

So yah, overall an OK movie… kinda like the first one. I think this one had some much more notable action, but overall I just really couldn’t get into it.

Best Quote(s):

Angel of Death: And yours, Elizabeth Sherman. At last, I have been waiting for you both, I am his death and I will meet him at every crossroad.

Liz Sherman: Can you save him?

Angel of Death: It is for you to decide. It is all the same to me, my heart is filled with dust and sand. But you should know, it is his destiny to bring about the destruction of the Earth… not now, not tomorrow but soon enough. Knowing that, you still want him to live?

[Liz pauses]

Angel of Death: So, child, make the choice. The world, or him?
Liz Sherman: Him.

Angel of Death: The time will come, and you, my dear, will suffer more than anyone.

Liz Sherman: I’ll deal with it. Now save him.

Angel of Death: It is done.

[the Angel removes the spearhead from Hellboy's chest]

Angel of Death: I have done what I can, now give him a reason to live.

Official Trailer:

<<IMDB Website>>

My Netflix Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Dette året er det vanvittig mye bra på kino.

-Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

-Transformers; The revenge of the fallen

- Hellboy II

Har sett mange allerede, og iiik, <3<3

Ta meg med på kinoo, and I’m yours. (hvertfall for da.., haha)

A few weeks ago, the Onion’s supremely less-talented AV Club did a feature where all the main writers talked about which piece of cultural art — generally considered to be a masterpiece — that they secretly didn’t like/get. Two of these “writers” who get paid cash money to write about film, had bad things to say about Network and Dr. Strangelove. If that shouldn’t disqualify you from ever earning a cent in the movie review business, I don’t know what should. If only the AV Club could team up with Stephanie Zacharek, they’d form some sort of vortex of shitty taste that could be isolated and dealt with.

Beyond Reproach

But it’s pretty easy to identify people who don’t like 2 of the greatest films of all time as having bad taste. What I’d like to talk about today are the more subtle hints of it. These are movie, television shows and people in general whom it may not seem so shameful to enjoy, but in actuality, are what I like to call Hidden Indicators of Bad Taste.

You see, it’s easy to point out someone who loves Heroes or American Idol or Transformers as being a douche. I mean, we all saw that episode of The Office where Amy Adams goes to bat for Legally Blonde. Painful, but obvious. What we’re after here is that category of folk who think they’ve got good taste. The stuff they champion isn’t obviously bad until you think about it for a while.

Still ahead of its time

Now, before you get all riled up because something you like is on this list, just understand, it’s probably forgivable if it’s just one. Two is pushing it and three means you suck. And also understand, when I say hidden indicators, I mean it’s not just that a person likes this movie, it’s that they think it is a legitimately quality piece of art. These are films and shows they will proudly announce as their favorites. If they do: shun them.

The Boondock Saints

Unless you’re really into Queer Cinema, having a deep affection for this movie does not speak well of your mental might. My general feeling about The Boondock Saints is that the people who revere this film are the same morons who watched Fight Club and then wanted to start their own. It is one thing to consider this movie stupidly entertaining, but far another to grant it any sort of higher artistic merit. If you meet someone, and they try to make a serious point in conversation about drugs, gangs, Irish people or the Church, by referencing this movie: just politely nod and move on. And double that if they happen to boast of being Irish themselves. Fuckin stinking Irish pigs.

Almost Famous

Cameron Crowe has managed to convince quite a few people that he is a good writer. I think it’s because his movies are really long, chatty and have lots of pop music. People just assume that all that talkin equals talent. Almost Famous is about 45 minutes too long and, lets be honest here, is just one big masturbation session for Crowe to idealize his youth. Also, Kate Hudson: I just don’t see it. But that can wait for a whole separate column on Female Celebrity Sex Symbols Who No Males Think Are Actually Hot. And the kind of music writing Crowe is jizzing all over in this movie is exactly the sort of make-myself-part-of-the-story hackery that drags down journalism today.

…I was really tempted to put Pitchfork, in general, on this list, but decided music is too subjective.

Stranger Than Fiction

It’s like this: smart people like I Heart Huckabees. People who think they’re smart like Stranger Than Fiction. It’s got Will Ferrell! And he’s still shouting a lot, but it’s a drama! And Spoon is all over the soundtrack (virtually ruining my opinion of them). What do we learn from Stranger Than Fiction: that all you need to do to shake things up and start really living life is to buy a guitar and throw a few humps into Maggie Gyllenhaal. But the most egregious sin here is the characters constantly talking about how great Emma Thompson’s tragedy writer is; what a brilliant novelist and all that. Note to screenplay writers: if you’re going to announce that something is really great writing, it had better be really great writing. The people with secretly bad taste: they think it is.

Battlestar Galactica

Death by bad writing

This show was actually pretty good for  season and a half, then it just went more and more downhill. A victim, I think, of the shows producers reading too much of their own press. But there is this core deluded fan base, whom I keep seeming to run into, that insist this is far and away the best show on TV. I think these are the same sorts of people who think over-acting is good acting. That excessive montage and endless sitar-and-drum scoring means inspired directing. Battlestar Galactica is what happens when a writer only shows and never tells. And if there’s one thing I hate in serial narratives, it’s when characters act completely different episode to episode depending on what stretched allegory the writers are shooting for. If you thought the insurgency against the Cylons on New Caprica was a brilliant metaphor for the Iraq War then you are an idiot.

Ridley Scott

Seriously, this guy just screams mediocrity. How doe she get away with it when Brett Ratner gets pilloried by fanboys? I think I blame him for a lot of the shitty shakey-cam we see in action movies these days. He started that whole cop-out excuse of “The footage is confusing and hard to follow because that’s just what war is like.” Tell is to Steven, you hack. Also, Blade Runner is the most overrated sci-fi movie ever, and was secretly better before the Director’s Cut. Ridley Scott is like the poster boy for style lacking substance, so of course people with no substance themselves will think he’s a great filmmaker.

Hellboy 2

This one’s kind of fish in a barrel, but seriously, there are people who out there who think this was the best film of the year. People like Stephanie Zacharek, who gets paid to write such things. (I can’t heap enough scorn on her. Come on, Salon, how do you let hacks like her and Camille Paglia draw a paycheck?) Hellboy 2, a lazy and uncreative movie at every turn, is the kind of flick that people without the ability to discern a director’s talent from a CGI artist’s competency will think is amazing. At this point, I’d like to sweep up Peter Jackson’s recent oeuvre as well. Pure hackery.

I really wanted to add Freaks and Geeks to this list, but in fairness, I’ve not seen enough of it to make that call. Though I strongly suspect, based on what I have seen, that the show is wildly over-rated.

Please feel free to nominate your own candidates below, I know I’m forgetting a few.

Zuerst wollte ich diesen Film nicht gucken.
“Hellboy – nee! Is’ doch bestimmt so’n Gruselfilm…und ich bin schließlich Christ. Das passt nicht zusammen!”

Dann war mir die Beziehung zum Bekannten doch wichtiger, zumal er mir versicherte, dass es kein Horror-Streifen sei.

So durfte ich vor ein paar Tagen per Beamer den Film “Hellboy – The Golden Army” großflächig sehen. Auf Englisch.
Nebenbei einen Rotwein genossen und Zwiebelkuchen gegessen.

Meine Skepsis wich schon beim Vorspann. Was für eine originelle Machart! Optisch gelungen. Auch im Verlaufe des Films kam immer wieder ein Lächeln auf – vielleicht hätte ich auch gelacht, wenn mein Englisch besser wäre.

“Hellboy 2″ – ein Fantasyfilm, der sehenswert ist. Gute Unterhaltung. Werde ich mir wieder anschauen – dann aber auf Deutsch.
Die DVD soll Ende Februar auf den Markt kommen.

Und mit dem Teufel oder der Hölle hat es gar nichts zu tun…

I didn’t do anything today. 

Not even Japanese class. Both New Lex and Athens were on a Level 2, so I figured it wasn’t worth wrecking on the crazy twists and turns of an uncleared Jamestown Road. I did go to Curves though.

I watched Hellboy 2 tonight with my mom and dad.

It’s a sweet movie. Much sweeter than the first one. Which was kind of like poop. 

I also caught up on this season of One Tree Hill since TNFN usually practices until late Monday night. One Tree Hill is a terrible show and you shouldn’t start watching it. But, if you already have, you’ll know that it’s hard to stop. Every week it’s dumb and no one can act and the plot sucks and the lines are cheesy.

But you still watch. You can’t help it.

It’s probably the perfect combination of terrible and great. The writers/director/producers know the right mix of melodrama to keep you watching, but they can’t make it too good because than it will alienate the audience who doesn’t want to think at all. Just entertainment. That’s all it is. Even when they killed Q- a character they forced you to come to love. Still, it didn’t mean anything, it just made you mad and then sad and then bitter and then teary-eyed. 

But, I’m still mad. Because for all my intellect and all my thinking and loving art and higher forms of entertainment and hating TV, I still watch. I still can’t help myself. I’m no pretentious art-snob, but I am a little sad that even I am sucked in. 

At our core, we all love pop music and bad television. And that makes me happy. It’s okay. You can still keep lying about it. But, just know it’s okay.

The Plot: The identities of Hellboy (Ron Perlman), Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) and Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) are exposed to the general public as they face a new threat: The Golden Army, assembled of long-hidden mythological creatures, is prepared to attack. As fantastic monsters and paranormal phenomena begin to take over, the trio races to stop the army’s leader, the vengeful Prince Nuada (Luke Goss). John Alexander co-stars in Guillermo del Toro’s visually entertaining sequel.

The music was well done for this type of movie. It included most of the same theme music from the first movie, with some added tracks as well. Most of the music commanded the mood as the movie progressed. The one thing I hated, was when they were trying to be funny, and played Barry Manalow’s “I Cant Smile without You”. This gag just wasn’t funny to me…

The cinematography was decent. All the main scenes were done well. It had a lot of steady panning shots with little to no shakiness. The lighting was great as well and the colors use made everything look really surreal. These things definitely made the film more enjoyable over all.

The acting was defiantly on the mediocre side. I hate to be harsh but Selma Blair, although nice to look at, is kind of a bland actress. I’m gonna have to blame her for the complete lack of chemistry between her and Perlman. Other characters were similar…that could be blamed on the fact that they were CGI’ed, but overall the lack of emotion took away from any type of natural reaction.

The effects were really the best part of this movie. There were all types of different creatures with amazing designs. This is something I have come to expect from Guillermo Del Toro. The fight scenes were defiantly entertaining…and abundant throughout the film.

Overall the movie was very visually entertaining. If you’re the type of movie fan that just likes to sit down and watch all hell break loose on the screen then this you will enjoy. As for me, due to character flaws, choppy storyline that failed to keep a good flow going, and lack of drama, I cant say that I loved it.

2 ½ Out of 5 Crom’s

<!–[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]–><!–[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]–>

Intr-un viitor foarte apropiat, armata salvarii va interveni inca o data in favoarea omenirii. Aceasta armata paranormala este formata din Hellboy, un demon convertit la fapte bune si care se da mereu in stamba spre disperarea agentilor secreti, iubita lui firestarter Liz Sherman si inca vreo doi care pun in umbra X Men sau chiar si personajele din Heroes. Un printz dintr-un alt taram, aproape identic cu cei din Stapanul Inelelor, vrea sa restabileasca echilibrul intre rasa celor ascunsi si oameni, sadind indoielile in aceasta adevarata forta de protectie a omenirii.

Un plot simplu, care seamana foarte mult cu cel din Stapanul Inelelor (sau cu X Men sau cu Stargate). Dar asemanarile se opresc aici. Guillermo del Toro, faimosul regizor al filmelor sf sau fantasy, a facut o treaba buna in creionarea in detaliu a personalitatilor personajelor. Aproape ca te uiti la Hellboy 2 ca la o telenovela ca sa vezi ce se mai intampla in relatiile dintre diversele personaje…

Iar intorsaturile de situatie nu lipsesc. Daca v-a placut “Labirintul lui Pan”, inseamna ca veti aprecia si scena de pe finalul filmului unde Hellboy isi intalneste Moartea. Iar luptele in care printul Nuada este protagonist sunt primele care depasesc in spectaculozitate scenele din Matrix…

Asadar o multime de motive sa mergeti sa vedeti acest film. Probabil ca Hellboy 2 va ramane o referinta notabile in istoria recenta a filmelor sf si fantasy (are deja un onorabil scor de 7,6 pe IMDB). Si dupa umila mea parere, este deja al doilea film sf & fantasy al anului 2008 (dupa Batman Dark Knight, of course), cam fara concurenta sau drept de apel. Asa ca ce mai asteptati, luati popcornul si la film!

surasa:http://www.recenzia.ro/2008/10/07/hellboy-2-the-golden-army/

. Daca nu credeti si vreti sa va convingeti putei vizualiza urmatorul trailer:

I saw Hellboy II: The Golden Army the other day.

It got one word…

BROS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From this

To this!!!

I had no idea he became an actor. Talk about an extreme makeover!

Great film btw

I don’t know about you, but I was disappointed.

If the question is, “What did I expect from the films of 2008?” my answer would be, “A better film year than 2007.” Not to say that 2007 was bad; the tail-end of it made up for most of that year. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of 2008.

“Indiana Jones 4” (aka “Indy Gets an X-File”) was ludicrous if not insulting. And speaking of “X-Files” the return of Mulder and Scully to the screen was warranted, but the story wasn’t. “Speed Racer” could’ve been more fun, “Prince Caspian” could’ve used more characterization and plot. “Untraceable” was among those movies that couldn’t have been saved, period.

However, it wasn’t all bad. “Iron Man” and “The Dark Knight” proved that superheroes can rule the day, if not the box office (although “Hellboy 2” was underrated). Pixar pixel pixies made mechanics emotional with “Wall*E.” Robert Downey, Jr. didn’t just make “Iron Man,” he made “Tropic Thunder” as Kirk Lazarus, an Australian method-actor who undergoes pigmentation-surgery to portray a black Sergeant in Vietnam. And “City of Ember” was the best and most-overlooked kids’ movie.

In alphabetical order, here are my Ten Faves from ’08.

“The Bank Job” – I caught this one on DVD. After I finished watching it, I kicked myself. This movie was interesting, fun, and a great throwback to the Seventies.

“City of Ember” – Thoughtful, well-made post-apocalyptic kids’ movie. I was surprised.

“The Dark Knight” – This movie is entirely on a different plain of filmmaking. Kudos to Christopher Nolan on doing such a great job and to Heath Ledger, who gave one of his best performances ever (and his last).

“Hellboy 2: The Golden Army” – Fun fantasy film from Guillermo del Toro. I really enjoyed this one. “Hellboy” is beginning to grow on me.

“Iron Man” – A great popcorn blockbuster movie to begin the summer with. Robert Downey Jr. was nothing less than perfectly casted. Jeff Bridges had fun being the bad guy.

“Leatherheads” – Another overlooked movie. George Clooney spent years trying to bring this one to light. It’s funny, quirky, zany, screwball… and made football interesting.

“Son of Rambow” – British indie about kids who learn to make film, not war. Great fun and a tribute to filmmaking (moreso than “Zack and Miri”).

“Transsiberian” – Emily Mortimer steals this movie from Woody Harrelson and Ben Kingsley. A great follow-up to “Session 9” and “The Machinist,” also directed by Brad Anderson.

“Tropic Thunder” – I initially thought this was shallow at first, but repeated viewings on DVD make this one even better.” “I’m the dude playin’ the dude, disguised as another dude!”

“Wall*E” – Wall*E is the story of the little robot that fell in love. Environmental and biological themes abound but don’t get too preachy.

That’s all, folks. See ya at the movies in 2009!

-Chas

• What a great first service in 2009!
• Tonight was one of those nights that makes me love doing what I do
• I am so pumped about this series
• The band nailed “Meant to live” by Switchfoot
• Loved speaking on the topic I spoke on tonight
• Pulled a lot of ideas for my talk tonight from The Barbarian Way & Your God is too Safe
• We announced who will be stepping up to be elders in our church, really excited about getting some other leaders in place to help make Revolution happen
• This is one of my favorite weeks of the year, so much football last week and even more this coming week
• We have our small group leader/host training this week, really excited about those launching in a few weeks
• Got some new jeans this week, down another size, that’s right, another level
• Mark your calendars, FUEL (our leadership community meeting) on January 20th
• FUEL will happen the 3rd Tuesday of every month
• Watched Hellboy 2 last night, pretty interesting, it was just like the first one
• Watching the NFL playoffs right now, I actually made it home without finding out who won
• We had dinner with a new family this past week, love hearing how people have found Revolution and their excitement about being part of our community
• Got to help Paul eat some sushi this week, I don’t know if he liked it
• Have I mentioned recently how excited I am that Paul is here
• We’re gonna watch the Texas/Ohio St. game with the Ingram’s, they are huge Texas fans, I bet I can make their son Josh mad by talking about how Texas will lose, should be fun
• We’re having an impromptu wings & beer night at Buffalo Wild Wings on Thursday for the national championship, if you want to hang out, show up @ 6
• I ate so much stinking food this past week, I have to keep running to get it back off
• We had a baby Dr. Appt. on friday, everything is progressing nicely, really excited about our family expanding
• I have a massage on Monday, so excited about that, definitely needed
• Recently I’ve been doing some thinking about margins and rest, definitely something I need to get better at
• Paul and I are going to be reading through this book together, really excited about what it will bring about at Revolution
• You do not want to miss next week, I am so excited about my topic
• The countdown for 24 is on, just one more week
• I’m rocking the college bowl pick ‘em league I’m in, 1st place baby, come on
• Did I mention I love this weekend and all the football that is on