AVATAR and Oscar

Avatar...a bit long but worth the wait.

Before the big night, I was determined to see the major nominee. (How could I not?) I was immediately taken with the fact that every seat was filled by the time the previews started -- for a movie that has been out for so long. And honestly, I admit, I went into this not wanting to like it -- I wanted to be completely neutral!

In all neutrality, Disney and Cameron shone through on this... Okay, Pocahontas and Lion King meet Alien (and maybe a little Star Wars). I think it was the whole Sigourney Weaver and the giant human-robot contraptions. And it was a tad bit long....

But, all that being said, it was a beautifully told story. I am a sucker for the good (nature) vs evil (corporate business) thing and this movie played it up BIG. And the world created by Cameron was awesome! I loved the creatures and the environement and the Pandorans and creatures and the special effects and did I mention the creatures. Pandora is quite a world. Seeing it in 3D certainly added to the magic. Kudos to the special effects people, the actors who pretty much acted against special green screens and animation cameras, and the imagination of Cameron for everything else.

It was certainly Best Movie worthy.

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland
If Tim Burton and his 20-year partner in movies, Johnny Depp, are suited to anything it would be the remake of Alice in Wonderland...check out the preview from my fav movie Brits...
Hey You Guys:
http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2010/02/28/preview-alice-in-wonderland-2/

Been a Long Time Coming

WOW ! I have really let this slide. But, I have to admit something -- I haven't been too happy parting with the dinero for the fall offerings... even with the Oscars coming up! I have resorted to DVD viewing to get my flick fix!

I fed my Robert Downey Jr. fetish by seeing Sherlock Holmes, though I admit I am a Sherlock Holmes fan as well. While I enjoyed it on two levels, my comrades did not--at least not the way I did. I am looking forward to more if there is a series?

I took my girls to see New Moon because we enjoyed the books together -- it did not give me the same feeling that Twilight did. I can only hope Eclipse will make it better. Though I do remember that the New Moon book was the saddest of the series for me.

I generally skip Rom-Coms and only watch when there is nothing else to captivate me. These snowy weekends have left my dvd watching wide open.

Avatar and The Hurt Locker are probably my picks for Best Picture, though I suspect Precious was just too much for audiences to bear with its heartbreaking story.

I will try to see the contenders before the grand night, but I am a sucker for the alt-indie films that get little exposure.
We'll see... maybe just DVD reviews for awhile. What have you seen?

REMAKES or MISTAKES? Responses?

Remakes? Just Leave it Alone !
How do you feel about studios remaking the movies we loved?

I remember when Charlie and Chocolate Factory was remade with Johnny Depp -- I was crushed! The only Willy Wonka was and is...Gene Wilder. Great lines, a factory worth getting a golden ticket for, scenery & characters with a far away look to them, and let's not forget the songs (all together...Oompa Loompa doompa-di-do...) ! Magic! All Tim Burton did was make it all so scary (Sweeny Todd swears off people for candy). Who would want to tour his factory -- and why spoil the myth of the man by telling his secret past? booooo!

There are more: The Wolfman, Taking of Pelham 123, Rollerball, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, Speed Racer, The day the Earth Stood Still, Meet Joe Black, Stepford Wives, Sabrina, ...more here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_film_remakes
And now in the planning stages: Dirty Dancing, Fame, The Thing, 1984, Escape From New York, Porkies, The Birds, And Faranheit 451...to name of few remakes in the making.

Are there truly no new ideas? Are there no original thinkers in Hollywood anymore, or has the capitalistic movie making society turned recycling into the new art form? Thank God for the Idependent films!

So what do you think? Maybe there were some worthwhile remakes OR some that were even better than the originals? Some comments ...

DVD - The Wrestler

Rourke's Comeback (Rated R) 109 min

I grew up watching Saturday wrestling - it usually signaled the end of the morning cartoons - and if my bowl of cereal was still full I hung around for either Roller Derby or Wrestling. Back then it was Andre the Giant and George "The Animal". Then in the 80s I watched Mickey Rourke (Diner, 9 1/2 Weeks, Pope of Greenwich Village). He was handsome and quietly sexy. And like the wrestlers, he followed some path that allowed my attention to wander to other things.
This movie shows us what happened after we looked away.
Mickey Rourke plays an aging wrestler looking for the personal connections in his life--first with Marissa Tomei as a stripper Cassidy/Pam who faces the same dilemma -- then with his estranged daughter, played by Evan Rachel Wood.
A poignant story of aging out of a profession and possibly, a life...
Check it out.

Time travel has a new look -- bring tissues!

The Time Travelers Wife (rated PG-13) Run time 107 mins
Based on the 2003 novel by American author Audrey Niffenegger, the story of a young man (Eric Bana) with a genetic anomoly that causes him to time travel when he gets stressed. Though he often disappears from her life for long periods of time, he tries to build a romantic relationship with a young artist (Rachel McAdams). It feels a little disjointed at first, but it quickly settles into its groove.

Eric Bana has also been very busy this past year with Star Trek and Funny People, and in each movie he plays a very different character -- I'm sure he will be very busy in the future as well. And I find Rachel McAdams (The Notebook, Mean Girls, and upcoming Sherlock Holmes) just a delight to watch.

Do not try to analyze the science of time travel or how it works -- just go see this movie. True romance -- you can actually feel it. (and bring tissues)

District 9 - new old story

District 9 - Rated R (violence) Run time 112 mins
Produced by Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) and directed by Neill Blomkamp, the sci fi movie takes place in Johannesburg, South Africa and opens with an explanation of events that occurred twenty years prior when an alien ship settled above the area. The movie is said to be a reference to aparteid and its handling of relocation of "non-whites" from District Six in the 1960s.


Though I did have flashbacks to past alien movies (The Fly, Enemy Mine) I thought it was pretty original & very well done -- great use of hand held camera angles gave it a documentary feel. Lots of suspense and action -- without guessing what's going to happen next. Virtually unknown actors here in US also allow us to focus on actual story. The main character, Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley), is expertly played as a bit nerdy underling getting his shot at a top position in his company. As with all great sci-fi stories, the "who is the monster?" storyline is done well! A great flick -- and I'm sure an anticipated video game.
http://www.district9movie.com/

Though I am a Star Trek fan, I will say this is probably one of the best Sci Fi movies in a long while that general audiences will like.