Archive for January, 2010

Dem Trailers: The Losers

Okay, so it looks like a total rip-off of the A-Team, right? But it’s cool because of this one single fact: Idris Elba plays a character named “Roque.” I’m looking forward to seeing how it’s pronounced and this extra long trailer (which probably means we’ve just seen all the cool parts of the film) doesn’t refer to him by name once. But I’ll pay the price of admission to hear that. Oh, and to see Zoe Saldana get all “teh sex” and whatnot. So what do you guys think? Is The Comedian action star/leading man material? Let us know.

Dem Trailers: Wall Street – Money Never Sleeps

Gordon Gekko makes his triumphant return from a prison stint… apparently. Okay, honestly I’ve never seen the original Wall Street so I’m totally new to this universe but the trailer really drew me in and kinda mad me wanna check out the original. Oliver Stone returns to helm the sequel and lately he’s been a “meh” streak but I have to say, the cast looks pretty damn good. Except, of course, for Shia. But if you’ve seen the original, are you looking forward to this? Let us know!

brodiemash’s top 5 most influential movies of the decade

The decade that ran from 2000 to 2010 was a pivotal one for me as a filmmaker. Many people talk about being influenced by films from their childhood but I honestly can’t say that very many movies from mine have had similar effects. But the films from this last decade have had every little thing to do with me growing into a filmmaker. So for me, these are the most influential films for me in the past decade, and although the first four I cannot rank, I do have a favorite of the decade, which is that last one on this list:

Scratch (2001)
As soon as I finished watching this documentary, I went into my room and started writing. Now, I know that the film has nothing to do with writing but what it did to to see these people dedicate themselves to a craft and focus until they were on top of their game really inspired me. Anytime I’ve been lazy and not keeping up to a satisfactory level of being productive, I throw this film on and I immediately receive a swift kick in the ass and I think sometimes, we all need one of those.

The Fall (2008)
When I was a child, my sister told me the greatest story I’ve ever heard. She was reading from a book as I sat on her lap. After wards, I went back to read the story again and went to the page where she was reading from and it was an ornate picture with the words “Look at this picture and create your own story.” I was crushed to learn that I would never here that story again and to this day it haunts me. Take what you will from that story but Tarsem’s film served as reminder of how a child’s imagination can take something mundane and turn it into something fantastic! Plus the visuals & the use of Figlio Perduto in the trailer did it for me ;) Read more…

Dem Trailers: Exit Through The Gift Shop

Banksy isn’t exactly a household name but the unseen street artist loves taking things that are part of popular culture, such as Paris Hilton and Disneyland, and add his own flare and that’s what he’s known for. So with Sundance popping off this week, a secret film was announced for the festival today that kind of came out of nowhere. Exit Through The Gift Shop is billed as a Banksy film but the official line on the movie is that it’s “the story of how one man set out to film the un-filmable. And failed.” Yeah, not sure what that means and honestly, the trailer does nothing to explain what the film is about but the interest for me is to see if anything is revealed about the underground artist, which I highly doubt. So what do you think of this trailer? Are you at all interested in this film?

Dem Trailers: I’m Here

Okay, Spike Jonze’ last movie divided audiences (including this guy) but as far as the dude’s talent, I cannot possibly oversell this guy. His ideas and his method of projecting those thoughts onto film are amazing! So with Sundance starting up this week, his newest short film will debut there and today we’ve received the trailer for his robot love story I’m Here and it looks amazing. Now I know that these kinda of stories aren’t everyone’s bag but I love seeing this dude’s juxtaposition between reality & fantasy. Hopefully we won’t have to wait to long to see the full feature very soon. So what do you guys think of this computer love story?

Random Goodness: Weight for it

If this doesn’t get a chuckle outta you, best to check your pulse, you heartless robot!

Tonight! Muralathon: Nature at the Crossroads screening

So you all remember that one mural in Tower that everyone lost their shit over, right? Well the peeps involved with it’s creation also shot a documentary on all the drama with the art piece and they will premier it tonight at the Fresno Art Museum (you know, the one that’s still open…barely) and you have two chances to check it out with screenings at 5:15 p.m. and again at 6:15 p.m. and admission is FREE so grab all your hipster artist friends and support local…muralists. Here’s some more info:

The documentary was directed by artists Teresa Flores and Ramiro Martinez, and includes statements from each of the eight muralists whom painted the 150-foot mural (Teresa Flores, David Gomez, Michael Howe, Shannon Johnson, Ramiro Martinez, Dominique Ovalle, Christian Vargas, and Josh Wigger) as well as local members of the arts community. Soundtrack includes music by Yesterday’s Chonies, Patrick Contreras, the Fay Wrays, Tory Johnson, Pc Muñoz, Rademacher’s Malcolm Sosa, Joshua Wigger, and more.

Yes… all that good stuff and it’s free. So why aren’t you going, again?

Wu-Tang vs The Beatles mash-up album available for free

In all of my life’s journeys, I have come to realize this: Most people who enjoy the music of The Beatles are not fans of the Wu-Tang Clan. I only recently started listening to tracks from the group from Liverpool and I have come to totally dig their style. So I’m late to the party, at least I got there right? So this little mash-up album, akin to Dangermouse’s Grey Album mash-up of Jay-Z’s Black Album & The Beatles’ White Album, sounds very nice to me, to see the vastly different style clash & contrast to make something new by producer Tom Caruana. Most people will hate this but I say give it a chance, you never know. Blasphemy or friggan amazing? Download the album here for free, peep it out and let me know what you think. (Thanks to Jay From Sanger for the linkage)

Dem Trailers: MacGruber

(Red band trailer NSFW) I haven’t really watched SNL since the days of Phil Hartman & Dana Carvey so to say I’m not a fan of the current regime over there is an understatement. Sure, The Lonely Island boys do some good work but other than that, pretty damn unfunny. I’ve seen one of the MacGruber skits in the past and thought they were kinda funny and certainly not worthy of a full length feature film. But here is the first trailer for that very project and it’s kinda funny but not enough to get me excited about the project. And man, Val Kilmer is REALLY looked bloated these days. So what do you guys think? This gonna end up more Wayne’s World than Ladies Man at the end of the day?

Dem Reviews: Siege #1

It’s only January and Marvel Comics is bringing out the fireworks like it’s the 4th of July (or was it leftovers from New Years?). 2010 starts off with a bang as Siege begins. The American hero that stopped the Skrulls’ Secret Invasion, Norman Osborn (formerly the Green Goblin, now known as the hero: Iron Patriot) is head of H.A.M.M.E.R., the replacement for the now defunct S.H.I.E.L.D. faces a threat of godly proportions. Land of the Norse Gods’ Asgard; now floating above Oklahoma and that doesn’t bode too well for his plans for world domination, can’t a guy just conquer the world in peace these days? With his position in H.A.M.M.E.R. he calls upon the Avengers (now comprised of villains masquerading as heroes) and the United States’ Initiative super hero teams from all 50 states. After amassing this army of walking weapons of mass destruction its time to go knocking on Asgard’s door. Seeing the destruction of his home Thor leaps into action against these uninvited guests. What can i say about this books epic scope, it certainly unfolds on a large scale but I do feel at times the drive and motivation behind its characters are lost just to rush the book along. The expediency in which they go to war may be the writer, Brian Michael Bendis’ view on how we are dealing with terror which when read does feel vaguely similar. Olivier Coipel artwork on the other hand compliments the epic scale with a cinematic feel from the cover into its splash pages that should keep all of us waiting for the next issue, speaking of which, see you then, True Believers!

Ana4ian’s top 5 movies of the decade

To narrow down a decade in which I fell in love with film not as an escape, but as an art form and something to be enjoyed with visceral emotion is not an easy thing to do. Instead of cheap thrills, fighting, blood, explosions and tits, movies instead became something to admire, a spectacle, to be experienced, devoured, voraciously enjoyed. It was a period of awakening in the idea that these films have the ability to ellicit a range of reactions in the viewer, and that to invest oneself wholly in the watching of a movie can be extremely rewarding. So, a difficult decision made, the list awaits, and in no particular order, for I could never place any one above the other:

Let The Right One In (2008)
Twilight has nothing, zero, zilch on a romantic vampire story compared to this. I won’t bash the former, but instead extort the gentleness of this movie. The subtle, slow love story between the two young leads in this movie is achingly genuine and pure. The secrets kept, embarrassment, shyness, adoration, protectiveness and need in the relationship between the vulnerable Eli and lonely Oskar is far more mature than their years. The way they complete one another lends a depth to this flick that is so rare even in movies without the fantastic aspect of vampirism that this movie bears. I really, genuinely have my fingers crossed now for the American remake, that it delivers a similarly deep experience to a wider audience, who deserve to indulge in this tale.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Michel Gondry, how do I love thee? I can really enjoy anything this guy does, but that’s a blanket statement the same as saying I can enjoy any sunny day. The sun does not a great day make, however, it’s just the setup. Eternal Sunshine is the sunny day with a cold beer, pretty company, your favorite song on the radio, and the knowledge that later tonight, you’re only going to be having more fun hanging out with good friends and bullshitting about life in general. It brings everything together, the quirkiness of Gondry’s direction, the off-center melancholy of Kaufman’s script, and great performances from everyone involved. It’s an exploration on the memories that make us human, good, bad or otherwise, and keeping them safe, to put it into an ill-fitting nutshell, and indeed, how precise can a movie about memories be, unique as they are? Well done. Read more…