Review: Moon

Sam, an astronaut living on the moon for the past 3 years to harvest a new, cleaner fuel source, comes face to face with a younger self.

Sam Rockwell is Sam and Sam. Rockwell continues to prove that he is once the most underused resources in the movie industry. Sam is able to put in not one, but two, fantastic performances. He gets to answer the question (in a way) what would you tell your younger self? Kevin Spacey also gives a fantastic performance. He is the monotone voice of Gerty, the helper robot. His monotone voice is aided by emoticons on the robot's display, but somehow Spacey's monotone voice works without them.

The cinematography was not as claustrophobic as I thought it would do. Overall, it doesn't ruin the tone which is still nostaligic science fiction. None of that "Mom and Dad Save the Universe" kind of stuff, but socio-political look at human life.

The sets and special effects are better than you think they would be. Supposedly, the writer's strike meant that better than previously possible. The matte paintings for the moon landscape was very interesting.

The movie itself is only an hour and half, but it feels very long. Not a lot happens, nor does the scenery change that much, but Sam's performance is incredible and totally draws you in. Duncan Jones is also a damn great storyteller. For a first time director, he shows great potential. I cannot wait to see more from him.

8/10, Sam's performance and Duncan's storytelling are great.

Top 10 Breakout Roles That Almost Weren't

Strange enough, for some actors' there most popular roles were never originally intended for them. And not only were they popular, but they basically MADE their careers.


10. Abe Sapien (Hellboy series)
Actor: Doug Jones
Originally cast: David Hyde Pierce
David Hyde Pierce did in fact voice the character in the first Hellboy. He was brought in to add a bigger name to the cast list, but Pierce denied credit citing Doug Jones as the real talent behind Abe even basing his voice patterns on Jones' real voice. Jones got a chance to voice Abe in both Hellboy 2 and DVD cartoons. He is now Guillerme Del Toro's go to monster man.


9. Patrick Bateman (American Psycho)
Actor: Christian Bale
Originally cast: Leonardo DiCaprio
Bale almost definitely got his job as Batman because of this movie. Bateman! Batman! Coincidence? In American Psycho, Bale plays a yuppie rich dude who during the day acts like your average playboy, but at night has a terrible dark persona. It is almost interchangeable except Bateman is a hero, and Bateman is a blood thirsty serial killer.


8. Vivian Ward (Pretty Woman)
Actor: Julia Roberts
Originally cast: Molly Ringwald, as well as everyone else at that time
Julia shot to fame, Molly went into obscurity.


7. Randy "The Ram" Robinson (The Wrestler)
Actor: Mickey Rourke
Originally cast: Nicholas Cage
Cage as a wrestler is just laughable. Instead we got the ultimate comeback role with Rourke welcomed with open arms (where were you before Hollywood douchebags) and has upcoming projects lined up around the corner.


6. Aragorn (Lord of the Ring series)
Actor: Viggo Mortensen
Originally cast: Stuart Townshend
Both are pretty good, but Stuart looked significantly younger, which is why he got booted. Viggo has gotten steady work in damn good flicks. He has kept low key than most big shots, but he has become a fan favorite nonetheless.


5. Indiana Jones
Actor: Harrison Ford
Originally cast: Tom Selleck
Lucas was afraid of Harrison Ford becoming his "Deniro" since Ford was in both Star Wars and American Graffiti, but thank god for Spielberg who pushed for Ford. Ford didnt just play Indy, he made Indy. Even Ford's trademark chin scar become a part of Indy's story- he got it during his first attempt with his whip.


4. Rocky Balboa
Actor: Sylvester Stallone
Orignally cast: Ryan O'Neal, among others.
Ryan Who? Yeah, that's right. Ryan was a young actor who had actually done golden gloves boxing. You can now see him on the tv series "Bones" as Brennan's father, Max. Stallone on the other hand is now one of the biggest action stars Hollywood has ever seen. I mean, come on, he wrote the damn script, he had to get the role.


3. John McLane
Actor: Bruce Willis
Originally cast: Arnold Shwartzanegger, Sylvester Stallone, Richard Gere, Burt Reynolds, in the order.
Bruce made McLane like Ford made Indy. It was his own Jersey-bred sarcasm that added an extra likeable level to McLane and the mostly dead serious thriller Die Hard once was. Now how good Willis is? Well, I used Jersey and likeable in the same sentence, so that should give you an idea.


2. Wolverine (X-Men)
Actor: Hugh Jackman
Originally cast: Dougary Scott
Scott got stuck on post-work on Mission: Impossible 2 and Hugh stepped in. Now Hugh is easily one of Hollywood's go to guys, one of the more charismatic people in showbusiness, and seems usually appreciative of praise, fans, and fame.


1. Terminator (Terminator series)
Actor: Arnold Shwartzanegger
Originally cast: Lance Henrickson
Everyone knows about OJ Simpson's rumor, but Henrickson made it to negotiations. He ended up plays a cop, and Arnold got to move up from Kyle Reese to the Terminator creating a truly iconic character. A character to appear both on AFI's Top 100 Heroes and Villains twice, once as a hero, and once as a villain.

Review: The Hangover

The morning after a crazy bachelor party, three friends find themselves without memory of the night or the bachelor. They spend the next day piecing the night together trying to find their best friend before his wedding.

The plot is rather simple and echoes Dude, Where's My Car a little too much for my taste. Nevertheless, it blows most expectations out of the water. The movie is very reminiscent of the classic "guy movie" comedies like Animal House. The content may be crude and obscene, but the laughs come from timing and delivery, not simply just spewing expletives very loudly. Will Ferrell could learn a thing or two from this flick.

The casting is top notch. Combining 3 guys who have very different senses of humor could lead to destruction, but they worked incredibly well off each other. All three guys (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis) shine. I see them becoming very popular. Bradley Cooper is already being name dropped for 2 very high profile action movies (Green Lantern and A-Team), and Zach is cast in what I think will be a star making role. Already a fan of his stand-up, I enjoyed his performance the best. His outrageous observational comedy translated very well into the film. The filmmakers were very smart to sign these guys up for a sequel before they get too expensive. I doubt a sequel will happen, but considering Todd Philips, the director, has already made that mistake with Old School, he's not taking any chances this time.

The Hangover is a laugh riot and in my opinion will probably be the best comedy this year. I reccomened everyone see it.

8/10

Top 10 Horror Heroes

When it comes to horror flicks, the villains take center stage. Jason, Freddy, Pinhead, Myers, Leatherface. There are so many cool slashers that you could probably do the top 100 slashers (I may even attempt it). But I have always been more of a hero guy. As much as the "root for the bad guy" flicks are cool, badass horror heroes will always be more memorable to me. So here are my top 10 horror heroes.


10. Sheriff Wydell, The Devil's Rejects
Wydell is a common case of the hero as the antagonist, as he went out of his way to stop the travellin' killin' family with catchy Marx Brothers pseudonyms. I'm sure plenty of fans were rooting for these villains to make it to the end, but I was rooting for Wydell. He was like a Great White tracking his own kind. A man pushed to the edge by a trio of people dangling from the edge.


9. Jack Brooks, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer
A fairly low-budget romp about a 20-something rageaholic orphaned by a monster facing off against a whole new breed armed only with his pumbing tools. Old fashioned man who stood up to finally do the right thing. I would go as far as to say he's an Ash for the 21st Century.


8. Jack Crow, John Carpenter's Vampires
A movie almost universally panned except for a few people ranking it in their guilty pleasures, this flick is obviously not Carpenter's strongest attempt, but Jack Crow, head vamp killer played by James Woods, oozes cool. Calm and collected with a serious pet peeve for vampires.


7. Bozo, Feast
Bozo is a surprising choice for hero. He is selfish and douchebag-esque, but when push came to shove, Bozo, albeit reluctantly, pulled through and did more than his share of monster killing in this gross out flick. He was easily the most likeable and best performed character in a cast full of relative unknowns and character actors.


6. Sheriff Bill Pardy, Slither
Maybe just because of my fanboy love of Nathan Fillion, but Pardy was sarcastic and capable in the face of alien invasion in Smalltown, USA. His John McLane-esque demeanor and wit justified the "why me?" aspect of the character.


5. Frank Bannister, The Frighteners
Remember when Peter Jackson made movies without giant CGI animals in period pieces, because I do. Michael J. Fox, nearing the end of his lucrative era and secretly living with his dibillitating disease, gives an exceptionally likeable broken contractor turned con man who can actually sees ghosts.


4. Ben, Night of The Living Dead
The longest running joke in horror is the black guy always dies first. Ben on the other hand his the powerhouse of this group being the most effective in terms of keeping the zombies at bay and this was in the 1968 where many of these trends were just taking off.


3. Shaun, Shaun of the Dead
Everyone thought it was a spoof but it wasn't. It was a romantic comedy and a zombie horror smushed into one, and it was effective as both. Shaun was witty and endearing, likeable and empathetic. It is the brilliance in Simon Pegg and Co.'s success to balance humor, drama, and the love for the particular genre they are playing with.


2. Ellen Ripley, Alien series
Slashers love picking off chicks, usually schoolgirls, who are completely cluttered with cliches and whining. But Ripley on the other hand is as tough if not tougher than most action heroes, and definitely braver than most.


1. Ash, Evil Dead series
Was their anyother choice for best horror hero than Ash from Evil Dead series. He is really one of the only heroes to earn the same iconicism level of Freddy, Jason, and the other slashers.

Casting Call: The A-Team

I think "A-Team" as great potential to be an awesome flick. When it comes to TV remakes, hopefully it goes the way of The Fugitive, where it can actually take itself seriously. Joe Carnanhan is supposedly spearheading it, so it will most likely be dramatic thriller that knows how to be funny and humorous (hopefully!). Ya know, that middle ground between Smokin Aces and Narc. While I have never seen an episode of tv show, I still want to see this done right. I took the time to read up on the characters.






















Hannibal- Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis IS a tough, old cigar-chomping guy. I think he has perfected the serious but witty action hero, and despite his age, has kept himself in really great shape.



















Face- Ryan Reynolds
Reynolds could pass for a military guy physically. He is also a great actor with great comedic delivery and witticism. I would think he would be able to handle both the script, action, and possible improv.


















Murdoch- David Arquette
The name does not invoke quality with a lot of people, but I think Arquette is far more talented than people give him credit for. Eight Legged Freaks, Ready to Rumble, and his short-live tv series "In Case of Emergency" had better balance of outright insanity and sincerity than most want to admit.


















Bad Attitude- Terry Crews
He's big, he's black, so he's a pretty obvious choice. But he actually has some pretty great screen presence, sense of humor, and charisma that allows him to excel in the kind of role this would be.

Review; 21st Century Breakdown

Green Day's newest musical endeavor, 21st Century Breakdown, continues their socially-relevant rock opera style they started with American Idiot.

I am not the most cultured when it comes to classic rock, but The Who have always been a favorite of mine. Their own tendency to make rock operas have had been interested in the style and left me with a desire for a more modern one, preferably not made by Coheed and Cambria. As a movie buff and general fan of fiction, I appreciate the effort to use music to tell a story.

The new album definitely has Green Day's punk rock roots stamp on it, but unlike American Idiot, the music itself is much less catchy. Not many of the songs scream "single," and probably why "Know Your Enemy" seemed so stale when it was originally released. Don't get me wrong, it was a good song, just not exciting. As a finished product, 21st Century Breakdown excels.

It is a return to the origins of modern rock. A time when rock music promised not just naive teenage rebellion, but was a force of nature against a system that never wanted to think outside the box. Coming off the end of George H.W. Bush's presidency, Green Day is running on full tanks. But for some reason the anti-Bush pop culture icons have been coming off a little presumptuous and overly-arrogant despite my general agreement with them, and American Idiot, and subsequent public appearances, got swept up in it with its more direct shots at the administration. 21st Century Breakdown turns its focus to the people following the fictional Christian and Gloria living life in a post-Bush America. I think this will allow them to wade the anti-Bush fervor a little better. I only hope Green Day can keep their focus on people, and not bash the administration in their eventual tour.

I love the new album. As a whole its brilliant, but as singles it might have a hard time getting started. It has plenty of cool tracks like "American Eulogy," "Murder City," and "Last of the American Girls," but do not expect any radio overplay like "Wake Me Up When September Ends."

9.5/10

Review: Star Trek

The new Star Trek follows Kirk, Spock, and the other "Original Series" crew on their first mission together. The newly created crew faces off against a Romulan threat that knows more than they could imagine.

First thing first, this is easily one of the greatest cast movies of all time. It's hard to choose just one actor because they all did so well, but Kirk and Spock are the obvious foreground characters. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto handled their characters with the perfect balance of nostalgic homage and unique individualism.

It is nice to see a reboot that is still light-hearted. Between Batman and Bond, "better" and "more realistic" seem to be defined as "dark" and "gritty." Stat Trek definitely brings a certain level of humor and excitement without the cheese-factor. It is also nice to see a reboot thats not essentially a reboot. I'm not going to spoil to much, but I will say that the classic series and other movies are not rendered moot by this movie.

Remember when they said M. Night was the next Spielberg. So much for that. I am confident to say, and I may be the first (I haven't seen it elsewhere), but Abrams is definitely the new Spielberg. He definitely makes the light-hearted summer blockbuster genre his bitch.

Unlike the new Batman and Bond, Star Trek seemed reltaively less ambitious. The techno-babble is kept to a minimum, and the villain had a minimal screen time with a straightforward agenda. The movie spends more time showing off his visuals and spotlighting characters. Although, this lack of complexity is almost completely ignorable because the cast and visuals are so good. FYI, bring sunglasses because there are solar flares on everything.

I am not a Trekkie. The only Star Trek that I have been privvy too is the movie First Contact, which I thought was a pretty good flick. Needless to say, I had a blast at this movie. I recognized the catchphrases, all of which sounded very organic and never forced, because they are so popular, but the phrase "the first Star Trek for everyone" is spot on. It seems to pander to both fanboys, plenty of references to Star Trek even the expanded universe as I have learned from my reading about the movie, and keeps itself simple and entertaining enough to please the general audience. After the dissapointing Wolverine movie, this movie is the first TRUE summer movie of this season.

9/10 A must see.