New movie Tuesday

A few new releases today, including some TV shows on DVD. "Gamer", starring Gerard Butler, is out. I saw it and thought it was pretty bad. Also out is "Whiteout" with Kate Beckinsale and "Pandorum", an "Aliens"-like movie with Dennis Quaid that may be kinda cool. I went with "The Invention of Lying," starring comedic genius Ricky Gervais. Gervais is the British comedian that created "The Office" and "Extras." The film looked pretty good in the trailers, so we'll see. Also, I saw "Sherlock Holmes" last week, so I'll try to get review up soon.

Also, out on DVD is the fifth season of the Showtime show "Weeds." I liked the first few seasons, and have seen all four, so maybe I'll add those to my list. Anyone see that season and like it? Any movie recommendations for me to see? Have a great week...

Avatar and Pocahontas

So I mentioned in my review of Avatar that it reminded me a lot of Pocahontas. Apparently I wasn't the only one who saw the similarities. Check out this "revised" trailer:

Lots of baggage in 'The Hurt Locker'

Lots of films, both documentary and fiction, have been made about the still ongoing conflict in Iraq. I have seen many of these, but as a few film critics have said, "The Hurt Locker" may be the best and most realistic of the bunch, and I'd probably have to agree. The film has a great sense of authenticity, as it was shot in Jordan and Kuwait, sometimes mere miles from the Iraqi border. This, and the use of Middle Eastern refugees for certain scenes, make the audience feel like they are there. I also saw this film at a screening in Washington, D.C. before it came out, and seeing it again on DVD only cemented my sentiment that this is a great movie.

The film follows the travails of an Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit in Iraq during 2004 (this is not a documentary). The three man team is led by William James (Jeremy Renner), a newcomer to the squad after the original team leader was killed. Rounding up the group is J.T. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty). When we meet them, the team has about 40 days left in their tour in Iraq. Sanborn and Eldridge take exception to James's brash, unorthodox ways of working, but can't do much because he is the leader. Sanborn is a good soldier, but likes to run operations by the book and with a lot of communication. Eldridge has stress issues, and seems to be out of his element and unsure of how to respond to battlefield situations. Each characters different personality creates an interesting dynamic as the crew tries to make it through their tour disabling IEDs and participating in one of the most dangerous units in the Army.

The realism is enhanced by slow motion shots and first-person shots, artfully directed by Kathryn Bigelow. That, the realistic personalities of all the characters (helped by great acting) and the filming on location in Jordan make this seem like the real deal. The other thing about this film is that it is an action-packed thriller, as you can expect with a movie about a bomb squad. Each scene has suspense that keeps you on the edge of your seat, giving you the feeling that these soldiers must have while being constantly on edge in a war zone. It's hard to convey the feeling of roadside bombs and insurgents, yet this film, through its 2 hour plus run time, does. It also brings up a lot of questions, which make discussing the film after watching it all the more interesting. My favorite scene is a desert battle scene that is slow but well shot and extremely intense. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

"The Hurt Locker" is rated R for wartime violence, language and some gore.

8 out of 10 stars

New movie Tuesday

Not a real deep list of releases today, but one really good standout that I've seen, but rented so I can watch again. I went with "The Hurt Locker," an awesome movie about a bomb technician team in Iraq in 2004. It's excellent and really thrilling. I saw it in the theaters in June, but it could very well be nominated or win the Oscar for Best Picture in 2009, so I couldn't resist refreshing my memory. I'll have the review up soon.

Also out today, some movie called "Moon" I have never heard of, the film version of the TV show "Fame" and Rob Zombie's "Halloween II." I just looked up Moon, and it actually looks pretty cool. I didn't see it at Crazy Mike's, but if I find it I'll check it out. Anyone seen it and have an opinion? Click here for a link to its IMDB page.

As for the Best Picture category in the Oscars, I spoke to my dad earlier about this, and he told me they are expanding the category from the normal five films to TEN! To me, that's insane. It's basically a ploy so 10 stupid movies can say "Nominated for Best Picture." That seems idiotic to me, and all about money for the movie industry. Even with 5, it seems to me there is always a clear cut one that should win. What are they going to do with 10? Here's a link to a New York Times article about it from this summer.

The article says they try to justify it because some of the major movies weren't nominated. Last year, I saw all five best picture films, and had a pretty good feeling "Slumdog" would and should win. Let me know how you guys feel about this.

'Avatar'

In the wake of the release of the CGI-laced epic film "Avatar" on Dec. 18, 2009, speculation about the movie was rampant. Many good pieces have been written about the film, which was released in 2-D and 3-D, and worldwide, it has already grossed over $1 billion. That's a ton of money. The film is playing now at the Ronan Entertainer in 2-D, and when I went to see the 7:20 show last Thursday, the theater was pretty full, despite the film's long running time of 2 hours 40 minutes. The word is out, and after a huge advertising campaign that began in October, "Avatar" is reaping the benefits with its huge worldwide haul of money.

The film takes place in 2154 on a planet called Pandora in a world way different than ours today. An evil corporation from Earth is on Pandora to mine a valuable mineral called unobtanium on the planet, with complete disregard to the life on the planet. The planet is inhabited by a group called the Na'vi, a blue, tall, strong being. Part of the corporations efforts include using scientists to study the planet and its inhabitants. They have created something called an Avatar, which resembles a Na'vi, but is controlled neurologically by a human at a base. It is as if the controlling person is the Na'vi itself.

The scientists recruit Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paralyzed ex-Marine whose identical twin brother was originally recruited to control the avatar. Because of his genetic make up, Sully is able to control the avatar, an expensive experiment to see if humans can integrate with the Na'vi. To top it all off, using the avatar Sully can walk and run again, an exhilarating experience for him. While he is working with the scientists, he is also being used by the military security force the mining corporation uses to get information on the Na'vi, and ways they can get the tribe to move from their home tree, which stands on a huge cache of unobtanium they hope to mine. As you can imagine, as Sully befriends and is welcomed into the tribe, he feels conflicted about his double agent status, and has moral and ethical qualms about what he is causing and doing.

What "Avatar" really is to me is a modern day, CGI-enhanced version of "Dances with Wolves" or "Pocahontas." The Na'vi are similar to Indians tribes, and the humans are the explorers, forcing their brand of life on a people while simultaneously destroying their culture and land. This angle is contrasted with the loner who sees the beauty in their culture and way of life, and learns to love everything about the place and the people. It's a tried and true format, and spend hundreds of millions of dollars on special effects and advertising, and James Cameron has created himself a movie that could end up the highest grossing film worldwide of all time. That itself is pretty incredible.

Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. It's not so much a movie as an epic, and at times drags because it is so long. There are multiple points where I thought it might end, but it continued on and on. The dialogue is a little corny at times, and the characters themselves are sometimes unintentionally funny, but the rest is well executed. The CGI, which I thought looked somewhat fake in the trailer, was exceptional; it was hard to tell what was real and what was fake in many of the beautifully shot scenes. And this is undoubtedly a movie to see in the theaters. The experience of watching with other audience members on a big screen with great sound is worth the price of admission.

"Avatar" is rated PG-13 for some sexuality, violence and language. It is now the #2 grossing movie world-wide, trailing only the James Cameron directed "Titanic" from 1997. Cameron now owns the two highest grossing films of all time which is incredible. I'll keep you posted on its position, but few believe it will surpass "Titanic."

7 out of 10 stars

Here's the trailer:

New movie Tuesday

I have a lot of reviews to write and catch up on, but because it's Tuesday, here's a preview of what was released today. "Cloudy with A Chance of Meatballs," a kids animated flick based on the popular book (that I remember reading) is out on DVD today. Also out is "The Final Destination," the fourth installment of the popular series. This one, unfortunately, failed completely and utterly. I reviewed it when it was playing in Ronan during the summer; you can read my review here.

If you have a Bluray player, one of my favorite movies, from 2004, came out in that format today as well: "Riding Giants," a documentary about crazy surfers riding gigantic waves. I love that movie, and it's really good. I'll embed the trailer below. I went with "Taking Woodstock," which was released Dec. 15. I'll get a review up sometime this week. I'll leave you with this awesome trailer of "Riding Giants."

Iron Man 2

My dad just went and saw Sherlock Holmes (which he really liked) and he mentioned seeing the Iron Man 2 trailer. I couldn't resist, so I watched it and think it looks amazing. I loved the first one, so this one should be as good or better. Here's the trailer; lemme know what you think. The release is estimated for May 2010.