Doctor Who: The Time of Angels

Doctor Who: The Time of Angels
Originally uploaded by Profound Whatever

Amazing representation of the new Doctor and one of the best episodes of the season. AWESOME!

*CORRECTION* SNAKES ON A PLANE Retraction!

In response to new evidence concerning a previous review about Snakes On A Plane, apparently conservatives DO sometimes attend Gay Pride rallies.

And it makes for wonderful entertainment.

Thank You Dusti, for the correction!

KEEP READING

Chuck

Quick Review of ECLIPSE, AIRBENDER, and DESPICABLE ME...ALL IN ONE WITH CHERRIES!

Long time...haven't talked in ages...you never call...yeah I know. 

Good morning Bloggers!  Got to check out quite a few films this last 2 weeks that are still playing at the old theater so I won't jerk your chain.  Clipping the release and letting you run a little instead.

The Last Airbender

Shyamalan's take on the Nickelodeon series takes us to a world where people have the ability to bend elements to their wills.  A story that had three years of history behind it is ultimately blown out of the water when M. Night gets his hands on it.  He bends the story pretty vigorously in getting through all of book 1 and then struggles with simple concepts like the names of the characters.  If you're going to adapt, the first thing you do is know something about the show which he appears to not.  The film, although possessing one or two moments of actual character that you can grab onto, falls flat.  Nice design and action sequences...horrible story telling.  I hate to say it and be the last one to do so but, Shyamalan has lost it.  .05 out of 5 Stars.


Twilight Saga:  Eclipse

Stephanie Meyer's experiment of combining  Vampires with sappy teen angst hits the mark better in this, the third film in the series.  Directed by David Slade, 30 Days of Night & Hard Candy, the pacing and action of the film feel a lot more polished and enjoyable for both men and women.  The sap is toned down and the dialogue definitely feels better.  It's still based on a Stephanie Meyer's book and loses two stars by default but I did enjoy this movie, not love but enjoy. 
3 out of 5 Stars




 Despicable Me

This film was by far my favorite out of the bunch.  Despicable Me rates up near the other blockbuster animated feature How To Train Your Dragon, in terms of storytelling and heart.  Center around Gru (STEVE CARRELL), the story involves two villians vying for the top spot:  The older experienced Gru and the younger upstart Vortex (JASON SEGEL).  When Gru adopts three children to help him undo Vortex, he ends up falling in love with them and changing his life forever.  Definitely a good, funny movie anyone can enjoy with some secret adult humor provided...if you can speak Minion-talk.  4 out of 5 Stars.




 And that's it.  All these films are in right now for your viewing pleasure.  Let me know what you think, what you feel, or if I'm a big blowhard who doesn't know the Kubrick from Bol (that makes me laugh) and maybe I'll feature your comment on the blog.

Chuck P.

Pictures provided by:

http://www.shockya.com/news/wp-content/uploads/the_last_airbender_movie_poster.jpg

http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/5700000/EclipseMovie-eclipse-5708136-280-410.jpg


https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYIWArFQCYaBiRxX6DQ7x6CuIFOUbrGNx_dr9iWAuhD65QA-3dE9fSPoVi8CvlW7QRh8JPToiNqzyD3kjgfJaSeqesQH3EtAwO6TKDCUODUUbe0ULwL-XEUcJQHH7LIZh5Nlp20qwAqV4X/s640/despicable+me+poster+DownLoad+Trailers.jpg

At your local Blockbuster!

Greetings.
Just an FYI for you all,  from your friendly neighborhood Blockbuster-Man has:

Shutter Island:  3.5 Stars!!!  Reeks of Awesome!














From Paris With Love:  2.0 Stars!!!  Weak story but who doesn't enjoy John Travolta being a bad ass?!

The 41 Year Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad About It:  -1.5 Stars.  If it were a plague...it would be the kind that gets in your genitals, rots them off and then try to make you horny.  Bad Film.  AVOID.

 











Images provided by:
http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2009/07/22/shutter-island-poster.jpg
http://www.filmofilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/frompariswithlove_poster.jpg
http://cdn0.mattters.com/photos/photos/1510902/51N6SsDpvzL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

You, Me, and Perseus Makes Three! Tonight, Clash of the Titans!

I'm hitting the seven show to check out the much anticipated Clash of the Titans, at the Granada.  Review will follow later tonight. 



Look for it on www.lagrandelife.com first!

You may have a head in a dufflebag, but I got...got...infinite 1-Ups!

Yeah, he's scared.

Picture Provided by:  DVDtalk.com

Main Street Closes Out EOU Theatre Department's Winter Term

The Theatrical Season for Winter Term, 2010 drew to a close on Saturday, March 13th with the closing of Main Street, directed by Ken Bush and starring Taylor Pawley & Liberty O'Dell.  Based on the novel by Sinclair Lewis, the play follows the life and realtionship of Carol (TAYLOR PAWLEY) as she adjusts and fights the small town world of Gopher Prairie.  Having married into the town by way of her husband, and local 'sawbones', Will (LIBERTY O'DELL), Carol struggles to adapt to a small town way of life, where gossip is king and new ideas scare the hell out of small town folk. 

The lighting color choices were quite beautiful.  They set a tone that felt out in the country to me, at times I even felt like I was under a starry sky.  The positioning of the lights created interesting shadows across the actors faces that left me intrigued. I felt that Taylor's and Liberty's presence was very powerful on stage.  Actually, all the actors did and I never found myself wanting to do anything else but keep my eyes on the stage.

The overwhelming combination of the overhead lattice and the main stage platform was impressive, alluring and in the end deceiving.  When I saw the show unfold, it felt to me like the stage, the town itself, had transformed into a gaping mouth which was swallowing  everyone whole.  It was kind of a chilling revelation.

In all, the show unveils how the nature of people, no matter their steadfast state of mind, can be admonished, altered, and changed under the right circumstances.

Wolfman Reviewed

As seen on www.lagrandelife.com

Got to check out Wolfman this last Tuesday, as per the request of the noble Facebook voters, and I am not so sure about it as a whole.  Did get to see it on the big screen in the ol' Granada...way awesome!

I felt like the makeup was quite well put together.  I've heard many people say that Rick Baker still has it and I would have to agree.  It was a combination of the old Lon Chaney stuff with a new age flair.
Effects were quite good.  If they were using cable work it was very hard to tell.

I thought the story was very convoluted with typical Americanized twists added to keep you interested and on the edge of your seat.  It's not like the Wolfman gutting people is going to do that?  I mean we really need the twist with Anthony Hopkins really being a Werewolf as well so that we can understand his pathetic reasoning for causing all the mayhem?  How about we ride on Bencio Del Torro's shoulders and just deal with the idea of the Wolfman terrorizing the countryside.  No rhyme, no reason, just terror that has to be stopped.

It is leaving on Thursday, March 4 2010 from the Granada.

I'd give it 2.5 out of 5.
Chuck

PERCY JACKSON GOES DOWN TO TEH CHUCK!!! REVIEWED!

Percy Jackson.  Olympians.  Lightening.  Thief.  The.  Words that should inspire images of epic clashes and heroic deeds falls a little short in actuality.

Based on the novel by Rick Riordan, the story centers around Percy Jackson (LOGAN LERMAN) and his life as an average male protagonist.  Leaning heavily on the old American adage that anyone can rise up and be a hero, as most films of this kind do, Percy discovers that he is the son of Poseidon.  His best friend Grover (BRANDON T. JACKSON) turns out to be a Satyr who is his personal guardian, wisks him and his mother away to Camp Half Blood, a place of training for children born of humans and Gods when a minotaur captures his mother and delivers her to Hades (STEVE COOGAN).  With now Zeus suspecting Percy as the Lightening Thief and Hades holding his mother hostage in exchange for the bolt, Percy must set out with Grover and Annabeth (ALEXANDRA DADDARIO) to seize the bolt and return it to Zeus before the start of the summer solstice and the end of life on Earth as we know it.
Not really much for spoilers.

I liked the Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson and Alexandra Daddario quite a bit in these roles.  I thought they were interesting and a little engaging as leads so they kept me seated.  There were times I could see the director (CHRIS COLUMBUS) wanting a stronger reaction from the Lerman but, young actors sometimes can't channel those feelings just yet.  When Percy lost his mother, he really didn't fell anything.  I don't know about anyone else but if I was young and watched a giant bull squash my mother...I'm gone.  Could use a little more committment.
Most of the big name actors in the films mostly phoned in their performances.  Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, and Rosario Dawson didn't really have any depth whatosever.  Actually, I really enjoyed Poseidon (KEVIN MCKIDD)  I felt like his performance was truer and made me feel for him and his situation with abandoning his son.

I haven't read the book so I have no source material reference to go on.  What I do know is I felt the film was entertaining and easily accessible for a younger audience.  For us non younger audience types, it's still a little fun, it's just about as thick as a wet piece of paper.

2.5 out of 5 stars but fun to watch.

Chuck

Photo provided by: http://www.flickdirect.com/images/movies/percy-jackson-lightning-thief/percy-jackson-lightning-thief-poster.jpg

TONIGHT...CHUCK VS. PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS!!!

I threw it out to the F-Bookers and they decided I needed to get in and watch some "Percy Jackson and the Olympians."

So be it.

Review to follow!

Chuck P.

Photo provided by:  http://www.shockya.com/news/wp-content/uploads/percy_jackson_and_the_olympians_the_lightning_thief_poster9.jpg

Altered by someone with mad photoshop skills.

Dear John...REVIEWED WITH A LITTLE SLICE OF LOVE-PASTA!!!! SPOILERS!!!!

So I went to Dear John.  By myself.  In a room of teary-eyed women lusting for Channing Tatum, I sat.  There was another guy there but I'm pretty sure he was there just to see Amanda Seyfried.  

I wasn't sure how to review this film and have a blast doing it so I've decided to do the film proper justice.  I will write a "Dear John" letter to Dear John.

Dear Dear John,

First off...geee, I don't want to say this the wrong way.  Gosh this is so hard.  I'll start by saying I enjoyed your story a great deal.  I felt you portrayed the difficulty of a soldier trying to have a relationship during a tumultuous time in the United State's history, very well.  Dealing with trying to remain true to someone you love and build a relationship, all the while feeling the need to seek out the people behind the September 11 tragedy, was no easy task.  You handled it pretty well.

I felt like you pulled something out of Channing Tatum.  He wasn't the flat delivery hero from G.I.Joe but rather a strong, troubled man who in the end, was so distraught over losing his father that I believed his tears.  

You shocked me with how you turned Amanda Seyfried's character from one we loved, to despised, to sympthasized with.  No one can take that from you Dear John, that's all you.  

But Dear John, there are somethings that can pull two people apart and I can't live with knowing these things lie between us.  

First off, and I say this with love, you're title kind of killed any surprise to this film what so ever.  Dear John letters are used to break up, as if you didn't know this already, so there was no surprise that we knew where the major twist was going to be...that you were going to hook the two back up at the end of the film.  We know they're going to break up and we know they're going to get back together.  The entire poster image and trailers have marketed this film as a romantic film and ending with a break up is not romantic.  Sorry, it's true.

I'm sorry to say this but...there's someone else.  His name is Tim and he's played by Henry Thomas.  I'm sorry but I know you put him between you and me enjoying this film completely.  Don't lie, I know you did!!  He completely was shoved aside as a character and was only inserted as a means to allow for John (CHANNING TATUM) and Savannah (AMANDA SEYFRIED) to get back together.  The other man who conveniently dies so that the only thing that lies between the two main love interests are each other.

I'm sorry Dear John but it's over.  Our two hours together I will always remember but I hurt in a way only you could hurt me.  You were a better film than I thought but, I have to say good bye.

3 out of 5 stars.

Chuck

P.S.  I never read the book.

images provided by:

First Image:  http://justpressplay.today.com/files/2009/10/dear-john.jpg

Second Image:  http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTk3MzA4OTk3Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMjY5Njg0._V1._SX271_SY400_.jpg

The Lovely Bones...REVIEWED WITH SPECIAL SAUCE!!! SPOILERS!!!

After a couple of WordPress crashes (a world of GRRRR) I've decided to post from the old faithful blogger instead.

After a long wait, The Lovely Bones finally arrived to the Granada in downtown La Grande.  Angels sung out in chorus and devils danced a gig.  All was right with the world and my girlfriend and I took it in immediately.

After having seen it, I realized one thing...I was glad I didn't read the book.

Simmer down now, that doesn't mean that I'm not going to read the book.  Point of fact, I'm actually going to borrow it from my gf just as soon as my schedule opens up so I can see what the source material was like.

RANDOM TANGENT!  Adaptation.  Source material.  I'll get to that at the end, for now, on to the QuikSyn!

QuikSyn:  Susie Salmon is the simple, cheerful, wicked cool-on the verge of her first kiss-type of girl who has a serious zest for life.  She's good natured, loving and trusting to a fault when one day, after a walk home from school...she disappears.  In a time when children disappearing may or may not have been treated with the same seriousness as it is today, a half-hearted search effort by the police turns up no leads.  Meanwhile, beyond the world of the living, Susie finds her self in the in between; a place between heaven and earth where she fights to stay.  Her father, determined to find her, continues his search which leads him to his neighbor George Harvey, an eerie and lonely man who killed Susie and has killed before.  Meanwhile, Susie's sister Lindsey, takes up the reigns of her fathers investigation to find the proof of who Mr. Harvey really is and what happened to Susie Salmon.

Generally, this film kept me rooted in my seat the whole time.  I never found myself checking the time or wondering if the concessions were still open.  I actually, very much, enjoyed being at the film.

I felt like the visuals were stunning, not breaking down barriers but beautiful in both their lightness and their dark. There were moments that stayed with you, like Susie's realization as she walked through time, seeing her killer bathe in the tub...almost relaxing after a hard day's work.  Bathed in white light, with only splashes of red to disrupt the serenity of what you start off thinking is a safe place to be in.

I enjoyed the story and really connected with the Susie Salmon (SAOIRSE RONAN).  There were times I could feel myself pulling at the fabric of space/time to help her return to her family.  Saoirse Ronana does an excellent job of playing, well, a young teen but she isn't without her merits.  It's not that she played a teen but brought a real character to life.  If you look at her impressive body of work thus far, City of Ember & Atonement, you realize that the girl has some skill and will hopefully become one of the new leading women in the film industry.

Mark Wahlberg redeems himself as an actor, a little bit, in his performance as Jack Salmon.  It is probably one of his better performances since I Heart Huckabees...but not better than that.  He still seems to make weird choices that take you out of his performances but when he's rooted in the pain of losing his daughter and the return of his wife, he's believable, I'll say that.

The Happpening....shudder Mark Wahlberg.  Shudder.

Okay, now...what failed.

I really enjoyed the moment where Susie steals the body of Ruth (CAROLYN DANDO) but it left me kind of confused.  If she had this ability, why not use it earlier to say, I don't know, expose her killer?  Big plot hole here that took a leap of faith to follow and only my enjoyment of Saoirse's performance kept me from uttering a very vocal "HUH?!"

Tucci's performance, although quite good, had my creep radar going off the moment he stepped on screen.  There is no amount of money, promises of candy, a fun playhouse or anything that would have convinced me that walking off with him was a good idea.  The creep went a little far and is better suited when we're alone with him.  We're getting to see him behind closed doors and that's when he should feel creepy.   I just felt like we should want to understand why Susie could have made a mistake and walked off with him and I just didn't feel that way.  Sorry Peter.

Okay, about what I said earlier.  Set the scene:  I didn't read the book.  Done.

I've mentioned it in other reviews on my feelings about comparing books with their adapted film counterpart and I'll say it again.  Best advice, don't do it.  My logic is pretty simply formulated:  Books and films deliver their similar messages in completely different ways.  I admire the cries of the diehard fan or "fanboy" or "fanboyette" as I refer to them.  You know the type, if everything is not as it is in the book or not how they envisioned in their heads, it's a travesty and the world has failed them.  There seems to be a difficulty in these individuals to separate reality from fiction.  To separate from the idea that a book can be completely adapted to the screen, word for word.  It can't.  Books have the luxury of time that movies can not afford.  I don't think anyone would sit and watch a seven hour movie about The Lovely Bones.

Again, I have not read the book but this film is directed by one of those directors who believes in being as faithful to the source material as possible.  I could be wrong, but not likely.

Overall, I really enjoyed the film and would highly recommend you catch it when you can.  It's worth the watch.  I was sad to see it go after barely a week but Alvin & the Crapmunks were here for a month. RAGE!  (No, I didn't see the Crapmunks, but when Jason Lee won't return for the sequel?  Really?)

4 out of 5 Stars.

Next up, I have a big surprise screener from a local Director!  EXCITEMENT!  After that look for either Dear John, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, or Valentine's Day!

Fish and Chips,
Chuck

poster image sourced from:  http://pacejmiller.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/the-lovely-bones-poster.jpg
second image sourced from:  http://thefilmstage.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/TheLovelyBones.jpg
Tucci image sourced from:  http://photogallery.filmofilia.com/data/media/116/the_lovely_bones_13.jpg

Are You Watching?

I got introduced to a nifty little podcast on filmmaking titled Film Riot.  Led by the crazy, crazy awesome team of Filmmaker Ryan Connolly, Designer Tim Allen, and Ladies Man Josh Connolly, this show on Revision 3 is probably one of my new favorite shows available on the web.

Film Riot centers around Ryan, Tim, and Josh as they work together to figure out film tricks of the trade while producing their own short films, educating themselves and us in the process.  A mobile, cheap, do-it-yourself at home film school, if you will.

What I find so completely fantastic about the set up is that they really are doing an amazing job of breaking down aspects of film for the average layperson or amateur filmmaker or even, (yes, it warrants 2 or's it's that amazing) the practicing professional.

I have been racking my brain about what there is about this show that could be better and I can't really think of anything.  Maybe I'm just not trying hard enough but this show rocks.

Revision 3 is the leader in on the web content, with shows like Diggnation, Tekzilla, CO-OP, iFANBOY, and the Totally Rad Show, and, with the addition of Film Riot, it has become the number one site to stop at for all things geek-chic.

That's my two cents.  If you love filmmaking and want to get better, check these guys out @:
http://revision3.com/filmriot
http://www.facebook.com/filmriot
http://filmriot.squarespace.com/
On iTunes, search for Film Riot and you'll locate it in the podcast downloads...WHICH ARE FREE!


Fish & Chips
Chuck P.


Photos supplied by:
(Film Riot) http://joshburcham.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/picture-1.png
(Sex Appeal) http://filmriot.squarespace.com/storage/thumbnails/3864334-3722192-thumbnail.jpg
(Fingerless) http://i.ytimg.com/vi/j8pj8W73w9I/0.jpg

New Movie Review for Sherlock Holmes

Check it out at http://lagrandelife.com/2010/01/sherlock-holmes-reviewed/