I’ve been a little lax in my posting, but a few things I wanted to mention….

Mission Impossible 3 – Tom Cruise, you crazy bastard. You look awesome for 50 and as much as I want to dislike you, I thought you were great in MI3.  Overall, I thought it was a decent action film, with quality character development and good casting.

Finally watched Cowboys vs Aliens.  As they say in the old west-BANG!-I just shot and killed that movie and put it out of its damn misery. God willing, creeks arising…a movie like that will never. happen. again.

On to TV…still catching up on Mad Men. Still thinks it is AWESOME.  New favorite shows: Hell on Wheels (Welcome to my DVR Cullen!) & New Girl. Two completely opposite styles..well…completely opposite everything, but both well done. (Schmidt…we love the douche bag jar. Totes.)

I know I am forgetting a million things I wanted to share, but that’s OK. After all, tomorrow is another day…S

See, here’s the thing about the MI movies, even though there are 5 of them, wait 4, (I guess Knight and Day didn’t count), they are all different styles. We had the espionage thriller, the gratuitous violent, the piecing together of clues and finally, the spectacular. Each movie in this series has brought us something different and under the leadership (yup I said it), of one Mr. Tom Cruise, it has maintained it’s freshness.

The movie moves at breakneck speed and even though there are the crucial, been there, done that  plot characteristics, it all seems new. Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton (who?) all contribute to the ensemble cast that makes the movie entertaining. Even though it is wide in scope (it was shot in IMAX), it’s director, Brad Bird and producer, some guy named JJ Abrams, never lets you forget that every character has a role to play. Even former Lost-ite, Josh Halloway (Sawyer) has an integral role in the beginning.

As you can probably tell, I am still giddy from the experience that was Ghost Protocol. Another viewing should solidify my opinion as it being the best action movie of 2011. For all of you naysayers, I dare you to go see it (in IMAX if possible) and not lose your breath when Agent Hunt literally steps out of the tallest building in the world. That scene alone, AMAZING!!!!!

In any case, 2012 is shaping up to be the year of he movie . Without further ado, I give you the definitive Top 10 (actually 11because well, I couldn’t make up my mind)movies I am most looking forward to in 2012 (in no apparent order):

The Avengers (Summer):

Yup, this will prbably be crap, but everything leading up to it has been solid (yes even you, The Incredible Hulk). Color me interested. The only thing I am worried about? Over saturation. It started as a slow burn that turned into an awareness overload. We will see what happens.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Winter):

When you make one of the most critically acclaimed trilogies of all time that wins multiple awards and changes the fantasy genre as we know it, can you really recreate the magic. I say, no, but then again I will still go see it at midnight.

Skyfall(Fall):

Craig. Fiennes. Bardem. Ummm, yeah, I don’t need to justify this.

The Expendables 2/ Bullet To The Head (Summer/Spring):

This one is a one-two punch (pun intended). I mean, when is the last time we had TWO Stallone movies in one year. Let me ask that again. WHEN IS THE LAST TIME WE HAD 2 STALLONE MOVIES IN ONE YEAR?????  Sold . . . (Lets not forget Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris and Van Damme) . . .

The Dark Knight Rises(Summer):

My prediction? Bane breaks Batman by killing ALL of his loved ones. Yup bye Alfred, bye Lucius, bye Gordon. Bruce avenges their deaths by losing his own life and breaking his own rules just to have his symbol revived via one Joseph Gordon Levitt. Yup, you read it here first . . . This will also be the DEFINITIVE superhero movie (at least until Man Of Steel is released a year later). There is a God and Nolan be thy name.

The Hunger Games(Spring):

Well. I knew nothing about this until I saw the trailer and was enthusiastically told about it by some fans. Looks awesome and definitely seems true to the source material. Of course, I should read it first before I make that judgment. A March release makes summer start that much earlier.

GI Joe: Reataliation(Summer):

OK, so I was like one of two people who actually liked the Rise of Cobra . . . . ish . .  . However, taking a page from other franchises that was on life support, the addition of new cast members (ahem, The Rock, Bruce Willis, ahem) and the addition of ninjas, this looks like its going to be fun. Don’s believe me? Check out the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSX2oxLdcWA

Prometheus(Summer):

So back in the day, my intro to the Alien universe was at first Cameron’s classic, Aliens. Then I saw Alien and even though it was more quiet and darker, it goes above and beyond all that te genre had to offer in the decades since. Welcome back Mr. Scott. Don’t eff this up.

 World War Z(Winter):

Zombies + Fantastic Plot + Walking Dead-ish style characters . . . no need to extrapolate . . .

Django Unchained(Winter):

Have you seen Inglorious Basterds? You know the first 15 mins of that movie when Christoph Waltz’s character interrogates a farmer about the people that he is harboring in his house? That has got to be the best piece of filmmaking in the last 10-20 years. Amazing execution(again pun intended) makes me salivate at the thought of another Tarentino film.

If you are like me, you are probably craving the next episode of The Walking Dead and February could not come soon enough.  In the meantime, hear me out on why I think Shane is the most real character on the show.
Don’t get me wrong. I like me some Darryl, Andrea has grown on me, Glen is getting his swagger on and Rick is just whiny(although he has redeemed himself by taking out Sophia). But Shane, to me he represents true human nature. He is a survivalist in a world that will never ever be the same, with a group of people who think that they can magically escape and return to their normal lives.
He is also tragically flawed. Does he really love Lori? Or, does she represent (in his eyes) the normalcy that everyone else is looking for?
When he thought that his best friend was dead, Shane did what any best friend would do, help the family of his best friend who took a bullet for him to survive. Along the way, he may have fallen for his best friend’s wife. I mean Rick was dead, so this is all fair game right?
Then Rick shows up. Shane is left scratching his head and asking wtf? By the way, he also banded with a group of other survivors and was christened as their leader. When Rick shows up, his status is taken away and he is relegated to being a friend of the family again.
What would you do?
My opinion, Shane represents true human nature. He represents what is in all of us. He desires to be happy and he gets to taste it. When it is taken away from him, he goes a little crazy. Think about it. You yearn for something and you get it, just to have it taken away from you.
Wouldn’t you go crazy too?
When Shane shoots Otis, its a true representation of what Shane has become. He never loses sight of what he wants. The woman that he loves, and the son that he had adopted would be saved due to his actions. By any means necessary . . . even if it means sacrificing the man who put his adopted son at death’s door.
Wouldn’t you do the same?
In the last episode of the first half of Season 2, Dale tells Shane that he belongs to the world that they now live in. He suggests that Shane is the product of it. I predict this is why Shane will continue to survive among  many of the characters that are all doomed to become walkers or worse . . . they continue to live with false hope . . .
Is it February yet?

How about the classics though?

I know that it seems that we spend a lot of time speaking about old movies on here, but this time of year calls for the classics. I am not talking about the obvious White Christmas/It’s a Wonderful Life classics either. I am talking about the modern day classic. For example. last night I was flipping through the stations and came across a Lord Of The Rings marathon. I own the movies, both versions. And, with The Hobbit coming up it seems pretty apropos to revisit them.
First of all, it has been 10 freaking years since The Fellowship Of The Ring came out. 10 . . . years . . . WOW!!!!!!!
10 years since Sam Gangee agreed to follow Frodo to destroy The Ring . . .
10 years since Gandalf discovered Saruman’s true motives . . ..
10 years since Aragorn began his journey to accept his true role as King of Theodin . . .
10 years since the unfortunate demise of Boromir . . . .

Revisiting these movies this weekend really helped to show what a director could do with vision. Hardly are there any movies of such magnitude that is executed with such brilliance (sorry Avatar, you were NOT The Two Towers).  Not since Star Wars (the original Episode IV) have we seen what a director with a limited budget and true understanding of the characters can do. Peter Jackson got it and he nailed it.

In this day and age of 3D and remakes and sequels we get to go back to the Shire in a year. I really hope that it lives up to the movies that we were given 10,9 and 8 years ago.  With probably an unlimited budget, merchandising rights, franchise kick backs  and unlimited creative control however, sometimes a director can lose his way.

Let’s hope that Peter Jackson is not friends with George Lucas . . .

We’ve experienced slavery and oppression before on The Clone Wars (i.e. Ryloth).  We even witnessed discrimination over the past arc: Jedi Master Pong Krell was most certainly a ‘clonist.’  So, what’s my point?  I suspect, and I could be wrong, that when we see Captain Rex (or as Krell would say: CT-7567) in action on Friday night, there won’t be mention of what happened on Umbara.  I guess what happens on Umbara, stays there!… Well, at least for now.  The only thing tying last week’s episode and this week’s together will be this theme of injustice.

In my humble opinion, the problem with having an arc such as Umbara [episodes seven through ten of season four] is that it’s extremely hard to top (That’s a good thing, by the way!).  Not that Filoni & Co. should be expected to ‘top’ anything, as they continue to raise the bar from one season to the next on The Clone Wars television series.  I also acknowledge that subplots in this series are created, dismissed and then revisited: Take Savage Opress, for instance.  With that being said, I will have a difficult time placing the remaining ‘loose ends’ from the Umbaran arc on hold.  Like the Mortis trilogy (from season three), I still can’t believe what I just saw on Umbara.  I’m not comparing this arc to the Mortis trilogy (my personal favorite, thus far), other than to say it will really irritate me if (or should I say when?) Rex appears on camera on Friday evening and there’s no mention of Krell or the 501^st’s experience on Umbara.

So many questions still need to be answered: What was the conversation between Rex and Anakin about the first time they made contact post-Umbara?  (Maybe R2 knows?)  What’s Krell’s back-story?  Who was his master at the Jedi Temple?  What caused him to fall to a darker place?  Was it the clone wars or something entirely different?

“From this point forward, we’re entering uncharted territory.” ~ Captain Rex

By the end of this series, the words of the 501^st while on Umbara might be some of the most prolific lines we will hear during the clone wars.  Rex’s pep-talk to his troops after the death of Waxer (of the 212^th Attack Battalion) echoes what many of us have been convinced of all along: Clones are humans, albeit engineered, but they’re NOT droids!

As I reflected upon this arc, I would argue that Rex was not the leader of it.  Yes, in the end he rose to the occasion, took charge and unified his men.  Ultimately, he deserves much of the credit for saving the day.  What nobody is talking about (and I apologize to the ForceCast if they discussed this yesterday on the Clone Wars Roundtables – I only got a chance to listen to part of a live show) is how ARC trooper Fives was the real catalyst for the 501^st.  Like Rex, it was Fives who had a problem with Krell’s tactics and motivation right from the beginning.  But unlike Rex, he took real issue with clones being compared to droids.  At one point, he even brought up the fact that he and his peers weren’t “just another number.”  I chuckle, because this has been an ongoing issue for Fives and how others see him and his brothers.  If I’m not mistaken, I recall Echo and him arguing about this several times in the episode titled “Clone Cadets.”

Fives, unlike Rex, was willing to disobey orders from Krell, even if that meant severe consequences.  When have we witnessed this before from a clone trooper?  We haven’t, but I certainly think we will again.  I’d like to hope that Fives and Rex, if they survive, will stand up against Order 66, but only time will tell.  Fives, although defiant, motivated the 501^st into rising up against a Jedi gone awry.  He took the blame for his actions and continued to pump Rex’s head full of wisdom that many of us believe few clones possessed.  Fives was my hero on Umbara and I think one of the main reasons the 501^st came out victorious.

“I will not just follow orders when I know they’re wrong, especially when lives are at stake!” ~ ARC Trooper Fives

I don’t like to speculate too much when it comes to The Clone Wars.  Dave Filoni is always throwing curveballs at us: Did you ever expect things to unfold the way they did on Umbara?  Many speculated that the reason Palpatine requested Anakin’s presence, thereby relinquishing his command of the 501^st to Pong Krell, was to stir up this distrust for a Jedi.  Here we have some obvious attention directed towards Order 66, an order that branded Jedi as traitors of the Republic, calling for their immediate execution.  As we all know, this was a command to be carried out by the clone army.  Some believe that Krell was placed in charged on Umbara (a very stressful warzone) to create the distrust between clones and Jedi, therefore, initiating the wheels in motion for such an order down the road.  There may also be another reason though, which is quite contrary to this way of thinking.  Perhaps Palpatine was hoping the Republic would fall on Umbara, including Obi-Wan Kenobi, Krell, the 501^st and the rest of the battalions.  He wanted to removed Anakin Skywalker from harms way, to protect his interests.  Perhaps he also understood, like Anakin, his battalion (the 501^st) was a little reckless and rebellious.  He didn’t want this faction of troopers getting in his way of flawlessly implementing Order 66, years later.  He could have saw them as a liability or a roadblock to executing such an order.

One thing’s for sure, Fives is now one of my favorite characters in the saga.  Kudos to Dee Bradley Baker for his phenomenal performance during the Umbara arc.  I really don’t know how he does it!

‘Found footage’ portrays realism through video in ways traditional movie making could never do.  It converts drama to horror.  It takes seemingly normal characters and makes them more mysterious, paints canvases darker (even in broad daylight) and constantly reminds the viewer that the camera is not capturing everything that’s happening to the cast and quite frankly, that’s scary!  The movie Jaws, produced in a traditional movie filming style, with its robotic sharks employed this technique very well.  One of the most influential directors of our time, Steven Spielberg, wasn’t able to capture all the action on storyboards and in effect, he had to show less of the great white, ultimately creating more fear for the viewing audience.  What you can’t see can hurt you after all!

‘Point of view’ film finds its roots back in 1980 (No, it wasn’t The Blair Witch Project!).  The film was called Cannibal Holocaust and it still turns heads thirty-one years later.  [The trailer for this movie, explicit in nature, can be viewed here: http://youtu.be/LQYqgKTJmBQ.]  I would argue that blood and gore are only icing on the cake, in this instance.  The ways these movies are assembled give birth to their dark nature, unlike a movie such as Hatchet (You heard me right!) or Last House On The Left.  Since 1980, over seventy ‘found footage’-type films have been or are in the process of being completed.  Seventeen of those movies pre-date what some could argue was the turning point within the mini-genre, the year 2007.  I would suggest that with the ability to create valuable content on lower budgets coupled with the successes of Paranormal Activity (2007), [REC] (2007) and Cloverfield (2008), we’ll continue to see screenplays coming to life via this approach.

Is there a downside of the over-saturation taking place right now?  More than three-quarters of these films had (or have) release dates between 2007-2012.  Some will see this engorgement as a negative, I on the other hand believe quite the opposite – it’s competition!  Great things come out of competition (Apple products for one) and what I’ve seen from movies like the [REC] saga or Troll Hunter has me excited for upcoming ‘found footage’ releases.

These are the next three big releases that you cannot afford to pass up:

The Bay (2012) – Outbreak strikes: A deadly disease moves from the ocean onto the eastern seaboard.  Small-town USA aka Claridge, Maryland turns into utter chaos.  Part of the intrigue of this flick comes from the fact that we know very little about it.  ‘Found footage’ takes its initial steps into a larger world with another first… Oscar-winning director, Barry Levinson, is at the helm.  He also gets assistance from producer Jason Blum of Paranormal Activity fame, who was quoted as saying this was “definitely the most graphic horror movie [he’d] ever been involved with.”

[REC] Genesis (2012) – The audience gets more details into how the evil behind the zombie-like humans from the first two parts of the saga got its origins.  The backdrop is a wedding, which takes place miles away from the sealed off building in [REC] 1 and 2.  Zombies are the hottest things in Hollywood right now (even hotter than Desperate Housewives)!  Don’t believe me?  Look at the Nielson television ratings and social network chatter surrounding The Walking Dead.  It even has its own postgame recap show: The Talking Dead.  Paco Plaza, the director of the [REC] saga, is a genius when it comes to employing this craft.  Zombies, more Vatican involvement and perhaps even an ‘I do’… What more needs to be said?!  I expect nothing less from the third installment.

Chronicle (2012) – Three high school students discover superpowers beyond their wildest dreams.  These powers inevitably lead them to darker places.  This film has all the elements of how innocence can quickly become tarnished and damaged beyond repair.  I have a difficult time trusting teenagers behind the wheel of a vehicle, so the fact that these three main characters assimilate super-human abilities has me scared out of my gourd from the inception of the film.  Between the reboots of our favorite superheroes and the increase in popularity of ‘found footage’ films, Chronicle has the potential to be one of the best this mini-genre has to offer or a wonderful concept gone terribly wrong.

Before I give my reasons, I need to air something out. I do not consider myself a Trekker or a Trekkie. However, I am a fan. I own the Death of Spock arc (Star Treks II-IV), The Undiscovered Country, the Abrams Star Trek and consider First Contact on the same level as the already mentioned Undiscovered Country. I also have watched all episodes of TOS and TNG at least twice. I was not loyal to Voyager or DS9  but thought that Enterprise was not given the respect that it deserved (don’t even get me started on what a cop out the series finale was).

Having said all of this, I am a fan of science fiction and therefore qualify myself to make my argument.

So without further ado, here are MY 5 reasons (not anything that I found online) that Kirk is ultimately cooler than Picard:

5.) Kirk has Khan, the most ultimate badass Star Trek baddie, Picard has . . . Q . . . really? Wasn’t that the guy who played Murdock in The A Team????

4.) Picard is French . . . as in, born in France . . . Kirk is a corn fed, midwestern boy from Iowa. Sorry, my money is on Kirk.

3.) Picard never hit on Deanna Troi leaving room for Number 1 to do it instead . . . if that was Kirk, she would have been around for like half a season . .  . Which captain has an officer named Number 1 anyway?????

2.) Even though Kirk had less adventures on tv and movies, he conquered Nazi Germany, the Depression, God and the 80’s AND brought his dead, half human friend back to life. Picard blew up the Enterprise twice, got assimilated by the Borg and cried about it and had to fight a clone of himself . . . . . all the while Data was playing with his feelings microchip.

1.) When Malcolm McDowell wanted control of the Nexus and the space time continuum  (!), who did Picard ask for help? One, James T. Kirk . . .

‘Nuff Said . . . .

PS: I’ll even throw in an extra one for you. Kirk’s catchphrase was . . well he didn’t have a catchphrase, everything he said was cool. Picard’s? “Make it so!” — REALLY?!?!?!? LAME!!!!!!!

There are still the classics, the must see of the genre, especially during the Halloween season. Some movies, define the horror genre and they sometimes even change the way that horror movies were made. Unfortunately, my list may not have some of these movies. Instead, I have movies that I watch ONLY at Halloween because in my mind it defines what Halloween is. So, withour further ado my top 5 Halloween MUST SEE:

5.)  Batman(1989): Tim Burton’s gothic Gotham + Jack Nicholson’s over the top Joker +    a 5 ft Michael Keaton bumping uglies with Kim Basinger’s Vicky Vale =’s Halloween fodder.

4.) Thriller: OK, so it’s not really a movie. But it has a Hollywood director and gives us Special Effects that eclipses anything that Star Trek The Next Generation put out 10 years later in its first season. Annd, it’s Michael Jackson at his best dancing with ZOMBIES . . . .

3.) Anything that Hollywood is telling us is popular for the genre: In previous years, it was the Friday the 13th/Nightmare on Elm Street/Halloween  movies (discussed above), then the genre kinda sucked for awhile before being resurrected by Scream. Then Rob Zombie had some fun with it (Devil’s Rejects is pretty effed up), then came torture porn (Saw I-XXV), and now the supernatural (Paranormal Activity). Whatever, Hollywood tells me is popular that year, I will be a sucker for a good ol’ scare, or in the case of Saw III-VII, a sucker in general.

2.) Shaun Of The Dead: Nothing to say about this, just EPIC AWESOME!!!!!!

1.) Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein: I dare you to find any other movies that put together the industry’s top monsters and make them fight it out Expendables-style, all the while being thwarted by two bumbling comedians.

Please bear in mind, I am no saying that these are my scariest movies ever. I am just saying that these are the movies that make Halloween , Halloween for me.

Some Honorable mentions:

The Wizard Of Oz: Flying Monkeys, Munchkins and Green faced witches, OH MY!

Disney Specials: What? I have a 5 year old and who doesn’t like Phineas and Ferb.

Syfy Originals: These are good no matter what time of year.

The Walking Dead: Even though this is a new tv series, it is perhaps one of the best for the horror genre and hopefully one that is here to stay . . .  forever . . . (or at least until the zombie apocalypse).

Wonder what Harry Knowles would think about this?

There has also been much Star Wars related news. Like it or not, the Expanded Universe is here to stay, and by Expanded Universe I mean the world of The Clone Wars. If its one thing positive that came from the prequels (almost forgiving the now infamous, Noooooo and Jamaican Binks), it has been the creation of The Clone Wars tv series. Finally we get to see a young Obi-Wan and brooding Skywalker fight across the Universe with their  clone armies as Anakin’s turn slowly stews.

There have also been some misfires *cough*Green Lantern*cough* and some big plans that really did not pan out (Pirates 4 . .. REALLY?!?!?!?!). Avatar was great but do we really need a sequel?!?!?!?!?!(Phirana still remains the GREATEST 3D movie in recent times, eff you critics).

And, some amazing geek tv, The Walking Dead, American Horror Story, Desperate Housewives and Game of Thrones (just checking to see if you’re paying attention) to name a few are burning up the waves. We said goodbye to LOST, 24 and BSG but hello to . . . well The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones and AHS .

It looks like the past is coming back. At the writing of this, Ghostbusters (the original) is playing at the local megaplex and there is talk of a direct sequel. Titanic and Star Wars are coming back in the winter in the form of 3D (more on that later), and there is talk of Beetlejuice 2 (with Batman and Tim Burton).

There have been also been some great tech advances. We now have the Nikes Marty McFly wore in Back To The Future II (for a mere $1500), the tech for a hoverboard, and Deloreans back on the market (albeit not flying ones, thanks for lying Doc Brown). We also have voice activated prompts from hand held computers that would make even Captain Kirk proud (Star Trek IV anyone??).

What I am trying to say is that geekdom is here to stay. We are living it. And even though, I consider myself a nerd who geeks out, I am a true geek at heart. Now, if you would excuse me, my 4 year old son is asking that I help him write a story about Captain Rex and the clone army (tear).

Watch out Harry Knowles. We are for real!!!!!!