Top 10 for 2012 . . .

So, as 2011 wraps up and 2012 is almost here, there are a lot of “best of” lists circulating on the internets.  I would like to actually digress from a “best of” list ad concentrate instead to a “most looking forward to” list. Of course, I will say what my favorite movie of 2011 is. In the year of superheroes, mutants, sequels, reboots, and kid-fare, for me the only movie to rule them all was The Muppets. Yup, thats right. Finally, Jason Segal was able to right the wrongs of the past by making a Muppet movie that captured the lightning in a bottle that was The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper and Muppets Take Manhattan. And this is taking into account that I have yet to see MI: Ghost Protocol, Hugo, The Artist, Dragon Tattoo and TinTin.

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.

In Defense Of Shane

What would you do?
The world as you know it is gone. Your best friend is either dead or almost there.  You have no family, no friends. His estranged wife and son are all alone. Did I mention that the only thing that stand between them and their extended family is a couple of dozen thousand walkers? They need you!!!!
Meet Shane, one of the most loved to be hated characters on television right now. When I tell people who watch The Walking Dead that he is my favorite character, they kinda look at me with caution as if to ask, “Are you crazy?”

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?

Halloween Essentials

Here we are. Happy Halloween! It’s the one time of year that you can convince people who don’t like horror movies to attempt to watch them. In recent times, the horror movie has undergone some popularity changes. No longer are slashers popular (Jason Voorhees is sooooooo 1985), or torture porn the trend (how many Saw movies can they make???). Zombies and the supernatural are now tearing up the twit-verse on any given day.

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?

We’re Baaaaacccckkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!!!!

It certainly has been a while. Life has been hectic. Since our last entries, there has been lots going on in the world of geekdom. The Avengers are getting ready to assemble, The Dark Knight is getting ready to rise (not porn), and the Man of Steel is getting the much needed updating for the 21st century. Michael Bay made up for the abomination of TF2 and the Fast and Furious is a profitable franchise again. Did we mention about the resurgence of one Sylvester Stallone’s career?

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!!!!!!

Knowing. . . 2012. . . Book Of Eli . . . END OF THE WORLD . . . .

In the last few weeks I have been (un)fortunate to get a glimpse into humaity’s future a la movies such as Knowing and The Day The Earth Stood Still . . .
Um. BORING!!!!!!
I mean how many times can we be treated to the end of the world. Not since the mid -90’s has the trend become more popular. I mean, back then, Deep Impact, Amargeddon and Independence Day tackled the subject, but at least they were entertaining.
Now we have people like Nicolas Cage, Denzel Washington, John Cusack and their supporting cast trying to escape(or in Denzel’s case) cope with a post-apocalyptic way of living.
Don’t these guys get it? They cannot outrun it. ANd we are forced to endure their wasted plans.
I know I am a superhero buff, but wouldn’t it be cool if we see a superhero exist in a post-apocalyptic world? I mean maybe Roland Emmerich can tackle the new Superman movie. Or maybe not . .. I saw 10,000 BC. . . .
At least we get to see major US cities get destroyed in many different ways . . . Don’t know if that is a good thing.

GI Joe VS Transformers

Early word on the street is that GI Joe is “more fun” than Transformers. I grew up with the toys, the comics, the videos etc etc etc.
The first Transformers was fun. The second one SUCKED. See above.
Summer movie season is almost over and the only viable movie that felt like summer blovkbuster was Star Trek and even so it wasnt even officially summer weather season yet.
Stephen Sommers movies are a mixed bag. The first two Mummy movies were fun, Van Helsing SUCKED. Men In Black was good. Mien In Black II, NOT SO MUCH!!!!!!
We shall see how GI Joe plays out. Let’s hope it doesn’t suck. I mean Marlon Wayans is in it so it can’t be that bad right?

Bigger Is Not Better . . .

When I was a kid and a blockbuster movie was relased, it was an automatic assumption to prepare for the sequel. Batman, Superman, Indiana Jones, Star Trek etc, etc etc. Some of the times the movies provided a worthy sequel, (Rocky IV anyone?), but sometimes the sequels were overblown pieces of crap with more style over substance (Batman Forever et al).

In saying this, the trend has seemed to have gotten better as directors and writers have started yielded worthy sequels. Harry Potter, Spider-Man 2, X-Men 2, Rocky Balboa, Rambo, and of course the most definitive sequel ever made, The Dark Knight. Of course there are some duds that are still out there (Crystal Skull).

Having said all of this, Mr. Bay, you NUKED THE FRIDGE, big time.

Even though the first Transformers was pretty bloated, with one special effects shot after the other, we still cared about the characters. You were able to delicately balance the humans’ stories with the robots’ stories.

Not in this one.

If something wasn’t exploding, there was robot carnage or horrible lines being delivered by everyone on screen. Was it really necessary to have numerous comedic elements that were so blatant. Where was the baddass-ness of the original? The fun? Do I really need to hear an autobot say that they are going to kick some “ass”?

When Transformers: Return of the Decepticons Who Really Did Not Die In The First Place opens, it should be interesting to see if it will be as successful financially as this one.

This is not going to fare well for GI Joe(although I don’t think this had a chance from the beginning).

Superman Lives?!?!?!!?

In my most recent post, I commented on the rumors that will undoubtedly surround and lead up to the production of the inevitable The Dark Knight sequel. Well, as it may be I did not intend to start hearing about Superman rumors. You know, the ones like Mark Millar being given an opportunity to pitch his idea to WB or McG saying that he will be willing to revisit the JJ Abrams script almost brought to fruition 7 years ago(CIA Lex Luthor? No thanks).

Well it seems that a tested source from the guys over at Aint It Cool News, has heard from a tv interview that the Wachowski Brothers are tapped to handle a brand new, re-booted Superman trilogy. Um, ok. Speed Race sucked, so did the last two Matrix movies, but the thought of WB doing Superman well over at WB seems like a natural marraige. We already know that they can direct the hell out of a fight scene. We are going to have to keep an eye on that one. Please, please, please DO NOT NUKE THE FRIDGE!!!!!!

Also, I just caught the teaser for Inglorious Basterds. QT+Brad Pitt asking for Nazi scalps against a WWII setting= ONE BADASS MOVIE. August 21, 2009.

-Verisimilitude

Christmas Classics . . .

This time of year can be very stressful! Trying to find that right gift for that special someone, getting the house all decorated and ready for the fat white guy, or putting up with the relatives. Whatever the case, Christmas time is special(and stressful) for just about everyone.

As all of the madness happens around me, I like to break out the classics this time of year. Mindyou, I’m not talking about It’s A Wonderful Life, White Christmas or even the 222nd version of A Christmas Carol.  

The new classics represnt movies like Die Hard, Scrooged, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Rocky IV, Batman Returns, Love Actually, the LOTR trilogy and Jingle All The Way that I must see. And these are just the ones with a Christmas theme. Every Holiday season, I try to squeeze in  a number of movies that make me feel all warm and yuletide like. In addition to the above named, the movie I watch before I go to sleep on Christmas Eve . . . .

Superman: The Movie

If you do not know by now, I am a huge Superman mark. I somehow never make it past the helicopter scene in the first 90 minutes, but to me Superman represents everything the Christmas season is. No matter how many reboots, remakes, re-imaginings there are, I plan on watching this every Christmas Eve until I am no longer here. 

Until next time, Verisimilitude and Merry Christmas!

The Dark Knight Revisited….

I saw an article about whether or not director Christopher Nolan is going to make a third Batman Movie. Some of the internet gossip had actors like Angelina Jolie, (no offense but give it up, you’re only in movies for the eye candy) Johnny Depp (love ya!!!! but stick to the Pirates type role) Philip Seymour Hoffman (I just think of Patch Adams) and Cher. Really Cher!!!

I am mixed as to whether there should be a third one made. I don’t think that he will find someone to give a better performance than that of the late Heath Ledger, and to me his performance made that movie. I can only think of one franchise that has a great triple combo, Pirates. Lord of the Rings was good but too long and didn’t keep my interest. There have been a lot of great Batman movies (Still a huge fan of the original Michael Keaton), maybe it is time to hang up the rubber suit and move on to a new super hero. Superman?? Someone New?? I think Superman is ok, but I think that modern theatre goers need the gadgets, “Those toys where does he get those toys.” Whoever takes over just make sure (s)he has those toys!!!!

Any thoughts on whether there should be another Batman movie or new superhero to take over the big screen???