Paramount, in its never-ending battle (along with the other studios) to make money off of movies they’ve already released, is re-releasing How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days on DVD and Blu-Ray on August 25, 2009. The movie, which stars Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson as two opposing forces each trying to break the other, was an entertaining little romantic comedy when it came out, though it never quite lived up to expectations. (more…)

The best advice for anyone that is thinking about watching District 9 is to go into the film blind. While it’s been often said “knowing is only half the battle” (a G.I. Joe catchphrase nonetheless), the other side of the battle is, of course, not knowing. The more the audience knows about District 9 prior to watching the film, the less they’ll take away from the one of the better entertaining theatre experiences of 2009. So let’s stop while we are ahead and everyone can exit this review of said film to avoid any spoilers…

Read the rest of Dakota’s District 9 movie review.

It’s not really a full trailer but a promotional interview/teaser, but new footage is provided from the upcoming The Twilight Saga: New Moon movie. If you’re a teenage girl who wants to see Jacob Black shirtless and ripping with muscles, this looks like just the video for you.

Watch it now, and let me know what you think. Here’s the latest New Moon trailer:

Late summer is typically dumping grounds for forgettable blockbuster wannabes and never-weres (see: G.I. Joe), but this August is a bit different. With A Perfect Getaway working surprisingly well last week and Inglorious Basterds coming soon, audiences have a variety of quality choices to choose from. But it’s District 9 that will likely emerge as the out-of-left-field winner, a slick sci-fi action-drama out of South Africa with few recognizable actors and a budget of only $30 million.

District 9 is set in Johannesburg, where, 20 years ago, a gigantic spacecraft appeared overhead. After weeks of no contact, the government finally went inside and discovered a species that were soon dubbed “prawns” for their shellfish-like appearance. For their own health and safety, they were relocated to a slum district of the city. Over the years, however, the city and much of the world has turned against the seemingly chaotic creatures, setting up a new form of apartheid and isolating the creatures. In response to increasing unrest, the government has hired a private firm to go in and relocate the creatures to District 10, an area 200 miles away. Needless to say, moving 1.8 million aliens will not be as easy as everyone thinks.

Read the rest of my District 9 movie review.

By the time August rolls around, most of the big blockbusters have faded into the sunset and studios, desperate to ink out a few more dollars in the dog days of summer, start unleashing their B-round of films. These movies are generally worthless and forgettable, hardly worth the $10 price of admission. Going into A Perfect Getaway, a largely un-marketed thriller from Universal Pictures, this is exactly what I expected. Thankfully, the movie is surprisingly entertaining and well done, despite a rather disastrous third act.

Read the rest of my A Perfect Getaway movie review.

This has been the week of the war movie, as I’ve been stunned by not one but two great films in the last few days – and they couldn’t be any more different in their tone and approach.  The American-made The Hurt Locker was one of those movies, and the other is Waltz with Bashir, the Oscar-nominated Isreali documentary/drama that redefines whatever genre it belongs to.

Waltz with Bashir (Vals Im Bashir) is about writer/director Ari Folman’s exploration of his forgotten past. A modern-day filmmaker who, at 19, served in the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, Folman doesn’t remember anything about his time in the war, or, more specifically, his involvement in the Sabra and Shatila massacre, where hundreds or perhaps thousands of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians were slaughtered at the hands of soldiers and militiamen. After meeting an old war buddy for a drink, however, he begins to have flashbacks and decides to set out, interview his friends and former soldiers and regain his memory.

Read the rest of my Waltz with Bashir movie review.

Why I do this to myself I have no idea. For you, my readers, I suppose. Or a deep-rooted sense to intellectually cut myself at every possible opportunity. My roommate and I sat down last night and for the next hour and a half submitted ourselves to every bad camera angle, shot, corny piece of dialogue and unintelligible moment of Mutant Chronicles has to offer. It was painful, but Mutant Chronicles is one of those movies that are so bad they’re good.

Mutant Chronicles, based on a role-playing game, is directed by Simon Hunter and written by Philip Eisner (whose only respectable screenplay is Event Horizon). God, where to start. The movie is all over the map, though it’s hard to tell what is intentional and what is not.

Read the rest of the Mutant Chronicles movie review.

It’s a sad day in America. Most likely, we’ll mark this day in our calendars as a day to bow our heads in shame, to ponder how normal American citizens gave so much power away to those money-loving studio heads. For me, it’s my own personal nightmare (as far as box office nightmares go)…

Yes, G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra overcame incredibly bad buzz and horribly cheesy movie trailers to make $56.2 million in its opening weekend, the fourth-highest August opening ever. This amounts to a per-screen average of over $14,000. (more…)

It’s August. If you’re probably like me, you’re sweaty, hot and in desperate need of some time out of the sun. What’s better (other than going to the beach) than to sit back in an air-conditioned room and watch not one but ten good-to-great movies? Sure, most of the big blockbusters have already been released for the summer, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t stuff to see.  (more…)

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra could have been a great movie. It could have been the beginning of a franchise. But then Stephen Sommers was hired to direct the film, and any chance the film had at being even halfway decent went right out the window. When the first footage was released, I knew we were in for something devastating. The G.I. Joe movie trailer all but confirmed the project was a complete disaster. (more…)