View this The Men Who Stare at Goats movie review at its original location – FilmJabber!

View this Ghosts of Girlfriends Past movie review at its original location – FilmJabber!

• Robert Zemeckis announced that a script, by the original writers, is in the works for Roger Rabbit 2. Ironically, a movie that stars a cartoon may be his first movie in a long while to feature live-action actors.
• Eduardo Sanchez announced some troubling news: he is preparing to pitch a spec script to Lionsgate for a sequel to The Blair Witch Project. Though he plans to ignore the disastrous second film, this still sounds like a desperate money play.
• John Rhys-Davies said he won’t be returning to The Hobbit as Gimli, which makes sense since Gimli isn’t in the book. He said he would like to return as an elf or another character, though.
• A production company has acquired the rights to remake Gattaca, which starred Ethan Hawke, as a futuristic police procedural on television.
• Anthony Hopkins will play Odin, father of Thor, in the upcoming Marvel action film.
• Tropic Thunder screenwriter Etan Cohen has been hired to write Men in Black 3.
• Mad Max 4: Fury Road is moving ahead with Tom Hardy in the role once played by Mel Gibson. Charlize Theron will co-star.
• With a bunch of other projects in the pipe, J.J. Abrams will unfortunately not direct Mission: Impossible IV. He will produce the project, however, and said that the story will not be a reboot.
• Producer Stephen L’Hereux said that the long-rumored Sin City 2 may finally go to cameras in the second half of 2010, to be directed by both Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller.
• It looks like a Monsters vs. Aliens sequel won’t e happening, due to lackluster international reception. Other than being in 3D, the movie really wasn’t that good.
• Director Peter Berg has dropped out of doing Dune, and rumors put Neil Marshall or Neill Blomkamp as possible replacements.
• Shortly after announcing that Matt Damon and Josh Brolin would star in the Coen brothers remake of True Grit, the famed directors stated that the movie would follow the novel more closely, bringing to life some of the humor that “was lost in the original.”
• Joe Wright will direct Kiera Knightley in a remake of My Fair Lady.
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The direct-to-DVD movie is a blend of footage from the show and newly shot scenes, providing a more detailed look at how the Cylons planned their attack and infiltrated the human race. After “the plan” didn’t quite go the way they expected (the human race wiped out in one deafening boom), merciless Brother Cavil, on board the Galactica, conspires with his fellow Cylons to take down the ship and everyone on board. But as time passes, his brethren begin to second guess their mission.

As intriguing as the premise is, it unfortunately suffers from a lack of strong narrative and the look and feel of a “best of” repeat show. The Plan, directed by Commander Adama himself, Edward James Olmos, is a valiant attempt to add more to the BSG mythology, but in reality it’s not much more than a money grab for the SyFy Channel. The intent of this picture was, presumably, to tell an untold story and piece together the facts, but in reality it does little to expand upon what we already know. There are a few interesting tidbits to be found, but ultimately the show itself did a perfectly good job of showing the human side of the Cylons and their planning and prodding; it’s not as if The Plan presents anything new.

In fact, I was expecting – even hoping – that Battlestar Galactica: The Plan would exclusively focus on the events leading up to the initial attack on the colonies. To see their infiltration and preparation would have presented a unique view into the BSG world; instead, we’re given a rehash of events with some extra stuff thrown in for good measure. Even the biggest BSGdiehards – and I’m one myself – will be wishing for the end long before it comes.

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan presents some new material, but the fact that it attempts to shove several seasons worth of the show into two hours makes it impossible to escape the feeling that it’s just a recap episode. Its narration is at times clunky and uneven, the end product a disappointment. This is not the way BSG should be retired.

I’m also giving away a copy of the movie, but the contest ends on Halloween!

I’ve never understood why the Ice Age movies have been so popular; the three films made so far have made nearly two billion dollars worldwide, not counting DVD and merchandise sales. The first one was boring and the second, while better, was still lackluster. The third film, unfortunately, is the weakest of the three.

In Dawn of the Dinosaurs, idiot sloth Sid (John Leguizamo) discovers three dinosaur eggs and begins to raise the little T-Rexes as his own. He also stumbles across a lost world full of big dinosaurs and other dangerous creatures and vegetation, forcing his pals Diego (Denis Leary), Manny (Ray Romano) and Ellie (Queen Latifah) to venture into this world to save him. Allegedly hilarious situations ensue.

The problem is: Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs isn’t funny. The previous movies, while dull at times, offered up some glimpses of hilarity; in this movie, there are a lot of goofy situations, but few if any evoke any kind of laughter or enthusiasm. The best stuff – involving Scrat, of course – was shown in the previews, leaving a bunch of cluttered scenes for your viewing pleasure.

Though plot has never been all that important to these films, Dawn of the Dinosaurs seems to completely throw any semblance of such to the wind. The movie is just a collection of random situations that the characters have to get themselves out of, which are perfectly fine for five year-olds but painful for everyone else. The movie never lets up, but after a while it gets tiring; as confirmed in the bonus features, the crew basically sat down and attempted to come up with as many zany situations as possible… the screenplay itself is rarely mentioned.

Unfortunately, the visuals are also starting to look extremely subpar to the stuff that DreamWorks and Pixar are pumping out. Not only does Ice Age 3 struggle to entertain, it struggles to even look pretty.

There are few redeeming qualities about Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaur. It certainly has plenty of adventure, but it is bland adventure at best. Little kids should have a blast with all of the random obstacles the characters face, but everyone needing more than a few goofy moments will be pulling their hair out. I wish I could say that this will be the last Ice Age movie, but we all know different: 20th Century Fox has no incentive to change its formula anytime soon.

The two-disc DVD set that I reviewed included a director’s commentary, additional movie trailers and lots and lots of relatively uninteresting bonus features surrounding Scrat, including two short films, the creation of Scrat, the creation of Scratte and more. Other bonus features include some behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast and crew, primarily the visual effects people. There’s not a lot of meat to bite down on here, and very little stuff for the kids alone.

View this Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs movie review at its original location – FilmJabber!

Amelia is perfectly watchable, with pretty visuals and strong acting. The casting director certainly can’t be blamed. Swank has always walked that fine line between having attractive features and boyish looks, and epitomizes the tomboy qualities of the title character. Swank, one of the best actresses working today, delivers an excellent performance as she immerses herself in the character as best she can. The supporting cast, which includes Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor and Christopher Eccleston, also are quite good. Gere, as Earheart’s husband George Putnam, fits the part well; neither McGregor nor Eccleston get a lot of time to flesh out their roles.

That’s the problem in general, however. Amelia barely scratches the surface in terms of character development; as hard as Swank and Gere try, their characters seem woefully plain. Though the picture revolves around Earhart’s various accomplishments, most notably her flights across the Atlantic and eventually the doomed attempt to circle the globe (spoiler alert: she dies), it is driven by her unique relationship with her husband. And yet, Nair and screenwriters Ronald Bass and Anna Hamilton Phelan never appropriately explain what draws the two to one another, or why Earhart decides to marry him. Later, when she cheats on him, her motivations are never explained, and the film completely glosses over the reasons why Putnam takes her back. All of these elements are necessary to explore what makes Earhart and Putnam tick, and yet none of them are tackled in Amelia. The result: a very standard and at times dull movie that tells us what Earhart did but not why she did them. And I don’t buy into the explanation given early on: “Because I want to.”

Despite these major flaws, Amelia is perfectly watchable. Nair offers up fine visuals and scenery, full of scenic views of various parts of the world. Swank’s performance smoothes over some of the script’s shortfalls, and if she weren’t in such a so-so movie would probably have a shot at an Oscar nomination. The film does kick into gear at the end, where things settle down and focus on the final hours of the pilot and her navigator.

Still, if Nair is scratching her head as to why critics and audiences aren’t responding to her latest film, she may want to watch The Aviator. The movies have a lot in common, including a colorful, determined character interested in aviation who wouldn’t let anything stand in his or her way; a story that spans a number of years; a period setting; and many other attributes. And yet, the two are worlds apart in execution. In The Aviator, there is an emotional investment in the characters and the story, and a dynamic layer that drives the film beyond the historical facts. Amelia lacks those things, and that’s why the film never excels.

Amelia has its moments, and it goes out on a strong note, but aside from Swank’s performance, the movie could have just as easily been a good television biopic. At the theatrical, Oscar-worthy level, however, Amelia just can’t compete.

View this Amelia movie review at its original location – FilmJabber!

Are audiences finally tired of the repetitive nature of the Saw movies? I sure hope so. Saw V was so bad I couldn’t sit all the way through it, and I vowed to never watch another one ever again (though my brother, who went to the latest premiere, said that this one wasn’t half bad – and that coming from someone who rightfully believed that the first Saw movie was absolutely terrible). Even loyal Saw fans were put off by the fifth entry, and that may have led to this round’s decline.

Of course, the real reason Saw VI fell is that it had direct competition in another, more positively received horror movie titled Paranormal Activity, which won the box office weekend with $22 million. The little horror movie that could, which cost only $11,000 to make and $300,000 to purchase, is the quintessential definition of profitability: having earned $62 million so far, it has made back its production costs 5600 time over. More importantly, Paranormal Activity, which is actually scary, has denied Lionsgate the chance to market that “Saw VI is the #1 horror movie in America.”

Of course, next year’s Saw VII, which is already in the works, will reveal whether the failure of Saw VI is a fluke or a trend. Considering that Lionsgate has basically relied on the brand to sell the movies for the last several years, we may see some more intricate marketing to try to attract audiences beyond its core demographic. Let’s hope that the Saw movies will continue to fade – though it will be some time before Lionsgate starts losing money on these ventures. With a production budget of around $10 million, even Saw VI’s meager opening has already put the film in the black.

The other new movies of the weekend were dead on arrival. The Godawful-looking Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant earned a paltry $6.3 million. Twilight, it is not. Astro Boy debuted with only $7 million, and the first real Oscar contender of the fall to open semi-wide, Amelia, fell flat, opening outside the top ten with $4 million and a 17% rotten rating at RottenTomatos. Ouch.

Head on over to the FilmJabber home page for the entire top ten at this weekend’s box office.

1. Paranormal Activity beat out Saw VI at Friday’s box office. Saw’s box office reign may be over, as it is likely to take in under $20 million this weekend (compared to last year’s $30+ million opening).
2. Mad Max 4: Fury Road is finding traction, but without Mel Gibson. Rumors have the George Miller sequel starring Charlize Theron and Sam Worthington. I want Worthington’s agent.
3. Daniel Craig says Bond 23 will start filming near the end of 2010. In that time, one hopes they figure out how to make it more like Casino Royale and less like Quantum of Solace.
4. Wes Craven may actually direct Scream 4, which is not too surprising, and it may in fact be in 3D.
5. Roman Polanski is facing extradition, as the United States has filed an official request with the Swiss government.
6. Dylan Baker is returning for Spider-Man 4. Baker plays Dr. Curt Conners, who goes on to become The Lizard, a villain.
7. Neill Blomkamp, who directed District 9, has started work on his next sci-fi film. The movie will have a modest budget, but will likely be higher than the $30 allotted for the summer hit.
8. Rumors surfaced that George Lucas may be preparing to produce a new Star Wars trilogy in 3D, with such directors as Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola to direct. As expected, those rumors turned out to be false, as LucasFilm denied they were working on any such films.
9. David Duchovny said he’d be open to doing a third X-Files movie and defended the dreadfully boring second film. He said he’d like to return to the alien mythology, though whether the movie ever gets made is another matter.
10. Apparently, the screenplay for The Crow remake has been well-received by its studio and is now shifting to the casting stage.
11. Ridley Scott and Angelina Jolie may be teaming up to bring the murder of Maurizo Gucci and the drama of the designer family to life in Gucci. Apparently, Leonardo DiCaprio has been approached but is currently not attached.
12. The hit Broadway show Rock of Ages will come to life under the watchful eye of Hairspray director Adam Shankman.
13. The Weinstein Co. is planning to reboot its tired Scary Movie franchise with all-new characters, which likely means that star Anna Faris will no longer be involved. They’re waiting for Scream 4 before starting.
14. Jude Law and Robert DeNiro are rumored to be in the upcoming Thor movie.
15. Jackie Earle Haley was recently rumored to play Sinestro in the upcoming Green Lantern movie. Haley shot down those rumors, but let’s hope they come true anyway, because he’d be perfect for the role.
16. Laura Dern will play the headmistress at the school where Ben Stiller’s Little Fockers attend.

1. Sam Raimi acknowledges and agrees with criticism toward Spider-Man 3. Says he’s “to get back to the basics” with Spider-Man 4 (set to be released in 2011)
2. Che, which was originally released in December 2008, is finally coming to DVD – but not until January 19, 2010. It will be released as one movie versus its two theatrical parts.
3. The rumor mill is circling Beverly Hills Cop 4; one source says the studio is looking to hire a new writer to start over from scratch, and another says they’re looking to adapt an unrelated spec script. Yet another says that Judge Reinhold and John Ashton will reprise their roles, but conflicting reports say no casting has been decided.
4. The president of the National Association of Theatre Owners said his members were “ballistic” over Paramount’s decision to release such films as G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra to DVD only 88 days after its theatrical release. Most people are ballistic that the movie is coming to DVD at all.
6. The documentary Michael Jackson: This Is It is selling out on Fandango, even though its release is two weeks away. And yet, concert promoter AEG’s claim that the film will make $250 million in five days seems a bit steep.
7. Jon Favreau said he won’t be directing The Avengers, but he will be a producer.
8. Chris Pine (Captain Kirk in Star Trek) more than likely will be the next Jack Ryan, following in the footsteps of Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and yes, Ben Affleck.
9. Roland Emmerich is considering doing Independence Day 2, though it hinges on Will Smith’s involvement.
10. Bryan Singer says he’s open to directing X-Men 4. Fans everywhere hope that he can wipe away the memory of the third film – and Wolverine.
11. The screenwriter of Saving Private Ryan has been tasked with writing a Warcraft movie.