Matty G's 2008 Summer Playlist

Hey everybody; it’s the first day of September, and summer is coming to a close.  So for today’s posting I am providing a list of the songs that, one way or another, defined my summer.  Some of them are new this year, while others have been around for years.  Since I unfortunately cannot provide you all with a copy of this mix, I have instead posted links for all of the songs so you can still hear them all for free.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

1. Paramore - “That’s What You Get” - RIOT!
2. Coldplay - “Viva La Vida” - Viva La Vida
3. The Birthday Massacre - “Looking Glass” - Walking With Strangers
4. Slayer - “Angel Of Death” - Reign In Blood
5. The Kills - “Sour Cherry” - Midnight Boom
6. Mates Of State - “Get Better” - Re-Arrange Us
7. The Ting Tings - “Shut Up And Let Me Go” - We Started Nothing
8. Tegan and Sara - “The Con” - The Con
9. Amy MacDonald - “This Is The Life” - This Is The Life
10. The Dresden Dolls - “Night Reconnaissance” - No, Virginia...
11. Katy Perry - “Ur So Gay” - One Of The Boys
12. The Action Design - “Connect_Disconnect” - Into A Sound
13. Cobra Starship - “Kiss My Sass” - Viva La Cobra!
14. Muse - “Map Of The Problematique” - Black Holes and Revelations
15. My Chemical Romance - “Disenchanted” - The Black Parade
16. Rancid - “Ruby Soho” - And Out Come The Wolves
17. Story Of The Year - “The Black Swan” - The Black Swan
18. Thrice - “Digital Sea” - The Alchemy Index, Vols. 1 & 2: Fire & Water
19. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - “IsIs” - IS IS
20. Dethklok - “Thunderhorse” - The Dethalbum
21. M.I.A. - “Paper Planes” - Kala
22. The Streets - “Fit But You Know It” - A Grand Don’t Come For Free
23. Avenged Sevenfold - “A Little Piece Of Heaven” - Avenged Sevenfold
24. Northern State - “Sucka Mofo” - Can I Keep This Pen?
25. Robyn - “Konichiwa Bitches” - Robyn

What’s In Theaters This Week: 8/29/08

Here are the films being released today:

Opening In Wide Release:

“Babylon A.D.” - Vin Diesel is a mercenary hired to transport a mysterious young woman who holds a secret that could doom the human race.  The director has recently accused 20th Century Fox of turning the original version of his film into a “violent and stupid” action film.  The film is based on a book called “Babylon Babies” that, when I looked online, has gotten lots of terrible reviews.  And yet, I think this film looks like it could be pretty sweet.  I’m still in.  Rated PG-13.

“College” - Three high school seniors attend orientation weekend at Fairmont University, where a rowdy fraternity recruits them as "pledges."  This film stars Drake Bell, who is apparently a popular tween actor these days.  To me, this film looks stupid and unfunny.  Rated R.

“Disaster Movie” - An unsuspecting group of twenty-somethings find themselves bombarded by a series of crazy disasters and catastrophic events.  Yet another film by the makers of “Epic Movie” and “Date Movie” and “Superhero Movie” and “Meet The Spartans” and so on.  Remember how I said “College” looked stupid?  Yeah, well it looks like “The Dark Knight” compared to this.  Okay, maybe that’s a stretch, but I hate this film series with a passion.  Please, DO NOT SEE THIS MOVIE!  You’ll hate yourself for it afterward, and they’ll only end up making more.  Rated PG-13.

“Traitor” - Don Cheadle is a former U.S. Special Ops officer who becomes the lead suspect in a dangerous international conspiracy.  Looks kind of cliche, but it’s got a good cast (including Cheadle and Jeff Daniels), so it has some potential.  Rated PG-13.

Opening In Selected Release:

“I Served The King Of England” - A look at the glamorous life at an old-world Prague hotel, where an ambitious busboy quickly rises to become a head waiter.  The film has a great look, but the combination of slapstick comedy and serious drama (as in Nazis invade) doesn’t really seem to mix well together.  Rated R.

“Sukiyaki Western Django” - During the Genpei Wars of the 1100s, gangs face off in the town of Yuda, while a deadly gunman comes to the aid of the townsfolk.  This film is a combination of Japanese and Western (as in Old-Western) content, and is narrated by a character played by Quentin Tarantino.  I want to see this crazy film!  Rated R.

“Year Of The Fish” - A rotoscope-animated modern-day Cinderella fairy tale set in a seedy massage parlor in New York City's Chinatown.  This film looks incredible; if I could only see one of this week’s films, this is the one I’d choose.  Watch the trailer and fall in love with this film yourself.  Not rated; looks to contain some minor adult content.

Movie Review - Brideshead Revisited

The plot: The story takes place in England during the extended period between World War I and World War II.  Charles Ryder, a student an Oxford college, meets and soon befriends Sebastian Flyte, a charismatic young man.  As the two become close, Charles gets to know the rest of Sebastian’s family, in particular his mother, Lady Marchmain, and his sister Julia.  Eventually Charles and Julia fall in love, which doesn’t sit well with Sebastian, who has also fallen in love (or, at least, in lust) with Charles.  At the center of everything is Lady Marchmain, a strong-willed Catholic who uses religion to effectively control the lives of her children (religion and faith figure strongly into the story-line, as Charles is an outspoken Atheist).

Does this sound like a film you want to see?  Here’s a better question: did you like last year’s Atonement?  If so, chances are you’ll like Brideshead Revisited, although it’s not at all in the same league as that film.

That’s not to say that Brideshead Revisited is a bad film at all.  It’s well-acted, tells a great story and is absolutely beautiful to look at.  But it doesn’t have the same emotional punch or epic scope that Atonement did; I didn’t come away from Brideshead Revisited feeling much of anything other than appreciation for having seen a good film.  And considering that this is a film adaptation of a 355 page novel that begins around the first world war and ends during the second, at times it feels like a lot of stuff has happened offscreen that would’ve been helpful to know.  Also, the film doesn’t quite manage to convey the vast amount of time that the story spans.  Apparently there is a 1982 television miniseries that does a better job of telling the entire story.

At the same time, I was consistently entertained throughout the film.  I cared about the characters and wanted to know what would happen to them; in particular I really wanted things to work out for Julia and Charles.  It was also refreshing to see a quieter, more thoughtful picture during the summer months, when almost everything coming out is a big loud action film (though I am a little surprised that Miramax chose to release this now as opposed to the fall, during the traditional Oscar season). And, like Brokeback Mountain and The Village, Brideshead Revisited is the kind of film that I believe one is able to appreciate more on repeat viewings.

Long story short, if you liked Atonement and are up for another thoroughly old school British experience, Brideshead Revisited may be up your alley.

Brideshead Revisited gets a 4 out of 5.

DVD and CD releases for 8/26/08 (revised)

(note: I added a couple of other releases I just found out also came out today)

We've got a number of good releases today.

DVD

The Nightmare Before Christmas (2-Disc Remastered Special Edition)

What Happens In Vegas

Redbelt

Chicago 10

Son Of Rambow

August

Where In The World is Osama Bin Laden?

Heroes: Season 2

Everybody Hates Chris: Season 3

Entourage: Season 4

NCIS: Season 5

One Tree Hill: Season 5

The Shield: Season 6

CD (note: some of these may be online-only releases)

Slipknot: All Hope Is Gone

The Game: LAX

The Verve: Forth

DragonForce: Ultra Beatdown

Simone Dinnerstein: The Berlin Conert

Maiysha: This Much Is True

Alias: Resurgam

Giants: Old Stories

Jupiter One: Jupiter One

The Reign Of Kindo: Rhythm, Chord & Melody

Valencia: We All Need A Reason

Acusis: Dancefloors & Cocktails - EP

Good Old War: Only Way To Be Alone

Movie Review - Tropic Thunder

Sorry I never got around to posting my movie reviews last week like I said I would; I'll be posting them all this week instead.

In Roger Ebert’s positive review of Ghostbusters, he remarked that it’s incredibly difficult to effectively mix big budget special effects with comedy.  “Special effects require painstaking detail work,” he said.  “Comedy requires spontaneity and improvisation, or at least that’s what it should feel like, no matter how much work has gone into it.”  Tropic Thunder is another movie that manages to balance over-the-top special effects/action with smart, very funny comedy.  It stars Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., and Ben Stiller (who also directed and co-wrote the film).

The movie centers around a group of actors shooting “Tropic Thunder,” a big budget, Apocalypse Now-styled war film based on a supposedly true story.  When the shoot goes over budget and the studio starts to get antsy, the director decides to drop the actors into the jungle on their own in order to give them some real motivation.  Unbeknownst to all of them, the site they are dropped at is part of a nearby heroin cartel, and the guys ultimately find themselves fighting a real battle (even if they aren’t always aware of it).

This is clearly a labor of love for Stiller, who in the last few years has starred in a number of forgettable comedies (The Heartbreak Kid, Envy, etc.).  Unlike those films, Tropic Thunder pulses with energy and inspiration.  The film gives the audience an intriguing look at the inner workings of Hollywood and the lives of actors that, while surely broadened for comedic effect, doesn’t feel like it’s too far removed from reality.  Stiller also proves himself to be a skilled action director: the intense action sequences often rank on the same level as the films they are spoofing.  But, most importantly, the action never gets in the way of the comedy.  All the actors get a chance to get big laughs out of the material, especially Downey Jr. as a revered Australian actor (think Daniel Day-Louis) playing an African American sergeant.  Downey takes a potentially hazardous role and walks the line perfectly; he could very easily get an Oscar nod for this role.

There are a lot of in-jokes and special guest appearances that make up some of the funniest bits of the movie (hint: it may take you a few minutes to realize the movie has actually started).  Most people already know about the appearance of a certain Scientologist, who may have single-handedly saved his career with this role.  Tropic Thunder manages to be one of the best comedies of the year as well as one of the best action films.  Definitely worth seeing.

Tropic Thunder gets a 4 out of 5.

Movie releases for Friday, August 22, 2008

Here are the new films for this week.

Opening in Wide Release:

• “Death Race” - In the near future, prison inmates compete for their freedom in a brutal, ultra-violent auto race using heavily armed monster cars.  That description will probably tell you whether or not you’re going to want to see this movie.  Rated R.
• “The House Bunny” - A Playboy bunny, kicked out of Hugh Hefner’s mansion, finds a new job as the housemother at the most unpopular sorority on campus.  Based on the trailer I think this has potential to be a pretty funny, and I really like the cast...including a friend of mine who has two roles in the film (way to go Erin!)  Rated PG-13.
• “The Longshots” - The true story of 11-year-old quarterback Jasmine Plummer, the first female player in the history of Pop Warner football.  I recently saw the trailer and, honestly, it looks really good.  I’m definitely planning on seeing this over the weekend.  Also, the movie stars Ice Cube and was directed by...well, see the movie first and then check out who directed it (hint: you will be VERY surprised).  Rated PG.
• “The Rocker” - Rainn Wilson (aka Dwight Schrute from NBC’s “The Office”) stars as a failed former '80s hair band drummer who unexpectedly gets a second chance at rock n' roll glory.  Wilson is awesome, but the movie kind of looks like a “School Of Rock” rip-off.  Maybe see it on DVD.  Rated PG-13.

Opening in Selected Release:

• “Hamlet 2” - A high school drama teacher tries to save the drama department with an original play--a musical sequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet.  This looks to be a film that purposefully offends everybody.  The trailer hasn’t inspired much interest in me, but the film’s gotten loads of good reviews, so maybe I’ll see it after all.  Rated R.
• “I.O.U.S.A.” - A documentary exploring the rapidly growing federal debt and its implication for the future of the United States and its citizens.  Like “An Inconvenient Truth,” this is the kind of film that many people will probably write off as liberal BS without bothering to actually see it.  Personally I think movies like this are worth seeing no matter what your position is...at the very least films like these serve to make us think about how we are handling things in America.  Rated PG.

What's new on DVD and CD this week (belated)

Hey guys, sorry for the delay.  To make up for it, I've included a ton of more obscure new releases you should definitely check out.  If you still haven’t tired of me and looked them up yet, here are this week’s new DVD and CD releases:

DVDs:

Camp Rock

Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds 3D Concert

Street Kings

Prom Night

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

The Life Before Her Eyes

Recount

The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior

Dexter: The Second Season

Gossip Girl: The Complete First Season

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Season One

House: Season 4

CDs (special note: I strongly recommend checking out the first four albums on the list - I did, and they're all excellent):

Amy MacDonald - “This Is The Life”

Janelle Monae - “Metropolis: The Chase Suite: Special Edition”

Uh Huh Her - “Common Reaction”

Ice Cube - “Raw Footage”

Laura Marling - “Alas I Cannot Swim”

Staind - “The Illusion Of Progress”

Goo Goo Dolls - Greatest Hits Vol. 2”

Stereolab - “Chemical Chords”

Dandy Warhols - “...Earth To The Dandy Warhols...”

The Chemical Brothers - “Brotherhood”

Dance Gavin Dance - “Dance Gavin Dance”

Lagwagon - “I Think My Older Brother Used To Listen To Lagwagon - EP”

The Acacia Strain - “Continent”

The Academy Is... - “Fast Times At Barrington High”

Don Caballero - “Punkgasm”

Family Force 5 - “Dance Or Die”

The Gaslight Anthem - “The ’59 Sound”

Juliana Hatfield - “How To Walk Away”

Jaguar Love - “Take Me To The Sea”

Lykke Li - “Youth Novels”

One For The Team - “Build It Up”

Ra Ra Riot - “The Rhumb Line”

The Summer Set - “...In Color - EP”

Movie reviews galore...starting tomorrow

Hey guys.  I'm currently in the middle of switching between computers (i.e. I finally got my Mac!), so I'm going to hold off posting anything until tomorrow.  But you can expect a number of reviews for movies currently in theaters (I made up for a lot of lost time this weekend).  I'll be reviewing "Tropic Thunder," "Brideshead Revisited," "Wall-E" and maybe "Pineapple Express" (if I get around to seeing it this week).  Have a great night!

-Matty G

Movie releases for the week of 8/15/08

There are a lot of films being released this week, so everyone should be able to find something they like:

Opening in Wide Release:

• "Tropic Thunder" - Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. star in this film, also directed by Stiller, about a group of self-obsessed actors who set out to film an "Apocalypse Now"-styled war epic and are unknowningly dropped into a real war zone. I am definitely going to see this movie; it looks really good as both a comedy and an action film. Most people think this'll be the film that finally knocks "The Dark Knight" out of the number one spot, and I think it will too. Rated R.
• "Fly Me to the Moon 3-D" - A 3-D animated adventure about three young house flies who stow away aboard the historic Apollo 11 mission to the moon. Honestly, this movie looks so bad it makes "Space Chimps" look like "Wall-E." Skip this at all costs. Rated G.
• "Mirrors" - "24" star Kiefer Sutherland stars as a mall security guard who finds himself having to deal with what appear to be ghosts hiding in the mirrors. Even though it's tempting to imagine Jack Bauer facing down ghosts instead of terrorists, I can't help but admit that the film just doesn't look very scary. The director, Alexandre Aja, made a really good/twisted French horror flick a few years back called "High Tension;" check that film out instead. Rated R.
• "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" - This animated film tells the events that took place in the titular war that occured offscreen between "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith." Despite what the trailers may seem to indicate, I've heard that Anakin and Obi-Wan don't actually feature much in the film; instead it focuses more on new character Ahsoka, Anakin's spunky young padawan learner. There is also an apparently gay Hutt character in the film too. Honestly I'm torn about this one: at first I just wrote the film off, but the more I've heard about it the more I've started to get interested. I'll have to hear what the critics have to say (so far the reviews are mixed leading toward negative). Also, this film is going to serve as a prequel to an upcoming television series. Rated PG.
• "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" - The latest film from Woody Allen stars Javier Bardem, Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz as beautiful people who meet in Spain and become tangled up in romantic/comedic situations. This looks to be one of Allen's better films in recent years, so whether you're a fan or have never seen any of his films this looks to be worth seeing. Rated PG-13.

Opening in Selected Release:

• "A Girl Cut In Two" - This French import stars the lovely Ludivine Sagnier as an ambitious young woman who is in love with an immoral writer, but instead marries an unstable young millionaire. Looks to be a sexy, intriguing thriller. Not rated, but looks to contain some adult content.
• "Henry Poole Is Here" - The discovery of a neighborhood "miracle" disrupts a dying man's plan to live out his days in seclusion and quiet desperation. Stars Luke Wilson and Radha Mitchell. Looks to be a very whimsical film that actually addresses spiritual ideals without delving into sentimental tripe. Has a bit of a Wes Anderson-feel to it as well. Worth looking for. Rated PG.
• "Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer" - Jack Brooks is an angry, young plumber who has repressed the memory of witnessing his family's brutal murder. Only when he unknowingly awakens an ancient evil, is Jack forced to confront his past, deal with the monstrous reality of the present and discover the true purpose of his inner rage. Features a cameo by Robert Englund (aka Freddy Krueger himself). If you're the kind of person who likes gruesome, low-budget (but well-made) horror/comedies like "Shaun of the Dead" and the "Evil Dead" series, you may like this. Then again, I like those films but I'm not so sure at this one. A definite maybe. Rated R.

Sixth trip to Hogwarts postponed 'til summer '09

Did the recent release of the teaser trailer for "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" get you all super-excited for the November release? Well sorry guys, but you're gonna have to wait a lot longer. Today Warner Brothers announced that they have decided to push the release of the sixth film in the most successful movie series of all time back until July 17, 2009.
Although movies are often pushed back due to problems with the production or bad word-of-mouth, the makers of "Half-Blood Prince" have assured everyone that's not the case. So why the delay? Two reasons: First, the most recent film in the series, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," was also released in July of last year and went on to become the second highest-grossing film in the series (only behind the original film). Second, Hollywood is still feeling the effects of the Writer's Strike, and releasing the film in the summer of 2009 helps Warner Brothers by giving them something big that they can release in summer where there will be a decided lack of major releases.
Good reasoning, but it won't stop me from grumbling until July...

Pop culture headlines (8/13/08)

Hey guys. I recently realized that I haven't posted any actual news items on this blog in a long time (if ever...), so I figured I'd devote today's post to exactly that. So, let's go to the "Matty G's Pop Culture 101" newsroom for the latest headlines:

• Actor Rainn Wilson, aka Dwight from "The Office," has a new film called "The Rocker" coming out in the coming weeks, and he's come up with an interesting way of promoting it: by kidnapping fellow Office co-star Jenna Fischer, aka Pam! According to a message that he has posted on her MySpace page, he has her tied up in the trunk of his Firebird and will, once "The Rocker" has grossed 18.7 million dollars, he will free her and give her a peach smoothie. There's even an official website called "FreeJennaNow.com" that provides up-to-the-minute information on the tense situation as it develops. Somewhere, Mike Myers is kicking himself for not coming up with a similar idea for "The Love Guru."
• You know how there are some movies that most people agree just shouldn't be remade? And you know how there are also always some people do just can't seem to understand this? Yeah, well now there reportedly is a remake of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" currently in the works. Yeah... Now, I am admittedly not one of the biggest fans of the original film, but I can still appreciate that it is pretty much perfect the way it is. It's hipness comes from the fact that it dealt with some pretty taboo subjects back in the day (a gay transsexual alien!??!? Come on!). Nowadays the whole thing is pretty tame by today's standards, so what're they gonna do? It probably won't surprize anyone that MTV is one of the major players behind the remake either.
• Who knew "Breaking Dawn," the last book in the Twilight series, would be so divisive between fans of the series? Indeed, it seems that what started out as simple disagreements between Twilighters on each side is quickly turning into an all-out war. Last Friday the popular fansite Twilight Lexicon was hacked by angry anti-"Breaking Dawn" Twilight fans who essentially wreaked havoc on the site. Part of the anger stemmed from the fact that the site had only been allowing posts from fans who liked the novel, which really urked the people who didn't like it. No word yet on whether the hackers have realized they are freaking out over a silly vampires vs. werewolves book and have attempted to get actual lives...
• King-Geek Joss Whedon has yet again denied rumors that there is going to be a sequel to his "Serenity" film anytime soon. "Serenity" itself was a sequel to the cult science fiction-meets-western television series "Firefly," which was quickly cancelled by FOX but became a major success on DVD. Despite constant vocal wishing from fans, former cast members, and even Whedon himself, he has continually repeated that there are no current plans for another film, seeing as how there are no interested studios and/or people with $50 million who are talking about it. But if the possibility for another film became a reality, Whedon has said that he would "do it in a heartbeat." (quote taken from MTV Movies Blog) Joss, if I had an extra $50 million I would totally hook you up.
• And finally, if you haven't seen the video of James Franco and Mila Kunis acting out a scene from MTV's "The Hills," you definitely should: it is one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. Check it out here: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/56c2d6a703

August 12, 2008 - New DVD and CD releases

Not much of a selection this week, but there are a few releases worth checking out:

DVD

• Smart People (starring Ellen Page from "Juno")
• Bra Boys (documentary about a famous Australian surf gang...who I assume do not wear bras; narrated by Russell Crowe)
• South Park - Season 11 (features the Guitar Hero-themed episode)
• The Wire - Season 5 (I've never seen this series, but I constantly hear it's one of the best tv shows ever made)

CD

• Jonas Brothers - "A Little Bit Longer"
• "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
• New Kids On The Block - "Greatest Hits"

"Breaking Dawn" review (WARNING: SPOILERS)

Hey everybody. Well, as the title of this posting will probably clue you into, I recently finished "Breaking Dawn," the last book in the Twilight Saga. You may have heard that there's been a huge backlash against this book: many Twilight fans are very unhappy with how things play out. In particular, a large number of fans thought that it went into really strange directions, and that the overall vibe of the story didn't quite gel with the previous three books in the series.

Well, personally, I liked "Breaking Dawn." I don't think it's perfect by any means, but I felt like most of what happened made sense when compared to what happens in the other books. It's true that many different plot elements in the story didn't go in the directions I was expecting them to, but I like it when stories do that (which also explains why I'm one of the few people who actually liked the last two Pirates movies).

Unlike some people, however, I wasn't surprised at all that Jacob imprinted on Renesmee; in fact I was expecting it as soon as they hinted the baby might be a girl. And speaking of Jacob, I also really enjoyed his storyline: how he became prepared to kill the Cullens only to find himself eventually defending them...I thought that part of the story was very well done. I liked how Stephenie Meyer switched perspectives between Bella and Jacob during the story, although it also made me wish she would have gone even farther with it and told more of the story from multiple viewpoints (for example, I would have really liked to read Alice's description of the journey she and Jasper took, and maybe an epilogue done from Renesmee's perspective). And while we're on it, I thought Renesmee's name was kind of stupid too...until everybody started calling her Nessie and subsequently pissing Bella off; I thought that was pretty funny.

However, I did have some major issues with Bella's lack of problems becoming a vampire. I didn't really mind at the time, but thinking about it afterward I would have liked to see her have to deal with that a lot more; it felt like it was done to save time more than anything else. I also thought that the whole revelation that the "werewolves" weren't actually werewolves was dumb and unnecessary. And more really should have been done with the Volturi...that was a storyline that just never got finished (in fact I really hope someday Meyer writes another book where they're challenged by someone; it kind of needs to happen).

And it's true that the whole thing kind of turned into an underwhelming Harry Potter at the end, but...well, I don't know...I still liked it. I think it's mainly because I've always felt that the characters themselves were the strongest aspect of the stories (to be honest, I've never really felt the plots of any of the books have been much of anything. Stephenie Meyer definitely prefers to have the drama in her stories happen internally rather than externally), and I still liked them all. So yeah, not perfect, but I still enjoyed it.

My "Twilight" cast

Hey everybody. I just finished reading "Breaking Dawn," and on Monday I'll post my thoughts on the novel and on the backlash that it has birthed. Until then, here's a just-for-fun list of my picks for who I would've cast in the "Twilight" movie adaptation.


Edward: Shawn Ashmore - Known primarily as Iceman from the "X-Men" movies. I don't really know why, but this is exactly how I pictured Edward everytime I read.





















Bella: Kristen Stewart - My only pick who is actually appearing in the movie. I've been following her career for a while, and I just think she's extremely talented. She's very good at portraying characters who are lonely, shy and emotionally conflicted. The roles she's played in "Into The Wild," "The Messengers" and "In The Land Of Women" really aren't that different from Bella.








Alice: Nikki Boyer - Nikki Boyer is a host on the TV Guide Channel. Not only does she look exactly how I pictured Alice in the books, but she's got the same spunky, fun personality that defines her.










Jasper: Hayden Christensen - Christensen got a lot of unfair flack for his work in the "Star Wars" prequels...I've seen him in other movies and the guy can act. I think he's got the perfect balance of seriousness and reassurance that Jasper has.












Rosalie: Evan Rachel Wood ("Across The Universe," "Thirteen.") Ironically, Nikki Reed (her friend and "Thirteen" co-star) is playing Rosalie in the movie (the movie is also being directed by "Thirteen" director Catherine Hardwicke).















Emmett: Heath Ledger ("A Knight's Tale"- era.)



















Carlisle: Ewan McGregor ("Star Wars" prequels, "Stay," "Trainspotting.")



















Esme: Naomi Watts ("King Kong," "The Ring," "Mulholland Drive.")

















Jacob: Simon Baker ("Into The West.")

Charlie: Enrico Colantoni. He already played a cop (well, an ex-cop) on "Veronica Mars," the best show on television before it was cancelled. Throw some hair on his head and give him a mustache, and I think's he's got it.

Movie releases for the week of 8/08/08

Happy Friday everybody. Sorry I haven't posted anything in a few days...there've been some technical and personal difficulties on my end. But anyway, here are this week's new movie releases (I didn't have time to check all these out, so you'll have to do the legwork yourself this week...sorry):

Opening in Wide Release

• Pineapple Express - Seth Rogen and James Franco are stoners who go on the run after witnessing a murder by a crooked cop and a dangerous drug lord.
• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 - Four lifelong friends wear the traveling pants again and embarkon separate paths for their first year of college and beyond.

Opening in Selected Release

• Bottle Shock - The birth of California's wine industry, and how a small American winery triumphed over the French at the 1976 Paris Tastings.
• Beer For My Horses - Country singer Toby Keith stars in this film, based on his song of the same name. Best buddies and small town deputies defy their boss and head out on an outrageous road trip to save a girlfriend from kidnappers.
• Elegy - A college lecturer's womanizing ways are ended by an all- consuming affair with a voluptuous 24-year-old grad student.
• Hell Ride - All hell breaks loose when Pistolero, the leader of the biker gang The Victors, sets out to exact revenge on a rival gang, the 666ers.

Code Monkeys on DVD today too

I completely blanked this morning and forgot to add "Code Monkeys - Season 1" to today's DVD release list. If you haven't seen this show, it's a South Park-type animated series from G4 about a group of people who work at a video game production company in the '80s (it's even animated in the style of the old 8-bit Nintendo games from the era). I love this show, and if you don't mind very raunchy/gross-out humor you should definitely check it out as well.

August 5, 2008 - New DVD and CD releases

Hey, sorry it's a bit late, but here's this week's CD and DVD releases:

DVD

• Nim's Island
• The Counterfeiters (won the Best Foreign Film Oscar this year)
• Get Smart - Season 1
• Robin Hood - Season 2 (the new action-packed BBC version)
• Life In Cold Blood (apparently this is about cold-blooded animals)

CD

• Conor Oberst - "Conor Oberst"
• Within Temptation - "The Silent Force"
• The Faint - "Fasciinatiion" (and yes, that's how it's spelled)
• Lewis Black - "Anticipation"
• Randy Newman - "Hearts and Angels"
• Laurie Berkner - "Rocketship Run"
• Carla Bruni - "Comme Si de Rien N'Etait"

25 Movies with Awesome Twists

Hey everybody. I just got done re-watching the Scream trilogy, a movie series driven by major plot twists, so I decided to present a list of 25 of my favorite movies with great twist moments. I won't spoil any of them for you; you'll just have to find out how good they are yourself. Enjoy!

25 Movies w/ Awesome Twists (in no particular order):

1. Scream (1996)
2. Scream 2 (1997)
3. Scream 3 (1999)
4. Saw (2004)
5. Seven (1995)
6. The Matrix (1999)
7. Dark City (1998)
8. A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
9. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
10. Oldboy (2003)
11. The Prestige (2006)
12. Mulholland Drive (2001)
13. Matchstick Men (2003)
14. Hard Candy (2006)
15. Magnolia (1999)
16. The Double Life of Veronique (1991)
17. Atonement (2007)
18. Psycho (1960)
19. Audition (1999)
20. The Orphanage (2007)
21. The Sixth Sense (1999)
22. Frailty (2001)
23. Angel Heart (1987)
24. Identity (2003)
25. Hero (2004)

"A Week of Twilight": How will it all end?

Hey everyone. Sorry this is being posted so late; blame the amazing Doctor Who season finale. So, since this is the last posting in my "A Week Of Twilight" writings, I decided to write about what I think is going to happen at the end of "Breaking Dawn." But first, let us review...

Perhaps the most resonant storyline in the "Twilight" series is Bella's desire to be made into a vampire by Edward and join the Cullen family. Almost every character in the series has a deep rooted feeling about whether or not Bella should be changed. Bella wants to become a vampire so she can live with Edward forever in eternal youth, although her feelings have been swayed at varying points throughout the series. Edward, however, doesn't want her to be changed because he believes her soul will be lost (he believes his own is lost already), and he wants her to have a normal, full life.

The rest of the Cullen family all have differing opinions on the matter. Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Esme and Carlisle all, to some extent, want Bella to join their family. Carlisle and Alice have both promised to make Bella a vampire at different points. Rosalie is the only one who sides with Edward, but she has her own reasons: she hates being a vampire and is jealous of Bella's humanity. She believes that Bella is throwing away her mortal life without giving serious thought to the matter.

And of course there's Jacob Black, Bella's best friend who is also in love with her, and who is also a werewolf. He is vehemently opposed to Bella's desire to become a vampire because, as a werewolf, he hates all vampires with a passionate intensity. He also hates the idea of losing Bella to Edward forever.
So, how do you think it will all end? Will Bella become a vampire and live with Edward for all eternity? Will she stay human? Will one of them die? Here's the three most likely endings I'm predicting:

• Bella becomes a vampire, joins the Cullen family, and lives with Edward forever. It's the most obvious choice (and what a very large number of the fans want), but is it the best?
• Bella stays a human; Edward somehow becomes human. Edward, like Rosalie, also detests what he is, and would most likely take that option if possible. Maybe he'll get the chance to change (although I have no idea how that would happen).
• Bella stays human; Edward dies (permanently). Stephenie Meyer is going to need to hire security if she ends the story this way, considering how many devoted female readers have fallen head over heels for Edward. But there have been hints that the story may go in this direction; stories about doomed lovers ("Wuthering Heights," and especially "Romeo & Juliet") are mentioned repeatedly throughout the series. And there's always Jacob...
  

Well, that's it guys. Thanks for following me through this series. Next week I'll get back to my regular postings. And I promise that you won't hear anything more about "Twilight" from me until I post my own review of "Breaking Dawn"...which comes out tomorrow! Enjoy!

Friday, August 1: New Movie Releases

Hey guys. Here are this week's new movies:

Opening in Wide Release:

• "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" - Here we go again. The third official film in the popular series brings back Brendan Fraser and friends (excluding Rachel Weisz, as she's now an Oscar-winning actress) to battle yet another mummy. This time it's a Chinese mummy and his army who are re-animated and attempt to take over the world. The original film was fun, but this one looks to be more like "The Mummy Returns": a mindless film with crappy dialogue and way-too-much CGI. And no offense, but why is Brendan Fraser still a star? Rated PG-13.
• "Swing Vote" - Kevin Costner stars as an apathetic redneck who ends up being the person whose vote will decide who wins the presidency. This looks a lot like the kind of big budget comedies they used to make in the 80s and 90s. Depending on the amount of cahjones (aka Balls) the filmmakers possess, this could either be a sly political satire or a tepid can't-we-all-just-get-along cheese-fest. But either way I probably won't see it. Rated PG-13.

Opening in Selected Release:

• "Frozen River" - Winner of the Grand Jury prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, this thriller is about a poor woman living on New York's Mohawk Native American reservation who starts smuggling illegal immigrants into the country. Looks like an interesting storyline that you don't normally see onscreen. Also, Quentin Tarantino loves this movie, and his opinion is usually good enough for me. Rated R.
• "Midnight Meat Train" - Leon is an aspiring photographer who, searching for the grittier side of New York City, finds himself on a midnight subway train...along with a brutal serial killer. This is a horror film based on a short story by Clive Barker ("Hellraiser"). If you like extreme horror films like "Saw" and "Hostel" then this might be up your alley. But you'd think the filmmakers could have come up with a better title, right? It sounds like a...well, a different kind of film about meat. Rated R.
• "Sixty Six" - It's Britain in 1966, and 12-year-old Bernie is about to have his Bar Mitzvah. Unfortunately, as it turns out the date of the celebration is also on the day of the World Cup finals. If you're one of the few people in America who follow soccer (aka the most popular sport everywhere but here), then you can understand why this would pose a problem for Bernie. Looks to be a funny and engaging (and very British) comedy about growing up. Rated PG-13.