movies

Friggin’ sweat! Located in Columbus, Ohio.

Warner Bros has confirmed that Goonies 2 is in production, reports Moviehole.  “A source at Warner Bros has since confirmed [Goonies 2],” the site asserts, “saying they are developing it as a major movie, but won’t share anything other than that.”

Here’s hoping the news is legit. What with the recent announcement of Tron 2, I’ll soon be in 80s geek heaven.

Lindsey and I saw The Dark Knight while attending Nerdtacular ‘08 on Saturday. Here are my thoughts, bullet point style:

• This is the darkest, dare I say most believable superhero movie I have ever seen. That’s a good thing.
• Heath Ledger as the Joker plays the most disturbing supervillain ever caught on camera. There are a handful of moments that you wish he would just stop what he is doing to his opponents — he’s that abrasive; that tormented. It’s easily an Oscar-worthy (at least a nominee-worthy) performance, and one that solidifies the Joker as the most villainous villain of all time.
• Batman is sorta weak in this movie, dealing with feelings of self-doubt, indecisiveness, and a propensity to invade the privacy of others (though he does the latter only once during desperate times, a decision I would support). In defense of his flaws here, Batman is human after all, not a true superhero (he’s merely a ninja with a lot of money to buy really cool anti-crime gadgets). (more…)

Pixar’s Wall-E and Stanly Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey share a lot in common. Both are set in space, feature little dialog, have robots taking over the world, are immensely artistic, won’t keep a 2 and ½ year-old engaged despite their G rating, and offer a handful of sophisticated moments in filmmaking. But both are really monotonous — an analogy proving that Wall-E is easily Pixar’s worst film to date, for both adults and children alike.

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Though I widely disagree with DeadBolt’s Top 10 picks (Beowulf? You cannot be serious), the movie portal makes a strong case for most of their selections, with Pixar rightfully sweeping the top five slots. As for me, Ratatouille is easily the greatest computer animated film ever made, and one of the best feature films of all time — animated or otherwise.

Lindsey and I watched The King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters on Wednesday, a hilariously funny “documentary” that follows Steve Wiebe as he attempts to overtake the world’s highest score in a game of Donkey Kong from reigning champion Billy Mitchell.

Not only is the movie entertaining, but it’s cleverly presented in “good vs. evil” fashion, boasts an awesome soundtrack, and features some very creative transition effects. Oh, and it stars lots of socially inept individuals who are fun to watch.

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I finally saw Helvetica on DVD last night with my non-designy wife. Some thoughts: (more…)

Lindsey and I went to see The Invasion tonight. It’s a solid, creepy movie that doesn’t drag on too much, has some awesome foreshadowing cinematics, and presents a rather believable story. Good stuff.

The trailers before the film were pretty good also. Here are two movies I plan to see this fall…

Dan in Real Life

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Lindsey and I had the opportunity to watch the Bourne Ultimatum while my sister-in-law babysat Sadie on Saturday. Outside of its being a most excellent, non-gadgety, weaponize your environment type spy-movie, I discovered what I believe to be the worst boss in the world: a spy (or CIA) boss.

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I had the pleasure of seeing Transformers last night with a friend. I stress the word pleasure because it was exactly that. I wasn’t expecting good acting only going for the special effects, but Shia LeBouf was the movie standout. His comedic delivery and believability are top notch.

Michael Bay, the director, did an excellent job despite being largely criticized for his past big, over-the-top movies. Granted, there are several plot holes in the movie, but remember you’re watching a film about big giant robots once catered to 5-year old boys as I once was. Indulge yourself, and you’ll come away watching one of the most visually impressive, entertaining, and freshest movies (at least in terms of cadence and visuals) in a long time. 4 1/2 out of 5 stars, though it’s not Oscar material (like I know what is).

Oh, and I also saw Ratatouille over the weekend. Different kind of movie than the above, but Pixar’s animation is the best I’ve seen and this is easily my favorite film they’ve made due to its sophistication and compelling story. Both films highly recommended.