Thursday, October 26, 2006

New Poll- Best Matrix Quote


The phenom movie the Matrix is our latest quote poll. There are a lot of memorable lines from this movie. Check out the quotes and vote for the best one. Did I miss one? If so, let me know.

It is the Airplane quote... and stop calling me Shirley!

Here is the winning quote from Airplaine!:

Ted Striker: Surely you can't be serious.
Rumack: I am serious... and don't call me Shirley.

Coming in a close second is:

Elaine Dickinson: There's no reason to become alarmed, and we hope you'll enjoy the rest of your flight. By the way, is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?

Love this movie.

Stranger Than Fiction!

I just read a great review of a new movie. The review is on Ain't It Cool News and is entitled: Massawyrm Loves STRANGER THAN FICTION!! Stranger Than Fiction, which opens 11-10-06, is a Will Ferrell movie with a lot of buzz. It also stars Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, and Emma Thompson.

This movie is not your typical comedy with Will Ferrell. According to the article, this movie is "One of those uncommon comedies that manages to transcend the genre and enter Oscar level territory (an award rarely offered to comedies) this film sets itself apart from the very beginning." This movie is directed by Marc Forster, of Monster’s Ball and Finding Neverland fame.

In the Fantasy Moguls game, I was able to pick this movie as my third round pick. I love this pick after reading this review. I am hopeful that the great reviews and Oscar hype continue. Check out the movie review above. Then check out the trailer here. If it intrigues you as much as it does me, make sure to put this on your must see movie list. After all, it is not just about seeing a quality movie that is getting Oscar buzz (that I did not start but I am perpetuating) but also about my fantasy team.

Monday, October 16, 2006

Movie Review- The Guardian

I went and viewed The Guardian in the theature. I attended with a group of friends from work. I had a great time but it had very little to do with this movie.

This movie stars Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher. Costner plays Ben Randall, a Coast Guard rescue diver. Kutcher is a hotshot diver want to be that is in Costner's class. Randall is a brooding instructor very similar to Gunny Highway (Clint Eastwood) in Heartbreak Ridge. Kutcher is a combination of Zack Mayo (Richard Gere) from An Officer and a Gentleman and Maverick (Tom Cruise) from Top Gun.

If the characters were the only retreads and not also the plot, then this movie might have been good. Unfortunately, they stole all of the major plots points from other movies. According to Greg, one of my friends I saw it with, "It is a cookie cutter movie of several others." An Officer and a Gentleman is copied a lot but it is not as good. There are definite scenes out of Top Gun in this film. It is a typical- "Yeah for our Armed Service Branch" movie. This one specializes on the Coast Guard.

The acting was not bad. There are scenes where Ashton Kutcher demonstrates some great talent that I did not know existed. It is almost worth the price of admission to see his acting growth. Sela Ward adds some other dramatic scenes being Randall's wife.

The women in my group of friends seemed to like this movie better than the men. There are a lot of scenes with no shirts and 6 pack abs that seem to get their attention. There are no such scenes that grab the male attention span. It reminded me of the Volleyball scene in Top Gun. If only there was Cool Fighter Jets flying around to distract us.

This movie was not horrible. I would not pay full price or even matinee price for it (which we did). It is a decent cheap movie or rental. I give it a solid C+. Most of this is for Kutcher's new found acting ability.

Here is what other reviews have to say:
IMDB Users Rating: 6.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes Critics- 37% -Rotten
Rotten Tomatoes Users- 80% -Fresh
E Online Review- C+

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Fantasy Moguls

Do you like watching movies? Do you think you know what movies will be hits and what movies will be flops? Do you think you can out smart 7 other movie buffs? If so, then check out Fantasy Moguls. This is similar to fantasy baseball and football but with new movie releases. Here is what they say about themselves.

"FantasyMoguls.com is a fantasy game for Hollywood movies. Like Fantasy Football but here you draft movies that will be released during the Holiday Movie Season!You get points based on things like box office and review score. "

You can go to their site and sign up for a league. Leagues are free. There is a simple and a more complex version of the game. As a fantasy sports geek, this brings the fun of fantasy sports to a new group of individuals that may not be into sports. I think this will be a huge hit. Check it out and get a group to play.

The Sequel to the Dark Crystal is coming.


The Power of the Dark Crystal is coming. This is the sequel to the cult Henson Classic- The Dark Crystal. MTV Movie News has the story on this upcoming movie.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

"The 'Power' script continues the tale of elfin heroes Jen and Kira, last seen returning the shard to the evil crystal and seemingly abolishing the vulture-like Skeksis from their land. Set many years after the first flick, "Power" casts Jen and Kira as king and queen, now overseeing a kingdom whose peace is disturbed by a visit from the underground-dwelling U-mun people. After the Gelflings refuse their request for a shard of crystal that could preserve the U-mun race, a desperate visitor takes it anyway, threatening their world with another thousand years of chaos."

The Dark Crystal is a wonderful but dark movie. It is a great fantasy adventure with monsters and chaos. There is an edge to the puppetry that really resonated with me. Some of the scenes are still very haunting.

I can not wait to see what the technological advances add to this style of movie. The original was limited by the technology of the day for puppeteering. We will see if they can duplicate the dark eerie fantasy style of the first.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Movie Review- End of the Spear

I recently watched the independent film: End of the Spear on DVD. This movie is based on the true story of 5 young missionaries that are killed in the jungles of Ecuador in 1956. These men are trying to find and then communicate with the Wadani tribe. This tribe is a very violent tribe that is constantly killing each other for revenge and they are about to extinct themselves with there behavior. The movie flows back and forth from the missionaries and their families to tribe members who do not trust the foreigners. It focuses the characters of Steve Saint (son of Nate Saint- Missionary) and Mincayani, leader of a clan of the Wadani tribe.

This movie was extremely well done. It is not an over the top Christian movie but rather a very well done movie that does not shy away from the missionaries beliefs. It is one of the best dramas that I have seen in a long time. There are moments of actions and exploring of the tribe and their vengeful tendencies.

15 years ago, I personally met Elisabeth Elliot. She was the wife of one of the Missionaries, Jim Elliot. I was initially interested in this movie because it was telling of the story of how Jim and the other missionaries died and how the wives actually were able to befriend this tribe. It is an amazing true story. I am unsure of how many creative liberties were taken with this movie.

I recommended this movie. It was an excellent movie but is not suitable for all ages. I give this movie an A-.

Other Reviews:
IMDB User Review: 6.8 stars out of Ten
Rotten Tomatoes: Users- 70% - Fresh 6.9/ 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics- 41% -Rotten, 5.3/ 10
E Online- Users- A-
E Online- Critics- C

Airplane! Newest quote poll

The movie Airplane! has a ton of great quotes. Airplane! is this week's movie quote poll. Pick your favorite and let us know what the best quote of this hysterical comedy is.