The New Moon Juggernaut Keeps Rolling

Love it or hate it, you can’t deny the New Moon train is rolling at full steam the last two weeks and, by all accounts, shouldn’t slip from the top spot until possibly December 11, when Disney’s The Princess and The Frog opens wide. For now, The Twilight Saga: New Moon has earned at hearty $230,947,696 domestically, making it the sixth highest grossing movie of 2009.

Back to The Princess and The Frog – if early reviews are any indication, then Disney’s first classically animated film (2D) since 2004’s Home on the Range is assuredly going to boot Twilight down to number two. As it stands today, The Princess and The Frog is at 82 percent on RottenTomatoes.com.

Still, it’s hard to see what else, before Avatar (December 18), Sherlock Holmes (December 25) and Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Squeakuel (December 25) could possibly boot Edward and Bella from the top five money-earners at the box office. That would make a bounteous six week run for the second film in the Twilight Saga and, I predict, place the film behind Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen as the second highest grossing movie of 2009.

Happy Turkey Day: Andy’s Thanksgiving Entertainment Thank You

Happy Thanksgiving to all the readers of AATM.com! Here are a few things I’m thankful for by way of entertainment this holiday season. How about you? What has the movies, TV, books or video games given you that makes you feel thankful in 2009?

Blu-ray

You know Blu-ray is dreamy and awe-inspiring when everything, including movies without special effects and explosions, look absolutely magnificent in the crisp, clear, vibrant goodness that is 1080p. I was reminded of this when I watched Star Trek earlier in the week, and also when I watched The Proposal. In truth, if I wasn’t a film critic, I’d probably stay planted on my couch and watch everything in the solace of my home theater.

The Hurt Locker

I loved every minute of this movie from Point Break director Kathryn Bigelow and will be absolutely shocked if the movie, depicting the ins and outs of an elite Army bomb squad in Iraq, isn’t nominated for best picture at the forthcoming 82^nd Academy Awards this February.

Inglourious Basterds

Simply put, Inglourious Basterds is Quentin Tarantino’s ultimate triumph as a director. Basterds is full of memorable scenes and characters and the story is told and filmed in that unique blend of art-house and pop-cinema style that makes Tarantino a visionary filmmaker. There is no way this movie doesn’t get nominated for best picture and best director at the 2010 Academy Awards.

… Continue Reading

Denzel Looking Apocalypticly Bad Ass in New Eli Poster

Apocalypticly isn’t a word, but this is a blog, so AP style, Strunk and White and my sixth grade English teacher can all suck it. Behold the newest poster for Denzel Washington’s new film, The Road The Book of Eli.  Dan picked this as his Trailer Tuesday back in July and while the trailer wasn’t anything spectacular, I’m starting to warm to the idea of Denzel and Gary Oldman going toe-to-toe in this post-apocalyptic action movie from the Hughes Brothers (Albert and Allen), the directing twins who gave us Menace II Society and From Hell. I should also point out having Mila Kunis in the cast does not hurt this movie’s chances with me. She’s smokin’ hot and on this Thanksgiving holiday, I tip my hat to her gene pool and hope she performs better than she did in last year’s craptastic Max Payne.

Check out the poster (click it to supersize) and let me know your thoughts. The Book of Eli hits theaters on January 15, 2010.

Shrek Forever After Trailer in Front of Avatar

DreamWorks Animation is going to try and squeeze another dollar-flavored drip of ogre milk from the Shrek teat this May with Shrek Forever After. All of us will get an early sniff of Donkey (Eddie Murphy), Puss (Antonio Banderas), Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and Shrek (Mike Myers) when the teaser trailer debuts in front of Avatar on December 18^th.

Shrek Forever After reunites the entire gaggle of fairytale creatures from the last three movies, as well as introducing Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn), who, from what I gather of the plot, turns Shrek’s world upside down and sends him to some bizarre, alternate reality Far Far Away where Donkey is a genius, Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) is still ruler and Shrek and Fiona have never met.

The question I have is can the Shrek franchise regroup after a disappointing and lackluster Shrek the Third? I don’t know about you, but after relishing in the fresh comedy and spunk of the first two movies, the third movie felt ill-conceived and overbearing. My gut tells me Shrek Forever After probably will follow suit, but one can hope, right? Dare to dream!

More to come once we get our hands on the trailer – hopefully before Avatar hits theaters!

Another ‘Meh’ Poster for The Lovely Bones

As I have said many times before on AATM.com, The Lovely Bones is one of my favorite novels of all-time. When it was announced Peter Jackson was directing, I did a little Hobbit Jig of Joy. The Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong are fantastic movies, so I wholeheartedly trust Jackson with this novel I hold dear. But my Sixth Sense of Cinematic Doom has been at DEFCON 1 after seeing the how and what of The Lovely Bones marketing plan. This movie is flying under the radar and I’m not sure why. Is it pre-Oscar stratagem, or do the brains at the studio just not in sync with my expectations? I suppose we wont’ know until the film is released and we meander into The Golden Globes and The Academy Awards, but for now, here’s another lackluster poster for the movie. 

Click the image above to supersize and let us know what you think. Am I being too harsh? Is The Lovely Bones on your must-see holiday films list?

Up Ties Some Loose Ends

Up is one of the year’s best. The movie runs the smorgasbord of emotions and themes– and while I’ve heard that criticized as a soft attempt to break through the live-action Best Picture barrier while pacifying the masses with fun (IE- a movie that’s not too thought-provoking), I say stop being so cynical. Not everything has to be an exercise in existential misery wallowing.

In the mean time, Pixar’s released an animated short from the world of Up.  The short chronicles George and A.J., the two orderlies sent to grab Carl Fredrickson for a trip to Shady Oaks retirement home before he gives them the raspberry and floats away. The short is animated in Pixar’s go-to 2D– a blocky, 60′s-esque illustration style, but still retains the fun and heart embodied in the feature film.

So what did Carl inspire? Check it out below.

Trailer Tuesday (Dan’s Pick): Up In The Air

Jason Reitman, director of Thank You for Smoking and Juno, is batting 1000. If early reviews for his next (Up In The Air) hold true, that’s not about to change.

Set in the world of airports and the corporate jet-setters who call them home, Up in the Air explores the life of a corporate hack-man (played by the uncannily charming George Clooney)– a guy who embodies the position based on his complete lack of roots to anything but himself and the fast-paced, disconnected world he thrives in. If all that sounds artsy-fartsy and hoighty-toity, you may be right. Still, Reitman’s shown he can execute movies like this with both heart and emotion and isn’t that what we go to the movies for in the first place? Well, that and explosions and violence without consequence.

Up In The Air comes to town on Christmas day (January 15, 2010 for you, Susan), when you can watch it and be one of the first to hop on its love train. That way, when the Academy Awards roll into town and Up In The Air nails a nomination, you can say you were on the bandwagon first.

Up in the Air also stars Twilight‘s scene stealing Bella-pal Anna Kendrick as Clooney’s buttoned up, emotionally roiled apprentice, with some fantastic cameos by the likes of J.K Simmons, Zach Galifianakis, Danny McBride and Jason Bateman.

I think Up In The Air looks fantastic. Agree with me, won’t you?

Trailer Tuesday: Grown Ups

I simply have no words for how massively brainless and regurgitated Grown Ups looks from the trailer below. Adam Sandler and I aren’t on speaking terms after last summer’s pooptastic, Funny People, so there is no way he’s going to redeem this sinking ship. Frankly, this is like an all-star lineup of comedy has-beens, especially with Schneider and Spade.  I’m sure there are a few giggles here and there, but considering this movie is directed by Dennis Dugan (The Benchwarmers, You Don’t Mess with the Zohan), it just feels used and cheap.

Take a peek below and let me know your thoughts. Does the addition of Salma Hayek (Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant) and Maria Bello (The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor) help at all? My thoughts? No. This movie will suck the sweat of a dead man’s balls.

Memo to Vince Horiuchi: New Star Trek is a Good Thing

Hoooorrrriiiiuchi! You SOB!

To: Vince Horiuchi, Salt Lake Tribune’s Resident “Village Vidiot”

From: Andy Morgan, Inventor of Awesome

Subject: Set Phasers to Dumb for Trek

Vince, Vince, Vince. Sigh. Remember when you wrote this in the Salt Lake Tribune last Monday, November 16th?

Director J.J. Abrams goes where no Trekkie has gone before by “re-imagining” the classic 1960s series Star Trek as a bombastic, action-packed, Star Wars-esque — and ultimately dumbed-down — movie that is anything but true Trek. The original crew of the Enterprise is re-cast with Melrose Place-like young hunks and hotties, and the action is ramped up for new audiences. What it lacks is the flavor, spirit, intelligence and character bonding of the original series. Newcomers will appreciate the glossy style, but diehard original series fans will cringe at the deliberate breakaway from the classic canon to create the movie’s own set of rules (through a time-travel storyline that obliterates the original series’ timeline). Beam me up Scotty, there’s no intelligent life here.

We need to have a chat, Vince. See, I watched J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek again over the weekend and you’re dead wrong with your assessment of the film as “dumbed-down.” From the first to the last frame, Abrams has fashioned a sleek, stylized, up-tempo Trek that is far and above the best thing Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty and The Enterprise have seen since The Wrath of Khan in 1982. I mean, let’s be frank – are you telling me the The Undiscovered Country is an edge-of-your-seat, smart space epic? I don’t think so, unless you’re wearing a pocket protector and got married while dressed as a Klingon.

… Continue Reading

Vampax: Twilight Tampons Give Me the Chuckles!

Leave it to the folks at FunnyorDie.com to make the funniest Twilight spoof on the web. I shot Mountain Dew Code Red out my nose while watching this clip starring Brandon Routh (Superman Returns) and Martha Macisaac (Superbad).