The Harry Potter films thrive amidst a select group of Teflon franchises– films that no matter their quality, earn huge openings and– regardless of any universal love– longtail their way to a tidy sum. And while the Potter films have never been terrible, their page to celluloid translations have always trended toward book-loyalty to a plodding fault. Eight years and five films later, Harry Potter’s cinematic legacy has finally birthed an entry that transcends its dedicated followers to deliver a …
Author: Dan
Real quick… can you name this movie by simply looking at this poster? While we’re not usually in the habit of discussing films pre-1974, let this be the exception, damn you! Ok, so the one thing I like more than movies is the poster art that accompanies them. Which is why you get an inordinate amount of poster posting up in these parts. And while older movie posters have their dated charm (and outright genius) leave it to Turner Classic …
And now for some lighter fare! I’m a sucker for animation- always have been. Still, there’s animation with story and jokes that are uninspired and, at best, fit for 90% of Dreamworks fart-fests. I’m not super keen on what unfolds throughout this whole trailer– the ugly American tourist joke is threadbare as Bruno’s underpanties– but the premise (an eccentric villain is stealing all the world’s landmarks) and the last 10 seconds of the spot for Despicable Me (and the title …
… of dead mother effin’ Nah-zees he can find! Inglourious Basterds and the advertising company it hired has some graphic artists working serious overtime (unpaid, of course… you’re salaried, suckers!). The Inglourious ones have pounded out no less than 18 posters. That’s 17 more than most other films, including My Sister’s Keeper. Think about it. Nonetheless, they’re all lovely, cheesy artifacts worthy of wall hanging. Enjoy the latest, which is, morbidly, probably my new favorite.
Seems like I’ve been pimping Kathryn Bigelow’s universally praised The Hurt Locker since time began. Way back in May I listed it as one of the summer’s Must Sees. Unfortunately, it’s been tough to catch a screening as it’s been rolling around in a very limited LA/New York release. Three cheers for small miracles as The Hurt Locker opens a little wider this weekend and has Salt Lake City listed as one of the fortunate cities it’s shacking up with. …
Sure, you’ve seen the trailer where Mother Earth douches the White House, throws a primeval tantrum all over LA and hocks smoking lugies into Yellowstone’s face. But none of that compares to the funky, smooth retro you’ll see in this gem of a gloriously cut and scored trailer for 2012. It’ll take you back to Earthquake, The Towering Inferno and Airport and tuck you in with a pessimistic kiss and a warm glass of milky mayhem. It’ll also assure that …
While the motto for the first 30 years of my life could easily be described as “Live for today because the nukes are coming tomorrow”, the motto of my last four years would probably be “Vampires are dumb”. I know I’m in the minority here but I’m pretty sure that somewhere around 1987, scientific research did indeed show that vampires, with their crazy eyes and pointy-toothed hissing preferences, were somewhere around 93% lame. So hey, imagine my surprise when I …
Richard Kelly. Way back in 2001, when the writer/director stormed the scene with his dark, brain-twisting cult fave/critically examined Donny Darko, he was touted as the next genius auteur. Of course, a second film has a way of changing overblown expectation and when Kelly followed up with the bloated, unintelligible cluster-hump known as Southland Tales in 2006, the same folks originally singing his praises were left holding a wet bag of dog crap, wondering if their pretentiousness had jumped in …