Owner: Houdini's Magic Movie Ticket URL:http://magicmovieticket.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Sat, 06 Oct 2007 20:26:49 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Movies I like, movies I didn't like, and movies I'd like to see. Site statistics:Click here
Last Action Hero 2007-12-08 16:10:00 So of course, I've got to mention "Last Action
Hero," as this blog is named after a prop that seemed to become a character in the film.Recently on an episode of "Married With Children," which I don't seek out to watch but occasionally pay attention when I notice it's on, there was a random character who mentioned LAH. He said something to the effect of, "So please, don't give up on 'Last Action Hero' yet. It still hasn't been released in Albania, or Zimbabwe!"I remember hearing that same idea when it came out, that it wasn't doing so well. I myself didn't really like it, because I thought it diminished the weight and reputation of Arnold Schwarzenegger and all his action roles. But since then, I believe the film's become a cult classic.Another reason I didn't like it was how some of the humor was dark. I just took it at face value, saw the dark, but not the humor. I thought New York was just like it was depicted in the film, a place where you could get killed by shoe-h
A Heroes Movie 2007-12-07 21:52:00 Is unnecessary. Heroes is already better than a movie. Even the lesser episodes have still seemed as good as made-for-TV films. And the best episodes are like million-dollar blockbusters. Simply amazing.If you string all the episodes together from seasons 1 and 2, you've got a huge feature film. Or two. Or 10. I think "Heroes" is made in such a way that you can't make a movie out of it. It's almost like a film version is a step down.I think this is because the show is so good, and has its timing down to a science. It needs more hours than a movie can contain to show you all the interweaving plots. It needs to allow the story to unfold at a certain rate, urgent, but at the same time relaxed.I think a film would strike that relaxed part in order to prevent a 3 hour film that would drive audiences away. The urgency would then be heightened, and there'd be more action than plot.Part of what makes "Heroes" so great is the ideas behind the actions. The mystery, the intrigue, a
Batman Begins 2007-12-06 17:58:00 This is an awesome film. It's well-made, the music is great, and it revived the "Batman
" franchise. Not that I care in a business sense. But for a while the movies were kind of lame.It's like each new "Batman" film got softer and softer, until someone came along and made a new one exceedingly sharp.It's got good lessons, great ideas, and realistic technology. Even the storyline is believable to a decent extent. And the actors are all superb.Hopefully the new one will be more of the same. Read more:Batman Begins
Epic Movie 2007-12-05 22:03:00 I must say I was disappointed by this film. It's not that it was bad, it's just I expected a lot more. I thought it would adhere to the high quality of movies like Scary Movie 3 and 4. Sure, those two had some lowbrow humor, but there was a lot of stuff that was pretty witty.Most of "Epic Movie
" was lowbrow. Though there were a lot of parodies, some just didn't fit. It's like they thought cramming as many movie references into a film was a guarantee for success.I also didn't like how the girl with the memory from "Heroes," the waitress Hiro loved, played a nitwit. I'm sure she must have been referencing something I hadn't picked up in "The Da Vinci Code," like maybe how the female lead repeated things (I never noticed that she did), but it just made her (and the film, by proxy) seem lame.There were also some parts that seemed designed to be funny in a gross way, but just came off as purely disgusting.However, if you liked "Date Movie," you might enjoy "Epic Movie."
Timecop 2007-12-04 18:30:00 This is a pretty neat film. It's packed with action, suspense, and the implications of altering history really make you think.One thing that stuck with me was the ending. Our hero started out alone as a timecop, no wife, no son. Then he goes back in time, saves his wife, and returns to the present. The present is now altered, and for the first time he meets the son he never new. But here's the tricky part -- the son recognizes him.Apparently, according to "Timecop," if you go back in time and change things, you return to the changed present. So the wife and son are used to one version of him, but now they're stuck with a completely different version.If one incident in the past that is fixed causes a new version of Van Damme (the fixer) to take over, who's to say another disaster won't happen? Van Damme saved his wife and son one night, but what if the next night new bad guys got her? Then a new wifeless Van Damme would have to come back and fix that, after which point he'
Flood (2007) (UK) 2007-12-20 20:07:00 This movie is 4 hours with commercials. I enjoyed it a little, as it satisfied my expectations of a typical disaster movie. London is engulfed by a major flood, and havoc ensues. Great special effects, lame plot devices.They kept showing failure and death. "I'll save you! Oops, never mind. Let's help! Oops, we killed them instead." The end was like a rip-off of the Poseidon Adventure remake and Armageddon. The smartest guy of them all, the one who predicted everything (like Dennis Quaid in "The Day After Tomorrow") sacrificed himself so his son could hook up with his ex. And they didn't even give the guy a good reason for dying. He took a scuba tank into a room that was filled with water. The room sealed, as expected. And then he just ran out of air. But he was working for the highest levels of London government. You'd think he could have gotten an extra tank! They even opened the room probably less than an hour after he died, and pulled him out. Lame for being cli
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) 2007-12-19 20:07:00 I loved this film. I didn't get to see all of it today, but the parts I caught were great. There was a car chase where Bond was driving what looked to be a then-futuristic sports car. It seemed tame by today's standards, but still amazing, what with the gadgets and all.Bond got two submarines to nuke each other, and fought a metal-mouthed giant. I actually was rooting for the giant during a few scenes. He's likable, because he just seems to embody how anyone would behave in his situation. Plus he's virtually unstoppable. He's in a car, and he flies of a cliff, and his car crashes headlong into a house. The other occupants of the vehicle are very likely dead, but he just gets out and dusts himself off. Later, while fighting Bond, he finds himself in a shark tank. You look at his face and catch a glimmer of joy as he begins battle with the predator. And wins!At the end, Bond won the affections of a beautiful KGB agent. A pleasant resolution for all.
For Your Eyes Only (1981) 2007-12-18 22:42:00 This film is amazing, just like all Bond films. The plot keeps you interested, even as it twists and turns and takes you far from where you just were. For example, Bond is dealing with a young ice skater who is infatuated with him. Then she points out a skier she's got a crush on. Then Bond fights the skier. Then the action takes Bond elsewhere, and pretty soon you've almost completely forgotten about the ice skater.It's funny, because the skater was wrapped up in her own little world. Bond goes far out, near-death, and comes back a little later. "Where have you been?"We get to vicariously experience an adventuresome life through the eyes of Bond. A life that isn't tied to anything, and that is sure to be interesting day in and day out. "For Your Eyes Only" plays by the incredible rules of Bond, and is highly entertaining.
Diamonds Are Forever (1971) 2007-12-17 20:04:00 I saw a latter portion of this today, and I wish I could have seen it all. It looks like a great Bond film. So great, in fact, that I could see parts that had been used in "Austin Powers." There was a Dr. Evil, a Mr. Bigglesworth, and a deadly hotel meal at the end. It was fun.I enjoyed it (what I saw of it, anyway) because it doesn't seem to be as often aired as other Bond films. I don't know why that is, because it seems great. For some reason though, I don't usually see it on. Oh well.The bad guy was going to use a satellite to destroy Washington D.C., but Bond and his lovely costar were able to prevent the disaster. It was action packed, and yet enjoyable in a light sort of way because of Bond's casual attitude about it all. Sean Connery did a great job, as always. Read more:Forever
, Diamonds
Working Girl (1988) 2007-12-16 21:00:00 Today I watched the "Working Girl: Backstory," and about 40 minutes of the film. I've seen parts before, but never the whole thing. However, I saw enough in the Backstory to know how it turns out.There is a pretty powerful cast here: Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, Melanie Griffith, Alec Baldwin, Joan Cusack, and Kevin Spacey (in a small role). It was neat seeing how they all looked in 1988. Joan Cusack looked especially different.I wondered if Melanie's character would have succeeded had things not happened just so. I sometimes find myself rooting for a character in a show or movie to such an extent that if it seems they succeed through pure chance, I'll try to justify how they might have won some other way, just in case. In "Working Girl," Melanie wants to get ahead. You can tell because she went to night school for five years, and the theme of the movie keeps coming back to highlight her desire to shine.One day her boss sets her up with sleazy Spacey. She thinks she's a
Superman Lives, Starring Nicolas Cage 2007-12-14 21:43:00 This is a movie that never got made. But can you imagine if it did? It would have been incredible. And different!Cage doesn't really fit my idea of Superman
. Some people (or many) felt he didn't fit the general idea of Ghost Rider, either. But that movie turned out O.K. However, Superman (I believe) is a much bigger star than GR.I can imagine they would have changed his hair and outfit, and taught him how to move like Superman. So he probably would have done a good job.I wonder if they had ever made the film, what plot they would have used. I wonder if the special effects would have been good? I'll bet by the day's standards, the film would have been amazing.Or would it simply have been a 1996 equivalent of "Superman Returns?" Read more:Lives
, Nicolas
Breaking In (1989) 2007-12-13 22:09:00 Starring Burt Reynolds and Casey Siemaszko as a veteran safecracker and his new student. It looks like the movie is going to be an '80s money-centric adventure film, where Reynolds and CS pull off some amazing heist, find a couple of nice ladies, and retire to a beach somewhere.Instead, CS gets caught, takes the blame for all the jobs Burt's ever done, becomes a celebrity in jail, and has Burt use his stolen money to pay fellow prisoners to protect him.It was only after watching the film and being disappointed by the ending (where CS is still in jail) that I guessed they were going for a dual meaning with the title. "Breaking
In" probably not only refers to stealing, but also to CS becoming friends with Reynolds, who at one point said he didn't need anyone.If the movie was going for a "I have no friends / I'll be your friend" dynamic, it could've fooled me. I just thought the vet was going to teach the new guy enough so they'd both get rich and could retire. But there was no
The Explorers 2007-12-12 22:38:00 This is a pretty neat film. A young Ethan Hawke teams with a young River Phoenix and another kid and they all build a spaceship. Using alien technology communicated through dreams, they engineer an energy orb that can protect the ship and take it anywhere. It's so efficient it can run on an old battery from the 1980's.They travel around the earth, then go into space, and meet aliens! It's wild. And young Hawke meets a girl.It's family friendly, and great if you love sci-fi. Nine thumbs up! Read more:Explorers
The Poseidon Adventure (1972) 2007-12-11 23:29:00 This was on AMC today, and I got sucked in. It's so good! I think Gene Hackman did a fantastic job portraying a guy using his intelligence, common sense, and reason to solve puzzle after puzzle and guide as many people as he can to safety.It was very interesting to watch him try to convince the main group to go with him. I thought of him as Lex Luthor in "Superman," when he was the greatest criminal genius on earth. He seemed as intelligent in "Poseidon
." And yet not a lot of people would listen to him. He wasn't a professional ship man, so most people took the word of the loud guy that did have a job on the ship. Hackman would yell his smart points, and the guy would yell back that he was wrong. Then Hackman moved up toward the bottom of the inverted ship, and all of a sudden the masses and the ship guy had to deal with a flood and chaos. They didn't make it.That's always an intense dynamic, when someone smart wants to lead the way to safety and salvation, and the rest of Read more:Adventure
Santa Claus (1985) 2007-12-25 16:14:00 What an amazing film! It's got everything. The origins of Santa
, centuries of gift-giving, a corporate tycoon, magic, candy that makes you float, a homeless kid makes friends with a wealthy girl, and the kids get to stay at Santa's workshop!The cast is brilliant. Dudley Moore plays an elf, John Lithgow is the Scrooge of toys, and David Huddleston plays Santa! I watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this year, and at the end there was the most phenomenal Santa Claus
I've ever seen. He looked exactly like the real thing. It was like a mall Santa is a blurry, out-of-focus TV Santa from the 70's, and this guy in the parade was Santa in HD, 2007. Brilliant. He even had the gestures down and everything. And the sheer joy radiating from his face was incredible. "Santa Claus
" the movie reminded me of him. The movie Santa was believable as well.Dudley Moore faces of against another elf to be Santa's assistant. So many modern children necessitate a more efficient toy-makin
The Simpsons Movie 2007-12-23 18:12:00 Long, awesome, extraordinary. They must have made tons of money from it, especially with all the guest appearances by Homer and the 7 Eleven Kwiki Mart transformations.Homer endangers all of Springfield, and havoc ensues on a massive scale.My favorite part was how the animation gave a more realistic feel to the film. When you watch early episodes of the show, you have to imagine what it would be like to go somewhere the field of view isn't looking. As the seasons progressed, the animation panned around more, and larger sections of Springfield were revealed. Now, the movie is like Futurama, in that it uses computer graphics to create expansive settings that you can wander around while watching. It's pretty great.And one thing many people enjoyed was the appearance of Spider Pig, natures newest hero. Read more:Simpsons
Gotcha! (1985) 2007-12-21 21:31:00 Awesome movie! Starring Anthony Edwards (Goose in "Top Gun") and Linda Fiorentino (Dr. Laurel Weaver and Agent L (Elle) in the first "Men In Black").Linda looks so different in "Gotcha!" that I didn't recognize her. Anthony Edwards looks so young too.Edwards is a college student. He's a pro at the '80's version of "Assassins," a college spy game where students try to "kill" their fellow student targets using a specified (fake) weapon. Some people nowadays use marshmallows. In the movie they used black paintball pistols, with red paint for authentic "deaths." The first few minutes of the film depict Edwards' prowess at the game. He racks up a decent score.Then the movie strays from action and sets up future events. It's nice, but if you're impatient for some adrenaline-pumping, you might get bored. What happens is Edwards and a buddy go to Paris. The friend gives him advice on picking up women. Then the guy ditches Edwards so he can hook up with a lady who thinks he's
More On The Sonic Movie 2008-03-10 15:38:00 A while back, I had posted about a potential Sonic
The Hedgehog Movie. Really, it was pure speculation on my part. I thought the video game franchise was strong enough to merit a major motion picture. If it looked good, and seemed to lean toward big kid and adult entertainment, I think I'd watch it! But alas, it is nothing more than a happy dream... or is it?The other day, I suddenly came across a piece of internet art that made me seriously wonder.Sure, it seems goofy, and I know what the "milkshake" line is about, but I thought the whole thing might be a goof based on a real, future event. So I went to IMDB to check Daniel Day-Lewis' future projects. Alas, there was no mention of a Sonic film... But I still think the YTMND was wild, and I definitely still think a Sonic movie has p
Grindhouse (2007) 2008-03-03 16:13:00 I just watched the two films, "Planet Terror" and "Death Proof." Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the fake trailers and whatever other extras were included in the theatrical viewing. Still, it was a decent experience. I say decent because that is what I consider the average of the two films to be. Really, "Death Proof" wasn't that great (in my opinion), while "Planet Terror" rocked! "Planet Terror" comes after "Death Proof," but I'd watched it first, which is why I was disappointed after...while watching "Death Proof.""Planet Terror" features zombies, action, violence, gore, intense situations, some drama, and some coolness. It was amazing. Over-the-top at some parts, but planned out so well that it works perfectly. Edge-of-your seat entertainment. It totally lives up to the Gri Read more:Grindhouse
T2: EXTREME DVD Is Mind-blowing! 2008-02-25 14:02:00 I can't tell you how incredible it is! When I started watching it just a few days ago, I thought, "I love the 'Connor Chronicles,' so watching this movie again will be great! But what precisely makes it "Extreme"...?"Here's what makes it Extreme:It's in widescreen format, so you see everything top-to bottom that you saw before, plus more on the left and right. That expands the whole world of the movie, because you get to experience parts that were previously hidden.There are a bunch of scenes that are slightly extended or subtly different, and yet the music and dialogue flows as if the movie was meant to be like that.There are a ton of deleted scenes built into the film that you've probably never seen before! These are scenes that have a tremendous impact on your movie experience, and
I Watched Knight Rider (2008) 2008-02-22 13:11:00 I liked it. I liked the car, the technology, Val Kilmer's cool voice, and the appearance of David Hasselhoff at the end. The special effects were great, too. And the bad guys held their own. The scientist was OK. But there was a lot I didn't like. The female lead, who was supposed to be a professor of a subject relating to the new, complex field of nanotechnology, did not seem that intelligent. You get a different vibe from someone who studies science and is very smart than you get from your average person. And the female lead seemed very normal. Maybe it was casting, or maybe it was direction. Maybe still, she didn't think to come up with a few personality quirks to highlight how incredibly brilliant she's supposed to be (given that she's the daughter of the guy who built KITT!) Read more:Knight
, Rider
DVR And Wireless Transfer Of Movies 2008-02-20 16:08:00 I'd like to take a break from discussing movies and instead focus on where I see DVR technology leading us in the next few years.Right now, some of us have souped-up cable boxes that not only receive HD programming, but also can record it -- digitally! This new technology still has kinks in some areas, and one limitation is the amount you can store. Between 30 and 40 hours seems standard at some basic level. But it's great that we can record shows to watch later, on our own time. And we can skip the commercials!What's next? Bigger hard drives. Slowly the amount you can record and save for later, without watching and deleting, will increase until it reaches the point where every movie ever made can be stored on your DVR box.Well, that's great, but what if I want to watch something I r Read more:Wireless
Apocalypto (2006) 2008-02-18 18:22:00 I must admit, this is not what I thought it would be. It was still great, incredible, and amazing. But I had expected supernatural stuff like aliens, the Mayan calendar, and 2012. It was far more down to earth. In fact, it was so down to earth, it was great on a totally different level.[Spoilers Below]You follow along in the footsteps of a Mayan tribesman who hunts and gathers with his brothers in the jungle. A crushed Mayan village wanders by, our hero gets momentarily "infected" with fear, and you might think, "So, fear is it. Fear infected them all, and caused their end. Hope that doesn't happen with us." Suddenly, other Mayan guys show up and start wreaking havoc. So then you might think the really society killer is war. Don't go to war or everybody will get wiped out. But t
Indiana Jones 4 Trailer: Looks Great! 2008-02-15 13:04:00 I remember seeing Indy use his whip to swing from one place to another in "Raiders." Then in "Temple of Doom," he used it at the end to pull his love interest closer. Then in "Last Crusade," River Phoenix (Young Indy) used it to scare a lion, and ended up explaining the scar that Harrison Ford has on his chin.When I first saw "Raiders," I got the impression that Indiana
Jones whip-swung all the time. But then in the other movies he didn't so much. By the looks of the trailer for "Indiana Jones
4", he'll be bringing that technique back!It looks phenomenal! Read more:Trailer
, Looks
, Great
Knight Rider (2008) 2008-02-13 12:06:00 They filmed the movie, and got Will Arnett to do the voice of KITT, now a black 550 hp Ford Shelby GT500KR Mustang.Ford is so gung-ho, they want ads up the wazoo relating KnightRider
and Ford vehicles. So cool, right? Anybody voicing KITT will probably get a piece of that.But guess what? Will Arnett has been voicing commercials for GMC Trucks for years! And GMC was none to thrilled to hear that their voice was crossing over to the dark side. So he's all, "Bail?" And they're all like, "Bail."Enter Val Kilmer, the new voice of KITT. I've read that the crew is now rushing to get his dialogue done. I guess they're a bit behind. Two weeks left to broadcast! I like Will Arnett. But I think Val Kilmer is great. It will be neat hearing him in a new film. Read more:Knight Rider
American Psycho (2000) 2008-02-11 22:33:00 I don't usually watch movies this dark, but this one was on last night, and I'm a fan of Christian Bale. I thought, "Why not?"This is a pretty intense film. Bale plays a rich Wall Street guy in the '80's. He and his rich buddies have their own unique perspectives on life, having graduated from Ivy League institutions and landed high-paying jobs that justify $500 lunch hours. Bale is apparently a sociopath who enjoys the idea of killing. Eventually he crosses over and kills a coworker, one he was jealous of. Then he kills again and again, does some drugs and hires some hookers.I enjoyed the glimpse at high society, and the '80's throwback. The setting for many of the scenes was clean and upper-class, quiet and laid-back, smooth and classy. It was neat to experience.Some very dark hu Read more:American
, Psycho
Brewster's Millions (1985) 2008-02-08 13:37:00 I haven't seen this recently, but it popped into my head, and I love it! This is one of my favorite films, because Richard Pryor and John Candy are great, and because I love the idea of having tons of money to burn!Pryor inherits $30 million, and must spend it all in 30 days. If he can do this, and have nothing leftover by the end of the month, not even a new shirt, he'll then inherit the full estate of $300 million. But he can't tell anyone about it! So Pryor (Brewster
) goes into "business" for himself, become super generous, and lives out all the dreams he's ever had that can be bought and paid for. Things are zany and wild, and loads of fun. It's a million-dollar comedy!
Heath Ledger Died From Accidental Medical Overdose 2008-02-06 12:01:00 Saw on Yahoo that they'd finally figured out what Heath
Ledger Died of.His death apparently wasn't caused by Ambien, but rather by a combination of "oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine," which is, "the painkiller OxyContin, the anti-anxiety drugs Valium and Xanax, and the sleep aids Restoril and Unisom. Hydrocodone is a prescription painkiller."Ledger's father said, "While no medications were taken in excess, we learned today the combination of doctor-prescribed drugs proved lethal for our boy. Heath's accidental death serves as a caution to the hidden dangers of combining prescription medication, even at low dosage."So what does this mean? It means that doctors prescribed drugs that in combination killed him. Did they prescribe new drugs knowing he was Read more:Accidental
, Overdose
Van Wilder (2002) 2008-02-04 10:56:00 I wasn't going to watch this, probably ever, as the ads for it were just a huge turnoff. It seemed lame. But it was on Comedy Central the other day, and I happened to see a particularly clean and hilarious moment involving an overzealous martial arts demonstrator. It was so funny that my attitude changed, and I decided to give the movie a shot.Thankfully, watching it on Comedy Central during the day (and not 1am Saturday and Sunday mornings during the "Secret Stash" of unedited programming) meant that I was prevented from having to sit through some of the really extreme gross-out stuff.I enjoyed the basic storyline, centering around a 7-year college student who "has nothing to show for," other than a ton of friends who would do anything for him, and social skills to rival those of Senat Read more:Van Wilder
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