Movie Trailer - Halloween 2

The Last Airbender Movie Trailer 2009

Teaser trailer for the upcoming M. Night Shyamalan film based on the first season of the Emmy-winning animated television series

Pandorum Movie Review

Posted by: The Dude

Pandorum comes to us "from the makers of Resident Evil and Event Horizon", which would normally be construed as a warning sign, but I think it's sort of a blessing. Yes, Paul W.S. Anderson is the director ofResident Evil, Event Horizon, and the man responsible for bringing us one of the greatest vehicles in cinema history, The Dreadnaught in Death Race. However, he is merely producing this film, which turns out to be a wonderful hybrid of Resident Evil and Event horizon that's actually better than the the films it's stealing from. (Or paying homage to, depending on your definition). Yes, Pandorum actually turns out to be a pretty enjoyable sci-fi horror B-movie, full of performances that arebetter than a film like this deserves. The movie brings us up to speed with events on Earth not looking too good.

Wars have broken out, resources are scarce, and populations are expanding to ridiculous amounts. Thankfully, they've discovered a planet in another galaxy that can support human life. The Elysium is the ship that will bring humans to this new world in the hopes of starting over. Cut to... NOW! Ben Foster is in a cryo-sleep tube on The Elysium when he is suddenly awoken by a shaky camera. After a few moments of briefly freaking out and not knowing what's going on, he gets himself some pants and peels off some skin-like substances. Normally there are people to wake him up and help orient him withthe ship . This time, there is nobody. He has no memory as a side effect of the but learns his name is Bower and he is one of the rotating flight times, woken up for their term of service then put back to sleep for the long ride. One of the other tubes opens, and it has Dennis Quaid, who is actually trying here, thus making his performance infinitelybetter than G.I. Joe. Quaid is Payton, and is also a little disturbed to discover that nobody is around on the ship, and also can't recall much.

They're locked in their cryo-wing, and the third member of their team has disappeared from his tube. Generally, things are not right with the big spooky spaceship. Bower ventures out to open the door while Payton stays behind and keeps in contact via radio. And thus begins the exploration ofthe ship, which may or may not contain other people and/or creatures that are a nice blend between the cave dwellers from The Descent with the self-mutilating goth tendencies of the Ghosts Of Mars. (With a dash of Reavers for all you Browncoats). I'm a sucker for spaceship movies. If you put a spaceship in a movie, even in just a scene, I am legally required to go see it. Most of these films are usually pretty bad, so it's sort of a blessing that Pandorum manages to entertain. Sure, there are flaws in the film. The editing of action scenes can be a little too jerky and confusing.And the sound mix sometimes drowns out important details for figuring out the story. And there the story gets a little too complex when it doesn't need to be, complete with a twist that's not really a twist. (Funny how that's my complaint about the two sci-fi flicks that open this weekend). But it doesn't matter, as the pluses outweigh the minuses this time around. Ben Foster drops his "I'm gonna out-crazy you" routine of late, and delivers a solid and dare I say heroic performance.

But Quaid takes this material and elevates it far beyond what is required of him. The two have a nice dynamic. The special effects and make-up are more than decent, again taking the film up a notch in respect. I'm a sucker for a good spacehip corridor,and the set design of the Elysium is terrific. I loved the environment and the world that's created for the people living in it. That attention to detail is appreciated. It may not sound like a compliment, but Pandorum is a damn fine video game-movie. It has a simple premise that requires men of action to solve their problems in a strange and hostile environment. It's the best kind of game, though, as it's as much fun to watch as it would be to play. If it existed as a game. And yes, I know it's similar to Dead Space, but this is as close as we'll get to that movie. It never aspires for more than telling a good story, and it succeeds. The spooky spaceship movie is a micro-genre, but one I'm happy to revisit as long as their as entertaining as Pandorum.

Surrogates Movie Review

Posted by: The Dude

There's one moment in Surrogates that's so utterly fantastic, so face-meltingly awesome it represents everything we hold to be true as human beings, and if they just made this scene the movie it would win every award from Academy to Nobel AND it would unify nations to one global consciousness. It involves Bruce Willis emerging from a room (after drinking some scotch, naturally) and beating the holy hell out of a laughing robot with his bare hands.

That image should be on flags.

Alas, the rest of Surrogates isn't nearly as awesome as that brief moment. It starts off alright, but quickly becomes a warmed over stew of missed opportunities and movies (and chases) you've seen in the past, complete with unnecessarily convoluted plotting that's more obnoxious than clever and a "twist" I literally called during the opening credits. (It should be pretty obvious to anyone who's a sci-fi nerd. Or anyone who's ever read a science fiction story). It's pretty much a slightly dumber version of I, Robot, but with far less product placement.

Surrogates brings you up to speed in the opening credits, establishing the world of the Surrogate. Originally designed by James Cromwell to help paraplegics feel the sensation of walking again, the Surrogates quickly caught on by the general populous. People never leave their homes, secure in the control of robots they control around the cities. There is a resistance headed by Ving Rhames, who has the wonderful moniker of The Prophet. He and others live in designated safe havens for those who refuse to let robots do their living for them.

The movie begins with an attack on a Surrogate, which kills the user. (Unlike the Matrix, if terrible things happen to your Surrogate, it doesn't affect you in reality). This is a first, so the FBI is called in, which introduces us to a wonderfully wigged Bruce Willis. His Surrogate reflects a younger version of Bruce, but then we discover the Bruce we know and love: gruff, grizzled, and with a manly pate of shaved head, but a rockin' goatee.

Bruce Willis discovers things about the victim, who is the son of Cromwell's character. Apparently, the murder was meant to kill Cromwell for designing the surrogates, and they've developed a weapon that can kill users while they operate. It's up to Willis to find out who's behind everything, but complications arise later that force Bruce out of his shell and to become the man we love and worship.

The premise is kind of neat, and at first they have some fun with the details. I liked how it was close to the present day, yet everything was candy-colored. I liked how the Surrogates are user controlled, and there's no real threat of robotic uprising, although that should be the number one fear in this world. I liked the gag with the "legal team", and wished there was more explored around the idea that we don't know who the user of theSurrogate is, as a Surrogate allows you to be anybody. Sort of like anonymous commenting on the internet.

Hey, wait a minute, could this movie be making a point about how humans are spending too much time on the internet and socializing through machines instead of genuine human interaction?!?!

Alas, the movie makes that point, and that point alone. Where it could explore neat themes and ideas about this world, instead it settles into rote chase sequences and a need to complicate matters that sort of negate other plot threads. On top of this, the movie is filled with terrible old age make-up effects, an obscene amount of Dutch angles, and an intrusive score that verges on ridonkulous.

Still, I didn't hate the movie. I was mildly entertained, and Bruce Willis is pretty much good in anything these days. Ving Rhames was pretty decent, and James Cromwell now gets to claim the sci-fi nerd triple crown as he built these robots, the I, Robots AND created Warp drive with the assistance of Geordi LaForge. (He also trained Babe, too!) And if you ever wanted to see Rhada Mitchell utilize a parking meter as a spear as she throws it into a Prius thatBruce Willis is driving, you might even like this movie more than me.

The Thaw Movie Review

Posted by: JK Spaeth

My first perfect score goes to the best horror film I've seen all year and possibly longer. It is simultaneously bleak and inspiring, its level of suspense, squick, angersome blood is intense -- those with hypertension beware. The Earth is thawing out -- and some very old things are waking up.

If you are afraid of bugs and/or disease, this movie should do a fairly good job of completely scaring the shit out of you. My hats off to the Lewis Brothers for a fine production -- rarely a forced line or moment lacking realism, and the shock and awe tactic of barraging the audience with a digital-media channel surf (complete with buffering) is clearly a homage to Romero but is done so amazingly well I had the tendency to forget it was fake.

Once the movie gets full steam ahead it never lets up, and it doesn't disappoint. From egg sacs in flesh to thousands of bugs devouring a corpse in a gigantic frenzy -- the imagery will stick with you. I dare not give to much about the plot away save those tantalizing clues. The film revolves around the concept of unforeseen consequences, in many ways. Its not just industrialization that will sting you in the ass but unprotected sex, not following lab protocol to the letter, not being paranoid enough...

Secondarily it focuses on the validity of ecoterrorism and thus on a broader scale the use of political terror in general.

And on a subtler note - perhaps the explicit theme is reinforced by the level of care put into this movie to make you squirm and scream. Is terror the only cure for nihilism? While the ending monologue cares to differ; me - I'm not so sure.

My first perfect score goes to the best horror film I've seen all year and possibly longer. It is simultaneously bleak and inspiring, its level of suspense, squick, angersome blood is intense -- those with hypertension beware. The Earth is thawing out -- and some very old things are waking up.

If you are afraid of bugs and/or disease, this movie should do a fairly good job of completely scaring the shit out of you. My hats off to the Lewis Brothers for a fine production -- rarely a forced line or moment lacking realism, and the shock and awe tactic of barraging the audience with a digital-media channel surf (complete with buffering) is clearly a homage to Romero but is done so amazingly well I had the tendency to forget it was fake.

Once the movie gets full steam ahead it never lets up, and it doesn't disappoint. From egg sacs in flesh to thousands of bugs devouring a corpse in a gigantic frenzy -- the imagery will stick with you. I dare not give to much about the plot away save those tantalizing clues. The film revolves around the concept of unforeseen consequences, in many ways. Its not just industrialization that will sting you in the ass but unprotected sex, not following lab protocol to the letter, not being paranoid enough...

Secondarily it focuses on the validity of ecoterrorism and thus on a broader scale the use of political terror in general.

And on a subtler note - perhaps the explicit theme is reinforced by the level of care put into this movie to make you squirm and scream. Is terror the only cure for nihilism? While the ending monologue cares to differ; me - I'm not so sure.

The Thaw Movie Review

Posted by: JK Spaeth

My first perfect score goes to the best horror film I've seen all year and possibly longer. It is simultaneously bleak and inspiring, its level of suspense, squick, angersome blood is intense -- those with hypertension beware. The Earth is thawing out -- and some very old things are waking up.

If you are afraid of bugs and/or disease, this movie should do a fairly good job of completely scaring the shit out of you. My hats off to the Lewis Brothers for a fine production -- rarely a forced line or moment lacking realism, and the shock and awe tactic of barraging the audience with a digital-media channel surf (complete with buffering) is clearly a homage to Romero but is done so amazingly well I had the tendency to forget it was fake.

Once the movie gets full steam ahead it never lets up, and it doesn't disappoint. From egg sacs in flesh to thousands of bugs devouring a corpse in a gigantic frenzy -- the imagery will stick with you. I dare not give to much about the plot away save those tantalizing clues. The film revolves around the concept of unforeseen consequences, in many ways. Its not just industrialization that will sting you in the ass but unprotected sex, not following lab protocol to the letter, not being paranoid enough...

Secondarily it focuses on the validity of ecoterrorism and thus on a broader scale the use of political terror in general.

And on a subtler note - perhaps the explicit theme is reinforced by the level of care put into this movie to make you squirm and scream. Is terror the only cure for nihilism? While the ending monologue cares to differ; me - I'm not so sure.

George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead Movie Review

Posted by: TheNightlyGamer

George A. Romero is a name synonymous with the zombie sub-genre. The man has been at it for so long that the first entry in his “of the Dead” series was in black and white for Christ’s sake. If it weren’t for him, films like “28 Days/Weeks Later,” “Return of the Living Dead,” “Dawn of the Dead 2004″ and “Shaun of the Dead” would never exist, among many others. Not only has the man inspired some great zombie films, but he’s made quite a few of his own. “Survival of the Dead” is his most recent and it’s exactly what you would expect from such a veteran of the craft.

It’s widely known that each of the “of the Dead” films by Romero have a theme of sorts. In “Dawn of the Dead,” the theme was consumerism, dependence on material goods to bring one happiness. Flash forward to “Diary of the Dead” where the theme is about people disassociating themselves from an event when they’re behind the lens of a camera and the ever-growing popularity of viral videos. With “Survival of the Dead,” the theme doesn’t seem to be as broad as the themes in other films, but it’s still quite engaging. In this one, the theme appears to be the pride of man and how it can literally ruin their entire lives.

There isn’t one specific main character in this movie which is quite common for the genre. Instead, there is a rag-tag band of characters who have come together out of desperation. One of the more important characters is ‘Nicotine’ Crocket (Alan Van Sprang) who you may remember as the leader of the rogue militant group that robbed the kids from “Diary ofthe Dead .” He and his troupe are as ruthless as ever, but after watching this film, you’ll look probably look at them in a different light. Desperate times call for desperate measuresand the gangs tactics for survival are only natural.

Another notable character who affects the storyline more so than Crocket and his band is Patrick O’Flynn. (Kenneth Welsh) He’s the head of the O’Flynn family and he lives on a little island called “Plum.” Since the schoolyard, he’s never seen eye-to-eye with the head of the Muldoon family, a man named Shamus. (Richard Fitzpatrick) Oncethe zombie apocalypse begins, tensions grow even more between Patrick and Shamus. Patrick gathers a posse together to put bullets in the heads of all those that dare to continue to walk long after they’re dead. On the other hand, Shamus and his posse believe that the dead can be cured of their condition at some point and that they can grow to accept animals as a food source instead of humans. This disagreement between Patrick and Shamus leads to a tense stand-off that ends with Patrick being banished from theisland.

Without giving too much away, after being banished, Patrick as well as the remaining members of his posse meet up with Crocket and his crew. They form an unsteady allianceand the wiley O’Flynn convinces Crocket to return to “Plum” with promises of a docile environment to live. Suffice to say, once returning to “Plum,” things don’t stay friendly for too long as the rivalry between Patrick and Shamus reaches new levels. It should be clear to you that this is a very story driven film. Much like any “ofthe Dead” film, this emphasis on story-telling is what separates George A. Romero’s zombie films from the others in the genre.

It’s been decades since the first movie in the series, “Night of the Living Dead” was released and the reason for the sudden zombie outbreak is still unknown. Unlike other zombie movies, the “of the Dead” series doesn’t revolve around the origins of the outbreak, whether it be viral or supernatural. The outbreak is occurring and the movies are about how various people from all walks of life are dealing with the situation. “Survival of the Dead” tells an extremely interesting tale about how a mans pride can take him to depths that he probably never thought he could reach. If Patrick and Shamus could simply come to an agreement, so much blood-shed could have been avoided. Not only that, but a possible solution tothe zombie outbreak could have been found.

In addition to having a strong story and some admirable acting across the board, “Survival of the Dead” will not disappoint the gore-hounds out there. There is some not-too-impressive CG gore at times, but for the most part, the effects are organic and incredibly gruesome. You can expect to see cheeks torn off and spinal chords chewed on. There’s plenty of violence throughout, but it really picks up near the end. The phrase “no animals were harmed during the making of this film” appears during the credits of any film with animals in it, but it’s never been more necessary than it is in “Survival ofthe Dead .” Most people could care less about human-on-human violence, but add a farm animal to the equation and they get all whiny. A particular scene in this film towards the end is especially for them.

Zombie films don’t get much better than “Survival of the Dead.” It doesn’t have the fast moving zombies of “28 Days/Weeks Later” and it really doesn’t need them. The story is thoroughly entertaining as is the action and violence. When compared to other films in the genre, “Survival ofthe Dead” is certainly a league above. Horror fans in general should easily find something to like about this one. All of George A. Romero’s “of the Dead ” films are entertaining in some manner, but this is definitely one of the better of the series, if not the best. Hopefully, the age-old director has a couple more films left in him, because he seems to be back on track with the series. If you consider yourself a zombie fan, you’d have to be infected with some sort of unspecified plague to miss “Survival of the Dead.”

ONG BAK 2 Movie Review

Star/director Tony Jaa and co-director Panna Rittikrai’s follow up to the first international Thai blockbuster Ong Bak is, in many ways good and bad, a classic true-to-genre martial arts flick. The story is convoluted and clichéd. There are storytelling elements that feel like their inclusion is to satisfy a functionary’s need to check boxes on a list rather than to tell a story – hero’s childhood friend is still alive and in the service of the bad guy, check – and there are double-crosses and hidden identities that exist for no other logical reason than to provide a hoped-for boost of vengeful je ne sais quoi to a flagging later scene. It’s also filled with some of the best fight scenes of all time. So it has that going for it.

Ong Bak 2 is, obviously, ostensibly a sequel to Jaa’s breakout original hit and he has claimed that the slight problem that they seemingly have absolutely nothing to do with each other (the sequel is set 600 years before the first) will be resolved in an upcoming third film that will connect them. While the first was set in modern day, the sequel/prequel tells the story of Tien, the son of murdered nobility caught in a power struggle in feudal Thailand. Sent to live at a dancing school, he is tossed into the wild and must escape slave traders to finally live and train with a group of martial-arts-expert bandits, who teach him how to fight.

Tien is a brooding, emotional hero, tortured (I think, there is some disagreement about this) by the choices he has had to make to survive. We’d know more if the film told us more. This is the first action film I’ve ever seen, I think, that made me want more exposition. Jaa’s character, the troubled hero, has three or four lines of dialogue in the film, and not much more. There is a scene in the middle of the film that is such an abrupt leap in narrative pacing and structure that I legitimately I think thought that the projectionist, if this is even possible anymore, may have skipped a reel. Of course, that type of narrative obscurity and playfulness is fine and can be rewarding, even in a beat-em-up, but the weight of the narrative itself must support the filmmakers’ desire to screw with their audience’s expectations. Otherwise, the film just seems muddled and confusing, which was my experience. But the fights, are the star of the film, its raison d'être, and they’re spectacular, creative and brutally visceral, and easily enough to make the film worth seeing for fight fans despite its narrative flaws. 6.5/10

Posted by: Mike

Jennifers Body Movie Review

Everyone was afraid that Diablo Cody was a one trick pony. Even those of us who liked her 2007 drama/comedy Juno were unsure if she could repeat her success without resorting to another film about smart-mouthed teens that might as well be Juno 2. Even knowing that Jennifer’s Body is a horror/comedy may offer little comfort to the cynic. But fear not, oh ye of little faith and even less patience for hip teen lingo. While the fear is that Jennifer’s Body may end up as Juno in a Jason mask, the happy reality is more like a horror flick on a hamburger phone. This is definitely a Diablo Cody script, but the hip slang and band references play into the horror aspects rather than distracting from them.

Jennifer, played by Megan Fox, is the beautiful popular girl at Devil’s Kettle High School and no one can quite figure out why she’s best friends with the plain-looking and oddly named Needy, played by Amanda Seyfried. When the two go to a concert to check out the “extra salty” lead singer, the bar ends up burning down and Jennifer is carted away in the band’s van. When she returns, Needy can tell there’s something different about Jennifer, but she has no idea how much until local boys start dying.

Megan Fox is the big draw for the ad campaign, but Amanda Seyfriend really carries this film. Jennifer’s Body is essentially a film about the psychological underpinnings of a teen female friendship executed as a horror film with cannibalism and some pretty epic gore (described in the film as “lasagna with teeth”), and the whole thing would be entirely ridiculous if Seyfried didn’t sell it so damn well. J.K. Simmons also takes a side role proving once again that he is the only man ever to earn the phrase, “epically deadpan.”

Director Karyn Kusama executes the film masterfully, keeping it out of schlocky B-movie territory and instead infusing almost every aspect of this film with a hyper-awareness of the history and mechanics of the horror genre. In this respect Jennifer’s Body definitely echoes Sam Raimi’s latest, Drag Me to Hell. Both films poke fun at horror without stooping to the level of parody, and Jennifer’s Body is particularly tongue-in-cheek about the whole thing.

A lot of people are going to see Jennifer’s Body for the wrong reasons. Sure there are a couple sexy scenes, but this film is by no means a trouser tightener. Horror fans, on the other hand, will absolutely appreciate the subtle nods to the genre’s history and conventions. Not everyone will catch everything that’s going on in this film, but almost everyone who walks out of that theater will have enjoyed the movie on some level and that, is a tremendous accomplishment.

Posted by: DrHideous