Star Trek Links!

Here’s some information and contrasting reviews about JJ Abrams new Star Trek, but also it’s future in cinema:

Star Trek: Heather’s Review

Star Trek: Marc’s Review

To Boldly Go-Where?

100 Best Character’s In Film Of All Time!

100-81: Part 1

100) Shrek
99) The Crow
98) The Drunken Master
97) Wall-E
96) John Malkovich
95) Morpheus
94) Penny Lane
93) Billy Madison
92) Wolverine
91) Blade
90) Brodie Bruce
89) Doc Holiday
88) Dr. Evil
87) Mary Poppins
86) Han Solo
85) Anne Of Green Gables
84) Mr. Pink
83) Annie Hall
82) Achilles
81) Forrest Gump

80-61: Part 2

80) Ray “Bones” Barboni
79) The Genie
78) R2D2
77) Turkish
76) Leonidas
75) Garth Algar
74) Freddy Krueger
73) The Bride
72) Al Czervik
71) Dorothy Gale
70) Vicomte Sébastien de Valmont
69) Buzz Lightyear
68) The Velociraptors and T-Rex
67) Veruca Salt
66) Rocky
65) Vida Boheme
64) Voldemort
63) T-1000
62) Denton Van Zan
61) Gandalf

60-41: Part 3

60) Captain Quint
59) Wilma “Deanie” Lommis
58) Vito Corleone
57) Red
56) Inigo Montoya
55) Axel Foley
54) Jason Bourne
53) Catwoman
52) The Wicked Witch Of The West
51) Frank TJ Mackey
50) Blanche DuBois
49) Katsumoto
48) Sofia
47) The Joker (Jack Nicholson)
46) Travis Bickle
45) Gordon Gekko
44) Martin Riggs
43) Derek Vinyard
42) Catherine Tramell
41) Maximus

40-21: Part 4

40) Drop Dead Fred
39) Jeffrey Goines
38) The “Dude” or Jeff Lebowski
37) Sara Goldfarb
36) Michael Corleone
35) Beetlejuice
34) Captain Kirk
33) Col. Nathan Jessup
32) Rose Sayer
31) Butch Cassidy
30) Edward Scissorhands
29) The Joker (Heath Ledger)
28) Riddick
27) James Bond
26) Captain Jack Sparrow
25) Chili Palmer
24) Yoda
23) Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lector
22) Raoul Duke/Hunter S. Thompson
21) Lestat de Lioncourt

20-1: Part 5

20) Ferris Bueller
19) Dory
18) Scarlett O’Hara
17) Jareth: The Goblin King
16) Sarah Connor
15) Alex DeLarge
14) Norman Bates
13) Lestor Burnham
12) Stanley Kowalsk
11) Annie Wilkes
10) Gollum/Smeagal
9) Dr. Ian Malcolm
8 ) Tommy DeVito
7) Darth Vader
6) Jules Winnfield
5) Dr. Gonzo/ Oscar Z. Acosta
4) Patrick Bateman
3) Indiana Jones
2) Ellen Ripley
1) Tyler Durden

Great Top Ten Lists

* Top Ten Fantasy Films

* Top Ten Awesomely Bad Movies

* Top Ten Vampire Movies

* Top Ten Best Animated Character’s

* Top Ten Bromances

* Top Ten “Chick Flicks” Guys Like

*Top Ten “Chick Flicks”

*Top Ten Of 2008

New Robin Hood?

I’ll be honest.  I was pretty content with what happened in the nineties with Costner and his Robin Hood. While there was no English accent, there was an amazing Alan Rickman, and one of the best action-adventure romance stories of all time.  I can’t say I’m exploding with excitement to hear that a new one is being made until………

Ridley Scott

Russell Crowe

Cate Blanchett

Apparently, Crowe and Scott are the official new Bonnie and Clyde.  What can I say?  I will blindly follow Ridley Scott in whatever venture he pursues.  Here is some more info on the new ROBIN HOOD.

Ghosthunters: New Season

A new season of the original Ghosthunters or TAPS begins March 11th and I can’t wait.  International has been rocking out new episodes but it just isn’t the same as what Grant and Jason have to offer.  At first International seemed even more appealing with it’s exotic locations and exciting histories, but it falls a very distant second, a time passer even, next to the original scene.

It wasn’t clear to me how important the actual group themselves makes a difference but it plays a huge part in the watchability.    The leader of International, Rob, is the guy you’d meet in the bar who would try and be smooth, but really comes off as desperate.  He has this same feeling on the show, along with Dustin, and the new girl Angela.  Brandi, while permanently congested and Barry are great.  Barry’s jumpy and easily startled nature often incites eye rolling but he is an entertaining good investigator none-the-less.  It was a relief to say good bye to Andy at the end of last season.  There is just an awkward feel to the group that doesn’t have the same intimacy or connection the TAPS team has.  It actually feels like it’s a job to the International group.

I still like the International investigations, one in the Phillipines is actually one of my favorite of all time, but what I get really excited about is TAPS whether they find something cool or not.  So woo-hoo for Ghosthunters 2009.

Best Dressed At The Oscars 2009

 

 

 

The Worst Dressed Of Oscars 2009

Miley! Why! Why! Why!

Marisa, I don’t know if this dress is ugly or not but you’re so skinny in it I can’t tell.  Is the recession hindering you from eating?

Poor Beyonce.  After a fantastic performance I feel guilty saying how tragic this dress is, but again, I feel like the recession has been encouraging the Hollywood Elite to wear their drapes.Vanessa, the flowers just aren’t working. Meh.Meryl Streep decided to wear her old drapes.  Why should she have been bothered? It was only her fifteenth nomination.What happened to the front of Jessica Biels dress?  Was it supposed to be the back, or did she accidently put on her bed sheets instead of her dress.

Step One…..Write…..The Prophecy

Last year I wrote my second book.   It’s in the science fiction/fantasy genre and is definitely an original.  There’s a lot of influence from my favorite movies, books, and shows, but it also was kind of a purge of many of my own inner demons I’d been battleing for years.  The catharsis of the book as pretty amazing.  After 450 pages of self torture explored via entertainment, I went to revise the draft and only made it halfway.  Enough time had passed that I couldn’t focus on the revisions but would get lost in the story, and then I would focus on techinical errors and forget about keeping continuity in the story.  150 pages left to revise and almost three years since I began writing and I’m stuck here, unable to read it through again and just finish the book so I can work on getting it published.

What is stopping me?

I don’t know.  Last year I was offered a job to write for Motor City Reviews, an internet movie review site, which took up a great deal of my time and effort.  After an exhausting six months fighting that battle I took the summer off writing and began my own review site, that I’m pretty comfortable with, and can work my with my own flexibility.  But now there is no reason and there is no excuse.  8 months ago I vowed to finish the revisions and send it off to try and get it published.  Now I begin the journey of fully realizing that, and here will begin a new category just for it called: The Prophecy

Announcement!

There is going to be some changes on this sites content and it’s ultimate goal. After altering the outward look, I plan to change the rest as well. For sure there will be less Hollywood gossip, and probably more about television shows, books I am reading, and writing in general. Everyone is welcome to join in the fun.

Thanks!

Best Movies Of 2008

This top ten list is based on the 35-40 flicks I saw this year.  There were a few big ones I missed out on, so they may be added upon a further date.  As of today this is my list, where action movies reigned proud.  Some of my choices may be up for debate, but the number one film of the year is clear.  Read on and enjoy!  

 

10. Rambo

 

John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) returns to us in this fourth installation of his life. This time around he is living a quiet life on the Burmese river collecting rare snakes for a man that has a snake charming show. His life takes a turn when he is asked to take a Christian relief group down the dangerous river, into the violent Burma, and drop them off. Though he initially declines, after the earnest begging of Sarah (Julie Benz), he is convinced to take them anyway. It isn’t long before the man in charge of the missionary seeks Rambo out with the news that the group has gone missing. Rambo agrees to take mercenaries to the location where he dropped the missionaries off, but soon finds himself compelled to search and destroy as well.  For more click here.

 

 

9. Twilight

 

As a film that has been translated from adolescent novella to the big screen, Twilight was an exceptional success, but it also stood on it’s own as a very intriguing teen film that had appeal to an audience beyond the young adult consensus group.  Having read the complete collection of the “Twilght” stories the film smartly followed what made it’s novel version such a gigantic achievement.  It attained all the qualities of the characters, the setting, and the plot itself that made the story compelling.  With direct lines from the story and actors that visually mirrored the description Stephenie Meyers so heart-fully described, the Twilight film became a wonderful adaptation of a now beloved story. For more click here!

 

8. Stargate: Continuum

 

Stargate Continuum was another success from my point of view in the Stargate DVD movie collection verse.  That being said, I’m going to get my major criticism immediately out of the way.  The Ark Of Truth did an excellent job closing up SG-1’s tenth season cliffhangers, but also evolving it on a much larger scale than a regular two part episode, but as BIG as Martin Wood promised Continuum to be, it simply wasn’t.  It had all the feeling and best elements of a season three or four finale episode but it never translated into feature film epic.  This is not an out and out complaint, but it was a little bit dejecting because it was built up so much by the director, producers, and Stargate community.  That icky little criticism aside Continuum made for an nostalgic return to days of early SG-1. For more click here!

 

 7.  Horton Hears a Who

 

 A kind of goofy elephant named Horton (Jim Carrey) in the jungle of Newl discovers a fantastical thing one morning during his ritual swim.  It’s a spec that seems to be talking.  The sweet elephant is determined to communicate with the voices he heard on the spec.  Little does he know an entire world of it’s own exists called Whoville.  In contrast the Mayor of Whoville is unaware that his entire community is tiny tiny and lives on a spec.  It isn’t long before he begins to suspect that things have gone slightly awry and finds himself talking through a pipe to a giant elephant named Horton who is carrying the spec on a flower with the intentions to put the city somewhere safe.  But both Horton and the Mayor find their goals being thwarted by a Kangaroo (Carol Burnett) and a mean councilman (Dan Fogler)  who are determined to stop them. for more read here!

 

 6. You Don’t Mess With The Zohan

 

 Adam Sandler is back.  You Don’t Mess With Zohan is the first comedy he’s made in years that has any likeness to the vulgar and shocking comedy of Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore.  The past few years it seems he’s focused more on the sweeter side doing films like Big Daddy, Mr. Deeds, Click, Eight Crazy Nights, and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, which simply just were sub-par to the gentle hearted comedy of The Wedding Singer.  You Don’t Mess With Zohan incorporates an off-kilter dialect that is silly as his Waterboy and Little Nicky interpretations yet have an undeniable sweetness in it’s creation.  For more read here!

 

 5. Definitely, Maybe

 

 It was a breath of fresh air to watch a film about relationships and life that wasn’t all about corny predictably romantic beats and happy endings.  It was a realistic journey threw the eyes of a man who’s life had changed drastically from his hopes and dreams leaving college with a collage of failed relationships.  His divorce and his daughter caught in the middle is the driving force for this reflective peek into what once was and what was lost over the years.  While some of memories are borderline dark and depressing the story itself manages to keep an upbeat positive feel that often offers a good chuckle in between romance and heartbreaks, without being awkward or forced, like a lot of films in this genre. For more read here!

 

 

4. Cloverfield

 

 

Cloverfield was a monster movie like one you’ve never seen before. The entire film is shot from a first person camera and the entire feel of the movie retains that personal affect. The movie begins with a man video taping central park at 6:42 a.m. from the apartment of his girlfriends father. He claims it’s going to be a good day. There is interchange between the couple that suggests an obvious affection and then the camera is shut off. The next shot brings us to a new couple preparing for a going away party of sorts, and soon it becomes clear that they are taping over the tape that had previously recorded the couple and their day at Coney Island. The next twenty minutes or so are spent developing and establishing relationships between the people when suddenly the entire building shakes. After a mysterious news bulletin, it’s obvious that the quake is not local to them, but all of Manhattan. In a panic people crowd the streets in a fury when an all too familiar cloud of smoke floods the streets followed the head of the Statue Of Liberty. When more debris begins to come people seek shelter until it’s seems to pass, and run outside to see what has happened to their beloved city. The rest of the movie after this is followed by one beat after another that builds on the previous event, maximizing the amount of suspense and intensity of each individual event.  For more read here!

 

3. Iron Man

 

Why are some movies of the Superhero Genre so well received compared to others?  What drives Spiderman 1 and 2, Batman Begins,  X-Men 1 and 2 to heights of critical, financial and the most hard won of all, core fan success? That question, and what I believe to be a common answer spread out across all of these films came to me while I was watching Iron Man.  What is it?  Characters.  Three dimensional, fleshed out characters.  Not just the basic chess pieces moved from square to square in service of the plot, but well written, well acted, well directed people inhabiting a story which JUST HAPPENS to include supernatural and or science fiction elements.  If the delivery of them is flawed, if the audience is not able to identify and relate to the people involved no amount of Special Effects, no strict adherence to character back stories will mean a damn.  It’s in that area of characterization that Iron Man puts it’s efforts first – foremost – and for the length of the film. For more of Marc’s review click here!

 

2. Indiana Jones and The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

 

I admit the first scene left me a bit concerned and nervous.  It was a little off putting, the character’s unfamiliar, and our aged Ford seeming a little less like his normal dauntless adventurer.  Also were the worries advertised by the critic naysayers that claimed it was too Sci-Fi with the alien theme.  I will promise those concerns were immediately dismissed.  The first three films were themed with the occult and paranormal activity and the myth of the skull and even it’s gargantuan climax was more geared toward the original three’s mysticism rather than science fiction and aliens.  Rumours of that are simply fiction.  Spielburg even denied Lucas’s request to put more science fictionesque stuff in the film.  I assure you this film is not exactly in the same category as it’s predecessors, but it contains the same dynamics’s, feel, and heart of the original Indy’s. For more READ HERE!

 

1. The Dark Knight

 

The Dark Knight certainly lived up to it’s hype with an action packed story, enigmatic and perplexing characters, and undertones that leave chills twisting down your spine.  The brilliant script and direction of Christopher Nolan shines through with a film that balances action, crime, the very nature of good and evil while still maintaining it’s comic book genre.  It blows what other comic movies have tried to do out of the water, they aren’t even in the same category.  The internal struggles of the character’s and desperation of the choices each makes is the catalyst for the story. For more READ HERE!