Friday, July 31, 2009
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
First Transformers and now G.I. Joe, Hasbro’s action figures are once again brought to life for movie-goers to enjoy this summer. In this new film, an elite team of operatives known as G.I. Joe travel the world using the latest spy technology and military equipment to fight the duplicitous arms dealer Destro and the growing threat of the mysterious Cobra organization from plunging the world into chaos.
Rising star Channing Tatum stars as Duke and comedian Marlon Wayans plays his sidekick Ripcord. Duke is introduced to the G.I. Joe team while accompanied by Ripcord, who has been his wisecracking Special Forces sidekick for ten years. Wayans said that because he grew up poor in a housing project with nine other siblings, his family couldn’t afford action figures and so they had to improvise. “We used to play with roaches and paint them green to make our own G.I. Joe action figures,” he quips. “I used to want to play with them, so it’s fun to actually be a G.I. Joe. We get to do a lot of fighting, kind of like when we were kids playing cowboys and Indians, or army soldiers or war. Except now I’m getting paid.”
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Movie Review: G-Force
When mankind faces global extermination through state-of-the-art appliances, it is up to the G-Force team to save the world. The team consists of three guinea pigs, a mole and a fly. Darwin (Sam Rockwell) is the group’s leader and believes he was meant to be a secret agent. Blaster (Tracy Morgan) is the weapons expert who loves all things extreme. Juarez (Penelope Cruz) is the only female and a sexy martial arts expert who often gets Blaster out of sticky situations. Mooch is the fly-on-the-wall reconnaissance expert and Speckles (Nicolas Cage) is the star-nosed mole computer and information specialist.
Recommendation: B+
G-Force isn’t just a film for kids. It’s a light-hearted action-adventure comedy for all ages and even has some unexpected story twists adults can appreciate. Audiences will be taken on an adventure ride with the new 3-D digital technology that requires 3-D glasses, making everyone feel like a kid again.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Movie Review: ADAM
Relationships are complicated, but what happens when an uptown girl starts dating a guy who’s never left the city? A lot of quirkiness. When Beth Buchwald (Rose Byrne) first moves into Adam Raki’s (Hugh Dancy) building, she uses her charm to attract Adam, only he shows no romantic interest in her. Unbeknownst to her, Adam is very interested, he is just unable to read what other people are thinking and feeling due to his Asperger’s Syndrome, a common form of high-functioning autism. They begin a friendship that develops into an unlikely romance where they learn from one another. Beth teaches Adam how to conduct himself in social situations, preps him for a job interview, and how to be more independent. Adam shows Beth how to appreciate the simpler things in life and showers her with his knowledge of astronomy. Only, their relationship is tested by family and deception.
Recommendation: B
Adam isn’t your predictable romantic comedy. There are some twists and turns in the film, and even though there is a happy ending, the ending itself isn’t anticipated. Hugh Dancy plays the role to perfection, making him one to watch as a future Oscar contender. Max Mayer did a fine job writing the script but the story may have been better told if he let someone else direct the film. B rating
Adam is a Fox Searchlight film and opens in select theaters on Wednesday, July 29, 2009.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen interview
The producers, writers and cast talk about what makes Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen different from the first movie, Shia’s hand injury, Megan’s sexy outfits, and what President Obama has to do with the film.
Megan, it’s been great to see your rise to stardom from the first movie. From your perspective, what’s changed for you since the first Transformers?
Megan Fox: The movie, its success and how well it’s received has opened a lot of doors for me careerwise and I’ve been able to be part of some films that I don’t really feel that I deserve to be a part of and that’s due greatly and solely to the success of Transformers. I just did Jonah Hex with Josh Brolin, Michael Fassbender and John Malkovich and in general actors don’t get those kinds of opportunities and for me to have that is a huge blessing and that’s because of the success of this movie.
Any changes in your daily life?
Megan Fox: Sure, I mean getting photographed at Whole Foods or coming out of Rite Aid with your shampoo bottles and stuff, that’s new for me but that’s not that crazy, you acclimate to that pretty quickly.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
It’s been two years since Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) helped the Autobots save mankind from the Decepticons and once again they need his help. Only this time Sam refuses to get caught up in the battle to live a normal life as a college freshman, but when he is pursued by the Decepticons he is forced to fight alongside the Autobots. With the help of his girlfriend Mikaela (Megan Fox), whom he struggles to say “I love you” to, college roommate Leo (Ramon Rodriguez), field commanders Major Lennox (Josh Duhamel) and USAF Master Sergeant Epps (Tyrese Gibson), and former Sector 7 Agent Simmons (John Turturro), they uncover the secret history of the Transformers presence on earth to try to save the planet from an ancient Decepticon known as The Fallen.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
G-Force
You’ll never look at your pets the same, especially not your guinea pigs. Director and visual effects extraordinaire Hoyt Yeatman brings three guinea pigs, a mole and a fly to life in the new 3-D film G-Force.
This comedy adventure is based on an idea by Yeatman’s own son when it was his turn to care for the class guinea pig at home. The animals and insects are part of a covert program by the U.S. government that trains animals to work as secret agents. The G-Force team which consists of Darwin, Blaster, Juarez, Speckles and Mooch must save the world from a villainous billionaire who plots to take over the world through state-of-the-art appliances.