Thr3e - Review

Thr3e

Thrillers can be a great movie genre. If done correctly you can have a great blend of action and drama. You can also have a story that you feel apart of. You're usually trying to figure out all the pieces of the story as the main character(s) are. However, if done incorrectly you can have a movie that's worse than watching Steven Seagal read "Hamlet".

The only real name of note in this movie is Marc Blucas. You might remember him if you were a fan of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer". Blucas played Buffy's second serious, and most annoying, boyfriend, Riley Finn. I was so glad to see him go; he was no Angel.

Kevin Parson (Blucas) is being stalked by a mad bomber who loves leaving riddles for his victims. The killer has very intimate knowledge of Parson's past and present. The police are three steps behind this killer and seem to just react to his antics without making any real progress. Parson must save not only himself and innocent people around him, but he also must save his childhood companion, Samantha (Laura Jordan). With the help of police detective, Jennifer Peters (Justine Waddell), these three must stop the killer before everyone dies.

Grade - D-

This movie moves really quick right off the bat. You are thrown into the main story with little background into any of the main characters. This is really the movie's only redeeming quality. There is no coherent story arch in this film. It seems that random plot elements just happen randomly with nothing more in common with the previous scenes other than the main characters. I just can't describe how random this storyline is. I have never read the book, but if it was written as atrociously as this movie was then I don't understand who gave the backing for the movie. I only learned afterwards that this was based on a Christian themed book; the movie shows no real Christian message that you see in Christian based movies.

You feel nothing for Parson because you're just thrown into his life and the villain attacks right away. The movie does a horrible job at revealing his past throughout the movie. It's as random and sudden as the movie itself is. You don't love him or feel for him in any way. Why should I care if this guy gets killed? I really didn't know.

I hate thriller movies that use riddles that only the characters in the movie can figure out. When a movie gives you riddles, you should be able to figure them out because it helps you get involved with the movie more. You shouldn't have to know the fictional cities bus route in order to figure out the clues. Riddles like that turn people off to the movie because then they don't even try to think of the answers. In a good thriller movie you feel as if you can help the main character figure out the who, what, where, why, when, and how. This movie is nothing like that. It made me feel less than indifferent to the story. It's so convoluted and random, not to mention having way too many explosions in it for a thriller, that you couldn't even try to be drawn in.

The ending was just so atrocious. Its reveal is tired and dull and has been reused again and again. Let me just say that this might be a spoiler if you're going to watch this movie. This movie is what "Revolver" is like without the big budget. This movie also teaches you that if you are mentally ill, all you have to do is have someone convince you that you're sick and you'll calm right down if you acknowledge it. Watching the end of this movie was worse than volunteering to carry out an experiment to see what it feels like to get hit in the nose with a sledgehammer.

Twenty-Seven Dresses - Review

Twenty-Seven Dresses

There is nothing wrong with a guy watching a good chick flick. Guys can learn a lot about women from movies like these. You can learn that girls are more interested in dialog rather than the visuals. You can learn that every girl wants their own version of their perfect date/man/day. You can also learn that sometimes, even women have a hard time entertaining each other.

The story is written by the same woman who wrote "The Devil Wears Prada", Aline Brosh McKenna. I enjoyed that movie; I didn't love it, but it didn't make me to want to get into a bar fight to reclaim my testosterone. Anne Fletcher is the director with her only other previous directing credit being another boy from the streets/girl from the class dance movie, "Step Up". This was also the return of Katherine Heigl to the big screen after her great hit, "Knocked Up". I think that's where I went wrong. I saw an excellent example of great writing and directing with one actress and applied it to a movie she does next that has kind of the same story elements of finding love and such.

The story is that of Jane Nichols (Hiegl) who has been a bridesmaid 27 times. She is drawn to the other women to help them achieve their perfect day. However, she hasn't found that special someone that makes her heart pitter patter. She's infatuated with her boss, George (Edward Burns), but he has never made a move for her. She has been stuck in this rut for a long time. That soon changes when her sister, Tess (Malin Akerman), shows up and her and George become romantically involved. So much so, that quickly, George proposes to Tess and now the fairy tale wedding that Jane had planned all her life has become her little sister's. To complicate things, a newspaper reporter, Kevin Doyle (James Marsden), is doing an story on her and her 27 times a bridesmaid and never a bride life.

Grade - D

This movie is not very good at all. The pacing of this movie is so slow; it just kind of meanders along, like trying to start a lawn mower after the long winter months. It also didn't help that this movie was so much longer than it needed to be. There is no way it needed to be close to two hours. We don't even get the movie title until 55 and a half minutes into the film. The real problem of this movie is that it wants to be a romantic comedy but it really turns out just to be a poorly written typical romance story with very little story. There are only one and a half good scenes in this film. The trying on of the dresses scene was the only funny scene and the bar singing scene started out really cute but it got really stupid quick. The storyline is your typical girl doesn’t need guy, girl meets guy but hates him, girl and guy then fall for each other, guy screws it up, guy apologizes, guy and girl live yadda yadda. It's a cookie cutter movie with no surprises, little to no laughs, and no originality. I felt like I was watching a remake of "The Wedding Planner" and "The Wedding Singer". Also, Heigl only has one really good line.

I do have to say that this movie accomplishes a movie first in the history of movies. This is the only movie where James Marsden doesn't cry, pout, or whine like a pansy, although you don't really learn a lot about it. I can compare to how much you get to know the character to a pebble skipping across the pond. He seems just kind of thrown into the story at times but disappears for the most part. The mean article he writes is also never really told to us. The movie tries to make him a kinda bad guy who's uncaring about marriage and only wants to advance his career but the movie really doesn't show us that at all.

I did learn three things from this movie. I learned that all you have to do to find "the one" is have your kiss with them have sparks. So ladies, I am single and looking for "the spark. Random geek kisses for all! Second, I learned that you can commandeer the microphone at any wedding and pretty much ruin it with your petty squabble. If this took place at my wedding, I'd get some grandma bouncers to pinch their cheeks right out of my shindig! Finally, I learned that all that matters is the wedding day and nothing else. What is Hollywood’s deal with making the wedding day the only thing that matters yet married life is always looked at as a hindrance? I'd like to think that Heigl's character got over her wedding day and in the 6 months after the one day she looked forward to with anticipation for her whole life, she got sick of being married and forgot she needed to keep building a meaningful relationship after the honeymoon period. That's how Hollywood movies would really end if they were in the real world or continued a bit further than their ending do.

Patrick Guest Stars On New Podcast

Gathering Geeks is a new show hosted by One Geek And A Microphone masta' Chaz and Sound Check ruler Chris K. It's a great show from the geeks' perspective. Check it out below.

Gathering Geeks - Episode 3 - Be Kind, Please Rewind

Show Notes For 05/04/2008

The show notes are a bit light this week since we decided to just cover Iron Man. You can download the show here - http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/14391

If you haven't seen Iron Man yet then be careful what you listen to in the show and what you read below!

Movie News

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2008-05-01-speed-racer_N.htm
Film Geeks ahead of the curve. We announced these two weeks ago and commented the same way the article does.

http://filmgeeksshow.blogspot.com/2008/05/big-news.html
Other than the Josh Stolberg story, Film Geeks announced we were contact by a Lionsgate representative to talk about hooking us up with a new Speed Racer series they are going to be promoting. Listen to the show for details and stay tuned for updates as they happen.

If you are a movie promoter who wants to get in contact with us in regards to getting a review of your movie(s), TV shows, whatever, email us at film.geeks@yahoo.com and we'll watch anything and talk about it regardless of whether or not we like it. However we will honestly give criticism if there needs to be any, but we always give every movie we watch a fair assessment. So for a common man's review or two guys who love movies review or you just want to promote your swag...feel free to contact us!


Iron Man notes
- Good quick start, a slide show flashback done in the story and that was it
- Get right into the Iron Man action with the building of the suit and the turning of Stark
- Robert Downy Jr. is the best Stark possible
- Terrence Howard was a little weird in the role, not really a hardcore action guy in my eyes
- Paltrow's character is great and strong and a good ending for her
- See the evolution of Stark from loving himself to hating himself to changing himself
- Good ending
- Bad guy was decent enough, didn't have to have monster voice so much
- Good use of comedy without it being cheesy
- Great use of effects without having them over used
- Why must indestructible men/monsters/etc. find their way to a freeway?
- What were the terrorists goals?
- first Marvel Studios picture. Good choice.
- Jon Favreau directed - amazing for the guy who just directed Zathura and Elf

Iron Man news
- Box office figures - http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/20080504/120993390000.html
- 104.2 million from Thursday to Sunday afternoon; 96.7 million in 57 countries and 201 million total.
- Second biggest opening

Next week we will be doing our show on "Unintentional comedies" so join us next week at 8 PM EST - http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/14391. Feel free to also leave comments in the blog, rate us at Talkshow using the link above, and write a review of our show!

Gone Baby Gone - Review

Gone Baby Gone

Good crime dramas come along so rarely that it's really hard to give any that are announced serious consideration. A lot of times, crime drama is just another way to package "action" and "big, muscled guy saves the day" without making it look like an Arnold or Stallone flick. So it is rare when you get to see a great crime drama that makes you thank yourself for loving movies.

Ben Affleck seems synonymous with us today with words that we join together, like Beniffer. We think of his movie choices as being either bad or being the love interest. However, we are quick to forget that from the same guy who did "Daredevil", is the same guy who co-wrote the movie great "Good Will Hunting". I know when I saw the trailer for this movie and saw Affleck was not only the writer but the director I didn't even think back to his earlier work. This was his first serious directorial debut and I wasn't the only one who cringed when we heard the news. Then I started hearing reviews for it being a positive movie going experience and soon it was nominated for an Oscar. Not that Oscars are anything that influence my movie likes but I had to at least give this movie a chance before it disappointed me.

Four year old Amanda McCready (Madeline O'Brien) is abducted from her home in Boston and the police make little headway in the case. Her aunt, Beatrice McCready (Amy Madigan) hires two private detectives, Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) to use their street connections to try and find Amanda. Patrick and Angie get the cooperation of the Boston Police through Captain Jack Doyle (Morgan Freeman). He lets them in on all the information that the handling detectives, Detective Remy Bressant (Ed Harris) and Detective Nick Poole (John Ashton) , have. The two PIs struggle with drug dealers, pedophiles, gangs, and the rough streets of Dorchester to find some clue as to what happen to Amanda. They struggle with all these outside forces as well as risk their own relationship with each other and possible their lives.

If you haven't noticed by now, the cast is a vast array of talent and those that are "lesser known" display a great array of talent as sharp as the bigger names. Casey Affleck is really a superb actor and he stood out the most to me in this picture. He plays this skinny, white, Boston PI who seems lost in what he should do yet he seems know where to ask questions and how to carry himself on the mean streets. It really was a pleasure to see him act. Rarely does putting your family members in rolls mean success, just ask Guy Richie and Steven Spielberg. Morgan Freeman has a great presence in this film but it is limited. Ed Harris definitely gets to work with a great character and a great role. This seemed like a perfect role for him. I also have to say that Amy Ryan did a great job as well. You really felt for her character in the beginning then get to hate her and then yo yo back in forth until the end of the movie. Michelle Monaghan is good in this too but her character seems to be more in the background than really a main character.

I also have to make one point that I always rack my brain with. Since I'm pretty far from Hollywood and am not immersed in the culture this probably shows you how different a kid from the mid-west and people from the country of Hollywood look at things differently. There are a lot of ugly people in this movie. There are overweight, fugly, and/or messed up looking people throughout. I don't know, first of all, how anyone can make out a casting call that says "Looking for really grotesque looking people, such as people who look like their family has inbred for the last twelve generations". Then I can't understand people seeing that casting call and wanting to apply for the role. It really does amaze me.

Grade - A+

This was such a great movie; a real top notch crime drama. It was gripping, it was compelling, it was moving, and it was shocking. Ben Affleck showed some titanic talent in his directorial style and his script. The story seems out of place with this "good looking boy". The twists the story take keep you interested and drive the story forward whether you are prepared or not. The ending was a bit of a shocker but the final reveal was jaw dropping. I have to say that Angie's ending in the movie was something I didn't really agree with and didn't really understand why her character would want what she wanted. The ending reminded me so much of what I felt at the end of "Empire Strikes Back". So much was accomplished, there was a happy ending of sorts, but it didn't really seem like the good guys completely won and the bad guys completely lost. I think that's why this movie is a great mark in the history books of crime drama and I hope both Afflecks show their talent again like they did here.

Martian Child - Review

Martian Child

John Cusack is one of those actors that I like so much that I'd see anything that he was in. I'm really surprised to not see him as a more bankable star. His talent in acting is top notch and his roles are always endearing. The previews for this movie made it seem like he had picked another role he could excel in.

Menno Meyjes directs this flick and he has limited credits to his name. However his camera work in this movie and the ability to tell a wonderful story is splendidly done. He knows how to not rush this story, how to keep the audience guessing just a little bit, and using the acting talent of Cusack and the little boy to unfold this great story.

This story is about David (Cusack) who is a widower and has not been able to get over the loss of his wife for over two years. He is a science fiction writer and it helps him to draw his attention to a little boy who can be adopted. David does indeed decide to adopt the little boy. However, this little boy is special. This little boy believes he is a Martian. Dennis (Bobby Coleman), wears sunglasses to protect him from a much closer sun than he was use to on Mars, wears batteries on his special belt so he won't float away from the weaker atmosphere of Earth, he can taste color, and can make Marian wishes. Or so he claims. David is drawn to this little boy and he plays into his make believe world a little bit. However, the strain of dealing with a child that acts as "weird" as Dennis does puts stress on David and his life. If Dennis is not a good fit, then the state will take him away from David and he will stay under the care of the state again. David also has a hard time with being a father rather than a friend. However, with no main woman in their lives, it's just David and Dennis to figure out each other as well as try and stay together.

John Cusack is once again wonderful in this movie. The way in which he approached this role was that he was distant with his co-star in the beginning so that he wouldn't become attached to him until later, just as his character and his co-star's character do in the movie. This was a great move and you really do see the relationship grow and develop as the movie progresses. Bobby Coleman is a great, young actor. He almost outshines Cusack in this film! The range of emotion the kid has is natural talent and he can do so much with the dry lines he has to work with. The other people in the movie are good but it's amazing to watch both these actors and their characters interact and try to figure each other out. It's almost as if they were from two different planets.

Grade - A+

This movie was actually based on a true story and what a touching story it was. This movie has its funny moments and it has its drama but the main stay of the movie is the relationship David and Dennis form. It's an amazing movie that really does touch your heart. Some people might compare this movie to "K-Pax" and for a few minutes in the movie I really thought they were going to go the route of "Is he or isn't he a Martian". However, that was quickly stopped. The final scene of this movie is just so compelling and awesome. It's full of drama and tears and you find yourself rooting for both the characters and if you're not on the verge of tears by then then you probably don't like the movie. To see Cusack and Coleman whose characters are both unique and lovable interact and try to figure each other out, make for a great story and a touching movie.

Big News

Join us this Sunday at 8 PM EST - http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/14391 - for some big news that's happening with us at Film Geeks. Our little show and blog are growing each week and each month and the news we'll be announcing will show that.

We recently mentioned in our Accolade post that Patrick was recently contact by Hollywood director and writer, Josh Stolberg. I, Patrick, wrote a review for his movie "Kids In America" which you can check out here - http://filmgeeksshow.blogspot.com/2008/03/kids-in-america-patrick-movie-review.html and through an IMDB.com message this was his reply:

"Hey there,

Thanks for a nice write-up about my movie. It made me smile.

Cheers,

Josh"

So I wrote him back in almost utter shock that a Hollywood director would contact a random internet movie reviewer. I thanked him for his message and reading the post and that I was infatuated with one of the actresses in the movie, Stephanie Sherrin. In my message back I also asked him for an autograph and that I would send him something to sign. The following was his response:

"Hey bud. I think I still have a couple of posters left that were signed by the cast (including Stephanie). :-)

Just tell me where to send it to and I'll get it out to you as soon as I get a chance. I'm a little screwed for time this coming week but I should be able to do it the following.

Take care,
Josh "

So this was even more amazing to me. Then, on Friday, I received the poster. So here it is and a close up on the pictures. It's signed by all the people on the poster and Josh Stolberg as well.