Coming Soon

The Holiday Movie List has been updated with some of our movie friend, Frank's, picks. Be sure to add your two cents on the list by commenting on this post!

Today I did some snooping. I'm a bit of a IMDB stalker. It's one of those sites that is addicting and I could easily spend hours surfing. It's sad, but true. Another website I love to visit on a daily basis is ComingSoon.net. Upon surfing this website I found an area where you can see all the upcoming movies that are projected to be released within the next 1-4 years! Here are some of my favorites for 2008:

JANUARAY
27 Dresses -- A young woman (Heigl) who has made a career out of being a bridesmaid but never a bride and faces her worst nightmare when her sister (Akerman) becomes engaged to the man of her dreams. Luckily, the wedding brings around the man (Marsden) who will change her bridesmaid status for good.

The Air I Breathe -- A businessman (Forest Whitaker) bets his life on a horse race, a gangster (Brendan Fraser) sees the future, a pop star (Sarah Michelle Gellar) falls prety to a crime boss (Andy Garcia) and a doctor (Kevin Bacon) must save the love of his life. Based on a Chinese proverb, these four overlapping stories dramatize the four emotional cornerstones of life: happiness, pleasure, sorrow and love.

Cloverfield -- Five young New Yorkers throw their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera, the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal, horrifying event of their lives.

FEBRUARY
Diary of the Dead -- The latest sequel to Romero's 1968 horror classic "Night of the Living Dead," finds a group of young film students who run into real-life zombies while filming a horror movie of their own.

Possession -- A woman's life is thrown into chaos after a freak car accident sends her husband and brother-in-law into comas, but then the latter wakes up thinking he's his brother.

The Spiderwick Chronicles -- From the beloved best-selling series of books comes "The Spiderwick Chronicles," a fantasy adventure for the child in all of us. Peculiar things start to happen the moment the Grace family (Jared, his twin brother Simon, sister Mallory and their mom) leave New York and move into the secluded old house owned by their great, great uncle Arthur Spiderwick. Unable to explain the strange disappearances and accidents that seem to be happening on a daily basis, the family blames Jared. When he, Simon and Mallory investigate what's really going on, they uncover the fantastic truth of the Spiderwick estate and of the creatures that inhabit it.

MARCH
10,000 BC -- It was a time when man and beast were untamed and the mighty mammoth roamed the earth. A time when ideas and beliefs were born that forever shaped mankind. 10,000 B.C. follows a young hunter (Steven Strait) on his quest to lead an army across a vast desert, battling saber tooth tigers and prehistoric predators as he unearths a lost civilization and attempts to rescue the woman he loves (Camilla Belle) from an evil warlord determined to possess her.

21 -- "21," based on Ben Mezrich's best-selling nonfiction book "Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions," revolves around a group of young men who become experts in the art of card counting.

APRIL
The Ruins -- Based on the Scott Smith novel, "The Ruins" centers on a group of friends whose leisurely Mexican holiday takes a turn for the worse when they accompany a fellow tourist on a remote archaeological dig in the jungle, where something evil lives among the ruins.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull -- No plot available.

JUNE
Get Smart -- When the headquarters of U.S. spy agency Control is attacked and the identities of its agents compromised, the Chief (Alan Arkin) has no choice but to promote his ever-eager analyst Maxwell Smart, who has always dreamt of working in the field alongside stalwart superstar Agent 23 (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson). Smart is partnered instead with the only other agent whose identity has not been compromised: the lovely-but-lethal veteran Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway). As Smart and 99 get closer to unraveling KAOS' master plan—and each other—they discover that key KAOS operative Siegfried (Terence Stamp) and his sidekick Shtarker (Kenneth Davitian) are scheming to cash in with their network of terror. Given little field experience and even less time, Smart—armed with nothing but a few spy-tech gadgets and his unbridled enthusiasm—must defeat KAOS if he is to save the day.

JULY
Step Brothers -- Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, who last teamed in the box-office smash "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," now star in "Step Brothers," a comedy about two spoiled grown men, still living with their folks, who become competitive stepbrothers when their parents fall in love and get married.

AUGUST
He's Just Not That Into You -- Based on the best-selling book by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo. The Baltimore-set movie of interconnecting story arcs deals with the challenges of reading or misreading human behavior. Jennifer Connelly plays a woman stuck in a tired marriage with Cooper's character. Kevin Connolly, meanwhile, is a man pining after a woman, still not cast, who is having an affair with Cooper. Goodwin is a young woman obsessed with Kevin Connolly's character who tries to set up accidental meetings with him only to run across his friend, played by Long, who takes her on as a "My Fair Lady" experiment. Barrymore plays a woman perpetually confused by dating, now more than ever in a culture that is more obsessed with technology than actual human contact.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperer -- The blockbuster global "Mummy" franchise takes a spellbinding turn as the action shifts to Asia for the next chapter in the adventure series, "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor." Brendan Fraser returns as explorer Rick O'Connell to combat the resurrected Han Emperor (Jet Li) in an epic that races from the catacombs of ancient China high into the frigid Himalayas. Rick is joined in this all-new adventure by son Alex (newcomer Luke Ford), wife Evelyn (Maria Bello) and her brother, Jonathan (John Hannah). And this time, the O'Connells must stop a mummy awoken from a 2,000-year-old curse who threatens to plunge the world into his merciless, unending service. Doomed by a double-crossing sorceress (Michelle Yeoh) to spend eternity in suspended animation, China's ruthless Dragon Emperor and his 10,000 warriors have laid forgotten for eons, entombed in clay as a vast, silent terra cotta army. But when dashing adventurer Alex O'Connell is tricked into awakening the ruler from eternal slumber, the reckless young archaeologist must seek the help of the only people who know more than he does about taking down the undead: his parents.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 -- Sequel to the 2005 sleeper hit "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" in which four best girlfriends hatch a plan to stay connected with one another as their lives start off in different directions: they pass around a pair of secondhand jeans that fits each of their bodies perfectly.

SEPTEMBER
Nothing But the Truth -- The story centers on female newspaper reporter (Beckinsale) who outs a CIA agent and is imprisoned for refusing to reveal her source. Schwimmer will play Beckinsale's husband, who initially supports his wife's decision not to name names but as time goes by begins to resent her for choosing a principle over her family.

OCTOBER
Where The Wild Things Are -- "Where the Wild Things Are" follows the adventures of Max, a head-strong young boy who leaves home after having a fight with his mother -- only to find himself in a mysterious forest bordering a vast sea. Misunderstood and rebellious, Max sets sail to the land of the Wild Things, where mischief reigns.

NOVEMBER
Bond 22 -- No plot available. Craig will be back to reprise his role.

DECEMBER
The Day The Earth Stood Still -- A remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic about a humanoid alien named Klaatu (Keanu Reeves) who arrives on Earth accompanied by an indestructible, heavily armed robot and a warning to world leaders that their continued aggression will lead to annihilation by species watching from afar.

TBA 2008

Frank, Life, and Quotes

This blog has seemed to turn away from the original concept. Regardless, I enjoy blogging about random ideas, findings, and reviews on movies I love, hate, and love to hate. Although I have just recently posted my soon-to-be long list of holiday movie recommendations, I made my way over to Frank's Films and was pleasently surprised to see his review on BUG. I had mentioned a couple posts ago that I wanted to see what he thought of the movie. Frank, I'm always happy to see that you put so much effort and thought into your weekly movie reviews (PS, I will be renting Pi this week). So, if it counts - A+ for effort!

I'd like to think that beyond reviews, ramblings, and whatever else I can think of posting, that this blog is definitely a release from the frustrations of the "real world." Who likes the real world anyways? I want to live in Kansas with Dorthy and be married to John McClane, but not everyone gets what they want. So... I post.

Now, I post about quotes. Izzika IMed me (feel free to, by the way at: bgbeebs) earlier and asked if we could post some quotes on our fabulous blog. OF COURSE! I said. Who loves nothing more to have entire conversations based soley on various movie quotes that you know so well. There is no doubt that some of you, if not all of you, have said a movie quote today. If you haven't yet, you will and you won't even realize it. Today, for example, Izzika called me to tell me that she was "hungooooova'; famously said by Paul Rudd's character, "Brian," from Anchorman. Quote one of the day: Check!

There are classic quotes...

My personal favorite from Aliens:
Ripley: Get away from her, you bitch!

I can remember when I was young and my dad and I would have "father/daughter" movie nights (see, my love for movies is deeply rooted) every Saturday night. I was 8 years old watching Aliens. Can you believe it? I remember that everytime that line would come on near the end of the movie I would ask my daddy sweetly, "Can I say it, daddy?" And he would say, "Yes, but only around me". So I would walk around all day and night around my dad saying, "get away from her, you bitch!" It's funny the little things you remember. Now, 14 years later, I'm hoping that Santa brings me the Aliens Quadrilogy. A girl can dream.

There are common quotes...

As mentioned previously, a quote from Anchorman:
Ron: I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly...

Anchorman seems to be the most commonly quoted movie through my circle of close friends. Quotes constantly sneak their way into daily conversation, it's pretty bizarre.

Now I ask you all: What are you favorite quotes? Everyone has that movie that they are constantly quoting from (whether people realize it or not). What's that movie? What's that line?

T-Minus 25 Days

It's December! Holy cow! T-minus 25 days and counting for my broke butt to purchase oodles of gifts. Looks like everyone is getting $10 gift cards to Wal-Mart!

In the holiday spirit (or lack of), I thought it only appropriate to list some splendid holiday movies. Some are quite obvious others, not so much. If you feel I've not included a great movie then comment! We'll be sure to add it to our list of favorites. There will be no reviews in this post, however, just a long list of holiday movies that I enjoy and think you might too.

Updated 12/02/07 @ 2:57PM
Die Hard
Die Hard 2: Die Harder
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Love Actually
The Holiday
When Harry Met Sally
It's Christmas, Charlie Brown
Home Alone
Home Alone 2
**Bad Santa
**Joyeux Noel
**La Buche

"**" new addition

So far, that's all I can think of. My brain is mush. Feel free to add via comments and I'll be adding for the next 25 days. Eventually I will add my own tid-bits on each movie and I'll include yours as well!

I Know Who Killed Me & Waitress

Wowzers! Talk about a lack of posts for this month. No worries though, I come at you today with two movies: I Know Who Killed Me and Waitress.

If you're in the mood for a light, romantic comedy, with a sweet happy ending, then Waitress is for you. Staring the beautiful Keri Russel and the amazing (I say that because I'm a huge Joss Whedon fan and any cast members from his previous works are amazing) Nathon Fillon. It's weird to see Fillon as your typical "Jude Law" kind of character. He's cute, slightly funny, and you are rooting for him to get the girl. If you haven't heard anything about this movie it is as follows: Jenna is a pregnant, unhappily married waitress in the deep south. She meets a newcomer to her town and falls into an unlikely relationship as a last attempt at happiness. The end. There's really nothing more or less to this movie. It's cute and pleasant. I enjoyed it. I say: rent it.

As for the other movie... I Know Who Killed Me, pass on that.

Quite possibly the worst movie I've ever seen. I think it comes close to how Matt and Liz felt about Bug. I think IKWKM had the potential to be a really great cult classic. However, in the end... It fell short. Way short. The plot of the movie is kind of interesting (a young girl is kidnapped and "turns" up with missing limbs but is not the girl everyone says she is) and the whole "stigmata" theories to the movie were neat, but the acting fell short and the whole slut/non-slut character twist with Linday Lohan fell short of anything that could have been considered "interesting." I'm usually a fan of movies that are disappointments to critics (Postman), but this movie is just... Awful. I say: do not rent.

And You Thought Your Family Was Crazy?

This is another movie based off a book, however, I have not read this book. My bad. Anywho, Running with Scissors is a dark-humored drama about a young boy of about 14 years old who's parents get divorced, mother is INSANE, gets adopted by his mother's psychiatrist (who's family is also off the edge of reality), and is dealing with being homosexual in the '70s. It is original and has very poetic moments of dialogue. Augusten - the main character - is also the narrator and the voice over narration is excerpts from his diary. And though his mother is a fame-obsessed poet (who doesn't really become famous), I wouldn't say that her poetry were the most "poetic moments," in fact I loved simple one-liners that came from each individual character. I suppose if you spliced all those instances you could come up with a kick-ass poem... or a book, much like the one this movie was based on? hm. Jackpot. I have no idea why I am rambling like this. I must sound like a lunatic. Don't worry, the movie isn't contagious. And it might make you rethink trusting in shrinks and taking meds. ENJOY!!!

Mask

They told 16-year-old Rocky Dennis he could never be like everyone else. So he was determined to be better.

Tim and I were flipping through channels last night and we ran into Mask. If you haven't seen this movie it is definitely worth it. Made in 1985 and staring Cher, Sam Elliot, and Eric Stoltz, this movie never stops becoming more and more touching than the first time I watched it. Personally, every time I watch this movie I feel inspired to be a better person, to think more positively. Besides it being a great movie, Cher and Sam Elliot are fantastic in the movie. If you're looking for a movie that will inspire you, make you laugh, and definitely make you cry then I say: RENT IT.

I Now Pronounce You...

Watch'n'Blog
Oh Adam Sandler... I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry is proving to be comical within the first five minutes and is keeping me interested as any other Adam Sandler movie would. I must admit, I mostly wanted to see this movie for Kevin James. I've noticed that in many of Adam Sandler's films he repeatedly casts the same people. I like that. It's like Will Ferrell movies and the "Frat Pack." Except, with Adam Sandler it's more of a "Stupid-Pack" since most of the "repeaters" in his films all portray slightly handicaped people. I don't know yet how I feel about Jessica Beil being in the movie. I kind of miss her 7th Heaven days. She was so cute and... virginal? Regardless of the actors and actresses in the movie here is what IMDB has to say about what the movie is about (warning: may contain spoilers):

---

Chuck Levine and Larry Valentine are two firefighters. They are good friends. However, Larry is a widower (with two small children) and Chuck is single.

Larry dares Chuck one day to eat a dead rat, but he falls from the ladder that he was going to the drop the rat from. Chuck saves him but the two are rushed to the hospital and quickly recover. Larry calls in that favor big time when civic red tape prevents him from naming his two kids as his pension beneficiaries. All that Chuck has to do is claim to be Larry's domestic partner on some city forms. They think it will be easy because nobody will ever know. After Chuck agrees to the ruse (though reluctantly so, due in large part to his notorious womanizing), the two men go to Niagara Falls to get married, and Chuck moves in with Larry and his unsuspecting kids.

But an official becomes suspicious, and the new couple's arrangement becomes a citywide issue and goes from confidential to front-page news. Forced to improvise as love-struck newlyweds, Chuck and Larry must now fumble through a charade of domestic bliss under one roof. After surviving their mandatory honeymoon and dodging the threat of exposure, the well-intentioned con men discover that sticking together in your time of need is what truly makes a family.

---

Overall, the movie is pretty funny. Adam Sandler and Kevin James are pretty funny together and the concept of the movie is cute. It got pretty cheesy towards the end, but you can't have a funny Adam Sandler movie without the cheese-tastic happy ending. :) I say, RENT IT.

The Pontiac Game Changing Performance

In the spirit of watching football literally all day, I started thinking about some great football movies. Recently I just rented We Are Marshall. IMDB says, "When a plane crash claims the lives of members of the Marshall University football team and some of its fans, the team's new coach (McConaughey) and his surviving players try to keep the football program". If you haven't seen this movie and enjoy your true story/underdog/over coming obstacles sports movie, this is definitely for you. Admitedly, this is one of my favorite sports movies (with Miracle coming in first).

When I asked Tim what he thought were some great football movies he mentioned Rudy and Friday Night Lights, but I'll let him post (eventually!) about his choices.

So, what football movis are YOU renting?

Disaster!

Our crazy Miss Mother Nature has finally started to change her mind about it being summer. It's starting to get colder each day and in turn my allergies are starting to get much, much worse. In turn, I got to thinking about weather movies -- more importantly, disaster movies.

Probably one of my all time favorite movies (bold statement!) would have to be Twister. Twister, for me, is one of those movies that I put on while I'm cleaning or doing laundry and I watch as I wash. I could watch this movie over and over again. This movie is about two soon-to-be-divorces, Dr. Jo Harding (Helen Hunt) and Bill Harding (Bill Paxton), teaming up for what would have been one last go at releasing their creation, "Dorthy," into a tornado to be the first scientific team to catch readings from inside the twister. Among other actors you can find Cary Elwas, Jami Gertz, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

The Poseidon Adventure is a movie I grew up watching. Made in '72 and followed up with a remake in '06, Poseidon, it's a fantastic movies. Like most remakes, Poseidon doesn't catch up to what the original had to offer. Trying to replace Gene Hackman with Kurt Russell is like a movie sin. Although both good, respectable actors, the young Gene Hackman definitely out acts the weathered Kurt Russell.

This is going to be a shocker, but another Disaster! movie of mine is Dante's Peak. With Linda Hamilton and Pierce Brosnan you really can't go wrong with two hotter lead actors. I remember first seeing this movie in the theater with my parents and calling it Dante's People. A little insight into my past, but nonetheless this movie is a good 90's Disaster! flick.

What Disaster! movies are YOU renting?

Numbers Numbers Numbers

I was at a loss of inspiration for blogging the past day, crazy since horror is one of my favorite movie genres, but I promised Ms. Ashley that I would post. And then the movie 1408 came on. I have to admit that this is one of few movies I actually liked (a lot) that was based on a book written by Stephen King. I don't want to say that the others were bad, just that they weren't as good as they could have been. Needless to say, but I'll say it anyway: Stephen King has a LOT of books that have been made into movies... Could this make him a monopolizer of both the book and movie corporations? This is besides the point. I am not here to discuss books, which are another great passion of mine, I am here to discuss movies with NUMBERS in the title! heh. 1408 is a movie about Mike Enslin (John Cusack) who stays in 1408- a hotel room that is haunted... and as Samuel L. Jackson says in the movie "It's an evil f***ing room." There are times when you think that everything is real when it is actually just a twisted dream and time is one confusing trip after another. He has only an hour to live as the digital alarm clock counts down his minutes, his seconds, his breaths of existence. All the while you believe he is going to make it... or die a gruesome death like the tenants before him. The room distorts itself. He thinks he's insane at first, but then he knows... it's the "evil f***ing room."


The Number 23 is another amazing movie with numbers in the title. This involves Walter Sparrow's (played by Jim Carrey) obsession with the number twenty-three. It begins with a book (books are everywhere, n'est ce pas?) written by Topsy Kretts. A nice little pseudonym for a twisted mind. He sees the number everywhere: in names, signs, dates, letters, time. It consumes him and he doesn't know why. He begins to see similarities between himself and the main character, the voice named Fingerling, of the book that sparked the terrible infatuation. Who is this Topsy Kretts? Why is there only one copy of this book? And what will Walter find to be the answer to the connection? If you like suspense and schizophrenia, you will enjoy this movie. And if you think Jim is going to be funny in this movie, you are sorely mistaken and should watch Dumb and Dumber instead.


Se7en starring Kevin Spacey and Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman and Gwyneth Paltrow... is a great movie with, as you can see, a great cast. This is a favorite among many of my friends and for good reason. A man, whose name we never know and face we only see toward the end, decides that he will start killing people in a fashion according to the seven deadly sins (hence the name Se7en) and these are not for the weak of stomach. It is a gory film, but with good taste- not intended to terrorize the mind, only to make you see how messed up (an understatement) this killer is. He's meticulous, keeping hundreds of books containing his every thought, sometimes holding the victim in their place of death for months (sloth and gluttony are very nasty)... and he does this without getting caught... until he wants to be caught.

Yet again another class, so I must be on my way. There are many other great movies with numbers in the title:
300,
200 Cigarettes,
Pi (because Pi is a number and a movie that I highly recommend)

Comment or add posts!!

the tin man

Upon researching while watching my tivoed TAPS show (since I fell asleep far too early after all my hype about the show), I've been seeing previews for a new SciFi mini-series, The Tin Man. I went to check it out on IMDB.com, and there wasn't too much information about the mini-series, besides what I had already gathered from the previews. I checked out the mini-series' website and it actually looks really, really good. You can check that website out, here. Be ready for a trippy experience.

you pick!

All right, folks...

... As mentioned in my last post, the movies for next week have arrived and I can start viewing them. There are some major titles and some not-so-major titles but regardless, I will view what you want me to view. Well, let me rephrase that: Tim and I will view what you want us to view since I make him watch everything I rent.

The following titles are coming out:
Deck the Halls, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Ratatouille, Heaven's Fall, Forbidden Secrets, Manticore, Three Days of Rain, Alien Siege, Live Once Die Twice, Hope in Motion, and Four Sheets to the Wind.

Tonight I'm going to be getting "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry". So expect the first "watch'n'blog" and a review soon to follow. Based on what I've seen in previews, I expect this to be your average Adam Sandler movie. Nothing more, nothing less.

Since starting this blog I've talked to numerous people about guest blogging. If you're interested in giving your two cents on a movie you've seen recently that you loved, hated, etc. let us know!! I'm hoping to get our friend, Matt, to guest blog about his uneasy experience while watching BUG a couple weeks ago with Liz and I. I expect his post to be both humerous and imformative. We'll keep you posted on the status of his entry. And, speaking of Bug, I'd really like to see Frank's Films give his two cents in after our enjoying comment tags back and forth.

In other random news: I've noticed myself paying more attention to what people are renting. While I was working yesterday I noticed a lot of our "regulars" coming in and renting the following movies: Spiderman 3, License to Wed, In the Land of Women, and Daywatch. When you go to your local video store, what do you rent?

we're being robbed

Being robbed is a touchy subject. And, although there seems to be a serial robber in our area knockin' down some sweet video stores, it made me think about the comedies in this uncomical event. The first movie that comes to mind is Nothing to Lose. Sadly, I didn't realize that Tim Robbins was in the movie until just recently when I looked it up. I could only remember my funny name, Martin Lawrence. But, now that I know Tim Robbins is in it, I have more authority to say that "yes," it's a good movie. He is a creditable actor, right? (He sure is good in Mystic River) I can remember even my grandpa liking this movie -- That's clue enough right there that this is an OK movie. Now that I've thought about it, I wish I would have rented it tonight when I got off work, but all in good time. I suggest if you are in the mood for a light comedy with a funny guy in it, Nothing to Lose is a good choice for the night. However, it is HALLOWEEN, so who would want to watch anything else but horror movies? Don't forget to tune into the Sci-Fi channel for the LIVE TAPS event. I believe it starts at 8PM EST.

Our new movies came in today so expect a review before this Tuesday (11/3) for the movies I mentioned in this post.

Happy Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
It's official. It is 12:00AM EST and that officially makes it Halloween for us on the east coast of the United States. As it hits the midnight mark over here Tim and I are watching Ghostbusters. What an appropriate movie to bring in the new holiday. It's the tail end of the movie now and Tim has this undying pet peeve about product placement. And, "the biggest account of product placement ever," is awarded to Ghostbusters for their Stay Puft man. Can't we all just enjoy a little PP once and awhile? I've found that Wikipedia is a guilty pleasure of mine. I was just on it browsing it's (un)creditable sources about the start of Hallowe'en.

Here's what I got:
The Festival of Halloween is a celebration of the end of the fertile period of the Celtic Goddess Eiseria. It is said that when Eiseria reaches the end of her fertile cycle, the worlds of the dead and the living interlap. This happens on October 31. Masks are worn to show respect for the Goddess Eiseria who, like most Celtic deities, does not wish to be seen with human eyes. The day also precedes All Saints Day, which was, at first, the celebration of the start of a new cycle of fertility for the Celtic Goddess Eiseria. Couples incapable of producing children thus tried their luck on All Saints Day.

So there it is. It's Halloween. Don't forget to go to your local video store and rent some scare-tastic movies tonight.

a new author and questions answered

In response to your comment, tkada.com, of course I will review comics and animated movies! I'm definitely not limited to any sort of movie (although I did state I would be reviewing mostly new movies). If anyone has a suggestion or request we'll be glad to check it out!

As for the BIG NEWS... Izzika and I would like to give a welcome to our new author, Tim. Don't be fooled, Tim isn't as witty or charming as he might sound in his upcoming posts. Just kidding! And, in case you're wondering... Tim is my wonderful Dead Head boyfriend. Remember? We're big dorks.

Now YRW? (you're renting what?) will have three voices of reason: the wannabe movie critic, the aspiring writer, and the pyschedelic artist (who wants to make album covers one day). His "about the author" will soon follow. Until then, welcome Tim. Enjoy your stay.

The number ONE soundtrack

It just hit me. I completely forgot (until now, that is) that the number one soundtrack would have to be... drum roll, please... The Labyrinth. The movie includes main actors Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie. That in itself makes it F***ing sweet. David Bowie does the music for this movie and you probably remember the song "Dance, Magic Dance," but a fantastic song (when Sara and the Goblin King are at the masquerade ball in Sara's dream) is called "As the World Falls Down."

halloween plugs

I just can't help myself! Who knew starting a blog would turn into an addiction? That's what you get for having a day off. I've been surfing the 'net and checking out ghostly sites. I love reading about what other bloggers have to say about movies.

Here are some articles I've found tonight that are worthy of a gander or two if you aren't too busy:

Top 15 Halloween Movies
Symphonies of Terror: Halloween Movie Soundtracks to Make You Shiver
Movies for Halloween by Frank

it's the great pumpkin, charlie brown

Technorati Profile

How can Izzika and I go on and on about the perfect Halloween movies without mentioning the best one there is: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. I remember watching this movie every Halloween and my dad just told me that he remembers watching it most years as well. I suppose Charlie Brown's Halloween special can't technically be announced as a movie, but it's a timeless classic that I can't believe we almost over looked.

Sally Brown: Am I going to trick-or-treats with you, big brother?
Charlie Brown: Of course, Sally.
Sally Brown: Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! How do you do it?
Lucy Van Pelt: You just go to a house, knock on the door and yell "Tricks or treats!"
Sally Brown: Are you sure it's legal?
Lucy Van Pelt: Of course it's legal.
Sally Brown: I wouldn't want to be accused of taking part in a rumble.

movie soundtracks

It is my belief that a good movie also has a good soundtrack (or just a good musical score). It's funny -- I'm talking with Izzika as I'm blogging this and so many movies come to mind that I liked but I can't remember if they had good soundtracks or not. You'd think a movie that had a soundtrack I really enjoyed I would remember, but after seeing so many movies it's definitely one of those thoughts that crosses my mind as I'm watching the movie. I asked my mom earlier what soundtracks she liked the most and she mentioned Coyote Ugly and The Big Chill. She stated that she enjoyed The Big Chill's soundtrack so much because it had "good ol rock'n'roll". She is definitely a music lover of the classic rock and roll hits. When I asked her about Coyote Ugly I think she had the suspicion that I would be using what she was telling me in our blog, so all she could mutter out was that she, "just liked it". Oh mom!

When I asked Izzika (and I'm sure she'll mention more about this subject), she immediately came up with: The Devil's Rejects, Requiem for a Dream, Almost Famous, Across the Universe (minus Bono), and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

When I think about my favorite soundtracks, I'll definitely agree with my mom that The Big Chill has a fabulous soundtrack. I grew up listening to all the artists on the soundtrack so I suppose listening to it reminds me of when I was younger. I recently watched In the Land of Women (Available to OWN on DVD) with my boyfriend, Tim, and we agreed that the soundtrack is pretty rad.

Among other soundtracks that I enjoy...

Dirty Dancing -- I'm just a sap for good love stories, and DD does have a really good selection of classic songs. And we all know everyone wants to have a "baby" moment and have the time of their lives.

Forrest Gump -- Probably my favorite. I think I'm noticing a patern in movie soundtracks. I really do enjoy classic rock. Nevertheless, this soundtrack is really, really good.

Twister -- This soundtrack brings me back to "father/daughter" nights every Saturday when I was kid and all the inappropriate movies I grew up watching. Shania Twain is one of my favorite country artisits, so maybe I'm a little biased because she has a couple songs on the soundtrack.

Although two very different movies, I have to group Austin Powers and Animal House together because they both offer the same genre of music (kind of?) -- Classic tunes everyone knows. Now I must go twist and shout.

in the spirit -- halloween galore

What a good week to start a blog! Halloween offers so many potential posts and since it is my day off, I just can't help myself. There are a couple things I'm looking forward to tomorrow, though, while at work:

1. Wearing jeans and a tie-dye t-shirt to work because I'm going as a Dead Head
(any excuse to wear jeans to work is A+)
2. I'll be opening so passing out candy to the kidlets tomorrow night will be an all new experience.
3. TAPS will be hosting a live event of their hit show, "Ghost Hunters".
4. I'll be watching The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (aka Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation), which comically stars Renee Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey.

Besides looking forward to those events I've been puttering around the internet trying to both cure my insomnia and my boredom. Doing that has led me to this website: ESplatter - The Guide to Modern Horror Movies. Bam! They instantly have my attention.

I found out that there are potential announcements for upcoming sequels and prequels, and we all know you can always do better than the original. For example: Aliens and Terminator. Dare I put The Rage: Carrie 2 in the list? Ha!

Remakes of Classic Horror films- good or bad?

A list of films that have been re-made and whether or not the new version is worthy of being watched:

1. The Shining- Stanley Kubrick's version, titled "Stanley Kubrick's The Shining" will ALWAYS be the classic and most worth-while of the couple. The USA version titled "Stephen King's 'The Shining'" was not so great. The USA movie was more like the Stephen King novel, however, Stanley Kubrick captures the suspense, the terror, the twisted mind of Jack Torrance. Watch these movies yourself and let me know what you think.

2. Carrie- Brian De Palma vs David Carson : This is almost the same situation as The Shining, but this time I don't think the TV version (by David Carson) wasn't so bad. It goes into Carrie's past more and shows her powers as something to be reckoned with (haha just kidding). The only stipulation I have is the fact that people in the neighborhood saw these powers and yet kept taunting her and I suppose the movie shows that they deserve what they got (if not for how they treated her then for the fact that they knew it was coming!)

3. Halloween- See my comment to Ashley's post about something more to Ponder. Rob Zombie's is amazing, just like the original by John Carpenter. I think both of these should be viewed over and over again. They are fantastic. Carpenter's is amazing because of Jamie Lee Curtis (great horror actress) and Zombie's is great because he goes into Michael's past and he keeps with his habit of including actors from his previous films. Very nicely done, Rob!

Right now I have to run to class, so I can't finish the list now, but feel free to add to the list right now and I will probably put my two cents in after class.

something to ponder part deux

Carrying off what Liz posted about...

At work today I got the delightful task of updating the "Have You Seen" board. Unlike most weeks when we're given a list of 20 movies to pick from, all 12 of our "have you seen?" movies were chosen by myself and another employee. All movies, of course, were Halloween-y. So, I give you...

HAVE YOU SEEN?
1. Monster House
2. An American Werewold in London
3. The Frighteners
4. The Lost Boys
5. The Faculty
6. The Devil's Rejects
7. The Haunting
8. The Nightmare Before Christmas
9. Idle Hands

Unfortuneately I can't seem to remember 10, 11, and 12. Probably because of my insomnia, but they were good choices nevertheless.

I think Halloween might be my favorite holiday. Of course, I'll say that as each holiday creeps around, but Halloween IS fun. You can't help but enjoy the movies, the costumes, the t.v. specials. Most importantly, you can't help but appreciate all that is Halloween by the amount of money dentists will make in the weeks to come.

Genre wise -- HORROR is my favorite. Campy, new-age, bloody, spoof, etc. All of it is awesome. Michael Myers is my favorite, which was why I was so quick to jump on with the fun fact of the day in Izzika's post. I'm looking forward to seeing Rob Zombie's version when it comes to DVD. 'Till then, I'll stick to the classics...

... House of the Dead?

No, not a classic. Funny, though.

Something to Ponder.... for Halloween

Jason Voorhees. There are 11 "Friday the 13th" movies involving Jason. He never dies! Well, correction: he dies, but EVIL lives. The reason why people can never seem to kill him is because evil cannot be destroyed. I think that's what the creator was thinking when shaping these movies, that and the more movies, the more money. He was a little boy who was pushed around by kids at camp and then drowned because of neglect from the lifeguard. His mom killed at first, taking revenge on all the counselors... freaky bitch, but then she died. And then Jason became a monster who waited until he was big and strong to fulfill his vendetta: to KILL. I think that it would be super interesting if he started killing when he was a wee babe; like 6 or 7. that would be seriously twisted. Which brings me to my next topic:


Michael Meyers. There are about 9 "Halloween" movies in the series, but WHY, for the love of horror, is Michael absent in "Halloween 3: The Season of the Witch"? And why, for the love of good movie titles is it "The Season of the Witch"? I ask these because 1. Halloween is synonymous with Michael Meyers, but he is absent in the third installment. Am I missing something? Is there a whole other series of movies with the "Halloween" title from which that third one just slipped out and pushed between the 2nd and 4th during :Michael "Halloween": marathons during October? 2. There are no witches in the film. There is, however, a mask-making company that decides to kill a whole town full of people by creating masks that MELT your face. That's a pretty sweet idea, but I just can come to like the film for the fact that it is so out of place.

an obsession

Salad Fingers

Let's call it an obsession. Let's also call it sadistic? Maybe that's pushing it but Salad Fingers is definitely a short film that deserves a viewing or two. Maybe you'll even start quoting it as much as we do.

Maybe not.

Check out this video: Salad Fingers 1



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About MEEEEE

My name is Elizabeth, but you can call me Izzika. I am 22, from C-bus, but still attending BGSU... I am extremely devoted to the cinematic world. My favorite movies include, but are definitely not limited to: The Exorcist, Trainspotting, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Where the Buffalo Roam, Full Metal Jacket, Eraserhead, The Triplets of Belleville, The Wall, The Big Lebowski, Reservoir Dogs, Natural Born Killers, Jurassic Park, and Mystery Science Theater 3000. I want to stress the point that the list of movies in non-inclusive. I enjoy movies that are pure entertainment, satisfying my need for escape (Jurassic Park), and movies that have cultural value (Trainspotting)

Upon my recent Stumble experience I discovered the movie "Begotten" by Elias Merhige. I encourage viewing this movie (can be seen on the google video website), but be warned: the topic is very touchy for some. A brief synopsis: God kills himself in the beginning with a straight-edge and out of his carcass mother earth is borne... she then gives birth to the son of earth who is taken by cannibals. As you can see, this movie is interesting, but not for everyone (namely the weak of stomach and religious tolerance).

In one of my internet tabs I am watching Sleeping Beauty (yes, I like to watch cartoon movies as well) and I must advocate for the Disney collection. My choices of best Disney films are as follows: Alice in Wonderland (#1 on the list of course), the aforementioned S.B., The Sword and the Stone, Robin Hood (which needs to be watched more often by this author), and Snow White. These are all popular Disney films and I urge you to purchase as many as you can so as to pass them on to future generations.

I do not have immediate access to movies like Ashley does, but I will do my best to give a good... biased opinion about movies. Let's face it, the opinions we post on here will be biased because they are OPINIONS... as for the synopsis sections- those are pure fact, my friend, nothin' but truth all the way.


Thank you for your patience in reading this blather,
Izzika

reviews to come

Deck the Halls
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
Ratatouille

Probably some more, too.

about the author

Where to begin...

... My name is Ashley. I work at your local video store. I'm your average 20 something with nothing more to do than watch movies "for a living." I'm a self-proclaimed "big deal" and a glorified college drop-out. I live in sin in central Ohio with my wonderful boyfriend. We're big dorks.

I decided to create this blog to have something to do. I suppose I dream to some day be the next big movie critic, but I'm not very eloquent and I'm more personal than practical. Sometimes I'll like movies solely because a specific actor is in it (i.e., Ghost Rider) and I can hate them for the same reason (i.e., Batman Begins). That being said, my critiques won't give you a real professional outlook on the movie, but a raw, honest, and personal outlook. Seeing as I have to shorten my "what's this movie about" to one to two sentences when I'm at work, I'll include that as well.

I love watching movies and one thing I dare to do different is blog while I'm watching movies. I first came up with that idea (although done before, I'm sure) when I was watching Transformers. I was chatting with an on-line pal and most of the conversation was interupted with "wows" and "I love Bumble Bees." So along with a general outlook on the movie, you can also view my "walkthrough" section. That will be the most candid and spoilerific (new word) as I will have a "hold nothing back" outlook on what I'm writing about. I suggest you read that after you've seen the movie.

I enjoy feedback. Maybe you liked a movie I hated or hate a movie I liked; either way I love to argue. So, bring it. Along with feedback, I like to invite my way-cool friends to blog with me. They are usually smarter than I am and one of them writes insightful poems about... life, and stuff.

It's also important to mention that the movies I'll be talking about are mostly already out. I very rarely go to the local theater to pay and see movies... I'm cheap and get all my movies free at work. Therefore my posts will be about movies that are being released to video on Tuesdays. For example... If "Movie A" were coming out on Tuesday October 30th, you'd have your review the week before.

Lastly, I gather most, if not all, of my general trivia knowledge, actor guides, etc. from The Internet Movie Data Base. I suggest you check it out if you haven't already. With that said, kudos to IMDB for being awesome. And, if you're looking on buying a movie (which I highly recommend), I suggest you use my most favorite online store, Amazon.com.