The World's End

The Merry Trio of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright return to finish their 'Cornetto' Trilogy with the tale of 5 guys, 1 night and 12 pints. 

My wishes for iTunes etc in 2013

First off, Happy New Years to everyone.

Those that have been following my on and off blogging (which I resolve in 2013 to try to be more on than off) know that I'm something of an Apple fanboy (well girl) but not in a cultish "everything else sucks" way. Okay a little but I try to keep that to myself.

One thing in particular that I'm crazed about is iTunes. Not the software so much as the stores (although iTunes 11 is getting to where I think the software should be). I feel very very deeply in the core of my being that in fact the world did end in 2012 in some respects. The main respect being that I believe that the Age of Home Video on physical form is over. Well on the dying stages of being the dominant form. Attempts to keep it on the top spot are basically rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. And Apple has the best position to lead the way into a new digital era.

That said I do have a few thoughts about this whole thing, about what I think Apple and the film/tv industry, cable companies etc should do with this whole thing.

It's the End of the World as We Know It

Okay so the Mayans were, it seems, a tad off with that whole "the world is going to end on Dec 21, 2012". But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves with a movie or a tv marathon. 

Soapbox: Zoom and Enhance and other crimes against reality

Okay I'm stepping up and calling out the film and TV folks on this one.

Maybe back in the day when folks couldn't watch show episodes online, couldn't set up wikipedias with every last detail of every moment and so on, it was okay to be sloppy with the details. But that day is long past and the time has come for writers etc to stop with this nonsense.

What nonsense is that. Well it falls into two categories. One is continuity errors. Screwing up details like characters age and such. Now that writer's assistants don't have to spend all afternoon photocopying script pages they can help write character histories etc and verify that the right information is used.

But the other one, the one that really irks me is making stuff up that violates reality. And most of the time it isn't necessary. It's more just sloppy and lazy.

In the season premiere of Person of Interest, for example, Reese refers to the book labeling as 'the Dewey Decimal System" but it isn't. It isn't even close. It's just some random system that probably dates back to before Dewey. So why not just call it 'shelving codes' or 'acquisition numbers'.

IP numbers are often given that aren't even in the numbers used in IPs. Why not just use real IP numbers say to the show's network home page or the city website for where the show takes place or depending on the show, perhaps a public interest site connected to the episode topic.

Phone numbers are another fun one. That old '555' trick wasn't as noticeable when folks couldn't rewatch shows but now its become a joke. Do as one might do with an IP and find a real number. Some shows have done it. Their stars have some big charity interest and their characters phone number actually calls whatever group they support

Using the wrong terms for various medical or forensic terms, totally unreal computer interfaces etc. The list goes on

But the big one, the one that has become something of a joke on the web and shows still pull off on a weekly basis is the classic "Zoom and Enhance". We've all seen it. It's a common one in police shows where they are looking at camera footage. It's all grainy etc and someone says they will enlarge it and clean it up. But it's always photo or video quality that is too poor to do anything with to get more information. My all time favorite is Enemy of the State. They are looking at Will Smith in a retail store and pull a magical 180 degree turn around to see his bag. WTF? How about "do we have a camera on the other side?" It's a high end store so there were probably cameras everywhere.

Seriously writers it's beyond time to clean up your acts. Get the facts, keep the straight and make your stuff make sense. We do notice and that kind of sloppy, lazy stuff can turn us off so much we turn off our TVs.

One for the Queue: Unknown

A recent discussion with some friends inspired me to place this gem back at the top of my Netflix queue (since it isn't avail on iTunes). If you haven't ever seen it, you must. Seriously, you MUST. Trust me. 

The Omen 666

Let me start off by saying that I'm not typically a horror film person. Double if it's a slasher film. I find them to be too focused on the gore and such and very very light on the production skills especially writing and acting.

But I was moved to actually check out this flick both because the original is considered a classic in the horror genre and because the supporting cast includes a trio from my list of favorite but often overlooked actors -- David Thewlis, Pete Postlethwaite, Michael Gambon. And while neither Julia Stiles nor Liev Schriber are on my list of folks I will watch even their worst movie because I am obsessed with seeing everything they are on, they are good actors who in a film with a good director and a good script generally aren't unbearable to watch.

Avengers

Okay so after a refueling dose of chili cheese fries I headed across the street to one of my fav venues, the El Capitan. The El Cap, also known as the Disney theatre, is a large single scene venue not unlike the Cineramadome or the Chinese (which sits across the street). Avengers is of course the first product of the Marvel and Disney partnership so it was perfect to have it at the El Cap. It's also the first live action movie I know of that has used the Disney 3D system also used in the Pixar films. Disney 3D is a polarized not Red/Blue system and uses the lighter weight glasses for viewing. To me it's a more subtle effect and one that is more pleasant to watch. But that's really personal taste in some respects so we'll leave the discussion there and move onto the actual movie.

You sank my battleship movie

Okay so what's a fangirl to do when she's got a whole day off without even laundry waiting. Why movie day of course. Double feature movie day.

First up, Battleshit. I mean Battleship. I knew this movie wasn't going to be that awesome. After it's based on a board game that doesn't really have a story to it (at least Clue has the murder mystery). But I thought it might be decently entertaining.

Boy was I wrong. This movie is bad. Like sweep the Razzies bad. Catwoman looks like an Oscar flick compared to this bleech.

Men In Black III - Haven't seen it, but I will

WARNING: I suck at picking a blog topic and sticking with it. My fiction is much better.

There are two reasons why I am going to see this film:
1. Josh
2. Brolin
That is all.

OK, it's not quite all. But, have you seen the trailer? Brolin's immitation of Tommy Lee Jones looks flawless. Simple fact is, he is an underrated actor. Well, perhaps not totally underrated, but he has been unlucky in that he doesn't achieve the acclaim he deserves. Did you see him in

Are you "Happy"

I will admit that I don't generally watch documentary movies. TV shows sure, but not movies. I'm not sure why this is. But one of my New Year's Resolutions was that I was going to try to correct this trend and not only watch some documentaries but actually seek out this genre more often.

So when my eye caught on a little movie called Happy, I figured it was past due for me to actually make good on this resolution. Since I wasn't likely to rematch the movie I downloaded it as an iTunes rental and set out to view it right away.

And the Winner Is . . .

This year's Oscar winners:

Best Picture: The Artist
Actor in a Leading Role: Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Actress in a Leading Role: Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
Actor in a Supporting Role: Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
Actress in a Supporting Role: Octavia Spencer (The Help)

Now you can get your Miramax Online

Today was the launch of two deals for watching Miramax titles online through Hulu and Netflix. So in honor of these deals, I figured it was time to revisit some of my favorite Miramax films.

Miramax is probably best known for films like Pulp Fiction and Shakespeare in Love not to mention distributing many other films produced by smaller indie companies (like the works of Kevin Smith). And while I love both of these films, my favorite films are actually from their Australian/Kiwi era.

A Beastly Mess of a Movie

Beastly

A cinematic of train wreck of bad dialogue, predictable storytelling and thin 'acting' that assumes that the teenage female audience it is targeting is too concerned with pretty things to care about substance. And unfortunately is probably correct.

It was announced earlier today that Jamie Campbell Bower, star of Camelot (with roles in Harry Potter, Twilight and Sweeney Todd also under his belt) has been picked as the male lead in the adaptation of the Mortal Instruments young adult book series. Thousands of tween girls and their mothers have cried out in anguish at this news because it means that their precious Alex Pettyfer has once again been 'robbed' of a role he is, in their questionable opinions, 'perfect for' (the first being the romantic lead in the Hunger Games films).

Project Watch: Hunger Games

It's round two for casting today.

Variety is reporting that Hunger Games may have found their Effie Trinket.

Elizabeth Banks is in talks to play the bubbleheaded chaperone for District 12 Tributes Katniss and Peeta.

Project Watch: Hunger Games

Entertainment Weekly has reported that Hunger Games has found their tributes for District 11. 


Unlike the casting for Katniss and Peeta, the producers have gone for a pair seriously unknowns. Which could be a very wise move for both sides. 


This pair, Amandia Stenberg and Dayo Okeniyi will play Rue and Thresh. And while they have almost nothing on their resumes, I do like the look I'm seeing.

Lionsgate has also setup a tracker on the project's official Facebook page to watch the casting as it happens.   Talk off the Facebook and Twitter logos and the page could be ripped out of the books themselves (Folks at the Capital would at least have that level of access perhaps). Effectively creepy in my opinion. 


If you are one of the handful of folks out there that haven't read these books, I recommend them. Sure they were written for teens and all that, but they are quite good. 

iBook
Paperback
Audiobook
Kindle

iBook
Hardcover
Audiobook
Kindle

iBook
Hardcover
Audiobook
Kindle

New Movies

The Fighter

iTunes

DVD
Combo + Digital

Hereafter

iTunes

DVD
Combo+Digital

The Switch

iTunes

DVD
Blu-ray

Waste Land
iTunes
DVD

A Shine of Rainbows

iTunes

DVD

Au revoir les enfants

Blu-ray

Yi Yi

Blu-ray

Clannad
DVD

New Releases: Movies

Inside Job
iTunes
DVD
Blu-ray

Tales From Earthsea
DVD

New iTunes movie apps, very awesome

This morning saw the release of two new apps from Warner Brothers studio.

This apps, tied to the movies Inception and The Dark Knight, are available in two versions. The free version includes the first five minutes of each movie and a sampling of the bonus features. The full version, purchased within the app, provides the full movie and tons of features. There are also links to talk about the movies via facebook or twitter.

New Movies

Never Let Me Go
iTunes
DVD
Blu-ray

Let Me In
iTunes
DVD
Blu-ray + Digital

Golden Globes Recap and Thoughts

Last night was the presentation and broadcast of the 68th Annual Golden Globes.


The Globes, which recognize excellence in film and television, are awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association rather than peer vote. And while the presentation is much more casual with the presenters, nominees and loved ones sharing a banquet dinner before the show and vast parties after, the award itself is very highly esteemed. In part because it is more impartial. In fact that impartiality and casualness is part of why I place the Globes on the top of my list of awards. Which is not to say that I don't enjoy the Oscars, Emmys etc, but they are more of a giant group pat on the back in my book (however it is a nice pat particularly considering the company one is standing in).