So New Years started out with a good inch or two of snow falling all morning, then by evening it was just miserably cold and at times pouring down rain. Fun! We ended up staying home as predicted, a friend came over, and we just kept it low-key with lots of movies.

On New Years Day John and I headed out to take in a movie. We finally went to see “Avatar.” All I can say is wow! This is a film you must see, must see on the big screen, and assuming it doesn’t make you ill see in 3D. We really wanted to see it on the IMAX, but those shows were all sold out.

I basically agree with comments almost everyone else has said. The story is not original and has been done before, as well as mimics history. It’s colonialism taken to the level of space/other planets, with greedy corporations looking to exploit the natural resources of the planet, not caring about the destruction they bring or indigenous life they kill in order to exploit the resource and doing so with the muscle of a bought army behind them. While the story is not original, and you will see every single “twist and turn” coming a mile away, even up to how the movie ends, it is just a really fun ride. It’s a beautiful film to watch and a marvel of technology. I predict it will also be used to market the Real3D technology line of HD TV’s set to be released late next year.

Now however, with the weekend over, we turn to making sure we have everything set for our trip. We leave for my mom’s on Wednesday, and assuming there are no snow and ice delays take off for Florida on Thursday . . . . where it’s apparently cold and freeze warnings are in effect . . . . At least it won’t be cold in the Caribbean . . . I hope!

So when I heard about this movie, I rolled my eyes. They have made a lot of straight to DVD ones about 2012, but this was an epic disaster blockbuster on Hollywood scale. I guess even Hollywood couldn’t pass this one up. Seeing I taught the Mayan Doomsday prophecy to my class in the spring, and I was sure the batch of students next semester will have seen this, I decided to take the movie in. Plus it did look like it could be a lot of fun (or horrible, it wasn’t going to be one of those in-between films). You’ll either come out of it liking it or hating it most likely. I actually liked it, I thought of it as a fun roller coaster ride, which in a lot of ways it was.

There have been a lot of movie trailers put out for this, as well as extended previews shown during Fox shows like “Glee.” If you have any interest in the film you probably know the main story. The film starts in 2009 with a group of scientists discovering that increased solar flare activity is heating up the earths core and destabilizing the crust. The president of the US gathers the heads of all other nations and a plot is formed in secret to save humanity and the world as best as possible. They begin secretly building ships, financed of course by the richest people in the world, whose financial contributions buy them and family members a ticket to ride. The rest of the world of course is left oblivious that the end is near.

Meanwhile as 2012 nears, the world begins to fall apart, literally. Earthquakes are happening all over, breaks in the earths crust. In walks John Cusack’s character, who while on a camping trip with his kids runs into a crazy pirate radio host (Woody Harrelson) and learns about a government conspiracy to build space ships to save select people, and gets a crash course in the doomsday scenario of December 21st, 2012. Shockingly Hollywood did its research here, well partially. They got the theory right, but Einstein’s support somewhat wrong.

The current theory is that on December 12, 2012 an alignment of the earth, sun and several planets will occur, one that only occurs every 640,000 years or so. Of course this date is also recorded in the Mayan calendar as “end of time.” In reality, it’s the end of a very long cycle of the Mayan calendar, which would begin a new cycle. As for the alignment, scientists actually say this will happen. However the doomsday part of course is anytime there is some astronomical event, it means the world will end according to a portion of the population. In this case the theories have it that the alignment will cause a magnetic pull, reversing the north and south poles magnetically, which will wreak havoc on earth and lead to earth crust displacement . . . basically the crust of the earth comes loose from the core and begins to rotate over the core’s surface. Einstein did write an intro to the 1950’s authors book who came up with this earth crust displacement idea, saying it was possible small shifts in the crust could happen . . . but then the theory of plate tectonics was discovered and so forth. In the movie though they only give this scenario in the crazy guy’s blog ramblings. The scientists attribute it to the solar eruptions sending down neutrinos to earth which are destabilizing the core. But in the end, the same thing happens, the earth’s crust comes loose and shifts. Continents sink, others rise.

Okay so basically you end up having John Cusak’s character realizing crazy radio guy was right, and he begins the quest to save his dysfunctional family (a son who hates him, the ex-wife disappointed in him and the 2nd husband who is seemingly perfect) and get them to one of these ships. This leads to them encountering a bunch of other characters in the film, all who have separate stories going on, all who end up connected in the end somehow.

The film is long, like 2 hours and 38 minutes long. So don’t take a large drink in if you have a small bladder! However I was able to somehow sit through the whole thing without a pee break (yes you did need to know). I really didn’t want to get up and miss anything. The idea that this guy could escape with his family as many times he did is completely ludicrous. He would have died in the first limo escape scene honestly. There are many of these “Oh please, you’d so be dead moments.” However it’s a movie, so we have to suspend disbelief, otherwise it wouldn’t be fun. This is where the movie is a winner, it is fun. The special effects are absolutely amazing. I don’t think once did I think to myself “That’s some bad CGI right there” as I have with many recent movies. There are several white knuckle moments in the unbelievable escape scenes. There were also several “Oh shits!” from people in the theater.

Two thumbs up! If you like action movies, disaster movies, special effect movies; you’ll probably love this. If you are someone who will be like “Oh no, this could never happen . . . ” well you’ll hate it. Oh and there are two shouts outs to “The Poseidon Adventure” in the movie. I’m sure there other disaster movies also referenced throughout as well, but I’m not that well versed in them all.

I only found out about this remake last week, and now there is a trailer out. I don’t know. It looks awesome, but it’s a remake of a movie I love as is, so will it live up? Probably not This time around at least my students will probably have seen the movie so I can use it in class next semester.

Enjoy!

Via Puntabulous

So tonight I went to the movies. Originally I had intended to see “The Forth Kind,” but I have enough sleeping issues as is and I figured being paranoid aliens might come for me wouldn’t help. So I opted to go see “A Christmas Carol” instead.

Now I honestly had no intention of seeing it this early, since it is too early for Christmas. They could have waited for Thanksgiving when Santa arrives at the Macy’s parade. However long-time blog readers know I love my Baby-Jesus’ birthday related specials, and “A Christmas Carol” is probably my favorite. I have seen every version, I own most of them. So Disney and Mr. Robert Zemeckis had a big fan to please! I’m happy to report the movie was amazing! I could even tolerate Jim Carrey, who normally annoys me to no end. He was in fact really good in this movie.

I think I don’t have to tell you what this movie is about. If you don’t know what it’s about, well then I’m afraid you’re going to burn in hell. The story is faithful, and really if you’ve seen enough of them (or read the story) then you will be like me and anticipate almost every line.

So if you know the story, you’ve seen it a million times, why should you see this one? Cause it’s in 3D of course! Disney knew what they were doing, putting it out in 3D would make sure people came to see a story they could watch at home for free a million times over next month.

Not only is it in 3D, but it’s done in that creepy computer graphic style of “The Polar Express” where they use the actors for inspiration for the creepy 3D models of the character. Thankfully the technology has improved a lot, so people and especially the kids aren’t as creepy as they were in “Polar Express.”

While “The Polar Express” was a fun kids movie, at times this one is not. Parents need to research this movie (or read this review!) to determine if it’s appropriate for their kids. This is a movie about ghosts, and the ghosts are exceptionally well done. This is the other reason to see this movie, because of how well done the ghosts are. Scrooge, while not a ghost, is incredibly creepy with skeletal hands. Marley is the scary classic ghost who is also a rotting corpse. The Ghost of Christmas present starts of jolly and happy and as he reaches the end of his one day life on earth . . . well . . . I don’t want to spoil it. Of course there is the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come, who is a wraith and definitely dark. Should you choose to take a small child, if they are prone to nightmares, you’ll be up all night!

The movie is amazing, but if you see it see it in 3D. There is no point seeing it any other way unless the 3D makes you ill. I saw it on a very small screen, but I will probably see it later on IMAX at some point. There are a lot of very fast moving segments where the ghosts are whipping Scrooge around. So the bigger the screen, the more motion sickness that will probably ensue in these parts!

Two Thumbs Up. See it, or Baby Jesus will cry.

“Trick’R'Treat” was a movie I meant to review awhile back. Given Halloween is coming up, I wanted to post it as an option for people to rent.

The movie is actually four short stories that occur on Halloween night in the same town and are all intertwined. If you remember the old “Creepshow” movie, it’s very much like that. However here the stories are connected in fun ways that are made known throughout the movie. It’s actually hard to talk about the stories honestly, because to do so gives too much away. I can say there is a story about a group of girls looking for a party, some kids searching for an old school bus accident that is a local legend, a principal who is a nasty individual in secret and uses Halloween to his advantage, and a neighborhood recluse.

The movie is fairly gory, I jumped several times, and the effects are well done. It’s not your normal cheap straight to video flick at all. It also have a cast of good actors, including Anna Paquin. Give this one a rent. The stories aren’t going to deeply move you, but the movie is a fun horror flick and is just about screaming and being grossed out.

This is a film I wanted to go see while in the theater, but never got a chance. I ended up renting the unrated director’s cut Blu-Ray and am glad I did. This film was great!

Written and directed by Sam Raimi, most famous in horror circles for doing “The Evil Dead,” it was his return to the horror genre. It has a lot in common with “Evil Dead.” Believe it or not, when that movie came out, it was the grossest of the gross. Now it’s laughable of course. In this film a woman (Christine) working at a bank pisses off an old gypsy woman by denying her a loan extension. The woman curses her, and in three days she’ll be dragged to hell, literally.

This movie will cause you to scream from the jump out of your seat scares, then cringe. Make no mistake, there is an oral fixation to this movie, and not in a good way. It’s fitting giving the gypsy’s curse was oral. Things go into and out of people’s mouths a lot, and it’s not in a XXX way either. It’s in a “oh my God I’m going to vomit” way.

Only one scene in the movie pissed me off. It comes half way through, and let’s just say I think it might have been part of the uncut director’s edition. It will probably cause many to just stop the movie, just remember it’s a movie!

The conclusion, well I won’t spoil it This one gets a rent it, but only if you are the most hard-core of horror fans.

So currently playing (probably) on your digital cable’s “On Demand” channel is the movie “House of the Devil.” It plays up till the end of the month, when it begins playing in select theaters nationwide. It’s an interesting way to market a movie for sure, putting it on Pay Per View before it’s in the theater.

The movie has a distinct look and feel. It opens with some facts about how in the early 80s, the nation was obsessed with the idea of satanic cults, with something like 30% of people believing they were real and sacrificing people. This movie plays on that hysteria, as well as clearly sets itself in the early 80s.

The movie on this level, setting itself in the 80s, makes it a visual feast for the eyes. You could just watch it and enjoy it on this level. There are no cell phones, pay phones are used, the main character listens to a walkman, even the hair style and coke cups are retro. Yes, there is an 80s soundtrack too! The film has also been given a ting of static feel as well, as if you were watching it in a theater on an old school projector.

The movie is about Samantha, a college student desperately in need for money. She answers a baby sitter wanted ad on her local school bulletin board, which of course leads her to a creepy house way out in the country. She finds out she’s not babysitting a kid per say . . . We’ll stop here with the details, to give more away would spoil the fun.

The story plays out much like an old school horror film, with the first half setting up the terror to come. Now if you want blood and guts, this movie has it, but not in buckets worth. It’s more of a psychological thriller if anything, with some creepy scenes thrown in at the end. Are these people nuts, for real, what’s going on? It’s not till the final moments of the movie you get it, which makes for a great ending (though it has been done before).

Definitely worth a see. It’s 10 bucks on demand, steep for an on demand movie. But it’s not in theaters yet (where most of us would pay 10 bucks for the ticket alone). If you want to wait for DVD to rent, it’s worth a rent for fans of old school 80s horror.

So it’s that time of year, time for some scary movie reviews and recommendations. I just got back from seeing the much hyped, the over hyped, “Paranormal Activity.” How to describe this movie . . . . I know! Hey, did you ever see “The Blair Witch Project?” If you answered yes, then you’ve also seen “Paranormal Activity!”

This movie I felt was a copy of “Blair Witch” even down to the marketing. Back when “Blair Witch” came out it was an indie film, no money behind it, no big studios were banking on it. They marketed it through a very clever website that made the movie seem real, authentic, as if it was a real documentary you were going to see. With “Paranormal Activity” a similar approach was taken. It was first shown in a handful of obscure out of the way theaters. A twitter campaign was launched to spread word and demand it in your city. It was expanded in a limited run in the top 15 cities. Finally now it’s opening more widely. With that much hype being put into it, I went in thinking it probably wasn’t going to be great.

Was it great? Well I have to say if there was never a “Blair Witch” then it probably would have been. However there was, and this just felt like a direct copy. Instead of three kids with a hand held camera going out into the woods to track down a local legend, a couple uses a hand held camera to try and catch the ghost haunting them on tape. In this case it really isn’t a ghost, more of a demon or evil entity. The entity is attached to the girl (Katie) and has been since she was a little girl (this is how these things tend to work in real life).

If you’ve seen the trailer, well sadly you’ve also seen just about every scary part of the movie. Most of the film is the boyfriend Micah carrying the camera around while his girlfriend Katie whines about how he’s just antagonizing this demon and making it worse. He boasts that he’s the man and he’s gunna solve this problem, they don’t need outside help. Only at night do most of the spooky things happen, and again most of them are in the trailer. They last for seconds only too. For half of them rather than being spooked, the theater was laughing.

Just as seeing “Blair Witch” in the theater did, the shaky hand held camera, often out of focus, just made me violently ill. If you are prone to motion sickness, migraines, etc; you will probably not like this film at all. I had to close my eyes for a lot of the second half because I was just ready to puke. Waiting for the small screen version minimizes this, it did for me at least when I saw “Blair Witch” on TV.

Yes I know I’m talking a lot about the “Blair Witch” in a review for this movie, but again, it’s impossible not to make the comparisons. I opened this review with the comment if you’ve seen the first, you’ve seen this one. And I mean it. Once you realize they’ve used the same formula, well it’s not hard to figure out how it’s going to end now is it?

This one I can’t really give a see it to. I can say rent it, if you have something like Netflix where you aren’t paying per rental. Otherwise wait for cable. I think the woman next to me in the theater said it best after the film ended. “We paid to see this?”

The next movie I’m gunna review is “House of the Devil,” which is currently playing on your cable box’s Video on Demand channel. It opens in theaters in a limited release on October 30th.

By the third day of Monster Mania, the novelty of seeing the movie stars had worn off. I got everyone I really was wanting the first day, and didn’t want to spend much more money on it. By the third day I was could tell I was catching a cold.

John Landis, director of An American Werewolf in London and Thriller

Myself and David Naughton, start of American Werewolf in London
As you can see, I’m not my normal shinning self

I’ve basically been sleeping the past two days, and am just now trying to get myself back up and to a normal routine. I hate being sick!