The Return of An Obsession...

Awhile back, I signed up for this service called Loot Crate. For a monthly fee, Loot Crate sends you a bunch of stuff related to geek culture for a specific topic. Two years ago, I received (for the first time since I signed up) a novel. I have to admit, I looked at the cover and then just put it aside for a couple months. Then one day, I was bored and decided to give the book a shot. What followed was one of the most enjoyable reads of my life.

Movie Review: Suicide Squad

Despite major failures on the part of Warner Bros. and the D.C. Comics movie division, I actually went to watch the Suicide Squad. Here's the thing, I'm a DC comics fan. I like the stories they tell, even if I don't always agree with HOW they tell those stories. And when I heard that a Suicide Squad movie was being made, I was excited. In this era, where they are taking comic book movies seriously, this movie would be nothing short of AMAZING! Then I watched Batman vs Superman, and my faith in the studio died. But, I still had a glimmer of hope. Suicide Squad could still be the intense, tour de force film that brings DC to the top of comic book movies! I'm sorry to say, it wasn't.

Star Wars: An Experiment

A long time ago, in this very galaxy, I decided to run an experiment. After the umpteenth argument about the latest changes that George Lucas made to the original trilogy of Star Wars, the person who I was arguing with accused me of not being able to see past nostalgia and evaluate the movies as they really are today. So, I went and purchased the Blu-ray release of the six films and then didn't watch them, at all.

Movies I'd Like To See: Transcendence

We all love going to the movies. We all love seeing the screen come alive with great characters, epic story lines, and mind-blowing action. But another thing about going to movies that we love is seeing the trailers for the movies that are on the horizon. Now, in the Information Age, there are TONS of trailers out there, but every once in awhile you get a trailer that really lights you up and sets that fire in your brain. Showcasing the trailers that do that for me is the point of this series of posts called "Movies I Want To See". Today's post is about the trailer for a new movie called "Transcendence". In this case, we get not one, not two, not three, but FOUR trailers! No, I'm serious!! Don't believe me? Read on!

Movies I'd Like To See: Jupiter Ascending

We all love going to the movies. We all love seeing the screen come alive with great characters, epic story lines, and mind-blowing action. But another thing about going to movies that we love is seeing the trailers for the movies that are on the horizon. Now, in the Information Age, there are TONS of trailers out there, but every once in awhile you get a trailer that really lights you up and sets that fire in your brain. Showcasing the trailers that do that for me is the point of this series of posts called "Movies I Want To See". Today's post is about the trailer for a new movie called "Jupiter Ascending".

Movie Review: Captain Phillips

When I first heard about the Captain Phillips movie, I thought it was too soon. After all, the real life events of the hijacking only happened about four years ago. I didn't really think it was a good idea to delve into those events. But the captain who actually went through those events had published a book on the hijacking, and allowed the movie to be made, so I guess he was okay with it. In case you didn't know, Captain Phillips is based on the real life events that happened in 2009 when a U.S. cargo ship, the MV Maersk Alabama, was hijacked by Somali pirates. Despite my personal misgivings, I did go to see the film, mostly due to Tom Hanks, and I must admit I really enjoyed the film. It was a really cool movie.

Halloween Horror Movie Marathon

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I always rejoice in the spirit of Halloween. The enjoyment of the darkness and the evil around each and every one of us is intoxicating. And during this time of year, I'm not the only one who is getting into it! Seriously, it's awesome to feel like I fit in with everyone else! This is the one time of the year where my interest in magic & the occult becomes socially acceptable. It's nice to hear people talking about ghosts and their own experiences with the supernatural. Seeing friends trying to scare one another, or band together for strength and support as they watch their favorite horror films. Not that they're scared or anything, (of course, they're not. No one's scared of these movies. Please!) it's just cooler to watch it with a crowd of people....

In either case, for me it's a good time! This year, I don't get to celebrate Halloween the way I usually do with my Halloween Horror Movie Marathon (H2M2). But if I did, this would be the list of movies I would have watched. In this case, I was going for horror movies I haven't seen at all. These are all brand new. Yes, remakes count as new films.

Carrie (2013)
The Purge
I Spit On Your Grave 2
Fright Night 2: New Blood
Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
Embrace Of The Vampire (2013)

Alas, this was not meant to be. But in the spirit of reminiscing, what would be YOUR horror movie list this year?

Top 10 Romantic Comedies...

Okay,  I hereby adhere to the promise I made in my previous post and present to you my choices for the top ten romantic comedies. You'll notice that they aren't your typical entries in the genre. Now, please remember the rules, any all time favorites are banned from this list. Frankly if a movie is good enough to be my all time favorite, it's unfair to compare it to other movies. So rom-coms like The Princess Bride and Groundhog Day are disqualified.

Second, these have to be FAVORITES. Movies that I'd be down to watch whenever the opportunity presents itself, no matter what mood I'm in. Happy, sad, depressed, hyper, etc. it's always a good time to watch these. Remember, I'm a guy so I'm not going to gravitate to fluff like "27 Dresses" or "Head Over Heels". These are going to be movies that I found funny (usually because of the side characters as opposed to the romantic leads) that just happened to have some romance thrown in, or had such a quirky display of a relationship that I was too intrigued to not watch.  Anyway, here it is, my top ten rom coms:

Movies I'd Like To See: X-Men: Days of Future Past

We all love going to the movies. We all love seeing the screen come alive with great characters, epic story lines, and mind-blowing action. But another thing about going to movies that we love is seeing the trailers for the movies that are on the horizon. Now, in the Information Age, there are TONS of trailers out there, but every once in awhile you get a trailer that really lights you up and sets that fire in your brain. Showcasing the trailers that do that for me is the point of this series of posts called "Movies I Want To See". Today's post is about the trailer for a new movie called "X-Men: Days of Future Past".

One of the biggest problems with converting comic book storylines in general, and Marvel stories in particular, is the casting. In the bulk of the storylines, there are too many characters to feasibly fit in a film. A couple of lines and paint will allow a character to appear in a comic, but in the movies it's quite a different matter. But Marvel proved me wrong with their plan for bringing about the Avengers movie. Now they are tackling one of my favorite stories: Days of Future Past. Here check out the trailer:

Movie Marathon Day: Sat Nov 2nd

While I do admit that I miss having a girlfriend, there are certain benefits to not having one. For example, there isn't a girlfriend in the world who would allow me to do what I have planned for this Saturday. See, I've been severely lacking in my movie watching. It's been partly because it's rare that there are this many movies in the theaters that I actually want to go see, but on the whole it's been because life events have gotten in the way. But, that's all over. And so, this Saturday, Nov 2nd, I will move into a movie theater for the day and watch EVERY SINGLE MOVIE on my list that is STILL in theaters. Yes, that's correct. I will be doing a movie marathon just for ME. No one else but ME. So, what movies are on the list? I'm glad you asked! Here, check them out:

Movies I'd Like To See: Captain America: Winter Soldier

We all love going to the movies. We all love seeing the screen come alive with great characters, epic story lines, and mind-blowing action. But another thing about going to movies that we love is seeing the trailers for the movies that are on the horizon. Now, in the Information Age, there are TONS of trailers out there, but every once in awhile you get a trailer that really lights you up and sets that fire in your brain. Showcasing the trailers that do that for me is the point of this series of posts called "Movies I Want To See". Today's post is about the trailer for a new movie called "Captain America: Winter Soldier".

In this day and age, people have gotten the point that comics in general, and superhero comics specifically, can tell serious and adult stories. And the movie industry is catching up. While the first Captain America movie went along the heartwarming side, showing why it is that Steve Rodgers is such a well loved person (both in the comics and by the fans), the Winter Soldier storyline is a much darker story. Here, check out the trailer:

Movies I'd Like To See: American Hustle

We all love going to the movies. We all love seeing the screen come alive with great characters, epic story lines, and mind-blowing action. But another thing about going to movies that we love is seeing the trailers for the movies that are on the horizon. Now, in the Information Age, there are TONS of trailers out there, but every once in awhile you get a trailer that really lights you up and sets that fire in your brain. Showcasing the trailers that do that for me is the point of this series of posts called "Movies I Want To See". Today, I get to post about a SECOND movie I want to see! This post is about the trailer for a new movie called "American Hustle".

The cast for this movie is amazing: Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Laurence, Amy Adams, and Jeremy Renner! Just for that alone this movie is worth watching! Here, check out the trailer:

Movies I'd Like To See: The Book Thief

We all love going to the movies. We all love seeing the screen come alive with great characters, epic story lines, and mind-blowing action. But another thing about going to movies that we love is seeing the trailers for the movies that are on the horizon. Now, in the Information Age, there are TONS of trailers out there, but every once in awhile you get a trailer that really lights you up and sets that fire in your brain. Showcasing the trailers that do that for me is the point of this series of posts called "Movies I Want To See". Today's post is about the trailer for a new movie called "The Book Thief".

In this film, we get to explore a story that takes place during the escalation of WWII in Germany, from the point of view of actual Germans. No, not the Nazis, but the actual German folks just trying to get through their days without getting killed by the Nazis. Here, check out the trailer:

Top 10 Favorite Comedies...

While I'm on the subject of comedies and in the mood to make lists, I've decided to give you, my dear readers, my top 10 favorite comedy films! Don't you feel lucky? Don't you just feel special?? Like all gooey and yummy inside? Really? Well, you may want to see a doctor about that. I'm just saying... Anyway, for those of you who just started reading this blog, let me tell you what my definition of favorite is. No, there is too much, let me sum up: A movie is a favorite when you'd be willing to watch it no matter WHAT mood you're in. Depressed, sad, happy, mad, whatever, if this movie pops up on On Demand or regular TV, you'd give it some serious thought to just sitting down and watching it. THAT is a favorite.

Movies I'd Like To See: Robocop (2014)

We all love going to the movies. We all love seeing the screen come alive with great characters, epic story lines, and mind-blowing action. But another thing about going to movies that we love is seeing the trailers for the movies that are on the horizon. Now, in the Information Age, there are TONS of trailers out there, but every once in awhile you get a trailer that really lights you up and sets that fire in your brain. Showcasing the trailers that do that for me is the point of this series of posts called "Movies I Want To See". Today's post is about the trailer for a new movie called "Robocop". Here, check out the trailer:

Thoughts On... Ben Affleck As Batman

The problem with being a vocal fan of anything is when something big happens everyone reports it to you and then they sit back and wait to see if you explode (either positively or negatively). I am a vocal fan of Batman. While I'm smart enough to see past the haze and recognize the comic character's flaws, there is still an attractive quality about the story of the man who would be a superhero. Since Warner Bros. announced the news yesterday, a whole slew of my friends have taken it upon themselves to let me know that Ben Affleck has been cast as Batman in Zack Snyder's "Batman Vs Superman" movie.

Top 5... Offensive Comedies

Everyone loves to laugh. We may all differ in what we find funny, but we all love to laugh. Me included. One of the things that is as universal to humans as humor is inappropriate or offensive humor. The stuff that we find funny that society says we shouldn't. For example, the eclairs scene in Van Wilder. Yes, it was disgusting and almost vomit worthy, but it was funny! Society says that we shouldn't laugh at things like that, but we all do anyway. We just don't admit it out loud. Except for me, obviously, since I'm posting this on the internet.

But it did get me thinking, out of all the offensive comedies I've seen (mostly thanks to certain friends of mine), which were my favorites? The ones that I'd be down to watch again, or recommend to people in need of a good laugh. And I came up with my top 5. I know you're dying to find out, my dear readers, so without further ado... Here they are!

Movies I'd Like To See: Saving Mr. Banks

We all love going to the movies. We all love seeing the screen come alive with great characters, epic story lines, and mind-blowing action. But another thing about going to movies that we love is seeing the trailers for the movies that are on the horizon. Now, in the Information Age, there are TONS of trailers out there, but every once in awhile you get a trailer that really lights you up and sets that fire in your brain. Showcasing the trailers that do that for me is the point of this new series of posts called "Movies I Want To See". Today's post is about the trailer for a new movie called "Saving Mr. Banks".

Today we get a Tom Hanks twofer! You know that I'm a fan of Tom Hanks, but what you may not know is that I'm also a fan of Disney's Mary Poppins! But before we get to that, check out the trailer:

Movies I Want To See: Captain Phillips

We all love going to the movies. We all love seeing the screen come alive with great characters, epic story lines, and mind-blowing action. But another thing about going to movies that we love is seeing the trailers for the movies that are on the horizon. Now, in the Information Age, there are TONS of trailers out there, but every once in awhile you get a trailer that really lights you up and sets that fire in your brain. Showcasing the trailers that do that for me is the point of this new series of posts called "Movies I Want To See". Today's post is about the trailer for a new movie called "Captain Phillips".

Tom Hanks is a great actor in my opinion. From the moment when I first saw him in Splash, he has done nothing but solid, exemplary work in every film I've ever seen him in. So when I hear about a new project with Tom Hanks, it immediately grabs my attention. And, it's based on a true story!! Here, check out the trailer for yourself:

Movies I Want To See: The Counselor

We all love going to the movies. We all love seeing the screen come alive with great characters, epic story lines, and mind-blowing action. But another thing about going to movies that we love is seeing the trailers for the movies that are on the horizon. Now, in the Information Age, there are TONS of trailers out there, but every once in awhile you get a trailer that really lights you up and sets that fire in your brain. Showcasing the trailers that do that for me is the point of this new series of posts called "Movies I Want To See". Now, there are many things that will attract me to a movie: story, characters, actors, directors, producers, etc.  A movie where any ONE of these aspects catches my eye is worth a bit more attention. But every once in awhile you get a perfect storm that makes a movie simply irresistible. Recently, I went to see "Red 2" and I saw the trailer for the next movie one of my favorite directors has up his sleeve. Check out the talent connected to ONE FILM: