Taken: Good Luck

Official Site: www.takenmovie.com
Director(s): Pierre Morel
Writer(s): Luc Besson, and Robert Mark Kamen
Producer(s): Luc Besson, Luc Besson, and India Osborne.

Starring: Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, Lenore, and Olivier Rabourdin, (IMDb).
Rated PG-13, 93 minutes.

Minutes after Kim and Amanda arrive in Paris, they met a charming Frenchman who requested sharing a taxi with them because cab fares are expensive. When they arrive to their hotel, the Frenchman invited them to a party, and he departed. Hours later, while Kim is talking to her dad in the bathroom, she witnessed Amanda being captured. Taking directions from her father, she runs to a room and hides under a bed. Minutes later she was taken, but she left her cell phone under the bed. And one of the kidnappers spoke to her father Bryan Mills,who swore to kill them, and bring his daughter home.

Taken is not a big budget action drama, but it delivered well orchestrated chase scenes, a simple effective script, and good fight scenes. As a thoughtful film, the logical order deserves recognition. Certain scenes that risked developing into a hyperbole, were executed to the contrary. Some of the fight scenes were a little nebulous because some of the punches could not be seen clearly. Regarding the main character, Bryan Mills was depicted as a good but imperfect father who loved his daughter deeply. Coupled with the drive to find the kidnappers, Mills's love for his daughter was one of the main themes. According to metacritic.com, the film received generally mixed reviews. Good Stuff, I'll grade it a B-. Stay tuned, movieporium.blogspot.com.

Trailer


Clip


Liam Neeson/ Maggie Grace Interview

NEW GI JOE POSTERS !

Revolutionary Road: Paris

Official Site: revolutionaryroadmovie.com
Director(s): Sam Mendes
Writer(s): Justin Haythe, and Richard Yates
Producer(s): Bobby Cohen, John Hart, Sam Mendes, and Scott Rudin.

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Michael Shannon, David Harbour, Kathryn Hahn, Kathy Bates.(IMDb). Rated-R, 119 minutes.

Days after April and Frank had and argument on the roadside, April was looking at some pictures of her and her husband, and she realized how much passion they had for life and each other. Being nostalgic, April proposed to Frank to move to Paris where she would work as a government secretary to support Frank, enabling him to ponder about what he truly wants out life. However, after Frank accepted His wife's proposal, he was offered a promotion with a substantial pay increase, which ignited a wave of conflict.

An absolute delight with audacious dialogue that demanded an emotional response, this film was mainly carried by bold and fearless writing. The script was tasty, for it described the acerbic tension that can exists between married couples. The script was honest, and non euphemistic. And the acting delivered that rawness excellently. According to metacritic.com the film received generally good reviews, and rottentomatoes.com granted the film 98 fresh tomatoes to 48 rotten ones. Good stuff. A-/ B+. Stay tuned, movieporium.blogspot.com.

Trailer


Paris Clip


Dicaprio Interview


Winslet Interview

Che: Viva La Revolucion !

Official Site: Che
Director(s): Steven Soderbergh
Writer(s): Peter Buchman, and Benjamin A. van der Veen
Producer(s): Laura Bickford, Benicio Del Toro, and Steven Soderbergh

Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Demián Bichir, Rodrigo Santoro, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Norman Santiago (IMDb). Rated- R 4hrs.

The film focused chiefly on Che Guevara's leadership position in the guerrillas as the revolution gained form and momentum. From the meeting with Fidel Castro, and the other original plotters of the Cuban revolution, Che unravels to outline the events that transpired in great detail. One of which was the clear sequential depiction of the strife of the guerrillas in their struggle to successfully execute their insurrection as they confronted near insuperable logistical issues while being vigilant of the Cuban army.

The production of this film was absurdly great. It was very detailed, but the location contributed heavily to its general production value. With only a 61.5 million dollar budget, the production was impressive. And on that note, so was the casting. Del Toro was great as usual, but Demian Bichir was riveting as Fidel Castro. He nailed it.

As great as the casting and or the production was, the film was interesting but it was not grossly engaging. I did not feel an emotional connection with the revolution, and I also did not feel the sense of desperation the men felt as they began to go hungry in the jungles. This film was acted and produced well; it was slow and interesting, but I was not helplessly entangled. According to metacritic.com the film received generally favorable reviews, and rottentomatoes.com granted the film 47 fresh tomatoes to 30 rotten ones thus far. This film gets a C+. Stay tuned, movieporium.blogpsot.com.

Trailer


Ventriloquist Clip



Benecio Del Toro Interview

Underworld: Rise of The Lycans

Official Site: entertheunderworld.com

Director(s): Patrick Tatopoulos
Writer(s): Danny Mcbride, and Dirk Blackman
Producer(s): Tom Rosenberg, Skip Williamson, Len Wisemen, Richard S. Wright, and Richard Wright.

Starring: Michael Sheen, Billy Nighly, Rhona Mitra, Steven Mackintosh, Kevin, Grevioux,
(IMDb). Rated-R. 92 minutes.

Lucian was born a unique Lycan. Unlike other Lycans, Lucian could transform into a Lycan, and back to a human. As an infant Lucian's life was spared by the lord of the vampires, Viktor, who later claimed Lucian, even as and adult, as his favorite pet. However, after a incident involving Viktor's daughter Sonja, Lucian would loose that privilege.

For the most part, this film was entertaining. The story was not extraordinary, but it held my interest enough not to classify it as boring. Contrasted with the previous two, this film's story was seemingly not as complex, in that, it was not multifaceted, but linear.

Although it was difficult to see many of the fight scenes clearly (perhaps because they were cut too often) , the action scenes were good, but they were missing a certain flair. Moving on, the production was off the charts with the Gothic costumes, castles, and weapons. Visually, these films are always amazing to watch. According to metacritic.com the film earned generally mixed reviews, and rottentomatoes.com granted this film 16 fresh tomatoes to 21 rotten ones thus far. this film was entertaining, it gets a C+. Stay tuned movieporium.blogspot.com.

Trailer


Rhona Mitra Interview


Behind The Scenes

The Horsemen Trailer

This film looks interesting, but Lion's Gate releases really disturbing films. Well if people like me keep paying to see these disturbing films, it is unlikely Lion's Gate will stop releasing such films.

Red Sonja Remake(2010)

In contrast to the cheesy special effects of the 1985 release, this film could be exciting with the graphics technology available today, especially in the design of the monsters. Hopefully the film's value will not be driven entirely by special effects, but also by a gripping story. Rose Mcgowen will be Red Sonja, but who will play Arnold's role?


Mcgowen and Rodriguez Interview

NOTORIUS: Juicy

Official Site:foxsearchlight.com
Director(s): George Tillman Jr.
Writer(s): Reggie Rock Bythewood, Cheo Hodari Coker
Producer(s): Wayne Barrow, Edward Bates, Trish Hofmann, Mark Pitts, Robert Teitel, and, Voletta Wallace.

Starring: Jamal Woolard, Mohamed Dione, Derek Luke, Dennis L.A. White, Marc John Jefferies, Angela Bassett, Naturi Naughton, Anthony Mackie, and Antonique Smith(IMDb). Rated R, 100 minutes.

Biggie Smalls is the illest. Indeed Biggie was one of the illest rappers, and he is definitely a hip-hop legend. The portrayal of his story on the big screen maintained his legendary status gracefully. Biggie's character was not sanitized, nor was he depicted as a violent mindless thug. Mainly, Biggie's life was described as a young man who became a legend from extenuating economic conditions that lead him to become a drug dealer, ultimately realizing his incarceration. Being bored in prison, Biggie wrote rhymes to assuage his boredom, which sharpened his skills as a lyricists. After being released from prison, Biggie linked-up with his old crew, recorded a demo tape that ended up in Diddie's possession, and thus the birth of Biggie Smalls.

Notorious was well casted and well acted; the pace of the film was just right, and the development of Biggie's life was detailed with great craftsmanship.
A very good movie. B+. Stay tuned movieporium.blogpsot.com


Trailer


George Tillman Interview


Biggie Smalls Freestyle


Biggie Casting

Paul Blart: Mall Cop: 555-0178

Official Site: paulblartmallcop.com
Director(s): Steve Carr
Writer(s): Kevin James, Nick Bakay
Producer(s): Doug Belgrad, Todd Garner, Kevin James, Adam Sandler, Jeff Sussman, and Matthew Tolmach.

Starring: Kevin James, Keir O'Donnell,Jayma Mays,Raini Rodriguez,Shirley Knight, and Stephen Rannazzis (IMDb). Rated PG, 87 minutes.

Paul Blart is a hypoglycemic security guard committed to the safety of the customers who routinely shop at the mall where he works. Although Paul displays intense passion for his job, he aspires to be real cop, and one evening when a group of acrobatic robbers scheme to steal 30 million from the mall, Paul Blart proves how much of a real cop he truthfully is.

I was mildly curious about this film, and I planned on seeing it later rather than sooner, but I decided to watch it since I was in the mood to laugh. As I watched the film, I concluded that it was funny but not hilarious; naturally some scenes were funnier than others, but again, it was mildly funny, and not intensely funny. Although Paul Blart did not make me laugh feverishly, like many films it had its memorable moments, such as the scene where Paul Blart gets drunk at the bar. According to Metacritic.com the film received generally mixed reviews, and rottentomatoes.com granted the film 19 fresh tomatoes to 50 rotten ones. Blart boy gets a C. Stay tuned, movieporium.blogspot.com.

Trailer


Kevin James Interview

Defiance: Nothing Is Impossible

Official Site: defiancemovie.com
Director(s): Edward Zwick
Writer(s): Edward Zwick, Clayton Frohman
Producer(s): Pieter Jan Brugge, Edward Zwick

Starring: Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell, Jamie Bell, Allan Corduner, and Mark Feuerstein (IMDb). Rated R. 137 minutes.

The Bielski brothers fled to the Belarus forest to avoid being captured by the German army, but as more Jews began to arrive, the Bielski bothers found themselves in the position of engineering a nomadic community of Jews who are frightened and dependant on them for leadership and survival. And the task of securing provisions for the subsisternce of the entire community created conflict amongst the bothers as they all lived in fear of starvation, and being captured by the German army.

When I saw the trailer for this film, I felt this film would be good, and it was. It was difficult to anticipate a sad or happy ending, because of the precarious circumstances of the Jews in the forest, and not being able to sense how the film would end pleased me very much, as the story kept me intensely interested. I'm vaguely familiar with the story of the Bielski brothers thanks to a History channel documentary.

All the actors in this film did great as the casting was excellent, and so was the directing. However, there was one scene where Craig rode in on a white horse, and there was no explanation as to how he obtained the horse. I was left assuming Craig stole the horse from a nearby farm. White horse aside, this was a great film. According to metacritic.com the film received generally mixed reviews, and according to rottentomatoes.com the film earned 67 fresh tomatoes to 60 rotten ones thus far. This film fits between an A- and a B+. Stay tuned movieporium.blogspot.com.

Trailer


Daniel Craig Interview


Historical Background

Austin Powers 4 (2010)

Mike Myers is working on his next Austin Powers flick, which will focus mainly on Dr.evil. The reactions to this possible sequel appear mixed. Some believe he should have made the sequel instead of Love Guru,while others do not seem to mind another Austin Powers. As for me, I love this franchise, and I want it to thrive as long as possible. Austin Powers 4.


Dr.Evil's Speech...The details of my life are quite inconsequential.

Robotech Live Action Movie ( 2010 )

According to beyondhollywood.com Tobey Maguire will be producing the upcoming Robotech film, and he may possibly play the leading role. For those of you who do not remember Robotech, it is a Japanese animation series from the 80s featuring fighter jets that transform into giant robots with awesome fire power. This is exciting for me because I enjoyed watching the series as a kid. Although I do not remember any characters from the series, I do remember thinking it was cool. I still think it's cool. I'm curious what these giant robots will look like.

Robotech 85 Symphony of Light
Uploaded by twisted_days

Thanks For The Header Fern! This Ones For You!

Misfits-Helena (Live)

Tent Cities In The USA

This is an indication of how bad the financial crisis is. 

The Reader: Kid

Official Site: thereader-movie.com
Director(s): Stephen Daldry
Writer(s): David Hare, Bernhard Schlink
Producer(s): Donna Gigliotti, Anthony Minghella, Redmond Morris, and Sydney Pollack.
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Jeanette Hain, David Kross,Susanne Lotha, Alissa Wilms, Florian Bartholomäi, Friederike Becht, and Matthias Habich(IMDb). Rated-R. 124 min.

Michael Berg is a 15 year old high school student who became ill on his way home. While vomiting in an alley somewhere a woman named Hanna Schmitz took care to walk him home. After being in bed for three months from scarlet fever, Michael returned with flowers to thank the woman, and from that day they developed a relationship that affected Michael for the remainder of his life.

At first I thought this film was going to focus solely on the taboo relationship of Michael and Hanna, but the film developed into a gripping story involving justice, regret, romance, revelation and redemption. All these elements, so well directed, constituted a beautiful film that showcased great acting (Kate won the globe for supporting actress), and superb casting. And plenty of nudity. Kate Winslate is so sexy and beautiful. This was a great film, and it fits between an A- and a B+.

Trailer


Kate Winslet on Charlie Rose


Ralph Fiennes

Gran Torino: Get Off My Lawn!

Official Site:www.thegrantorino.com
Director(s): Clint Eastwood
Writer(s): Nick Schenk, Dave Johannson
Producer(s): Clint Eastwood, Bill Gerber, and Robert Lorenz

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Christopher Carley, Bee Vang, and Ahney Her (IMDb). Rated-R. 116 minutes.

Walt Kowalski is a politically incorrect, irreverent Korean War veteran who lives in a bad neighborhood, and when a family of Hmongs move in next door he is less than pleased. One night, Kowalski catches a young man trying to steal his gran torino, but he was not aware that the young man, Thao, was one the members of the family who recently moved in. After the family learned of Thao's dishonorable act, he was punished by working off his bad deed at the will of Kowalski who became friends with Thao, and Kowalski became Thao's guardian when a gang threatened his life.

This was a delight. Irreverently funny, Gran Torino has plenty of memorable lines which is a testament of great the dialogue was. Clint Eastwood was amazing in his delivery. Laden with racial remarks, this film was so offensive you had to laugh, and this is primarily because Eastwood's character did not restrain from saying what was on his mind.

Besides the irreverent humor, Gran Torino is a film focusing on the right of passage of a young man, Thao, who was laboring to become a mature, responsible man. Kowalski became the father figure in Thao's life, as they developed a strong bond, and Kowalski showed Thao how to be a man, and not to be such a "pussy". This film was awesome. Great story. Great acting. According to metacritic.com the film received generally favorable reviews, and according to rottentomatoes.com the film earned 101 fresh tomatoes to 32 rotten ones. Good stuff, this fits between an A-and a B+. Stay tuned movieporium.blogspot.com.

Trailer


Eastwood: Brief Interview

The Unborn: Jumby

Official Site: TheUnbornMovie.net
Director(s): David S. Goyer
Writer(s): David S. Goyer
Producer(s): Michael Bay,Andrew Form, and Bradley Fuller.

Starring: Odette Yustman, Gary Oldman, Meagan Good, Cam Gigandet and Jane Alexander(IMDb). Rated PG-13, 87 minutes.

Casey Beldon is a college student who begins experiencing strange dreams, but theses dreams began occurring for a reason. After being haunted, she decided to look through her deceased mother's items to understand the real cause of her mother's death, and to also detect if there is a link between the haunting, and her mother's death. As Casey searched through her mother's items, she found a picture of a woman whom she traced, and would ultimately explain what is haunting her.

The opening scene was engaging, and I was automatically focused. From that scene the momentum was steady as the story developed, but the momentum subsided, inviting the film to lag specifically in the scenes where Casey is socializing with her friends.

The suspense in the film was adequate, and there were many scenes that induced the audience to scream like little girls. It was a scary movie, but the evil entity in the film was not defined in the same manner that, for example, Freddie or Jason was. This entity was an evil spirit searching for a body to manifest itself. The explanation of the evil spirit's intentions through the dialogue was executed well.

This is a standard horror movie that was scary, but not extraordinary, and the ending of the film was somewhat anticlimactic, but over all the film was fun to watch. According to metacritic.com the film received generally negative reviews, and according to rottentomatoes.com the film earned 6 fresh tomatoes to 40 rotten ones. This film gets a C. Stay tuned movieporium.blogspot.com.

Trailer


Movie Clip

The Amero

I hope Mr. Turner is wrong, but if he is right, life will be a journey of mass poverty for this generation and the forth coming generation of Americans. Our economy is in trouble.  

The Disappearing Male

This is a very revealing documentary about the ever decreasing male sperm count, and the sudden decline in male births. The supposed explanation for this phenomenon is the plethora of birth defect inducing chemicals that is pervasive in our environment. These chemicals are found in baby bottles, toys, and even lotions. If this trend continues, far less humans will populate the earth one hundred years from now.

Near Dark

Near Dark was one of my favorite films to watch as a youngster. I have happy memories of watching this film with my cousins. This is such a great vampire movie I remember it till this day. Thank goodness for the internet. Hopefully I can find it on DVD.

Fight Club Revisited

Fight Club is one of those films that is suited for the rebelious, and confined. This film appeals to those who eagerly want to transform their life because they feel confined by either their daily routine, the fear of losing their job, and the fear of being ostracized for not being conventional. These individuals create their personal version of Tyler Durden in instances where they imagine behaving how their rebelious tendency would like them to, except, their personal version of Tyler Durden is not externalized.

BedTime Stories: Underdemeciated

Official Site: bedtimestories
Director(s): Adam Shankman
Writer(s): Matt Lopez, Tim Herlihy
Producer(s): Jack Giarraputo, Andrew Gunn, Adam Sandler

Starring: Adam Sandler, Keri Russell, Guy Pearce,Richard Griffiths,Teresa Palmer,Lucy Lawless,Courteney Cox,Jonathan Morgan Heit, Jonathan Pryce and,Laura Ann Kesling(IMDb). Rated PG. 90minutes. Box Office Earnings.


As a child Skeeter Bronson( Adam Sandler) along with his sister Wendy( Courtney Cox), helped his dad manage his motel. The motel was a wonderful place for Skeeter because his imagination was rich, and something as boring as an ice box became an igloo as Skeeter pretended to be an Eskimo. The motel was on the brink of bankruptcy and Marty Bronson(Jonathan Pryce) sold the motel which eventually became a major hotel destination where Skeeter grew up to disappointingly work as a custodian. But life would change for Skeeter when he realized magical things would happen by telling bedtime stories to his niece and nephew.

Typically I avoid seeing children films, because they are children films, and seeing this movie has not changed my mind, unless it is a children film like Pan's Labyrinth, or one that is action packed. This film is cute. It induces a warm feeling mainly because of Bobbi( Laura Ann Kesling), and Patrick(Jonathan Morgan Heit). Some of the humor was platitudinous, and mundane, such as the scene where Skeeter has the radio on, and every song is about fire, a play on the bed time story that suggested he would be set ablaze. Although platitudinous in many aspects, it does promote family togetherness. It was OK. I'll grade it a C.

Trailer


Movie Clip


Adam Sandler Interview


Kerri Russel

The World According To Monsanto

This is a cool documentary about Monsanto, a powerful multinational corporation that initially began as a chemical company but later also developed as a prominent seed company. The documentary exposes how Monsanto falsified evidence to bring some its products to market with the aid of the FDA. Amongst various issues, this documentary also examines the dangers of genetically modified foods, and the threat to traditional farming in connection to Monsanto.Great documentary!


Watch The World According to Monsanto in How to Videos | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Laid Off : Purgatory

This is a short film about a deceased man named Martin (John Paul Hurley) who is apparently stuck in purgatory, and he is providing a narrative of the experience. Part of his experience involves bereavement counseling every two weeks with other deceased people who are trapped in purgatory. As the days pass, Martin does the best he can to cope with being ignored by the living amongst other things. After all, Martin is dead. Regrets, boredom, and ambitions of "moving up" dominates martins thoughts as he wonders aimlessly. I found this shorty enjoyable becasue Maritn was dead but he still behaved as if he had a place amongts the living.