OUT OF THE FURNACE: Big Cast, But Big Mistakes Set Cooper Back. Dafoe, Whitaker, Harrelson Save This Film Which is Riddled With Errors.

So many errors - where to start?  How about the beginning - which is masterful.  We see Harrelson's character, DeGroat, at a drive-in with his girl.  He is creatively effective as he introduces us to his character.

Woody and Dafoe - a dream pairing.  Their presence is what makes Hollywood film so great

Scott Cooper returns from his well—earned success with Crazy Heart to write and direct “Out of the Furnace.”  They should have named this film “Down and Out in Scranton, P.A.”

A film must exhibit some type of extraordinary feature for me to go see it nowadays.  This one was easy:  Woody Harrelson playing a hard villain – the potential was too juicy to pass up.  We’ve got a top-shelf set of actors in this one: Affleck, Bale, DaFoe, Harrelson, Soldana, and even Whitaker. Usually, with an all-star cast like this, a film is impossible to screw up.  Seems highly unlikely one could mess it up, right?

Dafoe plays John Petty - such a great name to use in a film like this.  The film claims to be about the rust belt - and an iron mill.  But we see no mill, no work no nothing.

Cooper employs a simple, realism-focused style to this film project.  Delivery would be up to the actors – where we experience mixed results.  However, the primary flaws to this story sit with Cooper. This is no Crazy Heart.

Let’s have a look at who did what in “Out of the Furnace,” a film billed as being set in a steel and iron mill community.  Outside of two helicopter flybys over a metal mill, there are no scenes involving  any type of work associated with anything.

Have a look yourself - would you put your $ on Affleck?  A big error of Cooper's os that they keep having Affleck intentionally lose - when - it looks like he woulkd anyway - and there are no fights that show hiom being any good - to even make working a bet like this even remotely profitable.  Too fake- for a film that applies aned promotes realism.

Casey Affleck:  You know CA is going to bring it.  He plays the confused, young and troubled Iraqi war vet.  Served four tours no less –talk about laying it on extra thick.  As Bale’s brother, Rodney Baze (great name), CA participates in the region’s money earning past time: fist fighting.  Skinny, lanky, and un-intimidating, CA wins all the time, and even gets asked to lose when it would appear 100% apparent, just by looking at him, that he most likely would.  The latter becomes a big flaw in the film but there are no flaws in CA’s acting.  Refreshingly real. Another fine job.

Horrible performance by Bale.  He apparently thinks he is so big now that all he has to do is - well, nothing, just be.  He needs to check himself -and return to the effort he gave in "American Psycho."

Christian Bale: Plays the older brother, Russell Baze, and it is him, out of all the cast, that has the most trouble finding his character.  His speech is all over the place and it’s as if he is just mailing it in. Feels like he thinks all he has to do is stand there, or sit there, and we should be mesmerized.  A huge disappointment, especially knowing his commitment to this art.

I love the wardrobe here on Dafoe - brilliance!  As for Affleck - I think they grossly miscalculated everything about his character.  Who bets on a horse race - watches the race - then goes to the teller to ask if it was the right race - oh, and pointing to the ticket in his hand. What a joke.

Willem DaFoe:  It is John Petty, DaFoe’s character, who takes the award for best  -performance here – outside of Harrelson, of course. Poor storytelling does not share much with us about Petty and his involvement in fighting, the mill, or the bar he owns .  Whoever scouted the location for this bar should be barred from the industry for five years.  Still, the bar remains an issue – here we have an important location, used for multiple key scenes, and there are no people, and it has no character.  DaFoe, however, is at his best and he gives this film the genuine feel it needs.

Harrelson delivers.

Big cheers for Harrelson

Woody Harrelson:  Ah, the antagonist here, Harrelson plays Harlan DeGroat to perfection.  Interesting to note that his presence establishes such an impact to the point where he doesn’t require the usual one or two goon squad members, or side-kicks we would normally see cast.  Harrelson excels on his own and the opening scene is one of the best I’ve been able to enjoy in a long time.  It would be nice if the script permitted a fight involving Harrelson and Affleck – which really would have boosted this film’s score  to the next level. Instead, we are blessed with an acceptable level of screen time for DeGroat, which is nice.

Zoe Soldana: She looks better than ever here.   Watching her on the big screen is worth the price of admission. (great ass!!!)

It was Whitaker's performance that was surprisingly masterful.  Loved it. He is for real.

Forrest Whitaker:  An excellent cameo role for Whitaker.  He develops his character ten times better than Bale with 1/10^th the screen time.  Impressive work…shocked.

There are some major issues with this film. For starters, the theme is to have Affleck – a scrawny, emaciated,  pathetic looking man “throw” his fights and lose on purpose.  Now, why would anybody bet on him to win, anyway?  Oh, because he is wearing army-issued fatigues?  It makes zero sense, even more so when he and DaFoe visit DeGroat in Jersey.  No one has seen him fight – and the entire film loses credit.

I admire Cooper’s attempt to create a simple, realism injected film.  It’s just too bad he and his team failed almost across the board.  Soldana and Bale laugh- hysterical laughter, I’m talking about – whenever they can- for no reason.  This is unreal – especially when taking into account their character’s lives.

Another area of concern with this film is the constant background music. Whether it is a deep, subtle bass tone, a banjo (yes),  a flute, or snare drum and cymbal, excessive background music is distracting.

On the bright side, the film creates a couple unique, quality, raw moments of intensity and tension – effective enough to feel.  Bale’s car wreck and  Affleck’s fight in Jersey are superb and this effect is difficult to produce

Outside of another major scouting issue with DeGroat’s house –  the activity and everyone inside of it, along with an awful set of lines delivered by a NJ state trooper, this film was a fun time.  Harrelson and DaFoe carry the weight – and make this film almost an 8.

SCORE:  7.6821

UNLOCKED! MAN OF STEEL Appraisal and Thoughts Regarding Shannon as Zod - Joaquin Phoenix to play Lex Luthor - Can't we Get a Better Villain? Does Clark Kent Need to be a Reporter? Ownership Rights and what they mean...

Shannon started off slowly - but he hit it hard with "You've taken my soul from me... and now I;m going to..."

Well, sun worship images and all, the "Man of Steel" review is here.  While Loki copied the infamous line "Kneel before Zod!" I am disappointed they did not use it.  This phrase and way of thinking is great - and Shannon would have been more of a prick if he were able to throw the line around.

Obviously, this project had been surrounded by critics - Zack Snyder took a big job, that came with alot of BS - along with a huge payday. He chops up the story, and tries to make things occur faster in order to neutralize any and all negative feedback.

I enjoyed Russell Crowe here - and it's too bad the third Kryptonian's face was ot used - such a waste.

Not a big fan of the finish... what are the odds you can fight up in space - near a satellite - and then come down in the exact same city - Metropolis.

I wish these people would get darker with these stories.  Another UFO prep, too, oh boy.

In  the end, I actually enjoyed "Superman Returns" perhaps a little more than this, but I am very happy that the studio got it right when they brought Snyder in (although that chick flick he made prior, carries questions) and also by bringing in Shannon - they showed a stroke of genius.

Now, building upon the momentum, they are tryiong to get JP to come in as Luthor.  I would go with Chris Walken.
Man of Steel also lost big points for too much US military involvement - Meroni saying "This man is ont our enemy!: Then HE flies the plae - and the dialogue wa all fake - with the general whipping out "black hole" like he has any idea.  FAKE!  I am looking forward to studying the subliminals in this film.
Score:  7.4982  Love Shannon in this, but again, disappointing.  Thank god - a Superman flick WITHOUT LEx Luthor who is WAY overrated like alot of the Marvel Villains are.  All the talent is skewed toward the good guys - and it is a BIG, BIG problem.

Most Under-Appreciated Vs. Over-Rated ACTORS! Plus More Black and White Clothing in Film...

The reason why Paul Walker never leaped to top billing is because of his acting range- limited.  He also could not alter his speech.  What he did have going for him was his last name.  Hollywood loves to use the last name Walker, and Farraday.  David is the first name always used in big films - always for the wunderkind.

Was Walker under appreciated?  No

Over rated?"  No.

Over appreciated?  No.

Watch the film "Takers."  With Matt Dillon as the headliner ( marketing, poster, dvd case, etc...) Dillon only comes in around seventh in screen time ( thus they used Dillon as the draw- to see what it could do - this was after "Armored." I will issue a study on how Hwood works this - and tests methods out in order to maximize revenue via light manipulation.  "Takers" is a "Heat" copy - but with less detail, and purpose.  Walker's character is simple.  Like he was.

Now, let's look at the title.

Most Under Appreciated

Crispin Glover:  Admits he works to fund his own projects.  Pioneer in making film law ( Unable to reach a deal for BtoF II, the studio said "fu@* it! We'll throw make-up on the gimp!" As a result, Glover pursued litigation and studios can no longer cheat by slapping make-up on a gimp to make them look like the real actor who costs 100% more.  Glover is a great actor and even though he was annoying as hell in "Teachers" I still think he needs to work more and accept more scripts - he needs to remember - HIS PRESENCE ALONE in the film will boost its quality.  Glover nees to give himself more credit - I can understand how he hates the process, being bossed around, told what to wear, what to say, but he needs to step-up and bring it-- we rarely get actors like Ledger, him, and the below.

Armand Assante:  Surprising that he has been a lifer - with origins linked to Kristy McNichol and Matt Dillon in "Little Darlings."  Assante is a great artist - he sort of flat-lined during "American Gangster," the perftct role for him, but he could not break-through the struggle he had with having played Gotti so well - he needed to create and distinguish this new mob figure - and it came across extremely light, and messy (e.g.: dairy farmers).  Just saw he was in "Judge Dredd," ( so many funny aspects to the it-watching it now - incredible how young Diane Lane looks and how off Stallone looks with blue eyes - and stilts - making him appear taller.- but more on that later).  As Assante was cast in a headlining villain role there - I'd love to see him do more of that.

Frank Langella:   While Langella does receive mass praise, I still feel he should be getting the same type of work Max Von Sydow did during the same age frame.  Langella's Skeletor turned a horrible film into something to care about.  Just for accepting that role I love the guy.  Nice job as Zabel in Wall Street II.  Pictured here in 'The Box," one of my favorite films in the "Fader" category - starts with a ten and spiral sout of control down the toilet.  Langella again gives the film edge.

Matt Dillon:  They finally gave Dillon a way overdue nomination for his role in "Crash," and he should have won.  Dillon is another lifer, and he isone of the good things about Hollywood. Unlike Walker - he has massive range.  Check him out in "Something About Mary," its one of the funniest performances - EVER.

Stiller:  Where you goin?

Dillon: Uhh, I'm leaving - I, uh, got a job down there."

Stiller: Really? Where?

Dillon:  Uh, well, uih, Rice- A -Roni...

Stiller:  Isn't that the San Francisco treat?

Diller:  Heh, uh,yeah, they're expanding...

Richard Crenna:  The best elitist villian in the business!  Who can forget Crenna's work as Al Pellet in "Summer Rental," as he storms into the Lobster Inn restaurant, blowing by a line out the door, no need for reservations, and oh, "We'll all have the lobster!"  Then he kills again as Mr. Brody in "The Flamingo Kid."  Too bad he wasn't able to get more roles like these, or maybe I need tohave a look at his filmography.  One of the best.

The Wolf of Wall Street is Pure Fantasy Crap

I think I made it to page 65 and then put this crap down for good.  Only book worse than this - packed with more BS is Cramer's awful attempt.

I should have noticed ti when I saw Belfort had published two books.  Anyway, the book is horrible - couldn't get past page 44.  Pure garbage  - he just makes up shit.

No wonder why Scorcese pulled out all the stops in the film. Should be fun.

.

Bruhl! Rush ! Excellent ! I am Horrible at Predicting Gold - But This is Great!

See my earlier review.

Golden Globes shock world - Rush get best pic nod.  Bruhl nominated by both SAG and Hwood Foreign Press.

Yes!!!!!!!!!!

Have a look at the score I gave Rush.  I think it went down in the books as 8.9976.  There were some mistakes that could have made the film great.

The essence always comes down to how racing films work well on big screens.

When Jurors Get It Wrong - The Best of The Worst States. Plus The Juliana Redding Case

The state of Florida dropped the ball with the Casey Anthony verdict - but received a pass due to how suspicious George Anthony had been and the likely possibility that this was a drowning - with George knowing his wife lived for the little kid - and he would lose his meal ticket if she drowned on his watch.

Then along comes Zimmerman.  No one should be driving around with a gun looking for action.  Florida fu#**ed up again - as we see GZ getting arrested 3x since his acquittal.

But we have to travel to Cali to obtain one of the worst cases of juror incomepetence.  It is associated with the Julianna Redding case - the young hotty who slept with almost anyone who had money or film connections - and her personality , I guess, didn't jive well with the jury - they obviously did not like her too much, if they let her killer walk.

Interesting story - Redding starts banging a rich immigrant, and he buys her cars and and a house.  Then, she ditches him, and he goes and pays off his "female James Bond Villain Type" sort of like a female Jaws.

The encounter must have been something for the ages.  Redding in her apartment, probably texting with six guys - all of whom she is sleeping with.  All of a sudden - a knock comes at the door.  Bam.

Julianna's world is at its end as a six foot emforcer-Chinese American 43 year old power house begins to beat the shit out of her.  Her name is Kim Pak (I think).

Similar to Bond facing off against Jaws, Redding had to deal with this chick.

Interesting how Richard keil, who played Jaws, a villain good enough toappear in multiple Bond films, including a fave of mine: "Moonraker," looks like Michael Shannon.

Anyway, Pak turned the gas stove on - flipped out the pilot light ( so gas only flowed through the house ) and she lit a candle,all of this after she strangled Redding and left her dead on her bed. So when the door opened, the O2 would spark a big explosion - or something to that effect.  It didnt work - and all the dna evidecence had been preserved.

Pak's DNA was all over Redding, the stove,the phone, everywhere.  Interesting note that Redding's phone showed an outbound call to 911- so she tried to call in but Pak wasn't having it.

Even with Pak's DNA evidence everywhere - the jury acquitted Pak!  Can you believe this?

Goes to teach you girls a lesson - be careful when dealing with rich married guys who want you - bad.  I guess they can not only buy a Lambo for a bday gift- but also a jury for the chick who did the dirty work.

Random Ten: A Look At Some of The Best Films Matching Up Against Suitable Opponents.

Enjoy. Films picked in blind random fashion [from my library].  Winner advances.  Double Elimination.

We start with the pairings:


Master and Commander (2003) VS.  Factotum  (2007)

Pirate Radio (2010)  VS.  Drugstore Cowboy (1992)

Mr. Brooks (2008) Vs.  Day of The Jackal (1968)

North Shore (1988) Vs. The Dark Crystal (1985)

The Prestige (2006)   Vs.  Country Strong (2011)

Creepshow II  (1989)  Vs. About Schmidt (2005)

Okay, so I have 12 - thought this could work out well.


Let's start with:

Master and Commander (2003) VS.  Factotum  (2007)

MC was a pleasant film set on the seas and it is rare we get films with dedicated ocean settings.  The Bounty had been a previous, excellent experience, but the Pirate of The Carribbean films have proven themselves to be for kids - and I am okay with that.

It would be difficult to beat MC - with R.Crowe giving an excellent performance as the Captain.  He softly pets the ship after the first bombing... reassuring it of his confidence in her.  A fine film, cast well, with little bulls#*!t, although the doctor's/ Bettany's over the top collection of animals strains its scoring potential. <<[ Note - Crowe and Bettany return as they both worked in " A Beautiful Mind."  Peter Weir directs and  it is his best work followed by "Dead Poets Society."  This Aussie director needs to work more - for our sake.]]>

Score:  8.7562


Factotum (2007)

A big fan of Matt Dillon - he really comes through in this film - and he has two entries total.  Factotum is a far better experience than "BarFly" which places Mickey Rourke in the title role.  This is a hilarious film.  Dillon plays a raging alcoholic who jumps from job to job.  Great support from Marisa Tomei.

Score:  8.2937

Winner:  Master and Commander


<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<


Pirate Radio

A funny British film that has its moments - both good and bad.  The "My Generation" scene was too campy, but not as painful as when Hoffman emerges from the sea at the end... by himself.  Branagh's villain was a bit much but the Christmas scenes were good - evidencing a strict, dysfunctional realm.  Fun charcaters led by Nighy, Frost, and Brown as the Dawn Treader kept this film from drowning.

Score:  6.0060


Drugstore Cowboy

Dillon returns and its another fine performance by him in this wonderful film set in 1971 (versus 1966 above) we have two period pieces facing off.  I'm afraid there isn't much to this matchup.

Winner:  Drugstore Cowboy


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


Mr. Brooks

This is a tough match-up - both films I have enjoyed and keep in good favor.  It is extyremely difficult to beat Fred Zinneman's Day of the Jakal(yes,the film all horrible re-makes are sourced from), but if any film can do it, it is Brooks - one of the only Costner films I really like.

It isn's Coster that makes this film what it is - itis William Hurt, one of the greatest actors of our time.  Playing Costner's Ego, we get a fun glance at a great duo of actors.  Not really pleased with Cooke or Moore, and their involvement hurts the score earned by this film.  Great ending and Panabaker is truly a beauty.



Day of the Jackal

"Half now, half later," Jackal states, in a line that is frequently and wisely borrowed and employed in other films.  This is an epic, long but fun... a masterpiece.  Even a formidable opponent like Mr. Brooks can't shake the fact that "Day of The Jackal" is the favorite to win this battle royal.


Winner: Day of The Jackal



>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

North Shore

Here we have an 80's match with both films set in separate worlds.  North Shore has a great ending, where we get to enjoy good coverage of a surfing competition.  Rick can be annoying, but still NS is one of the best from that decade.

Score:  7.2685


The Dark Crystal

Jim Henson's master work is longing for a sequel.  This film will be tough to beat.

Score:  9.7102

Winner: The Dark Crystal



<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

The Prestige

Great book, better film.  This first round match-up is a layup for one of the best films - EVER.


Country Strong

An OK look at the illuminati-free country music set.  I still think Leighton Meester looks much better with blonde hair ( see The Roommate).  Paltrow plays this well, and she has a good number of songs.  There is something missing from this film, and it is not the relationship between Meester and Hedlund which consumes valuable minutes.  No match.

Winner:  The Prestige



..>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


Creepshow II

Ah, you can't beat the Creepshows... or at least we will find out as CS II squares off against a big oppoenent in AS.  IN CS II we get some of King's short pieces from " Skeleton Crew' brought to life.  The Raft, Old  Chief Wooden Head are the onoy two good elements, but they bring strength.  What could possibly be better than a seven foot Indian made of wood - coming to life to kill the ills of society??  Not much.

Score:  8.5779


About Schmidt

ONe of Nicholson's greatest performances ever - he was robbed by the academy and deserved the Best Actor Oscar (Brody won for "The Pianist.")  This film takes off at the moment when Jack lifts his pen and begins with:  'Dear Ndugu,"
The hilarious boyfriend... how about the scene where this dopey looking guy strust out of the water bed shop looking like an awful used bed salesman?  Priceless.  The film keeps to this level of quality and as a result, achieves a high score in the end.

Winner:  About Schmidt


Stay Tuned - Second Round Match-ups, including the KO rounds for the losers (remember, this is a double elimination competition, if you lose once, you are not eliminated!).  More color on each film ,in each round... you'll see.

The Greats: Where Are They Now ?

Mark Holton - what a great actor.  Taken off the roster and placed on the shelf rack - the one never referred to - we all must suffer.

I recently viewed "Leprechaun I" a great film.  I love how the Leprechaun has a habit of shining shoes - a trait abandoned in the rest of the films - big mistake.  Instead they made Warwick Davis rhyme when he speaks - awful results yielded there.  (*Note, WWF Films is releasing a re-boot with Horswooggle, their house midget, as the title character for "Leprechaun: Origins."  It's a good premise, we'll see if they do anything smart with it.  Well, Holton plays a great role in that film, as Ozzie.

Sorry about these double pics - just refer to the one on the left side.  Holton also played Fat Stuff in the Teen Wolf films, acting as the only common link between the two films.

Anyway, Holton is hilarious in Leprechaun 1 and also in Pee Wee I.  Why is this guy not in more films?

He finally received a starring role as JW Gacy in "GACY," but after that his appearances have faded.

It's too bad, we need more heavy-set actors - entertaining!

Here's to Mark Holton - if you need an agent, Mark, call the Web Master.

Enjoy

James Gandolfini - Big Loss Incurred By Already THIN Hollywood Roster. Plus, Foreshadowing in "Killing Them Softly."

As we know, Hwood recycles the same actors over and over again.  A restricted roster of actors is only one of many other BIGGER problems.  (As an example - look at how Ben Kingsley was cast as the Villain in the recent Iron Man film.  Really?  Ghandi?  C'mon!

James Gandolfini's role in True Romance had been the perfect fit for him - a low level capo in the mafia.  He did not belong in the role of being Don for any crime family.

I was shocked he received a role in "Where the Wild Things Are."  Actors are used for their appearance and their talent on screen - not for their voices.  Thus, using actors in voice roles is a huge waste.

JG would have gone on to make hundred of movies - it never stops for these actors.

Interesting to note that there is a scene in "Killing Them Softly" where B Pitt and JG's character, "Mickey" a hit man from New York ( good casting, good role, and he worked well during his opening scene - trolling through the airport with one of those annoying pieces of baggage that has wheels). In that scene - JG and BP both sit at a table in a bar - and Gando is seen pounding martians - about 4-5 drinks - and Bpitt even notes that he should slow down.  So here we have art imitating life - as Gando probably enjoyed the drinking scene and suggested it to the director, since he would not be pretending so much, since it had been reported that he was drinking like  fish in Rome before his heart attack.
\
Anyway, here's to Gandolfini, a big loss for an industry that really needs help.  Hiding faces and aliens on screen may be not be the answer- perhaps its time to bring those hidden pics out and maybe we could get some good film.

It's Time For The He-Man / Master of The Universe Film... Enough - Let's Go...

Beast Man is ready to kick some He-Man ass!

It's so easy to journey to another universe and land on Eternia.

With a warchest of quality villains, this is such a travesty.

Frank Langella's acceptance of the Skeletor role is really commendable - and I admire him as an actor so much for.

Let's get this prject on the fast track -I'll help with the script let's go!

Who's a better villain than Skeletor, c'mon !!

The NEW and IMPROVED MONEY HONEY ! Thank Goodness Bartiromo Leaves CNBC - and WELCOME the Beautiful, Concise, Kelly Evans! Mmmm...

Wow - who would have though that Maria Bartiromo's departure would be good news!

Well, it is.

Now, we get to enjoy Kelly Evans - the hottest thing to hit TV since Erin Barnett.

Too bad Becky Quick has become a zombie while married to the producer of the CNBC show she works for.

Here is some sound advice for Kelly Evans - PLEASE DO NOT DATE OR MARRY ANY ONE AFFILIATED WITH FINANCIAL TV COVERAGE.  They will just bring you down, baby, bring you down to Chinatown.

Congratulations, Ms. Evans.  You rock this webmaster's world!

Enjoy. and good luck.  Stay single. You are #1.

Coming Soon: Fast X, FF-11, Fast Fifteen ... this franchise could have gone on and on and on and on.... there was no stopping it.

Anyone else notice how fast  production began after Fast 5, Fast 6 and on into this summer's principal photography for Fast 7??? <no pun intended>

Nothing can recently compare with the success of this franchise, and the quite simple film model its been based upon.

An interesting director in Wan, and a handful of OK actors who will never ever receive any type of acting nomination ever across all their cumulative careers. ,although Dwayne "Rock" Johnson showed promise - especially in his role for "Pain and Gain," he was hilarious.

It seemed like this would be an easy money maker for the studio syndicate - headlined by Universal.

Now, prospects do not look so bright.

Strange how  these guys let their friends control their lives --- they sit there and let these guys who are worth 1/10 of their value, and they let them drive around with their lives.  Whys is Walker getting into this bozo's Porsche and letting him drive around like a fucking race car driver -- for fun?  Stars need to think twice about EVER letting someone like that drive them around.  They were probably both high and buzzing after hours of drinking at the typhoon benefit.  WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENS AT CHARITY EVENTS LIKE THESE? DO YOU THINK ITS A SOBERING SET OF HOURS WHERE EVERYONE HOLDS HANDS, WATCH VIDEO AND LISTEN TO VICTIM COMMENTARY>?

Hell no - people drink,drug and party - that';s what is has always been about.  Nothing wrong with that - but this idiot should have had his driver ready for him afterward.

Walker  was kind of annoying as an actor - I found him to be a straight script reader with an irritating twang of some type.  Still, too bad he;s gone.  I heard he was dating a 16 year old for the past  7 years... sick? or smart? (obvi, the girl is 23 now).

Special Tribute: Award For One Of The Best - If Not The Best: Kristy McNichol

A brief note and reminder - Kristy McNichol is one of the greatest American actresses - EVER.

Just saw her in "Little Darlings," with Matt Dillon.  She is super sexy even IF she looks ridiculous smoking Marlboro Reds.

Check her out in that film - the first three parts are on you tube.

A string of poor management decisions forced Kristy to take parts in really basic, simple, sub-par films.  This stole her fire, and she could not recover.

We all now have suffered long enough.. time for Kristy to make a comeback.
We love you, Kristy!  Cheers - here is to you - you stood up to Hollywood and did not let them use and abuse you.

Enjoy.

Save These Pics - Pull Them Up and Use the ZOOOOOOM feature.... but first...

 

 

 

Flip them upside down.

 

Do you see the hidden pictures?

 

Some happy , some dark, do not underestimate the power because not only upside down, but at all angles - reveal new images.

 

Wow!

The Real Reason Behind Jack Nicholson's Absence.

Jack Nicholson is not having memory issues.  Watch About Schmidt - observe the level of acting in that film by Jack.  He wanted the Oscar - and it was his last push... that was a tough role to take.  He played a character 180 degress off himself.

Do you think he needs a script to act?

No, the reason he pitched that idea is because if you look at his last two films, they were forced.

Bucket List was a money maker.  They probably, initially, wanted Freeman to be the rich guy.

Our Nation's Best Kept Secret: Mani Dex , North Carolina




Mani Dex, FAR LEFT, has taken over the #1 spot from recently crowned champ, Mark O'Mara.

  Introducing the best defense attorney in the country: Mani D.  Most recently, Mani had been retained by Raven Abaroa in the murder trial of his wife, Janet.

A master of her craft, Mani and her sidekick, Tyndall, turned on the tact and more or less, won the trial.  This was a case centered on insurance - and Raven cashed in big time as a result of Janet's murder ( she was slashed to death with a knife).  Raven also had multiple affairs - some with very attractive girls like Jennifer Walker.  Their  6 month old son was unharmed, and I think a box of jewelry may have been missing.

To me, this case would be a slam dunk for the state.  After appraising the evidence, one can easily deduce that Raven hired a killer side-kick for the dirty work to get the job done... promising a nice slice of the cheese pie he would be getting from "Kill Your Wife And We Pay You Incurance Company, Incorporated."

However, if you look at some of the key evidence, especially having a critical look at some of the people who delivered it, the answer isn't as easy as it appears.  Take Investigator Jackson "IJ" - who reminds me of "Pat" from SNL - you can't tell if she is a guy or a girl.  It does not end there...

IJ is a concern... no matter how far back this crime may have been.

She reminds of Elisa Fleak - the bumbling, incompetent coroner investigator from the Michael Jackson - Conrad Murray case.  Ed Chernoff, the undefeated defense attorney from Houston - who Ms.  Dex replaces as the top defense attorney in the world, almost had the case won... all he had to do was expose Fleak's mistakes for a few more hours.  Fleak had been moving evidence to take "clearer" pictures.  More or less raping the murder scene - a setting which requires ultimate preservation at all times.  Not a big deal for Ms. Fleak, who took photos without recording any organizational appraoch.  She even moved prescription bottles around so she could line them up and take a picture so she could see the labels!  She manually moved objects in the scene and this is unacceptable!  If it were not the MJ case - it would have been a case buster.

However, even if Chernoff pulled it off, and had identified the opportunity, I am a bit uncertain if he would have been able to sustain the advance of mani Dex, who takes the role to whole separate level.

In the Raven Abaroa ( he changed his name to Peters and moved to Idaho after the death) trial, the jury had one hold-out- and Mani Dex got the win.

It's Official : Jay Z and Timberlake Win Award For WORST SONG EVER PRODUCED! Holy Grail Proves Jay Z Is A No Talent - and JT is a Disney Kid - with No Musical Ability - Together They Create an Embrassing Score - With No Rythm - Jay Z 's Sounds are Gross - We Really Do Not Need To Hear Sounds Like That From a Man As Ugly as He is. Congrats!!

Just listening to the song, "Holy Grail," one will feel embrassed for both idiots... song is worst ever made - what a joke!  They should both quit and spare us from any more disgust.

Rush (2013) [ R e c y c l e d - T i t l e ] Film Review: Meets High Expectations - Ron Howard is Back in "Beautiful Mind" Tier Form - Good For Us.





Similar to Wooderson, Michael Myers, Rocky, Greg Brady, and Leatherface, and last but not least - CHRISTOPHER WALKEN and Ledger's Joker...NIKKI LAUDA received vocal shouts of support from the Web-Master at his private screening this week.

   The real life tale of the 1976 Formula One racing circuit received valuable information from one of the two men this film centers on.  Nikki Lauda has publicly praised the film - even using the language "there's no Hollywood-type alterations, which is nice."

Ron Howard's last film, the ectremely unfunny "The Dilemma," appears to have permit him to come to the realization about having to go back and revisit some basic movie making principles.  All the better for us, as he has directed a fine film.

Daniel Bruhl plays Lauda, the best racer on the planet, from Austria, driving for Ferrari.  James Hunt, the blonde brit party guy, also exhibits an ability to be the best and the film chronicles the 1976 F-! racing season.

Outside of using silly dialogue, like "He's stoked!" the film does not err much.  Watching a racing film on the big screen is a good idea, I propose, and this one gets it done.

While it is true I have refrained from watching "Days of Thunder" purely as a function of how I could not watch Tom Cruise films ( still, I struggle, but ever since Kubrick decided to use him in EWS, I enjoyed his work in that film, and I think Kubrick educated him - and changed his method for the better.  Outside of DOT, and the Fast and Furious films ( another set of films I have no interest in seeing due to what I expect to be awful dialogue, atrocious acting, filming, and just a waste of resources), the last racing film I can recall is Burt Reynolds' "Stroker Ace (1983).

Race car films are enjoyable because we do not have to deal with the planted illuminati black and white pattern.  Yes!  We have the checkered flag - which is great!

While I did see some unusual faces ( not as obviouis as the eyes that can be seen on top pof the N and W on Paul McCartney's new album art) and I am sure there are some pyramids... I was impressed with the way Howard shot this film.  He did it right... and it was enjoyable.  I usually can gauge the score of a film during its first hour.  If I look at my watch and it's within 60 minutes of the film's start ( after the 18.5 minutes of previews), then there's a problem.

No issue here - "RUSH" represents a rare gem:  a film with true source material, exciting source material, races, competition, trgaedy and big comebacks that flirt with acheiveing the impossible... this film re-creates an adrenaline-laced, unporedictable set of circumstances... and it is almost perfect.



SCORE:  8.9991 ,  Daniel Bruhl does an excellent job playing Luada, Hemsworth is OK.  Howard is the real star here - as he composes a race car opera.

HOT TUB TIME MACHINE 2 MUST BRING BACK CRISPIN GLOVER !!!! Open , Desperate Plea to Steve Pink and MGM Pictures.

There will be moments when you can smile and feel comforted from a fine film.  Similar to the effect "American Gangster" had on me - one of the few films to also achieve this status includes "Hot Tub Time Machine."

Seeing the neon ski jackets cracked me up!  Too good, the script was great.  Now that a sequel is being filmed - I am begging MGM and Pink to bring Crispin Glover and Bill Zabka back ( Zabka played Johnny in "Karate Kid," and Osborne in "Back to School," also having a key part in "Just One of The Guys").

Both Glover and Zabka made the film magical.  Please bring them back. 

Film Review: INSIDIOUS I [ Cost to Produce: $1.5 million; Gross Rev: $95mm }



"Can you believe they left me out of the sequel?"  -- Lipstick Demon from "Insidous."

 Ahh, more Rosey Byrne, the once young and msmerizing blonde who co-starred with Heath Ledger in "Two Hands."  She reared her head in "Bridesmaids," perfectly cast ( with her flawless American accent) as the elite, new friend lined up for an inevitable clash with - uhn, what's her name - SNL girl- Twiig, I mean, Wiig ( see how Wiig dons the Luciferina one eye in "Paul," remember all films have a character with one eye - an homage to lucifer).

Then Rosie just burst onto the scene - becoming HW's most wanted, low-profile, cost-efficient actress.  From "X-Men 4" to the upcoming "Neighbors" with the no talent, and most annoying and un-funny man on earth, Septice Tank Rogen, where she does let her Aussie accent fly.

Here we enjoy Rose once again, cast alongside Patrick Wilson ( granted, "Little Children" is probabaly the best film he's been in, Wislon is hilarious in " Barry Monday," about a sex-a-holic who loses his balls and has to deal with a phone call from a wrectedh one night stand who informs him she is pregnant).

My zoom feature was down for this viewing - but I could tell Insidious is loaded with hidden images.  Most notable is the abstract, blue painting behind wilson when we get a flash of the demon.  Have a look at that painting again - zoom in - you'll see the answer to the greater enogmatical questions that exist in this realm.

On the the review, and this will be brief.  I enjoyed the demon - enjoyed Lin Shaye ( famous for playing the dirty land lady from "King Pin:"  "What is it about good sex that makes me have to crap?"  The Astro travelling to the Further was also unique - remember the Further Festival?  How about the band "Further" with Lesh, Weir and friends?  Now we know what their name means - a realm where tortured souls live - in hopes of entering a living vessel to possess , in hopes of living again.  This all great material.

An enjoyable film - loved the homage to "Poltergeist," when Shayes two bozo demon techs show up with their equipment to check out the house.. love it, absolutely love it.  You could tell they did not employ the use of giving us a chance to wathc the video, or the canmera footage because it would lend itslef too close to "Paranormal Activity," a film produced by the same team : Oren Peli and Co.  So that diminshed the films potentiasl and value as that would have been some great materia to observe/

The drawbacks were two-fold:  #1.  The Further tunred out to be the exact house they were living in, only with dim lighting.  It should have been a different realm completely , perhaps oroginating from the house - but it should have been expanded and existed as a larger, more complex realm itself.  We got gipped. (Uh-huh, I used that word, gipped." ;SIC" ;-) (smile).

#2.  Too few demons.  Loved the main demon,,, and loved his little cavern and the music he likes ot play, but there should have been more - much, much, much more.  Never limit a good thing is an important principle within the Gajonka Film Handbook. 


Epilogue/Wrap:  Fine casting...  fine directing and editing... some weak moments... cheap Further Zone and limited evil demons fracture this film... hoping the sequel can improve.

Score:  6.9990

THE <||R||> ERA: Finally! We Have Achieved an R Rating Renaissance! Ten Years Ago All Films Were Edited to PG-13 For $$$ Greed --> While Hollywood Fails to Invent and Innovate, it's A+ Across the Board as We Enjoy The R ERA...



Even Leatherface is ExciteD about R films making a comeback.  Pages from his journal reveal how upset he had been over the past fifteen years - all films were sawed-down to pg-13 in order to expand viewership population possibilities.


Hollywood:  A mega-rich band of insiders gifted with the ability to reflect upon box office victories and Oscars of the past [this reference excludes the Screen Actors Guild, "SAG."].  A public rot has been on display for the past six years as HW has failed to opne up its doors to new minds... and as a result, has processed products only involving re-boots, re-makes, sequels and comic books ( we exclude animation, as kids need HW and vice versa).  While fiction has always been the best basis for most films, that garden has been shunned in favor of re-making movies for new eyes ( "Footloose," "Straw Dogs," "Evil Dead", "Carrie", and soon to be released "The Never Ending Story", "Overboard", and "The Bodyguard") since it is better to make more money and not gamble with films that are intelligent, innovative, and let's face it - new, and evolving as with time.

As referenced earlier, it is getting so bad that HW is even recycling old titles - not even creative enough to come up with a title that has not been used yet... so disrespectful - I mean, c'mon, get your own title.

Alas, there is good news.  About ten years ago I complained about how all films are being processed, and produced at the PG-13 level.  I could never get my horror fix, thirst hit.  The reason is due to the fact that making an R film eliminates the potential viewership universe.  Simple math theory - if 5% of a population will watch a film - and the universe of PG-13 is 225mm, while the R universe is 125mm - this had been the thinking.

And oh, did we suffer.



It is time to bring back Michael Myers.  He;s been on the shelf way too long - time to start the movement.

 Somwhere along the line, the decision-makers shifted and we've been able to see more R everywhere.  "Paranormal Activity" comes to mind.  When you can make a horror film for $10,000 and net over $100,000,000.00  the numbers draw attraction.  So while we are seeing more of these low budget horror films like "The Purge," the hope is we can receive more quality and bring the focus back to where it belongs:  to Voorhies, Myers, and Leatherface.

Here is to "THE R ERA,"  Thank you Hollywood... keep it up - while we're young.

The Politics of Casting - Plus Film Reviews - "The Ice Man" and "Pain and Gain" both boost hopes for Hollywood.

OK, so for "The Ice Man," which used the wrong source material (choosing to base the film on Anthony Bruno's book rather than Philip Carlo's) we have an interesting set of actors - all given different parts - which each of them could have played just fine (outside of giving the title character to Shannon, who performed great = even, perfecting Kuklinski's distinct speech and expression).  The use of make-up employed by the Director and Producers permitted them to give the parts to people they wanted to.  As we observe how the parts were allocated, we can see the politics come to light.
Here we go:
Stephen Dorff ( from "The Gate" fame as a kid actor), "Blade".
Robert Davi ( the villain in the Timothy Dalton bond flick), "Kill The Irishman."
Chris Evans (The Human Torch in FF films, and "Captain America")
Ray Liotta : I grimace every time I see him cast in a film I want to see - his performance in Goodfellas has yielded three infinites: 1. He will always audition for gangster films, 2. He will always get hired for gangster films, and 3. He is annoying.
Michael Shannon:  Coming a long way from the cameo in "Groundhog Day," Shannon earned a well deserved Oscar for five minutes of film time in "Revolutionary Road," he was great in "The Runaways," and many others... and he was the perfect choice to play General Zod AND The Ice Man.
David Schwimmer: Yes, from Friends
James Franco: Yes, the gay actor who is the closest living thing to Heath Ledger, outside of D. Day Lewis.

Now, we know that John Travolta is now taking roles where he is uncredited, simply because his involvement is off-putting to cah paying sets of eyes.  This is nothing new for Travolta.  Even when he was hot, he went uncredited - remember Malick's "The Thin Red Line"?  He played the general who issued hard orders to Nick Nolte on the battleship.  Most recenlty, Travolta went uncredited in Oliver Stones sub-par fantasy "Savages."  Travolats has been facing litigation lately - being sued by male massage professionals for trying to rape them.  The thing is with these actors, and we see it with DeNiro, they do not have a choice - there is a mental defect where they always have to contantly keep working. 

Take Nic Cage, for example, he has child support, and other debst that force him to dilute his effectiveness bby accepting every film script that corsses his desk.  Sometimes he does well - I enjoyed "Season of the Witch," even though the title was ripped off Moustapha Akkad's Halloween Part III film, and Cage also was fun in "The Sorcerer;s Apprentice."
Then, there are actors who will play a cameo as a favor to a producer or director, or even actor, as we've seen with Mickey Rourke being forced to play "Tool" in Expendables I after Stallone gave him roles in other films.  Stallone even convinced Chris Nolan to get Eric Roberts in "Dark Knight Rises," cementing Stallone as a player in Hollywood.  Note: Roberts and Rourke both starred in "The Pope of Greenwich Village," and Stallone played opposite Roberts in "The Specialist."  Stallone had to sacrifice his son to keep his power, unfortunately.  As the writer of the Rocky films, Stallone is no slouch - he is talented.

O.K. here we go - "The Ice Man" relied upon intnese use of make-up, fake beards and hair to cover-up the identity of many of its actors - in order to avoide a negative response from the eyes that pay for tickets.

Chris Evans as "Mr. SOftee/Freezie," the maniac killer of the exotic kind who drove around a Mr. Softee ice cream truck.  Evans was covered in make-up - making him completely in disuise.  This role could have gone to Franco, but it appears that Franco just wanted to put in a cameo. His role in the film lasts two minutes.  Dorff could have played this rol as well, since his own character, Joe Kuklinski was also plastered with a beard and made indistinguishable.  I could not even call him out - had to check wiki to learn about this.  So, why did Evans get the big role?

Rovert Davi and Ray Liotta - each of them could have played Roy DeMeo.  DeMeo, in reali life, was probably one of the worst killers in Mafia history - even he and John Gotti did not get along - and they both wanted to kill each other.  DeMeo is probabaly the only mobster who Gotti di not want to have to take on - since he was sick, and trouble.  While Tommy "Karate" Pitera used to get nude and slice his victims up into six pieces and bury them in bird reserves and parks, DeMeo was less creative.  DeMeo would drain them in his tub - above the social club he called home.  Stories describe about 1,000 bodies having run through DeMeo's drain factory. A funny-looking, goofy type gangster, DeMEo was found dead in the back of his cadillac.  Carlo;s book "The Ice Man," even includes a confession from Kuklinski that he was involved.  Kuklinksi also stated he was involved in the hit on Hoffa, Carmine Galante, and Paul Castellano at Sparks.

Known as "The Polacl," Kuklinksi was a contract killer for all five families.  His pirce began at 30 then went up to 80k when he was in his prime.  He used to take a knife, and stab a tire of the soon-to-be victim.  Then, when the victim realized he had a flat, by bedning down to check out the tire, The Ice man would emerge and use a wrench or knife to clock the guy and take him away.  He would use the mountains in PA to tie victims up , slice them to draw blood, and watch the rats come to eat them alive.  He also froze his victims, for years, so that the police could not pinpoint a date of death.

So they gave Davi the role of Leo Marks- I guess because Davi's appearance has seen better days.  He played a similar small role in "Kill The Irishman" with Walken and Stevenson- another low budget, low box office film.



I applause the film for not using so many pyramids, the black and white illuminati scene ( every film has one that includes a black and white set, shirt, or club) comes when Shannon is outside at a pay phone making a call.  Behind him is a piano style wall.  In "Pain and Gain" it is the themse of the Gold Strip Club.

The Ice Man score:  6.3952  :  Knowing the story, I was disappointed at the execution.  The only thing that saved trhis film was Shannon's acting. He is great.

Pain and Gain:  Score:   7.599
The Rock is hilarious in this film, another true story.  I read the source material fdor this film, too ( Pete Collins' articles bearing the same name in the Miami Herald).  Funny stuff. 

Film Review: Star Trek II (2013)

Interesting Pyramid!

Whule the Spock cam,eo by Leonard Nimoy stirred emotions and jolted the film upward - rapidly boosting a favorable score... it turned out to be short-lined.  Things receibed more poinrs when it looked like the russian, Checkov, died due to sliding off the bridge (or warp bay), that also ran short as he managed to surive.

Still, the film always mainatained hope - any film locking a zoom on Zoe Soldana;s perfect ass will usually have the same chances to break the covted 7 to 7.5 tier.

We know Bana pl;ayed a good hard villian inn the first, plus Simon Peg as Scotty - along with Spock and the alternate time-line idea, they all culminated into a great film.

"How can you go wrong with Khan as the villian?" you ask -- heh, well, I ask myself the smae question - ho do you?  Maybe it was the video game scene where Khan - under the view of a long canmera shot, single hadnedly take out a klingon army.  That scne looked like a joke.  As if this guy was Luke Skywalker - and I feel Abrams was going for that effect - since , at the time, the Star Wars writing job was still open - and Abrams knew hot to secure it - for the person who secures that job is SET  FOR LIFE.  Well, he did it, good for him, but as a result, we, the viewer ultimately suffered.

Cumberbatch played his Khan role extremely well... but they should have wrapped up the entire film by the mnidway point - and then - moved on to the 5 year voyage at the 75 minute mark.  We could have at least seen some adventures /battles against a dark klingon enemy - maybe even seen the sister planewt of Nibiru - the military planet - we could ahve seen them return.

In the endm the film was a failure,,, they could not even sacrifice the enterprise without dragging its potential demise on and on and on, and then diverting it in the end.

In closing, perhaps I am asking for too much sonce thios cpould be the origin tale for khan - but wopuld have certainly liked to have seen his ship and his crew - at least gove the guy two sidekicks.

Final Rating:   6.6666;  film falls well short of its title, and even another incredibly satisfying cameo by leonasrd nimoy couldn't shoe up the mistakes that are peppered throughout this one.

NEXT UP:  Pain and Gain, which the webmaster has written about previously.  Finally saw the film... a fun one.  Very funny - The Rock on cocaine is hialrious.