I'm Depressed

"Do you know how many people saw The Assassination of Jesse James?…You and seven other people. Paul Blart grossed nearly $200 million worldwide. I’ll take Paul Blart all day, every day."

-–Producer/financier Ryan Kavanaugh

Where the Wild Things Are 5 week total- 73.9 million

Twilight: New Moon one day total- 72.7 million

Did you know The Godfather was a huge hit when it came out? If that same movie were released today it wouldn't gross 20 million.

The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan were all great artistic and commercial successes in their heyday. Now, we have Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus ruling the music scene. It's disgusting. And the worst part is that no one gives a fuck anymore. The populace is force fed garbage and we just gobble it up. It didn't use to be this way. Quality used to be rewarded. Not anymore. The worse something is, the more people love it.

What are the odds we'll ever see another movie as simple and brilliant as Dog Day Afternoon? A two hour movie set in a bank. It didn't need any CGI or any shit like that. Just a perfectly written script and acting (how awesome was Pacino in that movie?) And that movie was a hit and got nominated for a bunch of Oscars (that was back when an Oscar meant something). You could still make that movie. I'm not saying that our entertainment is terrible these days. I'm saying no one cares about quality. There Will Be Blood should have made about 8x more than it did. I guess the only thing that makes me feel better about this stuff is that I know one day people will look back at this Twilight garbage and think "Why did I ever like that stuff?", but something like, say, Old Boy or Let the Right One In (why can't people get obsessed over that vampire movie?) will live on. Because the best of our culture almost always raises to the top over time. It just takes people a lot longer these days to appreciate great art.

To quote Brian Wilson, I just wasn't made for these times.

To quote Jeff Daniels in The Squid and the Whale, people can be very stupid.

-M

Cracked on Twilight

I read this earlier on Cracked, thought I'd share. Here ya go.

In Twilight, a boring-ass twitchy girl named Bella falls in love with a shiny vampire named Edward. And for some reason not explained by the movie, he loves her back. So just be your clumsy, mouth-breathing selves ladies. Someday, if you're skinny enough, someone exotic will love you for just being "you."

And How Does This Hate Women?

Take the vampirism from this movie and all you're left with is Ike and Tina right before Tina refuses to eat the cake. Edward stomps, broods, sneers and snidely tells his love interest to fuck off, but that's just the forbidden fruit angle Bella needs to stand around like a dumbass waiting for her stalker/boyfriend to confess his love/violent lust for her tasty blood. He'll confess a few MURDERS while he's at it. Bella sees his murderous lust and raises him a dead-eyed vacant stare and the flippant assurance that he'd never hurt her. This entire movie is one black-eyed-teen away from being a PSA from 1989.


EDWARD CULLEN
I've killed people before.

ISABELLA SWAN
It does not matter.

EDWARD CULLEN
I wanted to kill you at first. I've never wanted a human's blood so much, before.

ISABELLA SWAN
I trust you.

Any girl with the self-esteem of a shoe would call it a day right there. And the next time a Cracked intern with a violent boyfriend hobbles into the office on a broken leg with a cockamamie story about falling down the stairs, then out the window, we're going to believe her. Thanks, Twilight.

-L

Bring Cash

Top Ten: Movies of the Decade

That time of the decade, folks. Best of the Decade lists and such. Starting off with my lists of the best movies from this decade.

10. Master and Commander
9. I Heart Huckabee's
8. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
7. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
6. There Will Be Blood
5. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
4. Punch-Drunk Love
3. City of God
2. The Royal Tenenbaums
1. Lost in Translation

Also rans: Wall-E, Up, Where the Wild Things Are, Memento, The Squid and the Whale, Let the Right One In

Chaos Reigns

Is supposedly the new "I drink your milkshake". Not really sure what to think of this movie. I'm not exactly the worlds biggest Von Trier fan, but still, from what I've heard about this movie, it's supposed to be pretty fucked up. Which I like. It'll either be awesome or awful. I'm optimistic.

Because You're a Faggot, Alright?

Fuckingly Awesome

Man, I am so messed up right now (high five/wears sunglasses)

-M

WTF Thom Yorke?

Word on the street is Thom Yorke is thinking about providing music for the next Twilight film, New Moon.

What the fuck kind of shit is that?

Seriously. That's like Brian Eno providing music for Grease part two. Seriously. Gay.

It was also news to me that Radiohead's "15 Step" played over the closing credits for the first film. That just makes me want to smash my face into a cinder block. That just makes me want to throw up all over your head, sir. Why? Why are Radiohead doing this to me? This shit will not stand.

Hopefully Thom Yorke can pull his head from his ASS and just say no.

-M

Shutter Island

Here ya go, ya fuckin' cawk suckas. Seriously. Leonardo DiCaprio is so weird. Sometimes he's incredible (The Departed, What's Eating Gilbert Grape?) sometimes sort of terrible (Gangs of New York, Titanic, Celebrity) then he does stuff like The Aviator, where he would be good, if, you know... he seemed anything at all like Howard Hughes. Why is Scorsese sticking with this dude? Seriously, no one except for Nic Cage does worse accents than DiCaprio. Still, this movie looks... interesting. Scorsese does Hitchcock? And Jakie Earl Haley looks fucking awesome (for the two seconds he appears on screen). So. Looking forward to it, sort of.

-M

Gladiator 2

Gladiator was an awesome movie. But after it ended, everyone was asking the same thing- "When's the sequel coming out?" Just kidding. No one was asking that cause the star of the movie dies at the end (SPOILER!!) But apparently Russell Crowe asked Nick Cave (of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds) to write a sequel. And apparently the sequel, while it will never be made, was actually going to be sort of awesome. I took this synopsis from Gone Elsewhere. It's a long read but worth it.

"EXT. Dark Wilderness, a storm rages. We follow two thieves as they stumble across the body of a Gladiator lying in the mud. They strip it of its armor and weaponry. One of the men suddenly goes silent; a large spear is embedded in his spine. As the other man flees, he turns to see the dead Gladiator rising:

It is MAXIMUS…gasping for air, frantic and disoriented.

A middle-aged man steps out of the shadows to assist. He introduces himself as MOREDECAI. He says that he’s been waiting for Maximus to arrive since watching him die in the Coliseum yesterday. Maximus says that he has no time for riddles. Mordecai responds that he has all eternity.

Cut to: Maximus makes his way through a wheat field, his wife and son (MARIA and MARIUS) stand beneath a giant poplar in the distance. A storm hits, heavy rain obscuring his vision. A fantastic bolt of lightning strikes the poplar. He violently awakens. Mordecai approaches and explains that there is something he needs to show him.

As they walk, Maximus stresses that he must locate his family. Mordecai tells him that there are those who search and those have given up the search. Over eternity, the former eventually become the latter. They approach the edge of a cliff…

Beneath them in the valley: an encampment bordering a pitch-black sea, filled with the infinite numbers of the damned, stretching endlessly to eternity. They descend.

While making their way through the camp, Mordecai breaks up a fight between two women. He’s something of a peacekeeper here. In return for his services, the Gods allow him to return to Rome (in spectral form) for brief visits. In the midst of their conversation, the crowd explodes with excitement. In the distance: a lone man glides along the darkened sea on a small boat. Thousands pour into the water shouting “Elysium!” as the boat disappears into the fog. Mordecai pronounces them fools for believing there is any escape.

The two make their way to a massive, ruined temple near the encampment. Maximus enters and finds the Roman Gods (Jupiter, Apollo, Pluto, Neptune, Mars, Mercury, and Bacchus) who mock his predicament. Still, they offer a deal: their brother, Hephaestos, has run off to the desert filled with bad ideas. He is gathering apostates/fanatics and slowly amassing a power greater than their own. As a result, they’ve aged…grown weak and diseased. They want Maximus to seek out Hephaestos and kill him. In exchange, they will reunite him with his family. Maximus bolts out of the temple without saying a word.

Mordecai warns him that the Gods are lying. He can not be reunited with his wife because she sacrificed her place in Elysium to allow their son to cheat death. Marius was resurrected and returned to Earth (specifically Rome) where he lives out his days. As for Maria…she could be anywhere in the netherworld, but will never be found.

Maximus refuses to listen and heads off. In the desert, he has a vision of his wife. He gives chase as she leads him to a bloodied, dying stag entangled in brambles. He attempts to free it, but the animal’s wounds are too severe. Maria’s voice pleads “help us” as the stag takes its final breath and dies in his arms.

Maximus locates Hephaestos’ camp to find it completely abandoned, save for the man himself. Left for dead by his followers, Hephaestos explains that the masses have lost faith in the Roman Gods. As result, they’re dying. There is only one true God and their time has rightfully passed. Maximus asks about his son. Hephaestos stresses that he is in great danger and needs his father’s assistance. As they lock eyes, the Gladiator is transported…

…back to the world of the living. Maximus rises out of the body of a dying Christian is the midst of a massacre in Lyons. It’s a mob scene, dozens of Christians being beaten/hacked to death by The Emperor’s forces. Seeing an elderly Bishop on the verge of being slaughtered, Maximus grabs a weapon and beings hacking away at the attackers. He’s overwhelmed by the crowd and restrained. Before the killing blow is delivered: an unseen voice orders a stay. 25-year-old LUCIUS (Connie Nielson’s son from the original) approaches. Lucius asks the rebel his name…he has seen him before. Maximus does not answer, but pleads for the Bishop’s life to be spared. Lucius responds by nonchalantly decapitating the old man. He orders the guards to kill Maximus, but he manages to escape.

Down the road, he encounters two men (PETER and MARCUS) who ask for his help. He follows them to a sanctuary where their leader (IRENAEUS) gives Maximus a brief history of their predicament: Lucius and the Emperor seek to put down Christianity…to wipe it from the world. The Christians need help in alerting their Rome-based leader (a schoolteacher named CASSIAN) that the Empire is on the verge of locating him. Maximus refuses and heads off in search of his son.

Along the path to the city, he finds a family of butchered Christians. He’s approached by the ghost of Mordecai who explains that his failure to kill Hephaestos has resulted in permanent banishment to Earth. Maximus seems unconcerned by this. After arriving in Rome, he checks into an inn where several folks seem to recognize him…

At the palace, Emperor DECIUS scolds Lucius regarding his bloodthirsty methods. Lucius defends himself by explaining that (in his mind) their empire is dying. Plague, famine, earthquakes, the great granaries of Rome destroyed by inundations…all result from the anger of the Gods. The Christians mock their divinity and must be destroyed. Their leader must be found. The Emperor reveals that a census is being taken. Anyone who is Christian will be arrested and be provided with an opportunity to recant. If not, they will be put to death in the Coliseum in a spectacular fashion. “The people will be entertained”.

Meanwhile, a large gathering of Roman Christians discuss aforementioned census. Several propose standing up and fighting back. Maximus enters: tells them its suicide. They ask who he is; he responds that he was once a Roman soldier. One of the men steps forward: “You served the devil himself”. It is MARIUS, who proposes killing the intruder. They share some heated words before the gathering is broken up. Maximus rages to Mordecai that his own son does not recognize him.

We find Lucius walking the halls of the palace. He passes the bust of certain famous Roman General and halts in his tracks. A haunted look crosses his face.

Maximus locates the Christian leader, Cassian and offers his help. Cassian apologizes for the actions of his student, Marius, last night. His adopted son has a hot temper on occasion. He relates a tale of how he found Marius alone in a sick ward as a little boy, no parents to speak of.

Maximus heads back to the inn to find a pack of groupies. “He walks!” they exclaim. One of the gathered is JUBA (Djimon Hounsou’s character). They embrace, drink and catch up…Juba listens, dumbfounded. He presents Maximus with a gift: the totemic figurines of Marius and Maria buried at the end of the first film. He recently retrieved them after learning that the Emperor will be flooding the Coliseum for a match involving alligators. Maximus thanks him. We cut to Lucius torturing a family to uncover Cassian’s identity.

The next morning: Marius walks through the city. He’s confronted by two young men who mock his faith. As the confrontation turns physical, Maximus steps from the shadows and beats the attackers to a pulp. Father and son have a nice conversation in which Marius compares Maximus to the Apostle Paul: a violent man who converted after hearing Christ’s voice, becoming God’s chosen instrument. The two speak of their families: Marius discusses his birth father’s constant absence. Maximus describes the pain of leaving his wife and child, particularly his son…Marius.

Marius arrives at school just in time to see Lucius and his men enter. They announce their intent to arrest the Christian leader. Seeing a fish necklace on Cassian, Lucius rips it away and delivers a nice bit of dialogue:

LUCIUS
You are students, are you not? Scholars? Learned young men? Then, answer me this: Does Rome stand deep-fixed and deathless as in the time of the great Caesars? No. I think not. Does she prowl the world, hungry and fearless and all-power? Again…I think not. Do the Gods sit mighty and well-pleased in the Heavens and bestow on her, her just rewards? No and again, no…I think not. Rome weeps and this little fish swims in her tears. A fish…a little fish…hidden around an old man’s neck. The earthquakes that have ripped this mighty empire asunder…charge this little fish. The infernal plagues and disease? The hellish pestilence that ravages our land? Charge this little fish… The diabolical rage of the Gods? I say again…CHARGE THIS FISH. And charge the one that wears it! The man here spits n the eyes of the gods themselves! He is the enemy of us all!

Lucius stabs Cassian to death . Marius escapes and heads directly for Maximus, asking for his help in creating an army. Several short training/recruitment scenes follow. Later, Maximus and Lucius have a brief face to face meeting (short excerpt follows):

LUCIUS
Forgive me, Maximus, but I am confused…about many things. As a boy…as a little boy…I watched a Roman General who became a gladiator bring down the very heavens upon his foes. When he died, I stood by my other and we wept, and all of Rome wept with us. He was a solider…a great warrior. Yet, he stands before me now. How can this be?

MAXIMUS
Do not despair. You will see the heavens some tumbling down again.

We cut to The Coliseum, teeming with thousands of cheering Romans. The grounds are completely flooded with several ships battling hundreds of alligators with fireballs and arrows (note: did Cave ask Michael Bay for guidance on this?) Lucius speaks with the Decius and informs him that the Christians are forming an army under a resurrected Maximus. The Emperor gives permission to crush them.

Maximus’ army heads for the forest. Father and son share a brief conversation: the truth of their relationship is unspoken, but seemingly recognized by both.

Lucius and an army of hundreds approach. A massive battle ensues. Lucius kills Juba. Enraged, Maximus cuts Lucius to pieces. As readies to deliver the killing stroke, Lucius drops his sword and seems to accept his fate: “Only at your hands, Maximus”. An arrow then explodes through Lucius’ neck, fired by Marius. A storm hits, the heavens explode with rage. Marius falls to knees and bellows: “Oh lord what have we done?” Maximus kneels as well, rubs dirt between his fingers.

We intercut the following with shots of the dying stag from earlier in the film:
- Middle Eastern Battlefield: Maximus stands surrounded by hundreds of Crusaders as they battle a Muslim army. Everyone dies around him, only Maximus remains untouched.
- Europe: Maximus battles tanks in World War 2.
- Vietnam: Maximus battles Vietcong with a flamethrower.
- The Pentagon, Present Day: Maximus washing his hands in a men’s room sink. He stars at himself in the mirror…reflecting. Mordecai stands behind him…whispers: “Until eternity itself has said it’s prayers.” Maximus exits; proceeds into a large war room containing a dozen men in suits.
- The edge of a black hole: Maximus commands a futuristic, 3-story tall space suit. The machine’s giant titanium claws grip the side of a planet-size starship. Maximus leans back, kicks off the hull and simultaneously opens fire on 10,000 amorphic creatures as they bear down on him. (ok, I made that last one up)

Fade to black."

I would pay 10 dollars to see this movie. This movie sounds better than the first one. Can we start a petition to get this made?

-M

Hitler.

Funny shit.

-Bada.

Where the Wild Things Are Trailer

Hot damn.

Is This True?

'“In return for a pen holder carved from the timbers of the sister ship of the one the White House desk is made from and a first edition of a seven-volume biography of Winston Churchill, the Daily Mail is appalled that “Barack Obama, the leader of the world’s richest country” gave Brown a box set of 25 DVDs selected by the American Film Institute. These, it says, include Raging Bull, Casablanca, Psycho and The Graduate. It is, the Mail says, “a gift about as exciting as a pair of socks”.'

Just read this somewhere online so you know it's 100% true. Whoa. Whose gift is worse? A pen holder vs. 25 DVDs? Raging Bull was an awesome movie. I love the scene where Joe Pesci threatens to stab his son with a knife and then DeNiro barges in and beat the living shit out of him. 25 DVDs. That's hours on entertainment. A fucking pen holder? Worthless. Just put your pens on the floor and forget about them like I do.

-M

Where the Wild Things Are

Stumbled across these new pics of the Where the Wild Things Are movie. Spike Jonez is fucking awesome, right? This movie was supposed to have already come out, but it's been pushed back until October of this year. Apparently they had a screen testing sometime last year and it freaked a bunch of little kids out. Word on the street (I am very familiar with the word on the street, keep in mind) is that the monsters were just too fucking scary for little kids. I think they look pretty fucking cool. But whatever, it's like I always say- "Kids don't know shit. They don't even have jobs!!"





-M

REVIEW: Slumdog Millionaire

It's hard not to start this review off by citing the overwhelming love this movie is feeling. It's the front runner to win the Oscar for Best Picture and Director. It's on every major critics top ten list for best films of 2008 (and in many, many cases, it's actually their number one film of the year)

Frankly- I don't get it.

I won't get into the plot much, because there's really not much there to begin with. Jamal is a poor kid from the slums of Mumbai India. He's currently a national phenom because of his performance on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Jamal is one question away from winning the ultimate prize. How'd he do it? He cheated. Not really. But everyone seems to think he did, so the story is told in flashback, revealing how he came to simply know the answers.

And it's bullshit. The coincidences get bigger and more absurd as the story progresses. Jamal knows who invented the revolver because he saw some dude get shot by one? Bullshit.

I'm not a cynic. I loved Forrest Gump, and the coincidences in Gump are at least as absurd as those in Slumdog, but the difference here is the writing. Gump was funny. Gump gave us characters we cared about. When something completely unbelievable happened in Gump, at least they made it funny and charming. Slumdog has no charm. Slumdog has some of the flattest, least lively characters you'll see in a film this year. Dev Patel's portrayal of Jamal is so dull and lifeless one can't help but wonder either A) Why was this kid chosen for this movie? or B) Why was an entire movie based on this character? I don't know who's the blame- the actor or the writer? The answer is probably both.

The worst part of the movie is by far the love story. You see, the whole reason Jamal is even on the show is so the love of his life, Latika, will see him. He's trying to find her, blah blah blah. Won't get into it. But basically, these two have zero spark. They seem more like a brother and sister than two star crossed lovers. And you can't help but wonder what Jamal sees in her anyways. It's not like they know each other all that well. They knew each other when they were kids, but after that they barely ever see each other. I can understand him wanting to save her from her horrible situations, but love her? He doesn't know her anymore. And she knows even less about him.

But none of that matters, cause Love Conquers All. They love each other because they love each other. That might be good enough for some people, but after they get together at the end (and I don't think that counts as a spoiler, since everyone knows how it's going to end anyways... did I mention how utterly predictable this movie is?) I couldn't help wondering, "Now what? After a month these two people are going to be sick of each other. But Latika will stick around for the money."

So the acting and writing sucks. But there are a few good points. Nice cinematography (despite the fact that anytime it shows them in the slums they completely rip off City of God), some fancy editing (which also looks a lot like City of God's editing... this movie is City of God-lite), etc. But techs can only take a movie so far. At the end of the film you're forced to face the facts- this is just an unbelievable fairytale with boring characters and a paper thin love story.

5/10.

-M

Star Wars Vs. Startrek

i thought this was funny o_O




-L

His Legend Begins...

So... Joaquin Phoenix is a rapper now. Or so I hear. He quit acting to be a singer. But I thought he meant like... a country singer or something. According to these pictures, he's a rapper now. You can tell how hardcore he is because Casey Affleck is there and he also brought some black guy to DJ for him.








Bring da mutha fuckin' ruckus, Joaquin.

Apparently they're making a documentary about his transition from actor to hardcore rapper.

Seriously, this guy is doing more crack than is humanly possible.

-M

Captain Kirk watches the new Star Trek trailer

He seems upset. Also, that trailer sucked.

When Will It Stop?

Okay, I'm still holding out hope that this is not true, but it's looking more and more likely that Will Smith and Steven Spielberg are teaming up with the dude who wrote I Am Legend (the 2007 film starring Smith) to re-create one of this decades best and most interesting films- Oldboy.

Now, I know Frankie Teardrop wasn't a fan, but screw him. He listens to Alan Jackson all day long, I assume. Oldboy was so fucking awesome I couldn't even believe what I was seeing.

It's become less and less often that Americans make a film quite as awesome as Oldboy. Every now and then we'll get something, but the coolest films are being made in Asia. The Departed is one of the coolest movies from the last five years and it was a remake of Infernal Affairs. Lost in Translation is my favorite movie of this decade so far, but the influence In the Mood for Love had on it is undeniable.

Okay, back to Oldboy. I like Smith. I like him more than most film fans (film fans are not the same as movie fans, as I'm sure you know). The dude is talented. Moreso than most people like to admit. But frankly, it'll be a stretch to see him in this role. The main character of Oldboy is pretty unlikeable. Smith loves playing the hero. The guy everyone loves. This will be a much different role. Unless they just change the entire movie, which is pretty impossible. The whole reason the dude was kidnapped was because he was a dick (I'm trying not to really get too into the plot, lest it be ruined for those of you who've never seen it)

Then there's Spielberg. Why not just get Ron Howard to direct it? Spielberg is another talented guy, but come on. He's not dark or tough enough to make this right. Munich was his hardest film, but I think it may have been a fluke. Yes, Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan were hard to sit through during some moments, but Spielberg has a way of fucking up his endings. Case in point- Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. Just go back and watch those two endings and try not to gag a little. If there's one ending that CANNOT be fucked with, it's the ending to Oldboy. You have to have it or else everything that came before was all for nothing. With Smith and Spielberg... can they do that to their fans? Imagine some mother somewhere taking her kids to see this. She'd have a fucking stroke. Unless they change the ending, which is what I really fear might happen. Smith and Spielberg are just too... nice. They're too nice for this movie. It'll be made by Americans no matter what. But at least get some people who can do it justice. David Fincher and Micky Rourke. Those guys I could see handling this motherfucker.

Here's to hoping that Asian version of Sideways turns out alright.

-Maynard

Top Ten: Vocalists

Maynard here to share with you the musical goodness. Here's my list of top ten vocalists. Keep in mind this is all just my opinion.

10. Marvin Gaye. Best Vocals: Sexual High (Radiohead mashup... cause it's awesome)

9. Nick Drake. Best Vocals: Fly


8. Bob Dylan. Best Vocals: Subterranean Homesick Blues


7. Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel) Best Vocals: Two-Headed Boy Part 2 (I know Mangum's voice isn't very strong, but it's very affecting. And this is a great song, although this video makes it hilarious)


6. Klaus Nomi. Best Vocals: The Nomi Song


5. Tunde Adebimpe (TV on the Radio) Best Vocals: Blind


4. Jim James (My Morning Jacket) Best Vocals: Mahgeetah


3. Jeff Buckley. Best Vocals: Lover, You Should've Come Over


2. David Bowie. Best Vocals: Heroes


1. Thom Yorke (Radiohead) Best Vocals: Life in a Glass House
(really any of Radiohead's songs could have been used here... but this is my favorite Radiohead song and the video has lots of Star Wars stuff... I like Star Wars)

Honorable mention to Maynard James Keened of Tool- Maynard James Keenen (Tool) Best Vocals: Stinkfist


-Maynard