Dinner With Rocco DiSpirito

Rocco DiSpirito? Che figo! The handsome reality TV chef exudes suave and wears his suits really well. But as his career progresses, he's proven that he's more than merely handsome. He's talented. We've watched him mature since "The Restaurant.' He's taken his knocks, polished his rough edges, and is establishing his authority in the arena of fine cuisine. No easy task in a highly competitive field, with plenty of beautiful Italians.

A native New Yorker, DiSpirito learned his early culinary skills in his Italian mother's kitchen. He graduated from both the prestigious Culinary Institute of America and Boston University. He then spent over 25 years working in the U.S. and abroad developing a unique sense of flavor that is distinguished by his intriguing combinations of ingredients. He's authored six highly acclaimed cookbooks, including the # 1 New York Times bestseller "Now Eat This!" and "Now Eat This DIET!"

And - and I'm serious about this. He's a triathlete. Yes, in between writing books and running restaurants, he trains for triathlons. Some people are just blessed with an over-abundance of the energy the rest of us lack.

If that's not enough accomplishment for one lifetime, now DiSpirito is appearing in the newest reality cooking show with, thankfully, an unusual twist. "Rocco's Dinner Party" challenges three chefs to prepare their signature dish in 30 minutes. Of the three, DiSpirito decides which two will move on to the next round and prepare a full dinner party to compete for a cash prize of $20,000.

In last week's premier it was a snap to tell who wasn't going to make the initial cut. It was smugly fun to watch the women who proclaimed, "People should be intimidated by me" be sent packing. Not only weren't her competitors not intimidated by her, but DiSpirito was unimpressed with her raw food. He called her avocado puree "tragic." Most of us rooted for her arrogant demise anyway.

No more spoilers, however. After the initial cut, the two remaining contestants were challenged to prepare a full dinner party for a small gathering of DiSpirito's celebrity guests. They not only planned the menu, but they also worked with a party planner to choose the decor, which had to match a pre-determined theme - the "Speakeasy," which was a prohibition-era establishment that served great food alongside illegal alcohol.

The guests were diverse and interesting, including former LA Law actress Christine Ebersole, Forbes Media Critic, Bill McCuddy, Boardwalk Empire actor, Michael Kenneth Williams and Top Chef Master, Marcus Samuelson. They had the not-so-easy-task of devouring two delicious gourmet meals back-to-back. Each week promises even more intriguing combinations of guests. I'm hoping for a little drama and, sine Bravo is big on drama, maybe they'll sit Teresa Giudice next to Countess LuAnn DeLessups just to see how they interact. I wonder if the latter would give the former etiquette advice?

As the dinner party guests chatted and absorbed the pre-packaged ambience, the two remaining chefs bantered and bickered back-and-forth in the kitchen, baiting and teasing one another. The one watching while the other prepared and served their meal. And, of course, there were the requisite mishaps, which resulted in DiSpirito sternly coming into the kitchen to check on the delay.

As the dinners were placed on the table the guests gushed and tried to impress one another with their knowledge of fine cuisine, which provided opportunity for foodies to learn a little bit more about what comprises a well-cooked meal. The dishes were diverse, with one chef serving oxtail and the other short ribs. And, if the pressure of cooking for a celebrity chef and his guests weren't enough, DiSpirito had arrived five minutes before they started, in true restaurant-style, to inform them that one guest was a vegetarian and another couldn't consume pork or alcohol.

The big disappointment for this premier was the time slot. For some absurd reason, perhaps to give Andy Cohen time off, Bravo premiered the show at 11pm. So everyone will now be grateful that tonight's show will air at 10pm, and so will the remaining episodes. As Bravo says, "Watch What Happens."

Rocco's Dinner Party | Weds @ 10/9c | Bravo

Jenifer Mangione Vogt is a marketing and public relations professional that lives in Boca Raton, FL. She blogs frequently about art and Italian culture.

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Modeling Agency Vs Modeling Placement Agency

In the world of modeling there are a few choices models have when getting into the business. You have your traditional modeling agency and the model placement agency to choose from. Now before you rush out and make a quick decision let's go over some of the benefits of the two services.

First the Modeling placement agency, there main function is to get the new and aspiring model all of the tools she needs to submit herself to modeling jobs and casting calls. The main focus of the placement agency is on the promotional materials such as website, comp cards, business cards, SEO. Their goal is to give you a media presence and once this is done submit your information to prospective clients. You don't need to already be a model to work with a placement agency either. One of the biggest differences is they have work such as nail models, hair models etc. This differs from the Modeling agency because they focus more on the training.

So now that we have pointed out the benefits of the Modeling placement agency let's talk about the traditional modeling agency. The focus here will be on teaching you runway, posing and modeling walking. This is where you go to train and learn the modeling industry. If you have never modeled before and you're interested in being a runway model then most likely this is the best option for you. You will have professional trainers teach you the ins and outs of the industry. The typical modeling agency will also give you a practice runway with mirrors to perfect your walk and poses. This is a huge benefit if you have never posed before. But be aware with the modeling agency you wont get the media presence or promotional materials in house. This will be outsources as another fee.

As you can see both of these services are beneficial but both are very different. So depending on where you want to go with your career pick your service wisely. If you have some experience then a Traditional Modeling Agency might not be for you. But if you have never trained then you might want to use the Traditional Modeling Agency to learn the basics. If you know the basics and need a media presence and want to submit yourself for work then the Modeling Placement agency is something you should look at and the cost of the promotional materials is normally lower then the Modeling Agency.

I have been a model scout for 4 year and worked with some of the best models in Hollywood. I would be happy to answer any questions you have regarding your modeling career. Please feel free to email me at info@extrememodeling.com. Models are in high demand.

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Movie Review: Green Lantern (2011)

The filmmakers are under the impression that audiences will accept anything, as long as it's drenched in special effects. Balls of gaseous substances, electrical fields of lightning, pulsing rays of color, billowing smoke, fiery explosions and glowing energy beams all shown rapidly and accompanied by piercing noises - these tricks are sure to impress even the most cynical critics. Unexplainable things happen all of a sudden and viewers are expected to sit back and soak up the visual zaniness without questioning all the cryptic events. This is simply not true. For an origins movie, Green Lantern certainly has a lot more explaining to do.

For centuries, the emerald energy of willpower has been fueling intergalactic peacekeepers known as Green Lanterns. Thousands of specially chosen warriors and guardians police the galaxies, using their unimaginable powers to quell the evil forces of fear. Legendary legionnaire Abin Sur (Temuera Morrison), aglow with purplish, translucent skin and rubbery tendons, discovers that an ancient monstrosity called Parallax has been steadily growing and is responsible for the recent deaths of several highly skilled Green Lanterns. When he encounters the frightful anomaly firsthand, he's mortally wounded and must crash land on Earth.

The viridian energy works in mysterious ways, and purposefully chooses the individuals that harness its powers. When Abin dies, the ring he possesses, recharged by a literal chartreuse lantern, seeks out devil-may-care, foolhardy, hotheaded jet pilot Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds, who hasn't changed drastically from Van Wilder) to be its new caretaker. At first he has no interest in assuming the responsibilities of protecting a massive sector of civilization, but with the help of negativistic ally Sinestro (Mark Strong), bulky alien Kilowog (Michael Clarke Duncan) and bird-beaked mentor Tomar-Re (Geoffrey Rush), Hal will become the most powerful Lantern of them all.

From the very start, solemn narration, intrusive flashbacks and countless tongue-twisting alien worlds, names and devices are utilized, going overboard to stay faithful to the DC Comics characters and entities. With such a swift running time, too much mindboggling content is thrown at the screen rapidly. In the vein of Star Wars or Star Trek, the ideas are completely science-fiction, working on a level closer to Thor than Iron Man. Almost nothing is grounded in reality, and because of this, little is deemed worthy of explanation. An "induction process" allows for communication between the human and his newfound comrades, along with quick acceptance of his lime green muscle suit, comical mask (to protect his identity, despite merely covering his cheekbones), and super powers. "The ring's limits are only what you can imagine," insists Tomar-Re, making further definition pointless.

A subplot with Dr. Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard) is unnecessary and wasted, the primary villain Parallax is built up to be invincible but then casually discarded, and Hal's love interest Carol Ferris (Blake Lively, proving she can only play one character) is hopelessly generic. It takes over an hour to devise a plot and forge an antagonist, and just a few minutes to hastily resolve it all. Impressive makeup goes the route of repulsive instead of awe-inspiring, and the costumes and character designs follow suit, appearing absurd rather than impactful.

While trying to stay true to the look of the original comic books, Green Lantern has crafted some incredibly silly stuff. The visuals are entirely too goofy for non-fans to readily digest. There's also a huge focus on responsibility, facing fears, and never giving up, which passes as noticeably bland and uninteresting. Like Iron Man 2, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, and most of the X-Men sequels, Green Lantern is a mishmash of outdated graphic novel lore, reinvention, redesign, revival, adaptation, stale humor and budget-busting special effects, all of which are an abrasive assault to the senses and dolefully dreary filmmaking.

- The Massie Twins GoneWithTheTwins.com

The Massie Twins are identical twin film critics who have been professionally reviewing movies full time for over 5 years, appearing on TV, radio, online and in print. They are members of the Phoenix Film Critics Society and the Internet Film Critic Society and their work can be seen at http://www.gonewiththetwins.com/.

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Movie Review: I Am Number Four (2011)

If you've enjoyed a steady diet of Twilight films, superhero movies, and sci-fi television shows, you might like I Am Number Four. But probably not. The film, based on the young-adult novel of the same name, derives almost its entirety from other related materials, leaving individuality a permanently absent entity. The most disconcerting problem is that Twilight does the high-school romances better, the comic-book movies handle the action with more finesse and the television shows contain fewer cardboard characters. If this is number four, I'm just thankful we didn't have to wallow through one, two, and three.

After their homeworld of Lorien is besieged by the Mogadorians, a ruthless race of alien intruders, only nine gifted youngsters escape to Earth and await their destiny. John (Alex Pettyfer) is one such survivor, who, along with his guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant), must constantly stay on the run to avoid being found by the Mogadorians. After learning of the assassination of another Lorien, John and Henri head to Paradise, Ohio where they hope to lay low and discover a way to make contact with their remaining allies. When John falls in love with Sarah (Dianna Agron), a pretty photographer at his high school, he decides to stay and fight rather than continue running - a decision that will pit him against a relentless team of brutal alien executioners.

Sometimes, (though rarely) mediocre dialogue can be forgiven in the presence of great action. Unfortunately, I Am Number Four has neither. The direction of conversation, if not the actual exchanges, can probably be guessed before anyone has spoken and the revelations often rival those found in an episode of Scooby-Doo. The dialogue drifts into extremely awkward territory on a number of occasions and can't even grasp realism when the conversations are supposed to be maladroit. Friendships, fatherly guidance, antagonistic threats, and confessions of love never felt so lame.

Perhaps even rarer yet, humdrum dialogue can be dismissed when uttered by intriguing characters and inspiring demeanors. Still nothing here. In John's defense, he is supposed to be trying to blend in and become invisible. He succeeds, but that does the audience the disservice. Sarah lends an arguably pretty face, but certainly no more, and Timothy Olyphant's Henri tries ever so hard but can't overcome the tedium of the script. The otherworldly villains are perhaps the most cringe-worthy, spitting broken English over harsh alien speech and committing the cardinal sin of talking too much before killing their victims.

A few interesting shots during combat do make an appearance, though their ingenuity quickly vanishes beneath the shoddy special effects and the behemoth beasts that look to be the lovechild of a flying squirrel and the Cloverfield monster. If inexplicably powerful teenagers, giant sugar glider-creatures, and hokey glowing flashlight hands are your cup of tea, this one's for you.

- The Massie Twins ( GoneWithTheTwins.com )

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Finding New Horizons in Bollywood - Ajay Devgan

Ajay Devgan, a two-time National award winner is one of the finest acting talents of Indian cinema. Born as Vishal Devgan, Ajay started off his film career with Phool Aur Kaante in an action-oriented role unlike many other actors of his time. He grew popular as an action hero with the first few films, which were huge successes at the box office, and gradually started experimenting with different genres. It was then he accepted the opportunity to act in Ishq, in a comedy role, opposite to Kajol. In addition to Ishq, the Ajay-Kajol pair can be seen in Pyar To Hona Hi Tha, one of the biggest success of the year 1998.

First National Award

It was in 1998 that he signed Zakhm, a film by Mahesh Bhatt, which fetched him the first National Film Award for Best Actor, in which he essayed a serious role. The 1992 riots in India was the backdrop of this film and he acted with Sonali Bendre, Pooja Bhatt and Nagarjuna. Following this achievement, Ajay Devgan worked with many noted filmmakers of Bollywood such as Sanjay Leela Bhansali in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Mani Ratnam in Yuva and Ram Gopal Varma in Company and Bhoot, in the coming years.

Second National Award

As he continued experimenting with different roles, in the year 2002, Rajkumar Santhoshi signed him for the biopic, The Legend of Bhagat Singh, to essay the character of Bhagat Singh. With this critically acclaimed film, he received his second National Award for Best Actor along with the Filmfare Critics Award.

Other Movies

In a span of two decades, Ajay has acted in more than hundred films. Kaal and Khakee are two of the films in which he was seen in a negative character, for which he got nominated in the Best Villain Award category. His performance was also acclaimed in many movies - Yuva, Golmaal, and Raincoat being a few of them. Raincoat was an off-beat film, acted along with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Omkara, Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge, Gangaajal, Rajneeti, Once Upon A Time In Mumbai and Zameen are Ajay's other critically acclaimed films.

As Producer and Director

In the year 2000, he committed only two films - Deewane and Raju Chacha, of which the latter saw him as a producer. Although the film did not perform well, it featured the off-screen couple of Ajay and Kajol once again. Exploring the new realms of Bollywood, he wore the director's hat for the first time with U, Me Aur Hum (2008), which he also produced and acted in. Third production was in 2009 with the film All The Best: The Fun Begins. Ajay Devgan can be seen in action in the upcoming film Singham, Tezz and Power.

To get information on Rajesh Khanna or to Agent Vinod movie visit DoctorFlix.

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Great Superhero TV - My Hero

Whilst popular TV shows like Smallville and Heroes have come and gone, they were missing a crucial element to the superhero formula. Fun. Sometimes comic book movies and TV shows fail to showcase that having super powers can actually be fun. Spider-Man was overburdened, Superman became lonely and Green Lantern struggled to overcome fear. Before all the live action comic book genre really took in the 21st Century, came one delightful English superhero sitcom, My Hero.

My Hero was created by Paul Mendelson and aired on BBC One in 2000 lasting for six series until concluding in 2006. Ardal O'Hanlon played the role of the multi-powered alien superhero Thermoman, who creates a human alter ego George Sunday. The series follows the lives of George and his family, including his human wife Janet (Emily Joyce) and their two super powered infants. The show focused on how George struggles to fit into society, due to his un-familiarity with life on Earth, he finds himself being misunderstood often.

What made My Hero so successful was that it actually included all of the common conventions of a superhero show, but lampooned the superhero mythos to make the product humorous. The show explored how the hero struggled to fit into society, which provided tons of comedy material. George's awkward relationship with Janet's parents made you laugh, but also made you sympathize with him, as he could not reveal that he was really a multi-powered superhero.

What stood out for me with the show is that it took a superhero with set powers similar to Superman, and brought him down to Earth in a way comic book movies have always struggled to do. Due to George's quest to be accepted by his Wife's parents, whilst saving the world as Thermoman, audiences connected with him and actually supported him throughout the series. That's how you humanize a character that's invincible, something DC has long struggled with for Superman.

As Ardal O'Hanlon was the heart of the show, the product's quality ultimately diminished when he left in 2006 to be replace by actor James Dreyfus. (Gimme Gimme Gimme) Gone was the lovable superhero, replaced by a camp archetypal character that single handedly, despite the best efforts of the show's amazing supporting cast, destroyed the show. Despite the show's poor ending, I can't help but wish the BBC would convince O'Hanlon to return so that My Hero can grace our screens one more time. There are so many sitcoms they have in need of cancellation (My Family mainly) and it's only fitting Britain shows America how to properly handle a superhero sitcom.

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Ernest Goes to Jail Movie Review

The 1990 comedy Ernest Goes to Jail is distributed by Touchstone Pictures. Its stars include Jim Varney as Ernest P. Worrall/Felix Nash/Auntie Nelda, Gailard Sartain as Chuck, Randall 'Tex' Cobb as Lyle, Bill Byrge as Bobby, and Barbara Bush as Charlotte Sparrow. The producers of this film are Coke Sams (TV's Hey, Vern, It's Ernest!) and Stacy Williams (Ernest Goes to Camp). The director is John Cherry (Ernest Saves Christmas).

The film's story centers on a bank janitor named Ernest P. Worrall. He receives a letter requesting him to show up for jury duty. He happily tells his friends Chuck and Bobby. In the courtroom convict Rubin Bartlett notices that Ernest is the spitting image of a deathrow inmate he knows, Felix Nash. He requests that the jury see the scene of the crime, which is inside the prison. The clueless janitor is knocked out and Nash assumes his identity while his twin stays in prison to serve his sentence. The innocent Ernest tells everyone that he is not Nash but no one believes him. Rubin Bartlett, having been found not guilty, returns to prison to serve out an unrelated sentence. He informs Ernest that if he doesn't start acting like Nash, the real Nash will hurt the ones he loves on the outside. Meanwhile on the outside, Ernest's friends notice that he doesn't seem to be himself as he plans to rob the bank he works at. Back in jail, the real Ernest realizes that he is in line for the electric chair. The real Ernest is stuck in jail on deathrow while the fake Ernest plans to rob the bank and flee.

Throughout the entire film, Ernest keeps getting electrocuted, making him magnetic. This is a hilarious feature to an already hilarious film. After he is electrocuted, all the metal objects in the room are attracted to him. It first happens in the beginning when he is using a floor polisher. When he turns it on, it quickly moves about the room dragging poor Ernest behind. He finally turns it off, but not before he accidentally shoots out soapy water all over the room as he falls to the floor and lands face down in it. A lamp also falls on the wet floor, electrocuting the janitor. As he gets up, all the metal objects, including some file cabinets, chase him into the safe where his face is caught between two metal drawers which are magnetically attracted to him.

Another notable electrocution scene is when Ernest is in the electric chair. Instead of killing him, the chair gives him the power to cast electricity around, make it easier for him to escape the jail by shooting electricity at anything in his way, like guards with guns or metal security doors.

One of the most interesting characters in the film is Lyle, Ernest's cell mate. He helps Nash and Bartlett kidnap Ernest and dress him up in Nash's prisoner clothes. But as the movie progresses, instead of being a punk to Ernest, like Rubin Bartlett, he takes a liking to him. We can clearly see this after Ernest wins the arm-wrestling match and Bartlett warns him not to speak so much or his loved ones will suffer. Lyle, instead of pushing Ernest aside and acting like the tough guy Nash's other henchman Bartlett is, just shrugs his shoulders when the mistaken prisoner looks at him. Also when Ernest mistakenly thinks he is going to be let out and is saying how great it is to be alive, Lyle can't stand it because he knows Ernest will soon go to the chair. Later on, he saves him from Rubin Bartlett.

To wrap, Ernest Goes to Jail is a good-hearted funny movie that will make all the viewers laugh until it hurts!

Written by Kevin Dillehay

Kevin T. Dillehay has written nearly a hundred movie reviews from all genres. He provides a unique perspective on the movies you see all the time but may not stop and think about in depth. You are invited to check out his work at http://www.moviefilmreview.com/author/kmonk10.

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Feddy Krueger

Wes Craven took some time to decide on a weapon for Freddy Krueger the villain of the first "A Nightmare on Elm Street" movie. Wes Craven, director and creator of the series of horror films, not only wanted something memorable, he wanted a weapon that would speak to "a primal fear which is embedded in the subconscious of people of all cultures." The claw of an animal fit that criteria, Craven decided, then turned his attention towards the glove that would encase the weapon. The goal there was to create "something that would be constructed in somebody's home workshop," indicating to the audience that this villain was not imaginary. Once, he had been a man.

Nothing about the creation of Freddy Krueger, one of the most recognizable film villains of all time, was haphazard. Wes Craven deliberately wove aspects of urban legend, childhood memory and of primal terror into Krueger, intentionally crafting a character that would tap into unconscious fears. The continuing popularity of the film franchise, as well as the enduring popularity of Freddy Krueger costumes for Halloween, speak to Craven's success.

One of the most terrifying aspects of Freddy Krueger is his ability to attack his victims while they are asleep. Craven realized early on that to counter this dream-like quality, his villain needed solid references to a real-life past, and purposely chose clothing for Freddy that indicated a working man with blue-collar background, right down to his worn boots. Freddy Krueger Halloween Outfits feature the iconic characteristics of the nightmarish villain. From his bladed glove to his scarred face, from his striped sweater to his brown fedora, Freddy costumes for Halloween are instantly recognizable.

Today, partygoers have additional options when choosing Halloween outfits that portray Krueger. After a quarter of a century of playing Freddy in the Nightmare franchise, Robert Englund passed the role to Jackie Earle Haley for the 2010 version of the original movie. To accommodate Haley's unique features, as well as to take advantage of improvements in special effects since the original version, Freddy got a makeover. Gruesomely more realistic, the burn scars on Haley's Freddy resemble those of actual burn victims. His features are more misshapen. Portions of flesh are missing, and has kept the Freddy Krueger Halloween outfits evolving with time.

Fans of the Nightmare franchise who feel Freddy had become too comedic over the years, losing some of his menace in favor of cackling one-liners, may enjoy costumes for Halloween that depict the "new" Freddy. Others may show their loyalty by choosing Halloween outfits portraying the original Freddy. Whichever is chosen, it is clear that Freddy Krueger will continue to be a fan favourite for years to come.

Classic Halloween Outfits can be worn at a variety of Parties. The biggest Fancy dress parties are at Halloween. So why not make it special fun or scary with a Halloween Costumes Party and have everyone laughing or on the edge of there seat the choice is yours

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Movie Review: Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

The creators of Battle: Los Angeles have definitely played their video games and watched their alien invasion films. While derivative, this latest hostile encounter of the third kind still manages to provide solid entertainment with its no-nonsense nature, massive alien creations, and intense wartime operations, including classic rescue, recon, and offensive missions. In fact, these frantic maneuvers result in a rather relentless pacing, one that would be ideal in a video game but perhaps not so much in a movie. The film does have more conspicuous problems, including an obnoxious amount of camaraderie, an abundance of throwaway characters who receive entirely too much screen time, a cameraman suffering from seizures, and a horrendous title. But with the success of Halo, Resistance, Gears of War and more, and this film's similarities to video game structuring, it's likely people will enjoy watching evil alien invaders as much as they delight in controlling the conquering themselves.

After strange meteorites begin landing off the coasts of major populations around the world, it becomes clear that it's more than just a weather anomaly. As otherworldly invaders emerge and begin attacking the cities, retiring Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz (Aaron Eckhart) must head into combat once again. Leading a platoon of marines on a rescue mission through the alien-infested streets of Los Angeles, Nantz must join forces with Tech Sergeant Elena Santos (Michelle Rodriguez) to save civilians and turn the tide of battle against an alien foe of unimaginable power.

Battle: Los Angeles never lets up from the very start, which is both a strength and a weakness. With very little comic relief and no time to catch your breath, it strays from the lighthearted fun of Independence Day or Mars Attacks!, opting instead for a darker, more tragic and action-oriented feel like War of the Worlds or Cloverfield. This leads to a mission of redemption and sacrifice that is fierce and heartfelt, intermittently fused with overwhelmingly silly rallying war cries, gung ho hoorah talks, John Wayne heroics, soapbox speeches, the barking of orders and soldiers verbally losing their cool. Unfortunately, with its PG-13 rating, the combat dialogue is noticeably moderated.

The quick zooms and constant use of shaky cam techniques never gets nauseating, thankfully, but the attention to unnecessary details lean in that direction. A lot of time is spent giving each soldier a name and rank, brief histories, plenty of visual brotherhood, and senses of patriotism, duty, honor and discipline - USMC life. It's a lot of wasted screentime considering so many of the troops are simple fodder, and the focus is frequently on chaotic firefights, piercing bullet strafes, reverberating explosions, and Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish alien dissection. Despite all of the time spent on character development and the initial search and rescue task, the conclusion is rather rushed, shifting into a save-the-world resolve, necessary to avoid ending a full on alien invasion with an epilogue of how the war was won. It might have felt more satisfying if Nantz' mission all along had been to discover the alien weakness and exploit it.

- The Massie Twins ( http://www.GoneWithTheTwins.com )

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Devil Review

Stars: Chris Messina, Geoffrey Arend
Director: John Erick Dowdle
Release Date: December 21, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG-13

Devil is like an extra long episode of The Twilight Zone. Imagine, if you will, five strangers stuck inside of a broken-down elevator. Whenever the lights go out in the elevator, something sinister happens. A detective on the outside is trying desperately to set them free and figure out which one is the killer. One of the security guards who operates the security camera inside of the elevator begins to believe a tale that he was told as a child: that the devil is amongst them.

M. Night Shyamalan, praised for The Sixth Sense and ridiculed for The Last Airbender, wrote the story that Devil is based on and was also a producer. John Erick Dowdle, known for the horror remake Quarantine, directed. The cast is a mesh of virtual unknowns without a real standout in the bunch.

Devil plays on a number of fears. The thought of being stuck in a confined space, such as an elevator, with other people is unnerving to most. During the movie, the audience is pretty much stuck in the elevator with these people and the claustrophobic atmosphere is evident. Being trapped in an elevator is bad enough, but when people start to die, everyone turns against each other. It suddenly becomes a witch-hunt with everyone accusing the others of being to blame.

Then, of course, there's the small matter of being trapped with the devil. This should be a terrifying experience, one that leaves us shaken long after we finished watching it. Unfortunately, this does not happen. There is some violence with some blood, but these moments happen very quickly. This movie could have done so much more with this concept, but with its semi-family friendly PG-13 rating, it can only do so much.

Ultimately Devil feels more like a B-movie than anything else. The dialogue can be forced and generic at times. The film has a particularly low-budget feel to it, but many films that take place in one setting are typically viewed as low-budget. It's not a terrible movie, but it's not terrifying either. Definitely unsettling, though. For those expecting an M. Night Shyamalan twist, prepare to be disappointed. There's a little something at the end that's a bit of a surprise, but not a huge plot twist. This film is meant to be the first installment of a trilogy called Night Chronicles; each one is to have a different director and will be based on one of Shyamalan's stories. No word on what the next story will be. Hopefully the next film will be scarier, and rated R.

If you want more great reviews, visit http://slackers.com/!

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How to Make Your Own Snoopy Costume For Halloween

Need a Snoopy Costume? Who wouldn't love dressing up like a cute, adorable dog for Halloween? First of all, women love dogs. Secondly, if you can't think of a dog costume all on your own, there are plenty of awesome, super-star dogs already out there to be inspired by. In fact, I will give you an example. How about Snoopy?

Everyone knows about Snoopy. He's that great, lovable, non-speaking dog from the Charlie Brown cartoons that we've all come to love. And you're in luck because it's actually pretty easy to make a costume of Snoopy. So let's get started.

First of all, you will need two white sheets. Don't try to short cut it with pillow cases either. These sheets need to be at least twin size. line the two sheets up with one right next to the other. You should do this on the floor so that you can easily spread them out full length and flatten out all of the wrinkles. Also, be sure to situate them so that you can easily fold one over the other.

Next, take your hot-glue gun and make a hot-glue oval on the top one third of the sheet. Then, quickly fold it over onto the other sheet and press it down so that the glue bonds the two sheets together. This is going to be Snoopy's face. Cut this part out and lay it to the side.

Next, make two boxing-glove sized circles with the rest of the sheet. Use the hot-glue to outline them the same way that you outlined Snoopy's face. Fold the sheet over each circle and press down. These will be Snoopy's paws - an intricate part of any Snoopy Halloween costume. Remember to make them larger enough so that you can put your hands in them. Cut them out and set to the side. I find that the girls love the paws even more if they are more on the large side.

Next, take your two cut circles and your large oval head and cut smaller half circle into the sides of each. The circle should cut into the hot-glue portion. These holes will be where you put the stuffing through to fluff up the pieces. They will also be where you put your hands through. Keep in mind that you will be wearing Snoopy's head like a hat, so don't make that hole so big that your head falls through it.

Lastly, stuff the three pieces. You may use anything you have available, but the best stuffing is any material that is fluffy and soft. Take a Sharpie marker and mark in the nose, eyes, spots, and claws. Be sure to put a big smiley face on Snoopy too. On Snoopy's face, cut two slits near the hole for you head and find ribbon, string, or shoe laces to tie it down to your head.

Now you are ready to rock the town in your awesome Snoopy costume! So go grab Linus, Charlie Brown, Woodstock and the rest of the Peanuts gang and let's all go find the Great Pumpkin together. Happy Halloween everybody.

Snoopy and the Peanuts gang is definitely one of my all time guilty pleasures. I've loved them since I was a kid. And if you're thinking about making any kind of Snoopy Halloween costume this year then I highly encourage you to do all the research you can about Charlie Brown, Linus, Woodstock and the whole gang. You can learn about a Snoopy kids costume and loads of tips is at: Snoopycostumes.net

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Dog Day Afternoon

Have you ever been flipping through your TV channels and suddenly you run into a media circus? Those are a lot of fun. The name fits incredibly well too. A circus implies entertainment, clowns, a ringmaster and an audience. However, the media part of the equation implies cameras and possibly a global audience, no matter how silly or violent the situation might turn out to be. That is the situation in which Al Pacino's character is plunged into in Sydney Lumet's "Dog Day Afternoon" from 1975.

I must have been around ten when I first saw this movie and I remember being dumbstruck by how crazy the situation got with each passing minute. My family and I had recently moved to Santiago, Chile and I guess dad was just flipping through the TV one evening when the show started. I wouldn't exactly call it a family movie, but I was entertained, that's for sure.

It all starts simply enough. Al Pacino plays Sonny Wortzik who, along with his partners Salvatore "Sal" Naturile (John Cazale) and Stevie (Garry Springer), tries to rob a bank in Brooklyn in broad daylight. Things don't go as planned. Stevie panics and runs out. When Sonny and Sal get to the vault it is almost empty. They decide to leave, but the phone rings. To Sonny's surprise the call is for him. There is a cop on the other end of the line who asks him what he thinks he's doing. Sonny takes a look across the street and suddenly there are cops everywhere. Then the fun begins.

Sonny and Sal decide to stay in the bank and use the customers and bank employees as hostages. The police assumed the robbers would surrender when they saw they were surrounded so they are unprepared to negotiate with hostage taker. Soon the FBI shows up and it's not long before the press arrives. Then a crowd gathers to watch the action live. Sonny and Sal now have an audience. Time to make crazy demands such as pizzas, doctors, and a plane to the tropics.

As the day goes by the police tries to find out more about Sonny in an attempt to reason with him. They contact his ex-wife and put her on the phone with Sonny, who ends up having a shooting match with her. Then they figure out the reason he needed the money in the first place was a for a sex-change operation. Not for him, but for his wife Leon (Chris Sarandon) a pre-operative transsexual. That part I had trouble understanding. Again, I was ten. Well, I guess I was going to learn about these concepts someday.

Looking back at this movie today, I find incredibly prophetic in terms of the power of the media. When Sonny walks outside he challenges the police by chanting "Attica, Attica" in a reference to a prison riot that killed 39 people. The cameras capture everything. The crowd loves it; Sonny becomes their hero, and news network want to interview him for the ratings.

But then again, people just love a good show. Remember how many people tuned in when they thought that kid was stuck inside that balloon the United-States? How about all of those miners stuck inside that mineshaft in Chile? By the end of that event the media was digging into those people's lives, finding about their hobbies, their ambitions, and even their mistresses. I should know: I was researching these guys during one of my journalism classes.

Can you imagine an event like the bank robbery in "Dog Day Afternoon" happening today? By the end of the first hour anybody with an Internet connection and a laptop would have found out about Sonny's ex-wife, his children, his transsexual wife, and most likely his weight and height. And you know what else? If Sonny were smart he would have been tweeting during the whole thing. By the end he might have more followers than Lady Gaga.

Simon is a recent graduate of the Universite de Sherbrooke in Quebec and has been a life-long movie fan. His interests include all aspects of culture in general, whether it be books, music, travel, or graphic novels. He publishes weekly movie reviews on his blog http://simonsmoviereviews.blogspot.com/.

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Mid-Summer TV Line-Up

ALMIGHTY THOR
ACTION/ADVENTURE/FANTASY

You gotta love Asylum who makes these "mock busters" of the real movies. They did this before when "Battle: LA" and they did "Battle: Los Angeles". This time they did "Almighty Thor" the day after the summer blockbuster "Thor" flick. People this movie is really bad but the trailer is funny when Thor uses an Uzi to take down Loki! I HAD to watch it just to see that!

The film is about Loki (Richard Grieco) who wants Thor's magic hammer to control Asgard and earth! Grieco didn't go over the top like I expected but it was still terrible performance. Thor (Cory Deal) is a new comer to the movies and he did audition for the theatrical movie. He is a big guy but needs a few more acting lessons. Wrestler Kevin Nash is Ordin and he is killed in the beginning. He does his best raspy Dark Knight impression. Special effects are good to poor! See it for a good laugh and on cable! People who are wondering why Syfy are doing Thor movies all the time is because Norse mythology has no copyright!

HAWAII 5-O--FINALE

I must tell you that the finale of this TV show was awesome. McGarrett (Alex O' Loughlin)is set up for killing the governor Pat Jameson (Jean Smart) Danno (Scott Caan) doesn't go home with his family, Chin Ho (Daniel Dae Kim) is now lieutenant and Kono (Grace Park) is arrested! Wo Fat (Mark Dacascos) makes a fatal guest appurtenance. I can't wait for the 2nd season!

SINBAD AND THE MINATOR
ORIGINAL SYFY MOVIE-MAY 21, 2011
ACTION/ADVENTURE/FANTASY

This movie is the usual low-budget for Syfy but it has a very handsome lead Manu Bennett (30 Days of Night and The Marine)who is very Australian. One day Hollywood will use an Arab-American to play Sinbad for this character is of Middle East decent! The two reasons to watch this is Steven Grives (Beastmaster) as Al-Jibar. He is good at being an over the top bad guy and Pacharo Mzembe is the black man is part of Sinbad's crew who lives through the ENTIRE movie!

SINGLE LADIES
ORIGINAL SERIES ON VH1-MONDAYS AT 9:00PM STARTING MAY 30, 2011
ROMANCE/COMEDY/DRAMA

The show should be on BET or TVOne! It is about two sexy, smart black women Stacey Dash and Lisa Raye McCoy living and loving in Atlanta. It is worth seeming at least the first episode for the one of the creators and producer is Queen Latifah! The other writer and producer is Stacey Littlejohn who is one of the few black female successful producers. She did All of Us, the Wanda Sykes show and Cedric the Entertainer Presents. It is only eight shows and it is the first scripted show on VH1 in history. It is good if you like soap operas with some 'flava.' I hope it stays on for awhile.

Karion talks about Hollywood and writes about upcoming, currently playing and DVD released films. Enjoy more of Karion's reviews at her Moviephat blog.

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5 Of the Best Movie Cameo Characters

Great movies need great characters but really great movies often end up with so many excellent characters that there isn't enough time to cram them all in. This ends up making the character who is only seen briefly seem even cooler than they are. Case in point.

Boba Fett:

Most movie goers got their first sight of Boba Fett when the Empire Strikes Back hit the cinemas. The movie was crammed full of fantastic characters including Darth Vader, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Luke Skywalker and the Emperor to name a few. Boba Fett plays a crucial but short role in the movie. He is employed by Vader to track Han Solo for the Empire. The appeal of Boba Fett comes down to a couple of things. He looks incredibly cool, he doesn't say much and he has an air of mystery about him. It helps that he has one of the coolest spaceships ever seen too. Since then his popularity ensured that he featured in Attack of the Clones, the Clone Wars cartoon and many extended universe books.

Ravage:

In Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen there are a lot of fan favourite Transformers added to the mix. One such is Ravage who is first seen been blasted onto Earth by Soundwave. No one seemed to notice how cool that and many other scenes in the film are and instead choose to focus on the twins instead. Ravage is a big robot cat with big guns on his back. What's not to like. He is later seen in the movie having an almighty fight with Bumblebee who sadly rips him apart.

Collosus:

The X-Men suffers from the too many great characters problems. In X2 there are a fair few more mutants added to the mix and we get a tantalising glimpse of Piotr Nicolivitch AKA Collosus. Collosus is an X-Man whos skin can turn into metal. He offers to help Wolverine in fighting the bad guys off. What does Logan do, tells him to take his help and shove it doing us out of an awesome action scene in the process.

Sauron:

Since Sauron in the Lord of the Rings is the main bad guy it's pretty odd that we only see him during the first ten minutes of the Fellowship of the Ring. When we do see him he's awesome, cutting through swathes of soldiers like a deranged Darth Vader. Sauron is such a threat to the rest of the characters in the Lord of the Rings that he can't be let near them.

For more stories about Transformers Ravage and other characters visit Scifi Toys.co.uk

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Are Comic Book Movies Dying Instead of Thriving?

June has marked the release of one of the year's most critically panned movie. No I'm not talking about the mediocre movie The Hangover Part II. I'm not talking about the brilliant X-Men: First Class. As much as it pains me to say it, Martin Campbell's Green Lantern may become the worst disaster for comic book movies since the likes of The Fantastic 4 hit cinemas. And it was all going so well this year...

As I've mentioned before about the likes of Thor and X-Men: First Class, comic book movies have needed to drastically improve in order to survive at the box office. Throwing a special effects extravaganza at audiences just doesn't cut it anymore. Movies need to develop interesting characters, and generate a good story before worrying about spectacular special effects. That's where comic book movies are struggling. With so much choice now for comic book movies, the films can't afford to be lazy. Thor told a great father-son story, First Class added some historical gravitas to a superhero story whilst Green Lantern fails on just about every level...

Terrible plot holes, bad pacing, boring characters (unlike the comic book versions) and a bland story keeps Green Lantern's feet firmly on the ground. It's also an example of how a generic 'popcorn' superhero movie just doesn't cut it with critics and fans alike. If Green Lantern bombs, DC will probably shy away from moving forward with projects such as The Flash and Wonder Woman. This could cause serious ramifications for comic book movies because; Marvel's on screen catalogue of comic book characters will eventually run dry. With no alternative to go to, fans will inevitably get bored of Marvel throwing every B-List character under the sun at them. The same goes for DC's Batman and Superman franchises. They will eventually run dry and DC will have nothing left to offer.

That's what's most disappointing about the Green Lantern movie. There was so much riding on it, and despite having Green Lantern wiz Geoff Jones behind the scenes; the movie has killed off all momentum for DC. Yes they have The Dark Knight Rises coming next year, but considering that's up against Marvel's Avengers, don't expect it to reach the heights of The Dark Knight.

If the genre is dying, every upcoming comic book movie needs to be unique. The initial awesomeness of seeing Marvel's finest united on screen will undoubtedly hold off bad reviews, but other projects such as Spider-Man, Wolverine and Superman might not be so fortunate unless they give the characters and the story proper attention. It's time studios take these movies seriously. From the moment the initial GL trailer hit the net and viewers were treated to a classic Ryan Reynolds 'I KNOW RIGHT' scene, it was clear Warner Bros weren't treating GL seriously. And that's why the genre is struggling. It needs more X-Men: First Class, less Van Wilder in space.

2012 will be make or break for the comic book movie genre...

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Movie Plot Thoughts: Transformers 3 Dark of the Moon

In the weeks leading up to quite possibly the most anticipated movie of the summer (although the Boy Magician - Harry Potter - will surely give it a run for its money), Transformers Dark of the Moon has characteristically released tidbit-after-tidbit of its plot. The much-maligned franchise hasn't successfully done this in four years, since the blockbuster Transformers 2007 live-action film, as Revenge of the Fallen was a cinematic desert - huge yet insubstantial. Fans nationwide are primed with anticipation, if only out of the accurate reasoning that the third movie couldn't possibly be any worse than film 2.

With all that said, since the Writer's Strike excuse that was used for the paucity and lack-of-focus of Revenge of the Fallen (surely they could have gotten a fan to write the plot, right? It would have been better than what they ended up with) is no more, what can we expect Dark of the Moon to be about? It is clear they've picked a good element around which to revolve it; the space-race between the US and USSR gets max points just for its significance alone. The revelation in the most recent batch of post-Superbowl Transformers commercials that human beings might have sided with the Decepticons does one of the best things an action film can do for the audience: post them strongly on one side over another side. Don't be surprised if the audience is rooting only for the Autobots, and the only humans that get any love whatsoever are Sam and girl! Especially when the trailers seem to suggest that the human government, or some elements of it, knew of the Decepticons long before the general public, and sought to use them for personal reasons - which pretty much sums up human history.

The introduction of a new villain, Shockwave, also leaves us wondering what role - if any - Megatron will play in Dark of the Moon. The Decepticon leader, as evidenced by his admonition to Starscream in Revenge of the Fallen: "Even in death, there is no rule but mine!" clearly doesn't do well as second-fiddle. In the comics, Shockwave was his general on Cybertron, left there to continue the bad fight as Megatron chased the AllSpark and Prime across the universe. Will Transformers 3 involve some kind of showdown between the brutal-looking Shockwave and the Decepticon-leader? Are humans using the Decepticons to try and control the populace in some way, only to have it (Surprise!!) backfire? We'll see in less than a week.

Christina Thomas is an Astrophysics grad student who has recently become very interested in web development and internet marketing in her (very) limited free time. she enjoys, first and foremost, taking her nephews to all things Transformers! Come and check us out at:

http://cybertron-transformers.blogspot.com/2011/06/last-post-superbowl-transformers.html

http://cybertron-transformers.blogspot.com/p/autobots.html

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Movie Review: James Cameron's Sanctum (2011)

Maybe we haven't been in this exact situation before, but certainly one similar. Sanctum rarely presents any thrills outside the predictable Poseidon-like disaster/adventure film staple and follows a foreseeable route through its maze-like abyss complete with mandatory panicked survivors, expected equipment malfunctions, and inevitable weather complications. It's still an interesting journey thanks to a decent helping of suspenseful moments, but it's unfortunate the characters don't retain the same level of intrigue. Heavy doses of tired dialogue and a few too many annoying, paper-thin personas detract from the tragedy and harrowing action that seeps into the latter half of the film. With James Cameron's name attached, perhaps the only truly shocking element is the absence of extraterrestrial life.

The enormous and nearly inaccessible caves of Esa Ala contain the last unexplored areas on Earth - and that's exactly where cave diver Carl Hurley (Ioan Gruffudd) intends to go. Funding a several-month long expedition, Carl hires master caver Frank McGuire (Richard Roxburgh) and his skilled team of explorers to map out the cave system and find a route to the sea. Bringing his girlfriend Victoria (Alice Parkinson) along for a little spelunking fun, Carl joins Frank and his crew for their latest breakthrough to a new section of the cave. But their adventures in exploration quickly turn to a frenzied bid for survival when an unexpected flash flood strikes and the small band of cavers, including Frank's headstrong son Josh (Rhys Wakefield), becomes stranded in the tunnels. As the caverns rapidly fill with water and the only exit is blocked, Frank determines their only chance for salvation is to head deeper into the uncharted regions of the labyrinth.

"What could possibly go wrong diving in caves?" Victoria rhetorically asks, quite nonchalantly. Apparently she's never seen a James Cameron film. Although Sanctum is undeniably similar to The Abyss, it's not without several incredibly suspenseful scenes, a few nasty surprises and breathtaking scenery. To further differentiate itself from other generic thrillers, Sanctum possesses a striking attention to realism not often found in such adventures. While there are certainly creative liberties taken (the true event inspiration is drastically altered), the lingering notions of death, injury and panic are believably presented without the interference of science-fiction elements or timidity when dealing with gut-wrenching dilemmas.

Like a much more intense, complex version of 127 Hours (involving likeminded risk-takers aware of the dangers and therefore harder to sympathize with), Sanctum focuses on multiple fears: claustrophobia, suffocation, the dark, hypothermia, starvation, decompression sickness, inexperience, pain, heights and a few less conventional, surprisingly graphic frights. Differences in opinions turns into creeping dread and finally nerve-wracking panic, each demonstrated with grittiness and high tension. Although the typical nature and construction of the team of cavers - along with their poorly delivered introductory dialogue - spells disaster for the character development and acting categories, once the crew's mistakes start, the standard snowball effect of disaster movies doesn't let up. Like many thrillers, the initial momentum of the predicaments is enough to keep audiences on the edge of their seats for the running time despite leaving a truly satisfying conclusion noticeably elusive.

- The Massie Twins ( GoneWithTheTwins.com )

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Best Movie Theatres in Chennai

Cinema is a culture that has established an inextricable grip over the Indian junta. And Chennai is a case in point. The skyline of the city is a billboard dedicated to the film industry. Advertisements of the latest celluloid fiction churned out by the numerous film studios in the city, and larger than life cut-outs of popular, thus bankable, matinee idols are what decorate the streets of Chennai. In fact, the size of the cut-outs is considered directly proportional to the popularity of the star.

It is thus justified that there are about 32 cinema halls in the 174 sq. km. city, catering to the 6.4 million fantasy-philic residents.

Sathyam Cinemas, a 6-screen multiplex with a seating capacity of 2,942 located in Royapettah, is cited to be the most frequented cinema hall in Chennai. Sathyam boasts of being the only theatre in the country whose projection systems include 2 D-dimensional projectors. Located off Chennai's arterial Mount Road, this cinema hall is a frequented by the students of the numerous IIT colleges situated close-by. The residents and the work-force of the region are also found seeking respite at Sathyam.

However the luxurious seating and the state-of-the-art audio-visual technology employed are not the only attractions of the auditorium. Programs that allow movie buffs to interact with their demi-god actors, and with those who pull the strings behind the screen, are regularly conducted. Lectures, demonstrations and film festivals for the hearing impaired are also frequently conducted, which endears Sathyam to a wide range of film connoisseurs and students pursuing cinema as a career.

Ega Theatre is a pocket-friendly multiplex that is located in the buzzing commercial district of Kilpauk in the western outskirts of the city. The medical and IT educational institutions located in the suburbs of Kilpauk compete with this cinema hall to capture the fleeting interest of young minds. Comfortable seating arrangements, and commendable audio-visual quality keep the ticketing systems functioning.

Ega Theatre houses Mini Ega, a theatre that mimics Ega in every aspect excepting the auditorium's dimensions. Mini Ega is where one can catch a movie that was removed from Ega to make space for the latest film released.

With 14-screens in its complex, Mayajaal Cinemas located in Kodambakkam is among the largest multiplexes in India. Mayajaal Cinemas is a part of a themed family entertainment project that includes bowling alleys, pool tables, video game arcades, delectable food stalls and shopping stores. Though the exterior design and the logo give the complex the appearance of a water-themed park, upon entering, one finds that the theatre boasts of plush seating and utilizes superior audio-visual technology to give its customers an unforgettable movie experience.

INOX Chennai, situated on the 3rd floor of Chennai City Centre in Mylapore, is the 13th of the 38 multiplexes across the country managed by INOX. At a modest Rs. 120, one can watch multi-lingual movies on its 4 screens with state-of-the-art projections system and acoustics transporting the viewers to worlds of fantasy, seated on stadium-style high-backed seats with cup holder armrests. INOX prides itself in being one of the most favored venues for watching movies in Chennai and boasts of maintaining commendable service standards and a flawless e-ticketing system.

Tamil films are among the few Indian language films to have a huge fan base within and without India. Tamil films are distributed to overseas theatres in Asia, Africa, North America, Australia and western Europe. If the magnanimity of the Tamil cinema audience is anything to go by, the cinema halls business in the city will prove to a mushrooming enterprise, with better technologies being incorporated to cater to the demanding audiences.

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Are There Too Many Supporting Characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Next summer The Avengers will unite for the first time on screen. Yes that's right, next year we will see Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America assemble attempt to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. To get this far, it has taken five films that each intertwine with each other in order to set up this huge superhero team up. Whilst films in the Marvel cinematic universe are all connected, they are also their own franchises that contain other important supporting characters. With the Avengers fast approaching, are major supporting characters such as War Machine, Bucky and Odin likely to get bumped for the superhero team-up film?

Recent reports suggest a host of supporting characters such as James Rhodes/ War Machine from Iron Man and Bucky Barnes from Captain America: The First Avenger will not be appearing in the Avengers flick. This is understandable from Marvel's point of view, as it would save them money and prevents the film from overcrowding, but from a narrative point of view, are there too many loose ties to deal with that require these supporting characters in some capacity?

My first point is with Thor. When we last saw the Odinson, he was stranded in Asgard after destroying the Bifrost Bridge. (The bridge that connects the nine realms) Whilst his return to Earth is likely to be caused by the 'secret paths' Loki hinted at, how is the Avengers film really going to deal with this without using the likes of Heimdall, Odin and Jane Foster. Using Idris Elba in the film wouldn't seem too excessive as his appearance could be kept to a bare cameo, but stars such as Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman, who haven't yet confirmed if they're on board, would be extremely expensive to have for bare cameos, and would likely need to have some involvement in the story, considering the main villain is likely to be Loki (Tom Hiddleston).

The same goes for the supporting characters in the Iron Man franchise. Don Cheadle recently confirmed that unless he's recast, he definitely would not be in the Avengers as War Machine. This is understandable considering the team will already have Iron Man, but if the crisis in the film that brings the group together is truly Earth threatening, wouldn't Nick Fury want another armoured battle suit at his disposal? This is something I hope Josh Whedon acknowledges in the film and that he makes a reasonable excuse for Rhode's absence. Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts is fortunately unnecessary in the film, so at least her absence is taken care of.

The absence of Captain America's supporting characters in the Avengers is easier to explain due to The First Avenger being a period movie. Some key characters such as Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) will at least need referencing in the film, perhaps in flashback sequences in order to emphasize how Steve Rogers has become a man out of time. If the Avengers film were to set up storylines for future solo character adventures, Bucky Barnes could be featured as The Winter Soldier.

Lastly is The Incredible Hulk. Personally this is the hardest film to incorporate into the Avengers movie due to it being released back in 2008 with no further sequels and a recast in lead actor from Ed Norton to Mark Ruffalo. When we last saw Bruce Banner he was hiding out in British Columbia where we saw hints that either he had become able to control the monster within, or it was controlling him. Whilst this will surely be dealt with in the Avengers, the after credit scene with Tony Stark and General Ross hinted that Ross was somehow involved in the set up of the Avengers team. Will this be addressed in the film? I doubt it as I'm beginning to feel Marvel is slowly removing The Incredible Hulk from their continuity.

Hopefully the absence of any important supporting characters will be addressed intelligently, as this is where Marvel's connected universe will really begin to pay off. For instant I don't want to see Thor return to Earth with no mention of Jane Foster, nor do I want Tony Stark in combat without acknowledging War Machine's absence. Hopefully Josh Whedon will pay attention to detail and Marvel will surely pull of something phenomenal that sets new standards for comic book movies.

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Looking Forward: The Man of Steel

There are five huge comic book movies next year... And I'm most excited about the one coming last.

Superman: Man of Steel

Directed by Zack Synder (300/Watchmen) and starring Henry Cavill (The Tudors) as Superman, this movie sounds like it could finally restore Kal-EL to the top of the comic book movie world. Not since watching Christopher Reeve don the Superman suit have I been so excited about the prospect of another film staring the Man of Steel. I'm not dismissing Superman Returns, it just didn't really work for me. For starters, Superman should not have a child, but that's only one thing this Superman film needs to make sure of. Here is how I would direct The Man of Steel.

1) Get him in the suit quickly. People have little patience these days. Aside from the destruction of his home planet Krypton, Superman's origin isn't really that exciting. Whilst his origin should definitely not be ignored, it should be dealt with at a quick pace. With Russell Crowe announced as Superman's father Jor-El however, things might move along a bit slower than expected.

2) The movie should go dark, but to a certain extent. They need to draw upon how Superman is an outsider, and will always be a loner because of that. Superman is not Batman. He isn't trying to avenge the death of his parents by installing fear in his enemies. He's just trying to help a world in need. Warner Bros need to remember that. Don't have Superman moping after Lois in a depressing love deprived fashion (Superman Returns). Instead they should have him refrain from a relationship because of the fact that he is incapable of living a normal life. Superman has often been criticised for being un-relatable. The fact that he is an outsider trying to help people is what makes him more relatable than people think. He can't have normal relationships with human beings and Man of Steel needs to showcase this.

3) Superman needs someone to fight. Now Michael Shannon has been cast as General Zod, the film needs to make sure they create some impressive fight scenes. For all their might, comic book movies never seem to pack epic boss fights. General Zod has proven to be an incredible villain on screen and I can't wait to hear the famous line: KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!

4) CGI Suit. Yes, I know that risks infuriating fan boys across the globe, but if Man of Steel is going to have any hope of succeeding it needs to move away from the nostalgic classic suit. Plus using CGI may actually give us a suit that looks like something an alien would wear. This also means there would be no more Clark Kent ripping his shirt open to reveal the S logo.

5) A new role for Clark Kent. Surely working as a journalist would allow no time to be Superman? What decent newspaper would allow one of their staff to keep running off in this day and age? If Man of Steel is going to draw from reality, it needs to bring the tough job climate into account. Whist Clark should still work in a newspaper firm in some capacity; he should definitely not be a reporter. I would go the Peter Parker route and have Clark as a free-lance photographer, with his powers enabling him to capture pictures from all over the world quickly.

6) The movie needs a new sound score. Throw out the John Williams score for if this Superman film is to succeed, it needs to establish a new identity and move away from the nostalgia vest that plagued Returns. Much like what Batman Begins did with the score by Hans Zimmer. In fact, a Hans Zimmer score would work perfectly well for this film. It would be dark when necessary but it will add some real gravitas to proceedings.

Finally... The movie needs to set up a sequel. It needs to get people excited at the prospect of seeing Superman again. I think they should set up Lex Luthor for the sequel. Luthor should not be seen however, instead they should just hint at him. (Similar to what was done with the Joker card in Batman Begins). Audiences now want superhero franchises with consistency that delivers every time. Warner Bros are no strangers to creating on going franchises, so Superman should be marketed heavily.

These are just my ideas. If you're reading this and disagree about how The Man of Steel should play out then please feel free to comment.

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Make Your Own Frank N Furter Costume For Halloween

I would definitely love to choose to dress up like a character from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. My choice would have to be to dress up like Tim Curry as Frank N Furter. This was my favorite, and probably, the most well known character from the film. He was best known for his slutty transvestite attire and therefore he would be my choice for an unusual, shocking and highly creative costume.

Wearing a Sweet Transvestite, Frank N Furter costume would require me to put aside all modesty and go out half naked, but I think it would be well worth it. I would probably piece together the costume myself from different garments - but I would not buy a pre-made version because then I wouldn't be able to show off my creativity and it would probably cost a lot more than going to a thrift store and buying the pieces myself.

First I would go to a costume shop and purchase a cheap wig resembling the hair of Frank N Furter. If my memory serves me correctly it was kind of curly and black. When I say costume shop, I really mean one of those cheap, seasonal Halloween shops that pop up in late September and early October but I'm sure I could find it online too.

So while at the Halloween shop I would get a cheap tube of white cream for my face, or, since I don't wear hooker red lipstick normally, I might just buy a cheap costume make up package. The kind of package that has white face paint and red for the lips all together.

While at the Halloween shop I would grab a pair of tacky, fishnet panty hose for like $1.00. I would probably save money doing it this way. Next I would head over to the local thrift shop and browse through the lingerie section and try to find some kind of bustier that I could cut down the front and lace up. The last time I was at the thrift shop, believe it or not, they actually had tons of bustiers with the garter attachments I would need for the costume.

Good Will is where I usually find what I need for most of my Halloween outfits. I assume a Frank N Furter Costume will be no different. So I would grab a black bustier with garters. Then I would look for some elbow length gloves and cut the fingers out. These gloves would be black. Then I would find the tackiest pair of platform high heels I could find and a pair of black spandex biker shorts. I would cut the shorts off to resemble panties.

Next I would have to purchase spray glitter and go crazy with it on the entire outfit. Then I would put on the wig, paint my face white with red lips and dress in the glittery bustier, gloves, and attach the garters to my fishnet hose. Then I might even throw in a full length vampire-type cape for the full affect.

This is why Halloween is my favorite holiday, because you get to be creative and dress up like anything you want to shock your friends. And when I think of shocking, I don't know about you, but who else comes to mind but Frank N Furter? Tim Curry in drag? A Sweet Transvestite costume? Now we're talking. And if you want to act out your best Rocky Horror fantasy, then you couldn't do any better than by wear an authentic Frank N Furter Costume For Halloween.

Rocky Horror Picture Show is definitely one of my all time guilty pleasures. But it's really not for everyone - but if you're thinking of making any kind of Rocky Horror costume this year then I highly encourage you to do all the research you can about Columbia, Rocky, Brad, Janet, Riff Raff, Frank N. Furter and the whole gang. One place you can learn about their costumes with loads of tips is at: Rocky Horror costumes

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Movie Review: Gnomeo and Juliet (2011)

Though a scant few scenes might have you laughing, Gnomeo and Juliet doesn't seem at all concerned with entertaining the adult audiences dragged along to the theater with the target group of small children. The juvenile humor and immaturity run rampant, as do several annoyingly hyperactive supporting characters, resulting in a tug-of-war between eye rolling and grimacing. Plenty of attention has been given to the texturing and detailing of the clay creations, though the mishmash of ceramic materials, squash and stretch animation, and clanking stone sound effects strains general acceptance as much as the rehashed usage of sudden immobility in the presence of humans (at least we're given the ground rules for gnome desirability: a rotund belly and a thick, pointy hat). With tired Matrix parodies, several bland character designs and a flamingo (voice by Jim Cummings, who reuses his own unique voice of Don Karnage from Talespin) and a frog that won't stop jabbering, it's quite likely you'll be begging for the end to come - and hoping it remains faithful to Shakespeare's original play.

It's love at first sight when blue garden decoration Gnomeo (James McAvoy) meets red lawn ornament Juliet (Emily Blunt). There's only one problem - they belong to opposing factions of a ceaseless feud between backyards. As the pranks and paybacks continue to escalate amongst the warring forces, Gnomeo and Juliet realize they must bring the conflict to an end if they wish to find true happiness and alter the tragic fate befallen their namesakes.

Gnomeo and Juliet started with an amusing pun for a title and just went for it - a feature-length animated movie with nothing more than a one-dimensional riff on a universally renowned play. Without interesting characters, situations or even creative jokes on Shakespeare, and armed with the remnants of a hobbled-together, terribly generic rip of the most basic love story, this half-hearted attempt at family entertainment is void of any screen magic. None of the pieces combine to make even the faintest form of fun; tragedy is included for the sake of staying reminiscent to the source material (and then promptly withdrawn), the romance is childish and the humor is hopelessly infantile.

There is no shortage of gnome jokes or goofy nods to Shakespeare, although only one rib is successful (and it's not the parody of American Beauty). Many of the physical gags are repetitive, pie-in-the-face monkeyshines and other stale attempts at obnoxious buffoonery, often accompanied by complex setups for completely unrelated material. Every supporting character struggles aimlessly at adding comic relief, most of which is tired and humorless, making the reach for laughs just that much more painful. If the lack of hilarity isn't enough to remind us of other utter failures in animation (such as Planet 51 and Battle for Terra), Elton John, who also executive produces, has stuffed the production with ill-timed, out-of-place songs that suck the life from every scene of whimsy and each already humdrum montage.

- The Massie Twins ( GoneWithTheTwins.com )

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DC Characters We Will Never See As Movies

The summer comic book movie season started off with a hammering bang. Thor was superb, offering cinema audiences a slightly different superhero movie to what they're used too, but still managing to be dramatic, compelling and fun. X-Men: First Class was dramatic, intelligent, and filled with youthful energy. The pressure was on for DC's Martin Campbell's directed Green Lantern, and did it deliver? No. The movie was universally panned by critics and now faces a struggle to avoid becoming a box office disaster. With Warner Bros putting such high hopes on Green Lantern for it to instantly fail, the ramifications will undoubtedly hault future DC movies for B-List characters. But which ones?

The Flash

The adventures of DC's Scarlett Speedster would undoubtedly have been DC's next superhero film in line. With a huge comic book fan base, The Flash could have easily translated well to the big screen. Whether the film followed the origin of the always late Barry Allen, or the story of his nephew Wally West, it was a certainty that the film would be announced after the success of Green Lantern. With Hal Jordan not causing much of a storm at the box office, the film starring the likes of Ryan Reynolds and Mark Strong struggling will undoubtedly have Warner Bros pushing the panic button on their smaller franchises, meaning we probably won't see a Flash movie any time soon. It is however the most likely character to avoid the fall out of the Green Lantern movie.

Wonder Woman

This will undoubtedly be the certain casualty of the fall out of Green Lantern's failure. With Joss Whedon the only likely candidate to successfully helm the Wonder Woman film and get results busy on Avengers business, the Amazon Princess will likely stay in development hell for the mean time. If DC don't even have the courage to green light the Wonder Woman TV series, a film version is now certainly looking like it won't happen.

Aquaman

Lampooned by comic book fans as the 'useless' hero who talks to sea animals, the cinematic potential for Aquaman likes much deeper. Aquaman could have been an underwater epic, to rival the likes of Avatar. The story could have followed a young Arthur Curry as his human father raised him in the under water city of Atlantis, where Curry develops healing powers along with other powers suited to his aquatic surroundings. What also makes this film standout is that of all the superhero movies getting the 3-D treatment, this was probably the film that could have benefited from it most. If Green Lantern can't strike cinematic gold, there's no chance of seeing Aquaman on cinema screens, unless a director such as James Cameron or Steven Spielberg gets behind it.

So these are the main DC films that will probably never see the light of day. There are tons of other DC properties that could have benefited from films, such as Green Arrow, Black Canary, Atom and Hawkman, but these certainly won't be made if the big three I mentioned can't escape development hell. Also to take into account, is that Warner Bros are behind the upcoming DC comics reboot, as they wish to start turning a profit on comics books, meaning money saving now seems to be on their agenda.

They do certainly not seem like the type of company to give us a Martian Manhunter film anyway.

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10 Top TV Survival Shows and Reality Shows

I love survival shows and reality shows, and want to share some of my favorites with you. TV survival and reality shows are instructional, a reenactment of a true story, a dangerous occupation or an adventure, and make us feel like we have experienced the harsh struggle right along with the featured people. We've all seen wilderness survival, urban survival, crab fishing in the Bering Sea and all sorts of great subjects, allowing us to learn and be entertained at the same time.

It is hard to pick, but here are a few of these wonderful programs. They are from a variety of channels including Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Outdoor Channel, Spike TV, truTV and CBS. I know there are more out there, but in this article we'll try to pick the cream of the crop.

* Survivor from CBS combines wilderness survival as a team player and as individuals in this competition for a top prize of $1,000,000. Players need to outwit, outplay and outsurvive the others, as the competitors are eliminated at different stages. This is one of the first and best TV reality shows, and has lasted quite some time.

* Deadliest Catch from Discovery Channel features crab fishing in the Bering Sea, and follows several boats and crews during the different crab fishing seasons. These are tough captains and fisherman in one of the most dangerous occupations around. This program portrays the difficulties of the weather, working conditions and the personal stories of each crew member. This is another one of my favorite TV reality shows, and continues to be watched by many fans.

* Dual Survival, one of the Discovery Channel survival shows, features both survival experts Cody Lundin and Dave Canterbury. This program is both instructional and entertaining, and shows a variety of climates and conditions. Cody Lundin is more of the hippie type minimalist/survivalist and Dave Canterbury has a military/hunting survivalist background. Both men come from unique perspectives, giving the viewers great insight and knowledge.

* Man vs. Wild features Bear Grylls, who served with the United Kingdom Special Forces. This is another one of Discovery Channel survival shows, and puts Bear in different locations all over the world. Man vs. Wild keeps your attention, and gives another way to survive the elements in both wilderness and urban environments.

* The Best Defense: Survival! is from one of the Outdoor Channel survival shows. This program's hosts are Michael Bane, Michael Janich and Rob Pincus, who also host The Best Defense. This program is highly instructional, showing urban survival skills with episodes on the survival room, food, water, medical, security, transportation/bugout, bugin/shelter in place. Urban survival supplies and skills are a great addition for most viewers, giving instruction and plans for a variety of situations.

* Surviving Disaster from Spike TV, led by Navy SEAL Cade Courtley, is also one of the best survival shows I have ever seen. Surviving Disaster episodes include Hijack, Towering Inferno, Hurricane, Earthquake, Home Invasion, Avalanche, Lost at Sea, Mall Shooting, Nuclear Attack and Pandemic. Cade Courtley and his expert instruction could save your life, so please watch and pay close attention to this excellent program on Spike TV.

* I Shouldn't Be Alive from Animal Planet reenacts true survival stories. There is something different about a program when you know that it really happened. Unlike the other programs, this one has the survivor tell their own personal story, with amazing real survival situations. They range from mountaineering, plane crashes, lost at sea, lost in the Outback of Australia and many other life-threatening ordeals. Animal Planet has the story reenacted, with the real survivor narrating the events. These are truly amazing survival stories.

* The Amazing Race is another of CBS TV reality shows, and is an adventure and competition between teams. Each pair is given instruction and limited resources to travel between a variety of locations, and tasks have to be completed along the way. After each stage, the last team to arrive at the destination is eliminated. This show is extremely popular.

* Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura on truTV may not be your typical program, but in order to survive, you need to know what is really going on in the world. Jesse Ventura and the investigative team from truTV dig deep to research, do interviews and present the facts behind difficult conspiracy theories. Episodes include subjects such as Lyme Disease, secret societies, Wallstreet, JFK Assassination, HAARP (weather modification), Big Brother, 9/11 and many other interesting topics.

*Expedition Impossible on ABC is one of the newest TV survival reality shows, and looks to be an excellent adventure competition. This program comes from Executive Producer Mark Burnett, who also produces Survivor and The Apprentice. Expedition Impossible features 13 3-person teams, as they must complete a stage of the journey each week, with 10 stunning legs to travel. The first team to finish wins $50,000 for each member and a brand new Ford Explorer. This will be an excellent survival and reality show.

These are some of my favorites, and I hope you enjoy them too. As mentioned earlier, there are so many more TV survival shows and reality shows that are on now and from the past that are great too, but these are my 10 top picks. Education and fun combined is surely the best way to keep the mind sharp.

Susan Hovis has many interests which include economics, history, golf, music, the outdoors, gardening and emergency preparedness. She also enjoys studying global influences and loves to spend time at the family cabin. Find preparedness for a disaster and self-reliance information at http://www.survivalkitfood.com/ and enjoy sharing your favorite survival shows, reality shows, conspiracy theory information, websites, movies, books and other great tips at this blog http://www.survival-conspiracy.com/.

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I'm Thinking: Are Comic Book Movies Ruined by Actor Face-Time?

It seems a general trend in comic book movies that no matter who the character is, the actor portraying he or she needs a consistent amount of face- time. I began to dwell about this issue recently after watching the Spider-Man trilogy. It seemed Tobey Maguire would lose/remove his mask in almost every fight scene? Was Maguire's constant face time worth ruining the secret identity aspect to Spider-Man's character entirely? Surely someone would recognise Peter Parker in one of those moments from the films. I'm hoping Sony has learnt from this and we won't see Andrew Garfield loose his mask in every action scene. Though, based on his rising fame from his work on The Social Network, we probably will.

It's not just the Spider-Man franchise that has been plagued by actor face-time damaging the aspect of the characters. In 2003 audiences who saw Daredevil would have witnessed what has become a classic comic book movie cliche, where the superhero removes or looses his mask in the final battle. Though In Daredevil's case, Ben Affleck's need for face-time was just one of the many issues wrong with the film.

The X-Men franchise had one of the most popular comic book characters of all time stripped off his mask completely. Yes, I am talking about Wolverine. Sure it would have looked a bit daft to have Hugh Jackman running around in a mask, but on the other hand was the decision for him not to wear one really based on this? Or was it based on studios not wanting to cover one of their high profile actor's face? If done right, (Batman Begins style), Wolverine wearing a mask would have worked on screen. Especially since mutants would surely want to keep their identities a secret. Wearing masks would have portrayed that beautifully.

It doesn't seem like persistent face-time in comic book movies is going to slow down anytime soon. For anyone that has seen the Iron Man films would know Ol Shellhead rarely keeps his mask down in the films, despite the use of clever camera shots of RDJ inside the helmet. For me as soon as you see the hero remove his mask or helmet, the fights over. And in the Iron Man films, the fights were never long.

There's been a bit of fan-boy concern over how Chris Hemsworth is rarely seen wearing his helmet in the Thor movie. For a Norse God\warrior, wearing a helmet would seem like a daily essential. Especially since minor characters (Heimdall, royal guards) etc in the film seem to manage it. Whilst I haven't seen enough of Captain America: The First Avenger to judge, one can only hope Chris Evans doesn't lose his helmet as seeing as it's a World War 2 film, Captain America could easily be shot in the head.

This isn't a huge problem right now, but with the comic book movie industry thriving, it soon could be.

And don't even get me started on Ryan Reynolds and his mask in the Green Lantern.

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Kung Fu Panda 2 - More Black Than White

Perhaps the most important aspect of Kung Fu Panda 2 (and I never thought I would type this) is that the series is aging with its fans; so much so that I could expect Panda 3 to be the most adult of the series. They've already started exploring more personal themes than the last entry, which mostly took the themes of following your heart and believing in yourself and employed them. Here, the story deepens more than you might expect, dealing with themes of adoption, unrequited love, and acceptance of others. More importantly, the imagination of the film has grown tenfold.

Of course, there's a bit of formula; you can't escape the fact that it's a kid's movie, but it gets further away from the drama-killing formula that impeded the first film. When I sat down in the movie theater in 2008, I knew exactly what I was getting. It was going to be a film about a goofy "man-boy" (bear-cub?) panda who doesn't quite belong, who gets a Jungian call to duty to learn kung fu and save his village. Here, that formula is side-stepped in favor of a generally engrossing and slightly depressing storyline. Po (voiced by Jack Black) finds out that he's adopted and wants to find his biological parents, he's in love with Tigress (voiced by Angelina Jolie), who may or may not share his feelings, and the entire country of China is under attack by a villain who has a cannon that shoots a blast so powerful it wipes out any trace of the kung fu that seems to be the nation's bread-and-butter. So Po and his Furious Five - Tigress, Crane (voiced by David Cross), Mantis (voiced by Seth Rogen), Monkey (voiced by Jackie Chan), and Viper (voiced by Lucy Liu) - go off to defeat it; but how do you use kung fu to stop something that stops kung fu? "By finding inner peace," Po's mentor, Master Shinfu (voiced by Dustin Hoffman), tells him. That's heavy.

Kung Fu Panda 2 is more thoughtful than a film like this should have any right to be. The story is a kick in the gut if you're not expecting it from the start, filled with feelings of being lost and having no idea where you are, who you are, and what you're supposed to do to get back. Imagine someone threatens the thing you love most in the world, and the threat is very real, and you don't know how to defend it. It's a calm film, as well; the frenetic energy of the first one is still here, but spread out enough to not feel as crowded as the last time around. A major complaint I had from the first one: it's funny, it's cool, it's fun, but it's too much sometimes. This one gets the mix right. In fact, while I did enjoy the first one, I'd go so far to say that this is an improvement on it. It's more organized, not so hellbent on the easy laugh, and unafraid to dig deeper into its own theories and personality, something that it encourages its viewers to do as well. Parts of the film could be life lessons.

Po and the Furious Five find themselves deep in the heart of China, fighting an ancient evil in the form of Lord Shen (voiced by Gary Oldman), a psychotic peacock who has devised a weapon that will shatter the dreams of Master Shinfu's students by taking away their kung fu in order to take over China, and then the world. We don't really get his full plan for world domination, but we get the immediacy of it. First he has to take out the animals who can beat him. The character is absolutely nightmarish, not just because Oldman gives it literally all he can, but the animation that accompanies that brilliant performance is the stuff bad dreams are made of, and it's another voice I've never heard Oldman do before; he typically uses a different voice in every film he's in, and he always continues to impress me with his range. Despite the nature of the character, this is one of his finest works in a few years.

Something important to me during the viewing that might, unfortunately, go unnoticed by many is the subtle back-and-forth between computer animation and traditional animation. Flashbacks are a large part of the film, so the opening credits are done in traditional 2D animation, as are most of the memories we see Po recall. However, other characters don't remember in 2D. It's an important disjointedness to note in order to fully understand the character and the point of the film. Once a memory is fully accepted and believed, you aren't disjointed from it anymore, and it becomes a part of you - 2D to 3D, so to speak. Director Jennifer Yuh deserves more credit than she'll likely ever get for this.

Animated films these days have a way of attracting larger casts than they used to. I think this can be traced to Japan's Hayao Miyazaki productions, and the fact that Oscar winners and A-Listers collaborate to give his English-dubbed cartoons the best treatment they can get. Look at the cast list for this film and let me know if you're not impressed by the caliber: Angelina Jolie, David Cross, Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dennis Haysbert, Danny McBride, Michelle Yeoh, and Gary Oldman. It seems to be that voice work is almost required to be a name in Hollywood these days; it used to be a death nail. It's not like anyone is sleepwalking through their work, either; each performance is a true performance, with characters fully drawn, even in bit parts. McBride's character doesn't have many lines, but I remember him clearly. Same for Chan, Van Damme, et al. It's an excellent cast, having fun with a fully realized screenplay, something rare for kid's movies.

Contact the Author: ScottMartin@moviesididntget.com

Scott invites you to visit 'Movies I Didn't Get' for latest news in indie film. For more information, reviews and comments check out the fastest growing indie film blog: http://www.moviesididntget.com/

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Buried Review

Stars: Ryan Reynolds
Director: Rodrigo Cortes
Release Date: January 18, 2011
MPAA Rating: R

Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) is a contractor for a company based out of the United States. While in Iraq attempting to deliver supplies, Paul's truck and team are ambushed by a group of Iraqis. He is knocked out and when he wakes up he's in a wooden box a few feet below the Iraqi desert. All he has to help him is a Zippo lighter, a small flask of booze, a small knife and, most importantly, a cell phone. He must use all of his resources carefully to survive, or he'll perish.

His kidnapper, whom Paul communicates with via the cell phone he finds in the coffin, wants him to secure $5 million as a ransom and only then will they release him. Paul calls various people, including the State Department, his employer, his wife and even the FBI. With each phone call, the battery on his phone decreases, along with any hope of being rescued. All he, and we as the audience, can do is wait.

Ryan Reynolds, mostly known for romantic comedies like The Proposal and Definitely, Maybe, rarely shows off his dramatic chops. In Buried, however, he proves that he is more than just a fantastic set of arms and a handsome face. He dominates this movie and I'm not just saying that because he is the only actor we actually see during the entire movie. His fear is our fear. His tragedy is ours. We don't need (and seldom do we get) dialogue from Paul to know what he's feeling, but we don't really need it anyway. All Reynolds has to do is use his facial expressions and even his frantic breathing to let us know exactly what Paul is feeling at any given moment.

As previously mentioned, Reynolds is the only actor we actually see because we are stuck in the coffin the entire movie. That's right: the entire movie. There are no flashbacks, flash-forwards, or split-screens when Paul is talking to someone on the phone. This is quite a brave decision for Spanish director Rodrigo Cortes, but it works. We feel just as trapped and suffocated as Paul.

While it was critically acclaimed when it was released, Buried didn't do well enough in independent theaters to receive a wider release. Luckily, it's now available on a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. The special features, however, are pretty bare bones with just a 'making of' feature and a trailer.

If you want more great reviews, visit http://slackers.com/!

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Fast Five - A U-Turn For The Better

I remember seeing The Fast and The Furious (2001) at a party when it came out on DVD, and I thought to myself, "If they make this a franchise, there's a hell of a lot of money to be made." With the exception of 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), the series has held up to my expectations. Granted, I wasn't ever expecting anything high-caliber, just a fun action film about cool cars, cops, and criminals. That's what I've gotten every time, but when I saw the fourth entry in the series, I got something different - a soundly made film with a good story and solid performances. Fast & Furious (2009) marked the series moving on up from just action fodder to a legitimate franchise, and Fast Five takes it and runs. Or drives, rather.

As the film opens, right where Fast & Furious left off, Dom (Vin Diesel) is being hauled to prison for his crimes in the last film. Of course, he's escaped from prison before, and he's in the trailer for this film, so we can assume he's going to be broken out, and such is the beginning of the spectacular action that follows in the next two hours or so. Fast Five is a breath of fresh air, considering. It follows a familiar formula, set up by the last film, in that it focuses a bit more on the characters than either Tokyo Drift (2006) or 2 Fast 2 Furious. I blame the latter film on John Singleton and a rushed production, and I blame Tokyo Drift's screenplay for its flaws, but Justin Lin (the director behind the last three films) has had a solid footing in his intentions. He's made the series more character-based than might have originally been planned, and given the last two films more solid plots than they probably deserve. It's not just about the cars anymore, but about the people in them.

Having been a fan of this series since the first one, it's easy for me to feel for the characters and understand what they're talking about. They aren't talking about much, mind you, but what they're saying makes sense given the situation. The whole film revolves around a heist plot, in which the assembled team (pretty much the same from the first four films) are gathered to try and steal $100 million from a Rio kingpin named Hernan Reyes, played plainly by Joaquim de Almeida. The dialogue gets a bit breezier and far less heavy-handed as the film progresses, but I guess they just wanted to reiterate the dire spot these carjackers are in - they're being hunted on two ends: by Reyes's thug army, and by forceful federal agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson), who walks away with the film from his first few lines. It's not often that films like these contain genuinely good performances, and it's not often that you'll hear someone say that The Rock gave one, but this one did and he does. His Hobbs is pure steel, but has an extremely playful undertone that makes him endlessly watchable. I almost want a movie just about him and his job.

The film makes it obvious that there will be a sixth one. As long as these films are popular, they'll be made. Series like these aren't made for the story, they're made for the money. The good news about The Fast and The Furious is that it's become more about the story, and the money just seems to keep flowing in. I'm prepared for a sixth (and the final scene after the credits completely blind-sided me with the set-up), but I hope it's the last. If they can pull off the set-up they've cornered themselves into, then it'll be a damn good franchise and that'll be that, but if they continue for a seventh or eighth film, they'll drive themselves into a canyon off of a bridge and wait for the cars to explode while everyone's dangling in mid-air. Of course, Fast Five also proves that's possible in the film's world, so we'll see. It honestly could go either way, seeing as how neither logic nor physics play much of a part in the world of these characters.

Contact the Author: ScottMartin@MoviesIDidntGet.com

Scott invites you to visit 'Movies I Didn't Get' for latest news in indie film. For more information, reviews and comments check out the fastest growing indie film blog: http://www.moviesididntget.com/

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