The New Plan B

Starting November 1st, I'll back to my daily writing and commentary on new movies, trailers, and any movie news I can find. My previous laptop died, hence my absence, but I have found alterior motives to get back into this blog. 

Step 1: get blogger on my phone and iPad. Yup, I got an iPad for my birthday so I'll be rolling with the cool kids for now. Too bad this is my only iproduct so I kinda googfied it.

Step 2: include links. Looking at what I previously did, I realize I needed to include the links to new trailers or whatever I was talking about so you can see what I men. Should have done this from the beginning, but a restart is as good as any to start now. 

Step 3: don't take a day off. Period. End of story. When news breaks, I have to get it up ASAP. No ifs and buts or coconuts. 

Step 4: make it to the Winchester, have a pint, and wait for this whole thing to blow over. 

Step 5:

Step 6: profit!

FFG: Resurection

You're gonna need a bigger blog. 

Booyah!

Called it! Oz made $80 million its opening weekend. What did I call last week? Oh right, 80 million and I hit that right on the nose. Hollah playah. Just found a new game I'm good at. check it out yo.

OZ

I'm predicting Oz to make around $80 million this weekend. It's on the low side for this big budget movie, but I place that on James Franco being the lead role and for some people who feel they shouldn't have made this movie and leave the original movie well enough alone. If it does better than $100 million, it will be the first of the year and a great start for Disney.

Hangover 3

Go watch the Hangover 3 trailer. I'm already set to go see it and happy to see it head back to Vegas.

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase 1 breakdown

The Marvel Cinematic Universe concluded its Phase 1 process with The Avengers last may. It's been almost a year and now a time to look back at how each film shaped the story in Phase 1.

Captain America: The first film in chronological order, this movie introduced us to the Tesseract, Stark Industry, and of course Captain America. Being set in WWII allowed for the Captain to have a humble beginning and nostalgic view on the world before technology became a part of every day life.

Iron Man: The second film where Tony Stark makes his big introduction with the creation of the first Iron Man suit in a cave. Stark is constantly tinkering and upgrading the Iron Man suits throughout the movie to show his ability to think differently. 

The Incredible Hulk: The third film that brings us into the world of Bruce Banner and the demon inside of him. Although this movie does not feel like it belongs in this series, the character of the Hulk is one of necessity because he is an indestructible monster. The film brings together the two sides of Bruce where he can control his emotions and harness the power inside of him.

Iron Man 2: The fourth film and first sequel, Stark works on more Iron Man suits as well as brings War Machine and Shield into the game. The purpose of this film is the ending where Shield makes its official debut in recruiting Iron Man for their team. We also see how Stark works with a partner in War Machine and allows Stark to experience something bigger than himself, but only briefly.

Thor: The fifth film and first that does not take place entirely on Earth. We are introduced to Thor in Asgard as well as Loki and Odin's Vault. These three components are key to the universe as the previously mentioned Tesseract was once locked away in the vault. Loki is introduced as the main villain to return and Thor is introduced as the only being strong enough to stop him.

The Avengers: The sixth and final film brings together everybody as Loki declares war on Earth and steals the Tesseract to open a gate to the other side of the universe. Shield summons the help of Captain America, Tony Stark, and Bruce Banner to capture Loki. Once caught, Thor jumps into the scene to bring him back to Asgard. After working together to stop Loki's army, they agree to send Loki to Asgard with Thor because he belongs there. Stark and Banner drive off to do science things leaving Captain America to figure out the new world on his own. 

The Arcs: The story arcs spanning these movies are all different and have great payoffs. Captain America goes from being a humble kid to the leader of a group of super heroes. Iron Man transforms from a self centered egotist into a team player fighting for something greater than himself. Bruce Banner is able to control his emotions and keep the Hulk in check. Thor humbles his own power and does what's right for the most people rather than the best outcome for himself. These character arcs help bring Phase 1 into focus as we prepare for Phase 2 with Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World.

Final Iron Man 3 trailer

The final trailer is out. Head over to Yahoo movies to see the new trailer.

I feel like this trailer gives away part of the ending, but It's good to see a lot of action and excitement building up in this movie. The use of multiple Iron Man suits as depicted from the trailer and posters suggest that this movie is going to be grinding on a large scale. Everybody is brought to the party as this story takes us on a run through twists and turns. It looks like a good time and ready to see what comes next following Iron Man 3.

I knew it was in trouble

Jack the Giant Slayer made an abismal debut at the box office this weekend bringing in under $30 million. It may be enough for a number one spot, but with a $200 million budget, this movie is in the running for the biggest flop of the year. An over bloated budget to make CGI giants instead of using camera tricks and green screen angles to create the giant effect put this monster of a movie way past anything it anybody should have paid. The 3D effect didn't help as much as the studios would have liked, but now we get to see a weeks worth of marketing with the lead line being "The number one movie in America" in order to get some more money out of its release.

Unfortunately, Oz the Great and Powerful will be premiering this weekend making it a giant slayer and will become the new number one movie with ease. Also, Disney plans on releasing the final trailer for Iron Man 3 in front of the movie. This one-two punch will put people in the theaters, even if Sam Raimi is directing a probably lack luster performance out of James Franco. With beautify CGI and an open fantasy world, expect Oz to usher in a great haul of marketing this week telling you to see it this weekend and giving Disney more money.

Excited for these movies?

Is anybody excited for Michael Bay's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie? What about The Great Gatsby 3D? Or even Jack the Giant Slayer? The point is there are movies coming out that people did not ask for and a greater intention for not seeing yet, Hollywood continues to give us unnecessary movies like Battleship. Now there's an idea that was immediately drowning in the water when it was announced because of the ridiculousness of basing a movie off of a board game.

While I understand that executives always try to get ahead of the curve with big movies, but is it really that important that we have The Last Exorcism Part 2? Even the title lends itself to jokes by being the sequel to something that was supposed to be definitive. When will the madness end!!!

Iron Man 3 Ending

IMDb has the synopsis for Iron Man 3 which reads: "Marvel Studios Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemies hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?"

Now that sounds like a very interesting movie with Iron Man being attacked on all sides, however, we all know that Iron Man will defeat the Mandarin and save Pepper Pots. It's what happens during the end credits that will lead us into the next Marvel movie Guardians of the Galaxy.

Since Guardians of the Galaxy takes place in the future from where we are today in the Marvel Universe, this means that there will be time travel involved on the side of Guardians. The Iron Man side will lead us into meeting one or all of the characters from Guardians of the Galaxy. Here's how it will end on the Iron Man side and the beginning of Guardians:

"After defeating Mandarin and rescuing Pepper Pots, Nick Fury approaches Tony Stark with a space anomaly and asks him to do some reconnoissance. Tony refuses, but Pepper persuades him and this cuts to the credit sequence. Credits roll. Post credits we are inside a space ship. Star-lord (first appearance) is at the helm looking down at Earth. He can't believe that it is Iron Man blasting into space and orders for him to be taken aboard the ship. Iron Man is caught in their tractor beam and brought onto the ship where we overhear Starlord saying that there may be hope just yet. Fade to black."

Paper planes

Apparently after Paperman won for Best Animated Short at the Oscars, one of the producers decided to throw paper planes with heart shaped kisses on them into the audience as a way of showing her appreciation. While a good gesture, the theater thought otherwise and kicked her out of the Oscar ceremony. While her celebration may seem a bit excessive, I find it quite cute and charming that she did this. Nobody was hurt or injured and it was seen by the audience as a playful gesture to lighten the mood. Bravo Disney.

Oscars

I feel like Seth McFarland was being too tame for the host. He could have been more out there with his jokes but was constricted due to it being his first time hosting. The last song at the credits was very unnecessary, but I did like the Jaws theme playing people off. It would have been cool to see Spielberg being played off by Jaws music, but Ang Lee won so that happened. Apparently I need to go see Life of Pi sometime soon, but it's going to be hard. Maybe i'll catch it on DVD. Wait, would they even make a DVD or is everything a Blu-ray now. I mean I know that a lot of people have Blu-ray players and that it is the suggested form to watch these things on, but do they still sell DVDs as well? Or do they do the combo pack where you get both the DVD and the Blu-ray in one purchase so when you do decide to upgrade, you don't have to go buy the movie over again. But that means the studio is not only holding back the advancement of people buying blu-ray but also creating outdated technology for people to view their movie. I think that unless someone comes up with a better name than Blu-ray and give the medium its letters, we'll all be saying DVD even if there are no more.

Print out your Ballots!!

Who will win the Golden Statue?

1. Best Picture

- Amour

- Argo

- Beasts Of The Southern Wild

- Django Unchained

- Les Miserables

- Life Of Pi

- Lincoln

- Silver Linings Playbook

- Zero Dark Thirty

2. Best Actor

- Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook)

- Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)

- Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables)

- Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)

- Denzel Washington (Flight)

3. Best Actress

- Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)

- Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)

- Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)

- Quvenzhane Wallis (Beasts Of The Southern Wild)

- Naomi Watts (The Impossible)

4. Best Supporting Actor

- Alan Arkin (Argo)

- Robert De Niro (Silver Linings Playbook)

- Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master)

- Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)

- Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)

5. Best Supporting Actress

- Amy Adams (The Master)

- Sally Field (Lincoln)

- Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)

- Helen Hunt (The Sessions)

- Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook)

6. Best Animated Feature Film

- Brave

- Frankenweenie

- ParaNorman

- The Pirates! Band Of Misfits

- Wreck-It Ralph

7. Best Director

- Michael Haneke (Amour)

- Benh Zeitlin (Beasts Of The Southern Wild)

- Ang Lee (Life Of Pi)

- Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)

- David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)

8. Cinematography

- Anna Karenina

- Django Unchained

- Life Of Pi

- Lincoln

- Skyfall

9. Costume Design

- Anna Karenina

- Les Miserables

- Lincoln

- Mirror Mirror

- Snow White And The Huntsman

10. Documentary Feature

- 5 Broken Cameras

- The Gatekeepers

- How To Survive A Plague

- The Invisible War

- Searching For Sugar Man

11. Documentary Short

- Inocente

- Kings Point

- Mondays At Racine

- Open Heart

- Redemption

12. Film Editing

- Argo

- Life Of Pi

- Lincoln

- Silver Linings Playbook

- Zero Dark Thirty

13. Best Foreign Language Film

- Amour (Austria)

- Kon-Tiki (Norway)

- No (Chile)

- A Royal Affair (Denmark)

- War Witch (Canada)

14. Best Original Score

- Anna Karenina

- Argo

- Life Of Pi

- Lincoln

- Skyfall

15. Best Original Song

- “Before My Time” (Chasing Ice)

- “Everybody Needs A Best Friend” (Ted)

- “Pi’s Lullaby” (Life Of Pi)

- “Skyfall” (Skyfall)

- “Suddenly” (Les Miserables)

16. Best Animated Short Film

- Adam And Dog

- Fresh Guacamole

- Head Over Heels

- Maggie Simpson In “The Longest Daycare”

- Paperman

17. Best Live Action Short

- Asad

- Buzkashi Boys

- Curfew

- Death Of A Shadow

- Henry

18. Production Design

- Anna Karenina

- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

- Les Miserables

- Life Of Pi

- Lincoln

19. Makeup And Hairstyling

- Hitchcock

- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

- Les Miserables

20. Visual Effects

- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

- Life Of Pi

- The Avengers

- Prometheus

- Snow White And The Huntsman

21. Best Original Screenplay

- Amour

- Django Unchained

- Flight

- Moonrise Kingdom

- Zero Dark Thirty

22. Best Adapted Screenplay

- Argo

- Beasts Of The Southern Wild

- Life Of Pi

- Lincoln

- Silver Linings Playbook

23. Sound Editing

- Argo

- Django Unchained

- Life Of Pi

- Skyfall

- Zero Dark Thirty

24. Sound Mixing

- Argo

- Les Miserables

- Life Of Pi

- Lincoln

- Skyfall

It's Oscar Weeked

Time to finalize your office Oscar pool and cast your votes. You may not win, but at least you can say that you were better than your friends. See all the movies and voice your opinion with full rhetoric.

Bravo, BRAVO

I don't understand how the channel BRAVO can stay on the air. I don't like nor understand why people watch these shows about fighting women or stressed out guys or dysfunctional relationships. Why can't these people watch regular scripted shows because the producers of each of those shows make it look like they are all running around trying to finish things on time. All of those shows fight with each other and it just shows everybody in a terrible light. They purposefully put these people in situations that make them fight because that makes for good TV, but I always want to change the channel since watching women bitch about each other doesn't entertain me. Watching women fight all the time also puts a bad judgement on women who actually can be friends and get along without having to sue each other or yell at one another. It's cheap television to make and for some unreasonable explanation people just watch it over and over when it doesn't do anything but teach bad morals. I found a quote yesterday that said "Great minds think of Ideas, Average minds think of Events, and Stupid minds think of People."

This is Jeopardy.

Game shows have been around since there was Radio. Contestants lucky enough to get on the show have the chance to win cash and prizes. However, Jeopardy does this differently. Two new contestants have to battle wits against a returning champion in order to claim any cash prize. They don't automatically walk away with whatever they earn. They leave with money only if they win. That total is accumulated up until they lose when they are paid out for all their winnings. If you go on and lose you get nothing other than being on TV.

Maybe this is why Jeopardy is such a popular game show. You can even play at home and question the answers to see if you are right. Most of the time you forget the answers to questions you get wrong, but if its the final jeopardy question you have more of a chance to remember it, especially if it was question you answered wrong on. I like Jeopardy and hope to see it never go away. I can always count on it being 7pm and watching Jeopardy on ABC.

Will Argo win Best Picture?

Yes.

Winning just about every award out there from Golden Globes to PGA to DGA to WGA, Argo is Hollywood's choice to win Best Picture. While it did not seem like it when it first premiered, good word of mouth and a great story line has propelled it past the original front runners of Les Miserables and Zero Dark Thirty.

The only blemish it will receive is in a category it is not nominated for. Ben Affleck will not be receiving an award for Best Director at the Academy Awards because he was snubbed which came as a shock to everybody. Since then, the film has been racking up the awards left and right and even began running promotions for its Blu-ray release this week.

With all these awards, don't be surprised if after it wins the Academy Award for Best Picture that Warner Bros. will put it back into theaters for a limited run of a week. If you haven't seen this movie, buy it because it is a great movie to add to your collection.

Star Wars VII Script

Here's how Star Wars Ep. 7 should be played out. (Note this is my possibility, but it references with everything. Also, I have not read any of the Star Wars comics. Only taken names from Wikipedia.)

- Open Title scroll: Years of peace since the Emperor's death. Luke has rebuilt the Jedi temple on Coruscant. Han and Leia are married, but it's trouble in paradise as the new galactic council deems Solo unworthy of leading them. Meanwhile, Luke's son (Ben) is up for the rank of Master.

- INT. JEDI TEMPLE
 Luke sits with other (Anakin Solo) and other Jedi Masters as they evaluate Ben. The decision is split and he is unworthy of the rank of Master. Luke tries to console his son, but his brashness leads him to run away from living on the Temple grounds. He takes a ship and pilots himself away to Tatooine. Luke is about to take off when he is summoned by Leia.

- INT. GALACTIC COUNCIL
 Leia tells Luke that she received word that Han has left and his whereabouts are unknown. With an impending war upon them against a guerrilla force of bandits and smugglers, she asks for his help in finding Han so he can negotiate with them. Luke tells her he will find him after he finds his son.

- EXT. TATOOINE
 Ben lands and walks through a series of shops in Mos Eisley. He finds his way into the Cantina Lounge where he sees Han shooting a guy in a booth. Ben meets his Uncle and is talked into going with him as a Jedi escort to meet the leader of the bandits.

- EXT. JEDI TEMPLE
 Anakin Solo along with the other Jedi Masters feel a disturbance in the force. They contact Luke and tell them that they feel an unbalanced. Luke feels it too and decides to seek advice while on Tatooine. Anakin jumps into action and pilots a ship to Tatooine to help his Uncle Luke find Ben.

- EXT. GALACTIC COUNCIL
 Leia consoles the council but her words fall on deaf ears. They are planning using the Jedi Knights to rid the bandits as well as bring in the clones for additional protection. Leia refuses to this plan, but in doing so she is voted out of office.

- EXT. TATOOINE
 Luke lands in the canyons and searches them until he comes across an isolated spring. There he meditates until the spirits of Obi Wan, Yoda, and Qui Gon appear. Luke talks with them about the new dark force and they fear he may be more powerful than the Emperor. In doing so, they train Luke to expand his Jedi powers.

- INT. RIZ QUON
 Using the Millenium Falcon, Han and Ben travel to a space haul that carries aboard smugglers and bandits from all across the galaxy. They traverse the guards but are eventually captured and taken to meet Touro, the leader of the bandits. Han tires to bargin with Touro about the impending war, but Touro isn't interested in anything he has to say. Instead, he throws them into prison cells where they meet Anakin who was captured while on his way to Tatooine.

- INT. GALACTIC COUNCIL
 Leia communicates to Luke what the council is planning. Meanwhile Touro has contacted the council and tells them that he has Han captive and is threatening his life if they don't pull back from their plan of attack. Luke tells Leia to delay their decision as long as possible to give him time to try and rescue Han.

- INT. RIZ QUON
 Luke sneaks aboard the ship and uses his Jedi mind powers to locate Han. He makes his way to the prison and frees Han, Anakin, and Ben they race through the space haul to get back to the ship. They are spotted and all the bandits take them on. Luke, Anakin, and Ben use their lightsabers to cut their way to the Millenium Falcon. Upon reaching their ship, Luke senses a dark presence on board. Han fires up the ship and has Anakin and Ben board it. Luke stays behind to find the darkness.

- INT. GALACTIC SHIP
 The Millenium Falcon boards the council ship which is closing in on Riz Quon. Han talks with the onboard commander, but he informs Han that he has been stripped of his title. Han communicates to Leia questioning what has happened, but she tells him they have no power and to make sure nothing happens to Anakin and Ben. However, Anakin and Ben don't want to leave Luke with an impending attack. They make a plan to go back and rescue Luke.

- INT. RIZ QUON
 Luke moves through the shadows staying hidden until he reaches the main bridge. There he sees Touro and a mysterious man talk about their plans to rebuild the Death Star. Luke is spotted by the bounty hunter Nikko Fett and brought forth. The mysterious man reveals himself to be Darth Caedus and tells him the dark side will rise up again and bring with it the destruction of the Jedi once more. Luke is able to free himself and engages in a lightsaber battle with Darth Caedus. Touro flees the scene and takes an escape pod to Tatooine before the assault on Riz Quon begins.

Anakin and Ben fight their way to the bridge where they see Luke and Darth Caedus fighting. Before they can join in the fight, Nikko Fett grabs their attention. Anakin goes after Nikko while Ben goes to help his father. The two on one fight engages for a while until Darth Caedus force throws Ben against a wall leaving him unconscious. Luke chooses to save his son and let Darth Caedus get away. Meanwhile, Anakin corners Nikko, but he uses his tongue to inform Anakin that he his much like his brother before he killed him. Then Nikko Fett escapes leaving Anakin lost in the ship. Luke uses his Jedi powers to call to Anakin and guide him to the ship. Luke, Anakin, and Ben escape Riz Quon just before it is split in two and blown up.

- INT JEDI TEMPLE
 Luke tells the council of the new presence and that Darth Caedus is being trained by someone much greater in the force than perviously thought. They decide to not elect Ben as Master Rank, but instead make him and Anakin the personal guards of the Galactic Council. They are also told to act on part of the Jedi Temple to report on any conflicts that may arrise from within.

- INT. GALACTIC COUNCIL
 Anakin and Ben meet with Leia and Han as they are officially removed from head of the council. Anakin and Ben say goodbye to Leia and Han as they switch to guard the new head of council Emmit Ryse. Unbeknownst to anybody, Darth Caedus views this ceremony, then disappears into the shadows.

Peter Dinklage in X-MEN:DOFP

The short man is about to get a big step. Peter Dinklage, better known for his role on Game of Thrones as Tyrion Lannister, will be gaining his mutant ability in the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past being directed by Brian Singer. With Singer tweeting about the addition of Dinklage, we can let the speculation begin as to what mutant he will be playing.

The obvious choice is that he will be Puck because of his short nature and his fighting athleticism. This character does fall within the comic book time line and would be a great sight to see him take on the likes of the X-Men. Other possibility is Toad as he is short to begin with, but this would also be a recurring character as he was seen in the original X-Men movie.

Until we get the official word, you can and should watch Game of Thrones as the new season premieres March 31 and catch up with the entire series on HBO Go. You will be hooked by the first episode and wont stop till you get enough.

How to write a movie

In case you're interested, here are some basic rules to keep in mind when writing a movie. I've been writing a couple of scripts and I'm getting better at telling bigger stories. Now, you could go to a number of websites and read books on scriptwriting which I highly recommend. If there is one book I can suggest it is "Writing movies for fun and profit" by the guys who wrote The Pacifier and Night at the Museum.

In basic rules your character has to change over the course of a movie. That is rule number one. Your character has to be different at the end of the journey from when we first meet them at the beginning of page one. Next rule is the bigger the stakes the better the movie. Higher risks generate higher conflict and a higher reward. Go big or go home. Last rule is don't tell a story you wouldn't want to tell. If you try and write an Oscar winning film, but you mainly watch buddy comedies, you're going to have a tough time because it's not what you're interested in. Write what you know and what you would want to see. This will help you when trying to decide where to go in your movie.

Lastly, don't stop writing. Even if you're stuck at a scene, write the worst version possible and move on. You will go back and we write the entire movie anyways so don't get stuck at one place. Write something down and then you can go back and re-work it to follow the plot. The point is something down is better than nothing at all.

Now go write that movie! (after reading a bunch of screenwriting books and watching a lot of movies that are similar to the one you want to write)

How to win the Oscar: Shorts

By far, one of the most important awards are the winners for short films. These categories can not only break your Oscar pool votes with your friends but also give you an insight into the next big directors. This category is much overlooked as it does attract much to people'e attention when they go to the theaters. Most of the time the films chosen are those from the festival circuit winning multiple awards.

While these may not get the most views, it is also the hardest one to be nominated let alone win. To even be considered for a nomination you have to win several competitions held throughout the year and gather a multitude of praise from critics. This category can and often times leads to bigger productions for the cast and crew of the shorts. For most of the time, it allows the director to be given the chance of expanding on the short and making it into a full length movie.

The most notable example is Napoleon Dynamite which started as a short film called Peluca. If you want to go to the Oscars, this is your best chance since just about anybody can win a nomination if they have a good story and tell it well in under 40 minutes. This is your shot to rub elbows with some of Hollywood's elite and your best chance of winning an Oscar. 

Code of a Filmmaker #10

New Series: The Code of a Filmmaker as described by The Basic Filmmaker. I will break down what each bullet means and how it should be applied. This series will go in increasing order from #12 - #1.

#10. I promise to not permit unauthorized photos, shots, sound, recordings, or information given to me in confidence, to be passed on to anyone for any reason.

In other words, don't be scumbag steve. If someone tells you something in private and you happen to get it on film or catch a photo of something otherwise detrimental to that person, you have the duty to not show it to anybody. You are not a paparazzi and any video you have must be shown with the proper consent of every individual within your shot. Even the use of bloopers may be funny to you, but could bring harsh repercussions on others. Only use what you need and if it is a questionable call, you make sure you have the authorization to use such materials.

Did You Know...

There is a 3D of Top Gun being released this weekend. For a limited engagement you can see Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer take their shirts off and play some homo erotic volleyball. You can witness all the body ab spray sweat down in the hot beating sun with waves in the background and sand flying all over. A lot of butt smacking in 3D as Tom Cruise looks his best.

Or you could watch it for the real reason its in 3D. The chance to see Tom Cruise ride around on his motorcycle looking all cool as he rides against the wind. He drives down the beach with a classic 80's soundtrack. The leather jacket too tight for him on a bike too big for him. Ya know, if you're into that kind of thing.

Community Returns Tonight

Tonight is October 19th. Yes, I know it's actually February 7th, however tonight is the return of Community which was supposed to air on October 19th. However, with a new show runner and the creator Dan Harmon out of the picture, the future of Community was left in limbo as NBC tried to decide when and where to return Community. Naturally, it was always on Thursday nights as the start of its Comedy Block, but with the final seasons of The Office and 30 Rock they couldn't move them from their bill at the 9 o'clock hour. But the 8 o'clock hour was up in the air as Parks and Recreation became a mainstay with a growing fan base.

This left only one 30 minute block of programming to be had between its two competing shows Whitney and Community. Instead of putting one before the other, they felt the viewership on these shows were too low to be places on Thursday night and moved them both to Friday nights instead giving the open slot to the new comer Up All Night. Naturally, this outraged Community fans as its hard core loyal fan base would not stand for this shift.

With Dan Harmon essentially kicked off the show he created, Community fans already had much to be mad about, so they did all they could to keep Community in its Thursday time slot. The outpouring of support for the show was enough for NBC to hold off on premiering Community from October 19th to tonight, February 7th. With 30 Rock all wrapped up, Community can now come in and reclaim its time slot.

Hopefully this season will return to its roots as a community college show about people trying to find themselves and move on in their ohh who am I kidding. I want to see how crazy the Dean gets and what Chang has up his sleeve for the group and will Jeff and Annie ever get together or will Troy and Abed continue their pop culture laden dialogue references to Dr. Who-oom I mean Space Time Inspector. Happy October 19th!

Code of a Filmmaker #11

New Series: The Code of a Filmmaker as described by The Basic Filmmaker. I will break down what each bullet means and how it should be applied. This series will go in increasing order from #12 - #1.

#11 I promise to not condone any type of discrimination of any filmmaker because of race, color, religion, creed, age, sex, or national origin.

Put simply, don't be a dick. Don't criticize something because it does not follow your beliefs. Cinema should be a way to express yourself through interesting characters in order to reveal a compelling story that would otherwise go untold. The key word in this code is "condone" because that word can be very loosely defined. I find that the word "condone" means to belittle or put down or smother when talking about the creativity of others. Instead of condoning someones work, try talking about alternative views that the filmmaker has omitted in order to get a better understanding of why they created what they did. Sometimes when you ask questions, you get answers that will help you understand the thinking that goes into the creation of the cinematic piece.

Christian Bale in Justice League

Christian Bale may dawn the cowl one more time as the pending Justice League movie starts gearing up for its feature. But wait, didn't Bale give up being the caped crusader in the final movie? Yes he did, but that doesn't mean he can't be batman. But he died at the end, right? As batman and as Bruce Wayne, yes but the Batman is a symbol that cannot be killed. Then how does he fit into being Batman for the Justice League? Will you stop asking questions and let me explain.

Ok, in order for Christian Bale to return as Batman, we must time travel backwards. In the end of The Dark Knight, we see Batman ride off on the batpod as he is being chased by guards and Commissioner Gordon gives his iconic speech. From that period to the point where we meet up with him in the beginning of The Dark Knight Rises, eight years have passed. In that time, the body of Batman has been withered away into the crippled bearded Bruce Wayne we see in the opening sequence of the final movie. In eight years, the Batman has not been seen in Gotham until his resurgence on the streets chasing Bane.

These eight years could be served with the Justice League. This could also be why the funds from Wayne Enterprise have shriveled up leaving the orphanage with little money. As Bruce Wayne, Batman can continue to be excellent in hand-to-hand combat, retain the detective skills necessary to be batman, and provide the funding for any futuristic technology that may be used in Justice League including all space travel related vehicles. By remaining Bruce Wayne, Batman is given the iconic appeal we are all used to seeing. That eight year gap between movies provides the perfect time frame to set Justice League while keeping Christian Bale as the Dark Knight.

Superbowl Commercials 2013

The annual big budgeted commercials came during the Superbowl but something was a miss. As I watched, there seem to be more commercials for CBS shows and entertainment that actual advertisers. This was especially relevant leading up to the Superbowl Halftime show where all the commercials were promoting CBS shows.

No where did I see any commercial that caught my interest and made me want to hop online and see it again. No commercial made me want to rewind the show just to see it again. There were also some notable advertisers missing from the Super Bowl. There was no Snickers, Verizon, Kia, Coors Lights, Bud Light, Old Spice or Victoria Secret. Instead we saw repeats of NFL, CBS, and Budweiser Black Crown.

Even the movie trailers forego the traditional explosion of summer releases. No Superman or Pacific Rim, and even the Iron Man 3 trailer was nothing too fancy about it. The online trailer for Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, and The Lone Ranger were not as impressive as indicated by the tease commercials. These commercials failed to make any impact on the media. I was surprised to see new trailers being seen so late in the game. The Budweiser Clydesdale and Samsung commercials made late appearances and were probably the best ones of the bunch. The annual Doritos commercials fell short of expectations and the E-Trade baby made its annual appearance to a rather lack luster idea.

In all, the Halftime show was better than the commercials, which shows the talent of Beyonce and the rather lack of ideas for commercials. Maybe it's just me, but if the commercials for next year aren't memorable, then we can probably note this year as the decline of Superbowl Commercial.

The Code of a Filmmaker (#12)

New Series: The Code of a Filmmaker as described by The Basic Filmmaker. I will break down what each bullet means and how it should be applied. This series will go in increasing order from #12 - #1.

12. I promise to recognize and support Filmmakers, knowing their true intentions are to have their ideas brought into being, shared and enjoyed by all.

This boils down to criticism that you give to other filmmakers out there. Don't be cruel and start bashing the cinematography or the acting or the script. They have taken the time to create a film using what they have available. Instead, leave comments that support or suggest things that they have over looked. The point is that they were able to create a film and they should be recognized for putting together something even if you yourself have yet to make something substancial for others to view.

The second part means to look past what you think they are saying and look into the ideas and themes they wanted to convey. Everybody makes a film to express a message and once you find that message, share it with other people so they also know what the intentions of the film are. The filmmaker has brought their idea to life and should be critiqued on what they should do better next time and not on what failed during their film.

Bring your Entourage to the theater*

Good News Everybody!

The HBO hit show Entourage has been given the green light to be made into a full length movie. Much like the show, this will take place after the series finale which left us with Vince getting married and Ari being offered the head studio job at Warner Bros. No doubt there will be a lot of cameos as the show was always full of all-star appearances from sports figures to movie stars and even a couple of musicians from time to time. While everybody from the cast has been open to do a movie, its been 2 years since the series left us back in 2011.

Expect to see this in theaters sometime early next year. My guess is April 2014.

*This was supposed to be published yesterday, but for some reason was rejected.

A love letter to Tina Fey

For seven seasons, Liz Lemmon has taken us on a journey from the acquirement of Tracey Jordan for The Girly Show (TGS) to the take over of NBC to her eventual marriage as Princess Leia. Her hilarious antics have taken us behind the scenes through the interworking of a sketch comedy series and all the conflicts that happen beyond the stage.

Her constant confrontations with Jack Donaghy about the direction of the show which led to an interesting banter that stretched from politics to personal life and is thought to be the back bone of the show. Jack's cool and cunning ambition to always come out on top made him the perfect counter part to Liz who is always running around franticly trying to keep the spinning plates going so everything runs perfectly.

The over dramatic Jenna Maroney and the extremely charismatic Tracey Jordan kept the show interesting with Jenna's crazy antics of trying to reamin the star of the show and Tracey's spur of the moment lifestyle. These two different takes on actors gave Liz plenty to deal with all while trying to live her own life and find love. Very few times do we ever see Liz outside of the workplace and when we do, all the action points back to her job making if feel like she is married to the show.

30 Rock will end tonight, but with repeat airings on different networks, the comedic styling of this show will remain for time to come.

Super Bowl Trailers

Remember last year how we were all treated to the release of The Avengers Super Bowl trailer that prompted us to go see the full extended trailer online immediately. Well, it seems the spectacle of the big game has gone amiss to the studios as only a handful of movies are buying spots for the big game.

Iron Man 3, Oz the Great and Powerful, and The Lone Ranger will have TV spots as well as Star Trek 2, Fast and Furious 6 and G.I. Joe: Retaliation. As for other big budgeted movies like Man of Steel, Pacific Rim, and Despicable Me 2 will not be premiering a trailer in the big game.

It seems like now you can release a trailer online and still generate the amount of buzz a big game ticket item has without spending the cash. This may be the final year for Super Bowl movie trailers as the internet is taking over and the ability to see it instantly before anybody else is grasping everybody.

SAG Awards

There were few surprises last night during the SAG awards. A basic rundown of the winners were those who were expected to win.

Lincoln won for Best Supporting Role and Lead Actor Tommy Lee Jones and Daniel Day Lewis. Silver Linnings Playbook star Jennifer Lawrence won for Lead Actress and Anne Hathaway for Best Supporting Role in Les Miserables. As was expected, Argo won for Best Ensemble Cast which now puts it in the lead for winning Best Picture at the Oscars.

In the TV side, the long loved series of 30 Rock won for its top actors Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin. Brian Cranston won for Drama Actor as did Clair Daines for Actress in Breaking Bad and Homeland respectively. The ensemble awards were the biggest surprise as they went to Modern Family and Downton Abbey.

Overall, the lack of host was a bit underwhelming, but the awards gives you a great preview of what's to come at the Academy Awards as the Actors are the biggest voting block.

Star Wars ep.7: JJ Abrams Lens Flares

Word has come around that JJ Abrams will be the director for the much anticipated and mostly over talked about Star Wars episode 7. It has been reported that Kathleen Kennedy, the head of Disney, has been courting JJ around for some time now and sources very close to the development of Star Wars has stated that JJ will helm the next installment. Now, I could go on with lens flare jokes or the Star Trek/Star Wars comparison or even an entire look at Abrams career to determine if he is right for the job, but instead i'll play devils advocate today.

Since there is no signed documents linking JJ to the project other than speculation and the word of a highly recommended source, I have reasonable doubt that JJ will or even has signed on. Case in point, he has stated excessively that he has no intention of making the next Star Wars movie as he was already signed on for the Star Trek movie franchise. The directing job he has over there, although nearly complete, has taken a lot of his time and effort from other projects he currently has going.

In addition to Star Trek, JJ has his own production company in Bad Robot. Some of their projects include Person of Interest, Revolution, Fringe, Alcatraz, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, and Super 8. Being the owner and CEO of the company means he has to make sure these projects all run smoothly and any problems that may arrise fall onto him. Not to mention that Abrams has passion projects of his own. Much like Super 8 was his personal pet project, he has others he would be willing to make over another persons creation.

The last piece of evidence I have is the fact that there is no finished script. The script for Star Wars 7 is still being written and unless there is a final script, don't expect Abrams to jump onboard. This was the problem for Star Trek 2: Into Darkness. While everybody was speculating if he would direct the sequel the script was unfinished and Abrams repeatedly reported that he would not direct if the script was incomplete. The same thing is going on here. The script is incomplete, so unless he does what he did with the Star Trek sequel and step in to rewrite the script, I will reserve judgement until either Disney released an official statement or Abrams says he will helm the picture.

It won't be long before we have an answer as Star Trek 2: Into Darkness is set to release in a few months.

Best Christmas Movie Ever.

What makes a good christmas movie? Is it the feel good spirits of the holiday season? Could it be all the crazy shenanigans family's go through during the holidays to have the best christmas ever? What happens when kids realize santa is or isn't real? But more importantly, why am I talking about christmas in January?

Put simply, I'm talking about christmas now because one of my favorite christmas movies is returning to the big screen in the next month. February? Christmas in February? Yes. The best christmas movie ever has christmas trees, guns, and explosions. Of course I am referring to Die Hard, the greatest christmas movie of all time. Die hard Die Hard fans will have the chance to see all five, that's right five, Die Hard movies in theaters leading up to the midnight premier of A Good Day to Die Hard.

These build up releases are great promotion for franchise movies as they generate tickets and excitement for upcoming installments in successful franchise movies. So everybody break out your white t-shirts and jeans, grab a walkie talkie and prepare to follow the badass John McClain through this anthology of adventures leading up to the new release this February 13th.

Previews the new trend??

How do you generate buzz about a movie? Make a poster. How do you get people talking about the movie? Release a trailer. How do you get people excited for a movie? Release the first 5 minutes.

This seems to be the new trend in Hollywood as it takes after the style in which The Dark Knight Rises started. To get people excited for this movie, Warner Bros. let out the first ten minutes of TDKR before Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. This not only led people to see MI:GP but also get them excited for TDKR. This happened a second time with Star Trek 2: Into Darkness where they played the first ten minutes before The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. This also got people excited as it was their first look into the new Star Trek movie.

Now it seems that is the way to get people excited about the new movie. The newest film to do this will be G.I. Joe: Retaliation playing its first ten minutes before Hansel & Gretel. I have to say, this is a little bit unexciting to be playing a preview has been delayed over a year and put in front of a movie that has little box office recognition.

As much as I like this new trend of showing previews before a movie, I prefer them to be reserved for the big action movies like The Hobbit or Superman or even The Avengers 2. Movies like these which deserve to have a lot of buzz around them and get people excited for them to have a ten minute preview before other big property movies. With that in mind, don't be surprised if you see the first ten minutes of  the next Star Wars movie in front of The Avengers 2 or vise-versa.

How to win the oscar: FX

Welcome to another edition of How to Win the Oscar. Today's topic is in the area of special effects which include practical and digital. The most common effects of todays era are the special effects since most movies today are dealt with post production on computers that put the actors out of harms way. The other are practical effects where the make-up or creatures are there with the actors and, in most cases, make the action feel more realistic because the actor has something to go off of. In recent years, the winners have been Lord of the Rings for its outstanding costume and location setting in the fictional world of Middle Earth. The other winners have been Harry Potter for the life-like creation of Hogwarts and all the practical effects used to make magic real. Then there's Avatar where every frame was taken to the digital effects laboratory in order to make up the beautiful world of Pandora.

However, not always do the big budget movies get the special effects award. Sometimes the most subtle of touches like The Iron Lady, which won for best make-up, take the gold because they do a minimalistic take on their actors in order to keep them realistic. This just goes to show that not all winners go to the film with the most effects, but rather the one that does theirs the best. So if you're looking into make-up and special effects, then don't always go for the over the top masks, but instead go for the minimalistic realism because you can fool more people with the little details than the big overhaul on special effects.

It's a Disney movie, I swear.

Me and my friends have a little bit of humor when explaining movies to other people. We tell them enough to not spoil everything, but at times it seems like we over simplify things. So in a series of jokes, we came up with different ways to describe what would otherwise be good family movies.

For example, "A man takes over a bunch of school kids in order to win a competition" which is the plot for School of Rock. Others include "A woman takes care of a group of vertically challenged men, only to be sought after and killed by her relative" a.k.a Snow White, and my favorite "A son is kidnaped and a father must travel around the world to get him back" which is in relation to Finding Nemo.

Explaining movies at their basic roots can also be interesting when recommending movies to other people. "A family has a nice weekend get away in the mountains while the father finishes his book" is the plot for The Shinning. "Two friends cover up a murder in order to live the high life" is the plot for Weekend at Bernies.

If you're looking for a bit of movie fun, try explaining movies like this with your friends and see if you can guess which movie it is. Break it down to it's simplest form without giving away too much detail that the movie would incur. Last example is "One man stands between the conviction of an innocent kid and a group of racist bigots." See if you can guess which movie I am referring to.

What is this movie?

It has Oscar nominations, yet I have not heard of it and it has been out for over a year. Of course I am referring to Beasts of the Southern Wild. Coming out of Sundance last year, it was praised by critics everywhere, but never had a wide release, so most people don't know what this movie is about. I've watched the trailer a couple of times and from what I see, it is reminiscent of The Land Before Time. I know that may feel like a stretch but based on the trailer, a disaster happens and a kid must find away to persevere through a tough time in order find a better life. That sounds like the same movie.

In this case, I have a problem with movie trailers in general. Sometimes you get a trailer that down plays the greatness of a movie, and sometimes you get all the action sequences to make it feel big, but really isn't. Then there are trailers like Silver Linnings Playbook where the first trailer made it out to be a humble feel good flick and then the final trailer made it seem action packed with upbeat music and more action scenes. These contradicting views on a movie can make it confusing to pinpoint what the movie is exactly about.

Then in the rare case, you get a movie like Midnight in Paris where the trailer tells you nothing about the premise of the movie other than it's a Woody Allen film and you will like it if you like his kind of story telling. Some people like going into a movie not knowing what it's about, but as for most of us, we tend to go consistently with what we like and don't see a movie we haven't seen trailers for that we didn't like.

Better than the original

This isn't a post about film, but rather those aspiring to be filmmakers. The easiest way people get their talents viewed is through YouTube since it is free to everybody and you can post anything you want. Anybody with a camera and an internet connection can create their own channel and post videos about whatever they feel like. There are good ones, and terrible ones, and then there are those who try too hard to get noticed by taking up grand tasks that don't quite live up to the expectations.

I find the easiest way to get your work done is to parody and be good at it. Some quote I read sometime ago went a little something like "parody is the most sincere form of flattery" and that is true. It's very easy to parody most things, but only the good ones that are not only lyrically executed to a fine creation, but well shot that they almost are better than the original. Those videos are the ones that people gravitate towards because it is visually catching and sounds great while mocking the original song.

This isn't to say that all parodies are bad, but if it looks good, people will stick around longer than if its just words on a screen, even if the lyrics are parodied perfectly. You need to be able to stimulate the eyes as well as the ears. One channel that does this well is The Key of Awesome. They are able to parody hit songs and make them their own. From songs to trailers and even celebrities, these guys use what's at their disposal and create great videos. If you can learn from them, then you too can create a channel with a following.

Space-Time Continuum

I am a fan of time travel, as I feel most people are. It's the chance of a do-over, the ability to bend time and space, the ultimate control over everything. This is why when I heard of a new show that involved time travel, I quickly set my DVR and refreshed myself on time travel with movies like Back to the Future, Hottub Time Machine, The Time Machine, and Idiocracy. Now that was refreshed and well versed with time travel, I watched the new show on the Sci-fi channel.

Continuum heavily advertised the time travel side of the show and the events that could happen if someone from the future was to travel back to our time in order to pursue criminals. While the premise had great potential, the eventual lead in was a bit of a let down. The show opens on the future where Corporations have bailed out failed governments and now run everything. A resistance group has fought back, but its leaders have been captured and are sentenced to death. Right before their execution, they form together a sphere that time travels them sixty years into the past, or our present day. What was supposed to be a six year jump to the beginning of the revolution has resulted in a sixty year leap to before they were born. Unknown to the criminal jumpers, one brave future cop was also caught in the blast and transported with them. Now she is on a mission to find the criminals before they can use their knowledge of the future to change historical events and change the future.

The show starts off with great promise as our feminine hero captures the leader of the resistance. She is present and then transported back to our time where her futuristic communication is just in beta and the creator of the technology is mid way through his creation. They are able to communicate and he sees everything that she sees, which gives him an insight into things he will eventually create. Our hero joins forces with the local police force in order to track down each of the criminals and stop them from destroying the present. The premise is good, but I feel they could have used the time travel story line to better equip the show than a one time use. It almost feels like they used it as a cop-out to give our hero better technology to track down the criminals and make her super human compared to everybody around her.

With all this said, I'll give continuum a few more episodes in order to give it time to stretch its legs and let the plot grow. So far, what I've seen isn't all that impressive after the first couple of times the futuristic technology is used. It becomes normal and the effectiveness of it wears off. Hopefully, they will use the time travel bit to start off every season in a new year where our hero gets closer and closer to the jump date and return back to her own life.

Are video games that hard to make into movies?

An open debate since the beginning of the video game era that has been the subject of off and on deliberation. Can video games be made into successful movies? The literal translation of games to film is one that seems to be taken quite far off the trail blazed by the video games as it seems like whenever a movie comes out based on a video game, it is far from the source material to try and tell an original story using the same characters. This can be frustrating as a gamer and cinephile.

While Tomb Raider has been made into a successful movie, ever since Super Mario Bros. was made in the 80's it has been a challenge to create movies based off video games. I feel the biggest obstacle is the fact that you are trying to take an 8-15 hour campaign story and try to squeeze it into 2 hours of screen time. Most of the character development goes to the wayside as you try to turn the game into a film. This is why the process always begins with a good script and somebody that understands not only the development of the game, but also has the speed to develop characters quickly to move the story forward.

I look forward to Assassins Creed and God of War being made into movies, but if the recent halt of the Halo movie is any indication of what hollywood thinks about video games then I feel these games will be confined to their consoles and never grace the silver screen.

Golden opportunity wasted.

The Golden Globes were happening this weekend. While Ricky Gervais did not host, those talents went to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, the entire night was a miss. Now, I usually enjoy the telecast no matter what, but when you have actors who don't even know who or what they are presenting, then it becomes an embarrassment.

With a month crowded of award shows, it is not likely for most people to pay much attention to all the award shows, except for the big ones. This used to be a big award show, but more recently the demeanor of the show has been down the drain. The most interesting shows is the Academy Awards, but even that is beginning to lose its audience.

Pretty soon, the award shows will be gone if they over populate the award season. The less awards out there, the more prestige they ensure. The same goes for indie festivals. Since there are a lot of film festivals, the awards for them, in my eyes, mean little.

Back to my original thought, the Golden Globes are becoming a shame of themselves.

Nolan the new Spielberg?

The question is simple: Has Christopher Nolan achieved what most film makers strive for in becoming the next Steven Spielberg? The answer may surprise you.

A recent study has found that most young viewers consider Christopher Nolan to be at the height of filmmaking, while a much older audience consideres Steven Spielberg to still have that magic touch he had almost forty years ago. While this can be disputed over and over, we may soon have a definite answer.

Christopher Nolan in currently adopting a script that was originally going to be Spielbergs project and instead making it his own. "Interstellar" was going to be Spielbergs last Sci-fi project before he decided to make "Robopocalypse" leaving the former film behind. Turns out that Nolan is interested in adopting that script and making it his own. The original script was penned by his brother Jonathan Nolan, so Christopher Nolan has taken up the work and proceeded to add his own flare in hopes of getting the film made.

Whether he will direct will be determined in the future depending on the script, but it's safe to say that Christopher Nolan will since he is writing the new script. If he does, this could prove to be an overpowering move as he would make a movie that Spielberg passed on.

Hot off the press

The nominees for the 85th Academy Awards were released this morning. If you haven't seen them, then allow me to get you the rundown on the morning. First off, we see a big snub to The Avengers, the biggest movie of the year that was also critically praised when it came out. Next, there's no love for the sci-fi Looper which at the least should have been nominated in the screenplay category. And finally, Ben Affleck was not nominated in the Director category for Argo.

Now for the best chances, Lincoln and Life of Pi walked away with the top nominations while Beasts of the Southern Wild surprisingly came up in almost every major category. It will be interesting to see if this little unknown movie can take home the gold. Given that the Academy likes to award good movies with little box office, it's not that big of a surprise to see it being nominated.

As for the biggest mix of a win goes to the Directing category where the winner has the best chance of winning the Best Picture award at the end of the night. Ang Lee, Steven Spielberg, and David O. Russell return to fight for the top stop, while Michael Haneke and Benh  Zeitlin arrive to try and crash the party. Given that the latter two are festival favorites with little box office reception, look for them to sweep out from under the rug and take the gold man home.

Looks like everybody who thought Les Miserable was going to get the top honors turned out disappointed, but none more so than Zero Dark Thirty which hasn't received a whole lot of nominations which could hurt its box office this coming weekend as it gets a wide release. Still, I find the lack of nominations for comedic movies rather disturbing. I think we can all agree that TED and 21 Jump Street were two stand out comedies of this past year. I'll even throw in Magic Mike for you.

View the full list here