damn the muse

It is my duty to report that 300 was pure eye candy. The violence was gratuitous, and methinks a bit too over the top. However, the muscles, goodness, those glorious muscles delivered!

Yup, it was definitely worth it.

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A few months ago I saw this very long trailer that used music by Enya. It was the song, "Book of Days," which was the theme song for the movie,Far and Away. The song and trailer were so, so, companions. Actually, it was rather long, but it got the point across. This was a movie set in the times of Kings, and there was romance. Oh, and Peter O'Toole and James Callis had roles in the movie that just happened to be based on the Book of Esther. Sign me up!

The movie, One Night with the King, is based on a novel adaptation of the Book of Esther, and one of the first things it has going for it is its production values. It doesn't look cheap. Rather, every scene is rich with detail and color and extras, and it really adds to the movie. But who cares about costumes when James Callis as Haron is chewing up lines and spitting them out like nothing. Seriously, BSG is probably more challenging, but his acting really elevated the movie because the actor playing the King needed lessons.

As the story goes, and it was slightly convoluted, the King "loses" his wife, so he searches for a new one. Women are rounded up from around Persia and the surrounding areas. Among them is Esther, a Jew, who hides her identity in order to save her life. She finds favor with the King, and soon becomes the new Queen until her past comes back to haunt her.

The actress who plays Esther is amazing. She brings depth to the character and spunk, both which are necessary when compared to the King who can't decide what he wants to be besides eye candy. Yes, eye candy. Actor Luke Goss spends much of the movie shirtless, and he has the prettiest eyes, but he was the worst King. He acted like a child King! His bare chest was the only redeeming quality, and even then that's only slight.

The movie as a whole was amazing. It didn't preach, and if there is one thing I respect in a film is that it gets its message across in a subtle way. This is no Passion of the Christ, nor is it a Sunday School cartoon. It's a simple story with romance and adversity, and sometimes that's enough.

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The trailers for the upcoming Eragon have not been flattering. Each new one makes the movie seem like a cousin to the much reviled Dungeons and Dragons movie than the Harry Potter series. I haven't read the book. The fact that I'm not really anxious to see this movie now, and now this review might spell doom for the movie. Then again FOX is notorious for messing with their franchises. X-Men 3 anyone.

Via Ain't it Cool.

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The final 300 trailer is out. I think I drooled. And it wasn't because of Gerard Butler.

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I'm not a fan of Will Ferrell movies. I'm actually not a fan of comedies, period. So when I found out that I was going to be dragged to the new Will Ferrell movie, I went with a sad face. At least I had heard it was good. He was after all acting in a more serious role. This wasn't Saturday Night Live. Emma Thompson can save it. Actually, Emma Thompson rocked in the movie.

I was pleasantly surprised.

I love it when comedians can act. Will Ferrell is no exception. As Harold Crick he's so muted and dull, it's perfect. By the end of the movie I was really caring about whether he would make it out alive. He is after all a figment of Emma Thompson's imagination. Or is he?

Thompson is used sparingly, but her scenes are hilarious. In every book her character has ever written she's killed the protagonist. This time she's having trouble coming up with a suitable death scene, so she keeps imagining all these different situations and places herself in them. The outcome is ingenious.

This was a nice movie. A keeper? Don't know yet. I definitely recommend it.

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The teaser trailer is up for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. They're growing up. It's kinda cool, but given what happens in the book, it's kinda sad too. I still really want to see this movie.

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He was positively scary on screen. He just had that presence. At the same time it also meant that every role he would ever have guaranteed greatness. Not from the movie itself but from the man. This was after all Jack Palance.

I can't believe I'm saying was. Rest in peace.

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Starting in April people will be able to legitimately download a digital copy from a small library of movies for a fee. Buy the movie, download it, watch it as many times as you want, and your hard copy will come via snail mail shortly. The catch is that it's loaded with digital rights management software preventing the buyer from sharing his/her new purchase with friends and family. After all, everyone is a thief.

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"The Road to Guantanamo" just won the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival. The film itself tells the tale of three innocent men who find themselves at G Town and their eventual release. Needless to say, the film probably doesn't say kind things about the good ole US of A. To make things a bit more interesting the actors playing these men were detained at the Luten airport and harassed under the Terrorism Act. All for the sake of international security I think.

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He made people laugh. He made me laugh. I remember seeing him in movies with Gene Wilder. He was even in one with Superman. It's rather sad to be living during a time where we're losing such wonderful people. Que duerme en paz.

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The IFC will screen This Film is Not Yet Rated uncut on its channel and at Sundance. The film is a documentary that focuses on the ratings board for the MPAA. They're anonymous, and they deem sexual content ten times more harmful than gratuitous violence. This is why a movie like Aeon Flux can get away with a PG-13 but had there been a nipple shot it would have jumped up to R.

Interestingly enough the documentary just received an NC-17 for sexual content.

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Listening to: Dispatch

Today is my last morning in El Paso, which has been unseasonably warm for this time of year. I'm not complaining. I prefer cool rather than freezing. Of course when I'm back here in three weeks it will probably snow. Just once, but it's all done to spite me. Anyway...

A friend from St. Mu drove down yesterday from Alburquerque and we hung out. Had Wendy's and caught a movie. J. is a sweetie, but watching movies with him can be an experience.

The Ice Harvest had it all. Dark humor, boobs, blood, and John Cusack. It still falls under the heading of guy movie, but I don't think J. liked it. I can't decide. The humor I liked. I especially love dark humor, and the movie was loaded with it until it turned gory. Then I was just puzzled, which is why I think I need to sit on it some more. Some critics compare it to Bad Santa, and I always flashback to Billy Bob and Lorelai enjoying themselves in a hysterical fashion. Anyone who does not laugh at that scene is insane. In this movie there are just as funny scenes. And Cusack, well think Gross Point.

Yesterday was interesting.

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I will be watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire! It will actually be my first midnight movie too. I'm kinda excited, though I'm rather worried. I've been known to fall asleep easily during movies after a certain hour, but never in a theater. Hopfully not here.

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The roomie and I went to see Goodnight, and Good Luck yesterday. What a fantastic movie, and the lead who played Murrows is going to get nominated for an Oscar in the leading actor category.

Goodnight is a quiet film, but almost every minute of it is so tense it's difficult to believe the events portrayed actually ocurred. Then I realize that they did, and it makes me smile because here's a reporter who stood up for what he believed in. Such integrity on television rarely exists anymore. It's controled by sponsors and corporations who decide whether a story is too controversial to air. Newscasts, too one-sided.

Maybe I'm being too harsh, but I can't help it. I left the movie theater struck by the parallels between then and now. Murrows and his staff took an enourmous risk when they challenged McCarthy, and even though their reactions were fictionalized, I'm pretty sure their struggles internal and otherwise were profound. They reported on the truth because it was the right thing to do despite the threats. It was an amazing movie.

On that note I honestly believe that the future of journalism lies not in tv anymore, but in the internet. Just look at all the weblogs out there devoted to reporting the real news, uncensored with its supporters willing to pay the bills with a few clicks. These are the new reporters.

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R.I.P. Anne Bancroft.

I had no idea she was married to Mel Brooks. Now I just feel sad for him. She was a remarkable woman and actress.

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I can dream, can't I? And if he should happen to streak the Oscar crowd as he accepts his golden statute for that brilliant performace in Closer, we won't see it because ABC will be implementing a 7 second delay on the live telecast. Anything the network deems inappropriate will be censored, and yet the host is Chris Rock. Want to bet he takes advantage of this?

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Okay, so maybe it's not a done deal for the Patriots. Hello!!! What the hell are you doing!! Get with the program.

Anyway, there was one commercial that did pass the test. Ok, well two.

War of the Worlds: This speaks to the movie fanatic in me, and it's a Spielberg movie. And it was a new clip. Oh yeah.

The Verizon commercial was funny too, but only because it was amusing to see Cristina being blown away by a hair dryer.

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In interviews Mike Nichols said he needed to use beautiful people for the movie Closer because they aren't nice. No one will want to see a movie with ugly people doing mean things to each other in the name of love, because frankly that's what this movie is about. The reality is Closer is a brutal yet frank portrayal of relationships and infidelities, and the consequences arise from such tresspasses. The movie wouldn't be as successful without the four "beautiful" actors because they were amazing.

Closer isn't a movie for everyone. It's a pessimistic movie fitting for the antiromantic. These people say the most hurtful things to each other. This dialogue is fresh, and demeaning. Every word stings. By the end there is no happily ever after because you really can't feel sorry for these characters. Each and every one of them is in their own way to blame for the end of their relationships. They sought love so desperately, yet in so doing they slapped each other in the face.

As for the acting, well Clive Owen gets my vote for an Oscar nomination, though they all deserve to be nominated. His Larry is so sleazy, and yet he's so emotional. I'm an Owen fan, but I do believe that's the first time I've been blown away by him. Not since the BMW and Croupier films.

What an amazing movie.

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The teaser trailer for Revenge of the Sith has premiered online. Drool my pretties, drool. This is probably as good as it will get.

::shivers as the last notes of the "Death March" play::

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