February Movies, Results, and Challenge News

It’s almost February, so time for next month’s movies. Monday is the BIG announcement for the A to Z Challenge - signups begin! And I have a guest post today at the A to Z Blog about that signup list. So if you have concerns, be sure to read it.

Voting ends Saturday at noon for my CassaFire trailer at You Gotta Read Videos. Last I looked I was trailing in fifth place, which is disappointing as the trailer for CassaStar took second place last year. I think I’ve posted about this everywhere possible, so one last round of groveling. If there’s anything you can do to help, this Ninja would appreciate it…

Great discussion Wednesday regarding authors reading their own reviews. Most of you said yes – as long as the author doesn’t respond or have a meltdown. A couple sharp ladies suggested having a family member screen out the junky ones first – excellent idea! (Because reading “This book sucked!” isn’t good for the ego.).

And for those of you who want to know what happens when one becomes a BLOG OF NOTE - a ton of new followers (over 1200 now - whoa!) and thousands of visits per day! Yeah, it’s been a wild week. Thanks again for all the kind words. I'm still stunned.

And now, on to our show! As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snarky comments by me.

February Movies:

3 –

The Woman in Black
Drama | Horror | Thriller
A young lawyer travels to a remote village where he discovers the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals.
Director: James Watkins
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Janet McTeer, Ciarán Hinds, Emma Shorey

Previews for this one look promising!

Chronicle
Action | Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller
Three high school friends gain superpowers after making an incredible discovery. Soon, though, they find their lives spinning out of control and their bond tested as they embrace their darker sides.
Director: Josh Trank
Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Michael Kelly, Alex Russell, Dane DeHaan

Could go either way. Heard it’s told in reverse like Memento. (Not that it has a chance of living up to that awesome movie.)

10 –

Safe House
Action | Crime | Mystery | Thriller
A young CIA agent is tasked with looking after a fugitive in a safe house. But when the safe house is attacked, he finds himself on the run with his charge.
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Stars: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Robert Patrick, Vera Farmiga

Promising cast and Denzel IS the man.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
Action | Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi
Sean Anderson partners with his mom's boyfriend on a mission to find his grandfather, who is thought to be missing on a mythical island.
Director: Brad Peyton
Stars: Josh Hutcherson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Caine, Vanessa Hudgens
I know it’s geared towards kids, but how on earth did they con Michael Caine into this movie?


17 –

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
Action | Fantasy | Thriller
As Johnny Blaze hides out in Eastern Europe, he is called upon to stop the devil, who is trying to take human form.
Directors: Mark Neveldine | Brian Taylor
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Ciarán Hinds, Idris Elba, Christopher Lambert

Dumb, over-the-top sequel with violence and special effects. Sure, why not?

Any of those movies strike your fancy? Ready to sign up for the A to Z Challenge on Monday? (Don't forget to visit the A to Z Blog today.) Any other opinions on reviews? Wonder if I ever sleep...?

Movie News and Reviews

DL Hammons at Cruising Altitude has a challenge today – six short excerpts/flash pieces based on a prompt from six different writers. Can you guess which writer wrote which piece based on their ‘voice?’ Let’s just say I already know one of the writers…

Elizabeth Mueller asked if I was some kind of Hollywood Ninja spy since I know so much about films. While I do harbor a lot of movie knowledge and see a ton of movies, there are a couple key sites I hit.

For information, release dates, and reviews, I visit Rotten Tomatoes and the IMDB.

For hot-off-the-press news, I visit JoBlo and Blastr.

Now you too can be a Movie Ninja!

Battlefield Earth was easily the number one Worst Movie Ever in last week’s blogfest. After so many awful films, I thought I’d offer you some good ones:

Drive
Great reviews prompted me to see this one. Ryan Gosling is a stuntman/mechanic by day and a getaway driver by night. A man of few words, he befriends a neighbor and her son. When her husband returns home from prison, Gosling offers to help rob a pawnshop to pay back protection money. Things go wrong, of course…
If you remember my review of Hanna, this movie is similar – an art house action flick. Very slow paced and stylish, with great camera work and lighting, and a unique soundtrack. Think Michael Mann’s Heat and Manhunter. If you like that style of film, I highly recommend Drive.

The Warrior’s Way
I had no idea what to expect from this film but was pleasantly surprised. It begins with a ninja warrior, toting a baby he spared, seeking refuge with a circus group in an isolated Western town. As you can tell by the setup, it’s quirky! The entire film was shot on green screen and looks quite amazing, including a giant Ferris wheel under construction. It was like a comic book come to life and featured some bloody and intense action. Geoffrey Rush is excellent in his small role as a drunken former gunslinger. This movie isn’t for everyone, but I found it quirky and fun.

And this Wednesday Tucker & Dale vs. Evil is the featured film on Direct TV’s HDNet Movies! Last I looked, it was still a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes with over thirty reviews.

Seen any good movies lately? Don’t forget to check out Cruising Altitude. And hey – less than three months to Christmas!!

July Movie Preview Already?

That’s right – the year is half over! Now prepare for another month of living in a cool movie theater.

All descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snarky comments provided by me.

Today – June 29

Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Director: Michael Bay
Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Tyrese Gibson
The Plot: Against the backdrop of the space race between the U.S.S.R. and the USA, the alliance between Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) and Optimus Prime is put to the test against a common enemy: Shockwave.
This was scheduled to come out July 1, but they bumped it up a few days. Critics say special effects are amazing but there’s no character development. Hello! It’s Transformers. Soon as I get off work, I’m off to see it in 3D!

July 8

Ironclad
Director: Jonathan English
Stars: Paul Giamatti, Jason Flemyng, Brian Cox
The Plot: In 13th-century England, a small group of Knights Templar fight to defend Rochester Castle against the tyrannical King John (Paul Giamatti)
Could be way cool, but I bet it will be difficult to find in theaters.

Horrible Bosses
Director: Seth Gordon
Stars: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis
The Plot: Three friends (Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis) make a pact to rid the world of their respective bosses.
Okay, this one caught my attention with the line about Bateman street racing his Prius – “I don’t win much.”


July 15

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
Director: David Yates
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
The Plot: The end begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione return to Hogwarts to find and destroy the final horcruxes. But when Voldemort finds out about their mission, the battle we've all known has been coming -- Harry vs. Voldemort -- looms large on the horizon. And who will triumph?
Like we don’t know how it ends! Maybe this will be the first Potter movie to cross the billion dollar mark. Just please tell me Harry does more than run…

July 22

Captain America: The First Avenger
Director: Joe Johnston
Stars: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Samuel L. Jackson
The Plot: After being deemed unfit for military service during WWII, Steve Rogers (Evans) volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into Captain America, the Sentinel of Liberty -- a superhero dedicated to defending America's ideals. His first mission: to combat the Nazi propaganda effort headed by Johann Schmidt (Weaving), also known as the Red Skull.
Marvel’s been hitting home runs lately and this one should be no different.

July 29

Cowboys and Aliens
Director: Jon Favreau
Stars: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde
The Plot: In Silver City, Arizona, Apache Indians and Western settlers must lay their differences aside when an alien spaceship crash lands in their city.
Wicked cool! Tell me, what boy hasn’t wanted to see cowboys fight aliens? Besides, Olivia Wilde is hot. Which is good, because Daniel Craig stole Rachel Weisz.

Attack the Block
Director: Joe Cornish
Stars: John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Alex Esmail
The Plot: Moses (John Boyega) and the rest of his teen gang look to protect Wyndham Tower -- their housing estate -- from an alien invasion.
Hard to say, but the buzz for this film is good.


So, what are you seeing this month?

Movies!

Continuing the A-Z Challenge from Arlee at Tossing it Out

Today is M - and one of my favorite subjects, MOVIES!

I am a die hard movie buff. I visit the theater several times a month, buy the latest & greatest on DVD, and I watch movies on NetFlix all the time.

Today I'd like to share with you where I get my movie information and updates, and what genre movies are my favorite.

For the scoop on the latest movies, I have three sources:

IMDB - Every fact, date, and box office total - it's the most complete movie database on the web.
Rotten Tomatoes - RT gathers all the top reviews and provides news & updates.
JoBlo Movie Network Movie and DVD releases, reviews, insider news - JoBlo has it all!

Now for my favorite movies...

Science Fiction

The Abyss

Aliens

Avatar

The Empire Strikes Back

The Fifth Element

Jurassic Park

The Matrix

Mystery Science Theater 3000 The Movie

Serenity

Star Trek First Contact

Horror

Blade II

The Crow

Evil Dead II

Jaws

A Nightmare on Elm Street

The Ring

Sleepy Hollow

The Thing

Underworld I & II

Zombieland

Fantasy

Conan the Barbarian

Hellboy I & II

Legend

Lord of the Rings trilogy

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Princess Bride

What are some of your favorites, particularly in the areas listed above?

And do you visit Dez's site? Remember, the Hollywood Spy loves you!