Blog Cabins: Movie Commentary and Reviews Made Fun - Seite 2 
TGITDNMAR (4/29/11)
It's that time again for TGITDNMAR, which (obviously) stands for Thank God It's The Day New Movies Are Released. Well, or a few days after the new movies are released...Fast FiveWhat's harder to believe - the fact that I saw this on opening night (the first in the franchise that I've seen at all, much less in the theater), or the fact that I kinda liked it?Frankly, it's hard not to give in to its charms. It's a big, dumb football player of a movie, but so long as you are up for a visceral ride and can ignore giant implausabilities (of which there are oh so many), you can't help but psych yourself up for some Diesel vs. Rock action. Everyone else is just ear or ear candy in one fashion or another, and that's okay. Dylan's Under Normal Circumstances Chance of Viewing (in the theater): 100%PromAh yes, another one of those Disney teen movies in which I've never heard of a single person in the main cast, so I go digging through the extended cast looking for some character actor and/or has been that's slumming their way through a paycheck. Who will I find this time, and could they possibly be enough to get me interested??A) Christine Elise: known mostly for Beverly Hills 90210 (the original). No.B) Faith Ford: Of Murphy Brown/Hope & Faith fame. No. What happens when someone known for being "perky" gets older? I think the answer is that they disappear, sad as that may be.C) Jere Burns: Of Dear, John fame. No - however, he's been an occasional guest star on Justified as some low-level gangster, and he's been spectacularly creepy. But I would require about 10,000 hims to get me to see Prom, I'm afraid.Dylan's Under Normal Circumstances Chance of Viewing (in the theater): 0%Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. EvilI just watched Cop Out for the first time this weekend. And to quote Tracy Morgan attempting to will Seann William Scott from telling a joke: "No. No. Huh Huh. No. No! No! No! Hell No! NO! NO! I refuse to... No! No!"Dylan's Under Normal Circumstances Chance of Viewing (in the theater): 0%
Previous results: Angelina Jolie made quick work of Denise Richards in one of the most voted-upon matchups yet, besting her 32-13. And now, for the first of the final three matchups as we move into the Final Four! Which uniquely-monikered star will advance to the championship? Click here to view the updated full bracket.Uma Thurman90s Highlights: Pulp Fiction, Gattaca, Beautiful Girls, Jennifer Eight, Final AnalysisHalle Berry90s Highlights: The Last Boy Scout, Strictly Business, Boomerang, Executive Decision, Bulworth poll by twiigs.com
LAMBcast #66: Scream 4
We had a full house of five LAMBcasters on board to discuss the latest installment of Wes Craven's once-upon-a-time-hip teen slasher franchise - would we think this one continues the tradition or falls flat? Nick, Jason, James, Dylan and Simon break it down. Also - we bid adieu to the LAMB of the Week and unveil our new segment: Rants of the Week. Be sure to let us know what ya think!Also on tap:* Trailer Talk: The Change-Up* Last LAMB StandingMusic provided royalty-free by Kevin MacLeod's Incompetech website. Big thanks to Kevin for providing this service. The LAMBcast loves feedback, too. Either here in the comments section or to blogcabins@yahoo.com or to our Facebook page. Also, we're on iTunes, and would still love a review, even if it's a bad one.Thanks for listening!
Stained Glass Cinema Sunday (#131)
BEGINNEREXPERTStandings:J.D. - 47TheGreatWhiteDope - 35.5Dreamrot (smacdonn), simoncolumb - 7Nick, Wendymoon, Steel11Kane (Kano), Stevee Taylor - 6Clive Dangerously, Justin, JLG, Mad Hatter, Rachel, BD79 - 5Jason/Daniel, David Bishop, Jason Soto, Andy, TheAnswerMVP2001 - 3TJMAC510 - 2.5Evan Derrick, Alex - 2TonyD, Luke Harrington, Adam Ross, Anders, Dave, Big Mike Mendez, Nic Cage, CaptainRon19, Anh Khoi Do, Tom, Andy the Time Lord - 1Here are the altered/actual posters from last time:
Ladies of the 90s Tournament - Round 3: Denise Richards (2) vs. Angelina Jolie (5)
Previous results: Halle Berry came back and took down America's Sweetheart of the 90s, beating Julia Roberts 20-17. Now, I present you with the final matchup of the third round - which vixen will advance to the final four? Click here to view the not-quite-updated full bracket.Denise Richards90s Highlights: Wild Things, Drop Dead Gorgeous, The World Is Not EnoughAngelina Jolie90s Highlights: Hackers, Girl, Interrupted, The Bone Collector poll by twiigs.com
The State of the Cabins (4/27/11)
Movies watched for the first time (non-theatrically) since last week:None. Been too busy watching A) Parks and Recreation (and loving it, after a rough first few episodes to start off), and B) movies I've already seen. In the past week or so, I've watched:* Avatar - Played out the same as the theatrical viewing, generally speaking. Re-hashed story, pancake characters, and offensive stand-ins of the Na'vi (or however it's spelled) for Native Americans. Did that aspect (the indigenous people) have to be sooooo blatant?Still, it's a marvel to look at, has some solid action, and I can't help but love Stephen Lang in it, since he's the only character with any character in the damn movie. Everyone else is so bland.* Terminator: Salvation - Also felt the same about this one. I was one of the eight people that liked this when it came out, and that held true. I still have to kind of marvel at Sam Worthington in this one; I don't know if it's good direction or just an interestingly-written character, but he really was the standout of the film and, if you'd only seen this performance from him, you'd think he was destined for bigger and better things. I guess the jury is still somewhat out on that front, but Avatar and Clash certainly didn't help. Solid action and a good, logical progression of the story benefit this greatly. And, of course, having Michael Ironside in your movie never hurts, either.* Dead Poets Society - Watching this will take you back to a time...not necessarily 1988, but a time in which we all believed that Robin Williams was destined for a great career as a dramatic and comedic actor (see Aiden's recent poll/comments for more on this). Well, his batting average would probably be pretty good for baseball, but not so much for movies. Still, this one is a classic, not only for his performance and the tear-jerker ending, but for the chance to see Bob Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke, Josh Charles, and That 70s Show's Red before they were famous(er).(Random note: One thing I couldn't help but notice that bugged me this time was the snow. Of course, like many flicks, it's fake, which in and of itself is annoying, but there are several goofs in which it is snowing in one angle and gone from the next. When it's bouncing back and forth between the two, it's a bit annoying, especially coming from a "prestige" Hollywood film like this. Boo, Peter Weir.)* Hot Tub Time Machine - Oooh boy, did this go down a few shades. Has it been only a year since this came out? Look, I'm gonna be a sucker for any flick with a Billy Zabka cameo (shame on you if you don't know who he is) and constant references to the 80s, but this thing is pretty shoddy and worse, not all that funny. It just feels half thought-out - undercooked and lazy writing and filmmaking, with enough bright spots to carry you from start to finish. Though I did catch a "You owe me two dollars!" line that I didn't get the first time around. That was nice.* Three Men and a Baby - AKA the top grossing film of 1987. If you haven't seen this in a while, go back and watch it and then marvel at that fact. Sure, it's got its charms - chief among them Tom Selleck, one of the best simultaneous man's man and ladies' man there ever was - but yeah, this is really not a very good movie. Makes Crocodile Dundee look great in comparison (note: I actually really think Croc is pretty great, despite its high level of datedness). I understand that they looked at the titular situation and thought "Uh, we kinda need something else here...this thing isn't gonna be 45 minutes long at this point!," but the drug angle was a fairly misguided one. Of course, the most stunning thing about Three Men was, is, and will always be the apartment/penthouse that these guys lived in. Sure, they were doing pretty well financially (one an architect, one an apparently syndicated cartoonist, and one a struggling/semi-successful TV actor), but this is still New York we're talking about here, where a shoebox currently rents out for probably $2,000. How much did that place cost, or rather, how much would it cost, since it wasn't even a real place to begin with? One reviewer guessed half a million per month, and they wrote that in 1987!Music I'm currently obsessed with listening to:* Changing the name of this section. I am certainly capable of getting obsessed with an artist, but it surely doesn't happen every week - more like a handful of times a year. Of course, I often have one awful song stuck in my head for several days in a week, but I doubt you want me to share those.Instead, here's a song that came up on the iPod earlier that was sadly never as popular as I thought it should have been. It's not deep or meaningful, but it's a hell of a lot of fun. Note to self: buy an Everclear greatest hits compilation (and get the Foo Fighters one while you're at it); both are bands that I generally like, but not enough to buy any of their studio albums.Book I'm currently reading:* Still with the omnibus. It's been a truly fascinating experience: I more or less dread reading it, largely because of my aversion to short stories and the fact that most end ironically and/or full of spite towards the characters, but I can't deny that they're well-written, and I continue to get sucked into nearly all of them. Dahl might not have had the widest array of characters (most are bourgeoisie types, either in London or New York), but his knowledge of various subjects is pretty vast (or at least, appears that way).Still, I'm looking forward to getting to a novel, and I probably won't get to one for another couple weeks.Things to Click On* Jess did a pretty sweet analysis of some of the most well-known romantic comedies, looking for trends and identifiable issues - what are the common themes/plot devices, and what works and - even more - what doesn't. (Insight Into Entertainment)* Fitz isn't all that thrilled with the actor chosen to lead the next Bourne flick. I can't say I blame him (even if I'm fine with the pick), though I'm all thumbs up for his choice. (Nevermind Popular Film)* Some crazy guy named Unicorn came up with a nice twist on his weekly DVD post to celebrate the fact that it was also his 900th post. (A Life in Equinox)* Vancetastic wants to look away from a certain gothy, fairy taley director...but can't. (The Audient)* Where does he get those wonderful toys? Castor nails another solid Top 10 list. (Anomalous Material)
Ladies of the 90s Tournament - Round 3: Julia Roberts (1) vs. Halle Berry (2)
Previous results: Leeloo go "bada boom. Big bada boom!" In other words, Uma Thurman destroyed Milla Jovovich - and I gotta say I was at least a little shocked at just how badly - to the tune of 19-5. Big bada boom. Click here to view the updated full bracket.Julia Roberts90s Highlights: Pretty Woman, Hook, The Pelican Brief, My Best Friend's Wedding, Notting Hill, Conspiracy TheoryHalle Berry90s Highlights: The Last Boy Scout, Strictly Business, Boomerang, Executive Decision, Bulworth poll by twiigs.com
Ladies of the 90s Tournament - Round 3: Uma Thurman (3) vs. Milla Jovovich (4)
Previous results: Alright, now this is gettin' interesting! In a matchup that spent most of its time tied up, America's Girl Next Door, Sandy Bullock, lived up to her number one seeding and edged Salma Hayek, 16-15. Click here to view the updated full bracket. Here are the resumes:Uma Thurman90s Highlights: Pulp Fiction, Gattaca, Beautiful Girls, Jennifer Eight, Final AnalysisMilla Jovovich90s Highlights: Dazed and Confused, The Fifth Element, He Got Game, The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc poll by twiigs.com
It finally hit me...
When I finally sat down to watch The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly some months back, Lee Van Cleef had to have been the standout for me. Pure evil, yet with grace. He also just had himself one hell of a unique look. Funny then, that he reminded me of someone then. Thing is, I could never figure out who...until now.I'm now saying that there should ever be a remake, but if they were to, could they get Stephen Lang to take Van Cleef's place?
Ladies of the 90s Tournament - Round 3: Sandra Bullock (1) vs. Salma Hayek (2)
Previous results: In an up-and-down battle, Halle Berry eventually sealed the deal, knocking out Batgirl herself, Alicia Silverstone, by the score of 17-13. And thus Round 3 begins today! Just six more matchups, including this one! Note: I don't have access to my spreadsheet right now, so no update to the bracket, but if you want to see it prior to the last matchup, click here.Sandra Bullock90s Highlights: Speed, Demolition Man, While You Were Sleeping, A Time to KillSalma Hayek90s Highlights: Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn, Dogma, Wild Wild West poll by twiigs.com