Category Archives: Banter

February 29, 2012

New Trailer for a little film called The Avengers!

By Paul

Hey, do you remember when you were a little kid, playing in your backyard? You’d be in your sandbox, or what have you, and have all your GI Joes fighting Cobra Command. Then, alongside your GI Joes, you have your Batman action figure jumping into the fray, only to have Skeletor inexplicably confront him on battlefield. But wait…what’s this!? Optimus Prime arrives to save the day! (and he’s also three times the size of all the other figures).

That doesn’t ring a bell? Oh…well that’s what I think of when I watch this new trailer for The Avengers. It’s a mishmash of superheroes/celebrities that really have no business sharing the same screen with one another, yet there they are! It really is a display unlike anything we have ever seen since emptying our old toy boxes.

Now I know the hype machine is on overdrive for this movie (seriously, just try to go through your normal day without hearing/seeing one morsel of Avengers). But still yet, one cannot deny the awesomeness of this trailer and the sheer amount of shit that is getting ‘splodeded (sic).

The Avengers opens in every crevice of America on May 4, 2012.

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February 27, 2012

If you only watch ONE trailer this year…

By Paul

…Then watch Iron Sky with those batshit-crazy Nazis on the goddamn moon!

BUT, if you watch TWO trailers this year, make sure the other is this one:

After four months of preparation, Jimmy Kimmel released his epic Movie: The Movie upon the masses last night following the Academy Awards.  This star-studded behemoth really is something to behold.  I found myself “el oh elling” more than a few times.  You can also check out the website for the “film” here.

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February 26, 2012

Act of Valor – a movie and a necessity

By Jake

It’s funny how a few words can spark so much emotion isn’t it? How they can really get you going? But lets not put the cart before the horse just yet… I’ll get back to that… oh trust me I’ll get back to that. I just got back from my local theater where I entertained myself with a little film you might have heard of called Act of Valor, about “an elite team of Navy SEALs who embark on a covert mission to recover a kidnapped CIA agent.” This movie was definitely entertaining, but I have more to say about its social implications than its entertainment value.

The movie Act of Valor was filmed using active-duty Navy SEALs as its main actors. The story centers around a group of Navy SEALs who must protect the interests of America from a terrorist attack. The script is noting new or unique, it was written by Kurt Johnstad who wrote 300, but the action is what makes this movie. The film actually began as a training/recruit video which evolved into something much more once they realized what they actually had on their hands. First-time feature film directors and former stuntmen Mike (Mouse) McCoy and Scott Waugh were able to capture amazing action sequences and tactics because the majority of the action scenes in this movie were filmed as part of actual training exercises. What does that mean? It means that this movie contained REAL machine gun battles, REAL submarines, REAL high speed boats with mini-guns, REAL aircraft carriers, and REAL helicopters, all while using LIVE FUCKING AMMUNITION… oh and it was done on a budget of about $12 million dollars… eat your heart out Hollywood big budget films, maybe you should start taking some lessons from doing things with military like precision and efficiency.

The action in this movie was decent at its worst, and cheer-inspiring at its best (what do you expect when you capture training exercises with live ammunition), and it really puts the viewer in the “first person shooter” position. This is almost the Call Of Duty movie some people have been waiting for. Since the main actors are not actors at all, the acting is stale (with the exception of the character “Senior.” His acting throughout the entire film is beyond awesome for a non-actor. He is likable, convincing, and entertaining… not to mention that he is the real shit. His interrogation scene… so very awesome its unspeakable), as so is the story. But this movie accomplishes what it was set out to do; to portray real life acts of valor and show what our military is made of. And you know what… what is wrong with that?

A couple days ago I came across a Twitter comment, a Tweet if you will, and I really wish I remembered who it was from, but recently I started to notice a lot of other comments along the same lines. I can’t recall it verbatim but it read something like this, “CAUTION! Act of Valor is nothing more than a recruiting tool for the U.S. Navy!!! Dont Be Fooled!!!” And I thought at first.. well, duh. The movie has “Ooh-rah!” written all over it. And then as I was sitting in the movie, it all came full circle. So what if it is? What the hell is so wrong with that?

Why can’t the U.S. Navy whose men and women serve to protect us, have a film which shows how fucking bad ass they are? What is so wrong with that? Why should we be ashamed of this, why should it be shunned, why is this something we should keep hidden like a dirty little secret!? I say show it! I could see a hundred more films like this before I see some other bullshit Hollywood movie trying to mask its left leaning message inside of some romantic comedy. I’m not talking politics here, I’m talking facts. With how far left Hollywood leans, the way they feign tolerance and acceptance, with the well known fact that actors who publicly lean right are shunned if not blacklisted completely, its amazing this movie even got made – it is absolutely amazing.

What is the difference between Act of Valor, and a movie whose motives and messages are hidden!? I say the latter of the two is the more evil! Why should we be ashamed of what we are!? Of what we have! This movie makes our military look bad ass, and you know what… IT FUCKING IS! I’m sorry if I am letting the cat out of the bag for anyone who didn’t know it, but like it or not America is the most powerful nation on this planet and our Military is all sorts of awesome! Is everyone so naive as to think that other countries don’t have something similar to this out there!? Maybe it isn’t as polished and as mainstream as Act of Valor but you better believe they have something like this which serves as their recruiting tool. And why is that a bad thing? Everyone deserves the right to brag every now and then. Every country and every man begs for the opportunity to pound their chest, to beat their own drum, to show what they are truely made of. We all need something to believe in. I’m not going to sit here and apologize for this film. It did was it was supposed to do. It showed the strength, intelligence, bravery, and the power of our fighting forces and I will not be ashamed of this. Was this a great movie? By no means. Was it entertaining as hell? You better believe it. Everyone deserves the right to show their sense of pride. And every country and every man, every now and then, wants to see the size of their dog in the fight.

Pssst... Hey, over here... it's America.

9 Comments   |  tags: , | posted in Banter, Jake

February 23, 2012

The Rock as Hercules?

By Paul

MGM is seeking a lead for Bret Ratner’s Hercules, and they may have found him in The People’s Champion.

Don't touch my Powerbar

Variety tells us today that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (no matter how many times I hear that full name, I laugh) is in discussions with MGM to be the titular (I laugh when I hear that too…don’t judge me) half man, half god.

I know what you’re thinking, and it’s true: this would be a first in the portrayal of Hercules in cinema.  What a bold move for the studio!  I hope you’ll join me in commending them for hiring an actor who, for the first time ever in the role of  Hercules,  was also the Tooth Fairy.

Hey, my kids gotta eat too!

Bravo, MGM.  You’ve given inspiration for millions of other freakishly strong guys out there who have sold out for boatloads of cash.

In all honesty, I like The Rock (just not enough to see Journey 2).  Remember his cameo in the Reno: 911 film?  Hilarious.  And I would be excited to see a new Hercules film.  Is it wrong, though, if I really, really want it to look something like this?…

4 Comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Banter, News, Paul

February 22, 2012

Cinema Recon’s LIVE Oscar Event!

By Paul

It will be a red carpet affair this February 26th (This Sunday!) @ 4:00 PST at the Cinema Recon Studios in San Ramon!  Join us for a special episode where we will bring you our commentary of the 84th Annual Academy Awards LIVE and uninterrupted!

Watching us is easier than you can possibly imagine!  Do you have a computer?  Do you have a TV?  Then you’re ready to invite Cinema Recon into your living room for Oscar night! (Disclaimer: If you do not have a computer OR a TV, we are sorry, but we don’t want poor people listening to our show)

Here’s everything you need to know:

  • You can watch us LIVE on CinemaRecon.com by going here during the event
  • Or, you can watch LIVE on our Ustream channel by going here during the event
  • Paul, Jake, Cassie and Billy will be ranting and raving continuously through the entire event, even during the commercials!
  • There is about a 3 second delay between our broadcast and what you will hear/see, so we recommend pausing your DVR for a couple of seconds to sync up our banter with the Awards
  • Don’t wanna watch us all by your lonesome??  Come on over to the Cinema Recon Studios: San Ramon!  We will trade hilarity for beer!

See you this Sunday!!

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Banter, Billy, Jake, Paul

February 22, 2012

American Reunion Full Trailer!

By Paul

Ah…nostalgia.  It’s a beautiful thing, isn’t it?  It gives us a warm feeling inside, makes us feel like we are among old friends….oh and it also makes movie studios boatloads of cash.

Behold, the new full trailer for American Reunion!  You’ll be saying “I remember when…!” in no time:

Remember when Jim had awkward sex talks with his dad?  Remember when Stifler said something inappropriate at the most inopportune time?  Remember when Jim’s Dad banged Stifler’s mom?!?  …okay, so that’s new.

Of course, as we like to say on this site, we will probably see it.  I really enjoyed the first two American Pie films, as they were pretty fresh back in good ol’ 1999.  It wasn’t until a few years later that they started cranking out the direct-to-DVD Americans that the franchise just turned into the mundane and a boob-parade for 14-year-old boys to rent at their local Blockbusters.

So, I for one welcome the current lull in each American actors’ career!  This means a) they are willing to return to the franchise that boosted them in the first place (a-la Vin Diesel), b) enough time has passed that we really would be curious to see another American Pie, and c) Hollywood can provide us with nostalgic entertainment at a nominal fee!  More Sherminator, please!

 

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February 16, 2012

Wanderlust Red Band Trailer Released

By Paul

Do you remember The State on MTV?  I do.  And fondly.  I was a huge fan of the short-lived sketch comedy series, and was sad to see it disappear in 1995.  Flash forward a few years to 2003 where several of the cast members reassembled to create the huge hit Reno 911!  Later in 2007, nearly all of The State was back together again for the film Reno 911!: Miami.  And there was much rejoicing.

Why am I talking about The State? Because the upcoming comedy Wanderlust will be reuniting many of the cast members once again!  (David Wain directed and the film features Joe Lo Truglio, Ken Marino, and Kerri Kenney-Silver)  A new red band trailer (that means it has naughty words, NSFW) was just released today through Break.com.  Check it out:

Vodpod videos no longer available.

The first trailer I saw forWanderlust didn’t really resonate with me, BUT after learning of The State’s involvement and seeing this new trailer, I’m actually thinking it could be a good time!  My, how easily swayed I am.

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February 15, 2012

Trailer for Intruders is Straightforward Horror!

By Paul

Well thanks are in order to Jake for pointing out this trailer to me today.  He knows full well that I cannot resist a new horror film, let alone a new horror trailer!  Have a gander at Intruders below:

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Intruders looks kind of like your typical, straight up slasher: disguised man wants you dead, will kill anyone in front of him along the way.  This is certainly not a bad thing.  Quite the contrary, a good horror film can follow the slasher structure to a “T” and still be successful.  Horror fans are a funny breed in that we can watch, what many could call, the same damn movie over and over again.  But the familiar is what we often love about the genre!  I for one love a good slasher, knowing that a new, annoying group of teens is about to get off’ed.  The variety comes in the settings, the twists, the kills, and the killers (often time even the killer is the same, as I have re-watched dozens of Friday the 13ths dozens of times).

Here our twist seems to be in the form of the supernatural.  Hard to get a good idea from the trailer, but for the most part, it looks pretty great! (Don’t look for it to get any higher than a 40% on Rotten Tomatoes, mind you)  It will undoubtedly get a lot of first-glance comparisons to The Strangers, just from the title alone.  I also found myself thinking of the Tooth Fairy for some reason while watching this (not the abomination starring The Rock, but the actual/fictional Tooth Fairy).  Anyone else get that vibe?  Weird…

Look for Intruders in limited release on March 30, 2012.


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February 15, 2012

Teenage Mutant Ninja Reboot

By Paul

This is the type of news that has potential to be insanely awesome…or simply inconsequential.  Collider reports that Paramount’s live action reboot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is courting a new director.  As of now, Jonathan Liebesman is in negotiations to helm the Heroes in a Half Shell.

In my professional opinion as “A random dude on the internet,”  I think Liebesman would be a good choice for this project.  All too often we see these “reboot” projects getting a tiny budget and are then thrown to an unproven or first time director.  Here, Liebesman has some credentials that should excite you if you are an old school Turtle fan.  Sure his movies haven’t all been stellar, but he’s cut his chops on more than a few big budget action films (Battle: L.A., the upcoming Wrath of The Titans).  Above all else though, he’s done R rated films.  If you are a classic TMNT fan, then you know where I am going with this.  You have been BEGGING for a remake of the Turtles that would see them back amidst their hardcore origins:

Wait, no…that’s not what I meant.  THOSE are the Turtles of the 1980’s Saturday morning cartoon, and while many might remember them as the very first incarnation of the Turtles, they are not the original amphibious ninjas.

Here we go, THESE are the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!  No colorful bandanas, no pizza boxes lying around, and no Krang (sorry Krang, you were admittedly fun).  These Turtles were created in the original 1984 comics.  They were brutal, violent, and awesome.  Remember in the 80’s cartoons how the Turtles never really used there sharp, pointy weapons, like the sais or katana blades?  Yeah, well the O.G. Comic Turtles used to decapitate fools like it was going out of style!  THESE are the Turtles we should see in an upcoming reboot.  I think Liebesman, if nothing else, is a small step in that direction and should be encouraging to fans.

We also have quite the backing on board with Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, and Andrew Form of Platinum Dunes all producing.  If you recall, they have been bringing us reboots of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street.  Say what you will about the quality of these remakes, but at least they didn’t cop-out and go PG-13 on any of them.

All that being said, I could easily write another several paragraphs on how this can go straight down shit creek, but I’ll spare you.  Let’s be optimistic for today!  Will we see a hard R-rated TMNT movie?  Meh, probably not.  But here’s to hoping the cartoons get ditched and the bad ass comics get their time on-screen!

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Banter, News, Paul

February 14, 2012

Top 5 Movies For Valentine’s Day!

By Paul

Ah, Valentine’s Day. For many, it is a day to celebrate and cherish the love between two people. For many others, its make-it-or-break-it time!! Gentlemen, I’m looking squarely at you. Not to fear, Paul of Cinema Recon is here to help! Now, once you’re done collecting yourself in the presence of my celebrity, I would like to assist you in making this Valentine’s Day a guaranteed success. I present to you my Top 5 Movies For Valentine’s Day:

#5)  The Mist

Now fellas, stop me when I hit too close to home: You’re on the couch with your best girl, flipping through channels, and your favorite action movie just happens to be on right that very minute! “Let’s watch this!” you say, “It will only be on 17 more times this month on HBO!” Your better half proceeds to cross her arms and roll her eyes, “Another shoot ‘em up??! More explosions?? Why can’t you be more cultured! Jessica’s boyfriend, Todd, took HER to go see A Frenchman Walks Amongst Doves.” Ouch. …stupid Todd.

Well this Valentine’s Day, get ready to impress your loved one by surprising her with Frank Darabont’s touching rendition of Stephen King’s The Mist! First of all, the entire film is in black and white (theatrical version), so she’ll immediately know you have an eye for the classics! That’s right, she’ll be shocked all to hell that you were mature enough to find a film of such exquisite tastes. Move over, The Artist! The Mist is a joyous romp as Father and Son have some bonding time at the local supermarket while learning the virtues of togetherness, religion, and proper pest control. The film culminates with a powerful final scene in which our heroes realize the importance of patience!

#4)  Seven

How about a little eye candy for the ladies? Yeah that’s right, I’m talking about that dreamboat Brad Pitt! If this Valentine’s Day your girl just wants to curl up with a blanket, a glass of wine, and pretend that her mother was right and she could have done better, treat her to Pitt’s charm in the 1995 romantic comedy Seven!

Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare In Love) stars alongside the aforementioned Achilles himself, as the two lovebirds try to adjust to their new big city life! Pitt’s performance is sinfully good as he tries to balance an aspiring detective career with his loving wife at home. Will Brad catch the bad guys before the roast gets cold!? What happens when he starts bringing his work home with him!? Uh oh! Unexpected house guests and no clean china dishes?!? This film will leave you so full of hilarity, you’ll need a take-out box when its over!

#3) Pan’s Labyrinth

I’m willing to bet you and your Cherry Pie have seen every Disney movie a dozen times, right? So instead of going out for Beauty and the Beast in 3D, get your family fantasy fix at home this Valentine’s Day with Guillermo Del Torro’s Pan’s Labyrinth!

No, this is not a sequel to the 1986 film Labyrinth, starring everyone’s favorite singing Goblin King, David Bowie, but its got twice the fantasy and thrice the memorable characters! Also known as El Laberinto Del Fauno in Spain (See! You’re cultured!), this whimsical tale follows the playful antics of a young girl on a quest to become a princess! Follow the adventures of young Ofelia as she sprints after fairies, dances with fauns, and even dines with a cartoonish old man that has eyeballs on his hands (how hysterical!!). Will little Ofelia become the princess she is destined to be?? I don’t want to spoil anything but…yes. Yes she does, and its a very beautiful and happy ending, completely devoid of the metaphorical.

#2) Requiem for a Dream

The candles are lit. The music is playing. She’s wearing that beautiful diamond necklace you surprised her with. How can this Valentine’s Day get any more romantic, you ask? Well…how about a little cinema….in the bedroom! Take her by the hand and follow those rose petals right up the DVD player, then gently slide under the sheets for Darren Aronofsky‘s lustful, adults-only film…Requiem for a Dream. Bow-chicka-wah-wow!

Satisfy both of your hungers while watching an erotic tale of four sexy characters…and their insatiable desire for [chocolate]! First, you’ll meet Sara, played by the sensual Ellen Burstyn, who loves working solo, trying on slinky red dresses and devouring the [chocolate] she so desperately craves! Next, you’ll see the [chocolate]-addicted Harry and Marion take turns giving eachother [chocolate] until there is absolutely none left! But never fear, sexy Tyrone is here! What follows is a [chocolate] threeway, with these young teens taking [chocolate] to heights you never thought possible! I’ll save the rest for you lovers out there…just be sure to have a heart shaped box of [chocolate] and some towels handy for this one!

#1) The Descent

That’s right boys. A chick flick. I know, I know, I can hear you rolling your eyes from here. But hear me out on this. Valentine’s Day is truly about one thing: making your favorite gal happy. This day is about her! You, as well as I, can suck it up for one day out of the entire year and sit through a movie that SHE wants to watch. And there is no better feel good movie that that says “I’m a loving, caring boyfriend” like the feminist-centric 2005 film The Descent.

Ripe with female empowerment, The Descent is one part Sex and the City, one part Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and a dash of any movie ever to star Meryl Streep. We take a long, introspective look into the struggles of friendship and love as six women attempt to reconnect with one another on the perfect vacation getaway (Hey Bro, sit down, I’m not done talking yet!). Sarah represents the loss of what once was. Juno represents the excitement of what could be. And then the rest of the girls represent some other powerful emotions that are unquestionably powerfully powerful. Can they stay together as the weight of the world comes crashing down around them? How will they react when faced with the dark caverns of their own insecurities. Watch as these six women battle their respective demons. Together.

I know what you’re thinking fellas: “How can I possibly sit through ANY OF THAT?!” I never said it would be easy. But, dammit, love isn’t supposed to be easy! So grab a few Red Bulls, sit up straight, and show her your sensitive side this Valentine’s Day. Maybe you’ll even be her “Todd” the next time she brags to her friends.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Banter, Paul