Gentleman, mark your calendars. If she asks, you’re busy that day.  Which day am I talking about is irrelevant, just trust me.
I am simply trying to help you avoid the long-distance romcom Going the Distance, starring Drew Barrymore and “I’m a Mac” Justin Long.
Geez, they’re even holding the eye candy out in this one!
The movie looks painful. We’ve already seen it 100 times over. But for some reason, your girlfriend thinks it looks “cute.” Perhaps it’s because D-Bar has fooled the world into thinking she’s the girl next door. [Read more…]
Meet the Morgans
He was cute the first time.
Hugh Grant’s stammer had a clumsy kind of charm that worked in “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and, to some degree, “Notting Hill.” (We also concede that “About a Boy” was surprisingly entertaining, but it just fell flat at “Music and Lyrics” and “Two Weeks Notice”).
But the lameness factor just hit rock bottom with his latest movie, “Did you Hear about the Morgans?” He teams up with Sarah Jessica Parker, to deliver a totally forgettable romantic comedy that makes you want to say, “No I haven’t heard about the Morgans– and they’re not worth hearing about.”
Hugh once again dons that pained expression, as he plays Paul Morgan, whose marriage to Meryl (Parker) is on the rocks after his recent infidelity. He tries to win her back. She isn’t interested. And actually the whole audience why they’re together at all, because the two have no chemistry on-screen.
Their marriage is saved by, of all things, a murder. They both witness it, and they are sent by the FBI to a rural town that’s worlds away from their Manhattan lifestyle.
Hugh’s saving grace is his ability to give great one-liners, which periodically break the monotony of the movie. Unfortunately the good ones are too few and far between… just like Hugh’s movie career.
Titanic Coming Back in 3D
“Every night in my dreams I see you, I feeeel you…” Still really sticks once it you remember the titanic of a film – “Titanic”. Well next year a new crop of teenage girls will surely go crazy over the film since it is being remade into a 3D movie.
I know there would be people out there who’ll be less than enthusiastic about the news. But who cares? For girly girls like me who swooned and cried repeatedly during the countless time we saw the film back when we were in high school there’s no doubt that we’ll be awaiting the 3D remake of “Titanic”. For those involved in the film who’ll be making a titanic of a paycheck again once the blockbuster comes out, we can also be sure that they’ll probably be even more excited about the return of “Titanic”. The only one I can really think of who will benefit from the film that might not be too thrilled about its return would be Leo di Caprio simply because he is sooo over the crazy attention, especially from the paparazzi, from being a huge star. Of course he’s grown up a lot and should be able to handle the paparazzi thing now so maybe he isn’t to averse to the idea of “Titanic” coming back to make him the center of attention once more.
As for the actual 3D experience I am yet uncertain as to how that will pan out. Pretty sure that the once the boat starts sinking 3D aspect will make it more exciting but for the first part I don’t see how it’ll make much of a difference. Maybe cinemas should turn on fans (as in electric fans) during the famous “I’m flying” scene with Jack and Rose. Now THAT would be immersive.
Next books in Twilight series in development
With Twilight getting great numbers when it opened, it was a sure thing that the other books in the series will also get the movie treatment. In fact, the other books are now being put into development. Summit Entertainment has already acquired the rights to the next three novels of Stephenie Meyer’s vampire series. Melissa Rosenberg, who wrote the script for Twilight, has also been tasked to write the scripts for both New Moon and Eclipse.
Magic (1978) – Review
Those of you who were disappointed in this year’s most recent killer-ventriloquist-dummy-horror movie, “Dead Silence”, might be interested in checking out “Magic” starring Anthony Hopkins which was recently unearthed on DVD. Much more of a psychological thriller ala “Psycho” or “Rosemary’s Baby” and less of a gratuitous “killer toy” movie like “Child’s Play” or “Dolls”, “Magic” actually tells a very unnerving and engaging love story with a very solid cast you wouldn’t expect to see in a movie such as this.
Corky Withers (Anthony Hopkins) is a ventriloquist who’s moving up in the world of show business thanks to his manager, Ben Greene (Burgess Meredith). However, Corky is a bit too attached to his loud and crass dummy, Fats (voiced by Hopkins), and when he is required to take a psychological exam before taking a television contract, panics and flees to his old home town. He takes up residence at a lakeshore motel run by his old high school crush, Peggy (Ann-Margret), and the two immediately hit things off. However, Fats’ personality begins to dominate Corky’s and he views Peggy as competition. Corky undergoes even greater psychological stress when Peggy’s violent husband begins threatening him and Ben Greene tracks him down, determined to get to the bottom of his mental disorder. Corky eventually snaps from the stress and under Fats’ guidance, deals with his problems one after another.
For a movie that typically gets relegated to the silly horror movie bins alongside “Rock and Roll Nightmare” and “Troll 2”, “Magic” has an incredible cast. You’ve of course got the likes of Anthony Hopkins in the lead role, back before he really hit it big. But you’ve also got then-bombshell Ann-Margret and the ever-talented Burgess Meredith filling out the ranks. The all-star cast alone should tell you that this is more than some goofy movie about a killer ventriloquist dummy.
“Magic” is a psychological thriller at its core. Fats is never actually “alive” in the sense that his dummy-body isn’t animate; he exists only within Corky’s delusional mind. It’s rather similar to an episode of The Twilight Zone (“The Dummy”) in a few ways, so if you recall that popular episode then you might have an idea of how this movie was handled. While Fats is never actually alive, Hopkins delivers such a strong performance you actually find yourself forgetting he isn’t at times. Despite being an inanimate doll, Fats truly steals the show in this film. It’s amazing how frightening he can be. He never actually moves on his own (save for one scene where the dummy operator screwed up), yet he becomes such an entirely separate character from Corky, that you discover yourself finding Fats scary and Corky not, despite them being the same person.
“Magic” provides some very tense and memorable sequences. My favorite is the scene where Burgess Meredith tells Hopkins to shut Fats up for five minutes. The movie then moves along in real time as Hopkins nervously tries to keep Fats quiet. A very uncomfortable sequence done extremely well, to Oscar-winning Director Richard Attenborough’s credit.
If you’re in the mood for a wacky horror flick about killer ventriloquist dummies then you’re not going to find it here. However, if you’re in the mood for an extremely well-crafted and well-acted psychological horror film then you’ve come to the right place. “Magic” really delivers and belongs on every cinema fan’s shelf.
Grade: B+