One World Planet

Are You Okay?

I don’t consider myself a mean person, a bitter person or an angry person but I find it very strange that sometimes sweet, nice people annoy the crap out of me. I am not talking about the kind of person that holds a door open for you or the kind of person that says “please and “thank you.” I am talking of the kind of person that coddles you and tries so hard to make you understand that, yes, they mean all the best and couldn’t want anything better for you.

 

Case and point: I know someone who will remain nameless who takes it upon his/herself to constantly, and I mean constantly, ask if I am okay. Even when I am in the best mood that has ever walked the moods of all the moods on this Earth, he/she will comes up to me and asks if I am okay. I used to say yes and then wonder why he/she asked. Now I have gotten to the point where I turn the question back and say “are you?” which of course flabbergasts them to no end. Of course they are okay! They are always okay! Why wouldn’t they be okay!

 

I can state the psychological obviousness and simply say they are not okay that is why they ask everyone else if they are okay – oh did I not mention it’s not just me this person does this to, it’s everyone. Everyone must be checked on to see if they are “okay.”

 

Of course this could be all me and I am not okay in the fact that someone asking me if I am okay all the time is not okay by me. I just can’t get in line with it. I don’t want to get in line with it and will not be getting in line with it. I hope that means I’m okay.

Review: 2012 (2009)

When going into watch the end of the world you can almost be sure that you are in for, at the very least, a small depression afterwards. This was not the case. In a few words the movie 2012 was sad, happy, amazing, wonderful, depressing, awful, fun, and fantastic. Confusing? Well that is what the apocalypse seems to have brought out in me.

The movie starts out like almost any other movie in the action genre - slow moving and a little boring. Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) is a down and out published writer who has lost his family to another man due to his workaholic lifestyle. He now has a job as a limousine driver to a Russian billionaire. His ex-wife, Kate Curtis (AmandaPeet ), is happy in her new life, but is she? She seems to still have that small spark for her ex-husband, but who knows? Moreover who cares right? Let's get to the end of the world.

Well Earth ending friends the wait is not too long and what begins as minor cracks in the pavement soon turns to all out hell on Earth for the state of California. Jackson rushes to the aid of his family including Gordon (Tom McCarthy) the new Dad on the scene and whisks them away into an all out adventure to try and findsafety amongst the havoc.

Without giving too much away, there is something that Jackson and his family are rushing to to ensure their safety and survival. Usually in these sort ofstory lines you just know everyone will make it but the movie really doesn't it lend itself to cinematic assumptions and keeps the audience on the edge of their seat at every twist, turn and upside down twirl.

Review: The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)

New York City subways can be stressful as it is. Late arrivals, departures, costs, crowding. Now what if John Travolta hijacked your train? That would certainly put a damper on your day. Oh sure you may ask him for autograph but it would cramp your style pretty fast to find out this isn't John Travolta at but Ryder, a just released from prison criminal who is ready to take revenge on the city he feels has wronged him in a big way.

This remake of The Taking of Pelham 123 directed by Tony Scott has that cool Tony Scott feeling that we have come to know and love. The directing style is flashy, fast and quick. The opening scene when Ryder and his men are about to take the subway train reminds me a lot of the precision directing of Christoper Nolan's work for the opening scene of The Dark Knight. Fine, articulated camera work and angles steer you right into the action and onto that fated subway car.

At the control panel hub of the subway operation is civil service worker Walter Garber (Denzel Washington). He most certainly doesn't expect the day to go any different then most days - his boss riding his ass, his humdrum job that he was demoted to after being accused of taking a bribe, and his wife telling him to bring home a gallon of milk, but fate lends a hand and next thing you know Ryder is talking to Garber via a walkie talkie and the game of cat and mouse begins.

The thing I really enjoyed about this film was the obvious dedication to the parts that both Travolta and Washington put into them. What could have turned out to be a pretty boring back and forth conversation is warded off by the sheer acting talent both of the leads put forth in their separate approaches to their parts. As much as you want Ryder to loose, you don't necessarily want Garber to win. It is a very different approach to the story and only one that in the hands of these brilliant actors with director Scott at the helm could be pulled off. B

Live Action Yogi Bear with Aykroyd, Timberlake and Faris

So yeah that happened. Forget about talks about a new Superman movie or Justice League of America movie, it turns out Hollywood might be going the way of the Jellystone with some actors I guess I never though would be involved in this sort of project. Of course I never thought there would be this sort of project. This from Variety:

Anna Faris, Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake are heading to Jellystone Park as part of Warner Bros.' live-action/CG animated "Yogi Bear."

Donald De Line and Karen Rosenfelt are producing and Eric Brevig ("Journey to the Center of the Earth") is directing from a script by Brad Copeland.

Shooting's expected to start in New Zealand next month.

Faris is in negotiations to portray a documentary filmmaker in "Yogi." She recently voiced a role in "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" and toplined "The House Bunny."

Aykroyd is in negotiations to voice Yogi and Timberlake's in talks to voice Boo-Boo, Yogi's sidekick.

Yogi's character, inspired by Art Carney's portrayal of Ed Norton on "The Honeymooners," first appeared in Hanna-Barbera cartoons in 1958 and was voiced by Daws Butler.

DeLine exec Andrew Haas is exec producing. Original script for "Yogi" was penned by Joshua Sternin and Jeffrey Ventimilia.

New on DVD

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Spread

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Enlighten Up

Ink

U.S. Openings: November 13, 2009

2012

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The Messenger

Dare

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The Critics Don't Know You

What do critics know? Well they know how to influence you to see a movie or not. Say you are on the fence about a particular film and you want to see what the reviewers say. You go on over to Rotten Tomatoes or iMDB or wherever else you check out your reviews. You look for number grades, letter grades or keywords. If there is a low score, you will probably skip it. High score? You might give it a chance. The only curve ball in the mix is how does a critic know what you like and what you don’t like?

 

There are arguments that critics give unbiased reviews and just present the facts for you to make an informed decision. Right. Just like Fox News just presents the news and lets you make an informed decision. It’s just not the case.

 

2013 TV Show to follow 2012 Movie

What? Yes. Roland Emmerich seems to have been planning all along to bring us all to the big screen to make us sit our fannies in front of the small screen to see what happens after the end of the world. This from Get The Big Picture:

While on the red carpet for his new flick, Emmerich told Entertainment Weekly, “The plan is that it is 2013 and it’s about what happens after the disaster; it is about the resettling of Earth. That is very, very fascinating.”

“We said to Mark, ‘Why don’t you do a TV show that picks up where the movie leaves off and call it 2013?’ I think it will focus on a group of people who survived but not on the boats … maybe they were on a piece of land that was spared or one that became an island in the process of the crust moving. There are so many possibilities of what they could do and I’d be excited to watch it.”

Okay? Cool I guess. I mean at least he is up front about it. A lot of times movies decide to o a spin off way after the fact. I suppose it is a good thing that he is telling us these things before the movie is released (this Friday at an apocalyptic theater near you.) The only foreseeable problem would be is if the movie is no good or flops. I would imagine that would be a problem for television producers banking on the fact that the movie will be a huge success. If marketing was the only teller on the success of a movie, then I would say television producers have nothing to worry about. However, marketing is not the only teller, so I guess we will have to see what the end of the world has to offer.

Conan Teaser Poster and Plot

Conan the Barbarian. You know him. You love him. Now the teaser poster for the movie is online. I wouldn't say this is the most anticipated film that has ever been, but still, I think it may be a fun movie. Dread Central has the plot on their site so you will want to head over to their site to check it out. Just know there are probably spoilers in there. Poster:

Twilight: Eclipse Poster Art Now Online

Even though the second film in the Twilight saga, New Moon, does not come out until November 20, poster art from the third installment, Twilight: Eclipse, which will hit theaters on June 30, 2010 is now online. Check it out: