I was looking forward to Avatar, I really was.  It looked like it could be the next great film in the world of science fiction.  And in many ways, that holds true.  But as I’ve said time and time again, I can’t have the stimulation without the substance.  Characters need to be given life, depth, likeability.  Unfortunately, Avatar builds a beautiful high def world with one dimensional characters that are forgotten shortly after the credits role.

James Cameron’s ten year script that apparently couldn’t be made until the technology had advanced to now.  And seeing as everyone is talking about the technology, I’ll focus on that.  This is a CGI movie with live action characters in the same way that Gollum from Lord of the Rings was an actual person moving and speaking, and was then re-created on a computer.  Avatar is unparalleled in this regard.  The CGI is very noticeable in the dream world of the Na Vi (the blue cat-like clan) with vibrant colours and amazing creatures.  But when we come back to our war torn reality, you won’t believe you’re watching an animated feature.  It’s no wonder we can make anything happen on the silver screen with this technology at our fingertips.

The feature will be both shown in 3D and 2D and if you care about contrast, I’d go with 2D.  The colours will be pop and you won’t be tempted to remove 3D glasses to see the difference through-out the show.  I personally still think 3D is an overrated, over priced function in pictures that aren’t designed for it.  But for movies like My Bloody Valentine, Final Destination 3D and last year’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth – utterly fantastic.

Now back to the story. This isn’t something we haven’t seen before and Battle for Terra that was just released this year was pretty much the exact same thing.  It’s kind of like a gigantic cowboys and Indians movie with a twist.  The characters aren’t likeable, there’s little to no humour and it’s completely predictable.  The showcase is the FX, period.

In my opinion – and it’s only my opinion, Avatar is a spectacular technical achievement – but technically achieved does not a story make.

Take care, and if another Movie Guy site pops up, I most certainly will correct this post.  Happy Holidays and take care.

Here’s the deal.  Michael Myers came back to finish off his sister, Laurie Strode, played by Jamie Lee Curtis.   The first and second film all take place in the same evening and although the second film was wholly unnecessary, it did spark the rest of the franchise.  Audiences clambered for more Michael after disgracing the franchise with a no show in Halloween III.  So he returned, but Jamie Lee didn’t.  Not until 1998 when Halloween H20 was released.  It was a huge success, and a real tribute to the new age of slasher flicks (that had kicked off in ’96 with Scream).

I know what you’re thinking.  “But Jay, Jamie Lee came back for Halloween: Resurrection.”  Halloween Resurrection was ridiculous.  An insult to the best horror ending in years (Jamie Lee cutting off Myers’ head in H20 – brilliant).  No, Halloween Resurrection doesn’t count because the studio decided to ground a little extra pulp out of the story.  Insanity – make a decision. Stick with it.  That’s life.   And in this franchise Jamie Lee Curtis killed her brother.

Rob Zombie’s attempt to resurrect the series, in this movie goer’s opinion, was unnecessary.  Halloween from 1978 is still scary and they could have just re-released the original.  It probably would have made the same amount.

I know what you’re going to say. The story book was aimed at adults. Think again. The story book had hidden depths. No, again you’re wrong. The story book was dark and beautiful – are you serious? A full grown adult can read the children’s book, Where The Wild Things Are, in under a minute standing in line to pay for groceries. There are 6 pages entirely devoted to colourful monster pictures. I’m not knocking the book – it teaches kids lessons about acting in polite society and that everyone has a wild side etc., but you can’t seriously tell me that you can base an hour and forty-five minute film solely on this book. You’d be crazy to think that. So, let’s take the book out of the equation entirely and focus on the movie.

The film is gorgeous! Cinematically, it’s beautiful. It looks like it was taken directly from a children’s book and painted onto the screen. It’s really amazing – and the lighting is top notch. Dark and broody at times, light and bright at others. The cinematography definitely captures the emotions of the film! But as for the story. Kids aren’t going to like it! It’s long and nothing is happening on the screen. When I came out of the theatre I felt the same way that I did after seeing The Wrestler. And although I loved that picture, I never thought I’d feel that way after seeing a film so clearly marketed to children.

Max, played by new comer Max Records is fantastic as the boy in the wolf pajamas. He has a lot of talent and every time he looks at one of his new monster friend’s you see just how incredible a casting choice this child was. This movie is technically achieved. But what about a story?

I have to say that there were real genuine moments in this film that hold on tight and don’t let go. The opening scenes are some to name a few. But as soon as we get to the monsters, you’ve lost me. It’s a really dark story that represents the loneliness Max feels. But it was hard to watch. I kept thinking something horribly wrong is happening on screen. Some camera shots would take me out of the world altogether. Most of the time is spent fighting and jumping around a forest, proving to an audience that it could be done I guess? Friendships that are forged are forgettable at best, and that heart in your throat moment never really arrives.

Where the Wild Things Are is a technically achieved film, and director Spike Jonze is warranted applause for his risky choices in this otherwise unassuming piece. But technically achieved does not a story make.

Hit the”Fullscreen” button to find descriptions & titles of the flicks!

A creative blend of old school horror matching wits with America’s new comedic style makes Zombieland a tour de force that frankly, is one of the best pieced together pictures I’ve seen of the 2000s. Zombies are a lot of fun to make fun of. They’re dangerous, sure, but really, they’ve got a weakness that can be exploited. A love tap on the noggin, and slam – they’re out cold! Britain’s recent contemporary hit, Shaun of the Dead, was the first to exploit zombies in a fun new light. Then there was Fido that flew under the radar. And now Zombieland. Not just a horror/comedy, but also a coming of age story with the reputable new talent, Jesse Eisenberg.

You may think to yourself, I’ve seen this kid before, and you’d be right! The last feature he starred in was Adventureland next to Twilight’s Kristen Stewart. In this one, he doesn’t disappoint either. He stars as the neurotic young man who really didn’t have a life before the zombification of the world, and he still kinda doesn’t. And when his “rules” get in the way, Woody Harrelson is there to set him straight!

Woody Harrelson plays the too cool, movie good guy, but because it’s a comedy, he’s more like Simon Pegg than Bruce Willis. Spinning with two Uzis, knocking out zombies – hilarious (and very Hot Fuzz-ish)! But it works in every way! What to expect: It’s a Zombie film, so lots of gore, vulgar language and jumpy scary scenes. The opening credits set the tone for the entire film as we see a zombie exotic dancer chasing down a business man. Awesome! But this film is rated R, and with the content you should respect the rating.

It’s a lot of fun, so you’re not going to have bad dreams after seeing it! In short, this movie has everything you would expect from a zombie picture, and then on top of that, a solid story. The moral of which you’ll just have to check out for yourself, but you honestly can’t go wrong with this flick!

The theory is simple. Scream 3 wasn’t scary any more. You stripped the almighty R rating. Stop making them. And if you are going to redo them, it should be a reboot of the franchise a la Friday the 13th style. Ugh. I’m not getting through to anyone.

For the full story click the link below:
http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/2009/09/26/11127456-wenn-story.html

I think it’s pretty fantastic that when one man named Joss Whedon decided to create this idea (a cheerleader who becomes a “trendy” vampire slayer) and actually released the story on the big screen, it didn’t make any money at all. As a matter of fact the total gross of this film was a mere 16 million dollars (considering it’s success and popularity world wide now).

In 1992 when films like Clueless were making their debut and the world of teen flicks was on the rise, this type of money was just small potatoes. But, instead of abandoning his creation, Whedon created the pilot for a television series. This isn’t the first time Whedon has ignored an audience and went about things any way. In 2005 Joss Whedon released “Serenity” after his television series Firefly was cut after only 12 episodes. But Whedon stays true to his fanbase and seems to make sure that he can give them something more to enjoy instead of letting them stew in their anger that their television series had come to an abrupt end. During the writers strike while everyone else was picketting, he found another medium – the web. He created & financed “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog” that was released in 3 parts & has now rocked DVD sales.

But back to the Buff. The actual film is hokey. Fun, but still hokey. Lots of ass kicking, wise cracks and hey, what a stellar performance by Ben Affleck for all of 2 seconds! One of his first feature roles. Not to mention Hilary Swank as the popular clique chick, who you desperately want to have bitten by the clunky and goofy vamps. All in all, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie is much like the series (with less scary vampires) with a few exceptions. The scoobies. Angel, Xander, Willow & Giles. But to be frank, I must say that Luke Perry’s character is probably closer to Xander than Angel because of all the really stupid jokes – that are pretty bad. Luke Perry really was a tool, and for that reason alone you should want to watch this movie and see the other side of this once “teen idol”. If you’re too young to remember Luke Perry, he was the heartthrob of one of the greatest prime time teen soaps ever. The original Dawson’s Creek and O.C. Yes, we’re talking about Beverly Hills 90210. Not the new CW remodelling, but the original, back in the day with Brandon Walsh. AKA, good Canadian boy Jason Priestley.

So we have Buffy, starring Kristy Swanson, who by all accounts is somewhat more convincing in her role as a ditzy cheerleader than Sarah Michelle Gellar, but of course, we don’t have 7 full seasons to watch Swanson progress into the dynamite thinker that Gellar becomes, because hey, it’s an hour and a half long movie. But if you’re into Buffy at all, make sure to check out this pinnacle in the Joss Whedon creation that rocked the world. What don’t believe me? Google Buffy, not even The Vampire Slayer and watch how much info comes up. Or hell type Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the search engine on Wikipedia and I’ll bet you never knew how many dorks like me actually watched and became obsessed with the show. It’s a following now, much like Star Wars. Wow I’m a geek.

But after all that is said, I must say that I’m a giant Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan, and even after 7 seasons of Buffy and 5 seasons of Angel, I’m not done with this series. And as long as I have the X-Files to still watch on DVD TV and the upcoming release of Supernatural’s season 4, I should be ok until some new show takes over the “demon world” genre.

On Day 1 I met some awesome people though! And I ran into @agnesgarbowska (twitter talk) who gave me this awesome book called You, Me & Zombie! It’s a freaking Zombie story book for kids of all ages! Check out her stellar work at mymisiu.com – I’m freaking serious! A ZOMBIE KIDS BOOK! She also signs them at her booth and adds a little pic of you as a Zombie Thanks Aggy!

Below are some pics I took of the awesomeness that was Day 1 – Mark came along as you can see with the Tie Fighter.

Neill Bomkamp’s directorial debut sci-fi flick starts like an investigative news story and quickly becomes a fantasy tale unlike any other. “Prawns” (a derogatory name due to the aliens shrimp-like appearance) have landed in Johannesburg, South Africa and for 20 years have lived within the quarantine zone of “District 9.” Over those 20 years, District 9 has become a crime ridden slum, and our story picks up when a government agency that deals with Human-Alien relations (in the same fashion Nazi Germany dealt with Jewish people in a ghetto) decides to move the millions of alien refugees to a new plot of land. No better than the current conditions, but at least further away from the Johannesburg’s human population. Things don’t necessarily go according to plan though…as I’m sure you can imagine.

At the end of this one, I walked out of the Varsity amazed at how surprised I was by this new Wingnut Production (Peter Jackson’s production company). I really didn’t expect to be so thrilled by this rollercoaster actioner, but it was a terrific surprise all the same. But then again, I should have expected as much from a Peter Jackson production – and keep your eyes on newcomer Neill Bomkamp, he’s going to do amazing things!