My Thumbs Up to Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters

Today (yesterday) was a big event down at the Glendale Americana…a signing event for Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters followed by a screening!  I have a poster signed by Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario, Levin Rambin, Brandon Jackson and Douglas Smith.  I of course didn’t think of a single relevant thing to say to them and didn’t take the opportunity to embarrass myself with exclamations of adoration or anything amusing to blog about.  Nice people.  I didn’t try to get them to sign the book…  Of course if I could get Logan to sign anything… probably would be my DVD of Perks of Being a Wallflower.

And then afterwards was a 3-D screening of the new movie.  I really enjoyed it.  Not just because I saw it for free or because I was plied with complimentary popcorn and soda.  The movie itself was enjoyable.  Maybe it will only interest people who saw the first film; but I thought it was fairly fun. Continue reading “My Thumbs Up to Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters”

The Way, Way Back: Indie Films don’t have the budget to be disappointing explosions

2013 for me has been a semi-depressing collection of films.  Quite a few of the big films have been explosive disappointments.  It would be like instead of Jaws, Spielberg made Sharknado.  Jaws doesn’t suffer from a lack of shark; Sharknado (probably) suffers from an overabundance of sharks.

The film I saw today (yesterday), The Way, Way Back is an example of an enjoyable movie experience.  Written and directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, this small (under $5 million budget) film is bursting with charm and awkward humor.  If you can’t tell, I’m recommending that you see this film. Continue reading “The Way, Way Back: Indie Films don’t have the budget to be disappointing explosions”

Misleading headlines: Activists to boycott Harrison Ford’s new film

I saw this on Yahoo! and felt that I wanted to comment.  The headline was:  “Activists to boycott Harrison Ford’s new film.”

This is a misleading headline because it makes the uninformed reader think that for some reason activists are taking issue with Harrison Ford and therefore boycotting his films.  Which is incorrect.  The “activists” or “sane people who read” are actually boycotting Orson Scott Card, the author whose book Ender’s Game has been adapted for screen, featuring Harrison Ford.  Harrison Ford did not direct, produce, or write this film. Continue reading “Misleading headlines: Activists to boycott Harrison Ford’s new film”

Monsters University and World War Z

I saw some movies and I was thinking that I should say something about that.  Monsters University was enjoyable but I think I enjoyed the original Monsters Inc better.  Not a surprise.  But I thought it really looked nice.

World War Z wasn’t as bad as I had feared with the trailer.  Afterwards I had a thought which was kinda spoilery so I won’t include it here and OH GOD THIS POST REALLY SAYS NOTHING. Continue reading “Monsters University and World War Z”

Quicky 3am Film Review: Now You See Me

Hey I know it’s not a new release so this review probably isn’t going to help people because if you were interested in seeing Now You See Me, you probably have already gone.  Or maybe you forgot it exists and HEY READ MY REVIEW!

Now You See Me is a fun engaging film that draws you into a world of slight of hand.  I swear I was sober and I enjoyed it. Continue reading “Quicky 3am Film Review: Now You See Me”

Audi Man 3: Product Placement Fatigue

There’s an Audi commercial where Zachary Quinto and Leonard Nimoy drive german cars. Then there’s an Audi commercial where Robert Downey Junior and Gwyneth Paltrow drive Audis blah blah blah.  I mean a movie.  Iron Man 3.  And while one could make a case that “Vorsprung durch Technik” (Advancement through Technology) which is the main slogan for Audi is an appropriate motto for a guy who uses a robot suit to do superhuman feats, I have run into product placement fatigue. Continue reading “Audi Man 3: Product Placement Fatigue”

A Horrible Host: Beware of Shiny Aliens Who Want You to Live like Canadians

Last night I went to the Arclight Pasadena with Alethea to see a midnight screening of the Host.  I believe we both went in knowing that Rotten Tomatoes was currently listing it as 10% (update: now 12%) but we both have higher than average tolerance for bad content.  (My opinion. I also like to complain about inferior content so that could have increased my desire to go.)

After waiting in line for hours to see Stephenie Meyers and the cast of the Host at the Grove, how could I not see the movie?  And it took me several days to finish the book which I did.  I was somehow dedicated to the idea that I was going to endure this … movie.  And so with the help of Frank, the best Arclight Pasadena greeter and a manhattan made with jack, I tried to sit through the invasion of shiny aliens who want you to live like Canadians. Continue reading “A Horrible Host: Beware of Shiny Aliens Who Want You to Live like Canadians”