Aug 5 2011

Okay, The Change-Up

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You have me interested…


Nov 22 2010

Pre-Thanksgiving Blog Queue Roundup

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Hey folks.  It’s a short week due to Thanksgiving.  No podcast and we’ll just be posting today and tomorrow.  So, before the holiday break, I wanted to clear out a couple things I meant to post about last week:

First up, here’s some long lost footage from Back to the Future Part II. It’s the full video loop that plays outside the Biff Tannen Museum scene in alternate 1985. There’s definitely more here than we see in the finished film, and it sounds like the narration is still temp. So, I guess that makes this the version from alternate alternate 1985.

[/Film via BTTF.com]

While we’re on the subject, check out this very interesting article where BTTF scribe Bob Gale debunks some common misconceptions about the trilogy.

It’s old news now, but here’s the full Green Lantern trailer. Everything about it pleases me except the costume which was created entirely by CG rather than physical material. It looked great on the cover of Entertainment Weekly awhile back, but it’s kind of fakey when seen in motion. Hopefully they’ll give it one more pass before it hits theaters.

Here’s a publicity shot for the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark wherein Nicole Kidman from Moulin Rouge! is terrorized by a slouchy, bipedal version of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Badass Digest has three others, each goofier than the last.

"It's the fact that I'm a walking abomination isn't it?"

And finally, if you’re spending Monday counting the hours until the Thanksgiving holiday, embrace your frustration with this video compilation of every violent, primal, non-lingual utterance Arnold Schwarzenegger has ever committed to film. See you next week!

[Via /Film]


Jan 11 2010

Reynolds still Deadpool, Zombieland writers to provide the wisecracks.

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I was pretty jazzed when Ryan Reynolds was cast as Green Lantern, but I figured it severely slimmed the chances of his reprising his role from X-Men Origins: Wolverine in a Deadpool solo flick.  But, apparently, Deadpool is still a go, and the Zombieland guys are writing it.  Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (authors of my second favorite film of the year) have demonstrated an excellent mastery of  dry wit and dark comedy, making them a solid choice for a successful adaptation of Deadpool.

And this will make Reynolds the first big name I can think of to headline as both a Marvel and DC hero (although, I guess if you count his role in the third Blade movie, he was there already.)  All we need is a competent director, maybe somebody willing to let Reynolds improvise here and there, and this thing might turn out alright.

[via /iFilm]


Sep 9 2009

Logan’s Top Five College Films of All Freakin’ Time

I think South Park said it best: “There’s a time and place for everything- and it’s called college.”  The following movies are the finest examples of why this statement is true.  They’re also insanely funny, highly quotable, and will hopefully remind you why it was worth the money you’re still paying on those student loans.

5.  National Lampoon’s Van Wilder (2002)van wilder
“Crazy kids with their crazy VDs.”
-Van Wilder
Allow me to be honest: National Lampoon’s Van Wilder has an incredibly weak script, a finale that revolves around lots of pooping, and the “acting” ability of one Ms. Tara Reid.  But you know what?  It’s easy to forget about all of that when you have Ryan “I swear I’m not Chevy Chase” Reynolds as your title character.  This was the role that finally brought him to Hollywood’s attention and it saves what otherwise would have been yet another straight to DVD National Lampoon film. 
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆  7 out of 10 

4.  National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978)animal-house
“Grab a brew.  Don’t cost nothin’.”
-Bluto

There’s really not much I can say about this film that you don’t already know.  If you went to college/been within 20 feet of a college/heard of the word “college” before, then you’ve most likely already seen this film more times than you care to mention.  What can I say?  It’s a classic.
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆  7 out of 10

3.  The Rules of Attraction (2002)rules1
“He’s not OD-ing.  He’s a freshman.  Freshmen don’t OD.”
-Paul Denton
Chances are that you’ve never heard of Roger Avary, which is a shame.  Here’s what you don’t know: He’s the other guy who won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for Pulp Fiction.  Yeah, he could have cashed in on the  Tarantino name for years to come, but he chose instead to take his career as a writer/director in a different direction when he adapted Bret Easton Ellis’ satirical 1987 novel. Unlike the other films on this list, this is not a college movie about the goofy guy with the wacky friends that gets the girl in the end…this is a film about the people you tried your best to avoid in college.  Oh, and as long as you’re not easily offended, it’s also damn funny.
 Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆  8 out of 10    

2.  Slackers (2002)slackers
“I like you.  I’ll probably give you a nickname.”
-Cool Ethan
I always thought that this would be one of those little seen comedies that would slowly build a large underground following, much like Office Space.  Seven years later (and a 4.8 average rating on IMDB) and I’m still wondering when it’s going to happen.  The biggest problem that people seem to have with this movie is that Jason Schwartzman is not acting like he’s in a Wes Anderson film.  Unlike Anderson, it’s obvious that the director of Slackers just let Schwartzman go nuts with the character.  That, combined with Critical End! fav Devon Sawa and a large cast of people you’ll recognize from the late 90’s, make this a must see.  Oh,and good luck getting this Schwartzman written closing tune out of your head:

Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆  8 out of 10 

1.  Dead Man on Campus (1998)deadman
“You can’t be suicidal if you’re singing show tunes!”
-Cooper
Looking back, it seems like it was one of those all too rare nights when the comedy gods were on my side: It was my second night of college life.  I was in an entirely new world surrounded by strange people and experiences which I was totally unprepared for…when suddenly this movie came on TV and taught me everything I would need to know about the next few years.  Simply put, Dead Man on Campus is the greatest film about college life ever made.  It’s one of those sneaky films that you’ll find yourself quoting for months after and wanting to watch again and again.  While the very funny and original script is to blame for much of this, it’s really hard to mention this movie without bringing up the fact that it should have launched Mark Paul Gosselaar’s post Saved by the Bell career.  This is definitely one of those “time and place” movies, the likes of which we may not see again for a long time.
Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆  9 out of 10

Okay, now it’s your turn.  Agree?  Disagree?  Let me know what I missed.


Jul 5 2009

Ryan Reynolds knows you’re watching him (this means you, Logan)

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ryan-reynolds-deadpool-xmen

Ryan Reynolds has just gone from “actor whose agent says they like comics to up their geek cred” to “actual factual capes and cowls fan” in my book.

Deadpool - 4thWallX-Men Origins: Wolverine managed to waste both Deadpool as a character and Reynolds as an actor, but Reynolds has apparently insisted that the spin-off movie stick close to the source material, specifically Deadpool’s fourth-wall-breaking awareness that he’s in a work of fiction. Combine this with the speculation that the albino thing at the end of Wolverine was in fact a clone of Deadpool and not the real deal (meaning we can happily ignore it going forward) and we may actually get an excellent cinematic take on one of my favorite characters.

[Via /Film]


May 25 2009

Critical End! (The Podcast) #14: And now he’s a dinosaur

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Critical End! (The Podcast) #14 is too sexy to die. REVIEWED: X-Men Origins: Wolverine. PLUS: More nerd talk than you can shake a bone claw at. SUPER BONUS PLUS: For a faster and wackier show, try the Alternate Nerd Voice Ashcan Edition.

Download it.

 

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Apr 15 2009

Critical End! (The Podcast) #10: Solve this with your words

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This episode wants to awkwardly make out with you on the Wild Mouse. REVIEWED: Adventureland. PLUS: The boys relive fears and hairstyles of the 1980s.

Download it.

 

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