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A. Mills

TRON LEGACY, Dec. 18

Started by A. Mills Dec 11, 2010. 0 Replies

JON

Top 5 Films

Started by JON. Last reply by JulsnMatt1028 Dec 10, 2010. 6 Replies

JulsnMatt1028

The Office - Jim's Best Pranks

Started by JulsnMatt1028. Last reply by LB Chica Mar 25, 2010. 3 Replies

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Long Beach Voices Comment by Long Beach Voices on November 17, 2011 at 7:02pm

JON Comment by JON on August 7, 2011 at 10:38am

1st look at Anne Hathaway as Catwoman in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

 

JON Comment by JON on August 4, 2011 at 7:25pm

1st look at Henry Cavill in THE MAN OF STEEL

 

alex D. Comment by alex D. on July 30, 2011 at 5:41pm
def cosplayed for cowboys and aliens... haha
JON Comment by JON on July 14, 2011 at 10:22pm

The Amazing Spiderman - Entertainment Weekly

 

JON Comment by JON on July 14, 2011 at 10:17pm

The Dark Knight Rises - teaser poster

 

JON Comment by JON on September 20, 2010 at 11:13am
Who remembers the 80's cartoon Voltron? Looks like plans of doing a live-action movie are in the works. Below are concept art for the film. Not really feeling it. Looks too Transformers like -



MondoCelluloid.com Comment by MondoCelluloid.com on September 3, 2010 at 6:12pm
MACHETE - ***

Whether or not you were a fan of the 191-minute 2007 Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez collaboration Grindhouse, chances are you loved the film's "trailers." In keeping with the film's mission of delivering the 42nd Street "grindhouse" experience of a double-feature of sleazy, low-budget exploitation-fests sandwiching a series of film trailers promising more of the same, Tarantino and Rodriguez invited directors Edgar Wright, Rob Zombie, and Eli Roth to create fake trailers to introduce and bridge their respective feature films. Stealing the show was Rodriguez' own contribution, Machete, an explosive and thoroughly ridiculous orgy of violence, gruff B-movie line delivery, cameos by genre staples Jeff Fahey and Cheech Marin, and a machine gun-toting motorcycle. If Grindhouse itself wasn't a hit, the trailers certainly took on a life of their own; Roth has announced he is working on a Thanksgiving feature, but first, Rodriguez has given the world Machete, an action-packed, bloody, and hilarious 105-minute monster that truly delivers on the promise of both its trailer, and the 2007 "trailer" that started it all.

After lending his iconic presence to almost 200 features, actor Danny Trejo is finally given top billing as the title character, an former Federale who is hired under mysterious circumstances to assassinate ultra-conservative Senator McLaughlin, only to find himself betrayed and hunted down by the very men who hired him. Fahey and Marin return in their respective roles as suited sleazebag Booth and shotgun-wielding priest Padre, and rounding out the cast are Robert DeNiro as McLaughlin; Jessica Alba as conflicted Latina Immigration officer Sartana; Don Johnson as murderous white supremacist Lt. Stillman; Steven Seagal as Mexican drug lord Torrez (yes, Steven Seagal as Mexican drug lord Torrez); and Michelle Rodriguez as taco truck-operator Luz, who may or may not be the elusive freedom fighter She...

Rounding up such a great cast is impressive enough; getting them to understand and deliver the joke is a rare victory. The supporting heroes deliver their lines with appropriate B-movie self-importance, the villains speak in mustache-twirling tones, all while Trejo cleverly plays it subtly, letting his rough face and menacing eyes do the work as everyone else walks a tightrope between homage and parody, somehow managing to nail their marks every time: tongues may be in cheeks, but the stakes aren't any less real. Only in Lindsay Lohan's eyes, in a small role as drug-addled party girl April, do we see the reflection of a camera; it's no surprise that her part is so short and her lines so limited, as there's just enough self-awareness in her smile and her eyes to risk destroying the wall Rodriguez has built so effectively. Still, it is of course a blast and admitted guilty pleasure to see her in this role, particularly towards the film's climax as April is given a chance to shine.

Just as grindhouse films such as 1975's Mitchell and 1979's Penitentiary addressed themes of social injustice and their respective political climates, Machete follows suit with a force, taking on the current battle over immigration, and in particular, Arizona's recent immigration law. To a slight fault, Machete drills the concept long and hard: scenes of high-ranking officials taking dune-buggy joyrides through the desert and picking off immigrants with shotguns work in the world of Troma, where everything is taken to the extreme, but somehow felt a little forced in Machete, which doesn't seem intent on making a distinction between the world of the film from the world of the audience. The character of Senator McLaughlin, while performed with furious gusto by Robert DeNiro (essentially playing George W. Bush on a sugar high), borders on cartoonish; an argument can be made that - well - George W. Bush was little more than a big cartoon surrounded by puppet masters such as those depicted in this film, but it doesn't take the great lengths of violence and prejudice-laden political infomercials that characters like McLaughlin and Lt. Stillman are guilty of to convince the audience that Xenophobia is Bad. Worst than simply dragging the film down slightly from time to time, these genuinely challenging scenes ultimately kill the fun spirit that the film is delivering with their disturbing personification of the current face of immigration. Unlike Paul Verhoeven's Robocop, which managed to keep its mood intact while incorporating similar moments of ultra-violence and satirical media to paint a political landscape, Machete drops the ball.

Still, in a movie where our hero escapes through a hospital window by making a rope out of...well, no spoilers here...ultimately the goal is a cinematic rush, and at that level Machete is a success. A few punches are pulled here and there (70's movies never faded to black when sex was involved, and this film does so twice, each time evoking audible shock from the audience), and again, there are lulls here and there mostly due to a somewhat spoon-fed message not necessarily sought after by people paying $14 to watch a guy chop people up with a giant blade, but these are small dings on an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable ride.

- Logan Crow September 3, 2010


JON Comment by JON on August 6, 2010 at 12:10pm
I read today on a message board I frequent that WB & DC are moving forward with doing a JUSTICE LEAGUE movie but there's a catch... no SUPERMAN & BATMAN. That's just fucking stupid! Your 2 most recognizable characters in the DC universe and you leave them out.

I have a bad feeling about this!
LB Chica Comment by LB Chica on June 22, 2010 at 4:37pm
Top 5? hmm it goes through phases...right now:

1.United States of Tara
2.Dexter
3.Big Love
4. Modern Family
5.Roseanne, I will watch reruns of this show over & over again any time..
 

Members (48)

JulsnMatt1028 The Man LB Chica JON MondoCelluloid.com GDub Stylez® Sharyonda N. Yarbrough 12 0 13 Art Theatre nicollette ThePrimeSpot.com Apryl Juls Christina A. Mills CityLife Long Beach Voices alex D. MaxOne EDM Gary DeWitt Marshall Jane Tipton Robert C Jaime Gochez Rosi Joon Damian C Marvin Mattox Nick Lopez & Mr. Muzik Productio
 
 
 

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