Brutal Honesty

Have you ever seen a movie with a group of people and had the complete opposite opinion of everyone else you saw it with? Like, say you didn't like the movie, but everyone else you saw it with did. What do you do in this situation? Do you lie?

I often hate being found in situations such as these. In all honesty I want every movie I see to be an exemplary piece of filmmaking, but as we all know that isn't always the case. Of course it can also be the opposite from time-to-time, you'll love the movie but the other people you saw it with don't. It's a complex situation, trying to get people to see your way as to why you thought this particular thing about this movie.

Ultimately there is no clear answer to this situation. Currently I'm practicing brutal honesty, don't cut any movie slack. If there is something bugging me about a movie, I cut some points off of its overall score. I find this the only way to truly accentuate my thoughts on movies rather than just agreeing with the rest of the movie going public.

To me it doesn't help me when someone simply says something was good or bad, I want to know why it was good and bad, thus it would help me to know whether or not I want to see the movie and whether the negatives or positives of it would bother me. Of course, if everyone practiced brutal honesty, then it might get ugly.

Trailer Rush: Crazy Heart

Jeff Bridges is one of those actors out there deserving of an Oscar. Nominated four times and still has never won, that has to be really frustrating. Well, perhaps with his new film, Crazy Heart, Bridges has that chance.

Crazy Heart is the story of washed up country singer Bad Blake, now experiencing rough times in his career. Can he find redemption? He might find the answer to that question through journalist Jean Craddock, who uncovers the true Bad Blake that no one else knows. Take a look:



It kind of reminds me a bit of The Wrestler, just more uplifting. Perhaps this is why Fox Searchlight, the distributor behind The Wrestler picked this one up for distribution. Jeff Bridges looks to be in top form here as Bad Blake, he is definitely in the race for Best Actor, of course after seeing this trailer I believe the film itself has a shot.

Whether come next March Crazy Heart is nominated for Best Picture or not, this one looks to be a perfect showcase of Bridge's acting abilities. Look for this one as it hits theaters in limited release, December 16th.

Intergalactic Warfare

Back in the '80s and early '90s there was a subsidiary of Marvel Comics called Epic. Epic is no longer around today, but one of the more popular comic book titles from Epic Comics was Alien Legion.

The story followed the members of the military unit Force Nomad, a unit in which takes in aliens to fight for the Earth military, similar to the French Foreign Legion. Well, it's recently been revealed that a movie is currently in development with mega-producer Jerry Buckheimer and Disney.

The script is being written by Derek Haas and Michael Brandt (3:10 to Yuma and Wanted). It's been reported that they're currently in the third draft, and it seems to be moving along very well. While there is no director attached to the project, it is being talked about as one of the next big franchises.

I'm actually not that familiar with Alien Legion. The concept sounds very intriguing, a kind of cross between something like Star Trek and Halo perhaps. I'd probably pay money to see it, I just am not sure how many people will show up at the theaters for a comic book movie in which most people have no knowledge of the property upon which it's based. I might be wrong. Hey, I thought the same thing before Iron Man and look how that turned out.

At the current moment there is no release date for Alien Legion, but it is one film that I am sure to keep my eye on. Just keep away Michael Bay and I should be satisfied with this one.

Trailer Rush: Leaves of Grass

A film about marijuana. That pretty much sums up the new film Leaves of Grass, of course it's got more to it than just that. The film stars Edward Norton in two roles, now before you go calling all Eddie Murphy on him, he's just pulling the classic playing two identical twin brothers, one a straight-laced business type, the other a pot-smoking redneck who's gotten in way over his head and needs his brother to pose as him to try and get out of it. Take a look:



Edward Norton as a redneck, Richard Dreyfuss throwing around cuss words, Keri Russell in a film about pot, and to cap it all off, Sigourney Weaver. What an odd cast for what looks to be an odd movie. First off, Norton rarely does comedy, he's typically a straight up dramatic actor, but I do find it fun to watch him here playing things to comedic effect. As a matter of fact, all of the cast members look as if they had a blast making this one. As for now I'm still a little on the fence about this one, but I will say it is at least on my radar.

The Ten Best Things About Star Wars

I'm a Star Wars nut. The original Star Wars trilogy is the perfect example of how movies should be, from the cinematography to the direction to the writing. While I'm not as big of a fan of the prequels, I still enjoy them and consider them worthy additions to the Star Wars saga. Today I've decided to just geek out a bit and revel in the galaxy far, far away and list the ten things about Star Wars that essentially separate it from any other film franchise in movie history. Let's get going.

10. Podracing - Whether you're a fan of the prequels or not, there is no denying that the podracing sequence in Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace is one of the more awesome action sequences in the entire series of films. Plus, Sebulba was a pretty cool alien no matter how you spin it.

9. Darth Maul - One of those fine movie villains. He barely utters two lines of dialogue, but his iconic look, along with his acrobatic moves and double-bladed lightsaber makes him one of the greatest Sith Lords of all-time. If only he had survived throughout all the prequels instead of old Count Dooku.

8. Yoda - The little green dude who made backwards talk a staple in pop culture. Yoda is the most powerful Jedi I think to ever exist. You can say Vader is the Chosen One as much as you like, but I'd like to of seen Vader take on Yoda in his prime when Yoda wasn't nearly an entire millenia old.

7. The Death Star Trench Run - Probably the most epic movie climax in movie history. Every single time I watch it I get filled with raw excitement, much like when I was a little kid watching this movie. Luke maneuvering down the trench, trusting in the force and destroying the Death Star, not to mention some last minute heroics from Han Solo in the Millenium Falcon.

6. Darth Vader - The big bad dude makes the list himself. Vader is the greatest screen villain of all-time, no debate about it. Darth Vader is the template for how a movie villain should be. He's evil, sympathetic, but also powerful with a rueful temper. His complex tragic story is the core of the Star Wars saga.

5. C-3PO and R2-D2 - When it comes to comedic movie sidekicks, these droids are the ones you're looking for (awful pun, I know). Threepio and Artoo are two of the finer movie characters ever created in my opinion, and one of them never even talks. Threepio and his constant worrying and logistical failures, and Artoo with his way too adventurous spirit, they're the model of friendship.

4. The Empire Strikes Back - This film as a whole is one of the best things ever about this franchise. This is the film where Star Wars went from being a simple adventure story to being the labyrinthine mythological story that we know it to be today. The romance between Han and Leia. Luke's training with Yoda. Vader and Luke's showdown. Han being frozen in carbonite. My favorite movie of all-time, hands down.

3. Lightsaber Duels - There are just too many to name one, so I'll just lump them all in together. From the very first duel on the Death Star between Old Ben and Vader, to the climactic showdown between Obi-Wan and Anakin on Mustafar, lightsaber duels have been a huge part of the Star Wars saga. It is safe to say that the image of a lightsaber is probably the most iconic thing about this franchise. While there are many duels in the films, my personal favorite is the battle at the end of Empire Strikes Back.

2. The Force - The mystical power that surrounds us all manages to make the list in and of itself. The force is what separates this series of films from just about any other sci-fi or fantasy film ever made. The struggle between light and dark. The force has very often been seen as an allegory for religion, believing in something in which you can't tangibly see and the power in which it imbues within oneself.

1. Han Solo - The Corellian smuggler himself tops the list. Harrison Ford made this character what he is today. The cock-sure swagger, the cynicism, the heroics, Han is the true definition of a swashbuckling hero that you just can't help but love.

And that does it Star Wars fanatics. What do ya'll think?