Monday, November 12, 2018

Goodbye Stan Lee

Comic book writer Stan Lee died today at age 95.  He’s best know for creating
or co-creating many iconic Marvel Comics character such as Iron-Man, Spider-Man, Fantasic Four, X-Men, and the Hulk.  He appeared in cameos in each of the Marvel movies.  His contributions to the world of comic book heroes can’t be overstated.  He recently had his foot prints and hand prints added to the concrete at The Chinese Theater.
See video here:  Stan Lee At Graumans Chinese Theatre

He will be missed but never forgotten.

Every Stan Lee Cameo




More about Stan Lee at Marvel.com





Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Friday, October 5, 2018

First Man Movie Review

First Man Review 


First Man is the latest film from Oscar winning writer and director Damien Chazelle. It tells the story of the events leading up to the first moon landing and the first man to set foot on the moon, Neil Armstrong. Chazelle’s previous films include La La Land and Whiplash.  First Man may be his weakest film so far.  Landing on the moon was one of the most monumental achievements in human history and you would expect this story to be filled with drama, excitement, and emotion but First Man is mostly lacking these things. Not since Philip Kaufman’s 1983 film, The Right Stuff, has a film attempted to cover the United States space program with such scope and ambition.  The films Apollo 13 and The Right Stuff cover similar territory in more interesting ways and with more emotional impact.  At the heart of First Man is Neil Armstrong and his family but the fundamental problem is that Claire Foy and Ryan Gosling don’t appear to have chemistry together. We see some personal trauma and marital difficulties but overall it’s a very dull relationship.  Ryan Gosling’s Neil Armstrong has trouble expressing emotion and it’s not clear if Ryan Gosling is delivering an true to life performance of a very boring person or a boring performance of an interesting person? Perhaps it’s accurate to a fault and some artistic license was in order. 




First Man’s other problem is the look and tone.  It’s dark looking style and tone is better suited for a horror film than a film about scientific endeavors.  Much of the film is shot using hand-held, cinema verite, style and there are a lot of extreme close ups with very narrow focus making it hard to follow some of the action.  Many scenes are shown only from the perspective of the astronauts and this limits much of the action. The costumes and set design appear very authentic but also add to the depressing tone with drab colors. The music works in some scenes but mostly contributes to an uninspiring tone. These decisions boil down to artistic and stylistic choices but they don’t lend themselves well to this story.  The movie isn’t very long at 2h 21m but the slow pace and minimal emotional impact make it feel much longer. First Man is an impressive technical achievement. State of the art visual effects and a faithful reproduction of major milestones including the moon landing itself are the strongest aspect of the film. The movie opens on October 12 shortly after NASA’s 60th Anniversary on October 1st and the definitive story of NASA has yet to be told.   It does a poor job of capturing a sense of excitement or accomplishment. Damien Chazelle’s reach has exceeded his grasp and instead of emotional and inspirational film First Man is a slog.  It gets 6 out of 10.




Watch The Right Stuff before First Man to see a better film and the events leading up the Apollo missions.

Watch Chuck Yeager's test flight, a clip from The Right Stuff.

 

Thursday, October 4, 2018

The Right Stuff Clip

Clip from The Right Stuff

Chuck Yeager's Test Flight

 

"The greatest pilot I ever saw."

Follow 95 year old Chuck Yeager on twitter: @GenChuckYeager
General Yeager tweets almost everyday.

Saturday, September 15, 2018

Predator, The Good One, Is Only $5 To Own On iTunes Right Now!

Predator is available in Digital 4K with HDR for $5 at Apple's iTunes Store.  It has movie extras such as trailers, behind the scenes, director's commentary, and text commentary.  It's worth at least $5.  Purchases on iTunes can be watched on Vudu, Movies Anywhere, and Fandango Now when you link your accounts.  The extras are only available watching through Apple.  Predator Ultra HD  disc is currently $35 on Amazon!

Enjoy this Honest Trailer
(includes all the spoilers)









Friday, September 7, 2018

Burt Reynolds 1936-2018

It's sad new that Burt Reynolds has passed away at age 82.
I recommend one of his recent movies from director Adam Rifkin called The Last Movie Star.



You can watch it on Amazon Prime Video.

Thursday, August 30, 2018

2001: A Space Symphony


Well done.

New First Man Trailer


First Man looks good.  I highly recommend The Right Stuff.  It portrays the
Mercury space program, the precursor to the Apollo space program
that landed Neil Armstrong on the Moon.  Check out the trailer.


The Right Stuff Trailer

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Thursday, August 23, 2018

DJI Release Latest Done, The Mavic 2


Professional cinematography for everyone!  It's available with 2 camera options.
It's shipping today!  Link below for more information.


Friday, May 11, 2018

The Fall Of Orion Pictures


BTW Orion used to be located at the former MGM lot which is currently Sony Pictures.

Monday, May 7, 2018

Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove Movie Vs. Book


Great movie!

Everyone should see this movie.  It's an influential comedy that is unlike any other Stanley Kubrick film.  This 1964 film was way ahead of its time.  Oh, and it also exposed the insidious communist plot of fluoridated water.


Smack Talk Review Of AMC's Mini Series The Terror


Smack Talk is a great channel.  Subscribe!!

Arrested Development Season 5 Trailer!


May 29, 2018



Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Making Of Isle Of Dogs


I watched Isle Of Dogs.  It's delightful.  I highly recommend it especially to fans of 
Wes Anderson films.  It will be nominated for Best Animated Feature and may end up winning, unless Incredibles II is beyond amazing.   Isle Of Dogs lightvalve score: 8 of 10

The House With A Clock In Its Walls Trailer



Early Man VFX Breakdown



Doom The Dark Ages Trailer