The WSJ has a short article about how Hollywood still falls short when portraying computer use in movies.

In the 1996 blockbuster "Mission: Impossible," the secret agent played by Tom Cruise uses email to set a trap for one of his adversaries -- a shadowy, Bible-quoting figure he knows only as "Max."

Mr. Cruise's character uses a laptop to compose an email message addressed to "Max@Job 3:14." Once he clicks the "send" button, the email is carried away in an oversized on-screen envelope, complete with postage stamp. In the real world, such a message would set the stage for a bounce-back error message, not an action/adventure thriller. [WSJ.com]

It's finally here, though the video quality isn't that great. I give you the trailer for Snakes on a Plane.

Pretty damn slick. I want to see the rest.

[via Caffeina]

Tonight I did a double feature of two movies. One I've watched many times already, and one that just came in from Greencine. First there was one of my favs, Shaun of the Dead. It still entertains and I needed a bit of that wackiness today. Then came Garden State, which came from Greencine, but which may be purchased soon.

I liked Garden State a bunch, but I'm not sure I could say why. I also couldn't decide right away if I liked it. I'm pretty sure I want to watch it again before sending it back.

Together though, they were an odd combination that I'm not sure were what I was looking for. Maybe I should have done Shaun then Bubba Ho-Tep and saved Garden State for tomorrow.

From the "in case you hadn't figured it out already" department. cbc.ca reports "Hollywood movies unrealistic when it comes to sex and pot". Are they implying that they are realistic when it comes to other drugs?

Hollywood movies unrealistic when it comes to sex and pot

A team of Australian medical researchers published a new study today that said Hollywood movies fail to show the negative consequences of sex and drug use.

The team lead by Dr. Hasantha Gunasekera of the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney studied 87 of Hollywood's biggest box-office hits since 1983 and found plenty of sex, but only one reference to condoms. The films contained no depictions of unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease. The report also said that drug-use tended to be portrayed "without negative consequences" among the top-grossing films of the past two decades.[cbc.ca]

Shining looks like it could rock. Check out the trailer.

Here's a fun little video for The Hollywood Reporter 26th Annual Key Art Awards. It features a number of well known voiceover artists. I know I've definitely heard all of them before on various movie trailers.

via Boing Boing

I've started reading a few new blogs lately that I've found quite enjoyable. The first being Kung Fu Monkey, which is pretty entertaining. Today he points to a new screenwriter blog by Josh Friedman, the credited co-writer of War of the Worlds. Though it's just a few posts old, it's quite fun. My favorite post being the one about Snakes on a Plane.

I ask Agent the name of the project, what it's about, etc. He says: Snakes on a Plane. Holy shit, I'm thinking. It's a title. It's a concept. It's a poster and a logline and whatever else you need it to be. It's perfect. Perfect. It's the Everlasting Gobstopper of movie titles.

...

Now out of both loyalty to the sacred bond between studio and screenwriter and also a serious desire to keep getting hired in this town, I will not give away any of the plot details of SNAKES ON A PLANE. But know this. As the great Sam Jackson would say: There are motherfucking snakes on the motherfucking plane.

What else do you need to know? How the snakes get on the plane, what the snakes do once they're on the plane, who puts the snakes on the plane, who is trying to get the snakes off the plane...This is not for you to ponder. There are snakes on the plane. End of fucking story. [I find your lack of faith disturbing]

Added bonus: comments from Samuel L Jackson on the movie.

No real point here, just some links I found interesting today.

• Sam & Max: The Flash Animation
• How Movie Studios Misuse Reviews [boing boing]
  

  Daily Star: "Trainspotting meets A Clockwork Orange!"

  Actual line: "This glum, violent drama about a Scottish thug ruined by drink is written and pretentiously directed by Richard Jobson whose approach — Trainspotting meets A Clockwork Orange — is bad enough to drive you to drink in no time."

• TV Dinner Inventor Gerry Thomas Dies [boing boing]

Now I'm off to try updating this blog to MT 3.2.

I just finished watching Shaun of the Dead for what must be the sixth time or so and I still catch little things that I'm amazed I missed. This time it was the use of the word exacerbate. I think I'm going to have to show it for the next movie night I do in a few weeks.

So I just realized that the drive-in theatre that is semi-close to me opens this weekend. And Sin City is showing. Now I just need to find someone to go with.

Amazon.com currently has a new version of the trailer to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on their home page. I'm now not quite as nervous about the movie as I had been. It's a decent trailer. Though I really hope a better video quality one gets released soon.

And for some additional information on the movie, here's an interview with the screenwriter who had the job of producing a final script. It's a pretty interesting read.

Okay, so I know there's no chance of me actually getting this, but damn what a cool collection.

Complete Criterion Collection gift set
241 movies for $5,000, about $20 each   [via Waxy.org Links]

(Cutey Honey after blocking LOTS of bullets with her sword)

So I finally got a chance to see the Cutey Honey live action movie. It was one of the more fun movies I've seen recently. Cutey Honey first came out years and years ago as a TV series by Go Nagi (the individual responsible for many classic shows) and has had numerous other animated versions throughout the years. Finally, someone did enough drugs to decide that the next incarnation really needed to be a live action movie.

What makes this movie great is that instead of going and tweaking the story too much it sticks with the same over the top feel that the anime has. It almost feels like you are watching an animated movie with live actors subbed in. It's cheesy as all hell, but then again Cutey Honey is cheesy to begin with. My only complaint would be that the ending battle where she goes up against Sister Jill left me wanting more, but in the end it works out alright. Now I just think they should do a live action TV series. I mean, if they can do a Sailor Moon one this should be no problem! Oh yeah, and the theme song for the movie, performed by Koda Kumi, rocks.

From CNN.com:

TV stations canceling 'Ryan' telecast

Worried about FCC sactions; film must run uncut

NEW YORK (AP) -- More than 20 ABC affiliates around the country, including two in Ohio, have announced that they won't take part in the network's Veterans Day airing of "Saving Private Ryan," saying the acclaimed film's violence and language could draw sanctions from the Federal Communications Commission.

The decisions mark a twist in the conflict over the aggressive stand the FCC has taken against obscenity and profanity since Janet Jackson flashed the world during the last Super Bowl halftime show.

Steven Spielberg's Oscar-winning movie aired on ABC with relatively little controversy in 2001 and 2002, but station owners -- including several in large markets -- are unnerved that airing it Thursday could bring federal punishment. The film includes a violent depiction of the D-Day invasion and profanity.

"It would clearly have been our preference to run the movie. We think it's a patriotic, artistic tribute to our fighting forces," Ray Cole, president of Citadel Communications, told AP Radio. The company owns three ABC affiliates in the Midwest.

...

Cole cited recent FCC actions and last week's re-election of President Bush as reasons for replacing "Saving Private Ryan" on Thursday with a music program and the TV movie "Return to Mayberry." [CNN.com]

I don't know about you, but I certainly find "Return to Mayberry" to be much more offensive than "Saving Private Ryan". I really hope this isn't some kind of sign of what TV will be like in the near future.

I was just looking at Amazon.com and noticed they had a little ad up for the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2. I loved the first collection, it was a great start to them releasing many old old cartoons that I hadn't seen in their entirely in ages. This one looks to continue the trend with a lot of early material. And even better, it comes out on my birthday next month (November 2nd)! I've added it to my wish list, anyone wanna pick it up for me?

Okay, I must agree with Suw that Shaun of the Dead is great. I'm not a huge fan of horror movies in general, but this is more than just a zombie movie. It's a zombie movie with comedy, or actually it's a romantic comedy with zombies. Whatever it is it is brilliant. It opens next Friday and everyone must go see it. Here's the Official Website . Go there and check it out so I gain pint points.

I was looking through the list of places where Ghost in the Shell:Innocence was playing in the next month and Hartford, CT was nowhere to be seen. Heck, there wasn't even anywhere in CT it is showing. I guess I'll have to see it in the Boston area (where it is showing at two different places). Anyone up for going to see it next Wednesday afternoon?

Wired has a nice article about three anime films making their way to the US in the coming months: Ghost in the Shell: Innocence, Steamboy, and Howl's Moving Castle. I'm pretty psyched about all of them. The trailers for Steamboy and Innocence look stunning, and i am hoping to find a copy of one for Howl's soon.

The Giants of Anime are Coming

In coming months, anime's three most prominent directors will release major films in the US. Oshii's Innocence will hit theaters in September. Soon afterward, Katsuhiro Otomo will debut Steamboy, an Indiana Jones-style adventure that takes place in an alternative Victorian age where turbo unicycles and pressure-powered jetpacks battle for supremacy. Then Hayao Miyazaki will deliver Howl's Moving Castle, about a teenage girl who flees a curse by hiding in a gigantic mechanical castle that prowls about on insectlike legs. In addition, Disney will issue three older Miyazaki films on DVD early next year, two of which have never before been released in the US.

The confluence of these films could finally put anime at center stage in a venue where success so far has been elusive: the box office. Even though Miyazaki's Spirited Away won the Oscar for best animated film in 2003, it didn't pack theaters. But unlike most previous US anime releases, these films have the backing of major studios. DreamWorks is distributing Innocence, Sony is handling Steamboy, and Disney is in line for Howl's Moving Castle. Anime enthusiasts have argued for years that the genre's fractured visions represent the most important cinematic movement since sex, lies, and videotape ushered in a new era of American independent film in 1986. Now multiplexers will have a chance to see what these fans have been talking about. [Wired News]

Of course Innocence doesn't even have viewing dates in CT yet. I hate this state at times, I'll be sure to be watching it up in Boston.

But either way it's pretty damn funny.

Doom 3 teenagers freaking out

Cory Doctorow: This is a video of two teenaged boys playing Doom 3 -- you can't see the game, just their reaction. As Joey notes, these kids are screaming like hyenas as the boo-scareys lurch out of the Doom 3 shadows and leap on their characters. One of the kids actually gnaws a pillow when it all gets to be too much for him. Pretty cool endorsement for a game, actually. 7.8MB WMV Link

Mirror Link (Thanks, Quentin!) (via AccordionGuy) [Boing Boing Blog]

 

#!/usr/bin/girl once again alerts me to important news:

Freddy and Jason...and?
I'm not sure if I want to laugh or cry about Freddy vs. Jason vs...Ash. [#!/usr/bin/girl]

My personal feeling? I will only allow this if Ash gets to kill them off for good. Or at least send them out to another dimension or something.

Further proof that they'll make a sequel for just about anything (and keep making them).

Though I have to admit, it's definitely original. I'm also amazed that there is still any life in the Chucky franchise. [via jwz]