Category: movies

Game Change – a review

On By Rick McIn books, government, movies, product endorsementsLeave a comment

Many recommended this book:

Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime (2010)

… In 2008, the presidential election became blockbuster entertainment. Everyone was watching as the race for the White House unfolded like something from the realm of fiction. The meteoric rise and historic triumph of Barack Obama. The shocking fall of the House of Clinton—and the improbable resurrection of Hillary as Obama’s partner and America’s face to the world. The mercurial performance of John McCain and the mesmerizing emergence of Sarah Palin. …

It’s the definitive account of what happened.

You learn that you’d NEVER want to run for President of the USA. It’s ugly. It’s dirty.

Of the lead characters, John Edwards (in prison, I hope) and his wife Elizabeth (1949-2010) come off worst. A horror show.

Bill Clinton won’t be going to Heaven. I wouldn’t share a beer with him.

Michelle Obama comes out of the slime pit cleanest.

Actually, my opinion went UP for John McCain and Hilary. I personally campaigned against McCain in 2008, thinking him spawn of the Devil. He’s not as bad as I thought. I particularly liked how he backed Sarah Palin even after it became obvious that she was an insanely bad choice for VP.

Hilary would have been a great President.

If this stuff bores you to tears, you might want to wait on Game Change – the movie:

… an upcoming (March 2012) Jay Roach film based on the book of the same name by journalists John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. The film will primarily track the actions of the Republican Party during the 2008 Presidential Election.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Staring Sarah, I assume it’s a comedy. 🙂

why you can’t believe your eyes

On By Rick McIn movies, TVLeave a comment

Special effects.

The Emmy award-winning team at Brainstorm Digital has put together the before and after shots from season 2 of HBO’s hit series “Boardwalk Empire”.

Click PLAY or watch it on Vimeo.

… Says Glenn Allen, visual effects producer for Boardwalk Empire and co-founder of Brainstorm, “It’s our most complex job to date. Everything is HD now, so we have to treat it like a feature film. …

Thanks Ron.

a tourist in Europe

On By Rick McIn movies, travelLeave a comment

During my 3wks in England, Ireland and Belgium, every single day included Gymnastics and/or Travel.

But one evening I did get to wander Antwerp, quite deserted in January. Off season does have it’s advantages. The Antwerp hostel was empty. In London my hostel cost only 10£ / night.


more Antwerp photos

In London, my prettiest evening was walking along the Thames near Tower Bridge.

The look was intended to harmonize with nearby Tower of London.

In 1968, as a stunt to celebrate the RAF’s 50th birthday, Flt Lt Alan Pollock flew a jet fighter through the bridge. He was arrested and discharged from the Air Force.

A kook named Paul Martin did the same thing twice in 1973 before crashing his personal plane.

The Bridge inspired me to watch Robert Downey Jr’s Sherlock Holmes, set during the construction.

Click PLAY or watch the trailer on YouTube.

The bigger news on the Thames is the imminent opening of the Shard London Bridge Tower.


more photos

A fast walker myself, during rush hour downtown London the suits & skirts practically sprint to the Tube. Anxious, I assume, to get to the Telly. Or pub.

We’ll be seeing a LOT of LONDON during the Olympics.

The Iron Lady

On By Rick McIn government, moviesLeave a comment

The Iron Lady is a biographical British film about Margaret Thatcher, longest serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of the 20th century, portrayed primarily by Meryl Streep, but also, in her formative and early political years, by Alexandra Roach. …

It was met with largely mixed reviews, though critics did give praise to Streep’s performance. Roach is excellent too. And Jim Broadbent is superb as Denis Thatcher. In fact, Olivia Colman is very believable as Carol Thatcher, Maggie’s daughter. It’s hard to fault the acting.

It was obviously a mistake to try to fit Maggie’s entire life into one film. Much better would have been a snapshot — like The King’s Speech. Or … The Queen.

Helen Mirren won Best Actress in 2006. Streep should win this year. She’s already won the Golden Globe.

I didn’t learn anything new about Thatcher. But Streep fans should see The Iron Lady. She’s perhaps the greatest actor all-time, male or female.

I saw it at Canary Wharf, London, adding to the ambiance.

“it’s a girl”

On By Rick McIn movies, things getting worseLeave a comment

The statistics are sickening. The UN reports approximately 200 million girls in the world today are ‘missing’. India and China are said to eliminate more female infants than the number of girls born in the US each year. Lianyungang in China has the worst infant gender ratio on record with 163 boys born for every 100 girls. …

Click PLAY or watch the trailer on YouTube.

How you can help.

(via Kottke – The three deadliest words in the world: “it’s a girl”)

Everything Wrong With The Dark Knight Rises

On By Rick McIn moviesLeave a comment

For all its popularity and massive box office earnings, The Dark Knight Rises is still a film with many sins. We’ve listed them for you.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
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Ron concurs that this was a disappointing and crappy movie, despite the all-star cast.

It’s not one tenth as good as the previous Batman film.

charmed by Hanks & Roberts

On By Rick McIn moviesLeave a comment

Julia Roberts is timeless. Ageless. I’m a fan.

But who could believe that Tom Hanks isn’t bloated and over the hill by now?

When I first saw the trailer my reaction was: “How sad.”

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

But I actually completely enjoyed this movie. A fun romp. Quite believable. Tom Hanks is a good actor.

looking for Blade Runner in Japan

On By Rick McIn books, movies, travel1 Comment

Many walk the Japanese Metropolis at night looking for neon urban dystopia — technology overwhelming civilization. … I do, at least.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Twenty years ago I was quite culture shocked in this nation. But this time it seems clean, organized and friendly.

Welcoming.

Finally I got a taste of film noir. First night in Osaka, against advice at my hostel, I ran blindly along a riverbank.

Jets thundered overhead. Trains rumbled past every few minutes. It was dark. Pitch dark. Dogs raced by (well behaved, since they are Japanese). … A guitarist played “Hey Joe, Where You Gonna Go?“, alone. …

At the same time, on my iPod, I was listening to Blade Runner inspired Altered Carbon:

… hybrid of William Gibson’s Neuromancer and Norman Spinrad’s Deus X …

I was anticipating a Spinner spotlight.

… But it didn’t happen.

We’ll have to wait on the new Blade Runner movie, I guess, either a sequel or a prequel, with filming to begin no earlier than 2013. Without Harrison Ford.
____

Though it gets rave reviews, I agree with this guy. Altered Carbon’s nothing but “neckbeard wish-fulfillment”. Overrated.

Altered Carbon may well be a Hollywood film soon, too.

have you seen Source Code?

On By Rick McIn movies, product endorsements2 Comments

I love all movies with dubious time travel plots. Films like Memento.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

… Source Code has received critical acclaim by reviewers. Review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes reports that 92% of critics have given the film a positive review …

Critics have compared Source Code with the 1993 film Groundhog Day …

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times called the film “Confounding, exhilarating, challenging – and the best movie I’ve seen so far in 2011.” Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4, calling it “an ingenious thriller” where “you forgive the preposterous because it takes you to the perplexing.” …

Jake Gyllenhaal is terrific.

Woody Allen does Paris

On By Rick McIn movies1 Comment

I saw the latest “WAllen” — Midnight in Paris

He had fun with this one. Casting Cole Porter, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso and Gertrude Stein must have been a blast.

Corey Stoll as Ernest Hemingway was perfect.

Click PLAY or watch the trailer on YouTube.

… The movie explores themes of nostalgia, existentialism and xenocentrism.

Produced by Spanish group Mediapro and Allen’s Gravier Productions, the film stars Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Kathy Bates, Carla Bruni, Adrien Brody and Michael Sheen. …

His 41st film actually made money.

… Rotten Tomatoes reports that 92% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 149 reviews, with an average score of 7.9/10. Among Top Critics it received 95% positive reviews with an average rating of 8.2. The critical consensus is: “It may not boast the depth of his classic films, but the sweetly sentimental Midnight in Paris is funny and charming enough to satisfy Woody Allen fans.”

I’m a fan.