Movies

407 posts

The 10 Best (or Worst?) Manic Pixie Dream Girls of All Time

For those not familiar with the term, “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” is a term coined by film reviewer Nathan Rabin in 2007 for a type of character we all know well.

She is generally petite, attractive, high on life, playful, prone to quirky antics and shenanigans, maybe minor crime that doesn’t hurt no-one, and will inevitably be obsessed with teaching a more straight-laced, brooding male character to “loosen up a little”, “be free”, “be happy” or similar.  They probably “meet cute” early in the work, too.
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Midnight Movie Review: Captain America – The First Avenger

I love movies. More importantly, I love seeing movies before almost everyone else. Certain movies will get me to the theater at midnight, so I figured I’d see them first and write a review the next day so you can get a real review from someone that isn’t a Hollywood hack.

In this installment… Captain America – The First Avenger. Continue reading →

Giant Sized Nerd News Roundup

Friends, we have made it to the big dance. The convention of conventions. Comic Con International, AKA the San Diego Comicon AKA, “Hover Hands Central” is upon us. If you’re lucky enough to be in San Diego may I be the first to say, “I envy you” and suggest you read N*E*R*D’s stellar series: How Not to Be A Jerk At Comic-Con, a three part series on good behavior in the nerdiest place on earth. After you’ve completed that and counted at least 5 Dark Knight Jokers, 3 Power Girls and at least one Cardboard Gundam, come back here and catch up on the news you missed on the floor before you head out and try to hit on She-Hulk.

For the rest of you, welcome to the Pity Party. You’re probably already glue to every website, blog, and begrudgingly to G4 (and maybe one episode of Cheaters) but I’m here to pick out the juiciest bits from Day 1. This week we learned that Universal hates books and puppies, the IT Department is up to something and you really really need to do a barrel roll in this week’s GIANT SIZED Nerd News Roundup! Continue reading →

Coming Attractions: Gwyneth Paltrow Bites the Big One, Teeny, Tiny Violins are Played

I’m beginning to think Steven Soderbergh and Matt Damon have a very Johnny Depp and Tim Burton type of relationship…this is disturbing. No, seriously, they usually work pretty well together and produce decent films, Matt Damon with his steely angst, his smart man’s smart man acting, and Soderbergh’s penchant for getting most every A-list actor in recent memory to sign on for one of his grand sprawling opuses usually dealing with polarizing topics such as drugs, espionage, government secrets, or making Andy Garcia’s veins protrude from his forehead as he runs a casino. Ensembles that come together for one common cause is kind of Soderbergh’s thing. And Contagion is no exception.

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Nerd News Roundup: Tales From the Trailer Park

Good news everyone! Besides hearing the previous sentence in Professor Farnsworth’s voice, I’ve also found a fresh batch of the nerdiest news around.  This week, we’re going to learn that you really should just grow up and one woman completely unwilling to do so. We’ll unlock the “secret” of Marvel’s upcoming comics. And finally, we’ll take a look at some coming attractions. All this and Godzilla in this week’s Nerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrrd News Roundup!

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Breakfast at Tiffany’s Has Overt Racism but You Should Still Watch It

A brouhaha has been started because the Brooklyn Bridge Conservancy wants to have a public showing of Breakfast at Tiffany’s which contains Mickey Rooney’s mocking and over the top portrayal of a Japanese-American. The over done makeup, squinting eyes and Rooney’s accent are clearly racist, but this alone is not reason enough to not show the film. It has many redeeming qualities and the depiction of the Mr. Yunioshi character is telling of attitudes of the time and allows us to get a glimpse into the mindset of what film makers thought was appropriate at the time, which was 1961.

The following are all films that have overt racism, sexism, classism or other offenses but that you should still see. Continue reading →

Midnight Movie Review: Transformers – Dark of the Moon

I love movies. More importantly, I love seeing movies before almost everyone else. Certain movies will get me to the theater at midnight, so I figured I’d see them first and write a review the next day so you can get a real review from someone that isn’t a Hollywood hack.

In this installment… Transformers – Dark of the Moon. Continue reading →