Movies

323 posts

Nerd News Roundup: Everybody Loses


Howdy readers! Some of you will go see Cowboys & Aliens while an unfortunate few will get dragged off to see the Smurfs by your children or a nostalgic and soon-to-be ex. Some of you might be at home sorting your Whale’s Vagina Comic Con swag into the “Keeper” and “eBay” piles. Some of you might even be deciding whether it’s classier to drink Scotch or Wine while playing Team Fortress 2 (the answer is Scotch, btw). Whatever you do this weekend, one thing is for certain: You need nerdy news.

Guess what? I have nerdy news. This week, Madden 12 gives you a 2nd chance, Martin Luther rears his ugly head, Dinosaurs are everywhere and another boardgame gets a movie in this week’s Nerd News Roundup!
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Everyone Likes That Movie But Me

Most of them aren't laughing either.

Let’s start with Bridesmaids.  One of the biggest, most successful comedies of the summer, right?  Fawning articles everywhere about how Kristen Wiig is the Next Great Female Comic Voice.  A 90% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  All my friends post glowing status updates about it on Facebook.  It was the “must see” comedy of the summer.

Well.  I kind of hated it.  Let the sniping begin! Continue reading →

Music Makes These 10 Movie Scenes Great

Here’s a list of movie scenes that are made great by the music to which they are set. I didn’t delve into the performances of songs in movies which is definitely going to be another list. Also, sorry if I didn’t include your favorite but there were definitely enough to make a second list. Without furthur ado, here is the not-so-definitive list. Continue reading →

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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Nerd News Roundup: Weekend Edition

  Well hello there my droogs. As promised, and because you’ve been such good little nerds and nerdettes, I’ve collected up bits and pieces of news that came out of Comicon this weekend. But wait, there’s more! I couldn’t just start up a weekend edition that was more of the same great article you receive during the week. What fun would that be? So, let’s give a hearty NNR welcome to the brand new TV section!  Considering all the sci-fi and fantasy programming hitting the airwaves this fall, it only makes sense. This weekend, Snow White gets serious, The Man In Black voices his concerns, Cable isn’t dead and a horror icon returns in this special Weekend Edition of the Nerd News Roundup!

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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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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 →

Nerd News Roundup: The Return of Evil

Boy oh boy, we’ve got some big news my dear little nerds and nerdettes. An icon of evil (or two) has returned from the dead, the video game movie race heats up and Sony strikes a blow against used game sales. Also, it’s time to start making the hard decisions about what you’re going to see at this year’s San Diego Comicon and whether or not to go as Zombie Sailor Moon or get away with just sporting Jayne’s Hat. All this and hot Dwarf photos in this week’s Nerd News Roundup!

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Nerd News Roundup: Pink Slips and Star-Spangled Underpants

Nerds from around the globe (especially Nerdopeans), gather round and feast your eyes on this week’s tales of tragedy and  triumph. This week comicdom lost one of it’s pioneering artists and a the studio that dared to lead us into the uncanny valley is hell to work for. Meanwhile, a Superhero icon shows us her bloomers and a director put his money and explosions where his mouth is. This is the Nerd News Roundup!

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