Geek For E!

Geek For E!

Creators of the TwitView! Reviews in 140 characters or less.

Movie Review: Hotel Transylvania

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Hotel Transylvania is one of several animated horror shows for the kiddies hitting the multiplex..  With ParaNorman out earlier this year and Frankenweenie coming soon, it may feel like overkill.  But Hotel Transylvania has a sweet heart wrapped in it’s scary trappings, and is a film even the youngest of monster lovers can enjoy without getting the boo scared out of ‘em.  This movie is more fun than fright, a perfect way to get you (and/or your kids) geared up for Halloween.

In the 17th Century Count Dracula lost the love of his life to a pack of angry villagers, leaving him to raise their daughter Mavis all by himself.  Scared of what humans could do to little Mavis, he built Hotel Transylvania, a place where monsters could come out of hiding and relax.  Now it’s Mavis’ 118th birthday, and though daddy Drac had promised her she could see the world when she turned 118, he’s still not ready to let his little girl go.  To top it all off, her birthday party gets crashed by a hostel-hopping guy who isn’t the least bit monster-y.  What’s a vampire dad to do but try to keep things on the DL?  As always the truth comes out….Can the monsters learn to accept humans, or is Arnie what’s for dinner?

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Movie Review – Trouble with the Curve

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See the ball, hit the ball. A common phrase heard around baseball for years. See the ball…if you see the ball your mind is clear and able to process what’s happening around you. Hit the ball…with your mind clear you’re able to make contact, get a hit, take your base. See the ball, hit the ball. Seems simple enough. Yet this is where Trouble with the Curve misses the mark as it so badly wants to hit a Home Run at the bottom of the 9th, with the bases loaded, your team down by three runs, and you’re at the plate with a full count (3 balls, 2 strikes for those not in the know). When in fact it keeps hitting a foul ball early at bat and eventually when the hit happens, there’s no coming back from the deficit your team finds itself in.

 

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Movie Review: House at the End of the Street

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Hey, that house over there?  Yeah, the one that’s kind of falling apart.  Wanna hear a story?  It’s about a girl that went crazy and killed her family….  Mmm, gotta love local myths.  Hasn’t everyone had one of “those” houses in their neighborhood at one time or another?  Well, in House at the End of the Street it’s that time for a mother and daughter that are making a new start in a new town.  Probably should have gone one town over.  If they’d done that though, we wouldn’t have such a creepy-good shocker on our hands.  We win, they lose.

House at the End of the Street (or the lovely acronym I’ve seen, HATES) cranks things right up with a flashback that shows the unfortunate events.  Things continue on in the present, four years later.  Momma Sarah and teen daugher Elissa move into the house next door; such a bargain, what a great idea!  Sarah’s a doctor so her schedule is erratic.  But the first night there she notices a light on in the house next door.  The house where the murders occurred.  The house she was told was vacant.  Oops.

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Blu-Ray review: Titanic (1997)

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“Once more, you open the door….”  Will Titanic go on and on?  Well, it kind of does in the spiffy new Blu-Ray edition.  But for fans of the film and lovers of quality Blu-Ray it’s wonderful to see James Cameron use the tools he wielded so well in Avatar to spiff up this modern classic.

I have to admit that I had been burnt out on Titanic.  Not surprising, as I’d seen it 7 times or so in theaters, and innumerable times on VHS, DVD and TV.  (Yes, I watch movies I own on DVD when they pop up on television.  As the fellas from Guy Code say, #DontJudgeMe.)  I think it’s just that there’s only so many times anyone can see poor Jack slip into the icy black water before your heart will go plotz.  So, as much as I wanted to see the way this film had been dressed up for it’s new debut , there was a bit of trepidation hanging around as well.  But before I knew it I was sucked back into the story of Rose, Jack and the iceberg.  Not without a gasp or two though; the Blu-Ray tweaks and primps will take the breath away from anyone who has seen the movie as originally shown in theaters.  It’s so crystal-clear it’s almost freakish.

I wanted to raise my hand and touch the fuzzy-looking rust clinging to the sunken ship, count each sequins on Rose’s black-and-red gown.  I was gobsmacked at the visual clarity, and the detail the set, art and costuming crew that put Titanic together is quite literally in sharp focus.  Which makes the scene where all those lovely White Star Line plates come crashing down from the walls that much more heartbreaking.  The iceberg is clearer, with shades of color I’d never seen before (and I could aaaaaalmost get a bit of the prop-ness of it, as the ship grazes the ‘berg.)  The cast and crew commentary track says there was a small Godzilla embedded in the “ice”.  Now?  I feel like I could probably find it.

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Movie Review: The Possession

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Don’t Go In The Woods.  Don’t Go In The Basement.  Don’t Go In The House.  Don’t Go To Sleep.  “Don’t Go Breakin’ My Heart”(do doo do doo dooby do!)  It seems like horror movies are forever telling us what we shouldn’t be doing, y’know, if we wanna live and stuff.  The Possession struck fear deep into my heart, because it tells me not to buy weird stuff at yard sales.  Nooooooo!

Since this film is produced by Sam Raimi, who I always equate with great horror (Evil Dead, Drag Me To Hell, 30 Days of Night) rather than so-so Spiderman, I had hight hopes for this film.  Luckily, The Possession is just as creepy as the real-world events it’s based on.  With an original The Amityville Horror vibe and effective performances by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Matisyahu, Grant Show, Kyra Sedgwick and young Natasha Calis as new Box owner Emily, The Possession is a great way to get spooked.

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Movie Review: Searching for Sugar Man

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A brilliant singer/songwriter releases an album that becomes huge, making him a legend.  Then he seemingly disappears from the face of the earth, amid rumors of violent suicide.  Years later a few fans try to figure out what happened.  No, it’s not Eddie and the Cruisers.  This is Searching for Sugar Man, and it’s a true story.  Oh yeah, and the music is even better.  That this film is an achievement in real-life storytelling is no surprise; producers John Battsek (Restrepo) and Simon Chinn (Man On Wire) know how to pull us heart and soul into a true story.  It’s no different here.

The 1970s.  Tons of amazing music, tons of different types of music.  In the crush of bands and genres enters Rodriguez, a man whose raw, insightful songs draw the attention of record industry folk.  He releases a record, then another…but never seems to break into the big time.  He shifts back into the day-to-day world and becomes just another guy in Detroit, working for a living.

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Movie Review: ParaNorman

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Norman looks like he’s made to see the dead; with his shocked-up hair and big blue eyes, it seems he’s only waiting to get the bejeezus scared out of him.  Funny thing though, he ain’t afraid o’ no ghosts.  In fact, he seems downright bored with the life-challenged among us.  But when a centuries-old curse comes back to wreak havoc on Norman’s little town 300 years after town elders put to death an infamous witch, who they gonna call?

I’ve seen the teaser trailers for ParaNorman, and they look like the most awesomly cool bad-acid trip ever in the history of ever.  So with that in mind, I headed to the local taqueria for a martarita (or two).  I’m a professional y’all.  I needn’t have bothered; ParaNorman is a wild, funny ride for kids and adults.  No really.  If you’re into spooky fun, or you have little ones that are, this film is gonna be a treat that’s right up their darky, shadowy alley.  Think of this as a bit of fun in the vein (see what I did there?) of R.L. Stine…but with an emphasis on fun rather than “gotcha”.  And for you stop-motion fans out there (and really, who isn’t?)  The film is an absolutely breathtaking example of the genre.

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Movie Review: Sparkle

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Sparkle is a reboot of a 1976 film starring Irene Cara (Fame), about the struggles a singer goes through in her quest to become a star.  This new version takes the story and gives it a few well deserved tweaks here and there, breathing new life into the film and giving the actors something to really sink their teeth into.

It’s 1968, and Sparkle (Jordin Sparks) is a girl who, like many other girls, writes in her notebook whenever she’s got something to say.  But unlike most, her writings are amazing songs that show real talent.  But she doesn’t believe that she’s got what it takes to perform, so she asks her sister, Sister (Carmen Ejogo, Away We Go) to get up on stage instead.  Beautiful and self assured, Sister brings the house down.  A music scout named Stix (Derek Luke, Antwone Fisher) sees the performance and persuades them to form a group with their other sister Dee (Tika Sumpter, Gossip Girl), Sister & the Sisters.  Only problem is, mama Emma (Whitney Houston) is a Church Lady of the highest order; this isn’t gonna fly with her.  But the girls sneak out and become a sensation…trouble is, bright lights and fame comes with a dark side.  At least they get to rock some seriously amazing costumes (from the brilliant Oscar-nominated designer Ruth E. Carter, of Amistad, Malcolm X and Serenity).

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Movie Review: The Odd Life of Timothy Green

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The Odd Life of Timothy Green is a wonderful fairy tale for parents, would-be parents, and folks who wanna be parents.  And if you’re fine with talk of parenthood, kids and the struggle many have to become parents, you’ll enjoy this sweet story.  Good work, Disney, for coming up with a fairy tale for grownups.

Cindy (Jennifer Garner, with a fantastic Small Town Chic wardrobe) and Jim Green (Joel Edgerton) have done just about everything they possibly can in order to become parents.  Unfortunately, the good ol’ fashioned way isn’t in the stars for them.  So one night, over many glasses of wine, they draw up a “dream list” of things they’d love to see in the child they’ll never have.  What starts off as tearful ends up as a joyful (and drunken) riot of cheering, laughing and bittersweet wishing.  They put the list in an old cigar box and bury it in their garden, thinking they’ve closed the door on that chapter of their lives.  Surprise!  In a freak rainstorm that only seems to drench their yard, they find that they’re not alone; a muddy child has found his way into their home.  A child named Timothy — Cindy and Jim’s dream-list name — that calls them Mom and Dad.  There’s a hole in the garden where the cigar box used to be, and the kid has leaves on his ankles.  Guess the old “cabbage patch” tale could be true….

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Movie Review – The Bourne Legacy

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Jeremy Renner has had a big year so far with Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Marvel’s: The Avengers.  He’s proved that he can play in the big boy sandbox as a team player and can go toe-to-toe with Tom Cruise and Robert Downey, Jr. Does Renner have the ability to lead a big budget action movie on his own and is he able to carry the weight of a very successful movie franchise on his shoulders and usher in a new continuation of the story?

All these questions and more will be answered in the next episode of Soap.  (There are a few of you out there laughing right now that get this reference).

Or just read my review below the image….

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