tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56715422117444253502024-03-05T00:12:48.261-08:00Twitchy Says...Film Critic, Indie Filmmaker, General Film/Art/Life DiscussionBenjamin 'Twitchy' Strackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332128373989321844noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5671542211744425350.post-74574634243241199572009-08-22T16:19:00.001-07:002009-08-22T16:19:29.670-07:00Now Playing... G.I. JoeIn the mood for a good action flick? Well Joe brings it to you.<br>Now, if all you want is action, you may get a little bored in the middle. If you enjoy more, then there's a treat for you. The movie makes a fair attempt to make the characters 3-dimentional with lots of individual backstories and flashbacks. Unfortunately, the story and characters never made it past the plasticity of its namesake.<br>Not a bad movie, reminiscent of the original XXX movie. If you're interested in some good, solid action and some genuine mindless entertainment, the G.I. Joe just might be the movie for you.Benjamin 'Twitchy' Strackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332128373989321844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5671542211744425350.post-62803415740926070222009-07-01T14:20:00.001-07:002009-07-01T15:08:19.359-07:00A Tale of Two Cities.<br />It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...<p>Hey all. Sorry I've been MIA for so long now. Without any further adieu, I'm glad to let you all know that I got the job at FOX17. Been there almost 3 months now. Started on prompter, now running camera 3 most of the time. Its a lot of fun, but I'm still looking for a daytime job to help with bills.</p><p>The title of this post is referencing that I've been living half in GR, half in Kzoo for 3 months now. My lease is up end of july, so this will be behind me soon.</p><p>Since now I can blog on my new phone, I'm hoping to do more (albeit shorter) posts about what I'm watching and such. I'll also try to catch up soon with some of the better things I've seen in the past few months.</p><p>Until next time...</p><p><br /></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwtbXfqOWBgt65R8aY0BY_CZrqoXUL57JfpBQ-2fgGWTuL51Z7P5gEaucmWKa6AhMEcBa3EfRnrby8ZN8yyENgBLPw8-OIEVoVyTErFtmfMol9jhAgOzMXdfTSZS17A8rWrbLIhSPWAtM/s1600-h/fox_17_news_at_ten.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 155px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwtbXfqOWBgt65R8aY0BY_CZrqoXUL57JfpBQ-2fgGWTuL51Z7P5gEaucmWKa6AhMEcBa3EfRnrby8ZN8yyENgBLPw8-OIEVoVyTErFtmfMol9jhAgOzMXdfTSZS17A8rWrbLIhSPWAtM/s400/fox_17_news_at_ten.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353606680638368130" border="0" /></a></p><p><br /></p>Benjamin 'Twitchy' Strackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332128373989321844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5671542211744425350.post-90901040675181973752009-03-29T21:05:00.000-07:002009-03-29T22:00:08.411-07:00Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes....<br />So my term as President of the chapter is complete, so I now have significantly more time. Friday morning, I had a really great interview with the Director of Operations for WXMI Fox 17 in Grand Rapids. I felt the interview went very well, although there was an equipment test during it which I felt I was not properly prepared for. The position is an 'Operations Technician', and to start I'll only be getting 12ish hours a week, spread across 4 shifts. They would primarily be night shifts from 9pm-12 or so. I find out on Wednesday if I get the position or not.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Projects</span><br />My close friend and fellow filmmaker Chris Spenceley are trying to start working together on some projects. The foremost is helping him complete his feature length light-saber film, <span style="font-style: italic;">For Knowledge and Defense</span>. There'll be a new trailer of it on youtube soon that I recently helped him edit. We're also going to try and put together a few more short films in the next few months and into the summer.<br /><br />I'm also submitting my own short film, <span style="font-style: italic;">Static</span>, to the Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts, so we'll see how that goes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I'm Watching</span><br />Randomly, <span style="font-style: italic;">the Rocketeer</span> was on TV tonight, which makes meet very excited. It is by far one of my favorite movies from my childhood, right next to <span style="font-style: italic;">Hook</span>. And watching it now with a background in filmmaking, its still a pretty good flick. No surprise really after looking up the director Joe Johnston. He directed <span style="font-style: italic;">Jumanji</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">October Sky</span>, and <span style="font-style: italic;">Hildalgo</span>, all of which are movies I enjoy. Its also been announced that he'll be directing <span style="font-style: italic;">the First Avenger: Captain America</span> supposedly starring John Cena to come out in 2011. All that aside, if you've never seen <span style="font-style: italic;">the Rocketeer</span>, check it out. And if you have seen it, go catch it again.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMD5Z-he7K_roh5E_bVDpvBjcdt8aOSI2cgzr4GGaxbu_kvbVJc1fVVrZbaiSIpE6ZATQqVr1eeBhbm0W_F239RA4GKeoIIzUsDHp30otzAme6kIITRZGzHIUNpPjEjylarVcr1h6ZdU8/s1600-h/rocketeer.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 245px; height: 311px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMD5Z-he7K_roh5E_bVDpvBjcdt8aOSI2cgzr4GGaxbu_kvbVJc1fVVrZbaiSIpE6ZATQqVr1eeBhbm0W_F239RA4GKeoIIzUsDHp30otzAme6kIITRZGzHIUNpPjEjylarVcr1h6ZdU8/s320/rocketeer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318837884348449010" border="0" /></a>The other big deal thats happened in the past few weeks is the series finale of <span style="font-style: italic;">Battlestar Galactica</span>. This show has meant much to me for a long time. The mini-series premere started in December of my senior year of highschool, and I've watched it religiously ever since. All that being said, its ended in the most tragic, epic, mind-blowing way I ever could have imagined. My one spoiler is that Apollo and Starbuck don't end up together, and that makes me incredibly heart-broken. I've been waiting for 5 years to see them end up together, and they just walk away from each other. Everything else was beautiful and poetically appropriate. There's a few random episodes in the middle seasons, but other than that, watch the entire series, and enjoy the most beautiful ending to a television series that I have ever witnessed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5DN3SDSQLqaZ0fxu7SS33MscvyHE7_Jc61kLm7FwqBn82MBUclD3AN7DxdoqPSkd7X4C_rjbBsp7LuDl7emIda500wrlmbn7qDqrM0lVKG3iuOGUlVEHiUYdOdS79UkC9WMzA_LvVKA/s1600-h/7793Battlestar_Galactica.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 503px; height: 377px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5DN3SDSQLqaZ0fxu7SS33MscvyHE7_Jc61kLm7FwqBn82MBUclD3AN7DxdoqPSkd7X4C_rjbBsp7LuDl7emIda500wrlmbn7qDqrM0lVKG3iuOGUlVEHiUYdOdS79UkC9WMzA_LvVKA/s400/7793Battlestar_Galactica.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318839921754664338" border="0" /></a>Benjamin 'Twitchy' Strackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332128373989321844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5671542211744425350.post-69296631777333441962009-03-13T21:39:00.000-07:002009-03-29T21:58:49.925-07:00Progress!.<br />I've had a good week of movie watching and job searching. Rumor has it that Woodtv8 in Grand Rapids gave 'early retirement' packages to 30 of their technical crew in order to hire younger personnel. Needless to say they're getting a copy of my resume ASAP. My dad has a contact at Fox17 in GR, so he's getting my resume directly. Supposedly they cycle through cameramen every 3-6 weeks. Hopefully that doesn't mean they're terrible to work for.<br /><br />Theres a film crewing up in GR as well, for a feature called <span style="font-style: italic;">Genesis Code</span>. I googled it and came up with a Sci-Fi movie from a couple years ago(completely different). Apparently this is a film about a hockey player questioning his faith. It is a 8-9 million dollar movie, so thats a pretty high budget for something being shot here. Problem is, no matter my skill level, you generally can't be paid on feature until you have a crew credit on a feature, meaning I'd have to volunteer.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Projects</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Dragonflight</span> from <span style="font-style: italic;">Dragonriders of Pern</span> is coming along. I've been reading it all week and making mental notes on a structure for a screenplay. I feel that I have a few good ideas on how to make it exciting on a screen and yet very true to the book. After I finish, I'll re-read at least one more time and take specific notes as I write the movie synopsis.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I'm Watching</span><br />I watched <span style="font-style: italic;">The Gameplan</span> this week, and it was... well, livable. The saddest part was I felt that the little girl acted better than Duane 'the Rock' Johnson. I guess I can put up with it reminding myself that its a kid's movie.<br /><br />I saw <span style="font-style: italic;">Rachel Getting Married</span> tonight, and have to admit I really enjoyed it. It was a very good independent film. A big mental movie about how people people interact and observe and judge others, even within their own family. If you can find it, see it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1bFcO52bbwsqLlAcA7ZQJgj9c9pjSwPmRviNZmftEQYfotAFmm96ysxxIi22H9x9jDl_FIa4kSDbOlE0VNKqFM4OLoR-d-aS4-R8ShSB2IEoxdKXxLpFnspxyYjKz4yB81CXscyquvPg/s1600-h/rachel_getting_married.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1bFcO52bbwsqLlAcA7ZQJgj9c9pjSwPmRviNZmftEQYfotAFmm96ysxxIi22H9x9jDl_FIa4kSDbOlE0VNKqFM4OLoR-d-aS4-R8ShSB2IEoxdKXxLpFnspxyYjKz4yB81CXscyquvPg/s320/rachel_getting_married.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312906237874921378" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I saw <span style="font-style: italic;">Taken</span> at the end of last week, and absolutely loved it. Liam Neeson is simply brilliant. It was kind of like a more mature movie out of the Bourne series. It did not have the shakey camera of the Bourne series, and was therefore much easier to stomach. They also didn't try to play Neeson off as some super-man. He had great training, but was getting old, and had bits of trouble during fights, usually walking out with at least some small injury. A great portion was also shot river-side in Paris, which I can only imagine would have been a producer's nightmare (especially with the car chase). Overall, amazing film and I loved every minute of it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAT1Eor6-C_y45CVY_oyHLceqyzZd5QKO8e3IF15ig3I0_x26iKk8PT9_uIQXEi0c0qUBAE3lqdMeNRNM_4oMG_YJpI3EzmWAXmOkjibF2grtCpEGNOn6-KVPU5DEGMAOY9VX0U9yyF28/s1600-h/taken-film.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAT1Eor6-C_y45CVY_oyHLceqyzZd5QKO8e3IF15ig3I0_x26iKk8PT9_uIQXEi0c0qUBAE3lqdMeNRNM_4oMG_YJpI3EzmWAXmOkjibF2grtCpEGNOn6-KVPU5DEGMAOY9VX0U9yyF28/s320/taken-film.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312906049680609986" border="0" /></a>Benjamin 'Twitchy' Strackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332128373989321844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5671542211744425350.post-2146980176439688072009-03-06T14:32:00.000-08:002009-03-19T07:00:25.624-07:00Spring Break for Some<div style="text-align: left;"><br />Western's spring break was this week. Since I'm no longer a student, that means nothing to me, although I'm enjoying a brief respite from the fraternity.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Idea</span><br />People do so many different versions of Mass. What if Mass, and the text and meaning behind each movement, were put into a story in film? Hmmm... I'm going to toy with this further.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Coming Up</span><br />I've been asked to come into a local school to talk to kids about filmmaking and screenwriting. I need to go through some of my work as well as some famous movies/scripts to show the kids real-world examples of screenplay translated onto the big screen.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I'm Watching</span><br />Seen a few movies this week for the first time. <span style="font-style: italic;">Enchanted</span>, which was actually much better than I expected it to be. <span style="font-style: italic;">Meet the Robinsons</span>, which was also much better than I expected it to be, and actually did good young-age time travel stuff that I think kids would like without frying their brains (<span style="font-style: italic;">Back to the Future II</span> anyone?). <span style="font-style: italic;">Waterhorse: Legend of the Deep</span> was not a <span style="font-style: italic;">Eragon </span>rip-off as it seemed, and actually didn't make me never want to watch movies again...<br /><br />And after all those youngster-esque movies, last night for three hours in the theatre, I sat through <span style="font-style: italic;">Watchmen</span>.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtxTcdTsPqRy0ZgjEzTNc122YI7GiNTefOLeLARkaOFkdXU5HVP9QV9YmGxBJbsyhWP7LVt6skjCb7h74AfYb_Yqe9l8Kc8LScCv2cZEvYB8-xHXQRXqcbWi1Eb86rvcAMOKbjmRiAby4/s1600-h/watchmen.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtxTcdTsPqRy0ZgjEzTNc122YI7GiNTefOLeLARkaOFkdXU5HVP9QV9YmGxBJbsyhWP7LVt6skjCb7h74AfYb_Yqe9l8Kc8LScCv2cZEvYB8-xHXQRXqcbWi1Eb86rvcAMOKbjmRiAby4/s320/watchmen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310209822308544194" border="0" /></a><br />Loads of fun. Got the comic-book feel without the chunkyness of <span style="font-style: italic;">Sin City</span>. Lots of violence, lots of blood, a fair amount of sex, and and this-is-just-barely-R amount of nudity. If you're one who can stomache all that and enjoys dark alternate world superheroes, then this movie is for you. Most all-around entertaining movie I've seen in a while. Rumor has it, the DVD will include a FULL HOUR of deleted scenes. Crazy.<br /><br />'Til next time...</div>Benjamin 'Twitchy' Strackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332128373989321844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5671542211744425350.post-77955258264009495882009-02-25T11:58:00.000-08:002009-03-29T21:59:14.444-07:00Back into Blogging.<br />This past summer I feel like I tried creating this blog and making it much too specific. As such, I failed when my schedule got tough and I no longer cared to devote the time to reviewing movies. So I figured I'd simplify it some. This blog is now where I can talk about my projects, my job endeavors, things I've found, movies I've seen, etc.<br /><br />So the job hunt has not been going well. During the month of March, I will be expanding my search to Grand Rapids as well as Kalamazoo, and also be looking into being a cameraman for one of the news channels. For those of you who know me, you know I despise news production. So this is quite a reach for me to do so.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Projects</span><br />The fraternity's national headquarters has asked me (and several others) to make some short videos to drum up interest in going to national convention this summer. I of course can't make a simple video, so I have a few ideas on how to spice up the simple demand.<br /><br />I've had this idea on the backburner for a while. In the fraternity, we have a long, meaningful discussion that we call "To me to be a Sinfonian...", and I've been thinking for a while about turning it into a documentary. It would chronicle what being in this fraternity means to its members of different ages, backgrounds, walks of life, career paths, all the things that separate us; and all the things that bring us together.<br /><br />I haven't delved into it yet, but I'm also hoping to practice my screenwriting skills by writing feature-length screenplays for the books in both the Dragonriders of Pern series, and the Sword of Truth series. This of course means I need to re-read the books a few times, which of course means a LOT of time.<br /><br />I had an interesting idea to stir up my original feature-length screenplay I wrote last summer. It would make it more exciting, interesting, and structured. Its very... different. I'm sure I'll reveal the idea soon enough, but if you want to know, contact me personally.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I'm Watching</span><br />I've really been into streaming stuff on Netflix for the past week or so. Some TV shows I've been into include NCIS, which is simply brilliant, and Moonlight, which is one of the best written vampire shows I've ever seen. It brings you into this very different world of vampires, and keeps hold of you by focusing on good story and not vamp shenanigans. Moonlight was cancelled last spring from CBS after 16 episodes, another fallen gem in the aftermath of the writers strike. Also seen the first two episodes of Dollhouse, and feel thusfar a bit letdown by our friend Joss Whedon.<br /><br />In movies this week, I've watched Smart People, very entertaining. A few awful movies not worth mentioning. Saw Deja Vu which, other than having Val Kilmer in it, was very well done. Favorite movie for this week though has to be The Man from Earth. I never thought I'd sit through a movie that takes place in one room, not even any flashbacks. Purely dialogue, it keeps you interested for its entire hour and a half run. Here's to you, The Man from Earth!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUEckJIfvjxVptobJGjciTgKMhD4nehiV8dnamU_Rkak-AYLCgOjL1qqRo4b9TNLshA1-G-ss06_RcNbQPzAJPEv4cT2JUiOSRRcSkM96IpReoBoi-ZxF5Vk3Rsn0RT-j7gsh_omn8kpA/s1600-h/MFE-Home-Page-Background.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUEckJIfvjxVptobJGjciTgKMhD4nehiV8dnamU_Rkak-AYLCgOjL1qqRo4b9TNLshA1-G-ss06_RcNbQPzAJPEv4cT2JUiOSRRcSkM96IpReoBoi-ZxF5Vk3Rsn0RT-j7gsh_omn8kpA/s320/MFE-Home-Page-Background.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306833131377182098" border="0" /></a>Benjamin 'Twitchy' Strackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332128373989321844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5671542211744425350.post-84965912513881057072008-08-11T12:25:00.000-07:002009-03-13T22:26:50.124-07:00Movie of the Week for 8/1/08-8/7/08Sorry about the tardiness...<br /><br />Caught a few movies this week, some good. P.S. I Love You and The Count of Monte Cristo both came on Netflix and were both amazingly good.<br /><br />I bought Stargate: Continuum, the Stargate movie thats supposed to end the series. It was kind of a let down... no big battles, no real big twists... they just kind of re-hashed several television episodes.<br /><br />Saw The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Hated it. It looked like it was rushed through post-production, as the digital effects were not good. Thumbs down.<br /><br />And for the movie of the week:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgET549sjedmJi8sZozwgHAYgow5BeTeHX1rD4y-FzSJOQDPFIsI8d83n_9EtK-mtFs0pTyAoXaGShlAUmt040X8FaVvomz18QMLMY4KCt9OvBqj-TpZgYh2SoPaUDYKAUFmFysxlKeoGs/s1600-h/CASHBACK.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgET549sjedmJi8sZozwgHAYgow5BeTeHX1rD4y-FzSJOQDPFIsI8d83n_9EtK-mtFs0pTyAoXaGShlAUmt040X8FaVvomz18QMLMY4KCt9OvBqj-TpZgYh2SoPaUDYKAUFmFysxlKeoGs/s320/CASHBACK.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233348061047274658" border="0" /></a>Cashback. Neat little British film. Warning: do not watch if you're put off by female nudity. It was all relatively artistic, but still abundant. The main character is in love with the female body, and sketches nude women often. The interesting thing is he learns, through insomnia, how to stop time. So he stops time and wanders around people. Its a neat idea, and all of this are just aspects wrapping around a central traditional love story. Definitely a movie worth checking out.<br /><br />Until next week! (or hopefully Thursday)Benjamin 'Twitchy' Strackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332128373989321844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5671542211744425350.post-13983362039344629342008-07-30T10:11:00.000-07:002009-03-13T22:27:08.037-07:00Movie of the Week for 7/25/08-7/31/08Greetings all!<br /><br />So this week, in fact, I have seen very few movies, as I've picked up the 'Sword of Truth' series of books which has absorbed my time and my life.<br /><br />In television, the highly anticipated season finale of Dr. Who is this Friday on Sci-Fi, and any who love the series should definitely check it out. Its the 2nd half of a 2 part episode, so be sure to watch the first somewhere. http://watchdoctorwho.com is a site with occasional problems, but overall seems to work the best. It also displays shows ahead of time, so I can personally tell you that this season finale is outstanding.<br /><br />Also, Sam Raimi has signed on as the director for a mini-series/ possible TV series of the Sword of Truth series, currently slated to air sometime this November/December.<br /><br />In movies, many trailers have come forth in the past two weeks that I feel are of particular interest. The first being for the new Terminator movie staring Christian Bale, not starring Arnold. (YAY! Maybe he can focus on taking care of his state now.) Another is for Watchmen, based on a critically acclaimed graphic novel by the same name. Those I know who have read Watchmen seem extremely exited. Finally, the trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine aired at the Comic-con recently, and has been met with great excitement. Personally, I don't know how I feel about it, with X-Men Origins: Magneto already slated into pre-production, and following the atrocious failure of X-Men III. Also, with the huge line-up of movies in preparation for the Avengers film slated to premier summer of '11, I simply wonder how many super-heroes the audiences will be able to stand in the coming years. Speaking of the Avengers, John Sena? Captain America? Really? I guess they could do worse.<br /><br />One extra movie I did catch this week and thoroughly did not enjoy was Babel. I'm ok with long, slow movies that easily get you personally involved, such as Contact, but this was a long, slow movie that I just couldn't seem to care about. It never really maintained my interest and left me wishing I had gone to bed earlier. Which leads me to my pick of the week:<br /><br />*drumroll please*<br /><br />The first Movie of the Week is...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilcsw1aBhgjoDLNAwrH2v28E3XnQsipDZ7Sy-YgjVEDEXSQ6YNGDuaRg7E4wN2wOfAadTjSTJTprwrxhRBSvaiCNYqyKtKgSopU0NiWodVgLlptFHYiyxokmKsbivJ-W6qCAq5urh9lRY/s1600-h/New+Joker+poster+for+%27The+Dark+Knight%27.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilcsw1aBhgjoDLNAwrH2v28E3XnQsipDZ7Sy-YgjVEDEXSQ6YNGDuaRg7E4wN2wOfAadTjSTJTprwrxhRBSvaiCNYqyKtKgSopU0NiWodVgLlptFHYiyxokmKsbivJ-W6qCAq5urh9lRY/s320/New+Joker+poster+for+%27The+Dark+Knight%27.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233349483583472146" border="0" /></a><br />of course, The Dark Knight. Many have said this is one of the greatest movies ever. I firmly disagree. With a run-on storyline and A.D.D. (or is everything now supposed to be declared A.D.H.D? I don't remember) scene lengths, you walk out of the theatre with a re-aligned attention span of an 8 year-old. Christian Bale's performance was a let-down compared to Batman Begins, and would have been greatly saved had he stopped gasping for breathe so often and not constantly spoken through his teeth. So you may ask then, why is the the pick of the week? Perfect performances by Aaron Eckhartand of course, Heath Ledger. Its in true Batman fashion of old that the saving grace for this movie was, in fact, the villains. Eckhart's portrayal of Harvey Dent left you understanding what could make a person be pushed to such lengths as to turn into the villain. And Ledger came through in the greatest performance of his career, making your blood crawl as the Joker. I'm a firm believer that he should be awarded and Oscar Posthumously, just as he certainly should have won it were he still alive.<br /><br />Thats all for this week, stay tuned for the next installment of 'Movie of the Week'Benjamin 'Twitchy' Strackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332128373989321844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5671542211744425350.post-33819721975228065792008-05-22T18:49:00.000-07:002009-03-13T22:27:21.527-07:00Home of the BraveStory - 2.0<br />Beautiful, brutal, heartfelt. It pushed you to personally understand post-traumatic stress disorder and gain appreciation for our soldiers in the Middle-East.<br />Cinematography - 1.6<br />Only superb cinematography is found in the honest realism of battle and the memories of the soldiers. The realism of battle isn't strictly found in 'shaky-cam' style so much as just the quality and speed of action as well as the following of specific characters. Long, slow, 40% opacity shots while soldiers recount their experiences are insightful and impacting.<br />Acting - 1.8<br />All actors seemed to really grasp the gravity of what was going on. The main talent, including Samuel Jackson, Jessica Biel, and 50 Cent, all had me worried in the beginning. They all pulled through and gave what I perceived as some of the most meaningful performances of their life<br />Overall Effect - 3.5<br />Probably one of the most deeply moving movies I've seen in a long time. Truly leaves you wanting to reach out to all of our soldiers more than ever.<br /><br />Total Score:<br />8.9 out of 10<br /><br />Recommended if looking for: Military, War on Terror, Post-traumatic stress.Benjamin 'Twitchy' Strackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332128373989321844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5671542211744425350.post-47939105369165656342008-05-18T20:17:00.000-07:002009-03-13T22:27:32.663-07:00In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege TaleStory - 1.9<br />Complex, multi-leveled. Just like a good fantasy book.<br />Cinematography - 1.9<br />Simply Beautiful. Stunning CGI works, especially for a smaller-budget film. Great shots, great coloring. Final army battle is akin to Helm's Deep from LoTR:TT.<br />Acting - 1.8<br />HUGE list of actors, mostly 'B' actors, a few 'A' list. Throughout the talent, the weak point is played by Matthew Lillard, who still maintains a mediocre quality of acting.<br />Overall Effect - 3.9<br />Great movie. Fun, exciting. If you love fantasy or LoTR, its on that scale without being a knock-off. Story follows Jason Stathom, but he is far from the only lead character.<br /><br />Total Score:<br />9.5 out of 10<br /><br />Recommended if looking for: Fantasy, Action, Epic Battles, LoTR-style movies.Benjamin 'Twitchy' Strackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332128373989321844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5671542211744425350.post-85033052978129794632008-05-17T22:24:00.000-07:002009-03-13T22:29:03.750-07:00JunoStory - 1.8<br />Enjoyable coming of age story. Hard to tell where it was going at times, which furthered the enjoyment.<br />Cinematography - 1.8<br />Nothing out of the ordinary. Static wide shots that are traditionally overused in indy films found a good home here and added well to the overall effect.<br />Acting - 1.7<br />A lack of depth in the baby's father was the only acting flaw in the entire piece that bothered me.<br />Overall Effect - 3.8<br />Very enjoyable. Highly non-traditional feel-good movie.<br /><br />Total Score:<br />9.1 out of 10<br /><br />Recommended if looking for: Coming of age, pregnancy, independant filmBenjamin 'Twitchy' Strackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332128373989321844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5671542211744425350.post-67869308890148294822008-05-17T20:42:00.000-07:002008-05-17T20:44:38.762-07:00I Am OmegaI will rarely say this, but do not see this movie. The poor quality of writing, cinematography, acting, and overall effect make it unbearable to sit through in its entirety. Sci-Fi's weekend movies are heads and tails above this. (unless maybe this started as a sci-fi movie?!?!)<br /><br />Recommendations: Do not see.Benjamin 'Twitchy' Strackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332128373989321844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5671542211744425350.post-64997674141849410062008-05-17T13:50:00.000-07:002008-05-18T10:56:11.924-07:00EquilibriumStory - 1.8<br />Normal post-apocalyptic telling of mood calming drugs and the rebels who don't take them. Some interesting twists towards the end which are very exciting and entertaining.<br />Cinematography - 1.8<br />Very interesting and stylized throughout. Very exciting.<br />Acting - 1.8<br />Some of Christian Bale's best work. Sean Bean and Taye Diggs offer great support in their roles.<br />Overall Effect - 3.7<br />Very enjoyable movie. Story twists offer some degree of replay ability.<br /><br />Total Score:<br />9.1 out of 10<br /><br />Recommended if looking for: Action, Post-apocalyptic, sylized sci-fi.Benjamin 'Twitchy' Strackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332128373989321844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5671542211744425350.post-9880360339786292512008-05-17T13:30:00.000-07:002008-05-18T10:55:32.410-07:00The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince CaspianStory - 2.0<br />Story was brilliant. Lots of twists throughout. Never ever lost any interest.<br />Cinematography - 2.0<br />Whole movie is beautiful. Every shot composition and coloring felt inspiring to the heart of the story.<br />Acting - 1.8<br />Lots of unknowns (other than from the first movie). Did very well. My least favorite talent was actually Caspian's uncle, the main bad guy in the movie. He did fine, his role just didn't thrill me.<br />Overall Effect - 3.7<br />Loved it. Something I could see again and again. Better than the first, although I've heard people having issues with it being overly violent, but I felt it a great part of the whole of the film.<br /><br />Total Score:<br />9.5 out of 10<br /><br />Recommended if looking for: Fantasy, Epic StoriesBenjamin 'Twitchy' Strackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332128373989321844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5671542211744425350.post-17655156558667562102008-05-17T13:19:00.000-07:002008-05-17T13:47:51.880-07:00THX 1138Story - 1.6<br />Normal post-apocalyptic telling of mood calming drugs and the rebels who don't take them. No real twists throughout.<br />Cinematography - 1.8<br />Reminded me of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Real slow pacing. Shots were interesting but tended to linger too long.<br />Acting - 1.6<br />Characters didn't really feel very strong in definition. Robert Duvall does well, but it feels like many others could have done the part as well.<br />Overall Effect - 3.2<br />Felt overly long. Special effects are simply amazing, especially considering when it was made. Overall entertaining and definitely worth seeing at least once.<br /><br />Final Score:<br />8.2 out of 10<br /><br />Recommended if looking for: Trippy, Post-apocalyptic societyBenjamin 'Twitchy' Strackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332128373989321844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5671542211744425350.post-86704884231717782252008-05-17T12:54:00.000-07:002008-05-17T13:48:05.206-07:00The Forbidden KingdomStory - 0.8<br />Wholly unoriginal. Tradition story elements throughout without any additional thought or imagination.<br />Cinematography - 1.0<br />Also unoriginal. Shot after shot, the movie from which its been stolen can be called out. LoTR, Crouching Tiger, even The Patriot. Lack of creativity is saddening.<br />Acting- 1.6<br />This is what they built the movie around, and it shows. The sad thing is the main boy and girl were severely lacking, and it felt as if they simply didn't get the actors they wanted.<br />Overall Effect - 3.2<br />Still not a half-bad movie to sit through, especially entertaining if you're a fan of martial arts or Jet Li or Jackie Chan<br /><br />Total Score:<br />6.6 out of 10<br /><br />Recommended if looking for: Campy Martial Arts.Benjamin 'Twitchy' Strackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332128373989321844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5671542211744425350.post-79525110489160918702008-05-01T20:18:00.000-07:002008-05-01T20:42:34.850-07:00Iron ManStory - 1.9<br />Great adaptation of a comic book. Story walked a fine line of superhero fantasy, and actually succeeded in never turning overly cheesy. Key moments played out perfectly, even when done in a non-traditional manner.<br />Cinematography - 1.9<br />Worked seamlessly back and forth between traditional camera work during 'story time' and newer action shaky-cam style during the 'action time'. A few shots where extremely freshly styled, types which I haven't seen before. CG is extremely realistic and well-done.<br />Acting - 1.9<br />Small cast, worked well together apparently. Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts) seriously worried me sometimes of coming off overly cheesy as in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, but she successfully pulled off the part in the end.<br />Overall Effect - 4.0<br />From first view, feels like something I'll want to see again and again. Great action, great comedic elements, great CG. Overall very high quality package.<br /><br />Total Score:<br />9.7 out of 10<br /><br />Recommended if you're looking for: Action, Comic Fantasy, ComedyBenjamin 'Twitchy' Strackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332128373989321844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5671542211744425350.post-17893326085760809292008-04-25T12:19:00.000-07:002008-04-25T12:33:27.388-07:00ContactStory - 1.9<br />Believable characters throughout. Story seems like a feasible science fiction. Story mixed with excellent flashbacks and depth.<br />Cinematography - 1.9<br />Beautiful epic views throughout. Great early mix of traditional cinematography and digital effects.<br />Acting - 1.9<br />For those of you who come down on Jodi Foster, I feel that this should be your counterpoint example. She shows a brilliant range of emotion throughout. All supporting actors fully understand their distinct parts to the whole of the film, and provide great support for the entire story.<br />Overall Effect - 3.5<br />The story is beautiful and a true inspiration to any science fiction fan as to realistic first contact. The greatest downfall of the film is the slow pacing throughout. Certain moments and sequences drag on and can leave the film with a 'tired' feeling.<br /><br />Total Score:<br />9.2 out of 10<br /><br />Recommended if looking for: Science Fiction, Plausible Futures, Astronomy, Philosophical AdventuresBenjamin 'Twitchy' Strackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332128373989321844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5671542211744425350.post-29245521303711902372008-04-20T11:15:00.000-07:002008-04-20T11:48:07.757-07:00StardustStory - 2.0<br />One of the most creative and original stories I've seen in years. Maybe not 100% original content, but an original way of telling it, and no real obvious rip-offs.<br />Cinematography - 2.0<br />Beautiful shots throughout. Special effects shots aren't just thrown in, but are made to have the same camera aesthetic as the rest of the film. 'Shine' shots add a wonderful feeling to all shots of Yvaine (Claire Danes).<br />Acting - 2.0<br />Primary actors were relatively unknown, or not easily placeable. Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro both played supporting characters and both played well outside their tradition acting roles. This allowed their appearances to remain refreshing. Each of dozens of supporting characters performed perfect minor roles adding great feeling and depth.<br />Overall Effect - 3.8<br />The film is a great combination of small-budget film making with the assistance of some big-budget effects. Still, some corners were cut with effects, and some of the more simple effects weren't as high quality as they could have been.<br /><br />Total Score:<br />9.8 out of 10<br /><br />Recommended if looking for: Fantasy, Love story, Action.Benjamin 'Twitchy' Strackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332128373989321844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5671542211744425350.post-74431915802516033782008-04-12T14:03:00.000-07:002008-04-20T11:33:49.856-07:00Across the UniverseStory - 1.8<br />The story is well-thought out, considering its aesthetic need to weave the story around the Beatles music. The end cuts out without even a complete reunion of the love interests, and leaves you wanting more than you should.<br />Cinematography - 2<br />Distinct artistic styling throughout. Intense lighting and color setups. Great mixture of independant film tricks and bigger budget effects.<br />Acting - 1.9<br />Refreshing to see a quality cast without known actors. Bono tends to be annoying and distracting.<br />Overall Effect - 3.7<br />Music is amazingly written, but much of the singing feels cheated by an overuse of auto-tune. Songs and singers interweave beautifully through much of the movie.<br />Beautiful way of telling the story. Amazing makeup. The 'stoned' sections of the movie distract from the overall product some.<br /><br />Total Score:<br />9.4 out of 10<br /><br />Recommended if looking for: Music, Beatles, Love story.Benjamin 'Twitchy' Strackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332128373989321844noreply@blogger.com0