Posts Tagged ‘Carla Gugino’

REVIEW: New Year’s Eve

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

New Year's EveFrom the same writer (Katherine Fugate), director (Garry Marshall) and even starring some of the same exact actors as Valentine’s Day comes New Year’s Eve. This is another ridiculously huge ensemble cast movie about a single holiday day. It begins the morning of New Year’s Eve and ends exactly how you think it’s going to end…with an alien invasion and nuclear kamikaze – kidding kidding, this isn’t Independence Day 2! If you’re into these cutesy tangled relationship movies, you won’t be disappointed – they pretty much stick to the same formula. I’m not going to lie, I have a tiny guilty pleasure for these things and New Year’s Eve has all the laughs and corny scenes that you can’t help but smile during.


There are probably half a dozen different stories going on so I won’t list them all. The start of the movie is your typical introduction to the rolodex of characters and what they have planned for New Year’s Eve. If you aren’t interested in at least one of the stories, you should leave right away because it’s not going to get any better. It’s pretty bland until Russell Peters and Sofía Vergara appear on screen. They instantly make you laugh and steal whatever scene they’re in – I just wish they had larger roles in the movie. You start to figure out that the movie is centered around two major events and most of the characters are somehow attached one way or another. Event #1: The ball drop at Times Square (obviously). Event #2: A fictitious record company’s NYE party. Unlike other movies like this, they didn’t force all of the characters to meet or have as many serendipitous stories intertwine with each other.

New Year's Eve

Sofia Vergara with Kathrine Heigl


Let’s go through the top-billed cast, shall we? Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Hector Elizondo, Kathrine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Seth Meyers, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, Til Schweiger, Hilary Swank, Sofia Vergara and Mr. New Year’s Eve himself, Ryan Seacrest. Didn’t see your favorite actor? Don’t worry, there are still plenty of cameos by even more famous people. Most of the movie’s surprises were obvious to me although I could tell they amazed many members of my audience by the gasps and loud “what!?”s but there is at least one twist that you will not guess. This is a happy feel good movie so every story is wrapped up in a nice bow so everybody can leave the theater smiling and singing Auld Lang Syne.
New Year's Eve

Seth Meyers and Jessica Biel


It’s what you’d expect. There’s a monologue speech, there’s a musical montage (I bet you can guess who sings), and there are tons of great one-liners like, “nobody wins when pregnant women fight” and “we’re more memorial day people.” Funny enough, both of those came from Seth Meyers and his storyline with Jessica Biel, Til Schweiger, Sarah Paulson and Carla Gugino which, I think, was the only storyline that didn’t intersect with all the other stories. It did, however, crossover with Valentine’s Day (stay for the bloopers during the credits for that one). To my surprise, Zac Efron had the best performance in the movie with Michelle Pfeiffer who I thought was suicidal. Don’t worry though, this is a very PG-13 movie even though they did drop the f- and b-bombs near the end.
New Year's Eve

Zac Efron with Michelle Pfeiffer


You get what you pay for with New Year’s Eve. You should know what you’re getting yourself into especially if you’ve seen Valentine’s Day. I’m going to say New Year’s Eve was a little less cheesy than Valentine’s Day but NYE had its fair share of awkward and lame parts. I could have done without the whole kids storyline though I guess that pulls in the whole grade school demographic. The movie could have been about 20 to 30 minutes shorter and still hit all the key plot points they were going for. There’s no higher realization or takeaway that will make you celebrate New Year’s Eve any different but there is something for everybody…except for people who actually want to watch a film that might win an award other than a razzie. What will they think of next? I can’t wait for Labor Day!

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REVIEW: The Mighty Macs

Friday, October 21st, 2011

The Mighty MacsNot even good enough to be a TV movie. The Mighty Macs was terrible and so cliche but they couldn’t even get the cliches right! This is your typical underdog story inspired by actual events. Set in 1971, Carla Gugino stars as Cathy Rush, a woman before her time who wasn’t ready to settle down in the accepted role as a housewife. Instead she took a coaching job at the tiny Catholic Immaculata College and transformed a basketball team of nobodies into national champions. Immaculata was an all girls school and this movie tries to shout out, “Girl Power.” Tries.


It felt like The Mighty Macs took the story structure of previous films and tried to fill it with details and characters from the true story. It goes through all of the key plot points of a new coach with no facities, a school with no money, a team with no heart and then win. There’s no winning from this movie though. The acting (aka just reading the lines) was horrendous, the script was weak, the characters were lame and the entire movie was just plain boring. I don’t even think they remembered to put in background music for the first half of the movie.

The Mighty Macs

Act, Damnit!


They didn’t really set up any notion of what time period the movie was in. They told you it was the early 70s and showed you the poor fashion sense of the time but you didn’t get the real sense of what these women actually did. The only dialogue from the girls was that they couldn’t wait to be housewives. They just wanted to find a man and be done with it. The movie needed to show that this was what was generally accepted in the era but instead it just felt like these girls had nothing going for them. The movie quickly introduced three characters leading you on to think it would talk about the others but it just stopped there. They gave you three stereotypical identities and expected you to fill in the rest.
The Mighty Macs

Team Picture!


The basketball games were a pain to watch. It felt like it was a slow motion effect but it was just slow. They were plain plays and underwhelming shots that you can tell were all set up. I’m not sure if that’s the fault of the movie or women’s basketball in general (sorry, it’s just not exciting). As the movie stumbled on, so did the cliches. Cathy Rush found her right hand/assistant coach in Marley Shelton as Sister Sunday. Their scenes were actually pretty cute and the only fun ones to watch. Rush had problems at home that weren’t even anything serious with husband Ed (David Boreanaz). And the cranky yet lovable mother superior (Ellen Burstyn) had the weight of the school and was a hard ass with a heart of gold…just like in Sister Act. Oh, how I wish this was Sister Act. The nuns were the saving grace with some funny scenes but even that group could have been a lot better (read: I wish this was Sister Act again).
The Mighty Macs

What are you cheering for?


They set up so many things that just didn’t make sense or play out. You didn’t really care for any of the players or understand the motivation behind the team. There’s one scene where Coach Rush is tough on the girls and of course that instantly turns her team into an unstoppable force. There was no progression it was a light switch turned on from sluggish play to connected passes and shots. I could see the director saying “play bad” now “play good.” Throughout the movie all I could think was the only thing missing was a fundraiser montage. Then they had a fundraiser montage. This movie needed a prayer…God said no.

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REVIEW: Sucker Punch

Thursday, March 24th, 2011

Sucker PunchWhat could go wrong with an ensemble cast of some of the cutest girls in Hollywood paired with almost every single geek idea imaginable? Well, apparently everything. I can’t believe Sucker Punch was so terrible…I had such high hopes! When I first saw footage of this film a year ago, I knew it was going to be something special. I didn’t think it would be special for how bad it was! It’s a pile of shit…no nicer way of putting it. It’s geek porn without the sex…pretty much a nerd’s masturbation dream that no one else should watch. You’d be a sucker if you go see this movie…and if you stay til the end, you deserve to get punched. Let’s dive in.


The movie begins with a rendition of “Sweet Dreams” telling the story of how Baby Doll (Emily Browning) gets admitted into this insane insane asylum. She’s falsely committed and is set to be lobotomized in five days so she has to escape before that. This is a jailbreak movie…but like you’ve never seen it done before. That’s the last bit of story you’re going to get from this movie. After the intro, it no longer makes any sense. It turns into a world within a world within a movie you don’t want to watch anymore. I kept waiting for the actual movie to begin but by halfway through I understood…this was it and I was in for another hour of craptastic nonsense.

Sucker Punch

There's a lot of posing and walking in formation...look at us strut. LOOK!


You can see Zack Synder’s influence on the vision of the film. The visual accents are pretty beautiful with a grungy/dirty feel and surrealistic pop as if it was painted for a graphic novel. Every frame could be freezed and be made into a poster…the way the actors and camera moved was just so cool (get it, cool, freezed…yeah, I did that on purpose). The problem though was that everybody in the movie seemed to think they were *too* cool which resulted in no acting but rather voyeuristic viewing as if you were watching models walk down a runway. Sucker Punch is pretty much a group of models with guns, swords, and knives flaunting around killing random enemies in pointless scenarios. Make sense? Don’t worry, it doesn’t.
Sucker Punch

Vanessa Hudgens as Blondie: Big Guns and Big Hair.


You have Baby Doll, the new girl who just wants out and rallies four other girls to escape with her. Rocket (Jena Malone) shows Baby Doll around and they instantly become BFFs. Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens) likes big guns and likes shooting them…she also has big hair in most of the scenes. Amber (Jamie Chung) is the driver/pilot/mech warrior operator and that’s fun because she’s Asian ^_^. Finally, Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish) is Rocket’s older sister and the caretaker of everyone. She’s the leader even though Baby Doll is the center of attention. This band of hot ass is watched over by the Russian Dr. Vera Gorski (Carla Gugino) and child molester mustache-having Blue Jones (Oscar Isaac). Gorski is also their dance instructor and Blue is their pimp in this alternate world. There’s also a cameo by Jon Hamm whose character is as confused as the audience.
Sucker Punch

Daners are sexy. So much eye candy. Hands on your hip, look cool.


Dance instructor you ask? In the first alternate world, the insane asylum is actually a brothel where the girls put on a show and dance for cash…kind of like Girls Gone Wild but without the heart. Baby Doll apparently has a magical dance that hypnotizes the guys who watch her. I wouldn’t quite call it a dance, more like an awkward emotionless sway…oh, she’s a pendulum, I get it now. Each of her dances turns into another crazy fanciful world. From a snowy samurai wonderland to world war trenches with steam powered Nazis. Sucker Punch has everything a geek wants to see…mech warriors, dragons, guns, swords, etc all around beautiful bad ass chicks. At the beginning of each new world, there’s some guru explaining their mission and giving them cliche advice the likes of, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything” and “Don’t ever write a check with your mouth that your ass can’t cash.” Should’ve taken their own advice while making this movie…
Sucker Punch

Ridiculous action...but not in a good way =/


There’s not many kind words for this movie…it’s all pretty pointless. Sucker Punch goes all over the place trying to do too much with so little. The only consistent thing is the loud music with deep bass that plays throughout all the action scenes and the rock music at the end of something cool happening. Most of the music is indie feminist garbage that is supposed to pronounce girl power but really just talks out whatever’s happening on screen. Oh, that’s what the song is supposed to be conveying? I couldn’t tell with the blatant lyrics you’re shoving down my ears. I know a lot of people are excited to see this movie but it’s an insult to geek culture everywhere. Getting high one night and coming up with the idea that every stoner has had of putting ninjas, samurais, mech warriors, dragons, cyborgs, mutants, etc into one story does not constitute a movie. Even if you can cast a bunch of hot chicks. This should’ve been released next week on April Fool’s Day because it’s a joke.

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REVIEW: Faster

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010

FasterAfter years of kid movies like Tooth Fairy, Race to Witch Mountain, and The Game Plan, Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock) is back in a bloody R-rated action flick…but he forgot to bring back the action. The Rock’s first line in this movie is, “Where’s the exit” and I think most audience members will be wondering the answer to that exact question throughout the entire movie. Contrary to the name, Faster is actually a pretty slow revenge movie following “Driver” (Dwayne Johnson) as he goes down the list and kills everybody involved in his brother’s murder.


I had a rough time figuring out if I liked this movie or not because I couldn’t tell if it was making fun of itself and other straight-forward action flicks or if it was trying to be serious. Faster contains almost every single action movie cliche you can think of: a vigilante with somewhat good intentions is released from prison, a “Cop” (Billy Bob Thornton) trying to catch him is 10 days away from retirement, another cop (Carla Gugino) doesn’t like the first cop, a beautiful hitman named “Killer” (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) is obsessed with completing his tasks, a twist that you can see coming a mile away, car chases, gun fights, and a knife fight. Oh yeah, and a really crappy script and storyline.

Faster

Yeah, I'm talking bout you The Rock.


Even though the script didn’t give Dwayne Johnson many lines or much to do, Dwayne Johnson did deliver a good performance. He’s a complete bad ass that walks straight up to his targets and shoots them in the head. He even acted as the complete opposite of his character in a flashback! True range… Billy Bob plays a good bad cop like Nicolas Cage’s character in Werner Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant. For some reason, there’s also an assassin who is a young retired genius that made millions from a silicon valley startup. Now, with all his money, all the time in the world, and after conquering almost every other goal in life, he takes on the job of a hitman for the challenge. These guys chase each other in flashy cars, shooting loud guns, and somehow they don’t attract the attention of everybody around them even though they’re on the news every night.
Faster

You know you shouldn't talk and drive at the same time...it's very dangerous, it could get you killed!


This is the fourth movie from CBS Films and it continues their tradition of throwing big name stars on a crappy project made to appeal to the masses in hopes to make a quick buck. First was Extraordinary Measures starring Brendan Fraser and Harrison Ford, then The Back-up Plan with Jennifer Lopez. If you’ve seen any of those movies…you know what I’m talking about. The production budget for this one was only about $24 million which they will probably make back in a couple of weeks.
Faster

Doesn't every action movie have this shot?


Honestly, this is a decent enough movie to sit back, relax, and recover from a turkey overdose to. You can either laugh at the campish nature of the movie or enjoy The Rock being cool again. There is some eye candy, but sadly there’s a lot more for the girls than the boys. If you’re into cars…there are both muscle cars as well as porches and lamborghinis. The music is nothing to write about and the way the movie is shot is pretty typical. It’s every element of any action film squashed into one trying to be everything for everybody…except it’s a lot of build up and very few gratifying action scenes. If you have the money to burn and want mindless entertainment, go for it.

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Comic Con 2010 Preview!

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

advancescreenings.com is heading to San Diego for the 2010 Comic-Con! The movie schedule this year looks intense so we should have tons of stories and previews for you in the next couple of weeks. You can find the full Comic-Con schedule here. Let us know if there’s something you want us to cover in particular on Facebook or comment below! Here’s a list of panels we plan on attending:




Thursday
11:15-12:45 Walt Disney Pictures: TRON: Legacy— Returning for an unprecedented third year to the fans and convention that started it all, Walt Disney Pictures is pleased to present a special insider look at the upcoming TRON: Legacy. Panelists include filmmakers and talent from the film: director Joe Kosinski, producers Sean Bailey and Steven Lisberger, and cast members Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Michael Sheen, and Bruce Boxleitner. The discussion, moderated by Patton Oswalt, is set to include exclusive glimpses of the film, as well as a Q&A involving all panel participants, along with special surprise guests.


1:00-2:00 Sony Pictures Entertainment: Battle: Los Angeles and Salt— Two great new films from Sony Pictures Entertainment are showcased in this Hall H presentation!

Battle: Los Angeles — When unknown forces suddenly and mercilessly attack the City of Angels out of nowhere, it’s up to a local Marine staff sergeant (Aaron Eckhart) and a new platoon of unseasoned soldiers to meet the threat. As the invasion hits the streets of LA, these Marines become our first and last line of defense in an intense battle against an enemy unlike any they’ve ever encountered before. Appearing in person are Michelle Rodriguez, Aaron Eckhart, Neal Moritz, and director Jonathan Liebesman.


SaltSalt — Opening in theaters everywhere tomorrow, Columbia Pictures brings an exclusive and surprising look at Salt to Comic-Con today, featuring some very special guests. As a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) swore an oath to duty, honor and country. Her loyalty will be tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture, but her efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues and the question remains: “Who is Salt?”



2:15-3:15 Summit Entertainment: RED— Summit Entertainment presents a sneak peek of exclusive footage from RED. They used to be the CIA’s top agents — but the secrets they know just made them the Agency’s top targets. Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren star in RED, an explosive action-comedy based on the cult DC Comics graphic novel by Warren Ellis. Join him, director Robert Schwentke, and the film’s stars as they share footage from the film and debut the final trailer before it’s ever in theaters.


The Expendables4:45-5:45 Lionsgate: The Expendables— Prepare to have your ass kicked by The Expendables, the biggest action movie this summer! Lionsgate presents exclusive scenes and the inside scoop on every punch, kick, and bloodied lip from the most iconic cast of heroes and villains ever assembled, including the director, writer, and star Sylvester Stallone (Rambo), along with Dolph Lundgren (Universal Soldier), Steve Austin (The Condemned), Randy Couture (Scorpion King: Rise of the Warrior), and Terry Crews (Gamer).


Scott Pilgrim vs. the World6:00-7:00 Universal: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World— Genre-bending filmmaker Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz), graphic novel author Bryan Lee O’Malley, and the cast of Universal Pictures’ Scott Pilgrim vs. the World provide a sneak peek of summer 2010′s epic of epic epicness. Joining Wright will be our hero, Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera of Superbad); Scott’s two current girlfriends, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead of The Thing) and Knives Chau (Ellen Wong of Unnatural History); his band, SEX BOB-OMB: Kim Pine (Alison Pill of Milk) and Stephen Stills (Mark Webber of Broken Flowers); SEX BOB-OMB super-fan Young Neil (Johnny Simmons of Jennifer’s Body); Scott’s awesome roommate, Wallace Wells (Kieran Culkin of Igby Goes Down); and four of Ramona’s seven evil exes: Matthew Patel (Satya Bhabha of Fair Game), Todd Ingram (Brandon Routh of Superman Returns), Gideon Graves (Jason Schwartzman of Funny People) and Roxy Richter (Mae Whitman of Parenthood); plus Scott’s younger sister, Stacey Pilgrim (Anna Kendrick of Up in the Air), and the obnoxious Julie Powers (Aubrey Plaza of Parks and Recreation). Q&A to follow.




Friday
11:15-11:45 Summit Entertainment: Drive Angry 3D— A vengeful father hunts down the people who brutally killed his daughter and kidnapped her baby in the newest film shot in 3D from the writer and director of My Bloody Valentine 3D, starring Nicolas Cage, William Fichtner, Billy Burke, and Amber Heard. Join the cast and filmmakers as they showcase never-before-seen footage of this high-octane, blood-spattered road trip through hell!


12:00-1:00 Skyline— Universal Pictures, Relativity Media, and Rogue Pictures present an exclusive look at the sci-fi thriller Skyline, directed and produced by the Brothers Strause (Alien vs. Predator: Requiem), whose company Hydraulx has provided visual effects for Avatar, Iron Man 2, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and 300. In Skyline, strange lights descend on the city of Los Angeles, drawing people outside like moths to a flame, where an extraterrestrial force proceeds to swallow the entire human population off the face of the earth. Colin and Greg Strause unveil an exclusive Comic-Con trailer and scenes from Skyline, along with stars Donald Faison (Scrubs), Eric Balfour (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 24), David Zayas (The Expendables, Dexter), Scottie Thompson (Star Trek), and Brittany Daniel (Club Dread). HitFix’s Drew McWeeny moderates.


1:00-2:00 Super— Writer/director James Gunn (Slither), stars Rainn Wilson (The Office), Liv Tyler (Lord of the Rings), Nathan Fillion (Firefly), and Michael Rooker (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer), and producers Ted Hope (Adventureland) and Miranda Bailey (The Squid and the Whale) reveal footage from their latest feature production Super, including the first peek at Rainn and Ellen Page’s costume design. Super is a hyper-real and shockingly funny look at the extremely violent antics of a down-on-his-luck man as he attempts to win his wife back from a glamorous drug dealer by teaming up with a psychopathic teen to become costumed crimefighters.


2:15-3:45 Miramax Films: Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark— Producer/co-writer Guillermo del Toro and director Troy Nixey present a first look at their new film Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, a hair-raising, spine-chilling tale of horror about a little girl (Bailee Madison) who is sent to live with her father (Guy Pearce) and his girlfriend (Katie Holmes) in the old mansion they are renovating, only to unwittingly unleash malevolent creatures bent on destroying all of them.


4:00-6:00 Sony Pictures Entertainment: The Other Guys, The Green Hornet, and Priest— Two more sneak peeks at upcoming films from Sony Pictures Entertainment!

The Other GuysThe Other Guys–NYPD Detectives Christopher Danson and P.K. Highsmith (Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson) are the baddest and most beloved cops in New York City. Two desks over and one back, sit Detectives Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg). You’ve seen them in the background of photos of Danson and Highsmith, out of focus and eyes closed. They’re not heroes — they’re “the Other Guys.” But every cop has his day and soon Gamble and Hoitz stumble into a seemingly innocuous case no other detective wants to touch that could turn into New York City’s biggest crime. It’s the opportunity of their lives, but do these guys have the right stuff? Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, and co-writer/director Adam McKay will be appearing in person.


The Green Hornet–Director Michel Gondry, who makes movies with a special, personal signature, is taking on The Green Hornet — and he’s doing it in 3D. Comic-Con audiences, prepare yourselves. In The Green Hornet, Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) is the son of L.A.’s most prominent and respected media magnate and perfectly happy to maintain a directionless existence on the party scene — until his father (Tom Wilkinson) mysteriously dies, leaving Britt his vast media empire. Striking an unlikely friendship with one of his father’s more industrious and inventive employees, Kato (Jay Chou), they see their chance to do something meaningful for the first time in their lives: fight crime. To get close to the criminals, they come up with the perfect cover: they’ll pose as criminals themselves. Protecting the law by breaking it, Britt becomes the vigilante The Green Hornet as he and Kato hit the streets. Confirmed to appear in person to unveil this early look at The Green Hornet in 3D are the Hornet himself, Seth Rogen, director Michel Gondry, writer Evan Goldberg, producer Neal Moritz, and actor Christoph Waltz.


Priest (3D) — A western-infused post-apocalyptic thriller, set in an alternate world — one ravaged by centuries of war between man and vampires. The story revolves around a legendary Warrior Priest (Paul Bettany) from the last Vampire War who now lives in obscurity among the other downtrodden human inhabitants in walled-in dystopian cities. When his niece (Lily Collins) is abducted by a murderous pack of vampires, Priest breaks his sacred vows to venture out on an obsessive quest to find her before they turn her into one of them. He is joined on his crusade by his niece’s boyfriend (Cam Gigandet), a trigger-fingered young wasteland sheriff, and a former Warrior Priestess (Maggie Q) who possesses otherworldly fighting skills. Stars Paul Bettany, Karl Urban, Maggie Q, Cam Gigandet, Stephen Moyer, and director Scott Stewart will be onstage to unveil the first 3D look at Priest.





Saturday
11:45-1:15 Warner Bros.: Green Lantern, Sucker Punch, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows— Warner Bros. showcases three eagerly awaited upcoming new films in this Hall H presentation!

Green Lantern– Get a first look at the upcoming sci-fi action adventure Green Lantern, directed by Martin Campbell. Green Lantern is an epic adventure that crosses galaxies to bring to life the legendary Silver Age superhero Hal Jordan, who is chosen by the ring itself to become the first human member of the Green Lantern Corps and take on the vast and powerful Parallax as it threatens to destroy the world. The film stars Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, Blake Lively as Carol Ferris, Peter Sarsgaard as Dr. Hector Hammond, and Mark Strong as Sinestro.


Sucker Punch — Fasten your seatbelt for a sneak peek at the dark action fantasy Sucker Punch, from director Zack Snyder, who previewed his films 300 and Watchmen at past Comic-Cons. A group of young girls escape the dark reality of their lives through their vivid imagination, which takes them to various fantasy locations in different realms. The ensemble cast features Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Vanessa Hudgens, Carla Gugino, Jena Malone, Jamie Chung, and Jon Hamm.


Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Every saga has a final chapter. Kick off the year of Harry Potter with a first look at the coming screen adaptation of J. K. Rowling’s final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, with a program created just for Comic-Con fans. One way. One hero. One destiny. Don’t miss it!



1:30-2:30 Overture: Let Me In— The cast and filmmakers of Let Me In, a haunting and provocative thriller written and directed by filmmaker Matt Reeves (Cloverfield), give the Hall H audience a sneak peek at this highly anticipated film. Let Me In is an astonishing coming-of-age story involving a young girl (Kick Ass’s Chloe Moretz) and an alienated boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee from The Road) unlike any you have seen. Based on the bestselling Swedish novel Lat den Ratte Komma (Let The Right One In) by John Ajvide Lindqvist and the highly acclaimed film of the same name, Let Me In takes audiences straight to the troubled heart of adolescent longing and loneliness. Academy Award-nominee Richard Jenkins (The Visitor) also stars in this exhilarating reboot of the beloved original.


4:00-4:45 Screen Gems: Resident Evil: Afterlife— In a world ravaged by a virus infection that turns its victims into the Undead, Alice (Milla Jovovich) continues on her journey to find survivors and lead them to safety. Her deadly battle with the Umbrella Corporation reaches new heights, but Alice gets some unexpected help from an old friend. A new lead that promises a safe haven from the Undead takes them to Los Angeles, but when they arrive the city is overrun by thousands of Undead and Alice and her comrades are about to step into a deadly trap. The fourth installment of the hugely successful Resident Evil franchise, Resident Evil: Afterlife is again based on the wildly popular video game series and this time will be shot in 3D using the same state-of-the-art cameras created for Avatar. Writer/director Paul W. S. Anderson, along with the film’s stars Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, and Wentworth Miller, will be on hand to show you some stunning 3D sequences and answer your questions.


4:45-5:45 Universal: Paul and Cowboys & Aliens— Universal presents two upcoming films in this exclusive Hall H presentation.

Paul — Scheduled to appear for Universal Pictures’ sci-fi comedy-adventure Paul are a who’s who of film comedy. Director Greg Mottola (Superbad) will be joined by cast members Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz), Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead), Kristen Wiig (Date Night), Bill Hader (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Jeffrey Tambor (The Hangover), Joe Lo Truglio (Role Models), Seth Rogen (The Green Hornet), and Sigourney Weaver (Baby Mama) as they discuss the movie about two sci-fi geeks whose pilgrimage to Comic-Con ultimately takes them to America’s UFO heartland. While there, they accidentally meet an alien who takes them on an insane road trip that alters their universe forever. Q&A session to follow.


Cowboys & Aliens — Director Jon Favreau (Iron Man series) discusses what’s happening behind the scenes of Universal Pictures and DreamWorks’ action-thriller Cowboys & Aliens, based on Platinum Studios’ graphic novel. Currently shooting in New Mexico, Cowboys & Aliens stars Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford and takes audiences into the Old West, where a lone cowboy leads an uprising against a terror from beyond our world. Q&A session to follow.



6:00-7:00 Marvel Studios: Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger— Producer Kevin Feige and special guests give you an inside look at the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe.




As you can see, that’s a lot of panels! I’m sure there will be tons of exclusive news and announcements so make sure to visit advancescreenings.com throughout next weekend and you can also follow me on twitter for real-time updates!

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South By Southwest: Halfway Through!

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

South By SouthwestI apologize for not updating more but the South By Southwest Conference and Film Festival is hectic! There’s so much to do, I don’t know how anybody can get it all done. I flew in Friday night and today is Wednesday, I’ve seen over a dozen films in the past 4 days and almost all of them have been great. Here’s a quick recap of what I’ve been up to. I’ll be writing more in depth reviews when the festival is over.


Day 2: Saturday, March 13th.
After picking up my badge and finding my way around a bit, I sat down for my first movie, a movie I wasn’t even planning to see: Marwencol. It was a great and tragic story about a man who was almost beaten to death regaining his life through an alter life in the form of action figures and dolls. I tried to get in to a film called Mars at the Ritz but I have still yet to be able to make it into a screening at this theater…it has been packed! Instead, I got some food and then headed over to the Paramount where most of the big premieres were taking place and saw the French film Micmacs and then Cyrus starring John C. Reily and Jonah Hill…they were in attendance for a Q&A afterwards.


Day 3: Sunday, March 14th.
I tried to get a few interactive events in today so I didn’t start watching movies till later. I was back at the Paramount for Mr. Nice and Elektra Luxx. Mr. Nice was the true story of Howard Marks, a British drug smuggler. Elektra Luxx is the sequel to Sebastian Gutierrez’s Women in Trouble starring Carla Gugino, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Malin Akerman, Adrianne Palicki, Emmanuelle Chriqui, and many more…most of them were in attendance which kind of saved the night because the projector stopped working before the end of the film.


Day 4: Monday, March 15th.
To make up for the day before, I watched 6 movies today, yes 6. I started off with a film I really wanted to see, Pelada…and it was amazing! 2 Americans travel the world playing pick up soccer games. I sat next to the 2 player-travellers in the film. It’s my favorite film of the festival so far. I tried to get into Tiny Furniture at the Ritz, but again it was full, so I saw Beijing Taxi followed by American: The Bill Hicks Story. Beijing Taxi was a stale documentary about a couple taxi drivers in Beijing before and during the Winter Olympics. American: The Bill Hicks Story is the story of comedian Bill Hicks who became more of an activist as his career progressed. I went to a smaller venue, The Hideout, to watch a Finnish film called Living Room of the Nation which put cameras in a few Finnish homes to see how stories unravelled through everyday life. Then I went back to the Paramount for the world premiere of MacGruber, the SNL skit starring Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Ryan Phillippe, and Val Kilmer. It was actually hilarious, I’ll write a full review soon. Elektra Luxx was played again tonight since it broke down the night before, so I caught the ending of that.


Day 5: Tuesday, March 16th.
This was the ending of the interactive and film conference so I watched some internet related films. I started off the morning with Erasing David, a British filmmaker sets off to disappear for a month and hires 2 private investigators to try and find him using only publicly available data. It’s about the state of our privacy in society today. Then I set up shop at the Paramount again and watched 3 films back to back. I couldn’t handle the last one (Skateland) and will have to catch it later. I heard good things about it so I’m sure it’ll get picked up. I started off with Hood to Coast, a film documenting a few teams during this epic marathon from Mt. Hood to the coast of Oregon. Followed by The People vs. George Lucas, another documentary about the angry fans of Star Wars. And finished the night with Harry Brown, a great in your face thriller starring Michael Caine.


So that was 14 films and 1 twice. There’s hardly any time in between to eat! I still have 4 more days but I’m probably going to see less and less movies. I took most of today off to try and get some work done in the middle of the week and I’m planning on catching the other side of the South By Southwest festival, the music. Tonight, I plan on seeing Get Low, Cargo, and maybe another film. For the next couple days I will try and see The Runaways, Monsters, Higanjima, World’s Largest, The Red Chapel, and maybe Canal Street Madam, The Parking Lot Movie, and Mars.


Are you guys interested in any of the movies I’ve seen, am trying to see, or other films of the South By Southwest festival? Let us know!

This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverage
The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery. The internationally acclaimed, nine-day Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website

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Posted in Film Festivals and Conventions, South By Southwest 2010 | 2 Comments »