Based on the 1960s television show of the same name: Dark Shadows is the story of Barnabas Collins, a vampire turned after breaking the heart of a witch. Buried alive, he is accidentally set free in 19721 and returns to his beloved town and family home of Collinwood, now occupied by his dysfunctional descendants.
Directing this new take and homage to the TV show is macabre master Tim Burton. Once more bring his quirky style and morbid sense of humor to another dark story.
Assemble here my geeks, nerds, friends, friends of nerds, nerdy friends, geeky… ah you get it. Today is the day that we have been waiting our collective lifetimes for. Today is the day that The Avengers hits that magical silver screen and comes to life in a way that we have only dreamed of as little nerdlings.
Even though DC got the head start on comic book movies, Marvel has quickly swooped in with a game plan and despite failure from both camps The Avengers is looking like a big win for Marvel.
The Comic Issues Podcast‘s Anthony and Andrew saw the film earlier this week and picked up their jaws off the floor long enough to tell you why The Avengers is everything you’ve ever wanted from a comic book movie blockbuster. Fear not friends, this is a spoiler-free review. Instead, the guys will be giving a light dusting over the story and characters, letting their excitement do most of the talking.
In the mid-18th Century the streets of Baltimore are gripped in fear as a series of grotesque murders have the people locking their doors and praying for relief. In times as dark as these who better to call on as their savior from evil but the Movie Issues Boys: Leland & Spooky, out to take on The Raven and get to the bottom of this murder mystery.
Well Hollywood, you did it again. You’ve made another movie no one wanted, tainting a property most people only know by name (and would probably only be able to name two of the four Stooges). Only time and this weekend’s box office numbers will tell as The Three Stooges opens today against Cabin in the Woods, Lockout, and The Hunger Games going strong for three weeks so far. These Stooges will need to being their +A game to compete.
Unfortunately, they didn’t.
Leland and Spooky saw another movie, so you know what that means: another Dual Review! We take the best two nerds can offer and give it to you for the price of a single admission. This week, the boys were blessed by fate with the chance to see Cabin in the Woods. Filmed in 2009, but held back by studios who wanted it converted to 3D (despite the writers’ strong objections), this horror/sci-fi romp is Thor’s Chris Hemsworth’s first staring role; supported by a handful of the Whedon-verse’s familiar faces.
Find out why Cabin in the Woods gets the Movie Issues stamp of approval as a recommended must-see.
If you ever hear me say “Oh, I’m not really into the whole vampire thing,” feel free to smack me. I don’t know why I say it; it’s probably because I don’t dress in black or wear fake fangs (much) but as I was reading Poppy Z. Brite’s Lost Souls, I kept comparing it to other vampire books.
It turns out I’ve read a pile of them: Anne Rice of course; but also Stephen King (most everybody’s heard of Salem’s Lot, but there’s also a great short story in the Gunslinger universe called “The Little Sisters of Eluria”); the first book in Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire series (I like the show way better – True Blood, in case you weren’t aware); Neil Gaiman’s short stories (although he put aside writing a vampire novel because he thinks we’ve got enough of them as is (huge shame)); the first book in Kim Harrison’s Hollows series (I’ll review that one later); and many more. And yes, I’ve even read Twilight, which I both loved and hated, putting me squarely in the middle of that controversy, so nobody can hate me. Or rather everybody can hate me and send nastygrams to my inbox that I will print out and make into paper hats. Either one’s good with me.
With the release of The Old Republic , it was time to dust off the PC and locate a proper mouse. My infamous Logitech Revolution is primarily used for design work, and something with more buttons would make MMO-ing just a bit easier.
After a vigorous search, the Roccat Kone+ caught my eye. Armed with its Easy Shift technology, it takes a 9-button mouse and turns it into an 18- button mouse perfect for saving the universe and playing some Team Fortress 2.
This is the year that easily could be called the “Year of the Fairy Tale Movie” since there are several different movies being released taking their inspiration from stories told to children to tuck them in at night. From animated family movies like Jack the Giant Killer, Dorothy of Oz, and Brave, to live-action films like Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (now pushed back to 2013) everyone’s looking to cash in on the current trend in Hollywood: sticking with what’s already familiar.
This is glaringly clear with it comes to both Snow White adaptations being released this year: first Mirror Mirror (released today) then Snow White and the Huntsman (June 1, 2012). Both Snow White films have their own spin on the old tale, and include box office draw talent alongside up-and-coming stars. The real question is though, which will be remembered by the end of the year?
Mirror Mirror has the earlier release and the Movie Issues boys Leland and Spooky are here to drop another Dual Review, bringing two opinions for the price of a single admission.
There is a lot to be said about the Young Adult (YA) genre of literary fiction these days. The rise of the Harry Potter and Twilight series proved that pre-teens and teenagers still love the written word. So what happens when another YA fiction comes on the scene and gathers the same obsessive and loving attitude as the other well-known series? Why, you make a movie of course! So how did Hollywood do in creating a screenplay for a YA book series that has been known to be the antithesis to Twilight?
Let’s all jump into the Way Back Machine and travel back to the year 2000. This is where a film made it’s theatrical debut and would become a instant cult classic. With its explosive nature (in the form of Explosive GPS Collars), Battle Royale had a way to turn a few heads. Already being compared to the upcoming Hunger Games franchise, Battle Royale makes its official release on Blu-Ray.
With twelve years under its belt, how does the movie hold up? How is the transfer to Blu-Ray?
