It’s…modern day.  Agent J is attending a Men In Black staff meeting to welcome the newest head of the department, Agent O (Emma Thompson, clearly relishing the role but playing it straight).  But it’s not all welcome cake and coffee; a violent, dangerous alien criminal called Boris The Animal (played with wicked glee by Jermaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords) that Agent K imprisoned back in 1969 has escaped.  The next morning Agent J walks into the office to find that nobody remembers Agent K.  And oh yeah, the race of aliens Boris comes from — that were driven extinct by Agent K’s actions — are now about to take over Earth.  It’s up to Agent J to travel back to 1969 and prevent Boris from killing K so the world can get back to normal.  And you thought your job was a pain in the ass.

Tons of critics and real journalists have talked about how Rick Baker made over a hundred “real aliens” (read: no just-mask mockups) for this movie.  By the looks of things, he truly went all out; it’s a feast for the eyes that has me drooling over the idea of grabbing a Blu-Ray copy when it comes out so I can pause and scan to my hearts content.  The 3D here is a treat as well.  Is it worth the extra money?  I think it is, even though there aren’t too many things comin’ atcha, it’s obvious the folks that made this film put every effort in making this a full 3D experience.  So yeah, catch it with your own dark glasses if you can.  You’ll even look like an MiB, always a cool thing.

Two of my favorite things about this series didn’t make enough of an appearance in this installment.  Though there are a few tip-of-the-hats to Frank The Pug, the loveable alien mutt doesn’t make an appearance in MiB3.  The smoking, drinking, gambling Worm Guys also have a very limited role, more of a cameo and no singing, which is kind of a bummer.  Then again there’s so much action in this third installment that it’d be hard to find the time to wedge in a little acapella wormage.

The acting isn’t your typical goofball slapstick, it’s more of a mashup of comedy and drama; think Law & Order by way of Red Dwarf.  Newcomer Brolin holds his own amongst the weirdness, and as I’ve mentioned before his ability to channel Tommy Lee Jones is impeccable.  Still, Brolin is able to make K his own, so the wild groovy ride through 1969 isn’t just a plot device that you want to get through to get back to Jones.  It’s a seamless part of the film, which is a good thing ‘cause that’s the bulk of this story.

As with the other movies in this series, it’s the little things that make for a truly enjoyable experience.  The time-jump log book is something I’d love to get a full look at, because I’m sure there are several jokes placed in there for future Blu-Ray/DVD perusal.  Throwaway lines from the 1960s crew — like Andy Warhol (SNL’s Bill Hader, throwing himself into character and delivering a low-key but hilarious performance) — come at you hard and fast, leaving folks that know their history with the giggles.  Jet packs that look like Daleks, pie that helps you come up with solutions to your problems, and chocolate milk that’s a symptom of time displacement.  There’s nothing I like more than screenwriters that make it a point to deliver a well-rounded universe.  Kudos to to Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder and the grossly under-appreciated Idiocracy), Lowell Cunningham (writer of the MiB comic series on which this particular film is based) and the rest of the writing crew.  As for the music?  The madly talented Danny Elfman has the reins, and the soundtrack is a blend of 60s groove and movie majesty.  “Back In Time”, the end credit rap — usually Will Smith’s thang — is done by Pitbull this time around, though it does have the Smith vibe.  The hook, a sample of Mickey & Sylvia’s “Love Is Strange” made famous in Dirty Dancing, is damn catchy.

MiB3 is a wild and crazy ride.  Sit back and enjoy it.  Sneak in some pie.

Oh, and did I mention that each of these movies are FULLY RESTORED?  Sweet!

I’m looking forward to The Exorcist, natch.  But I’d also like to see a few other of my favorites that have made the list, like Cool Hand Luke, A Clockwork Orange and Cabaret.  Read on to see what strikes your fancy….

From the press release (emphasis added by yours truly):

Plano, TX, May 31, 2012 Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK), the world’s highest attended motion picture exhibitor, is pleased to announce that the “Summer Classics Series,” featuring eight legendary Hollywood movies, will take place in over 100 Cinemark theatres across the country. All of these digitally restored movies, from the Warner Bros. film catalogue, will be scheduled to play each Wednesday, during the months of June and July, at two separate show times, 2 pm and 7pm.“Cinemark’s Classic Film Series presents a great opportunity for movie-lovers to revisit some of the greatest
Hollywood films of all time,” states James Meredith, VP of Marketing & Communications for Cinemark. “Our
customers can experience all of these celebrated movies as they were meant to be seen, on the big screen, with
crystal clear digital projection and incredible surround sound.”

Cinemark has worked with Warner Bros. to select eight titles that were visionary films at their time of release, and
still stand as true “classics” in every sense of the word. The list of films and dates of their presentation are:

June 6  The Exorcist (1973) – Rated R
June 13  Citizen Kane (1941) – Rated PG
June 20  Cool Hand Luke (1967) – Rated PG
June 27  The Searchers (1956) – Rated PG
July 4  That’s Entertainment (1974) - Rated G
July 11  A Clockwork Orange (1971) – Rated R
July 18  North By Northwest (1959) - Not Rated
July 25  Cabaret (1972) – Rated PG

My only wish?  That next year they’ll pick Jaws and Gone With The Wind….

And if you’re staying in town this weekend (or will be back home Monday), you’ll get a chance to take a look at the ‘Pod & Tumbler, all up close and personal-like.  Check it out….

(Courtesy of Warner Bros.)

From the press release (emphasis added by yours truly):

Baltimore fans who have been eagerly awaiting the July 20 release of “The Dark Knight Rises” will have an opportunity to get a firsthand look at the Tumbler and the Bat- Pod on Monday, May 28 from NOON-3pm at the Inner Harbor on the Power Plant Promenade located directly outside of Phillips Seafood.

Both the Tumbler and the Bat-Pod have served as high-powered modes of transportation for Batman in Christopher Nolan’s earlier blockbusters—with the Tumbler first appearing in “Batman Begins,” and the Bat-Pod being introduced in “The Dark Knight.” They will both be featured in different ways in the hugely anticipated finale to Nolan’s Batman trilogy, “The Dark Knight Rises.”

The coast-to-coast tour of the Tumbler and Bat-Pod is being sponsored by Mountain Dew® and IMAX®.

For fans attending tour events, Tweet your photo with #TumblerTour and your photo may be included in our online gallery.

More information on the tour can be found at:

www.tumblertour.com

www.facebook.com/tumblertour

And for those of you that haven’t seen it yet, behold: the Tumbler!

Awesome. (Courtesy of Warner Bros)

See y’all at the Harbor!

Here’s the Relativity Media press release with the full details:

(Beverly Hills, Calif.) May 17, 2012 – Relativity Media announced today that it has acquired U.S. rights to market and distribute IM Global’s currently-titled Paranoia, directed by Robert Luketic (21) and starring Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games), Oscar®-nominee Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight), Oscar®-nominee Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones) and Lucas Till (X-Men: First Class). Production is targeted to begin this summer and the film will release in theatres on September 27, 2013. IM Global will handle international distribution.

In this high-stakes thriller, Adam Cassidy (Liam Hemsworth) is a charming, blue collar guy trying to get ahead in his entry-level job at Wyatt Telecom. But after one costly and illegal mistake, Adam is confronted by ruthless CEO Nicholas Wyatt. He won’t turn Adam in under one condition: Adam must agree to infiltrate the competition as a corporate spy. Adam soon finds himself packaged for success, surrounded by glamorous boardrooms, expensive cars, and a life he only dreamed of. But behind the scenes, Wyatt is pulling the strings – stopping at nothing, even murder, to win a multi-billion dollar advantage. Realizing he’s nothing more than a pawn in his boss’s ruthless game, Adam’s only way out – is to go in deeper.

The screenplay was written by Jason Dean Hall (Spread) from a previous draft by Barry Levy (Vantage Point), based on the novel Paranoia by Joseph Finder.

Paranoia will be produced by Alexandra Milchan of Emjag Productions, Scott Lambert of Film 360, a division of Management 360, and Deepak Nayar. IM Global CEO Stuart Ford, Douglas Urbanski and Gaumont’s Christophe Riandee will executive produce.

I guess no one learned that sometimes too much is just too much.

The multiple plots that intertwine the movie’s main theme of parenthood are a mess to follow. Too many characters are never a good thing but when you make them all integral to the various plots, this becomes a traffic jam of epic proportions. In other words there is just too damn much going on and you lose the story.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting wants to be a comedy on par with Bridesmaids and there are times where the humor actually passes that of Bridesmaids. Then there are times where the humor and the plot just fall flat and make you want to poke your eyes out. Pacing and editing didn’t help my overall feeling of dread when the story goes from laughs and then BAM, you’re hit with a dramatic moment in the middle of the film that just takes away from the comedy. It felt misplaced and just outside of what is being sold as a comedy. The same miscue occurs near the end of the movie as well and all it does is manage to make me wish the movie would end already.

Plot 1: Jules (Cameron Diaz) and Evan (Matthew Morrison) – Evan is a professional dancer and Jules is the Jillian Michael of a reality TV show akin to The Biggest Loser. Jules gets pregnant and is a control freak. Evan and Jules need to learn to trust each other while also learning to be parents and balance their professional careers.

Plot 2: Holly (Jennifer Lopze) and Alex (Rodrigo Santoro) want to have a child and are trying to adopt a child from Ethiopia. Alex loves Holly but is very nervous about being a first-time dad.

Plot 3: Wendy (Elizabeth Banks) and Gary (Ben Falcone) are having a baby after trying for close to two years. Gary is not in good terms with his father and much younger step-mother.

Plot 4: Ramsey (Dennis Quaid) and his second wife Skyler (Brooklyn Decker) are having twins. Have I mentioned that Ramsey is Gary’s father so this makes Skyler the step-mother who happens to be younger then Gary. Ramsey likes to compete with Gary and one-up his son in hopes of teaching him how to take charge.

Plot 5: Rosie (Anna Kendrick) and Marco (Chance Crawford) run competing food trucks and happened to date, once, back in high school. After a one-night-stand, Rosie is pregnant.  Marco says he will be there for Rosie and the baby. Rosie also happens to be Skyler’s cousin as pointed out late in the movie from a throwaway line.

Plot 6: Holly’s boss Kara (Wendi McLendon-Covey) convinces her to send Alex to the Daddy Dude Group which is held on Saturday mornings at the park. This is a group to help men coupe with parenthood. Kara’s husband Craig (Thomas Lennon) is part of the group.

Plot 7: Daddy Dude Group lead by Craig and attended by fellow fathers Vic (Chris Rock), Gabe (Rob Huebel), Patel (Amir Talai), and workout dude Davis (Joe Manganiello). They meet each week on Saturday mornings to vent and keep each other sane with balancing the family life.

I’m doing my best to try and give a review for a movie that is all over the place and to the point, very forgettable.  The funniest parts of the film come in any of Elizabeth Banks’ scenes. Her scenes with Rebel Wilson who plays Janice, her store assistant, are classic. Rebel just knows how to be funny as we saw in Bridesmaids. Even the Daddy Dude Group deliver some great scenes and very memorable laughs but that comes at the extent of the physical humor of a child tripping and being hit in the head. This is the type of movie that will play well on TBS/TNT on a rainy weekend afternoon so you can go and get a snack during the commercial breaks.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting is rated PG-13 with a run time of 110 minutes.

Rating = 1.5 stars

When I read the summary for Darling Companion, I jumped at the chance to review it.  Then I saw that it was by Lawrence Kasdan, director of one of my favorite movies, The Big Chill, and screenwriter for my nerd addictions Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, (part of what I like to think of as The Good Trilogy) and Raiders of the Lost Ark.  I tried not to get too excited for fear of building things up too much in my head.  I needn’t have worried; Darling Companion had me harkening back to my favorite feel-good films, like Baby Boom, In & Out, and yes, The Big Chill.

Diane Keaton plays Diane Keaton (which is always awesome), and Kevin Kline is as amazing as he always is.  Sam Shepard decides to fully embrace an old coot persona, lending his sheriff with heart of gold a just enough “get off my lawn!” grouchiness.  There’s tons of chemistry between the characters, as if these folks had been working together forever…and well, they have.  It was kind of strange seeing Keaton alongside Kline when I’m so used to seeing her as Shepard’s SO in Baby Boom.  Perhaps I need to shuffle my DVR player.

Mad Men’s Elizabeth Moss is lovely as a hard-edged girl who finds love and happiness when she and her mom bring Freeway to the vet’s office.  Now I want to see Moss give a Woody Allen movie a go.  Woody, get on that please.  But what really caught my eye was a brief animated bit, when Beth’s nightmares about Freeway are given life through some beautiful animation.  Lead animator Jan Van Buyten — who did Balto and All Dogs Go To Heaven 2, so that’s where the “where have I seen this style before” comes from — and his posse do beautiful work that adds to the story rather than pulling viewers away from it.

As the crew decide to search for the dog, hours pass into days, and the characters get real.  Their search serves to open up the good, the bad and the plain-old rude hidden in all their familiar politeness.  There’s enough screwball comedy here to give you the laugh-out-louds, but not so much that it ends up feeling forced or silly.  The search for the dog is like you’d search for your own pup; worry, frenzy, anger at the dog for getting himself lost, more worry, fear…and it never gets too twee.  Kasdan’s light touch with ensemble casts makes sure things stay entertaining and not soppy.  His stellar group of actors goes a long way to that end as well.

Darling Companion is based on Lawrence and Meg Kasdan’s experience of losing their own dog, and I’m glad they decided to make turn that story into this screenplay.  This film is comfortable, fun…you know those movies that have you smiling the whole way through?  Like that.  No, Darling Companion is that.

Gangster Squad

The mobtown movie Gangster Squad will be hitting theaters September 7th 2012.  With a lineup like this — Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Anthony Mackie, Michael Peña — this is looking to be a film I could happily watch on mute.  He-llo boys!  But the 1940s setting and the movie’s true-story underpinnings have me interested in the whole deal.  Peep the trailer and see if you don’t agree with me.  I’ve already been jonesing for some 1940s glam, and Emma Stone’s look in this film has officially sent me into Need territory.

BURBANK, CA, May 14, 2012 – Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures announced today that the release date for “Gangster Squad” is September 7, 2012. The announcement was made by Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. Pictures President, Domestic Distribution.

Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Penn) runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and—if he has his way—every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It’s enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop…except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O’Mara (Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Gosling), who come together to try to tear Cohen’s world apart.

Shot entirely in and around Los Angeles, including in many of the actual locations featured in the story, “Gangster Squad” is a colorful retelling of events surrounding the LAPD’s efforts to take back their nascent city from one of the most dangerous mafia bosses of all time. The screenplay is by Will Beall (TV’s “Castle”), based on the book [Gangster Squad: Undercover Cops, the Mob, and the Battle for Los Angeles] by Paul Lieberman.

***

Getaway

Ethan Hawke and Selena Gomez?  No, they’re not a couple in the just-started-filming Getaway, but it should be cool to see how the latest Disney superstar comes to the screen alongside the more seasoned Nolte and Hawke.  I’m hoping she’ll bust out a tune, since Love You Like A Love Song has been playing a constant re-peat-peat-peat-peat-peat in my head….

BURBANK, CA, May 10, 2012 – Principal photography has begun on Dark Castle Entertainment and After Dark Films’ high-octane action thriller “Getaway.”

Ethan Hawke (“Training Day”) plays Brent Magna, a burned out race car driver who is thrust into a do-or-die mission behind the wheel when his wife is kidnapped. With Brent’s only ally a young hacker (Selena Gomez; “Wizards of Waverly Place”), his one hope of saving his wife is to follow the orders of the mysterious voice (Jon Voight; “Coming Home,” the “National Treasure” films) who’s watching his every move through cameras mounted on the car Brent’s driving.

****

Las Vegas

I loved Robert De Niro in Casino.  So when CBS announced that Bob (we’re on a first-name basis, right) would be starring in another Vegas film called…Las Vegas?  I perked up at the info.  And he’ll be starring with Gordon Gekko?  This has the makings of Oscar bait, methinks.

LOS ANGELES – May 10, 2012 – CBS Films and Good Universe announced today that two-time Oscar®-winner Robert De Niro will star in the comedy LAST VEGAS alongside two-time Oscar®-winner Michael Douglas.

Directed by Jon Turteltaub (National Treasure, While You Were Sleeping) from a screenplay by Dan Fogelman (Crazy, Stupid, Love, Tangled),  LAST VEGAS is a comedy about four old friends who decide to throw a Las Vegas bachelor party for the only one of them who has remained single.  De Niro will play the party-averse Paddy Connelly, who reluctantly agrees to fly to Vegas at the request of his friends. Douglas will play Billy Gerson, a lifelong bachelor, who has finally decided to take the plunge.

I’ll keep you posted on the latest & coolest; from the studios…to my in-box…to you!

The Tumbler and the Bat-Pod are heading out across the US of A in the — you guessed it — Tumbler Tour.  And an awesome tour it should be:

Behold the Tumbler! For it is awesome. (Courtesy of Warner Bros)

Here’s the official scoop:

Fans who have been eagerly awaiting the July 20 release of “The Dark Knight Rises” will have an opportunity to get a firsthand look at the Tumbler and the Bat-Pod, which will be driving into Baltimore on Monday, May 28.

Both the Tumbler and the Bat-Pod have served as high-powered modes of transportation for Batman in Christopher Nolan’s earlier blockbusters—with the Tumbler first appearing in “Batman Begins,” and the Bat-Pod being introduced in “The Dark Knight.” They will both be featured in different ways in the hugely anticipated finale to Nolan’s Batman trilogy, “The Dark Knight Rises.”

The coast-to-coast tour of the Tumbler and Bat-Pod is being sponsored by Mountain Dew® and IMAX®.

For fans attending tour events, Tweet your photo with #TumblerTour and your photo may be included in our online gallery.

When word is released on when the Tumbler Tour takes over Baltimore, we’ll give you the details.  I wonder if they’ll let me strike a Catwoman pose on the Bat-Pod….

I can only hope....(Courtesy of Warner Bros)

And as always, here’s the lineup of social media info:

Web site: www.tumblertour.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tumblertour
Twitter: @tumblertour

Here’s the scoop….

From the press e-mail:

LOVELY MOLLY was entirely shot and produced in Maryland, starring many Maryland-based actors, and written/directed by Eduardo Sánchez with story by Jamie Nash, both Maryland residents.

This Friday, the latest film from local director Eduardo Sánchez (THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, ALTERED, EXISTS) opens exclusively in New York, Los Angeles, and Baltimore – and will play only at Baltimore’s Cinemark Egyptian!

And here’s some information on the movie…and it’s sounding pretty sweet. All I know is that I really enjoyed The Blair Witch Project, so I’m eager to see what Sánchez and Nash have in store.

When newlywed Molly Reynolds returns to her long-abandoned childhood home, reminders of a nightmarish childhood begin seeping into her new life.  A malevolent force, whether her own haunted past or some supernatural ‘thing’, tirelessly seeks to overwhelm her.  Alone and isolated in a centuries-old house, she soon begins an inexorable descent into depravity.  Somewhere in the house, in the terrible space between psychosis and possession, lies an evil that will pull Molly and all those around her into darkness and death.

So head on down to Cinemark Egyptian and be one of the first people to see this new film, and know that you’re doing your part.  Great scares and the feel-good vibe of supporting fellow Marylanders?  Nice.

Check out the trailer at the Lovely Molly Web site, or hit ‘em up on Facebook!

Novice journalists Peter and Lorna (Christopher Denham and Nicole Vicius) are people who are searching.  At the start of this film they are blindfolded, zip-cuffed, put into a minivan (always thought those things were creepy) and made to shower, scrub, leave phones behind and then complete a bizzare series of hand-clapping handshakes that look a lot like the old “Miss Sue from California” handclap game.  But this is no game, it’s the beginning of acceptance into a strange group of individuals led by Maggie, a beautiful, mysterious woman who says she has come from the future to save them.  As Peter and Lorna get pulled deeper into the cult, they must figure out their true reasons for trying to gain acceptance, even as things begin to get more and more unnerving.

Maggie, played with a glowing mysterious beauty by Brit Marling, looks like a beatific, white linen-shrouded Mary among her white clothed followers.  Questions of authenticity bounce back and forth between Peter and Lorna.  Is Maggie crazy, dangerous or just an incredibly believable con artist?  Who is really leading the show, Maggie or creepy Klaus, the cult’s bouncer-cum-entry man (played with eerie focus by Richard Wharton)?  And most important of all, are Peter and Lorna beginning to believe Maggie’s story…and should they?

Sound of My Voice takes off in many directions, but there’s always a tantalizing connection brought to the surface.  That’s not to say that every question is answered, but with this film any answers laid out before you would only serve to dull the effect of the film’s themes of mystery, faith and the need for connection.  Sound of My Voice is a great film to catch early in the evening, so you and your friends can get your existential on and discuss these weighty issues over a pint or two after you’ve left the theater.

Catch the first twelve minutes of Sound of My Voice on the movie’s Web site.