Blog Cabins: Movie Commentary and Reviews Made Fun

The end of an era

2011-05-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends
We're so glad you could attend
Come inside! Come inside!

Wait, let's try that again:

Welcome back my friends to the show that ~~never~~ ends
We're so glad you could attend
Come inside! Come inside!

That's right, my friends, after four-and-a-half years, Blog Cabins will be no more. Some months back, I got a message from my friend and fellow blogger Kai Parker of The List. It said, "I am drunk so bear in mind when reading! :) If we were smart, we would get together with a handful of other bloggers we know and build one big Mega-blog-site." Much to his surprise, I replied with, "Not shitting you...I've been thinking about this kind of thing for a while, and especially lately, but wondered who to ask and whether or not anyone would have interest."

Thus, a new website was born. Chalk it up to any number of things: boredom, a desire for a new challenge, the appeal of a new partnership - whatever it was, there it is. Kai and I are each ceasing operations on our existing sites (the URL will still function, but there will be no new posts) and have begun a new journey, one that can be found at our new home:

MANILOVEFILMS.COM

We have high hopes and big goals for our new site. It will feature lists (of course), reviews of new releases, classic films and vault picks, news, trailers, editorials, festival/awards coverage, games and hopefully everything in between. There will be additional contributors (let us know if you're interested!) helping us along the way, too. Basically, we've spent much of the last two months working on the site (thank god the Ladies of the 90s tourney was here to keep this place going over that time; watch for the Dudes of the 90s tourney over at Insight Into Entertainment, going on now) and we're really excited about what we've got. We hope that you'll come visit us and give us a warm welcome.

So thanks to all of you that visited BC over the years - it was a blast and wouldn't have been without everyone that visited and commented and all that other sappy stuff that people say. Mucho thanks as well to Kai for joining me on this new journey as well. It's gonna be a blast - join us!

Movie of the Month/LAMBcast #68: Oldboy

2011-05-15T23:59:00.002-07:00

[Note: this site is no longer publishing new content - please come check out my awesome new site, Man, I Love Films! http://manilovefilms.com. Thanks!]

The voters in our last MOTM poll overwhelmingly selected Oldboy as this month's film, and it's not hard to see why. Chan-wook Park's genre-spanning 2003 film shockingly was not an instant classic, but has become more than a cult icon in the eight years since its release, climbing the IMDb Top 250 (it currently sits at #97) and, more importantly, becoming more and more known as one of the quintessential Asian films of the new century.

For those unfamiliar with it, the plot synopsis from IMDb:

"An average man is kidnapped and imprisoned in a shabby cell for 15 years without explanation. He then is released, equipped with money, a cellphone and expensive clothes. As he strives to explain his imprisonment and get his revenge, Oh Dae-Su soon finds out that his kidnapper has a greater plan for him and is set onto a path of pain and suffering in an attempt to uncover the motive of his mysterious tormentor."

First up, the links! Thanks to all of the LAMBs that sent in their posts for this edition of the MOTM. Be sure to check out the varied opinions on this controversial film over at the LAMB.

It's also time to vote on next month's movie. I've included many of the choices from last month, but swapped a few out to keep it interesting. You have one week to vote.

Online Surveys & Market Research

As we do every month, the LAMBcast is tied into the MOTM. We had a jam-packed show with six participants for our MOTM-theme, with Nick, Jason, Kai, Jess, Univarn and Dylan on board. Bonus: there's a SHOCKER of an announcement given by a couple of the participants. You won't believe it when you hear it!

Also on tap:

* (An epic) Rants of the Week
* Trailer Talk: Conan the Barbarian
* Last LAMB Standing

http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Music provided royalty-free by Kevin MacLeod's Incompetech website. Big thanks to Kevin for providing this service. The LAMBcast loves feedback, too. Either here in the comments section or to blogcabins@yahoo.com or to our Facebook page. Also, we're on iTunes, and would still love a review, even if it's a bad one.

Thanks for listening!

If you haven't seen Oldboy then you can either rent it or watch it online with LOVEFiLM - the home of free movies online.

Stained Glass Cinema Sunday (#133)

2011-05-15T10:07:00.005-07:00

[Note: this site is no longer publishing new content - please come check out my awesome new site, Man, I Love Films! http://manilovefilms.com. Thanks!]

BEGINNER

EXPERT

Standings:
J.D. - 47
TheGreatWhiteDope - 35.5
Steel11Kane (Kano) - 8
Dreamrot (smacdonn), simoncolumb - 7
Nick, Wendymoon, Stevee Taylor, BD79 - 6
Clive Dangerously, Justin, JLG, Mad Hatter, Rachel - 5
Jason/Daniel, David Bishop, Jason Soto, Andy, TheAnswerMVP2001 - 3
TJMAC510 - 2.5
Evan Derrick, Alex - 2
TonyD, Luke Harrington, Adam Ross, Anders, Dave, Big Mike Mendez, Nic Cage, CaptainRon19, Anh Khoi Do, Tom, Andy the Time Lord, French Toast Sunday - 1

Here are the altered/actual posters from last time:

TGITDNMAR (5/13/11)

2011-05-15T10:04:00.002-07:00

[Note: this site is no longer publishing new content - please come check out my awesome new site, Man, I Love Films! http://manilovefilms.com. Thanks!]

It's that time again for TGITDNMAR, which (obviously) stands for Thank God It's The Day New Movies Are Released.

Priest
What will be next in the one-word title, quasi-religious, zombpire trilogy from star Paul Bettany and director Scott Charles Stewart? One can hardly hold back their need to know.

My best bet is this: Dominion, starring, of course, Bettany, as well as Sharlto Copley, Idris Elba, and Rachel Bilson. Set 4300 years into the future, Dominion centers on a broken down man named Jacob (Bettany) questioning his faith in Zheyahu (the name that the people of that time will be calling their deity) after his lifepartner (wife) and malespring (son) are taken from him by a man known only as The Shemanatrix. However, The Shemanatrix holds a secret dear to humanity; all may not be as it seems. Meanwhile, the enemies of Zheyahu have targeted Jacob as the leader in a movement to oust the apolitical zombies of Leftanthsaville. Or something.

All jokes aside, as bad as Legion looked (and apparently was), and as much as I got a similar vibe from Priest when first seeing the trailer, I have to say that I have a glimmer of optimism that it just might be decent - that the commentary on organized religion just might be enough to suck me in, provided that I can ignore the ridiculous monster aspect to the proceedings. Doubtful, I know.
Dylan's Under Normal Circumstances Chance of Viewing (in the theater): 45%

Bridesmaids
If you've heard me talking about the trailers on the LAMBcast, you know that I haven't been sold on the quality of this so-called "female Hangover." However, I've got it on multiple words that it is no copycat, that this (yes) Apatow-produced chick flick brings the funny - and not nearly represented solely by the gross-out humor of the trailer(s) - but also brings the heart. Even bigger, it features female characters that just might be real people, and not shrill wannabrides or one-note caricatures. I'm still worried about the treatment Melissa McCarthy is shown in the trailer ("Get it? She's fat!"), but I have to say that, especially with a lack of other films I'm interested in seeing in theaters at the moment, I'm kind of interested in checking this out.
Dylan's Under Normal Circumstances Chance of Viewing (in the theater): 78%

The State of the Cabins (5/11/11)

2011-05-11T08:57:00.002-07:00

[Note: this site is no longer publishing new content - please come check out my awesome new site, Man, I Love Films! http://manilovefilms.com. Thanks!]

Enjoy!

Movies watched for the first time (non-theatrically) since last week:
I completely spaced out last week, forgetting that I had seen two films in the prior week that I hadn't seen before. And they both happen to be Bruce Willis films released in 2010, for that matter. Weirdness.

Red
It's the anti-Adventureland. The marketing for Greg Mottola's 2009 coming-of-age tale apparently had a number of people thinking they were walking into Superbad II. Many walked out angry (I loved it, if you recall).

Red, on the other hand, appeared to be a fun-but-mostly-dumb, over-the-top action flick, resting on the laurels of its one-joke setup ("Haha, look - old people firing machine guns and such!"). The sight of Bruce Willis cassssuuuualllyy gliding out of a vehicle and into a sober walk as the car spun out of control might have looked pretty damn cool, but was also apt to roll more than a few eyeballs (like mine).

So it's with great pleasure that I'm able to say that it was a great pleasure to see Red. There's a knowing wink to the action in Red that acknowledges, "Hey, we know we're doing some over-the-top shit here. But we know it, you know it, and we're going to move on from that point, alright?" And move on I (and it) did. Backing up a bit, Red sucks you in from the start with its framework. Willis plays Frank Moses, one of those retired spooks that never even gets to live into retirement in all those other spy books and movies; he's the kind of guy that "knows too much to live." He's meant to keep working until it kills him or he's put out to pasture - should he ever wish to get out, he's to receive a response akin to what mob movies teach out (i.e. there's no getting out once you're in).

But Frank is out, and while he's not suicidal or anything, it comes as no shock that a globe-trotting spy is bored with the life of a typical retiree, reading books and doing crossword puzzles. So he rips up his benefit checks so he can continue to have a reason to call Mary Louise Parker's Sarah, a government office drone also looking for some excitement and travelling.

From there, the plot is set in action. As it turns out, someone wants Frank dead, and the bulk of the film is him teaming up not only with old friends but old adversaries to solve the mystery, all the while dodging the 21st century version of a guy kinda like him, personified by the ever-appealing Karl Urban.

Red is a blast. The one-joke setup turns out to have more ammo than it would appear to, assisted no doubt by a cadre of top shelf thespians, from Malkatraz to Mirren to Freeman and Brian Cox. A "travel postcard" transition device adds a unique charm to the standard action flick as well.

Fletch's Film Rating:

	Expectation: "Darn tootin."
	Reality: "It's in the hole!"

LAMBScore:

Cop Out
Ah yes, the infamous film known mostly for the fact that is was NOT written by Kevin Smith.

Smith is, however, wise enough to get my ears perked up immediately by nabbing 80s icon Harold Faltermeyer to score his film, immediately aligning it (though it doesn't look so hot in comparison, sadly) with such films as Beverly Hills Cop and Fletch. Hell yeah! The post-credits scene even goes so far as to play "Bit by Bit" (aka the Fletch theme), barely stopping short of the part in the lyrics where Fletch's name is mentioned.

Cop Out has a few memorable moments - chief among them the opening "hommage" scene and just about any time Seann William Scott is on screen (in a bizarre role, by the way) - but is let down mostly by a poorly cast villain and a plot that hinges upon a valuable baseball card. Even coming from someone who still has a stash of cards from the 80s and 90s in his house somewhere, this felt like way too nerdy a device for a supposedly cool customer like Willis' protagonist. Besides, the chain of events that puts the plot in motion to recover the stolen card might just have you wondering, "What about eBay, dummy?"

Fletch's Film Rating:

	Expectation: "Whatever."
	Reality: "Whatever."

LAMBScore:

Music I'm currently ~~obsessed with~~ listening to:
* I've had this in my head for the last two days and I have no idea why...now it's your turn.

Book I'm currently reading:
* I finally (finally!) finished the Dahl Onmibus. Appropriately, it ends with a short story called "Bitch." That thing was a tedious read. See earlier States for my reasons why on that front. In short - excellent storyteller, bizarre, world-crushingly depressing stories. He could've written a two-word book rather than this 600+ page tome, consisting merely of "Humanity sucks."

Today I picked up two Elmore Leonard novels. I've never read a page of Leonard, and shame on me, since I love/like/have a soft spot for every single movie that's been adapted from his work. Even The Big Bounce and Touch, and no one saw or liked those.

I bought Get Shorty and another one whose name I can't recall right now (that hasn't been adapted, as far as I know). I've seen Get Shorty a number of times and love it, and I normally abhor reading books after I've seen their adaptations, but if any book could convince me, it's this one. If the book is half as good as the movie, it'll be awesome (and somehow, it will probably be better, if I can let go of the film enough to go along for the ride).

Things to Click On
* You couldn't possibly have missed the Life in Movies blog-a-thon, could you? (By the way, I posted "answers" to mine in the comments section of that post, if you're still baffled.) (Fandango Groovers Movie Blog)

* I pretty much picked away at this post of Univarn's, but that doesn't mean it's not a good, interesting post. (A Life in Equinox)

* It's time for an all-new season of one of my new favorite podcasts, Lee and Dan's Midnight Movie Club. I've never seen this first film of the new season, but check their back catalog - lots of 80s and 90s goodness to be found on this funny podcast.

* James caught Predator for the first time, and I was surprised and pleased with his superb review. (Cinema Sights)

LAMBcast #67: The Rom-Com Discussion

2011-05-08T17:34:00.001-07:00

[Note: this site is no longer publishing new content - please come check out my awesome new site, Man, I Love Films! http://manilovefilms.com. Thanks!]

Jess hosts a roundtable discussion of romantic comedies: the good, the bad, and the just plan unwatchable. Is the genre more than just Katherine Heigl and Kate Hudson flicks? Does The Princess Bride count as a rom-com? Is the term 'rom-com' an insult? Jess, Rachel, Nick, James and Dylan attempt to answer all of these questions and more.

We'd also like to give a special shout-out to Clara of Just Chick Flicks, who was there and more than willing to participate in this discussion that was tailor-made for her and her site, but was unable to thanks to some technical issues.

Also on tap:

* Rants of the Week
* Trailer Talk: Bridesmaids
* Last LAMB Standing

Music provided royalty-free by Kevin MacLeod's Incompetech website. Big thanks to Kevin for providing this service. The LAMBcast loves feedback, too. Either here in the comments section or to blogcabins@yahoo.com or to our Facebook page. Also, we're on iTunes, and would still love a review, even if it's a bad one.

Thanks for listening!

Stained Glass Cinema Sunday (#132)

2011-05-08T12:52:00.004-07:00

[Note: this site is no longer publishing new content - please come check out my awesome new site, Man, I Love Films! http://manilovefilms.com. Thanks!]

BEGINNER

EXPERT

Standings:
J.D. - 47
TheGreatWhiteDope - 35.5
Steel11Kane (Kano) - 8
Dreamrot (smacdonn), simoncolumb - 7
Nick, Wendymoon, Stevee Taylor, BD79 - 6
Clive Dangerously, Justin, JLG, Mad Hatter, Rachel - 5
Jason/Daniel, David Bishop, Jason Soto, Andy, TheAnswerMVP2001 - 3
TJMAC510 - 2.5
Evan Derrick, Alex - 2
TonyD, Luke Harrington, Adam Ross, Anders, Dave, Big Mike Mendez, Nic Cage, CaptainRon19, Anh Khoi Do, Tom, Andy the Time Lord - 1

Here are the altered/actual posters from last time:

A Life in Movies

2011-05-07T14:00:00.003-07:00

[Note: this site is no longer publishing new content - please come check out my awesome new site, Man, I Love Films! http://manilovefilms.com. Thanks!]

That Fandango has done it again.

In other words, Andy over at Fandango Groovers Movie Blog has come up with another excellent community blogging event (it transcends blog-a-thon!) for us all to partake in. I would hope that you can tell from the banner what it's supposed to be, but here's the skinny from the horse's mouth:

Inception, Toy Story 3, Winter’s Bone, Sex and the City 2 - what was your favourite movie of 2010? That’s an easy question you probably know the answer without giving it a second thought. But what about your favourite from five years ago, or ten, or event the year you were born? Now that’s a little harder.

I am inviting fellow bloggers to tell us what their favourite movies are from each year of their life so far. You can put as much or as little effort into you list as you wish. It could just be a list of movies, you may with to add a sentence or two about the movies or what they mean to you, you can brighten it up with images, posters or trailers. The choice is yours.

So, below is my list. I went at this with the mindset: which were the movies that undoubtedly meant the most to me at that point in my life (if I even saw them that year) that STILL mean a lot to me. Sure, I might have loved Benji or The Black Stallion when I was a child, but I can't say that I've seen either in at least two decades.

Edit: I forgot to mention a component of this list - I've tried to make it a bit more fun than your typical list, in that it's somewhat of a guessing game as well. While many of the images you see below are bound to be iconic, others are either from less recognizable films or less iconic images from very well-known films. If you aren't sure what any of them are, just ask (or guess!)

Go here to check out everyone's lists.

1976
Perhaps this will change when I finally see Network.

1977
Duh.

1978
I could really give or take this year.

1979
This is when the choices start to get difficult for me.

1980
Duh.

1981
Duh.

1982

1983
Really should be Jedi, but we've had enough Star Wars.

1984
What an iconic "80s" year for the movies.

1985
Had to be. 1985 is stacked with movies I adore (BTTF, Better Off Dead, Goonies, Teen Wolf).

1986
Barely edges Top Gun.

1987
Barely edges Predator. I couldn't not choose TPB.

1988
With apologies to Coming to America and Bloodsport.

1989
This might be the year I can point to and say "this is when I fell in love with movies."

1990
Pretty easy choice, really.

1991
Yes, you read that right - over T2.

1992

1993
Makes up for not picking Reservoir Dogs in '92.

1994
Duh.

1995
With apologies to The Usual Suspects and Se7en. Tough year to choose from.

1996

1997

1998
With apologies to The Big Lebowski and Rushmore. That hurt. A lot.

1999
1999 is the greatest year in modern movie history. I heart it to death.

2000

2001
Wes Anderson gets the shaft once again.

2002
Not a great year for movies, overall. A lot to like but not looooove.

2003
I'm its champion. Tops the superior Finding Nemo due to my constant flag-waving.

2004
No contest.

2005
Why do I feel bad about this choice?

2006
I'm shocked at how many 2006 flicks I've ended up loving. We'll look back fondly on it.

2007
I might've pick Hot Fuzz, but Point Break kinda covers it, don't ya think?

2008
Can't believe I've still only seen this once.

2009
Was having a hard time choosing until I got to "I." Then - game over.

2010
We'll see what its staying power is like; I have a feeling it won't be this in five years…

2011
See it already! (Yeah, I cheated - this was only supposed to go through 2010.)

TGITDNMAR (5/6/11)

2011-05-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

It's that time again for TGITDNMAR, which (obviously) stands for Thank God It's The Day New Movies Are Released.

OMG - on time and everything!

Thor
I guess you have to give it up to the marketing machine. For years, we've heard questions about what the studios would do when they ran out of "A"-level superheroes. Turns out that said worry was much ado about nothing (maybe - see below). Iron Man is perhaps not Batman or Spider-Man, but despite the protestations that he wasn't them, he was also someone that even the least-interested person probably still recognized. With the success of Thor, I have to think that the fears that studios won't be able to sell us on the B team are unfounded. As of press time, the film is scheduled to rake in approximately $65-75 million in its first weekend. Sure, that's no Dark Knight figure, but it's nothing to sneeze at, either. What might be more fascinating is that Thor actually looks like a decent film (and is receiving reviews that back up that supposition).

Now, a caveat. I'm not 100% sold on my theory about the B team, despite my claim. See, non-comic book people like me might not know a damn thing about Thor the comic book character, however, the name Thor has pretty strong recognition to it - everyone knows he's a Norse god. So, sell me Ant Man and we'll really see if those fears are unfounded.
Fletch's Under Normal Circumstances Chance of Viewing (in the theater): 93%

Something Borrowed
Remember that one time, when we all thought Kate Hudson was gonna be great?

Yeah...we were idiots.

Does Ms. Hudson make movies that aren't somehow related to weddings? She must have Spielbergian levels of personal issues regarding nuptials. Could that be residual issues surrounding the "we've been together forever but are never getting married" status of her mother and surrogate dad, Kurt Russell? Sigmund Fletch wants to know.

No, that's not true. I really don't care. Which, not coincidentally, is how I feel about any and every Hudson film.
Fletch's Under Normal Circumstances Chance of Viewing (in the theater): 0%

Jumping the Broom
Oh shit! CSI's disgraced former co-star Gary Dourdan is in this. I always liked him and was sad when he got killed off there (and got arrested for possessing every drug known to man, but that's another story). Regardless, it looks like this is a bit part, and frankly, I'm not sure that a larger one would make a dent in my interest level for the Broom.

One look at the poster tells me two big things about the Broom: first, that its subject matter (clash between "urban" and "bougie" black families) could make for a really interesting, revealing movie, and second, that it won't. I'll hope to be wrong, but the tone of the poster is "Haha, we're having fun fighting! It's gonna be a party either uptown or downtown!" And maybe accomplishing something meaningful is possible within the confines of the type of comedy it looks like (stand-ups do it all of the time). But I doubt it.
Fletch's Under Normal Circumstances Chance of Viewing (in the theater): 8%

Ladies of the 90s Tournament...winner!

2011-05-05T06:37:00.003-07:00

Congratulations to the Vulcan from Hackers for being selected as the winner of the Ladies of the 90s Tournament! (How did this happen, exactly?)

Just for shits and giggles, humor me by taking part in one more poll. Let's suppose that the SMG gang hadn't overtaken her matchup versus Winona Ryder, who I think we all can agree was robbed of her chance in the tourney. Who would you choose between her and the two finalists?

poll by twiigs.com

Survivor: Redemption Island Episode 12 Live Blog!

2011-05-04T18:58:00.002-07:00

(Editor's Note: Ok, so I'm an idiot. I accidentally just wrote over an older post - for episode 10, I think - so there are some comments here that won't make sense. Also, you probably aren't seeing this post in your feed readers since it's a few weeks old. Oh well...)

Alright, my stalwart Survivor gang - it's time for another Live Blog!

Is it just me, or does it seem like this season has gone on forever? It ends Sunday (thankfully), and yet, this episode here is only the 12th. Have the seasons always been this short (and seemed so long)? I think not. Methinks the show needs larger gaps between seasons...

Anyway, on to the show!

7:00: Again with the four person "dual," eh? I suppose the contestants will have to balance 6-sided triangles on their laps later?

7:02: Hmmm...a scene involving Natalie crying...could that possibly have served as the "family crying moment of the season," meaning we might be dodging that bullet?

7:04: I swear to god, right as I'm typing that, the players are discovering phones with family messages. I'm fucking psychic (or I've just watched this show for a long time).

7:05: Hey! Andrea didn't turn into a ball of tears upon seeing her video. A Survivor first! Good for her.

7:06: Damnit, I wish Matt had been amongst the players getting a message. I want to know if it would have been from God.

7:07: Again, I'm psychic - he gets a turn after all. I'll be disappointed if Jesus himself doesn't tell Matt that he's really pulling for him in today's challenge.

7:09: I'm not sure if you're aware of this or not, but tonight's episode is brought to us by SPRINT...4G! How much you wanna bet me that the first commercial in the next break is from our friends at Sprint? The Epic 4G.

7:10: If I took a drink every time they said "Sprint," I'd be wasted already. And it's all been in the span of four minutes, so it'd be like shotgunning beers.

7:15: Are you kidding? Only one person is going home? So there'll be nine people left in the game, and we've got a finale on Sunday? WTF?

7:17: Bye, Steve. Didn't ya like how they showed Phil immediately after Jeff said Steve was going home?

7:18: What the shit? Is this series gonna be airing on the Trinity Broadcasting Network soon? I have my limits, people...

7:19: That said, while I don't know if it will make the least bit of difference for him, I think Mike made an excellent choice. Not only is it worth a shot, but it's not like he didn't get a) a message and b) to see his Mom in person. And if it curries him favor down the line, to go with the good karma he's already earned, all the better. I'm not sure if I could have made such a move, but I appreciate it nonetheless.

7:24: Okay, no need to correct me. I just got curious and looked it up, and I see that the finale is on the 15th, which means we've got next Wednesday as well. My bad! Though I think I also saw that the finale will start with 8 people - wow.

7:26: Grant's....sister's husband? Odd choice for a family member - I wonder if there's a story there. And Ralph's "friend?" I'm not sure that I would have guessed that Ralph was gay - cool!

7:28: Rob just talked about making a better life for his wife and kids. Yeah...I don't want to begrudge the guy that, but I can't imagine that they're exactly hurting for cash.

7:28: Spoiler - it will be unveiled that Grant is the second coming of Jesus later on in the show. He looks the part, right? And this is the Official Reality Show of Heaven, right?

7:29: Ok, I'll stop.

7:29: If the show stops first.

7:34: How can Grant not win this? The guy's probably spent more time running up and down stadium stairs than the rest of the players combined. Could anyone be more conditioned than he is?

7:38: Rob wins!

7:38: ...and then dies of heat exhaustion.

7:43: Crap, I was too busy skipping the commercials to notice - was that one commercial I called for Sprint or what?

7:48: But of course - Phil has been acting like a crazy fool all this time. I don't buy it. The guy might have had a moment of self-realization where he picked up on the fact that he's a nut that's almost universally loathed, but there's no way that everything he's said and done has been an act.

7:53: So what do we think? More bait and switch? It's gotta be Andrea, right? I say yay.

7:56: I really hope that those remaining five players are forced to do a vote amongst themselves next week, because I'd like to see if Rob can stick to his "keep Phil" strategy, and whether or not the pair of gals and/or the pair of non-Phil guys would dare to vote against each other. I can't think of another season in which we had a solid group of players that contained two even-solider [sic] pairs within it. It makes me hope for a four-person finale with the two pairs making it, just so they have to trash talk each other.

The State of the Cabins (5/4/11)

2011-05-04T15:17:00.003-07:00

Down and dirty this time out...

Movies watched for the first time (non-theatrically) since last week:
I don't think there have been any again, though I'm over halfway through the epically long, epically stupid Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. My favorite part thus far: A group enters the Smithsonian. They awake a long-dormant Decepticon. He's sleepy, wants outside. So he smashes through the wall and - POOF! - they're in a field full of airplanes with mountains in the distance. Put it this way: you could have a field day just reading the "Errors in geography" section of the Goofs page for the flick on IMDb. Oh boy, oh boy...I can't wait to finish it.

Aside from that, it's been more rewatching of old flicks (Timecop!) and two (2!) theatrical trips in the last week (Fast Five and Win Win).

Music I'm currently ~~obsessed with~~ listening to:
* Every time I listen to this, I feel bad that I don't own a single Pulp album yet. I'm familiar with about three of their songs (one from the Great Expectations soundtrack, one from the Trainspotting soundtrack, and this one), and I greatly enjoy all of them.

I'm so ahead of the times...

Book I'm currently reading:
* Still with the omnibus.

I've about 130 pages left, but I don't think I'm even going to finish it. I've had my fill of pessimistic, depressing short stories in which Dahl toys with and (almost always) harms his protagonists. Yay...life sucks. Thanks for the lesson. I can't believe this guy is known for writing children's stories.

Things to Click On* I have nothing for you this week. I'm just being a bad blogger all-around. The Blogger embargo at work has kept me away from writing and reading as I'm accustomed to, so my apologies to all that are wondering where I've gone. Also, I'm working on a project that is taking away the rest of my attention. Hopefully, I'll be back reading and commenting on sites and posting more in the near future.

Poll results; new poll; FYC!

2011-05-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

The results of the latest poll either indicate that much of Blog Cabins' readership is not a member of the Large Association of Movie Blogs...or the magic is gone from the LAMMY awards, with just 57% of the vote excited for the ceremony in one fashion or another. Hard to say which, really, not without knowing who the 26% of voters were that selected "not caring,""curious," and "in the dark." Though, really, the ones I'm concerned about are the 3 individuals who selected "full of hate" towards the awards. Care to come forward? (Castor, if you're one of them, I get it.)

I'm in the midst of trudging through the second Transformers film (just for shits and giggles, and because I get curious to see just how bad some films are), and it's got me wondering how much interest you have in the third edition of the Baysplosions epic. New poll wants a simple Yes or No from you.

Also, for those that might not see it on the LAMB, I had to share with you the For Your Consideration ad that I made for the event. I wasn't coming up with anything brilliantly funny (some have been great for this), and I didn't want to do anything that just put a bunch of text over an image from a recent movie (too many have done this), and putting JCVD's face on one of these is an awesome idea that's already been taken, so....I went with a (hopefully) classy and designery one. Made in MS Paint, of course!

Ladies of the 90s Tournament - The Championship!: Uma Thurman (3) vs. Angelina Jolie (5)

2011-05-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

Previous results: Well, we got a close, back-and-forth matchup for our last one before the final, with Sandra and Angelina trading the lead all day. In the end, Jon Voight's daughter knocked out the last number one seed, 28-23. Can she finish her Cinderella run and take it all? For the updated bracket, click here.

Uma Thurman

90s Highlights: Pulp Fiction, Gattaca, Beautiful Girls, Jennifer Eight, Final Analysis

Angelina Jolie

90s Highlights: Hackers, Girl, Interrupted, The Bone Collector

poll by twiigs.com

Ladies of the 90s Tournament - Round 4: Sandra Bullock (1) vs.

2011-05-03T08:29:00.002-07:00

Previous results: Another day, another blowout. Uma trounced Halle Berry, 20-10. Today, we see who will face her in the finals - the Girl Next Door, or the Possibly Crazy Vixen Next Door. For the updated bracket, click here.

Sandra Bullock

90s Highlights: Speed, Demolition Man, While You Were Sleeping, A Time to Kill

Angelina Jolie

90s Highlights: Hackers, Girl, Interrupted, The Bone Collector

poll by twiigs.com

TGITDNMAR (4/29/11)

2011-05-02T19:28:00.002-07:00

It's that time again for TGITDNMAR, which (obviously) stands for Thank God It's The Day New Movies Are Released.

Well, or a few days after the new movies are released...

Fast Five
What's harder to believe - the fact that I saw this on opening night (the first in the franchise that I've seen at all, much less in the theater), or the fact that I kinda liked it?

Frankly, it's hard not to give in to its charms. It's a big, dumb football player of a movie, but so long as you are up for a visceral ride and can ignore giant implausabilities (of which there are oh so many), you can't help but psych yourself up for some Diesel vs. Rock action. Everyone else is just ear or ear candy in one fashion or another, and that's okay. Dylan's Under Normal Circumstances Chance of Viewing (in the theater): 100%

Prom
Ah yes, another one of those Disney teen movies in which I've never heard of a single person in the main cast, so I go digging through the extended cast looking for some character actor and/or has been that's slumming their way through a paycheck. Who will I find this time, and could they possibly be enough to get me interested??

A) Christine Elise: known mostly for Beverly Hills 90210 (the original). No.

B) Faith Ford: Of Murphy Brown/Hope & Faith fame. No. What happens when someone known for being "perky" gets older? I think the answer is that they disappear, sad as that may be.

C) Jere Burns: Of Dear, John fame. No - however, he's been an occasional guest star on Justified as some low-level gangster, and he's been spectacularly creepy. But I would require about 10,000 hims to get me to see Prom, I'm afraid.
Dylan's Under Normal Circumstances Chance of Viewing (in the theater): 0%

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil
I just watched Cop Out for the first time this weekend. And to quote Tracy Morgan attempting to will Seann William Scott from telling a joke: "No. No. Huh Huh. No. No! No! No! Hell No! NO! NO! I refuse to... No! No!"
Dylan's Under Normal Circumstances Chance of Viewing (in the theater): 0%

Ladies of the 90s Tournament - Round 4: Halle Berry (2) vs. Uma Thurman (3)

2011-05-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

Previous results: Angelina Jolie made quick work of Denise Richards in one of the most voted-upon matchups yet, besting her 32-13. And now, for the first of the final three matchups as we move into the Final Four! Which uniquely-monikered star will advance to the championship? Click here to view the updated full bracket.

Uma Thurman

90s Highlights: Pulp Fiction, Gattaca, Beautiful Girls, Jennifer Eight, Final Analysis

Halle Berry

90s Highlights: The Last Boy Scout, Strictly Business, Boomerang, Executive Decision, Bulworth

poll by twiigs.com

LAMBcast #66: Scream 4

2011-05-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

We had a full house of five LAMBcasters on board to discuss the latest installment of Wes Craven's once-upon-a-time-hip teen slasher franchise - would we think this one continues the tradition or falls flat? Nick, Jason, James, Dylan and Simon break it down. Also - we bid adieu to the LAMB of the Week and unveil our new segment: Rants of the Week. Be sure to let us know what ya think!

Also on tap:

* Trailer Talk: The Change-Up
* Last LAMB Standing

Stained Glass Cinema Sunday (#131)

2011-05-01T11:47:00.002-07:00

BEGINNER

EXPERT

Standings:
J.D. - 47
TheGreatWhiteDope - 35.5
Dreamrot (smacdonn), simoncolumb - 7
Nick, Wendymoon, Steel11Kane (Kano), Stevee Taylor - 6
Clive Dangerously, Justin, JLG, Mad Hatter, Rachel, BD79 - 5
Jason/Daniel, David Bishop, Jason Soto, Andy, TheAnswerMVP2001 - 3
TJMAC510 - 2.5
Evan Derrick, Alex - 2
TonyD, Luke Harrington, Adam Ross, Anders, Dave, Big Mike Mendez, Nic Cage, CaptainRon19, Anh Khoi Do, Tom, Andy the Time Lord - 1

Here are the altered/actual posters from last time:

Ladies of the 90s Tournament - Round 3: Denise Richards (2) vs. Angelina Jolie (5)

2011-04-29T06:12:00.002-07:00

Previous results: Halle Berry came back and took down America's Sweetheart of the 90s, beating Julia Roberts 20-17. Now, I present you with the final matchup of the third round - which vixen will advance to the final four? Click here to view the not-quite-updated full bracket.

Denise Richards

90s Highlights: Wild Things, Drop Dead Gorgeous, The World Is Not Enough

Angelina Jolie

90s Highlights: Hackers, Girl, Interrupted, The Bone Collector

poll by twiigs.com

The State of the Cabins (4/27/11)

2011-04-27T15:30:00.002-07:00

Movies watched for the first time (non-theatrically) since last week:
None. Been too busy watching A) Parks and Recreation (and loving it, after a rough first few episodes to start off), and B) movies I've already seen. In the past week or so, I've watched:

* Avatar - Played out the same as the theatrical viewing, generally speaking. Re-hashed story, pancake characters, and offensive stand-ins of the Na'vi (or however it's spelled) for Native Americans. Did that aspect (the indigenous people) have to be sooooo blatant?

Still, it's a marvel to look at, has some solid action, and I can't help but love Stephen Lang in it, since he's the only character with any character in the damn movie. Everyone else is so bland.

* Terminator: Salvation - Also felt the same about this one. I was one of the eight people that liked this when it came out, and that held true. I still have to kind of marvel at Sam Worthington in this one; I don't know if it's good direction or just an interestingly-written character, but he really was the standout of the film and, if you'd only seen this performance from him, you'd think he was destined for bigger and better things. I guess the jury is still somewhat out on that front, but Avatar and Clash certainly didn't help. Solid action and a good, logical progression of the story benefit this greatly. And, of course, having Michael Ironside in your movie never hurts, either.

* Dead Poets Society - Watching this will take you back to a time...not necessarily 1988, but a time in which we all believed that Robin Williams was destined for a great career as a dramatic and comedic actor (see Aiden's recent poll/comments for more on this). Well, his batting average would probably be pretty good for baseball, but not so much for movies. Still, this one is a classic, not only for his performance and the tear-jerker ending, but for the chance to see Bob Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke, Josh Charles, and That 70s Show's Red before they were famous(er).

(Random note: One thing I couldn't help but notice that bugged me this time was the snow. Of course, like many flicks, it's fake, which in and of itself is annoying, but there are several goofs in which it is snowing in one angle and gone from the next. When it's bouncing back and forth between the two, it's a bit annoying, especially coming from a "prestige" Hollywood film like this. Boo, Peter Weir.)

* Hot Tub Time Machine - Oooh boy, did this go down a few shades. Has it been only a year since this came out? Look, I'm gonna be a sucker for any flick with a Billy Zabka cameo (shame on you if you don't know who he is) and constant references to the 80s, but this thing is pretty shoddy and worse, not all that funny. It just feels half thought-out - undercooked and lazy writing and filmmaking, with enough bright spots to carry you from start to finish. Though I did catch a "You owe me two dollars!" line that I didn't get the first time around. That was nice.

* Three Men and a Baby - AKA the top grossing film of 1987. If you haven't seen this in a while, go back and watch it and then marvel at that fact. Sure, it's got its charms - chief among them Tom Selleck, one of the best simultaneous man's man and ladies' man there ever was - but yeah, this is really not a very good movie. Makes Crocodile Dundee look great in comparison (note: I actually really think Croc is pretty great, despite its high level of datedness). I understand that they looked at the titular situation and thought "Uh, we kinda need something else here...this thing isn't gonna be 45 minutes long at this point!," but the drug angle was a fairly misguided one. Of course, the most stunning thing about Three Men was, is, and will always be the apartment/penthouse that these guys lived in. Sure, they were doing pretty well financially (one an architect, one an apparently syndicated cartoonist, and one a struggling/semi-successful TV actor), but this is still New York we're talking about here, where a shoebox currently rents out for probably $2,000. How much did that place cost, or rather, how much would it cost, since it wasn't even a real place to begin with? One reviewer guessed half a million per month, and they wrote that in 1987!

Music I'm currently ~~obsessed with~~ listening to:
* Changing the name of this section. I am certainly capable of getting obsessed with an artist, but it surely doesn't happen every week - more like a handful of times a year. Of course, I often have one awful song stuck in my head for several days in a week, but I doubt you want me to share those.

Instead, here's a song that came up on the iPod earlier that was sadly never as popular as I thought it should have been. It's not deep or meaningful, but it's a hell of a lot of fun. Note to self: buy an Everclear greatest hits compilation (and get the Foo Fighters one while you're at it); both are bands that I generally like, but not enough to buy any of their studio albums.

Book I'm currently reading:
* Still with the omnibus. It's been a truly fascinating experience: I more or less dread reading it, largely because of my aversion to short stories and the fact that most end ironically and/or full of spite towards the characters, but I can't deny that they're well-written, and I continue to get sucked into nearly all of them. Dahl might not have had the widest array of characters (most are bourgeoisie types, either in London or New York), but his knowledge of various subjects is pretty vast (or at least, appears that way).

Still, I'm looking forward to getting to a novel, and I probably won't get to one for another couple weeks.

Things to Click On* Jess did a pretty sweet analysis of some of the most well-known romantic comedies, looking for trends and identifiable issues - what are the common themes/plot devices, and what works and - even more - what doesn't. (Insight Into Entertainment)

* Fitz isn't all that thrilled with the actor chosen to lead the next Bourne flick. I can't say I blame him (even if I'm fine with the pick), though I'm all thumbs up for his choice. (Nevermind Popular Film)

* Some crazy guy named Unicorn came up with a nice twist on his weekly DVD post to celebrate the fact that it was also his 900th post. (A Life in Equinox)

* Vancetastic wants to look away from a certain gothy, fairy taley director...but can't. (The Audient)

* Where does he get those wonderful toys? Castor nails another solid Top 10 list. (Anomalous Material)

Ladies of the 90s Tournament - Round 3: Julia Roberts (1) vs. Halle Berry (2)

2011-04-27T09:13:00.003-07:00

Previous results: Leeloo go "bada boom. Big bada boom!" In other words, Uma Thurman destroyed Milla Jovovich - and I gotta say I was at least a little shocked at just how badly - to the tune of 19-5. Big bada boom. Click here to view the updated full bracket.

Julia Roberts

90s Highlights: Pretty Woman, Hook, The Pelican Brief, My Best Friend's Wedding, Notting Hill, Conspiracy Theory

Halle Berry

90s Highlights: The Last Boy Scout, Strictly Business, Boomerang, Executive Decision, Bulworth

poll by twiigs.com

Ladies of the 90s Tournament - Round 3: Uma Thurman (3) vs. Milla Jovovich (4)

2011-04-26T09:33:00.003-07:00

Previous results: Alright, now this is gettin' interesting! In a matchup that spent most of its time tied up, America's Girl Next Door, Sandy Bullock, lived up to her number one seeding and edged Salma Hayek, 16-15. Click here to view the updated full bracket. Here are the resumes:

Uma Thurman

90s Highlights: Pulp Fiction, Gattaca, Beautiful Girls, Jennifer Eight, Final Analysis

Milla Jovovich

90s Highlights: Dazed and Confused, The Fifth Element, He Got Game, The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc

poll by twiigs.com

It finally hit me...

2011-04-25T22:54:00.000-07:00

When I finally sat down to watch The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly some months back, Lee Van Cleef had to have been the standout for me. Pure evil, yet with grace. He also just had himself one hell of a unique look. Funny then, that he reminded me of someone then. Thing is, I could never figure out who...until now.

I'm now saying that there should ever be a remake, but if they were to, could they get Stephen Lang to take Van Cleef's place?

Ladies of the 90s Tournament - Round 3: Sandra Bullock (1) vs. Salma Hayek (2)

2011-04-25T10:00:00.003-07:00

Previous results: In an up-and-down battle, Halle Berry eventually sealed the deal, knocking out Batgirl herself, Alicia Silverstone, by the score of 17-13. And thus Round 3 begins today! Just six more matchups, including this one! Note: I don't have access to my spreadsheet right now, so no update to the bracket, but if you want to see it prior to the last matchup, click here.

Sandra Bullock

90s Highlights: Speed, Demolition Man, While You Were Sleeping, A Time to Kill

Salma Hayek

90s Highlights: Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn, Dogma, Wild Wild West

poll by twiigs.com