Leilani's Random Movie Review

Coming Soon: 'Columbiana' - New Action Thriller

2011-07-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

Even if you have never watched a scene from the cinematic blockbuster 'Avatar', there is no way that you haven't enjoyed the energetic acting of Zoe Saldana in at least on the other high grossing movies she has starred in (e.g. the newest edition to the 'Star Trek' franchise, 'The Losers', or 'Takers'). She has proven time and again that she has the superb performance talent and physical agility that just may catapult her on the way to becoming this generation's next female action super star.

This time Saldana is headlining the title role in the new action thriller 'Columbiana'. The plot centers around a young woman who witnesses the horrific murder of her parents when she is only a small child. The shock from the brutal experience draws her into a life as a highly skilled female assassin who is ultimately seeking to avenge her parents' deaths.

'Columbia' co-stars Micharel Vartan (TV's 'Hawthorne' and 'Alias') as the love interest for Saldana's character Cataleya Restrepo. The action drama was directed by Olivier Megaton and is scheduled for release on August 26th.

Columbiana trailer is up. (cyberiasha.com)
Movie Preview: "Columbiana" Starring Zoe Saldana (divamission.wordpress.com)

'Avengers' Movie Poster Montage

2011-07-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

with all of the hype surrounding the release of the last prequel ('Captain America: The First Avenger') before the new 'Avengers' movie, scheduled for release in the summer of 2012, i wanted to dedicate some time to post all of my favorite concept art and sneak peak movie posters for this highly anticipated movie release in a quick montage. graphic art is so uber cool :)

Avengers assembled! (coolstufftheblog.wordpress.com)
Final Poster for CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (geektyrant.com)
Comic-Con 2011: New 'Avengers' character posters (insidemovies.ew.com)
Avengers Teaser Poster of the Day (geeks.thedailywh.at)
Avengers Movie Poster: Unveiled! (thehollywoodgossip.com

Avengers_Movie_Poster_Montage

nick cage: the ultimate character actor

2011-07-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

i am yet to find a nicholas cage movie that i didn't immediately take a liking to. i even liked that one film he did way back when,'Valley Girl' circa 1980-something, and watch it almost every time it pops up on digital cable. i think he plays his best roles when he's on a really cool epic mission - stalking occultists or ridding dark ages villages from witches - but i enjoy almost any dark hero role he takes on.

my most recent views - 'Drive Angry' and 'Season of the Witch'. while i'm pretty sure i wasn't supposed to laugh through 'Drive Angry' that's what made this movie so classically cool. this really bad dude busts right out of the fiery pits to avenge his slain daughter's death and rescue her newborn daughter (with the help of a four-letter dropping, kick azz blond of course!). although 'season of the witch' started out pretty cheesy and awkward, by the end, i was really engrossed in watching the good guys battle a league of evil spirits and hold off a total apocalypse.

long live the character actors of the world...they make random plot holes so much fun to watch and the ticket worth the overprice.

Movie Review: Season of the Witch (2011) (carefuleugene.blogspot.com)
'Season of the Witch': Raising Hell Has Never Been So Dumb (Review) (popmatters.com)

have fun hiding under the bed: new release horror dvds

2011-07-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

there's nothing like being scared out of your mind to make you feel all excited and tingly. with all this sci-fi talk via new movie releases like 'Captain America' and 'Cowboys & Aliens', i think we all forgot about the best stay at home movie genre: horror. here is a quick list of my best options for both screaming at the top of my lungs and having a knee slapping fun time all at once!

Insidious: Really Late Impressions (bokgil.wordpress.com)
DVD Review: Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (writer.fitzhome.com)

'Captain America' Post-Credits 'Avengers' Teaser Trailer

2011-07-28T22:47:00.000-07:00

i patiently waited well after the credits rolled to see this and i was in no way disappointed. in case YOU missed it...here it is for your viewing pleasure. now, i'm patiently counting down for MY anticipated release for the new year. wow, i'm really loving 'thor's' look in this preview (she says with a dreamy look on her face) :) ENJOY!!

Teaser of 'The Avengers' Teaser Trailer After 'Captain America' (slashfilm.com)
Film: Newswire: Here is the first official Avengers teaser poster (avclub.com)
Final Scene in CAPTAIN AMERICA and Short Teaser for THE AVENGERS (geektyrant.com)

'Cowboys & Aliens' - what's an i-trailer(tm)?

2011-07-28T22:41:00.000-07:00

ever heard of an i-trailer(tm)? until yesterday, neither had i.

in this tech-savvy pop culture world, where your new smart phone suddenly becomes old and out-dated before you have a chance to program your favorite mobile updates into the punch pad, it's not at all surprising that the film industry has had to find a new and more inventive method for keeping impatient audiences happily entertained long before we march obediently into the theaters.

the new sci-fi meets old west epic 'Cowboys & Aliens' opens to audiences this friday, july 29th and i am but one one-thousandth of a fraction of the number of eager movie lovers who are counting pennies so that we can snag a seat in a local movie house. during the course of my daily rss trolling, i came across a new trailer for the flick. new trailer? for a film opening in less than a week? surprisingly, the answer is yes, and here's the quick scoop on what's up with that.

an i-trailer(tm) is simply what is sounds like...an interactive method for attention deficit movie-goers such as myself to get an in-depth and eye-catching glimpse inside of a film way before the dvd with bonus features goes on sale. the interactive trailer for 'Cowboys & Aliens', which i literally stumbled upon, is actually quite cool. simply hover your mouse anywhere over the viewing screen and icons for sharing, movie info, and other intriguing features pop-up for you to play with.

check it out below via @yahoomovies and see you on friday!

http://www.cowboysandaliensmovie.com/itrailer/embed.html

i-Trailers™ - Home (i-trailers.com)
COWBOYS & ALIENS - New Full Trailer #3 (geektyrant.com)
Movie Review: COWBOYS & ALIENS - A Great Classic Western... with Aliens! (geektyrant.com)

am i really looking forward to seeing 'captain america'?

2011-07-25T21:41:00.000-07:00

so..AM I looking forward to the long awaited cinematic rebirth of this patriotic comic classic, marvel's captain america: the first avenger? you know what, i think i am...here's why: i have very low expectations for this movie. sounds condescending doesnt it? well...that's how i think sometimes. it's hard to be disappointed if you were already prepared to be...(drum roll)...disappointed.

my theory has been proven correct time and time again. for example, when i saw the trailers for marvel's thor....so NOT excited...it looked as if it were going to be jammed packed with gobs of obvious cgi (ugh?). i dragged my feet for weeks to buy a ticket but when i plopped my butt in that seat i nearly choked on my snacks several times over. i had such an awesomely good time laughing and holding my breath at witty dialogue, thrilling action, and stunning visuals. WOW...or since i didnt expect to like the movie, i had no choice but to love it?

on the flip side of that theory, i nearly cried after seeing j.j.abrams' super 8. seriously...i walked out emotionally confused and sad. i had such high hopes for that one. i adore almost everything that he creates, produces, directs (finish list here), but i'm not sure what happened while i was staring at that big screen. what was the alien doing with those bodies (i'm thinking...giant battery)? i'm sure i could look it up or just go to wikipedia; yet, there's the point, i dont even want to...(sigh). i left the theater thinking...hm, that was like cloverfield meets ET (my feelings ranged from wanting to hug someone to terror while trying to snatch a glimpse of the alien and then back again). i get the feeling i'm going to like that flick a lot better when i watch it at home on a lazy saturday morning.

enough blabbering...my original point...yes, i am absolutely looking forward to seeing the daring hero burst through that door and take out the bad guys and i expect that to be the most riveting scene of the movie. this leads me to conclude (if my theory proves true once again) that i am going to walk out after the credits roll (and i watch the bonus scene, if there is one) squealing about how much i loved it and how much i can't wait for it to come out on video on demand to watch again...i'm so odd (and i LOVE it)!

PHOTOS: "Captain America" Screening at the Metreon in SF (997now.radio.com)
Movie Review: 'Captain America: The First Avenger' (pinkisthenewblog.com)
Will Captain America be better than Thor? [Poll] (io9.com)
'Captain America' premiere: Chris Evans was drafted to duty by Marvel (herocomplex.latimes.com)

'transformers 3': random comments i thought of

2011-07-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

very spasmic experience...so many characters (human and bot alike) and cameos it was hard to focus on any one in particular...but SHOCKWAVE was AWESOME as a super cool super destructive villain...better than some human villains in recent films...central plot was a little rushed by sporadic summary narration...dempsy seems to have just stumbled into being the bad guy but didnt own the part...at first, i really missed megan fox but by the end it really wasnt necessary to care who played the love interest cause it was basically the same role (same forced not quite genuine romance?) just a different name in the credits...but i've loved the transformers since way back when so...overall, it was an entertaining summer action flick -- no more, no less....transformers 3 in 3 words: explosions.cameos.SHOCKWAVE!

Final TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON trailer (geektyrant.com)
New Image of Shockwave and TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON Featurette (collider.com)
New TRANSFORMERS image gives a close look at Shockwave (geektyrant.com)
Mvie Review: Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon (lehsys.com)
'Transformers' Villain Shockwave Stands Revealed (moviesblog.mtv.com)

Mixed Media at the Movies: MI:4 - Ghost Protocol

2011-07-25T21:35:00.000-07:00

Tom Cruise returns as IMF Agent Ethan Hunt in this fourth installment to the Mission: Impossible series. The film premiered its first official trailer on June 28th; however the scheduled release date will not be until mid-December 2011.

Although snatching a glimpse of Cruise's death-defying acrobatics as he scaled a monstrous skyscraper was enough to add this to our highly anticipated releases list, the identity of the female co-star catapulted MI:4 to the very top. Stunning Paula Patton plays Jane Carter opposite Cruise's title character in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. While there are no specifics as to whether or not Carter and Hunt will find themselves enthralled in both a fast-paced spy chase AND a heated romance, we're hoping this will be the case. 11 Years ago, MI:2 added to the rising trend of featuring IR couples in lead roles of big budget films. In that second part of the series, Thandie Newton co-starred in the franchise film as Agent Hunt's fiesty love interest and ex-thief Nyah Nordoff-Hall. The couple's smoldering onscreen romance was enough to keep my eyes glued to the screen for the remainder of the film. Hopefully, this match-up between Cruise and Patton will be equally sizzling, if not more so...we'll have to wait until December to find out.

Other noteworthy co-stars include Jeremy Renner (Marvel's Thor) and Simon Pegg, who happened to play Newton's sloth-like ex-fiance and father to her son in Run, Fatboy Run (2007). Ving Rhames also makes a return to reprise his role as tech-savvy Luther Stickwell.

With a well-rounded line-up of stars and a promising preview of what's in store for our dashing agent, we're hoping that this action flick will be well worth the extended wait.

Mission Impossible (Special Collector's Edition)Mission - Impossible II (Widescreen Edition)Mission Impossible III (Widescreen Edition)

'Hawthorne': a new kind of romance

2011-07-25T21:31:00.000-07:00

a few days ago, while attending one of those lovely holiday bbq's - amazingly, the hosts seemed to be serving everything but bbq - oh, well - someone started up a conversation about the return of a new drama on TNT - "Hawthorne" - starring one of our fav media darlings. as soon as i found out about the leading lady's love interests (yes, there are two fine men who are absolutely smitten with our lady), my ears immediately perked up. i have no doubts that jada gives a commanding performance on the show but it was the blended romance that caught my attention. it makes me beyond ecstatic when big media outlets are not afraid to step outside of the box when it comes to casting lead and title roles. love should always be colorblind. my only complaint (which has nothing to do with the show itself) is that i had to scour too many clips to find one that featured our leading couple in an intimate moment. i understand that the whole show doesn't hang on their love affair alone but - seriously - i'm sure that i am not the only person who FF's the video on demand player just to catch a glimpse of old and new flames getting all doe-eyed and cutesy faced :)

Hawthorne: The Complete First Season
HawthoRNe: Season Two

Leilani's Random Movie Review

Coming Soon: 'Columbiana' - New Action Thriller

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