Will The Autograph Guy

Man of Steel - My Review

2013-06-16T21:24:00.002-07:00

Man of Steel - 2013 - Directed by Zack Snyder

Man of Steel has all the elements of the Superman movie I have been waiting for and yet ultimately it is a disappointment. I'm beginning to think you can't make a great Superman movie.

As the film opens I am anxiously ready to see our hero yet I am instead inundated with a 25 minute CGI rendering of the planet Krypton. By now doesn't everyone know the origin of Superman? Those who don't probably don't care.

After Krypton, young Kal-El is sent to earth and we get to the heart of the film. This is a Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) unsure of himself. He hears everything, feels everything and is unequipped to deal with it. His parents try to instill in him a sense of good and Clark not only believes it, it is who he is. He wants to help everyone even when his Dad tells him he must keep his identity a secret.

Which is why the film falters once again as he not only blatantly allows people to see who he is he does with a central character which kills the film's one lone mystery. While talking to his father he asks him, "What was I supposed to do? Let those people die?" His fathers response is one word, "Maybe." But the film is not interested in exploring this. It doesn't put Clark in a situation to test him. This is just dialogue to advance the story.

Lois Lane (Amy Adams), however, is a breath of fresh air. This is not just a woman thrown into the mix. She is a reporter first and foremost, trying to track down a story, while no one else wants to believe her theory. Her character is also setup nicely for the sequel.

As Clark tries to hide his identity, General Zod (Michael Shannon), the banished warrior from Krypton, has finally found Clark and demands that the people of Earth turn him over to insure their own survival. What comes next is the least interesting part of the film and its downfall.

The character of Superman suffers from what I call the "Hulk Syndrome." In todays age of film making the only way to show off the character is through CGI and I have yet to see anyone do it believably. You can always see the CGI.

When Superman and General Zod do battle they destroy what seems to be the entire city of Metropolis. The damage would be in the trillions and the loss of life in the hundreds of thousands. Why doesn't Superman seem to care about this? Where is the inner conflict that Snyder brought up earlier?

There is much to like here. The cast is great and Henry grows more and more into his character. Lois is stronger than she has been previously which makes for a nice dynamic. The best parts of the film are when we see Clark and not Superman. Problem is, the last hour is Superman engaging in one monotonous battle after another. Character makes a film. Not violence.

Rating: 4 out of 10

Rose McGowan of Death Proof! Autograph! Photos!

2013-06-16T00:21:00.001-07:00

Usually everytime I see Rose I manage to get a few autographs from her (and thank goodness cause I need her on alot of shots!) but this night was different. I just couldn't get her! I go this way and she goes that way! I actually never got her but a friend of mine who didn't have anything for her grabbed my photo and got it signed for me!

Armie Hammer of The Social Network! Autograph! Photos!

2013-06-15T18:03:00.002-07:00

Armie was out promoting The Social Network, on his Vespa!, and he was kind enough to stop and sign autographs for a bunch of fans waiting. Seriously, this guy is super nice. At one point he asked me who else I had on the photo and I told him and then asked him if he could get Jesse Eisenberg to sign it for me and he was surprised that Jesse doesn't sign for fans.

I now have Armie, Aaron Sorkin, Dakota Johnson, David Fincher, Rooney Mara, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake on this.

Jonathan Banks of Breaking Bad! Autographs! Photos!

2013-06-13T23:06:00.002-07:00

God I was so excited to see Jonathan the other day when he showed up to an event! I don't see him much, maybe once a year if I am lucky and wanted to get him on some Breaking Bad shots and I had a hunch he might show up and I was right! When he got out of his car I called him and he came right on over, a real nice guy.

Debra Morgan AKA Jennifer Carpenter of Dexter! Autograph! Photos!

2013-06-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

I have always liked Dexter though will admit I think the quality of the last few seasons is not up to par with the first few but I am working on a cast shot and when Jennifer was out the other day I got her to sign mine which now has her, James Remar and Julie Benz on it.

Regina King of Southland! Autograph! Photos!

2013-06-13T16:49:00.002-07:00

I was so sad to hear that Southland got cancelled. It was a great show and I am going to miss it! When Regina was out the other night I was able to get her to sign my cast shot which now has her and Michael Cudlitz on it. I went to take a pic of her signing but by that time she went to do a photo op and since it was with the Big Sassy himself I had to put it on my blog!

Diane Kruger of Inglourious Basterds! Autograph! Photos!

2013-06-13T16:38:00.002-07:00

I remember when Diane was really nice but those days seem gone. Lately, if she signs it is a surprise and even when she does it is for mere seconds and now her graph has become basically a "D." Whatever, of course I will take it and I did manage to get one!

The Legendary Bob Newhart! Autograph! Photos!

2013-06-13T16:09:00.001-07:00

I used to always watch the Newhart show when I was a kid and was excited the other day to see Bob and while he said he wasn't going to sign his wife told him to (!) and he came over and signed! I only had my Horrible Bosses on me and added him to that!

I now have Bob, Jason Bateman and Ioan Gruffudd on this.

Billy Crash AKA Walton Goggins of Django Unchained! Autographs! Photos!

2013-06-12T00:44:00.002-07:00

I have had a nice stretch lately of getting people from QT films and that streak continued as I saw Walton and was able to get him on a couple photos. Now, I just hope Kerry will sign them as she is one of the pickiest celebs I've come across when it comes to signing photos!

Jamie Foxx of Django Unchained! Autograph!

2013-06-12T00:14:00.001-07:00

Seeing as how I love all Quentin Tarantino movies I decided I needed more Jamie photos signed so I headed out to get him figuring there wouldn't be alot of people and I was right. Only about ten. However, it only takes a few to ruin it. When he came out he did a couple and then people literally threw photos in his face and he said no and just stopped signing. Oh well, at least I got one.

The Legend that is Brad Pitt! Autographs! Photos!

2013-06-08T23:32:00.000-07:00

Graphing is a hit and miss endeavor. Sometimes you do good and sometimes horrible. But, then you have the days like this. I heard there was a chance Brad might be showing up at a screening of his new movie and decided to go and he did show and he signed EVERYTHING! It was the most I have seen him sign like this in a long time. He is normally one each but he simply did not care this day!

I now consider this complete! It has Eli Roth, Michael Fassbender, BJ Novak, Samm Levine, Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz and Diane Kruger on it!

Complete!

Russell Crowe of Gladiator and Man of Steel! Autographs! Photos!

2013-06-08T23:17:00.000-07:00

Russell is among my top 5 all-time favorite actors so any time I get a chance at getting his autograph makes me happy especially since he is a much better signer than he used to be. He was out promoting Man of Steel and by the time he came out I think there were close to 100 people waiting for him but he still did it and I was able to get a few!

He also included Maximus on this!

I now have Russell, Gretchen Mol and Kevin Durand on this.

Jonah Hill of Django Unchained! Autographs! Photos!

2013-06-06T22:25:00.002-07:00

Another day and another shot at someone from Django! Jonah was out promoting This Is The End and I went as I had quite a bit of photos for him and he was pretty cool and signed everything and I got a pic with him though I look ridiculous in it! He liked most of the photos I had and his publicist gave me her business card so I could email images to her for him!

I now have Walton Goggins, Kerry Washington and Jonah Hill on this.

I now have Christoph Waltz, Robert Carradine, Zoe Bell, Kerry Washington, Jonah Hill, Walton Goggins, Don Johnson, Jamie Foxx and Quentin Tarantino on this.

Mr. Wolf AKA Harvey Keitel! Autographs! Photos!

2013-06-06T00:04:00.001-07:00

Everyone who knows me knows my all-time favorite movie is Pulp Fiction. I am obsessed with it and all Quentin Tarantino films. When I heard I was going to have a chance at Harvey I knew the only thing that would keep me from it would be LA traffic! Well, I beat the traffic and made it and was able to get 3 from him! A great day indeed.

Legendary Godfather Director Francis Ford Coppola! Autographs! Photos!

2013-06-05T23:58:00.000-07:00

There are certain people that no matter how many times I meet them it is always a big deal. Francis Ford Coppola is one of them. The Godfather, The Conversation, The Outsiders, The Godfather Part 2, Apocalypse Now. The man is a legend. So when he was out the other night and I was able to add him to my Godfather cast piece which already had James Caan, needless to say, it was a big deal for me.

Good Will Hunting and Drugstore Cowboy Director, Gus Van Sant! Autographs! Photos!

2013-06-05T23:53:00.000-07:00

While I am a big fan of Good Will Hunting, Drugstore Cowboy is in my opinion one of the 10 best films of the 80's with a career defining performance by Matt Dillon. If you haven't seen it or heard of it, watch it and be prepared to be impressed. When I was out the other day I happened to see Gus and while he didn't make it easy on me he ended up signing and I added him to both cast pieces.

I now have Gus and Kelly Lynch on this.

I now have Gus, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Minnie Driver on this.

Slow and Tedious - My review of Fast & Furious 6

2013-06-01T19:14:00.002-07:00

Fast and Furious 6 - 2013 - Directed by Justin Lin

I can tell within 10-15 minutes whether I will like a movie. Fast 6 has the distinction of helping me come to my conclusion even sooner. During the opening credits we are shown flashbacks to the first 5 films. You read it right, flashbacks of car chases and explosions. Subtlety is not king in this franchise.

What is the plot you say? If you were to ask the filmmakers I am sure they would borrow from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and say we don't need no stinkin' plot. Just need fast cars, hot women and millions of mindless drones. Judging by the worldwide box office grosses they were right.

The gang comes back together to foil a plot by Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) who plans on... hell I have no idea what he is planning. Its just the excuse to blow things up. Speaking of the gang, they should all have their SAG cards revoked (Evans can keep his.) No one appears to be having any fun here. All those horror movie spoofs that come out all the time, I would love to see one about this franchise. (Where are The Wayans Bros when you need them?, they would have a field day with this. Maybe they haven't figured out a way to parody a parody.)

Thankfully, there are a few moments of humor, albeit unintentionally. The Rock jumps down about 50 feet from a speeding car on a overpass to a speeding car on a underpass and he does more damage to the car than it to him. (I probably shouldn't bring up physics but once you jump off the car you cease to keep going its speed. He would land on the concrete. Take notes Wayans Bros.) Multiple people get beat to within an inch of brain damage only to shrug it off as if they got bit by a mosquito. Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez crash at an alarming rate of speed from separate cars only to meet in midair and land safely on a car windshield, happily ever after. In all seriousness, this film is an insult to dumb people.

At one point in the film the gang is huddled around as Vin tells The Rock, we are all here. Give us a reason to stay. I wish the filmmakers had given that same thought to the audience.

You might be wondering what made me give this movie a 1 rating? I blame that on Luke Evans. If he had just mailed it in like everyone else this film would of gotten the rating it truly deserved.

Rating: 1 out of 10

Karen Walker AKA Megan Mullally of Will and Grace! Autographs! Photos!

2013-05-31T15:25:00.000-07:00

The last time I started working on cast shots of Will and Grace it took me a couple years to complete them! Well, I decided to start on some more when I heard Megan would be out and about. As always she was beyond nice and came over and signed everything! I was able to get her on all of the photos I had.

Patricia Clarkson of Lars and The Real Girl and Vicky Christina Barcelona! Autographs! Photos!

2013-05-31T15:13:00.003-07:00

I've always liked Patricia as an actress and I am a huge fan of Lars and VCB. If you haven't seen either I highly recommend them both. She was out the other day promoting a new movie and I was lucky enough to get her on both cast shots I am working on.

This now has Patricia and Rebecca Hall on it.

This now has Patricia and Emily Mortimer on it.

Rose Byrne of Damages! Autographs! Photos!

2013-05-31T14:34:00.000-07:00

I admit I am a sucker for Rose Byrne! I am a big fan and haven't had the best of luck with her when it comes to getting her autograph. Well, she was out promoting a new movie and once again I didn't get her! However, I was talking to a couple friends before we saw her and I told them if they get her and I don't they will be giving me their autographs! Well, they did! (thank you very much friends!)

Zoe Bell of Death Proof and Django Unchained! Autographs! Photos!

2013-05-31T14:20:00.000-07:00

The other day I got a very nice surprise! I was out graphing and Zoe showed up when I had no idea she would be there. I went and pulled my photos and waited for her to come out and when she did she came right on over and signed. I had a bunch of photos for her and a friend of mine helped me and I was able to get all of them signed by her.

This now has Rosario Dawson and Zoe on it.

When she saw this one she was like, look! Its my ass!

Just need Tracie Thoms to complete!

This now has Edgar Wright, Will Arnett, Jeff Fahey, Eli Roth, Robert Rodriguez, Zoe Bell, Vanessa Ferlito, Jason Isaacs and Danny Trejo on it.

I now have Christoph Waltz, Robert Carradine, Walton Goggins, Zoe Bell, Jamie Foxx, Don Johnson, Quentin Tarantino and Kerry Washington on this.

The Second Great Movie of the Year - Mud - My Review

2013-05-13T20:45:00.002-07:00

Mud - 2013 - Directed by Jeff Nichols

I first became aware of Jeff Nichols with 2007's oddly hypnotic, "Take Shelter." I became convinced of his immense storytelling talent with the brilliant and mesmerizing, "Mud."

Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) are two 14 year old boys growing up on the river beds of Arkansas living what is their version of an idyllic life which is a cross between Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn and Stand By Me. As the film opens, Ellis, complete with his flashlight, sets out on his adventure to sneak out of his house and head up river in his boat to an island off the Mississippi River. As he leaves his house he hears the first ominous notes of his life changing as his parents, Senior (Ray McKinnon) and Mary Lee (Sarah Paulson), are bitterly embroiled in an argument.

The two boys make their way to the island and find a boat dangling among the trees. Ellis immediately sees the potential of it being their boat, their treehouse. As they search through the boat Neckbone finds some Penthouse magazines and Ellis finds canned food and bread, they are not the only one's who know about the boat. As they head back to the shore they see footprints and then they meet Mud (Matthew McConaughey).

Mud, for all intents and purposes, is hiding on the island. To the boys he is a mysterious figure who pays attention to them and offers advice. Mud is deeply in love and awaiting the arrival of Juniper (Reese Witherspoon) and the boys relate to that as they are just beginning to notice girls and in one especially poignant scene Ellis receives his first kiss and Tye plays the moment perfectly.

As the boys spend more time with Mud they begin to learn secrets and are swiftly pulled into the adult world and all its consequences. I want to be careful and not mention any spoilers so I will say no more about the plot.

Much needs to be said about the actors though. The two boys, Tye and Jacob are revelations. While Tye was previously in "Tree in Life" this is Jacob's first role and they are both equally great. There are no pretensions here. These 2 are not typical child actors. They so assuredly inhabit these roles that they are destined to receive more work should they choose it. Reese Witherspoon is captivatingly audacious as Juniper, its easy to see why Mud fell for her and easy to see why he should let her go.

As great as the rest of the cast is this is about Matthew McConaughey. Recently he has taken a different path and gotten away from the rom-coms and this is a career defining performance. His Mud is superstitious, rebellious, reserved, bold, volatile, grandiose and McConaughey hits all the right notes. This deserves to nab him an Academy Award nomination.

The cinematography by Adam Stone is breathtaking. You actually feel like you are along the Mississippi river and might stumble and get bit by a snake. Where as Beasts of The Southern Wild pounded you into submission, "Mud" invites you in and asks you to go on a journey. It is a journey well worth taking. This is one of the best movies of the year.

Rating: 10 out of 10

The Great Gatsby - My Review

2013-05-12T02:00:00.001-07:00

The Great Gatsby - 2013 - Directed by Baz Luhrmann

I am not a fan of Baz Luhrmann. He is a visually artistic director who frames every shot in bright multiple colors, uses CGI which enhances the color and not the experience, mixes old-time sensibilities with modern pop and hip-hop and worse yet creates worlds where the characters must fight to be heard over the overwhelming distractions. He is the second coming of Tim Burton to me. All style and no substance.

Most people who go see this movie are aware of the story. A reclusive millionaire, Jay Gatsby, (Leonardo Dicaprio) living in the area of "new money" NYC, throws lavish parties and meets his neighbor, Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire), who is the cousin of Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan), Gatsby's long lost love. They form a friendship while Gatsby attempts to lure Daisy away from her husband, Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton.)

Luhrmann introduces us to the world of Gatsby early on with the first of the film's many exorbitant parties. A phantasmagoric display of men and women dancing and drinking, a pulse pounding soundtrack featuring Jay-Z booming on the films soundtrack, Gatsby hovering in the shadows. This honestly was the beginning of the end for me. Gatsby throws the parties to get Daisy's attention but in the hands of Baz they are serenades to Jay. Everyone their is in worship of him and the film loses its balance immediately. We've bought a ticket but we aren't invited to the party.

Carraway is the narrative force behind the film and Tobey Maguire, with his blank, bright eyed stare is all wrong to play him. He doesn't fit the roaring twenties. He too worships Gatsby as a God, before he even meets him, yet he too is like us. An outsider trying to not fit in but to break away.

Carey Mulligan is the right note for Daisy, Joel Edgerton is even better as her slimeball husband but among the supporting cast its newcomer Elizabeth Debicki, as Jordan Baker, who shines the brightest and seems to understand the most what is being asked of her.

Dicaprio is pitch perfect as Gatsby and the films only saving grace. He hovers over the movie even when not seen, moves gracefully while maneuvering through the old money types, all the while presenting the best portrayal of Gatsby to date. Though not a favorite of the Academy he deserves a nomination for his mesmerizing performance.

In the film Carraway states, "You can't repeat the past." Clearly you can and Luhrmann is proof positive of that. No matter how many detractors, he continues to create over-the-top, visually stimulating and emotionally bankrupt films to a legion of ardent supporters. Its about time I stop watching his films.

Rating: 2 out of 10

Broomhilda Von Schaft AKA Kerry Washington of Django Unchained! Autographs! Photos!

2013-05-10T23:20:00.002-07:00

Being the huge fan of Quentin Tarantino that I am, anytime someone from one of his movies is out I am trying to get them! Kerry was out the other day so I came with my photos and thanks to a couple friends who helped me I was able to get a bunch. While she did sign alot she was skipping so many photos! Anything too sexy, some photos from Django. From one photo to the next it was anyone's guess if she would sign it!

Stuntman Mike AKA Kurt Russell of Death Proof! Autographs! Photos!

2013-05-04T20:23:00.001-07:00

As I always try to get people from Quentin Tarantino movies, I heard Kurt Russell was going to be out so I had to try. As I showed up and it got closer to him arriving I realized there must not be much going on in Hollywood as it seemed like every grapher was there! However, Kurt was real nice and signed for everyone and I was able to get a few!